SOUNDTRACK: 1910 FRUITGUM COMPANY-“Goody Goody Gumdrops” (1968).
1910 Fruitgum Company has a great, bizarre name. Especially for a band that released such poppy songs.
I thought I knew most of the bubblegum hits just from casual awareness of them. I was quite surprised how many of these chart-hitting songs I’ve never heard before.
I don’t think I knew this one before, and I quite like it.
The opening verses are quiet, almost dark, with just a chugging guitar and a stomping drumbeat.
It segues into a chorus that is really catchy (of course). I really like the chord change from “goody goody gumdrops, my heart is doing flip flops” to “gee what love can do.” It feels like perhaps a minor chord introduction. There’s even some mildly interesting drum patterns in the middle.
The return of the opening verse brings back a slightly darker mood before the return of the joyful chorus.
It feels like it slightly defies the conventions of the pure bubblegum song. Maybe that’s why it only got to #37.
[READ: June 15, 2020] Bubblegum Week 6
Over at the Infinite Zombies site, there was talk of doing a Quarantine book read. After debating a few books, we decided to write about a new book, not a book that everyone (or some people) had read already. This new book would be Bubblegum by Adam Levin. Many of us had read Levin’s massive The Instructions which was not especially challenging, although it was a complex meta-fictional story of books within books. It was kind of disturbing, but also rather funny and very entertaining.
So I’ll be posting weekly ideas on this schedule
| Date | Through Page |
|---|---|
| May 11 | 81 |
| May 18 | 176 |
| May 25 | 282 |
| June 1 | 377 |
| June 8 | 476 |
| June 15 | 583 |
| June 22 | 660 |
| June 29 | 767 |
Coffee with Honey
Part IV of the book is called Compound. In it, Belt visits the Jonboat housing compound (they took over most of a cul-de-sac).
There’s a few interesting revelations here, and a remarkably lengthy discussion of a sexual practice that I don’t think I’ve ever seen discussed–certainly not at length–in a book before. But overall this section does what I like best about this book–have lengthy passages that don’t move the plot along but make me laugh at the ideas and the extent to which Levin is willing to stretch out an idea.
Part IV Section 1 is called “New Modes of Fascination.”
As Belt wakes up his pillow is talking to him. This is new. Or, not new exactly, but unusual. Indeed, the pillow is mad because Belt hasn’t talked to it at least six years (and it’s grumpy because of it). There’s not much more with inans in this section (aside from a false interaction with a bracelet at the compound), but it’s probably important not to forget about them.
One interesting idea that the pillow suggests is that it can talk with books. Belt wonders why he never talked with books. Or had he? Was the book reading the words to him as he held it or did books have other things to say besides the words on the page? That idea must be tabled for now.
Belt runs into his dad who is standing in the kitchen acting like he’s had a stroke. He’s acting very strangely, frying up a huge pack of bacon and getting grease on a Jonboat shirt. There’s a nice call back to Belt smashing the frame that held the Jonboat Says t-shirt. For this is the shirt that Clyde has. Clyde essentially believes that he blacked out and smashed the frame but doesn’t remember doing it. he finds this disturbing because he distinctly remembers why he wanted to do it, but is concerned that he blacked out and doesn’t remember that part. Belt does not put his mind at ease with the truth.
Belt also learns that his father never really liked Jonboat–he wasn’t rubbing it in by buying that T-short–rather it was … overcompensation because he felt bad that he didn’t like belt’s new friend. This made Belt feel very good about his dad and they even shared a lengthy, sincere hug.
This week’s reading had several sections that I just loved. The don’t advance the plot. They are long-winded, almost set-pieces. And each one delights me.
Like when Belt decides to sweeten his coffee with honey. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 