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Archive for May, 2010

Todd Davis–Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids (2010)

Posted in Projects, Todd Davis on May 11, 2010| 2 Comments »

[READ: not exactly]

I’m cheating with this book a little bit. I haven’t actually READ the whole thing. In fact, I probably never will read the WHOLE thing, as it is mostly directions for projects.   However, it is already a favorite book of mine!

I just received for my birthday.

I have been planning on creating all manner of cool things in the backyard for the kids (a tree house for starters, as well as a slide and other various obstacles). This book is basically all of my thoughts with pictures instructions. Plus, there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I never thought of and I really hope I have the wherewithal to make. (more…)

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1000 words about Roberto Bolaño

Posted in Big Books, bolanobolano.com, Infinite Zombies, Roberto Bolaño, Translation, Word usage on May 10, 2010| 4 Comments »

When I started reading 2666, I didn’t know anything about Bolaño.  I didn’t even know any of his other books (except I had heard The Savage Detectives was excellent).  But I didn’t know anything about him, personally.

You shouldn’t need to know an author’s biography to appreciate a novel.  And that’s the case with Bolaño, certainly.  However, knowing his biography adds a new dimension to his work that explains why he writes what he writes.

So, the brief outline: (more…)

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The Review of Contemporary Fiction: Summer 2009 | Vol. XXIX (2009)

Posted in Absinthe, Book Reviews, Christopher Miller, Damion Searls, Don DeLillo, Flann O'Brien, Georges Perec, Hüsker Dü, n+1, Nikolai Gogol, Review of Contemporary Fiction, The Review of Contemporary Fiction, Therapy?, Thomas Pynchon, William H. Gass on May 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THERAPY?-Lonely, Cryin’ Only [single] (1998).

I have a few Therapy? singles, but I wanted to mention this one specifically because it has two “new” recordings on it.  The first is of “Diane” the Hüsker Dü song that they first recorded on Infernal Love.  The second is of “Teethgrinder” their first “hit” off of Nurse.

I’m always intrigued when bands reinterpret their own songs, but I have to say that these two remakes are disappointing.  “Diane” is slowed down quite a lot and is very very crisp.  But it rather removes some of the creepiness of the original (and it’s a very creepy song).

As for “Teethgrinder,” the original of that song is stellar.  Any changes can only be for the worst.  And that’s the case here.  There’s so many great, weird sounds from the original (and those sounds make it wonderful) that without them, the song is fine, but nothing awesome.

Fortunately these tracks are b-sides and not really official or anything.

[READ: May 4, 2010] The Review of Contemporary Fiction

This is my first exposure to this journal.  The only reason I bought it was for the main (and only) title in the book–Damion Searls’ ; Or The Whale (which I’m reading now and will review shortly).

The rest of the journal contains Book Reviews and ads for forthcoming publications.  Since I didn’t plan to talk about that back matter in ; Or The Whale, I ‘ll do it here.

There are 22 book reviews in the back of this journal (which itself is 368 pages and only costs $8.00!).  Each book is not quite an academic book, but certainly not popular fiction or non-fiction.  There are a lot of French writers (either in translation, or of books about them).  There’s also some reviews of books that were long out of print (Robert Walser’s The Tanners and two works by Breyten Breytenbach).

The one surprise is the inclusion of a sort of meta-science fiction title by Christopher Miller called The Cardboard Universe.  It’s an encyclopedic guide to a sci-fi author whose initials are PKD. (Phoebus K. Dank–although Dank does have a fictional character called Phillip K. Dick).  It sounds great and yet it is an encyclopedic-style book of over 500 pages.  I’m just not sure if I’m up for it.

I’ll probably never read any of the books reviewed (I barely have time for the stuff I really want to read), but they all sounded interesting in one way or another.   For the entire list of books reviewed and more info on the journal, click here.

After the Book Reviews, there’s a Books Received list.  I assume this is all of the books that they were asked to review.  I wonder if they’ll review all of them?   The only author I recognized in the list was A.S. Byatt.

There’s then a few ads for like-minded publications: n+1, Chicago Review, Trickhouse, which looks fascinating, and Absinthe (new European writing).  There’s also a listing for new books from University of Delaware Press about Don DeLillo’s Underworld, Thomas Pynchons’ Mason & Dixon and William Gass’s The Tunnel (which I really ought to read as that book was a mystery to me).  There’s even critics I recognize in these essays!

The final pages are ads for forthcoming books from Dalkey Archive Press (the publishers of The Review of Contemporay Fiction).  I know Dalkey for a few obscure titles (mostly from Flann O’Brien, but others as well).  The books in this list are from the Dalkey Archive Scholarly Series and include titles like Phantasms of Matter in Gogol (and Gombrowicz); Reading Games: An Aesthetics of Play in Flann O’Brien, Samuel Beckett, and Georges Perec (which I admit sounds really interesting, but which I will likely never read).  The final title in the list is called Don’t Ever Get Famous: Essays on New York Writing after the New York School.  I’m curious about this one.  The book blurb mentions a number of writers that I’ve never heard of, so I can’t decide how to take that title.  I only wish the blurb explained it.

If I were more studious, if I worked in academics, if I didn’t read so many other things, I would definitely subscribe to this journal.  But as it stands, I’ll be just getting just this one (and maybe an occasional other one if the mood strikes me).

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Dagoberto Gilb–“Uncle Rock” (New Yorker, May 10, 2010)

Posted in Dagoberto Gilb, Marriage Trouble, New Yorker, Short Story, The Beatles on May 8, 2010| 1 Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE BEATLES-Please Please Me (1963).

I was never a big fan of the Beatles.  I think I was too young for them.  By the time I got into music, the Beatles were passe.  I’ve always enjoyed the later psychedelic stuff, but that “rock n’ roll” stuff was never my thing.

Sarah on the other hand was a huge Beatles fan.  HUGE!  When the remastered discs came out I got Sarah all of them over a few different holidays.  And, I thought it would be worth it for me to see what this Fab Four was all about.

The first thing I noticed about this disc was how many songs I didn’t know on it!  Now, I was fairly certain that I knew every Beatles song.  I mean, I’ve listened to classic rock radio since I was about 10, so how could I not have heard every Beatles song?  But in this disc, I did not know: “Misery,” “Chains,” “Boys” (how could I never have heard Ringo’s first ever vocal attempt?), and “A Taste of Honey.”  Shocking.

I’m still not a huge fan of this period, although after listening to the disc a few times I do see what the fuss is about (the liner notes also helped contextualize for me).  For some reason, I really don’t like the harmonica sound on a number of tracks (“Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me”).

But having said that, “Please Please Me” is a really great song–the harmonies are tremendous.  And the liner notes led me to understand that this style of pop/rock n’ roll was fairly new to audiences back in 1963.  Contextually, “Twist and Shout” must have sounded like Metallica to them.  John is screaming his head off, the ah’s (in 4 part harmony) with John’s high pitched scream must have had people running in fear.  Even now, 47 years later, that song still packs a wallop.

And, man was George funny looking back then.

[READ: May 5, 2010] “Uncle Rock”

This very short story started out simply enough: Erick’s mother is clearly very hot, and she gets hit on, like, all the time.  Since his mom is single, she considers many of these suitors, and if he is dressed sufficiently well, she will even accept his request for a date.

Erick is 11 and doesn’t speak to the suitors.  He doesn’t give a reason for this (his mother says it’s because he doesn’t speak English so well, but that’s not true).   Over the course of the story, we learn that Erick’s mom has dated quite a diverse group of men, and in many ways Erick has benefited from their largesse.

It is only when we meet her new boyfriend, Roque (known as Uncle Rock) that Erick’s life appears to settle down, and the story shifts dramatically. (more…)

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Woody Allen–“Will the Real Avatar Please Stand Up” (New Yorker, May 10, 2010)

Posted in Funny (ha ha), Jack Black, Meat Loaf, New Yorker, Sex, Tenacious D, The Pick of Destiny, Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, Word usage on May 7, 2010| 2 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: MEATLOAF with JACK BLACK-“Like A Rose” (2010).

My friend Matt is the biggest Meat Loaf fan I know.  He may be the only person in the United States who owns all of Meat Loaf’s CDs (yes, he has ones other than those two Bat Out of Hell discs).  So it came as no surprise to me when he sent me a link to a new Meat Loaf song.  What surprised me was that Jack Black is singing a duet with him!

The Meat Loaf/Jack Black connection is not new; Meat Loaf appeared in The Pick of Destiny.  And Meat Loaf and Jack Black are both waaaaay over the top.   So, really, the pairing makes a lot of sense.  And, when you put the two together, it’s amazing how well their voices work.

I’ve always loved Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, but I don’t have a lot of patience for the rest of his music.  He played a show at my college, and I left mid way through (mostly because the acoustics were godawful and he sounded terrible, although also because he didn’t play anything I knew–that is until after I left when he played like all of Bat Out of Hell).  But since then I have seen him in a Storytellers setting (also in Scranton) and he put on a hell of a show.

The song itself is pretty good.  It starts with a rocking acoustic guitar (not unlike Tenacious D) and then turns into a metal rocker (like Tenacious D).  Meat Loaf’s voice sounds a bit like a preacher (and to my ears, Jack is not loud enough in the mix).  Lyrically, it’s not that great (I can do without the “bitch” bit) but it’s a good rocker.

It’s available here.

[READ: May 5, 2010] “Will the Real Avatar Please Stand Up”

I think I’m missing something with this title.  Because I’m sure that you, like me, were expecting this to have something to do with the James Cameron film that is sweeping the nation.  And yet, this is actually about Warren Beatty and his claim that he has slept with some 12,000 women.  [Heh, heh, I just looked up the definition…very funny.  Sorry for my ignorance].

After an introduction (which may be in the persona of Allen himself–quite the rarity), the story follows a young woman as she looks to be next in line–number 12,989!

The story was quite amusing.  The character herself is not terribly well drawn (she’s hot and defiant and definitely not going to sleep with him).  But the story itself comes to life when we get into the Beatty mansion and learn that he has helpers to take care of so many of those pesky things that will keep his numbers down: foreplay, cuddling etc. (more…)

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2666 final (?) thoughts

Posted in Big Books, bolanobolano.com, Books about writers, Communists, David Foster Wallace, Death, Dreams, Drinking, Dystopia, Foreign Books, History, Infinite Zombies, Natasha Wimmer, Nazis, Roberto Bolaño, Sex, Translation, Violence, War, Yuck! on May 6, 2010| 6 Comments »

I’ve waited to post this, my wrap up of ideas abut 2666, until I saw what others had to say about it.  Which is kind of a cop out but also kind of understandable.  This book is a giant mess of information, and I’m not entirely sure how to process it all.  So I’ve been looking for help.  And I’ve gotten some, but it’s all kinds of contradictory.  Most people seemed to hate the book.  A few people enjoyed it somewhat, and one or two people really felt moved by it.

I think I fall squarely in that middle camp.  As anyone who has been reading here knows, I became obsessed with Bolaño’s books, and read all of his short fiction (saving Savage Detectives for a read in a few weeks).  And yet I’m not exactly sure WHY I felt compelled to read these stories.  (I’m very glad I did…there will be more on Bolaño himself in a day or two).

I’ve decided to look back over what I wrote to get a sense of what I thought of the book (I knew these posts would come in handy). (more…)

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Ben Loory–“The TV” (New Yorker, April 12, 2010)

Posted in Ben Loory, Boredom, Green Day, Infinity, Meta, New Yorker, Postmoderism, Short Story, Technology, Therapy?, Tom Waits on May 5, 2010| 1 Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THERAPY?-High Anxiety (2003).

I hadn’t listened to this disc in a long  time, and I was delighted by how much I remembered (and liked) it.  This was the last Therapy? album that received a release in the U.S.  And it is a solid collection of heavy alternative metal with some seriously catchy bits thrown in for good measure.

“If It Kills Me” could have been a huge hit with a killer chorus and amazing hooks.  As could “My Voodoo Doll” (an outrageously poppy song).  Even the penultimate song “Last Blast” starts out with a low rumbling bassline, but when the chorus comes in it’s warm and catchy (even if again it’s lyrically not warm).

But what’s amazing is how good the whole disc is.  Their previous disc was something of a muddle of styles and textures.  It was an interesting but not entirely successful experiment.  But High Anxiety returns to what Therapy? does best: raw, and noisy alt-metal with really catchy melodies.  Most of the time I don’t even care what Andy Cairns is singing about (it’s usually pretty dark) because regardless, it’s sure fun to sing along.

The final track is a 9 minute crazy mess.  It opens with Cairn’s Tom Waits-ian vocals and a pounding guitar line.  It stops after a few minutes and then picks up again with that pounding guitar line (repeating a little much, honestly, but it is a cool riff).  Then after 7 minutes there’s a new bonus track which is practically like Green Day, it’s so poppy.

This is definitely one of their best discs.

[READ: April 25, 2010] “The TV”

This (very) short story begins with a wonderful concept: a man wakes up one day and calls in sick from work.  He turns on the TV and sees himself, his actual self, finishing his actual job.

The man is transfixed, obviously.  I mean who wouldn’t be?  He tunes in the next day and watches himself drive to work, sit down and begin doing his job–more efficiently than he himself had been doing it!  The credits even indicate that yes, the man is the man.  Amazing. (more…)

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Brendan Connell–Metrophilias (2010)

Posted in Baby Snakes, Brendan Connell, Funny (strange), Language, Oddities, Religion, Sex, Short Books, Technology, Therapy?, Violence on May 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: THERAPY?-Never Apologise Never Explain (2004).

This album is the prior release to One Cure Fits All. It’s not true that Therapy? works on a harsh release/melodic release kind of schedule, although judging by these two discs it sure seems that way.  Never Apologise begins with a blistering, noisy “Rise Up.”  The really notable difference with this disc and other Therapy? releases is the amount of noise in the track. One of Therapy?’s most notable sounds has been a guitar that is so clean it sounds almost unreal.

This disc is far more sludgy (and seems even more angry), witness: “Die Like a Motherfucker.”

The whole disc is fairly short (under 40 minutes), very fast, and in relative Therapy? terms, lyrically not very interesting.  Consider this a solid rawk album.  And, again, one that is not available in the States.

[READ: April 29, 2010] Metrophilias

Brendan Connell’s new book is a short story collection.  And the short stories are indeed very short.  The longest one is 4 pages; most are 2.  There are 36 stories in all and each is named after a city.

I love the title of the book.  Metrophilias.  Technically, what? City love?  Love in a major city?  [Of course the prefix metro- means “mother” so I guess the title is literally motherlove, but that’s not how it’s intended].  And so each short story shows a snapshot of an individual in love in that city.

Each city is represented by at least a small nod that locates it, whether it is a street name or a building, or as in many cases, by an entire culture coming to the fore.  As such, some cities are far more identifiable as cities, and yet the content of the stories is so individualized that the city itself is (in many cases) irrelevant.  Of course, some of them could only be set where they are.  But before I get too obsessed with that aspect of the stories, I should move on to the people on the stories. (more…)

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Roberto Bolaño–2666 [Week 15] The Part About Archimboldi (4 of 4) (2004)

Posted in Big Books, bolanobolano.com, Books about writers, Death, Fürst Pücker, Foreign Books, Fugazi, Infinite Zombies, Language, Natasha Wimmer, Nazis, Punks, Roberto Bolaño, Smarty Pants, Translation, Travel on May 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: FUGAZI-Steady Diet of Nothing (1991).

Jangly noisy guitars open the track (and then a lengthy silence after a minute or so).  And this loud/soft dynamic is pretty dramatic on this disc.

There’s a slot of really cool sounds (within the framework of loud noisy alterna-punk).  “Reclamation” opens with some harsh guitar harmonics over a kind of spoken verse, but it bursts into a great chorus.  “Nice New Outfit” is quite catchy (even if lyrically it’s very dark).  But by the middle of the disc, it feels like some of the songs aren’t quite as interesting.

Of course, the instrumental “Steady Diet” is noisy and wonderful.  And “Runaway Return” has a catchy noisiness to it.  But the band comes back to a high point with “Polish” and the thoughtful “Justice Letter” (written about favored  Supreme Court Justice William Brennan who retired in 1990).

This record is a cool departure from the first disc.  To me it’s not quite as immeiate as Repeater, and yet it still has some really powerful songs.  I find that no matter how many times I listen to it there’s a few tracks that never grab me, but overall, this is another great release from Fugazi.

[READ: Week of April 26, 2010]  2666 [pg 831-893]

Wow.

The book is over and I am blown away.  I don’t know if it was the set up, or my utterly lowered expectations or the complete lack of connections previous to this, but I had assumed that this story would end (well, actually exactly as it did, with him going to Mexico) but the 30 pages before the end blew me away.  I can’t get over how nicely he tied so much together and in such an unexpected way.  I could not tear myself away from the end.  Wow.

I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole book.  I’ll do a final thoughts post after I digest, but the ending of the book was immensely satisfying. (more…)

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David Khoury & Tucker Nichols–“Austerity Program” (The Believer, March/April 2010)

Posted in Books about writers, David Khoury, Epistolary Novel, Mark Dunn, McSweeney's, Political Humor, The Believer, Therapy?, Tucker Nichols on May 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THERAPY?–One Cure Fits All (2006).

I’ve always liked Therapy?’s brand of aggro-alt metal/whatever you call it.  Their earlier stuff was harsh and dark. During their middle years they grew surprisingly commercial (although they’ve always had a bit of a commercial side to them, even at their harshest).

The last album I got from them was 2003’s High Anxiety (the first in a series of grotesque and unpalatable CD covers which culminates with this horrorshow).  I think the band must have lost any kind of distribution deal in the States, because it is still very hard to find these later discs (without paying way too much for them).

I was delighted to find this one on Lala.  And it stands as a pretty solid Therapy? disc.  They have always had guitars that sounded very sharp, almost electronic, which I thought really exemplified their take on angry literate metal.  And this disc opens up with it (after the 30 second “Outro”)

Their earlier tracks (like the awesome “Teethgrinder”) employed sonic tricks that really propelled the songs onto genius territory.  These songs are a bit more conventional, and yet they’re hardly commercial.  The most likely single would be the “ballad” (which also rocks pretty hard near the end) “Dopamine, Seratonin, Adrenaline.”

The back half of the disc is more melodic and catchy (a sort of reversion back to their middle period?). The only song that veers too far into pop territory is the closer, “Walk Through Darkness.”  It’s almost a bit cheesey, especially after all the heaviness of the earlier tracks.

It’s a fun disc, and a shame that it (and those BBC Sessions, which I am drooling about!) have yet to get a proper release in the states.

[READ: April 28, 2010] “Austerity Program”

In one of the letters to The Believer this month a reader suggests that they start printing fiction.  No reply is given to the letter.  At the same time, here is a piece that is certainly fiction.  There is no comment or explanation attached (which is surprising as The Believer usually tells us everything that’s going on in the magazine.

So, I’m going to treat this as a short story.  Tucker Nichols is responsible for the art direction, while David Khoury wrote it.  It is printed as a series of letters on official letterhead (with a logo but no name) stationary.

Much like with the novel Ella Minnow Pea, the “austerity” is a cost saving measure in which letters are removed from general use. (more…)

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