YA lit and Rock & Roll.

From Dr. Frank's What's-it:

The parallel between the YA novel and rock and roll goes deeper than the mere fact that people make annoying comments when they find out you're of a certain age and involved with either of them. Rock and roll music is teenage music if it is anything, yet it doesn't have a strict expiration date. People of all ages write rock and roll songs, and people of all ages like them. The themes of teen angst, frustration, confusion, heartbroken-ness, as well as the joy of being in love or horny or simply being alive and moving around (as well as the torture of being in love or horny or simply being alive and moving around, let's be honest) never, or so it seems, "wear out." Then there's also this cool thing that happens where every rock and roll song that is written exists on its own, but is at the same time a celebration of and commentary on all the rock and roll songs that have gone before it. Sometimes this can be very specific, deliberate, ironic ("Come Back Jonee" refers to "Johnny B. Goode," "Flower Punk" to "Hey Joe," etc.) Sometimes it's fuzzier and more abstruse, sometimes it's simply a matter of restating a sincere, powerful sentiment. That's what "in the tradition of" ultimately means. We keep listening to, and re-writing and re-writing, "Can't Explain," and it's always worth doing, because no matter how old you get, it's still hard to explain stuff. Trust me on that one.

Frank Portman is the author of the upcoming YA novel King Dork -- a book that I've been looking forward to reading for months, if stinking April would hurry up and GET HERE, already.  He's also a rock star.