If you liked Nina Simone's Gum by Warren Ellis, you'll love Massey Hall by David McPherson

In 1999, American singer Nina Simone gave one of her final shows in Britain. After the concert, Australian musician and composer Warren Ellis stepped onto the stage and took Simone's piece of chewed gum from the piano and stored the memento for 20 years.  

Ellis's Nina Simone's Gum is a charming and joyful memoir which examines the magical keepsake to explore how musical genius can change lives.

The Next Chapter columnist Vish Khanna has read Nina Simone's Gum and says if you enjoyed that book, you should check out Massey Hall by David McPherson.

Massey Hall is a story of Canada's most revered concert hall and the many musical artists who have graced its stage.

Nina Simone's Gum by Warren Ellis

"Warren Ellis is a really gifted musician. His band, Dirty Three, is very influential. He has gone on to join the Bad Seeds, which is Nick Cave's band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He's also gone on to have an award-winning and very well respected career as Nick Cave's primary musical collaborator. 

"Ellis is a funny fellow. We've encountered each other a few times, but it is not out of character for him to be so moved by one of Nina Simone's final performances to run up on stage after and grab a piece of her gum, which she had removed from her mouth at the beginning of the concert and placed near the piano.

It is not out of character for him to be so moved by one of Nina Simone's final performances to run up on stage after and grab a piece of her gum.

"As soon as the show is done and everyone's enraptured by the moment, Ellis bounded onstage to grab the gum. And this is the kind of character he is. 

"I don't want to spoil anything with this book, because I've asked everyone I can think of to read it. I've read it two or three times now. I love it. Nina put her gum on a towel by her piano. So Warren didn't just grab the gum. He grabbed the towel and he put it in the towel. When he got backstage, he told the friend that he had done this and 'What can I do with this?' 

"And the friend said, 'Well, why don't you wrap it up and put it in this Tower Records bag?' So he did that. And then the Tower Records bag and the towel and the gum just traveled with Warren almost wherever he went. And at some point, he found he made a little shrine for it in his home office."

Massey Hall by David McPherson

"Two of the most memorable evenings of my life involve Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Massey Hall. To me, it's a similar conceit. A fellow in the 19th century thought there should be a proper building in the city of Toronto that could properly house certain kinds of music and went to the lengths he had to go to to make that happen. And now this place is considered Canada's musical church.

Nothing feels like it. It's the acoustics, it's the feeling, it's all of these things, but it's just a building.

"The first time I went to Massey Hall. It was November 26th, 1996. I went to go see Johnny Cash, who I loved. That was the first thing I ever saw there. What is it about this building? Why is it this home for ideas? Why do people aspire to be in this building? Why did they leave the building feeling like they've had the most magical experience of their professional life? As an audience member, there's something about the history in it and the spirit in it.

"Nothing feels like it. It's the acoustics, it's the feeling, it's all of these things, but it's just a building. It's really just the building to me. It's really just a piece of gum that was in Nina Simone's mouth. We invest in all of these things like Massey Hall."

Vish Khanna's comments have been edited for length and clarity.