SOUNDTRACK: TOM WAITS-Orphans (Brawlers disc) (2006).
People either love or hate Tom Waits. My wife, bless her, hates him, but was kind enough to get me this great 3 disc set for Christmas. The Brawlers disc is full of noisy raucous story/songs from the gravelly voiced troubadour. There’s some great pointed political songs on this disc, and then some simply weird stories. Great for playing loud in the car to see the way the people in the next lane look at you.
[READ: Summer 2006] Trout Fishing in America.
I finished this book right after Oranges as part of the “two books that I don’t really know why I want to read them” summer session I was on. The only reason I read this book is because there’s a (mostly) children’s band with this name, and they based it on this book. Contrary to what some reviewers on Amazon say, not much in the book has stuck in my mind. I recall it being somewhat stream of consciousness, I recall it being very short and I recall not really knowing what was going on half the time. It seems somewhat seminal for certain people; I guess I’m not one of them.
Trout Fishing in America the band, on the other hand is great good fun. Their children’s songs rock, and do not fall into the samey-tritey boring children’s music genre. If you have young kids, I highly recommend them. Start with their live album, Family Music Party.
I Just Read About That... 
I believe I tried to read this book at some point in my early adult years and either didn’t get all the hoopla or didn’t like it or something. In my mind it goes along with “The River Why”–a bizarre little book I once read that was all Zen and nature-y. Anyway, I highly recommend the band for anyone with kids. Good fun sing along that’s a far far cry from Barney.
“Family Music Party” is a great album. We heard Trout Fishing in America live many years ago, when our kids were very small, and again just last Saturday night in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They did several songs from that album — 18 Wheels on a Big Rig, Proper Cup of Coffee (with audience participation), Pico de Gallo, The Window (nursery rhyme polks).
“Family Music Party” is a great album. We heard Trout Fishing in America live many years ago, when our kids were very small, and again just last Saturday night in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They did several songs from that album — 18 Wheels on a Big Rig, Proper Cup of Coffee (with audience participation), Pico de Gallo, The Window (nursery rhyme polks).