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Archive for November, 2015

Dave Bidini–The Best Game You Can Name (2005)

Posted in Africa, Alun Piggins, Canadian Content, Canadian Music, Culture Shock, Dave Bidini, Dave Bidini music, Drinking, History, Hockey, Hockey Night in Canada, Rheostatics, Russia, Sonic Unyon, Teeth, The Wombats, Toronto Maple Leafs, Travel, Violence, Yuck! on November 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

 ganeSOUNDTRACK: DAVE BIDINI-The President of Mount Allison’s House, Sackville (July 28, 2007).

allisonUntil I looked it up, I didn’t know what Mount Allison was, nor why he would be playing at the President’s house.  I’m still not sure why he was playing there, but as part of his solo mini tour, Dave graced the beautiful house.

For this show he read for 17 minutes and played 5 songs.  He plays “My First Rock Show” as the only Rheos song.  And then plays the same four “new” songs as in yesterday’s post: “Song Ain’t Good,” “The List” “The Land is Wild” and “The Ballad of Zeke Roberts.”

He explains the Zeke Roberts song a bit more.   He spent a few days in Ghana and went to a Liberian refugee camp (all documented in the book Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs) which is how he learned about Zeke Roberts.

He talks about staying locally in the Marshland Inn and the scary doll in his room (and also how he hopes to have his picture among the famous people who have stayed there).

For the reading portion he talks about the guys he played with in China: Alun Piggins, drummer Jay Santiago and guitarist Dwayne Gale.  He talks about the scene where they get massages (very funny).  There’s another excerpt in which they meet some people on the street where a baby is playing with a lighter.  The band starts taking pictures and then—eventually one of the adults puts an unlit cigarette in the baby’s mouth, and much hilarity ensues.

Overall though, this reading gets pretty dark as he gets into fight with Jay about Rush, and he feels bad that the Rheos had broken up especially when he sees the up and coming band The Wombats loving their set.

As for the music in this set, it is too loud and peaks a lot in the recording.  There also seems to be a hornet pestering him.  It’s probably the least interesting of the three shows.

[READ: November 7, 2015] The Best Game You Can Name.

This book is about hockey.  Specifically it is about Bidini’s rec team the Morningstars and their quest for another championship (and how after winning two years in a row, they were the main target for all the other teams).  Much like how his book On a Cold Road included quotes and stories from musicians, this book includes quotes and stories from former NHL players (I didn’t really recognize any of their names, but then I wasn’t a hockey fan in the 70s and 80s).

So each chapter talks a bit about his team and then has several stories about a specific topic from the hockey guys.

He begins by talking about his athletic renaissance in his 40s (after having given up on professional hockey).  I enjoyed the stories from the hockey players who loved playing so much as kids that they would spend hours and hours and hours on the ice.  I also liked them saying that you could still become a pro if you only started playing at 15 unlike today when kids are starting at age 5. (more…)

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Dave Bidini–Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs (2013)

Posted in Airbag, Ben Folds Five, Bob Log III, Canadian Content, Canadian Music, Celtic Blue, Chris Brown, Cleaning Women, Culture Shock, Dave Bidini, Dirt Star, Everclear, Forever, History, Hockey, Hockey Night in Canada, Ice Fire and Rain, Jane Siberry, Jordan Cook, Kate Fenner, Kingston Wall, Morganfields, Radiohead, Regrets, Rheostatics, Rush, Russia, Shuffle Demons, Sirkus Kosmonautti, Sons of Maxwell, Sophie B. Hawkins, Stompin' Tom Connors, Stradio, Super Girls, The Diodes, The Quitters, Tim Horton's, Travel, Wendel Clark, tagged on November 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

S57OUNDTRACK: DAVE BIDINI-The Upstairs, Sydney, Nova Scotia (July 26, 2007).

sydneyAfter the Rheostatics broke up, Dave Bidini did a solo tour and then wrote a book about it.  This is that book.  And this show is from the mini-tour he did as promotion for the book.  I don’t know too many details about this tour.

I wrote notes about these shows before I read the book (which I recently found and tread).  But I’m going to leave in some of the notes I took about the audio portion for posterity.

I gather he was in town to promote his book and was invited to do a few shows as well.  So these three shows from the Rheostaticslive site include a short reading from the book and then many songs.  This show has two readings and 8 songs (and runs over an hour).

He opens with a description of the book and the tour of china with a band they called the Rheos Not Rheos.  They were asked over and over to play The Beatles.  They played at the Sculpting in Time café.  Dave hung out with the Chinese singers Dirt Star and Airbag (who were also in a cover band that played Radiohead).

For the music, it is just Dave an his acoustic guitar (and a tuner). He plays three Rheos songs “My First Rock Show,” “Me and Stupid” and “Horses” (to much applause).

He plays four new, solo songs “Song Ain’t Good,” “The List” “The Land is Wild” and “The Ballad of Zeke Roberts.”  All of these would appear on the debut Bidiniband album which would come out in 2009.

“The List” is a diatribe against Canada: Tim Horton’s, Stephen Harper,  Zack Werner, and Chad Kroeger.  He says that it was inspired by taking a close look Tim Horton’s bacon and wondering just what it was.  And the mention of Chad Krueger gets a big reaction from the crowd.  The Zeke Roberts song is about a Liberian singer who was killed.  “The Land is Wild” is about Bryan Fogarty, a hockey played who died (it’s not the most upbeat concert I’ve heard).

There’s an extra song “Moncton Hellraisers” (you can watch a video of this one).

He ends the show with second reading and there’s a drunk guy who keeps shouting and interrupting.  I feel bad for Dave, but he handles it well—different than a rock show obviously.  This section involves meeting a TV show producer (of a show called Super Girls) and the Chinese version of the Spice Girls (who sing for them).  He also mentions going to an all night record shop and finding a copy of the Toronto band The Diodes.  He plays their song “Tired of Waking up Tired” for the employees.

If nothing else, this book will introduce you to a lot of little-known bands.

It’s interesting to hear him in such a casual setting.  He sounds good and the audience is really responsive.

[READ: November 5, 2015] Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs

This book chronicles Dave Bidini’s solo tour after the Rheostatics broke up.  He explains that it was Tim Vesely who wanted to break up the band (no doubt inspired somewhat by Dave and Martin’s harsh critiquing of the songs Tim wanted to submit to their final album 2067).  Nevertheless, Dave was devastated and angry and unsure what to do, especially since they were planning to gig China for the first time.  So he decided to do it himself.  A world tour unlike any other.

disc_baladesqueHe scheduled a few gigs in Finland.  And he decided to invite his friend Alun Piggins along.  Piggins has been in a number of bands and has released several solo albums.  He seems notable for being a little crazy (with wild hair).  And I automatically respect him for making this album cover.  When Dave asked Alun what to do about being a solo artist (Dave hadn’t really played solo before).  Alun gave him some comforting advice and then said that with his band The Quitters, they would play “our loudest song then tell the crowd, “‘Thank you and fuck off.'”

The two would play separate shows on a double bill and occasionally duet on Rheos songs. They decided to tour Finland.  They flew into London and were only staying for 24 hours.  He wanted to try to get a gig before they left for Finland.  They scored one at the last minute in the Maple Leaf Tavern (which had never staged a live show before) and was themed in Canadian kitsch.  He talks about one man bands like Bob Log III “probably the superstar of all one man bands” (his song “Boob Scotch” is surprisingly straightforward).  He says he spent most of his 35 minute set worrying an doesn’t recall too much about it.

Then they set out for Finland.  First stop Hämeenlinna ( enjoyed typing out all these Finnish towns). (more…)

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Claire Cock-Starkey–How to Skin a Lion: A Treasury of Outmoded Advice (2015)

Posted in Africa, Anachronisms, Birds, Claire Cock-Starkey, Disease, Elephants, Essays, Etiquette, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Greed, Guns, History, How to, Lions, Los Lobos, Nature, Tiny Desk Concert, Yuck! on November 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

skin SOUNDTRACK: LOS LOBOS-Tiny Desk Concert #90 (November 10, 2010).

loslobosI don’t really know all that much about Los Lobos.  I frankly got sick of them because of “La Bamba” (which came out 20 years ago!) and I don’t think I’d ever heard much else by them.  So I wound up enjoying this Tiny Desk much more than I anticipated.

The one big problem with this tiny desk is that the drummer is playing one of those plastic mail bins and it sounds awful.  Especially on the first song.  I think anything would have had a better drum sound than that.

I really enjoyed the first song “Burn It Down.”  It has a propulsive minor key structure and an excellent bass line.  I would never have guessed it was Los Lobos, but that may be because it’s not the singer I most associate with them (he sings on the next two songs).

“Yo Canto” is a cumbia, sung by a different guy (in Spanish) who also plays lead guitar.  The mail bin sounds better on this song because of the placement (and use of) a cowbell.  The singer sounds amazing.  I rather like the riff that underlines the song.

Those two songs are from their then latest album.  And the band sounds really good all these years on.

The final song is “Don’t Worry Baby.”  It has the same singer as the middle song (this time in English) although it is a pretty standard blues song that I found just okay.  It also features a bunch of saxophone.  I didn’t realize that it was from their major label debut in 1984! and is something of a classic.

So three songs, all of them enjoyable, from a band I didn’t really think I’d enjoy.  The funniest part is just before the show stops and someone asks, “Okay, where’s the beer?”

[READ: October 1, 2015] How to Skin a Lion

This book sounded awesome–I love outdated things that we can laugh about now (because I’m a superior git, of course).

But this book proved to be not all that funny.  The outmoded advice wasn’t treated comically exactly (well, some was), rather it was looked at rather seriously–some as good advice that still stands, some as crazy advice that is way outmoded and a few things that are, yes, just comical.

Cock-Starkey (insert joke here) says that this is a collection of materials from the vast archives of the British Library.  It culls from medieval manuscripts, Victorian manuals and self-help guides from the early 20th century.  She explains that the book aims to reveal the secrets of lost arts, remind us of how modern conveniences have changed our lives, recall the complexities of etiquette, highlight changing attitudes and beliefs and furnish us with still useful tips and guidance.

Although she also points out that readers should be advised that some pieces of advice contained herein have stood the test of time better than others. (more…)

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Lizzie Skurnick–That Should Be a Word (2015)

Posted in Black Dub, Chris Whitley, Daniel Lanois, Funny (ha ha), Language, Lizzie Skurnick, Rich Hall, Sniglets, The New York Times, Tiny Desk Concert, Trixie Whitley, Word usage on November 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

lizzie SOUNDTRACK: BLACK DUB-Tiny Desk Concert #89 (November 8, 2010).

black dubBlack Dub is the collaboration between Daniel Lanois and Trixie Whitley (daughter of Chris Whitley).

I think I might have been more excited about this if I hadn’t seen Daniel Lanois’ other performance on Tiny Desk, where he came across as kinda jerky.  I also had not heard of Whitley (who was 23 at the time).

Whitley has a huge voice (especially given how tiny she is).  It’s big and brash and bluesy in a Janis Joplin sorta way.  And she’s really passionate about what she’s singing–look at her face, for crying out loud).  But it’s actually too bluesy for my liking.  And it almost seems over the top given Lanois’ simple acoustic guitar strumming.

They play four songs, “Surely” which pushes five minutes; “Silverado” which has a nice duet between Whitley and Lanois to start (and then I feel like she adds too much during her section); “I Believe in You.”  For the final song, Whitley straps on an electric guitar and plays a rocking riff (I enjoyed the accidental feedback that Lanois created).  Her voice works a little better with the extra volume of the guitar.  Although the song builds and buildups and never really goes anywhere.

I just never got into this Concert.

[READ: July 1, 2015] That Should Be a Word

I heard a big hyped review of this book, so I was really excited when Sarah brought it home.  But I wound up being a little disappointed by it.

I imagine that since these items come from her newspaper column, it might be more fun to read a few at a time rather than all at once.  Because while I enjoyed the premise, I got tired of the punny schtick after a few sections.  And that’s a shame.

The one major gripe I have is that nowhere in the book does it ever acknowledge the pioneering work of Rich Hall and Sniglets, the guy who really spawned the idea of creating words for every day things.  Skurnick does things differently of course, but I feel like at least a nod to the man would have been nice (especially since she is–admirably–so into the whole retro thing).

The premise behind this book (and the column is that Skurnick (and readers, I gather) create words for things that don’t exist.  But the real premise is that the newly created words are sort of punny based on two other words (which Sniglets didn’t do). (more…)

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Charles M. Schulz–The Complete Peanuts: 1961-1962: The Definitive Collection of Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip masterpiece: Dailies & Sundays (2006)

Posted in A Charlie Brown Christmas, Angst, Baseball, Brinsley Schwarz, Charles Schulz, Comic Strips, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Fantagraphics, Football, Funny (ha ha), Halloween, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Nick Lowe, Peanuts, Rachel Carson, Rick Astley, Tiny Desk Concert, Vince Guaraldi, Willie McCovey on November 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

1961SOUNDTRACK: NICK LOWE-Tiny Desk Concert #87 (November 1, 2010).

lowe Nick Lowe is legendary.  And yet I don’t really know that much about him.  I knew he did “Cruel to be Kind” which is very dated sounding but still great.  I didn’t know that he wrote my favorite Elvis Costello song “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?” (which he first recorded with his band Brinsley Schwarz).  He also produced a bunch of Costello’s albums.

This Tiny Desk is a mellow affair, with Lowe gently playing acoustic guitar and his low, smooth vocals singing interesting lyrics: “His heart’s a prune / when it once was a plum / If you know him / that’s the kind of man that I’ve become” (from “Man That I’ve Become”).

“Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day” is done in the same vein.  Cathy, mellow pop, with an almost countryish feel.

“All Men Are Liars” is a pretty typical song about lying men, until you get this fascinating lyric: “Do you remember Rick Astley?  He had a big fat it.  It was ghastly.  He said I’m never gonna give you up or let you down.  Well, I’m here to tell you that rick’s a clown.”

“House for Sale” was a then new song.  And it’s just as sharp and strign as the rest.

At the time of this recording, Lowe was 61 and he sounds great.  His voice has changed, but it hasn’t lost anything.

[READ: October 29, 2015] The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962

By this book, Peanuts had been in print for nearly 12 years.  And the core group has remained Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Schroeder, and now Sally.  And to a smaller extent Shermie, Patty and Pig-Pen are still around.   But in 1961 he added a new character: Frieda, the girl with naturally curly hair.

One thing I hadn’t noticed so much in previous books is that he has been getting some very funny “jokey” punchlines.  Most of the Peanuts punchlines have been funny/thoughtful/amusing.  But I felt like this book had a few that were really funny.  Like Lucy saying in response to beauty being only skin deep “I have a very thick beauty.”  Or this funny groaner: Linus: “Do they always bring the cows in from the pasture at night?” Lucy: “Of course you blockhead, if they leave them out over night they get pasteurized.” I especially like that it isn’t even the final panel.  And in 1962, Charlie asks this question when he turns on the TV and sees reruns: “What would happen if comic strips had nothing but re-runs all summer?”

And of course, there’s a lot of baseball strips.  Including this one with a great set up and punchline.  Charlie is talking about the game and how “For one brief moment victory was within our grasp.”  To which Linus says, “And then the game started.” (more…)

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JP Ahonen & KP Alare–Sing No Evil (2013) [translated 2014]

Posted in Death Metal, Graphic Novel, Hieronymus Praetorious, John Sheppard, JP Ahonen, JP Ahonen, KP Alare, Monks, Music, Perkeros, Stile Antico, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, Translation, William Byrd on November 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

sing no evilSOUNDTRACK: STILE ANTICO-Tiny Desk Concert #86 (October 25, 2010).

stile I’ve said before that one of the great things about the Tiny Desk Concerts is being introduced to bands that I never would have heard of anywhere else.  And that is certainly true of Stile Antico.  I really enjoy this kind of a capella music, although I never listen to it.  And I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for it.

So, lucky for me, I now know a band that performs gorgeous 16th-century choral music.  There are twelve singers.  And it is comforting in this day of pop singers who are more hot than musical that Stile Antico is all about the voice.  They don’t dress flashy or sexy, they don’t really do anything…except sing to the heavens.

They perform four pieces in about 20 minutes.  I don’t know any of them and I honestly couldn’t really tell them apart, but I loved the whole show.

The lead speaker (unnamed in this show) says that William Byrd is the best songwriter of the era, which is why they do two of his songs.  After the first one, he says that they want to transform this office into some kind of Tudor Chapel.

The second piece, “The Lord’s Prayer” is not done in any melody that I have ever heard it (and I assume it is in Latin).

But it’s the final piece that is really the showstopper, and the one that is fun to watch (even though, as I say they’re not actually doing anything–okay not true, they are nodding to each other instead of using a conductor).  Praetorious’s piece weaves 3 choirs together with 12 independent voices.  And the speaker jokes that each of the three choirs wind up flirting outrageously with each other.  It’s breathtaking.

Their voices are simply beautiful, and it’s amazing to see them working together silently as they sing.

The only problem is that now that I know who they are, which of their 11 records do I start with?

The songs:

  • William Byrd: “Vigilate”
  • John Sheppard: “Lord’s Prayer”
  • William Byrd: “Ecce Virgo Concipiet”
  • Hieronymus Praetorious: “Tota Pulchra Es”

[READ: July 10, 2015] Sing No Evil

I saw this book at the library and loved the title.  As soon as I flipped through it I knew I had to read it.  This book was originally written in Finnish (cool!) and was translated by JP Ahonen into English.  It is all about Fininish death metal bands and the devil.  And it is cool and very funny.  It was originally called Perkeros (which is what the protagonist’ band is called) and which I can’t quite define, but that’s okay.

The book opens on Aksel rocking out (in his imagination).  He and his band are getting ready to go on stage and he is nervous.  Aksel is a perfectionist and his riffs and progressions are second to none (Perkeros is a progressive death metal band which I’d rather like to hear).  The problem for the band is that Aksel’s singing is poor.  But the band likes what they do.  So they keep playing.

Here’s the fun part.  The band consists of Aksel and Lily on keys (and here I have to comment that Lily and Aksel don’t look all that different in drawing style but somehow Alarea has made these simple lines create two very different looking characters, and with those simple lines you can see just how pretty Lily is).  There’s also Kervinen, a really old guy with a chest-length beard (he used to be a monk), and, well, a bear, yes, a bear, on drums (the bear’s story is never given).

The band is opening for Nelum Lucifera, a grease-painted death metal band (with names like Belphegor and Samael).  A fight ensures and the bands are banned from every playing that gig again. (more…)

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Noelle Stevenson–Nimona (2015)

Posted in Graphic Novel, Hey Marseilles, Magic, Supernatural, The Decemberists, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence on November 4, 2015| Leave a Comment »

nimonaSOUNDTRACK: HEY MARSEILLES-Tiny Desk Concert #85 (October 17, 2010).

heymaI knew Hey Marseilles from NPR’s coverage of the 2013 Newport Folk Festival.  But I guess I forgot what they sounded like because I wasn’t expecting this at all.

“Rio” opens with almost flamenco clapping and then the full band–accordion, bowed cello, trumpet, violin and guitar come forth (this must have been chamber music month at the Tiny Desk).  There’s a kind of shanty feel to the song.  The middle section has more clapping (and loud Hey Hey!s) and a trumpet solo (played with a mute).  It is super catchy.

“From a Terrace” starts out slowly, with strings.  It has a bit of a Decembersists feel in the vocal melody.  There’s a middle section with a wheezy accordion solo that transfers to a new section and then another rather jazzy muted trumpet solo.

“To Travels And Trunks” has a beautiful string melody to open.  It is a story song and it flows wonderfully.

[READ: July 25, 2015] Nimona

Sarah brought this book home although she didn’t remember what inspired her to get it.  I liked the look of it and was happy to read it before it had to go back.

The drawing style is quite compelling to me–quite unlike other comic books.  I also loved that the title character was a young girl with crazy hair and a body type that is not, shall we say, sexy and superheroy.  That was quite a nice change of pace.

The one thing I didn’t love about the book was the text.  It was hand written and, dare I admit my age, felt like very small print to me.  It was not an easy on the eyes read.  But maybe that made me focus on it more, because I really got into it.

The story begins in a fairly simple way.  Nimona, a young girl, goes to visit the villain Ballister Blackheart.  She says she is a fan of his work and wants to work with him.  He says no. Then she changes into a shark and he decides that she might be quite useful (I loved that chapter one was two pages).  In Chapter 2 Nimona proves to be a far more ruthless individual than Blackheart–changing his minor evil plans into a plan where the whole village is burnt to the ground.

And then we get a flashback.  In a joust we see Blackheart fighting against a pretty blond man named Ambrosious Goldenloin (the names are awesome).  Blackheart won, but Goldenloin, upon losing, somehow exploded Blackheart’s arm, rendering him incapable of being a knight and thus forcing him into a life of villainy.

And then story proceeds apace with Blackheart being the kind of villain who follows the “rules.”  “Killing solves nothing, Nimona.  It’s vulgar it’s messy.”  But Nimona wants no part of that.  She immediately slays a couple of guards and everyone is shocked.  Then she sets off the self destruct button and is apparently killed.

But of course she isn’t and her reveal is hilarious.  Blackheart wants to know more about her and her incredible powers and she tells a story about rescuing a witch.  Blackheart is dubious (“really, turn the six-year-old into a dragon, that was her idea?”).   The later scene where she shape shifts into him and mocks him “SSCCIEEEENCE” is very funny too–Stevenson gets a comic tone perfectly.

Then we look into the world of Goldenloin and the Institution and it turns out that they are a pretty corrupt organization.  They are working with jaderoot–a poisonous substance which they have banned.  So Blackheart decides to try to use this to his advantage (which involves an apple saleslady named Tabitha).

I loved that although the story seems medieval with knights and dragons, it is set in a slighty futuristic times with phone screen and pagers and such.  They even go to a science expo where a Dr Blitzmeyer has created a fascinating orb which glows of its own power (she is wonderfully clueless).

Since the Institution owns the media, Blackheart is in trouble for things that the Institution has done (the jaderoot).  And soon also the Institution is done with Goldenloin–he is too good for them and his services are no longer needed.  So he is de-knighted.  When Blackheart and Goldenloin briefly meet they have a chance to revisit their joust.

But in the meantime, the Institution has captured Nimona and she is angry (and much more powerful than anyone realized).

I really enjoyed this book a lot.  I loved that Blakcheart was actually a nice guy as a villain–that’s always an enjoyable premise.  I enjoyed the way this story escalated from a simple shape-shifting concept into this apocalyptic setting.  And I really enjoyed the underlying feelings between Blackheart and Goldenloin (whatever they may actually be).  The ending was really rather sweet.

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Hope Larson & Tintin Pantoja–Who is AC? (2013)

Posted in Graphic Novel, Hope Larson, Huh?, Humiliation, Lower Dens, Superheroes, Threats, Tintin Pantoja, Tiny Desk Concert on November 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

acSOUNDTRACK: LOWER DENS-Tiny Desk Concert #84 (October 10 2010).

lowerLower Dens are a band from Baltimore who I’ve heard of but who I didn’t really know.  And after hearing this Tiny Desk, I immediately fell in love with their peculiar song structure and wonderfully expansive sound.

The set opens with “Two Cocks Waving Wildly At Each Other Across A Vast Open Space, A Dark Icy Tundra” which has a long (nearly 2 minutes) instrumental opening.  And then the song proper changes style completely.  It has great interplay of guitar and bass and gentle vocals.  And amazingly the song is only 4 minutes long, even with all that build up.

“I Get Nervous” is slower with waves of guitar washes.  It builds and ends quite suddenly.

Just before the third song, “Rosie” you can hear singer/guitarist Jana Hunter whisper “This is fun.”  She busts out an old beat up acoustic guitar on which she plays a slow 90 second guitar pattern before the chords kick in and then seconds later the vocals come along.  I love the soaring electric guitar over the top.  And again it is over before you suspect (the song is only 3 minutes).

The final song, “What Isn’t Nature” is moody and minor key.  It goes on for longer than the other songs and is just as good.

I have to check out more from this band who totally fell under my radar.

[READ: July 12, 2015] Who is AC?

I really like Hope Larson’s books and I especially like her drawing style.  So I was a little bummed to see that she didn’t draw this one.  Tintin Pantoja’s art style is very different and it was easy for me to forget this was a Larson story.  I liked Pantoja’s style but not as much as Larson’s–it’s just very different.

At the same time I didn’t really like this story that much.  There were some very cool elements but whether it was poorly explained by Larson or if the illustrations didn’t quite convey what was meant to be there, I’m not sure.

The book starts with Lin on a plane writing her zine, Rhea Ironheart.  She is flying to a new city and misses her friends already.  But mid-flight she receives a strange phone call from a number that is all binary.  She answers the phone and blacks out, but what could it mean? (more…)

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Nick Abadzis–Laika (2007)

Posted in Death, Dogs, First Second :01, Graphic Novel, Laika, Nick Abadzis, Nikita Khrushchev, Outer Space, Rana Santacruz, Russia, Scientists, Sergei Pavlovich, Tiny Desk Concert on November 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

  laikaSOUNDTRACK: RANA SANTACRUZ–Tiny Desk Concert #88 (November 2, 2010).

ranaThis is a fascinating Tiny Desk that was posted exactly five years ago as a way to celebrate the Day of the Dead.  Rana Santacruz plays ranchero music.  I did not know what to expect from ranchero music but to me there is a very bluegrass feel.  There is a banjo and a fiddle!  And then there’s trumpet and Santacruz’ accordion playing and Spanish lyrics.

The first song “Tacho El Gacho” begins with horns and has a kind of mariachi feel (Santacruz is dressed like a mariachi), but the song soon switches to that bluegrass feel and is very fun.

He introduces the next song by saying “The next song is called ‘Death.'”   And they play a ten second piece.  They laugh and joke that the real next song is “Dejala Entrar” about a sailor who leaves with death willingly  because of his happy life.  The chorus: “open the door let her in, death herself is here to pick me up.”  This one is like a sea shanty.

The third song is “El Funeral De Tacho” which has more trumpet and feels more mariachi in the opening.

He jokes about all their death songs but says that their songs that deal with death are happy ones.  And indeed, “El Ranchero Punk” feels like a real hootenanny.   The bass player even plays drums on the bass.

I enjoyed this set a lot, and even not really knowing what he was singing about, I totally got into the songs.

[READ: July 7, 2015] Laika

If you know who Laika is, you know that this is not going to be a happy story.  If you don’t know who Laika is, shame on you.  Laika was the first living creature shot into orbit.  She did not survive but she has become legend.

Abdzis has done a ton of research into Laika and the communist/American space race of the 1950s and 60s.  And he has created a wonderfully researched and nicely detailed account of the life of Laika and the people who handled her (and the women who loved her).

The story opens on a man walking through the snow. He has just been released from the gulag and is walking to the nearest town (in freezing weather).  It is Sergei Pavlovich, the future creator of Sputnik (he was falsely accused of treason).  And as the first chapter ends we see his success–Sputnik was the first satellite launched into orbit.  And we see that Nikita Khrushchev wants another satellite in one month. (more…)

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Christopher Healy–The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw (Book III of The Hero’s Guide) (2014) [audiobook 2014–Bronson Pinchot]

Posted in Adventure, Big Books, Bronson Pinchot, Children's Books, Christopher Healy, Demons, End of the World, Fables, Fantasy, Fears, Funny (ha ha), Humiliation, Supernatural, Trilogy on November 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

[LISTENED TO: August 2014] The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw

outlawThis audio book was ten hours long.  We listened to it on a long car trip (from New Jersey to Canada).

I wasn’t quite sure how the title of this book would make sense since the heroes are heroes after all.  But we quickly learn that all of the good guys have been accused of killing Briar Rose (they didn’t even know she was dead!).  And her father has put a bounty on all of our heroes: Prince Frederic, Prince Gustav, Prince Liam, and Prince Duncan and Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Princess Lila.

Of course, it shouldn’t take anyone long to determine that there has been a nasty plot afoot and that someone from their past has some pretty evil plans to attend to.

However, the way the story is written–with each character getting his or her hilarious chapter–it does take a little time before the truth comes out.  But it takes only a few pages before the scary news comes out–Rundark, Warlord of Dar is back, and he is angry.  Well, he was always angry, but I suspect he’s even more angry. (more…)

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