I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: VAMPIRE WEEKEND-Vampire Weekend (2008).

There’s some hype surrounding this record. And of course, I wouldn’t have heard about it without the hype. But I have to say this is my favorite record in a long, long time. It has everything! It’s got really tight, fun catchy songs…some as short as 2 minutes. It has wonderfully pretentious lyrics, and outrageous instruments, like the mellotron and harpsichord. And yet somehow, it manages to avoid all manner of pretension. Rather, it’s just catchy as all get out.

I can’t even pick a favorite song, as they are all great in their own way. I’ve heard that this album is compared to Paul Simon and that it’s being described as AfroPop. I only see the Simon comparison on one song, and I’m not sure what AfroPop is exactly, so I can’t address that. But I will say that it reminds me of many different genres as the record speeds by. There’s even a retro ska feel to a couple of songs, and I do loves me some ska! No song overstays its welcome, and it all seems so effortless and joyful. I finally got to listen to it in the car on a warm night and it was absolutely perfect.

Yet despite all the simplicity and brevity, the album has a lot going on underneath it. The rhythms are fairly complex, the basslines are fantastic–not show offy, just busy–and yet they perfectly propel the songs along. And, since I love smart lyrics, I love these guys for their great couplets. The songs are smart, without being cute and even though they do boil down to basic love/lost love themes, the words within are original and wonderful.

I absolutely love this album.

[READ: April 10, 2008] The Lunatic at Large

This book is from 1899 and was reissued by McSweeney’s in 2007. I bought this book without knowing…anything about it. I’d certainly never heard of it before. I had put it aside with low expectations.

The introduction indicated that this book is a missing link between the humor of Oscar Wilde and P.G. Wodehouse. That was a promising idea, and I’m delighted to say that it is quite true.

And even better, the story was a lot of fun! It is a comedy or manners, a farce at the expense of many, and ultimately a bit of a detective story as well.

The story begins at an insane asylum. The protagonist, “Francis Beveridge” is committed to the asylum by a doctor and Francis’ cousin. Little is known about Francis even by Francis himself–in fact he’s not even sure that that is his real name. Plus, the doctor immediately had other business to attend and left without giving any details about his “patient.” We immediately learn that the Clankwood Asylum is, in fact, a home to some of the upperest of upper class loonies. It is beautiful and posh and a rather welcoming environment. As such, when they have their regular dances, all manner of people attend, some to rub elbows with the aristocracy, and some just to see the loonies.

Beveridge proves to be a popular inmate, and he quickly uses his verbal dexterity and unmistakable charm to win over virtually everyone he meets, including Lady Alicia, who is rather moved by his story. He explains that he suffered greatly as a child because (in perhaps my favorite line) “up to the age of fourteen years I could only walk sideways, and my hair parted in the middle.” The young Lady is very saddened by this unusual but surely upsetting deformity.

Without giving much away (since this is on the back of the book) Beveridge escapes from the asylum and makes the acquaintance of a German nobleman, Baron Rudolph von Blitzenberg. The Baron is in London to visit some other noble persons for a tour of the fair city. However, due to bad timing, they are all on holiday, so he has no one to show him around. Beveridge, under the new name Bunker, happens upon him and agrees to show him a good time around London. And does he ever. It is understood of course, that Bunker is also a nobleman (from the way he dresses and carries himself) so even though he has no money at all, he will surely pay the Baron back once Bunker gets in touch with his relatives. A fast friendship is formed and the two become inseparable.

Side note: The introduction also says that the Baron’s pronunciation of Bunker as “Bonker” is where we get the term “bonkers” for crazy people. I assume it’s true, and if so, that’s pretty funny.

The story proceeds apace, with Bunker and the Baron traveling further afield into the countryside and getting involved with a young lady and her mother. Hijinks ensue, and hilarity is assured. In the end we learn why Beveridge/Bunker was unaware of who he is. The story ends somewhat abruptly, with all the loose ends tied up faster than a Star Trek epsiode. But since it’s a light farcical tale, there’s nothing really wrong with that.

I enjoyed the story very much and was surprised at how often I found myself laughing out loud. What keeps the book–which doesn’t have much of a plot per se–moving along briskly is the fear that Beveridge will be found out by someone…either the noblemen he is scrounging off of, or the men from the asylum who are trying to track him down. These men spot him from time to time around London, and there is an exciting chase scene in the book. (It’s not exactly The Fast and the Furious, but as exciting as London carriage chases can be)

One of the things that I loved about the book, was the conceit that an upperclassman in turn of the century London was easily recognizable by his dress and demeanor, and that he really didn’t need any proof of who he was or any actual cash. And so Bunker is able to get into the most expensive places through charm and good dress sense.

Aside from all of the physical trappings of turn of the century London (carriages, no phone, etc.) the book doesn’t read like it’s over 100 years old. Clouston’s language is very casual. It’s really a great, brisk read. It will probably never be deemed a “classic” but even 100 years ago they read books just for fun, right?