Shapiro has a rack of CDs on the mantel. Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell. He also keeps a Christina Aguilera disc on the mantel. Now, in the minivan, it is Shapiro's turn to recite. Later, Shapiro confesses he has no idea who Fred Durst might be.
Music is so central.
Tobias Wolff remembers a night in Boston long ago. They left a bar and headed to a clearing that overlooks the city lights. There, they sang Roy Orbison and Shirelles songs. Shapiro cannot recite any of his poetry by heart, but he can reel off countless songs and poems by others. At his new place in Hillsborough, Shapiro shares a cassette tape featuring his brother David and his fiance, Ellen.