I reached out to author T.C. Boyle when I was getting near the end of Unruly Mix. I couldn’t come up with a title and a one-sentence description.

I first wrote about Ken Ascher and Paul Williams by mentioning their names in my Unruly Mix book. In the story, I write about “You and Me Against the World,” the compelling song they co-wrote, made famous by Helen Reddy.

I answered my phone Saturday night, not knowing who it was, and it wasn’t about an automobile warranty. It was Ken Ascher. You might not...