Admittedly, only a chick into “pre-suck era Van Morrison” could declare, in a how-to guide to rock ’n’ roll: “(Ian Anderson) wore terrible-amazing fringed outfits, hopped around stage like an excited troll ... there is absolutely no reason that you, with your flute-rocking skills, cannot be the Ian Anderson of tomorrow.”

And yes, the book’s target audience is given away when Jessica Hopper refers to David Lee Roth as “the raspy, big-haired guy who once sang for Van Halen.” Even so, Hopper’s Girls’ Guide is actually refreshing – when there are guides like those from the folks at Nylon, teaching us how to dress like our favorite rock stars, Hopper provides frank starting points to every topic: guitar and effects pedal brands, trademarking a band name, the art of slant rhymes, creating DIY baffle panels, recording on a four-track. It’s appropriate not just for teen girls, but for any aspiring musician who needs a clue.

What the Girls’ Guide has in common with the rest of the recent girls’ movement is that it nudges the reader along, reminds that if every known musician had to start somewhere, you, the beginner, can as well – “It’s not Cheap Trick Live at Budokhan, it’s Becky Live from the Downstairs Bathroom.”

Grade: A-



The Girls’ Guide to Rocking is currently available.