I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-Live at the Gorge 05/06 (2007).

PROLOGUE: When Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction came out, it galvanized the three friends I had with the most disparate musical tastes. I knew an indie rock guy, a metalhead, and an industrial/goth guy, and all three of them loved Appetite for Destruction. It was the only record that they all agreed on. I thought the same would happen with Pearl Jam’s Ten. But, the goth guy didn’t think it was dark and sleazy enough (like GnR) and the indie guy found it too commercial. And, actually, I only talk to one of the three of them these days anyhow.

I’m usually pretty cynical about celebrities. And, I know well enough that rock stars who say “We love you” and “Hello, Cleveland” are, at best, pandering to us. And yet, there are some who seem sincere enough to be believed.

Eddie Vedder is one of those sincere fellows. Ever since Pearl Jam took on Ticketmaster, they seemed to be using their fame and influence for the good of the common man (or at least the common fan). Since then they have donated to various charities, thrown their support behind a (in hindsight, bad) politician (Ralph Nader, a guy whose idealism I supported, but whose reality was less than ideal), and tried their best to muckrake against the current administration. So, when he thanks the audience for letting him share music with them, when he says he’s genuinely glad to be there, and when he acts moved by the show, it all seems genuine. Again, maybe he’s a good actor (although I just watched Singles, for the first time in many years, and Eddie and some of the other PJ guys are in it, and he’s not exactly a scene stealer) but I believe him.

This is all a long set-up to review this recent live collection. It’s a collection of three shows: one set is 3 CDs the other two are 2 CDs each. The first show is from 2005 and the second and third are their tour-ending shows of 2006. All of these shows were performed at The Gorge amphitheater outside of Seattle. From the talking that Eddie does, the Gorge sounds like a great place to see a show, and it sounds like there is camping on the grounds. I only wish they included photos of the show, as I’d love to see it.

The 2005 show starts out with a disc of acoustic songs. The band appears to be in unplugged mode, chilling out before letting ‘er rip in the second half of the show. As with most of their shows, the set list is long and varied. Their shows often clock in at over two hours, with a break at about the midway point. There is a decent selection of tracks from throughout their career, as well as a couple of covers. The notable aspect of this show is that Tom Petty is performing on the following night, and Vedder vows to keep him awake all night. He gets the crowd to chant “Hello Tom, Come down, Tom,” which, sadly Tom never does. But Vedder does a rendition of “I Won’t Back Down.”

The two 2006 shows are back to back two nights in a row. It sounds as if people camped out overnight. And there is some good-natured banter between Vedder and the crowd. What is especially interesting to me about this two-night event is that they play 61 songs over the course of the two nights and the only ones they repeat are “Alive,” “Corduroy,” “Even Flow,” “Given to Fly,” “Life Wasted,” “Severed Hand,” “World Wide Suicide,” and “Yellow Ledbetter.” It’s quite apparent that the band knew there would be lots of folks for both shows and they designed a nicely diverse set list for both nights.

There’s also an interesting shout out to the previous year’s show. On the last night he mentions the Tom Petty taunting from last year, and a large portion of the audience begins the “Hello, Tom. Come down, Tom.” chant.

If you’ve been a big fan of Pearl Jam (as I am) you probably have this. But if you’ve been a mild fan of Pearl Jam over the years, this is a great set to get. You’ll get all of the hits, you’ll get a bunch of songs you’re unfamiliar with, and you’ll get a band playing at its peak. The live renditions of their songs are typically fast and furious. There’s also a lot of room for improvisation. And, it’s a chance to see the lighter side of such a “serious” band. A lot of people used to like Pearl Jam but feel their works since Ten have gone steadily downhill. I disagree, but I think that’s because listening to the live versions of the songs makes you appreciate them even more. So, check it out, it’s well worth it.

[READ: January 8, 2008] The Abstinence Teacher.

My first book finished in 2008! And, I can only hope that this is a good portent for future books this year. Wow, this book was great!

Sarah got me to read Tom Perrotta, although, interestingly, I got her to watch Election, a great movie based on Perrotta’s book of the same name. Perrotta’s entire output is simply great. He writes with a very natural style, and, being a Jersey boy, he sets his books there. His books were initially a somewhat lighter affair, but he has tackled some darker subjects as of late. His last book, Little Children was the basis for the recent movie, and as you may know, was about a sex offender in a suburban town.

The Abstinence Teacher tackles yet another touchy subject: religion and abstinence education. The book focuses on two primary characters: Ruth, a divorced mother of two girls, who is the abstinence teacher. And Tim, a divorced father of one who is a member of the local evangelical church.

The story goes into great details about these two characters: their back stories, personal histories, and everything that leads up to the confrontation that occurs somewhere in the middle of the book. What I especially liked about the book is that it starts so strongly with Ruth’s perspective; when the first section is over and we get to Tim’s character you automatically want to hate him. Until you get involved with his personal history, which really humanizes him.

So, what are their stories? Ruth is a sex-ed teacher at the local high school. After a new evangelical church, The Tabernacle, opens in town, Ruth is persecuted for her openness in class (she mentions that some people, huh, enjoy oral sex) . She is told that the school board has voted to teach an abstinence only program from now on, a move which she greatly opposes. However, she has to keep her job, so she sucks it up and agrees to teach the curriculum.

Meanwhile, her two daughters, who spend most of their time with her, on weekends go to stay with their dad. Ruth’s daughter Maggie is a huge soccer player in the town league. Ruth doesn’t really care about soccer, so she is grateful that her ex, who loves sports, is really into the games. It turns out that Tim is her daughter’s soccer coach who…

Well, Tim’s past is more than checkered. He was always something of a substance abuser, ever since he started playing guitar in bands when he was young. However, the drinking, and eventually the drugs, caused him to lose his house, and with it, his family. Tim only gets to see his daughter on the weekends, but his wife has moved on with a new fabulous, and fabulously wealthy husband.

Tim eventually bottomed out, and found refuge in Jesus. Although he is sorely tempted throughout the book. He still plays guitar, with the church’s band, but he is really just going through the motions (the Pearl Jam review was a good one for this book, it turns out). His one real passion is coaching the soccer team. It was an accidental assignmnet at first, but he really got into it, and the kids really like him. Well, this year his girls are heading for the playoffs, and he’s really excited.

It is at a soccer game that Ruth and Tim first meet. Ruth shows up to a game late, and although she doesn’t really care about the game, she is impressed with what a good player her daughter has become. The game is very close, and, after the game, Tim kneels with his team in prayer (because he was overcome with emotion, not because he is trying to recruit the girls). And Ruth goes ballistic.

You can see the setup playing out pretty easily; however, that Perrotta is a masterful writer, and he introduces enough ancillary characters to keep the rather simple sounding plot I’ve given from becoming simple. Ruth has a gay coworker and his long standing partner to kvetch to, and Tim has Pastor Dennis (the force behind the Tabernacle) and his newlywed wife for comfort.

When Ruth confronts Tim about his prayer at the game, she discovers that rather than being a right wing Christan nutcase, he’s a complex guy with a past, and a contrite human being. Tim had heard about Ruth from before their meeting, because of her notorious past (with the sex ed and the divorce), but he is surprised to find that she is a warm, and rather attractive woman. (Actually, Tim’s past is chock full of finding women attractive, which was part of his problem, but his new Christian wife is so agreeable that he is losing interest).The increasing pressure on Ruth because of her failings at the abstinence ed, and the continued temptation for Tim to fall from Jesus heighten the tension. And the story shifts between one of lost romance and troubled families to a political battle that escalates as the story reaches its end.

This turned out to be a wonderfully deep book, with no right character or scapegoat. Perrotta obviously did his homework on both counts, and tells a very convincing story. I enjoyed every page, even the parts that made me very very tense for Ruth.

Perrotta is a master at books that are thoughtful and yet not overly difficult. He’s easy to recommend to anyone, and so I recommend him to you.

Oh, and in the current Believer magazine (January 2008) Nick Hornby reviews this book quite favorably. There’s a link to the beginning of his column here; however, the Perrotta part comes late in the piece, so you can’t see it online. Nevertheless, you should get The Believer because it’s great and it’s got Nick Hornby’s book reviews column.