SOUNDTRACK: BILL CALLAHAN-Tiny Desk Concert #21 (July 13, 2009).
Bill Callahan (formerly known as Smog) plays beautiful slow ballads. He has a deep, calming, gorgeous voice. And his songs have a very traditional acoustic feel (even when he plays electric guitar). He is excellent at what he does.
But I’m afraid I just don’t really like his style all that much. I can absolutely appreciate why he is so well-regarded, because even as I’m listening to this Tiny Desk set I keep thinking how good everything he is doing is. Man, his voice is so interesting, and his music is so pretty (the strings add a very nice touch).
But I just can’t imagine myself ever choosing to listen to his album.
In fairness, a song on a mix tape would probably be awesome, and I did enjoy the three songs here: “Jim Cain,” “Rococo Zephyr” (great title, and my favorite of the three) and “Too Many Birds.” And I can imagine if I was ever on a mellow music kick that this would be where I’d start. So if you enjoy pretty, mellow music done incredibly well, Bill Callahan is definitely your guy. I feel like he is not as well-known as he ought to be, so check him out.
[READ: January 23, 2014] Eleanor Rigby
Completing three Douglas Coupland novels in two weeks may seem daunting, and it is especially so when the books are as dark as these have been. (With Coupland’s follow up book, JPod, he would go in a different direction and kind of break the darkness somewhat. And the new book which just came out seems like it is more humorous than dark). This book is perhaps the most insular of his career and perhaps the most insular book I’ve read. The title is puzzling (and is ultimately revealed), although Coupland says that he was inspired by wondering what happened to Eleanor Rigby after the (Beatles, duh) song was over.
So in this story, the main character is named Liz Dunn. Liz is a blank. She claims that she is so dull that if she were an extra in movies, she would be asked to leave the scene because she is too devoid of character to even be an extra. (Actually, Liz lays the self-pity on a little too thickly throughout the book–we got the point). Liz has a brother, who is an accomplished world traveller, and a sister who lives nearby and pops in to check on her once in a while. Both are married and have their lives together, unlike Liz who lives by herself in a room with no personality at all.
Liz’ sister is beautiful and got up to all kinds of trouble in school and William has always been successful, but Liz was…nothing. She didn’t like to do much. And she pretty much holds herself up as the antithesis of her sister. She watches movies all the time in her living room. And then she goes to sleep. She works at a well paying but dull job and she has saved a ton of money because she never spends it on anything.
As the story starts, she is getting wisdom teeth out. She takes a week off from work, but he boss (the Dwarf Whom I Report To) calls to say that someone will bring some work over to keep her busy. She has bought a bunch of tear jerker movies in hopes of riding out the painkillers with them. And then she gets a phone call. A man named Jeremy has her name on his medic alert bracelet and he is in the hospital.
Liz doesn’t know who he is, but then takes a guess and goes to see him in the hospital. And it turns out to be…her son. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 