I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: DROPKICK MURPHYS-The Meanest of Times (2007).

Ever since The Pogues, traditional Irish music has been matched to a punkish attitude. The Dropkick Murphys take this one step further in that they are pretty much a hardcore band, and yet they throw in heaps of Irish attitude, channeled through growing up in Boston, Ma. I got their first album when it came out because I was living in Boston at the time. Then I more or less forgot about them. But The Meanest of Times made some noise, so I checked them out again. Despite their ever changing lineup, the band hasn’t changed that much in all these years. They still write great, fast, beer-swilling sing-alongs. Their vocalist sounds like the gruff, ass-kicking younger brother of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Dicky Barrett. There’s a second vocalist on this record too who is less gruff, but, I feel, less effective. He sings one or two songs, but he’s primarily background in nature. And they still throw in the occasional bagpipe, accordion and mandolin. They have diversified their sound a little bit now. There are a few slower (but no less raucous) songs and even a ballad.

Lyrically, they touch on a lot of “political” issues. Not as in day-to-day politics, but more as in a general outrage at injustice (priest sex scandals, children’s services in the state of Ma, violence and war etc). They also reinvent some traditional style songs. “(F)Lanigan’s Ball,” a remake sort of of “Lanigan’s Ball” and old trad song. And “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” is an update of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” done as more of a sea shanty–a punk sea shanty.

I’m not sure why hardcore punk matches so well with traditional Irish jigs, but it really does. If you like your music fast and loud, The Dropkick Murphys throw in a few extra ingredients to diversify your portfolio.

[READ: May 28, 2008] Diary of a Wimpy Kid & Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

A lot of kids come into the library looking for these books. When I finally looked at it, it looked pretty funny, so I picked it up. I’m going to review the two books together because the second one is basically a continuation of the first one, there’s not a lot of differences, but, since the books are pretty short, that’s not a problem.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a “diary” (but don’t go looking for any of that “Dear Diary” baloney, he says) written by middle schooler Greg Heffley. It is written in a big, child-like font and has some great cartoon pictures on every page. The cartoon style is fantastic: very simple lines, that convey so much with so little. Greg has a mean older brother Rodrick (who features more in the second book), and a younger brother, Manny, who tattles on everything he does and is fawned on by his well-meaning, but fairly clueless, parents. He also has a best friend Rowley, who is not the sharpest tack in the carpet.

While the story of a put-upon middle schooler is neither new nor novel, and many of the characters are conventional, the deadpan nature of Kinney’s writing coupled with the hilarious cartoons make this a fantastic and really quick read. There are even some unique spins on some pretty standard tales.

The basic plotline is that as Greg enters 7th grade he has to deal with being pretty wimpy and unpopular. And, worse yet, he has to deal with the after-effects of his mean brother (who is now in a band with the fabulous name Loded Diper (umlaut over the o, of course)) who has poisoned all of his teachers against him. Greg tries valiantly to become popular, often at the expense of others. He’s not a mean kid, but sometimes his judgment is not the best. The style of his writing reflects great naivete, in classic 7th grade mode.

Every incident that is mentioned in the books is funny, from his brother convincing him that he’s late for school when it is only 3AM (and him going full tilt…eating breakfast and getting dressed only to get in trouble for waking up his dad), to hiding in his grandma’s house on Halloween and taunting High Schoolers who then TP his grandma’s house (but she’s retired so she’ll have lots of free time to clean it up). The hilarious Christmas scene in which he brother gets everything that he circled in the catalogs is also wonderfully done.

The second volume basically continues the storyline after a disastrous event from the summer impacts Greg’s life, which he hopes Rodrick doesn’t blab about. The culminating event of this year is the talent show in which Loded Diper gets to perform in front of all of the kids in middle and high school. It is particularly hilarious because all of the grades get to perform in one show, and they have to start combing the acts as they are pressed for time. As often as talent shows are mocked in entertainment, this one is particularly fantastic.

Oh, and beware of THE CHEESE TOUCH!

I enjoyed these two books so much. I laughed out loud more times than I can remember. I fear that my review doesn’t do it justice. Just know that it is very very funny.

The series was initially done as a web comic. The pages area available here for your viewing pleasure. You’ll note that online, there’s an entry every single day. The books are basically condensed versions of the web diary. They have been edited down for size and are something of a greatest hits selection, if you will. It makes for a wonderfully brisk pace. The third volume is due out sometime in 2009, and I’m really looking forward to it. But in the meantime I’m going to be checking out the web pages to see all those in between days.