SOUNDTRACK: KWAN JAI & KWAN JIT SRIPRAJAN-“E-Saew Tam Punha Huajai” (1960s-1980s).
This song is the basis for My Morning jacket’s “Holdin’ on to Black Metal.” It’s not the inspiration…it’s the exact song. In fact, it could even be a cover, except with completely different lyrics. Well, I say completely different lyrics without knowing what the original lyrics are, although it translates as “Advice Column for Love Troubles” which “Holdin’ on to Black Metal” certainly is not.
This original is a tad slower and, perhaps, a tad stiffer (which is funny that it’s on a collection called Siamese Soul). The riff is pretty cool, and in this version they use (what I assume are) Thai flourishes the keyboards are just all over the place, bringing in a crazily noisy texture. The vocals are all in Thai (I assume). But what’s amazing is that the opening vocal melody is copied exactly by MMJ (and then MMJ take it in a very different direction).
After that opening riff, the similarities in vocals end, as the singer (I am so vague about this because I can’t find anything about this album anywhere) takes off on a more conventional non-Western singing style. I prefer the MMJ version, but this is a fun little addition to Circuital.
Check it out and be surprised.
[READ: January 31, 2012] “Someone”
I normally don’t like titles like this one. “Someone” seems to show a real dearth of imagination, and it doesn’t really inspire anyone to want to read the story. Having said that, the title actually proves to be quite apt, albeit only after reading the whole thing.
I haven’t read any McDermott stories before, although I have heard of her, but I have no idea if this is the kind of story she normally writes.
This one is set in 1937. Marie is 17 and has just been asked by Walter Hartnett what is wrong with her eye. What’s wrong with her eye is that the sun makes it squint involuntarily. Walter tells her not to do that, that it makes her whole face look funny. This must be a charming pick up line circa 1937 because later that day Marie and Walter go on a date.
The story quickly flashes forward to the present–we see Marie examining her squint in the mirror. She also thinks back to when her daughters started dating and she warned them: (a rule that I agree with): “If he looks over your head while you’re talking, get rid of him.” But the daughters didn’t want to hear another story about Walter Hartnett. So we get to hear it instead.
On that first date, Walter invited Marie upstairs for a minute. We all know what getting invited upstairs means, but did it mean that in 1937? Well, Walter does live with his mom, so maybe not. But his mom is not home, and there’s beer in the fridge. And soon enough Marie is having her first kiss. And Walter doesn’t take it slow. He’s already moving on to second base–with kissing and biting and…. And then they hear the door open downstairs. Marie is stunned.
Naturally, Marie is totally freaked out about what happened, but Walter is charming and begins asking her about her desire to get married and have children. So if his intentions are good, which they seem to be, she’s okay with things.
The rest of the story mostly shows their relationship building–they do activities together and have a lot of fun–although Walter never tries to repeat the activities of that first date. Marie is more or less breathless with a mix of fear and anticipation waiting for her breast to be touched again.
There are other things in the story as well–her mother, her brother, an amusing story about a blind umpire–but the action of the story is driven by Marie and Walter.
Of course, since early in the story Marie warned her girls against men like Walter, we know that things can’t end well. It’s just a matter of waiting to see what kind of cad Walter is. And he does not disappoint in his caddishness. The story ends with Marie receiving unexpected comfort from her brother (a man who was going to be a priest but gave up the vocation).
This is a wonderfully realized, albeit very sad story. It makes me wonder about Marie now, and how her life changed because of what Walter did (we know that she got married and had kids, so we have an idea of her future). And that’s a good thing for a story to do.
If I had to guess, I would say that this is an excerpt from a novel (there’s a lot of extra characters and, man, the title is lame).
I Just Read About That... 
I just finished this story, and had the same “ok” reaction – and now I’m having second thoughts; maybe there’s more than I thought. It’s the vision motif – in fact, I keep thinking about Walter, how he’s hanging out with the blind stickball umpire, running things (presumably he’s giving him the calls, which might be manipulative, or might be kind in that he’s including him), and how we only “see” Walter through Marie’s eyes. But it’s Walter I’m interested in, not Marie.
But your instincts are spot on – it is an excerpt, from a “novel in progress” which is apparently not one of the new releases she has (those seem to be paperback editions or reissues of older works). And I’m not that interested in the novel, if it’s about Marie. Now, if it was about Walter, that might be a different story… she says Walter would make a good politician, but not in this novel.