I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: DAS RACIST-“You Oughta Know” (2010).

Since “Combination” was a such an odd and obvious novelty song I thought I’d try the other song by Das Racist that was mentioned in the New Yorker article.  “You Oughta Know” samples Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” extensively (and is the only music in the song).  I rather like the use of the sample, although it’s not really used very creatively.

I really don’t understand the “chorus” of the song in which the guys sing/mumble/mock the chorus of the Billy Joel song.  I mean, I understand the desire to mock Billy Joel, but I really just don’t “get” that aspect of the song.

The actual rap part is kind of interesting: “sick of arguing with white dudes on the internet” but the bulk of the song is taken up with the infernal nonsensical Billy Joel mocking.

I concede that I’m absolutely not the right audience for this band.

[READ: November 19, 2010] “Linzer Torte”

Of the five food-related articles in this issue, this one made me laugh the most.

Goodman explains that her mother was the cook in the family.  And she trucked no nonsense in the kitchen: no “little children sticking fingers into the bowl.”  As a result, Allegra never learned how to cook.

This worked out fine in her own family because both her husband and her oldest son were excellent cooks themselves.  But when her son went to college…she found herself eating only leftovers.

The bulk of the story is taken up with her attempt to make Linzer Torte; she determined that it would be a new challenge for her.  As anyone who has tried to make dough knows, it can be a difficult in the best of circumstances, but when she leaves the dough in the fridge for 6 hours and then tries to warm it with body heat, we know things are not going to end well.  And when she scoffs at straining the raspberry jam through a sieve (“You’ve got to be kidding me”), it’s just more set up for a bigger let down.

Her eleven year-old’s assessment of the torte is “Eeew!”  And that is the best of the reactions.  But as she says at the end, her torte tasted “well-meaning.”  Mildly arrogant failure produces some pretty big laughs!

A funny coincidence happened on the day I wrote this.  I walked into the back room and saw a pre-pub novel which I had looked at probably 50 times. I had been intrigued by the title, but not enough to really want to read it.  Today, the author’s name jumped out at me: Allegra Goodman: The Cookbook Collector (and according to the back cover, she has millions of readers.  Who knew?