Gandalf's Pikestaff

File:Rotters Club.jpegExtremely short-lived prog rock band From Jonathan Coe's 2001 novel The Rotters' Club. Protagonist Benjamin Trotter plays keyboards in this group he co-founded in 1976 with guitarist Phil Chase. They agreed on this name after considering other Lord of the Rings-inspired names such as Lothlorien, Mithril, Minas Tirith and Isildur’s Bane. After years of preparation, they gather together a five-piece and are about to rehearse their 32-minute rock symphony 'Apotheosis of the Necromancer'. About five minutes into the rehearsal, the drummer is fed up and starts a punk beat. He's joined by the bassist and singer. On the spot they become the core of a new band, [The Maws of Doom|Maws of Doom, The]. Benjamin and Phil are left perplexed and defeated. The book includes their Rock Family Tree in the style of Pete Frame, which ended up far shorter than they had hoped.

See also

• [The Maws of Doom|Maws of Doom, The]