Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede was Bradley Denton’s second novel and touches on many of the same themes as Wrack and Roll(review), including the power of music to make a difference in the world. The book is out of print now, but expect it to be back in print soon when the movie (starring Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite) comes out (title simply Alive and Well). It’s a road trip through the musical past and a brings us along on the fun journey.

Oliver Vale thinks he is Buddy Holly reincarnated. He was conceived (to the best of his calculations from his mothers diaries) at the same time Buddy Holly died. He lives alone five years after his mother died and the reception on his TV has just gone out. When the picture comes back, every channel has Buddy Holly (looking like he is still on the Ed Sullivan Show) on every channel saying he is on Ganymede. Not just for Oliver, but for everyone in the whole world. When Buddy tells everyone to contact Oliver, Oliver knows this is a sign that he must take a road trip to Clear Lake, Iowa.

First he has to get past his group-therapy leader Sharon (his therapy group is “Disturbed Adult Children of Dead Rockers and Hippies” with an official title of “Post-Traumatic Victims of Popular Culture) and escape a variety of aliens, robot dogs, secret agents and a bunch of people who are pissed that they can’t watch their TV. This is where the fun road trip begins. Oliver leads us through the country physically and in time via his mother’s diaries. And he’s hoping to discover the secret of Buddy Holly and how to get him off Ganymede (and everyone’s TV).

Bradley Denton has a real love for 50s-80s pop culture and isn’t afraid to whip it out and display it in his novels. The love shines through in the book and makes the journey of Oliver Vale a fun and exciting ride through Americana. Highly recommended and I can’t wait for the movie.