I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS-“Too Much” (2010).

NPR hosts a free online version of this song from Sufjan’s new album The Age of ADZ. I’ve been a fan of Sufjan’s orchestral pop for quite some time now. Although I’m less thrilled by his overly electronic experiments.  This song is an electronic meisterbrew, over-filled with all kinds of swells and electronica.

It still has Sufjan’s wonderful voice underneath it, and it retains many elements of Sufjan’s style, but it doesn’t make me all that excited to hear the rest of the album.   Of course, in the past, Sufjan has made many esoteric long-form electronic noodles (this one is over 6 minutes) as sort of supplements to the real deal.

So maybe this is an experiment?  We shall see.

[READ: October 22, 2010] “The Hofzinser Club”

Michael Chabon is another of the 1999 New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 authors.  I enjoyed Kavalier & Klay, but I read it long enough ago that I didn’t recognize this as an excerpt from it (clearly I will have to read it again).

This excerpt is from Josef Kavalier’s early attempts at magic.  We see Josef’s patience and unabashed desire to become a great magician (he has even written a musical based on Houdini).  He begins studying under Bernard Kornblum, who is a respected magician and a member of the prestigious Hofzinser Club.  This Club is (mixed metaphor alert), the brass ring that Josef imagines and hopes will accept him some day.

Josef’s younger brother Thomas is even more excited at the prospect of Josef’s fame, and he tries to think of amazing stunts that will shorten Josef’s wait until he is honored by the Club.  He suggests jumping from a plane while tied to a chair.  Young Josef of course wonders how he would even get a plane.  But spurred on by his brother’s excitement, Josef hatches a plan that’s within his reach.

Since the plan is most of the action of the story, I won’t reveal what it is, except to say that it is suitably dangerous (even though he has been practicing it).  He sends out invitations to all of the distinguished members of the Hofzinser Club and puts his dangerous plan in motion.

Although I found the beginning of the excerpt a little slow, by the time Josef is unhatching his plan, the pacing was excellent and the story grew really exciting.  The ending worked very well, even if it was an excerpt, and the whole thing was a very satisfying piece.  One of these days I’ll get back to Kavalier & Klay, although there are other Chabon books to read too!