In 1992, author and musician Kathi Kamen Goldmark formed a rock band that would become known as The Rock Bottom Remainders. Working as a media escort in Los Angeles at the time, Goldmark got to know several famous authors. She noticed that whenever she told an author she was a singer, it piqued their interest. That gave her the idea of getting a bunch of them to play in a cover band with her at a local benefit concert.
Kamen Goldmark sent out around a dozen faxes looking to recruit whoever she could. The writers who responded to her became members, as did several others over the years. Among the big names to call themselves Remainders were legendary horror author Stephen King and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Maya Angelou was also an honorary member, and both Bruce Springsteen and Warren Zevon made guest appearances at their shows.
The Remainders—named after an industry term for unsold books that get sold at a discount—raised over $2 million for charity during their twenty-year run. That was despite them not being a great band, as they would be the first to admit. Author and longtime member Dave Barry once said, “We play music about as well as Metallica writes novels.” Even Springsteen told them years ago, “You’re not that bad, but I wouldn’t get any better. Because if you get any better, you’re just going to be another lousy band.”
Some of the popular songs the Remainders covered while they were still active include “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra and Bo Diddley’s “You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover.” Various members also recorded songs for the 1998 compilation album Stranger Than Fiction. The band eventually called it quits in 2012 following Goldmark’s death. But if you’re looking for a taste of what you missed out on, here’s a video of King performing “Surfin’ Bird” by the Trashmen while Groening dances awkwardly behind him and does background vocals:
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