Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Max Barry’ Category

Max Barry–“Attack of the Supermodels” (maxbarry.com, 2001)

Posted in Dinosaur Jr., Funny (ha ha), JEFF The Brotherhood, Jesus and Mary Chain, Max Barry, Models, Short Story on January 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: JEFF The Brotherhood “Bummer” (2011).

This song made NPR’s list of 100 Top Songs of the Year.  JEFF The Brotherhood even played a Tiny Desk Concert.  And all the while I had never heard of them.  I’m still not even sure what their story is or what their name means, but that’s okay. 

This is a very simple song (and only 2 and a half minutes long).  It features fuzzy guitars, simple chords and a catchy woah-oo-woah-oo-woah at the end of each line.  The song has a very 90s alt rock feel (Dino Jr guitar sounds, but with no solo).  And the vocals sound kind of like Jesus and Mary Chain.  Indeed, this song might have come off of any number of fuzzy guitar rock albums from the 90s.  Except that there is something thoroughly modern about the track–maybe the infusion of keyboards as effects?

What’s most surprising about the song is that although it seems fast and heavy it’s actually got kind of a slow pace, especially for a song with fuzzy guitars.  My guess is that this song stands out because there’s not a lot of bands who sound like this now.  So good for them.  I could put this song on a mx tape very easily.

[READ: December 30, 2011] “Attack of the Supermodels”

Barry admits on his site that he doesn’t write much short stuff: “I like writing novels, so I don’t write much short stuff. But I’ve done a little.”  This is one of his short stories–the earliest one listed on his site which came out about a year after Syrup, his first novel.

The amusing thing about this story is that it starts out kind of like an essay, like Barry simply describing supermodels: “they were six feet tall and when they walked, their hips transcribed perfect arcs in the air.”  However, you know something is up when the introduction posits, “They got on TV a lot, and that’s how we got used to them….  And then it was too late.”

For all of Barry’s themes of government and corporate repression and such, at heart Barry is really a sci-fi author (a humorous sci-fi author).  And he likes to have fun within the genre. So after that introduction, we get a fairly short story about, well, the attack of the supermodels. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Max Barry–“Things Critics Do That Piss Me Off” (maxbarry.com, 2002)

Posted in Book Reviews, Khôra, Les Momies De Palerme, Max Barry, Nick Kuepfer on January 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: MUSIQUE FRAGILE 01 (2011).

Constellation Records released this 3 volume set of unsigned Montreal-based musicians in 2011.  It comes in a package of three LPs or 3 CDs (the CD package is the same shape as the vinyl, with the 3 discs inserted into the front–see picture).  Both version come complete with all kinds of cool artwork–posters and postcards–that really set the tone for each album.  You can see the contents here.

Presumably if they have an 01, they’re planning on an 02, but in the meantime, we have this collection.  The artists are Les Momies De Palerme, Khôra and Nick Kuepfer.  I’ve been listening to the discs over the holiday break and I’ll write about each one individually over the next couple of days.

But in the meantime, you can hear a sample at the link above.

[READ: December 30, 2011] “Things Critics Do That Piss Me Off”

I said that I’d be writing about a whole bunch of Max Barry things from his website.  I was going to focus on just the short stories, but there were only three.  So I figured I’d write about all of the things he had posted on this page (assuming they were his favorite).  He doesn’t write very often on the website/blog.  A cursory view of the front page shows a post every month or so.  So it’s not like he culled these posts from thousands.  But that’s okay.  They’re still interesting.  And they’re a nice corollary while I read his new book Machine Man.

Of course, not every post will blow your mind.  “Things Critics Do That Piss Me Off” is, as the title says, a little rant.  Now since, ostensibly I am a critic (sad fact must be faced) I actually get to read this as the target of his rant rather than the audience for the rant.  Of course, I always imagined I would write fiction myself, so I can also look at it from that point of view too.

Regardless of which side of  the coin you find yourself, these are pretty good things to hear from a writer.  And I’ll look at it as a kind of resolutions for 2012.

1) Reads my mind (his example is of a critic saying that Barry got bored at some point while writing the book).  I think I have done this once in a while (not the bored part, just tried to guess the author’s mindset).  It’s kind of fun to try to imagine what the writer is going through.  But I don’t do it very often and I shall try to do it less.

2) Spots Plot Holes That Aren’t There (his example is of a critic misunderstanding when something happened in the story).  This one is hard to know when you are guilty.  I would never do this on purpose (who would?), but if I make a mistake, I always correct it.

3) Spots Plot Holes That Are There (his example: shut the fuck up).  I admit I don’t often find plot holes unless they are glaringly obvious.  I like to give the writer the benefit of the doubt. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Max Barry–“Succeeding in Business Through Marketing Fads” (maxbarry.com, 2000)

Posted in Consumerism, Corporate skewering, Essays, Lemonheads, Max Barry, Technology, The Future on December 31, 2011| 5 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: LEMONHEADS-Varshons (2009).

This is a Lemonheads covers album.  The amazing thing about this covers album is that mot of the originals are quite unknown (heck I didn’t even recognize some of the artists).  But he manages to put a good Lemonheads spin on most of them (the  later country/folk Lemonheads style) and it makes for an enjoyable listen.  ALthough truth be told, most of the songs aren’t as catchy as a good Lemonheads song.

“I Just Cant Take it Anymore” and “Fragile” are folky/country songs, not too far out of line with the Lemonheads sound.  “Living with Linda” is a strange choice on the disc.  It’s a cover of a song by G.G, Allen, a performer who I know a lot about (he’s infamous) but who I have never heard.  I assume that the original is a brutal punk song (it’s about killing an ex girlfriend, after all) but Dando turns it into something of a Johnny Cash type song (using his best deep voice).

“Waiting Around to Die” is a dark song, another good country ballad.  “Green Fuz” has a cool backwards guitar solo.  “Yesterlove” is a long, slow builder of a song that, intriguingly seems to move seamlessly from one section to another.  I really like it.  “Dandelion Seeds” is a trippy weird song  that works quite well in the Lemonheads universe.

“Dirty Robot” is the really big surprise on the disc. After all of the folky country music, this song is a totally electronic song (and a very simple one at that). In addition to the electronic surprise is the fact that the lead vocals are supplied by Kate Moss (Dando has a robot-processed spoken verse).

The only song I knew here was the cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.”  This is a fine but very quiet version which features a duet by Liv Tyler (!?).  (It would be impossible to screw up this song).  The final song is probably my favorite.  It’s a cover of Christina Aguilara’s “Beautiful.”  I’ve always liked the song (it’s quite touching) but I must say I like Dando’s version better.  It’s very understated (and he changes the words to “I am Beautiful” instead of “You are beautiful”–interesting change or egotism?).

So this is a strange covers album, quite atypical for the world of covers.  It’s not often that a covers record introduces yo to a whole bunch of new material.

[READ: December 30, 2011] “Succeeding in Business Through Marketing Fads”

I am running dangerously close to not having anything to post about in 2012.  Not for the entire year, but on a daily basis.  I have effectively caught up to all of the posts that I had planned to write.  I have read all of the New Yorker and Harper’s stories that I had lying around and because of my new job it’s taking me considerably longer to read books.

I was seriously planning on having this post be about how I wouldn’t be able to have any more daily posts in 2012.

Enter Max Barry.

I’ve read all three of Barry’s previous books (indeed I read his first book years and years ago and didn’t even tie it into his other ones until his bio did it for me).  I’ve enjoyed them all.  He has a new book out that I am currently enjoying called Machine Man.  Anyhow, reading this book made me want to see about his short stories and the like.  Well, his website has a few short pieces on it.  Enough to get me through the next week anyhow.

For you, dear reader, that means you’ll get a whole week’s worth of Max Barry before you can get to whatever else I manage to finish next year. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Max Barry–“Springtide”, Cory Doctorow–“Other People’s Money”, Warren Ellis–“The Position”, Lowell Yaeger–“Factory”, Michael Bagnulo–“Abstract” (Forbes, October 15, 2007)

Posted in Consumerism, Corporate skewering, Cory Doctorow, Dystopia, End of the World, Forbes, Funny (ha ha), King's X, Lowell Yaeger, Max Barry, Michael Bagnulo, Political Humor, Sci-fi, Short Story, Technology, Thin Lizzy, Warren Ellis on September 25, 2008| 7 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: KING’S X-Ear Candy (1996).

I think of Ear Candy as King’s X most upbeat record musically. Even the cover is upbeat!  It’s their first cover in ages which isn’t dark and forbidding.  It actually has a white border!  And of course, it’s hard to miss the psychedelic, brightly colored scarab beetle.

And the music matches the cover really well.  The opener, “The Train” is a catchy bit of near psychedelic rock which brings Ty’s vocal to the front.  It seems to set the tone for the rest of the album.  Even “Picture” contains a simple guitar riff reminiscent of the joy of Out of the Silent Planet.

I’m jumping down to “Mississippi Moon,” one of their supremely pretty songs ala “Goldilox.”  It’s more of a bluesy ballad, but the chorus is just amazing.

“A Box” continues the loveliness from the beginning of the album.  Its message, that there’s no room inside a box, seems to apply to the band’s more claustrophobic sounds as of late.  But lest you think they’ve gone soft, “Looking for Love” is a fabulous rocker, which makes me think of Thin Lizzy. 

Ear Candy also features “American Cheese (Jerry’s Pianto)” a rare track with Jerry Gatskill on lead vocals.  It contains the most Beatlesque sounds of a band that is full of Beatlesque sounds.  This one maintains a great deal more psychedelia than previous songs.  It’s not prog rock by any means, it’s just straight up psychedelia.

Lyrically, Doug opens up about his loss of faith; “Run” addresses it directly: “Yeah she told me, that if I wasn’t good He would get me, make me pay for everything I did, and she said that everybody bad would burn in Hell. I did what she told me and I became someone else.”

Despite the negative feelings in the above song, musically the album is very positive: a lot of the distorted riffs are toned down, and the album feels less angry.  I think this disappoints some of the band’s fans, but it retains such authentic King’s X sounds that it’s hard to argue with it.

[READ: September 5, 2008] “Springtide,” “Other People’s Money,” “The Position” “Factory” & “Abstract”.

In 2007, Forbes magazine asked five authors to write about this scenario: “It’s the year 2027, and the world is undergoing a global financial crisis. The scene is an American workplace.” I discovered these stories when I was looking up some information about Max Barry (I had just read Company). I was surprised to see that the stories were in Forbes, but whatever.  When I saw that there were five authors given the assignment I decided to try all five. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Max Barry–Company (2006)

Posted in Barenaked Ladies, Corporate skewering, Donuts, Funny (ha ha), Housemartins, Max Barry, Meta, The Beautiful South on August 19, 2007| 2 Comments »

company.jpgSOUNDTRACK: THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH-Welcome to the Beautiful South (1989) & Choke (1990) & 0898 (1992) & Miaow (1994) & Blue is the Colour (1996) & Quench (1998) & Painting It Red (2000) & Goldiggas Headnodders and Pholk Songs (2004).

welcome.jpgWhen the Housemartins broke up and The Beautiful South sprang into existence, I was working at our college radio station. I received a Beautiful South poster of the debut album, Welcome to the Beautiful South, and I remember hanging it on the hallway bulletin board of our dorm. It stayed up there an unreasonably long time for a public bulletin board Maybe everyone liked the picture of the women with the gun in her mouth. But really, that’s all I knew about them for a pretty long time. Then sometime around Blue is the Colour, I started paying attention to them and really started to like them. I was also amazed to hear that Carry On Up the Charts, their greatest hits record was one of the best selling records in England at the time. choke.jpgSo, I thought I would have to check them out more fully.

What is interesting about them is how, for a band that does not seem like a “hits” kind of band, they have a huge number of great singles.  So, how best to describe them? They’re a sort of mellow rock band, with jazzy leanings, occasional lounge lizards stylings, and occasional rocking songs. But their selling point for me is Paul Heaton’s lyrics (and voice, of course). (more…)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts