Peter Silverton’s swan song is centered around a rather compelling and original premise in the examination of popular music, recounting the lives of two songs- The Clash’s “London Calling” and Frank Sinatra’s “(Theme From) New York, New York”- whose connective tissue ranges beyond mere coincidence to something more abstract and mystical. Wisely and ironically, Silverton studies this fateful association by ignoring, essentially, anything that would suggest that fantastical, abstract mysticism. Instead, it is his direct, factual- and, at times, autobiographical- revealing of the many, many connections that implicitly, convincingly, and wondrously ties the threads. Therein, lies the magic- simply to present it, as is- and before the reader knows it, his 200-page trick is complete.

Silverton’s full-throated account of two cities and their unofficial, respective anthems, in 1979, is definitive in several ways. Not the least of which is the author’s deft avoidance of self-fulfillment; Silverton doesn’t cherry-pick the evidence that makes the case. For one, he lived it- offering first-hand accounts of the people, places, and time.

Secondly, his depth of research is quite impressive, to say the least. The density of the details is sometimes staggering, yet, through Silverton’s voice, is never academic. More like an afternoon (or a weekend) with him in the pub, hearing these colorful tales, never a lecture hall recitation.

London Calling New York New York delivers the conclusion emphatically. London and New York, The Clash and Frank Sinatra, 20^th-century British punk and American throwback, golden-age pop were cosmically, intrinsically, artistically, culturally, and symbolically each other’s heartbeat. Silverton deserves the last word: as one city breathes out, the other breathes in.