Stoffer’s Jukebox

Stoffer’s Jukebox isn’t a real jukebox you can slip a coin into at the local pub, but an imaginary one working overtime in the mind of its author. Martijn Stoffer, a VPRO programme maker for over 25 years, takes the reader on a captivating musical journey in 41 stories.
Stoffer combines an extraordinary knowledge of the roots of popular music with the gift of writing about it in a light and engaging style. His stories follow the content of the songs and lead him to themes of war and peace, love and ludduvudddu, Jamaica and Cuba, the blues, the thrill of rock ‘n’ roll—and so much more.
Martijn Stoffer’s style is so vivid that any music lover will immediately want to hear the songs he writes about. And that’s easily done: QR codes instantly take you to the music itself, via playlists or videos.
But there’s more. Each of the 41 chapters is accompanied by an illustration created by the crème de la crème of Dutch and Flemish artists, including the late Peter Pontiac (1951–2015) and the multitalented Typex, who also acted as visual editor. The result is a book of lists, a vibrant picture book, a buyer’s guide to new “old” music, and a collection of stories from a surprising debut author.

Martijn Stoffer (b. 1950) was a programme maker at the Dutch broadcaster VPRO from 1984 to 2009 (Heartlands, Stompin’, Toga Party, Boogie Nights)—programmes that gave access to the “elementary universe” of Stoffer & Bentz. He wrote briefly for Muziekkrant Oor (1976–1981) and contributed to Crime Link (2007–2010). Stoffer’s Jukebox marks his debut as an author.