[READ: November 1, 2008] “Tits-Up in a Ditch”
When Accordion Crimes came out, the hype was fairly large, and I made a mental note to read it. I never did, though. So, this is my first exposure to Annie Proulx, and I’m not sure if it is representative of how or what she writes about. But with a title like this, how could I pass it up?
The story follows the life of Dakotah, whose mother left her shortly after she was born. Dakotah’s grandparents were stuck with her. The story notes that they were “in their late thirties” which is crazy that they are grandparents, but hey, I’m in my late thirties with two kids of my own, so no sympathy here.
The second arc of the story concerns Wyatt March and his rise to prominence in this Wyoming town. He married well, moved up in society, started the March Ranch, and
Well, that’s as far as I got. I tried to resume the story on 3 occasions and just didn’t care. There’s like ten pages left in the story, and, well, I have things that I’m more interested in.
Sorry, Annie Proulx, maybe someday I’ll get to Accordion Crimes and see what the hype was about.
SOUNDTRACK: DESTROYER-Destroyer’s Rubies (2006).
My friends Jarrett and Eugenie gave me “European Oils” from this record on a compilation. I was blown away by this song because it is simultaneously very pretty and also very weird. And this is the case with all of this record. Destroyer is, as I understand it, this one guy from Vancouver, BC. And his singing style is practically a narration, and yet somehow melodic. It’s like he’s telling you a story but occasionally singing it to you at the same time. And then there’s just fabulous, practically choral La La Las, especially in “European Oils.” 
