I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ-Calibration (is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far) (2008).

Typically a solo album means indulgence. But how can you be more indulgent than Mars Volta? They have fifteen minute songs with twenty-seven sections and operatic vocals and lyrics that are bizarre at best (they’re fantastic, don’t get me wrong, they’re just…out there!). So, if you’re the guitarist in a freak flag waving band, how do you let your freak flag fly on your own?

This solo album actually does prove to be more out there than Mars Volta. Primarily because whereas Volta stays more or less within the realm of their prog metal, this record sets no limits. There’s ambient noodling, there’s chaotic noise, and there’s beautiful extended pieces.

Omar (I’m not on a first name basis, his name is just long) plays a bunch of instruments on the record (he gets help from a bunch of folks throughout as well), but primarily he plays guitar. And I can’t help but think that Omar doesn’t understand how to play the guitar–he knows how to play, and frankly, he’s pretty amazing at it, but I’m not sure he understands it. His melodies are bizarre, he sense of what should come next is totally askew, it’s as if he learned how to play guitar by listening to vinyl records that were a little warped. It’s pretty fantastic.

In one song he sounds like Jimi Hendrix–not so much like a Jimi Hendrix song, but that he achieves the same sonic freakout sound that Jimi achieved in his live recordings–squalling feedback and amazing density. There’s another track where he channels Carlos Santana. (This track features John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on vocals. It is singularly bizarre because it cuts out right in the middle of a line–freaks me out every time!) The next song “Sidewalk Fins” ends with some of the noisiest, loudest, most crushing sounds. It sounds like an amplifier getting smashed by a giant microphone–feedback and thuds–repeated about 4 times before it’s over.

And yet the first few songs are amazingly restrained for Omar. They are short, ambient and, if not a little weird, then certainly quite pretty. But as the album moves along and the songs get longer, his freak flag comes out (see “Lick the Tilting Poppies”). And yet, the disc ends with a beautiful 11 minute instrumental song. it’s beautifully arranged, with intertwining guitar melodies. If there was any doubt about Omar’s skills, this track will knock down all questions. It’s also pretty clear that Omar respects Zappa, if not for his guitar skills, then certainly for his compositions.

This definitely isn’t for everyone–there’s a lot of weirdness afoot–but if you’re looking for something interesting or different, and you’re not afraid of something out there, this is a good disc to check out. Oh, and you don’t need to like or have even heard of Mars Volta to appreciate this record.

[READ: June 27: 2008] The Turtle Moves!

When I saw this book on Amazon, it never occurred to me that it was an “unauthorized” account. It seems that whenever someone or something gets popular someone else tries to make a buck off of it with an “unauthorized” publication. I never know how accurate they are, if they have dirt that the subject doesn’t want out or if “unauthorized” is just written there to sell copy.

Well, there’s nothing untoward going on in this book. The author goes to great lengths to say that he had recently re-read all of Discworld to see what makes Terry Pratchett so damned good, so that he (Watt-Evans) can become just as successful. Watt-Evans has written some 30 novels (evidently…that’s what it says on the jacket, although I’ve never heard of him), so he has more credibility than most unknown authors. And, although I’m sure his tongue is in his cheek, he’s pretty open about trying to score some cash from someone else’s work.

It’s not entirely clear how much, if anything, Pratchett had to do with this work. Whatever the case, Watt-Evans is pretty gushing about Pratchett and his writing. Although he is very clear when he doesn’t like something.

So what is this book anyway? Well, it is a comprehensive and often very funny look at all of the books and short stories in the Discworld series. Watt-Evans goes through all of the books from The Colour of Magic (1983) to Making Money (2007). He gives a basic summary, points out things he likes and doesn’t and then talks about what mini “series” the books fits into. He has outlined 8 in his book:

1. Rincewind and Unseen University
2. The Witches of Lancre
3. Death
4. Gods and Philosophers
5. Sam Vimes and the Watch
6. Ankh-Morpork (a catch-all for technological advances that doesn’t focus specifically on any of the above series)
7. Maurice and His Rodents
8. Tiffany Aching

Watts-Evans is a good, breezy writer, and his summaries are often just what you need to remember what happened in the book you read fifteen years ago (or even last month). He also has an awful lot of fun with footnotes (he puts them in his book because Pratchett uses them in his). 195 footnotes in total. (And if you like David Foster Wallace like I do, then you love footnote jokes!) He explains why the non-fan should read his book (to learn what he or she has been missing) and why the fan should (to relive the high points of the great series).

So what you get is one man’s opinion about the Discworld series. If you like the series, it may be interesting to read (I learned a few things I didn’t know or didn’t remember). It’s also interesting because Watts-Evans is American, so he brings the same perspective as U.S. readers, in terms of maybe not knowing all of the Britishisms.

Nevertheless, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about the book. I enjoyed reading it, but aside from telling me that I really ought to get The Science of Discworld I-III, it didn’t tell me all that much.

My one complaint about the book is the frequency with which he repeats himself. This is not a long book. And yet, in addition to a summary of all of the stories, he also offers a summary of all the series (by pointing out the highlights of everything he mentioned before). As you get toward the end, in the final chapters, he seems to be repeating the same phrases every couple of pages. He certainly made his point about narrartivium, anyhow.

I guess I will need to read a bit more about the man before I can fully endorse the book. In his defense I will say that he bows mightily to the Pratchett altar (not trying to foist himself above it), and he also acknowledges all of the fans who have done as much if not more towards revealing the secrets of the series. And yes, it is a funny read. So I’ll let it go. It did get me really hankering for the new book coming out soon (pre-ordered at Amazon already).