I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: NADA SURF-High/Low (1996) & The Proximity Effect (1998).

High/Low. This CD features the “novelty” hit “Popular” from some years back, you remember, the spoken word bit about trying to impress your high school sweetheart by washing your hair “every two weeks, once, every two weeks.” The song is pretty great, even after the novelty factor has worn off. However, you may feel that you got screwned (see What I Learned… (5)) if you thought the rest of the record would sound like that. For the most part High/Low is kind of forgettable, and a surprising lead off point to what are some really fine follow-up albums. Overall the sound is, not quite murky, but very samey. So that even the catchy parts sort of blend together. It was not until their next album that they start to show some great songwriting.

The Proximity Effect. As I understand it, when Nada Surf didn’t produce a hit like “Popular” for their second album, the label dropped them. Which is typically short-sighted because The Proximity Effect is a much better album. In fact, it contains a song akin to “Popular” called “Mother’s Day” but it is so much darker–almost the anti-“Popular.” It too has a spoken word type vocal, and yet the song is an anti-rape song. A dark subject to be sure, but the guitar riff is so great it stays in your head, and you wind up thinking even more about the song. The first four songs really break Nada Surf out of the sameyness of High/Low by introducing high notes! It really cracks through the grungy sound by including some contrast. However, it’s the next album, Let Go, that really shows Nada Surf taking off.

What’s so weird and awkward about talking about these records in this way is that looking back on the earlier ones with hindsight, its easy to see their flaws, and yet, if you could go back and revisit High/Low without the benefit of the later albums, I wonder if it would shine even brighter.

[READ: July 10, 2007] McSweeney’s #18.

After the utter weirdness of McSweeney’s #17, came this very calming volume. It is a simple paperback book, with a one color raised maze on the front. That’s it. This issue lets the stories take over, and it’s a nice change. (But a short lived one, once you check out #19). This volume also came with the first issue of Wholphin, the McSweeney’s produced DVD series, which I won’t be reviewing, except to say that the two or three videos I watched were really great, especially the one about Al Gore, and the one about the guy singing “Stairway to Heaven” backwards.

CHRIS ADRIAN-“The Stepfather”
This story reminded me of The Virgin Suicides, which may be because it was told in the first person plural (“we”) which is not only unusual, it is somewhat disconcerting. The story follows the lives of the children of their mother, as they watch and pass judgment on the various men that their mother has married. All of the children’s names begin with C, which is funny and telling since half of them have Irish sounding names. It’s a nice detail to tell you something about the family without actually spelling it out. Anyhow, the story is darkly comic, and very enjoyable. The tone hits a great balance of sadness, especially over the death of one of the children, and wide eyed abandon, as their hatred of the new stepfather grows.

DANIEL OROZSCO-“Somoza’s Dream”
This story follows the President-in-Exile as he tries to live his life in late 1970’s Ascuncion. He takes over a mansion there and is loathed by the locals, including his own staff. He appears oblivious, which ultimately proves his downfall. The story is fancifully told, and done in such a strange way that glimpses of the story are laid out, and then filled in later on. Very good stuff.

RODDY DOYLE-“New Boy”
This Roddy Doyle story focuses on a young black student and his arrival to his new school in mid semester. He is immediately picked on; however, in his previous life, he dealt with much worse than school yard bullies. The perspective of the story is from the boy, who doesn’t quite understand what is happening to him from the start. Its very affecting and funny at the same time.

PHILIPP MEYER-“One Day This Will All Be Yours”
I read this story on a Thursday; on Friday, I couldn’t remember if I’d read it, and started reading it again. About two pages in I realized I had read it already. This does not speak well of this little story.

ALAN ACKMAN-“No Cry of Distress in Our Streets”
A brief story about Reverend Daniels, and his possible drift towards dementia. I think.

ADAM LEVINE-“Hot Pink”
This story was really good. The perspective of the story comes from a good Chicago Polack who may not be the brightest bulb in the ceiling, but he’s at least self aware. He spends much of the story analyzing his actions and those of the people around him. He spends the rest of his time wondering if the girl that he fancies also fancies him (even though they act like brother and sister). The comfort between the kids, and the formality of the parents really rang true. And the end of the story, the way it’s set up, is just perfect.

EDMUND WHITE-“My Hustlers”
This may have been a sad tale about a man who feels compelled to buy sex from street hustlers. And yet, I find myself smiling about it. The tone is funny, if not darkly funny, and the main character’s take on the various street hustling guys is really intriguing.

RACHEL HALEY HIMMELHEBER-“Happiness Reminders”
Each paragraph starts with a reminder about how to be happy. At first I thought that each paragraph was going to be about a different character, but it mainly focuses on the robber and the cop, although Santa Claus makes a cameo towards the end of the story. While hardly life affirming, it has an upbeat feel to it, despite the infidelity. The cop’s new found loves brings a lightness to what is really a pretty dark story.

YANNICK MURPHY-“In a Bear’s Eye”
A quick story about a mom, her son and a bear. It is a very detailed look at a pivotal event in a family’s life.

JOYCE CAROL OATES-“Bad Habits”
One of JCO’s dark short stories. This one concerns the family of the serial killer known as “Bad Habits.” As with just about every JCO work that I have read, the story is great, moving very quickly, and with solid impact. Its hard to criticize JCO, and I wouldn’t even try with this story, it was a real page turner.

NELLY REIFLER-“The Railway Nurse”
This surreal story concerns the young woman’s test to become a railway nurse, which involved healing a man who was shot in front of her. It is a spooky dystopian scenario, and yet you wind up very happy for her in her new bizarre life.

JOE MENO-“People Are Becoming Clouds”
A sad story that is presented totally comically, about a man whose wife turns into mist every time he tries to touch her. It’s quite affecting, really.

DEB OLIN UNFERTH-“Deb Olin Unferth”
This 2 page “story” is a great answer to an unstated question. It starts with “No one in Wyoming thinks that Deb Olin Unferth is a fuckup.” Clearly, the implied story is that someone does. And its a great way to get back at the person.

LAWRENCE WESCHLER-“Coda/Credo: We Join Spokes Together in a Wheel”
This seemingly nonfiction piece concerns physics, neutrons and various other subparticles. It’s a short piece about the meaning of life, or at least the working behind the meaning of life.