I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: J MASCIS-“Fade Into You” (2013).

I really liked this Mazzy Star song when it first came out.  Over the years I have gotten a little tired of it–it was a bit overplayed and a bit too…something.  So it’s nice to have this remarkably faithful cover from J. Mascis.

Mascis is of course the singer from Dinosaur Jr, and is usually fond of screaming guitar licks and wild vocals.  But one must not forget that Mascis is also a king of melody (underneath the noise are beautiful pop gems).  And this simple acoustic song fits very well with his vocals style and falsetto.  There are some beautiful overdubbed guitar licks, and it never veers into the treacle at all.

I prefer Mascis’ to the original now.

Perhaps more fascinating than the cover is why he has released it:  It accompanies a limited edition (360 pairs) of shoes.  [So limited edition that my size is sold out already].

The shoes are vegan (or however you phrase that) and feature a purple faux suede and a stripe from Mascis’ guitar strap.  As the write up says: In addition to having a design inspired by J Mascis’ guitar strap embroidered on the back, the purple shoe comes with an exclusive 7″ picture disc of Mascis covering the Mazzy Star classic “Fade Into You”.

And I have to say that the $75 price tag is surprisingly cheap for a limited edition/star inspired/benefit type shoe.  You can buy a pair (maybe) here.  Or just listen to the song at Pitchfork.

[READ: July 15, 2013] Three Poems

This issue of The Walrus is the Summer Reading issue.  It includes three short stories and three poems.  In light of my recent decision to try to read more poetry, I was pleased to see three poems here, even though in my head Summer Reading is all about Fiction.

Since there are only three poems (by different authors), I’m going to mention them all in one post, as I hate to write more words in a post than the author did.

DEREK WEBSTER-“Egyptian Archers”
Because I am apparently old fashioned, I really appreciated this poem which uses Egyptian art as a metaphor.  The transition from what you see in the art—Egyptian archers poised, bows taut–to what they anticipate after the battle: “at full moon/I will recline with lovers and lyre again/The string’s tension gone” is very effective.  It’s also wonderful imagery.

The final line is a little confusing to me however: “This war will save my life.”  I can’t decide if the poet is speaking for himself (I assume) and I’m not sure what war he is talking about.  Do I need to know more about the poet for this to make sense, or is this a metaphorical war?  Or, maybe is it from the archer’s point of view?

Aside from that question, the poem was quite good.

VINCENT COLISTRO-“Lesiure”
This poem was very strange—visceral and very evocative and yet nonsensical at the same time.  It was also very literal, which makes it easy to dissect.  In the poem, the protagonist is incapable of applying a tourniquet to himself, which allows him to bleed freely.  It feels like an embellishment and then like a necessity.  And the descriptions are really striking.

Then it gets confusing.  His wife comes home and finds him like this.  She is appalled.  But he tells her to relax with him.  Which she does.  They spend the hours in a cozy cocoon of remembrance.  In the morning she is faced with the consequences.

Again, this whole poem was great—detailed and rich and yet strangely calming.  Neverthless, I can’t help but say, “Why?” about the very premise of the story.  Some poems succeed when reality doesn’t interrupt them.

SUZANNAH SHOWLER-“You and Your Rich Inner Life”
This poem was beautiful in its line breaks and details, and yet when I try to get at what it’s about, I fail.

I loved these line breaks:

And hunker down, cathetic, in the carry-on
you keep at the ready for a flight

From the everyday.

Or

Though you might still hold you digits

Over a light source, feeling for residual heat
and get nothing back.

And the final lines area also powerful:

Call this getting washed out. Don’t forget:
exposure is something that you can die of.

Such great lines and yet aside from a call to try to try to feel a little less, I’m not entirely sure what the poem is about.

So that’s three summer poems.  I liked the variety quite a bit.