Memory Librarian - Janelle Monae Book Review
A Distant Future That Isn't So Distant
Concept Albums are always a fascinating journey into the blend of music and story. Some of my favorite complete works of music are concept albums, from The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’, to Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’, and Nick Cave’s ‘Ghosteen,’ there’s something about a strong concept that can elevate the music behind it beyond just a regular old album.
I’d argue that nobody since the heyday of Parliament has embodied and excelled at a consistent, multi-album and growing concept as Janelle Monae, who over the course of three full albums and an EP, has developed not just a compelling Sci-Fi universe with the concept albums surrounding her EP ‘Metropolis’, ‘The ArchAndroid’ (a perfect album) and ‘Electric Ladyland’ only to branch out even further with the ‘Dirty Computer’ album and accompanying ‘Emotion Picture.’ I was a fan musically and digging in deeper to the concepts surrounding their work that fandom only grew, and I was chomping at the bit for a further exploration of this universe.
Enter ‘The Memory Librarian,’ a collection of short stories based in the ‘Dirty Computer’ universe and expansion of the ‘Emotion Picture’ experience. We get 5 stories written by Monae with the help of established authors and poets that not only further the themes and feelings explored the albums, but some compelling characters and fascinating moments added to the mix as well. Musicians that turn to other disciplines can often have mixed results but from the preface to the final chapter I can happily say that the world established and fleshed out in these stories is frequently as big and living as the worlds that inspire it.
Grounding the well realized world we have a collection of characters that are often complex and interesting as a complex Dystopian/Christo-Fascist society is likely to produce. There are those that have come to know success from the top despite an oppressive hierarchy such as the titular Memory Librarian in the first story, and the persecuted, (who comprise a good portion of the following stories) whether they live in desert commune or a house under daily observation by the New Dawn, the all-powerful and all-seeing regime in ‘charge.’ Not every character is as likable as the others, however, as from time to time some fall into the trap of preachiness and sloganeering but fortunately their residence on the page is short lived and perhaps intentionally placed for provocation rather than propagandizing.
The recurring themes (autonomy, resilience, acceptance, memory) are consistent and thorough throughout the stories, be it accepting and authentically expressing your sexuality or gender identity despite the specter of assured oppression, retaining and treasuring your history through story or through memory, or simply being able to live with any hope for privacy. There were a few moments in the middle of the book where I could feel the stories treading water but often when this feeling crept in, I would soon be taken somewhere new and shown something unexpected.
I don’t want to get too into the elements of specific character, plot or story but suffice to say I was more often impressed than not reading this collection of short stories. While the 1st and 5th stories were my clear favorites in the collection, I appreciated the layers that each story added to the universe and the shifting points of view from all over the world that was emotionally and sonically established with the album ‘Dirty Computer.’ It’s also very valuable to have a collection of stories centered on predominantly queer characters that feel like living breathing people, often as likable as they are complicated. It’s not perfect but its far better than 99.9% of most musician’s forays into the world of storytelling. Janelle is bold with the universe they’ve created and in their collaboration with writers Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore and Sheree Renée Thomas has created a piece of art that transcends the speakers it’s played through and the pages its printed on.
