I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: MOBY GRAPE-Moby Grape (1967).

Moby Grape is one of those bands that I’ve always heard of but had never heard.  I know, their debut is 43 years old and yet I’d never heard it.  Well, thanks to the internet (lala.com, RIP as of today), I was able to listen to what I assumed was their Greatest Hits.  If only I had done a modicum of research.  The disc I chose was Legendary Grape, which it turns out is not a greatest hits at all, but is actually some weird pesudo-Moby Grape record released in 1989 under a different band name due to legal protractions, but then reissued as Moby Grape.  It was rather uninspired and nothing at all what I thought it would sound like.  Nothing dreadful, just nothing worth thinking that this band “legendary.”

So, with a little research, I learned that their first album is what I should have been checking out.  Moby Grape is the eponymous release and it sounds much more like what I assumed this psychedelic era-band would sound like.  This disc is pretty much in keeping with what a band that produced an album cover like this would sound like.

It’s sort of a folksy Grateful Deadish sound.  But they move beyond a simple genre with a host of writers and instrumentalists contributing their own thing, man.  So there’s a few rocking numbers, a few ballads, and a bunch of other fun things. To me the most notable thing is that in a time when trippy psychedelic songs were long events, Moby Grape played mostly short songs (the longest one is the final track at 4 minutes, but most are around 2 minutes long).

I think I may be too far removed from this scene to really appreciate the disc.  I like what I hear, and a second listen made it even more enjoyable, but I can’t imagine investing a lot of  time with the band.

[READ: Week of May 31, 2010] Moby-Dick [Chapters 19-41]

Plug #1:
In case you didn’t see it on Infinite Zombies, Daryl has created what he calls Moby-Diction, which allows you to search the text for any word and see where and how often it occurs.  Geek heaven!

Plug # 2:
A visual treat is found at Matt Kish’s monumental: One Drawing for Every Page of Moby-Dick, which is pretty well explained by its title.  It is an amazing site (sight) to behold.

Now, back to our story.

Week 2 of the Moby-Dick read is amusing because it continues a minor thread that has been going on for some 100 pages (of my edition): When are we going to meet Captain Ahab?  We hear a lot about him, including a portent of doom from Elijah, but he doesn’t appear until Chapter 28.

Elijah, meanwhile, appears on the Nantucket streets.  He reveals himself to Ishmael and Queequeg as a sort of homeless man who asks them if they’re sailing with Ahab.  When they say yes, of course, he warns them about some bad things that happened to Ahab and his leg and future portents of doom.  Ishmael is a bit freaked by the guy, especially when Elijah seems to be following them, but he tries to out the madman out of his mind.

Over the next few days, the Pequod finalizes all of its provisions and we meet Captain Bildad’s sister (known as Aunt Charity) who is super nice and helps with everything.  Ishmael has nothing but nice things to say about her.

As Ishmael and Queequeg prepare to board, Elijah more or less jumps out of the bushes and berates them, asking if the men that they just saw go on board the ship are indeed on the ship. Huh?  But when they look, the men are nowhere to be seen.  This creepy scene is followed by a bit more Queequeg slapstick as he sits on a sleeping man’s head (in his island people are employed as furniture).

The man is Starbuck, chief mate.  But before we get a full introduction of the crew, Ishmael feels compelled to defend the ancient art of whaling.  Several pages follow in which Ishmael shows that whalemen are respectable, nay essential members of the community (sometime even Admirals!)

From there, we meet the crew.  Starbuck, chief mate, is long and earnest and very careful.  Stubb, second mate, is happy-go-lucky, neither craven nor valiant and almost indifferent.  He is always with his pipe. Flask, third mate, is short and stout and seems to have a vengeance against all whales.

We also meet the three harpooners that are associated  with these mates:  Queequeg is tied to Starbuck; Tashtego, an Indian from Gay Head is a proud warrior hunter and is tied to Stubb; Daggoo a “gigantic, coal-black negro-savage” with earrings so large the men joke that they could tied the ship to them.  He was tied to Flask, a dwarf of a man compared to Daggoo’s six-foot five.

And then, at last, is the unveiling of Ahab, and it’s a bit anticlimactic as far as action goes, but the description is something else.  We see him from afar, peg leg (technically an ivory leg) supported by a hole in the floor.  He is silent for much of this first viewing.  But soon enough we hear his wrath.  Stubb complains about the sound of Ahab’s leg on the deck of the ship.  There is a shouting match between Ahab and Stubb (Ahab: “Then be called ten times a donkey, and a mule, and an ass, and begone, or I’ll clear the world of thee!”  (113)).

This is followed by a dream that Stubb has: Ahab kicked him with his fake leg.  Stubb convinces himself  that it’s better to be hit by an inanimate object than by a hand.

And after all of that excitement, we settle down into a lengthy look at whales (which I won’t go into).  The first time I read this section, I was puzzled by it.  But in re-reading it this time, it’s a far more fascinating thing (although I am still puzzled by its inclusion).  He lays out an entire framework for every known whale (most of which he has seen first hand–which seems unlikely since this is first time on a whale ship).  He describes them by size and by characteristic.  The big question is why?  Why did Melville feel the need to include this (and similar detailed information).  And there are a number of possible answers: to teach people about whales (people who would read a novel but not an encyclopedia); to prove to his audience that whaling is important (this stems from the previous chapter as well); or like a mountain climber, because it’s there to be done.  Any other reasons, anyone?

And then, for some more details: we get an insight into the eating habits of the ship.  Dough-Boy, the steward, calls to let Ahab know it is meal time.  And then, in the height of propriety, a very strict order must be followed: after the captain, then the mates in turn; and when they are done they return in reverse order, so third mate, Flask, often gets very little time to eat (so much for the big promotion to Mate, eh?).  The harpooners follow next and they gorge themselves (with Dough-Boy hiding from them).

Beginning in Chapter 36, things really take off.  Ishmael admits that he is a sorry guard when its his turn to keep an eye out for whales.  To signify this new heightened action, the writing takes the form of a play of sorts.  We get a stage direction (Enter Ahab: Then all) although the actual chapter is not written like a play.

And the next few chapters reveal what few on board (and fewer first time readers know): Moby-Dick, the white whale, chomped off Ahab’s leg.  And he has a thirst for vengeance.  Whoever spies the white whale wins a gold coin.  And there is much rejoicing.

Starbuck is hesitant about the quest, mostly because he fears that he will not see a lot of money if they are chasing down one whale, but also because the whole thing is folly.  This is followed by a contemplative chapter as Ahab as he soliloquies about this decision.  Followed by two similar soliloquies from Starbuck and Stubb, each pondering what is to come.

This is followed by the most “Dramatic” section.  Each sailor is given a line (with, in play form, his name given).  All of the sailors and harpooners shout across each other with threats and gaity about the whale.  It’s a confusing madhouse, and one that probably looks great on stage (although I admit I didn’t follow it very carefully).

The final chapter of this week’s read is Ishmael calming things down and talking about Moby-Dick himself.  He tells us that Moby-Dick is legendary, thought to be ubiquitous and immortal.  He seems to be in the coldest waters around, and then days later turns up in the tropics.  And even though he has been harpooned, he thrives.

He then reflects on Ahab’s monomania and how it has no doubt festered in silence until he has finally allowed it to unleash in this manner.  He has allowed his anger to take control of him.

This turns out to be an excellent dramatic break in the action, although given that there are still hundreds of pages left, it’s pretty apparent that we won’t be getting a showdown just yet.

COMMENTS

What’s especially weird for me about reading this is that I know a little bit about the story (enough to know the basic plot and a lot of “theory” and yet I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.  This makes for a fun read of a classic text.

I’m also finding that there is no way a high schooler would enjoy this book.  It is in no way designed for quick reading.  And any stylistic things to learn from this book are wasted on anyone who simply wants to get to the end, or to the whale battle.

I’m assuming that this book was written to be leisurely read, to get sucked into a complete world of whaling (which explains all of the copious details).  Any reader at the time could easily get sucked into this seascape, and imagine the sight of Ahab flashing his gold coin.  And anyone who was literate at the time would have known the Bible quite well.  So they would have known the significance of Elijah: prophet.

The pacing may not be up to contemporary standards, but as a ripping yarn, it’ a good one.

I have a scintillating post at the Infinite Zombies blog about Week 2, as well.