The Odd Couple

Elmore Leonard, king of the crime novel and author of Get Shorty and Out of Sight, has taken a break from his fast-paced, book-a-year writing schedule to do a little touring. But he's not following the typical writer's schedule of interviews, coffee-shop readings and book-signing sessions. No, Leonard's really on tour this winter, traveling and performing with a band from Greenfield, Mass., called the Stone Coyotes. Boston's Lansdowne Street Music Hall hosted the bizarre book-reading/band performance on Friday, February 19. Two days earlier Leonard and his back-up graced the Mercury Lounge in New York City, and from Boston they flew to L.A. for further shows.

This seemingly unusual arrangement is is quite typical for Leonard, who has always focused on extensive live research. In his latest novel Be Cool, sequel to Get Shorty, the infamous Chili Palmer gives up the movies in favor of a music industry career. Leonard needed lyrics and inspiration for his fictional band, so research this time meant schmoozing with singers. He and his assistant met with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aerosmith, among others, but Leonard finally found his ideal band by accident. Hanging out at a lounge in L.A., Leonard experienced a Stone Coyotes performance and knew right away that they were what he wanted. Love at first sight for this book/band couple.

The sound? Leonard says, "AC/DC meets Patsy Cline." The people? 52-year-old lead singer Barbara Keith, her husband Doug Tibbles and his son Jason. The experience? Keith describes herself as "this librarian old New England woman, screaming at people."

In Be Cool, however, the middle-aged family band takes on a slightly more glamorous tint. The character based on Keith, Linda Moon, is young, single and employed by an escort service. In fact, only the Stone Coyotes' lyrics make it to print unaltered, including "Odessa," a brand new title Keith wrote expressly for Be Cool. Some choice lines: "I don't care about fame and fortune / Camera in your eye and a dollar in the bank / I want to go runnin' through the fields / Drinkin' hot water from a railway tank."

The Stone Coyotes themselves do actually seem to care about fame and fortune; though these aren't the smoothest lines around, the Stone Coyotes are pinning their hopes on this song to help them find their 15 minutes in the sun. Their newest CD, "Church of the Falling Rain," featuring "Odessa," is being released at the same time as Be Cool, and the band admits that they dream of an eventual soundtrack spot. After all, as Leonard himself assured, "This is shamelessly aimed at the movies. I want to see a good movie made. With or without Travolta, though I'm sure he'll do it." The question of the day for Leonard's touring pals is more along the lines of "with or without the Coyotes." But for now, they can at least bask in the crime czar's limelight. And Leonard seems to be enjoying himself as well. After all, he did confess, "I have always thought I would love to be a rock star for about 48 hours. That's about all I could handle."