January 17, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: January 2022] Maskerade
The Discworld Witches are back for another story. But things are different, and I didn’t remember this happening at all. Now that Magrat is firmly established with King Verence, she is no longer witching.
And everyone (even Granny Weatherwax) seems to now that Witches work better in trios than duos (although the duo of Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg is pretty formidable).
So who would be best to be their new third? Why, that nice Agnes (once Perdita) NItt had a lot of promise.
But Agnes has no intention of becoming a witch. She knows what the life of a Witch is like. Plus she has a VOICE! (The description of her voice is wonderful).
Agnes has set out for Ankh-Morpork to be an opera singer. Agnes is very fat and there’s rather a lot of jokes at her expense, which comes across as pretty mean, Terry. There’s a very fat man as well (this being the opera and all) and there’s jokes at his expense too. It’s surprisingly mean spirited.
But aside from that, the story is pretty great. Terry opens his book with some jokes/comments about how he never expected the opera to be a fruitful subject. Until he talked to his friend in the opera who said the opera was full of crazy stories and superstitions. Continue Reading »
Posted in Agnes Nitt, Cook Book, Death, Death, Discworld, Fairy Tales, Funny (ha ha), Granny Weatherwax, Greebo, Magic, Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg, Phantom of the Opera, Terry Pratchett, Unfinished series, Violence, Voodoo, Witches | Leave a Comment »
January 16, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: December 2021] Interesting Times
I tend to think that there aren’t that many Rincewind novels, but it’s clear that Terry liked to have him around as this is the fifth one!
I’ll also preface this by saying that some readers find this book to be problematic because it deals with people from the Aurient (Asia) and tends toward the stereotypical. I will come right out and say that some of the things said in this book were cringeworthy, and one or two things made me uncomfortable. However, keep in mind that Pratchett was clearly anti-racist in the Disc overall. The Watch is one of the most un-racist institutions in fiction.
Remember also that Pratchett was a satirist and is writing for comedy. Few people fare worse than white “European” men under Pratchett’s pen. Finally, this book is mostly meant to be about ancient China and the draconian empires. Yes, he throws in anachronisms (as he always does), and he blurs the boundaries into Japanese culture here and there–not cool. But the real targets are bureaucracy and tyranny.
The book starts out with Rincewind finally happy. That doesn’t bode well.
Then the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork receives a demand from the Agatean Empire that the “Great Wizzard” be sent to them immediately. Vetinari doesn’t know what to make of this, but it obviously involves the WIzards. All signs (well, the spelling of WIzzard) points to Rincewind. Although the “great” part surely doesn’t. But the wizards are suspicious of foreign parts and no one else wants to go, so why not send Rincewind?
In part because after Eric, Rincewind has been on a desert island. The Wizards use their machine Hex (a proto-computer) to bring him back to Anhk-Morpork. Rincewind is none too happy–he was really looking forward to the Amazon women that had just arrived on the island. They might have potatoes after all.
But Hex worked and Rincewind is back. Although soon enough they are about to send him to the Agatean Empire. The Hex works by displacing something from where you land. Which in this case was a lit cannon. It arrives in the middle of the University (the Wizards wisely put out the fuse). Continue Reading »
Posted in Anachronisms, Death, Discworld, Disembowel-Meself-Honourably Dibhala, Funny (ha ha), Josh Kirby, Magic, Racism, Rincewind, Terry Pratchett, The Luggage, Wizards, Wizards | Leave a Comment »
January 15, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: January 15, 2021] The Prox Transmissions
I had recently seen Starset live and decided to check out lead singer Dustin Bates’ books (which I had gotten for my son for his birthday and I think he hasn’t read).
All of the CDs have a theme and the story of the Prox Transmissions is meant to tie into the album called Transmission.
My understanding was that the graphic novel was an adaptation of the novel. I couldn’t find the novel in his room, but I did see the graphic novel, so I started with that (even though I’m sure it would have ben smarter to read the novel first).
The most impressive thing about this to me was that it was published by Marvel. Not because I’m a Marvel fan boy but because I just assumed it was self published. That being said, I think a thing or two was lost in the abridgement.
There are double crosses and possibly triple crosses and seemingly minor characters come to have major roles without a very satisfying explanation. Basically it feels like a story that has has a lot removed (which it is).
The actual story line is pretty cool though. Continue Reading »
Posted in Corporate skewering, Death, Dustin Bates, End of the World, Environmentalism, Graphic Novel, Outer Space, Peter David, Sci-fi, Science, Sex, Starset, The Future, Violence | Leave a Comment »
January 14, 2022 by Paul Debraski
[POSTPONED: January 14, 2021] Guster / Ben Kweller [moved to August 10, 2022]
COME ON!
In March of last year, Guster was supposed to come to NJ to play An Evening of Acoustic Music & Improv–a tour that had been going great.
Then it was cancelled.
The band waited almost a year to reschedule a NJ show–who knows if they were going to do an acoustic show or not. (Probably not as the last show all tickets were seated).
And then the jackasses who didn’t get vaccinated caused the virus to mutate and infect all of us.
I tested positive last week and tonight was going to be the date I was allowed back into society. I don’t blame the band for cancelling–literally everyone is catching it. I blame the idiots who trust Facebook more than science.
Who knows when they’ll want to come back–although come back they will because Guster doesn’t give up!
UPDATE: Until Maryann commented, I didn’t realize (or I forgot) there was a special guest (I didn’t look at this poster very clearly, obviously). I know Ben Kweller from the compilation The Bens, which has Ben Folds and Ben Lee on it. I didn’t think I knew much else from Ben Kweller, until I just saw that he sings lead on “I Hope Tomorrow is LIke Today.” which, how did I not know that?
I hope that he is still the opener for the rescheduled date.
Posted in Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, Ben Lee, Cancelled, Coronavirus, Guster, Montclair, NJ, Quarantine, Wellmont Theater | 2 Comments »
January 13, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: January 13, 2022] The Genius Under the Table
Why would anyone read an autobiography of someone they’d never heard of?
Well, in part because it’s a children’s biography, and therefore a fairly easy read. But mostly because Eugene Yelchin grew up in the Soviet Union under the watchful eyes of Lenin and his KGB informants. And it’s a fascinating look at a world that is as bizarre as it is unsettling.
And it’s a well-written and interesting story, too!
Yelchin was the youngest of two sons. His older brother was on track to become a national figure skater. His mother worked in the ballet, assisting the ballerinas and having a close up view of the amazing Mikhail Baryshnikov. His father was a working man as well–they needed all the money they could get (which wasn’t much). And what of Eugene (Yevgeny)? He had no talent.
He couldn’t play sports (not even chess). He couldn’t dance. He wasn’t super smart. He wasn’t exactly a disappointment to his parents (although he was, kind of), but they knew that the only way to get out of the squalor they lived in was to be great at something.
And he wasn’t great at anything. Continue Reading »
Posted in Artists, Autobiographies, Ballet, Eugene Yelchin, Lenin, Leningrad Russia, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Oleg Mandelstam, Religion, Russia, Soviet Union, T.G. Bruni, Tatiana Georgievna Bruni | Leave a Comment »
January 12, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: January 12, 2022] The Bad Guys Episode One
A movie is coming out about this book series (Scholastic must have SO MUCH MONEY!). S. brought it home from the library and I figured I’d give it a read. And five minutes later I’d finished it.
It’s pretty funny (although not as funny as I would have liked).
It’s also clearly designed for young readers since there are usually no more than five words per page. I guess it’s a graphic novel, although there are chapters.
The book opens with Mr Wolf staring at us and telling us to come closer. But we are smart, we know he is a monster so we do not get any closer. Continue Reading »
Posted in Aaron Blabey, Children's Books, Fairy Tales, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Morality, Piranhas, Sharks, Snakes, Wolves | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: November 2021] Soul Music
This book is about Music With Rocks In! (With a timeless CD on the cover). But it’s also about Death having (another) existential crisis.
The book opens with the explanation of why Death had a granddaughter. For reasons all his own, Death rescued a baby girl, Ysabell, and took her home. He allowed her to age for sixteen years and then she stopped aging.
He also hired an apprentice named Mort who best Death (which Death allowed, truth be told) in a fight.
So Mort and Ysabell fell in love and were sent back to the real world where they had a daughter, Susan. Susan technically wasn’t related to Death, but Death was her grandfather so…..
Susan went to boarding school, where she had an uncanny ability to be unseen–even by her teachers. She was also very smart (Neither of these things made her teachers very happy). Susan could also see things that others couldn’t. And she found this upsetting. Like when a rat that seemed to be more skeleton than anything else looked at her and said SQUEAK? As the book opens we learn that her parents have just died in an accident. Continue Reading »
Posted in Alfred, Binky, Buddy Holly, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, Death, Discworld, Funny (ha ha), Glod Glodsson, Imp y Celyn, Lias Bluestone, Magic, Mort, Music, Susan Sto-Helit, Terry Pratchett, The Dean, The Librarian, Unfinished series, Wizards, Ysabell | Leave a Comment »
January 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: January 9, 2021] The Panda, The Cat and the Dreadful Teddy
This book is subtitled “A Parody” but it does not say what it is a parody of. And I genuinely had no idea. I guessed maybe Winnie-the Pooh. But I was wrong. According to the reviewers it is a parody of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox & The Horse, by Margerie Swash and artist Emmanuel Santos, which I have never heard of. Apparently it’s a book of positivity.
This book is a book of negativity. The handwriting is really hard to read and the drawings are really crude (intentionally). And then every other page shows Panda picking on the Dreadful Teddy, who is ever the optimist.
There’s few words per page like Panda seeing Teddy and saying “That’s the little arsehole I’m trying to avoid.” And, “oh shit, it’s that awful Teddy.”
Then there’s the Cat who is kind of a mediator: “I find that Teddy is full of tolerance and empathy” Panda replies, “I find he’s full of shit.” Continue Reading »
Posted in Funny (ha ha), Huh?, Margerie Swash, Paul Magrs, Unfunny | Leave a Comment »
January 9, 2022 by Paul Debraski
SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: January 9, 2022] It Only Comes in Orange, Mr Zuma
This is the second collection of editorial cartoons from South Africa’s Daily Maverick newspaper. Zapiro (Jonathan Shapiro) has been making editorial cartoons and caricatures since the early 1990s and has 25 books of cartoons published. Turns out I have access to most of them so I may need to d a deep dive–maybe I’ll understand some of the politics more.
I really don’t know very much about the South Africa, and I feel like news about the country is not covered very much here. I don’t understand all of the jokes in here, but I do feel like I have a vague grasp on the country now. However, it’s when Zapiro turns his pen abroad–especially against trump, that I can see how good of a satirist he is. I posted this picture when talking about the previous book, but this cartoon appears in this one:
When he publishes the cartoons in the newspaper, they speak for themselves. But in these collections, he adds a caption since most of the details are no longer fresh. For the above he wrote:
Hell-bent on overturning the election result, trump supporters storm the Capitol building in Washington. The riot leaves five people dead.
How is it that there is any question about this still in our country. Why is our justice system so slow?
Well, given the justice system in South Africa, our looks like a quick resolution. Continue Reading »
Posted in Comic Strips, Coronavirus, Corporate skewering, Cyril Ramaphosa, Daily Maverick, donald tRUMP, Floyd Sivambu, Funny (ha ha), Jacob Zuma, Joe Biden, Julius Malema, Kamala Harris, Liars, Lies, Political Humor, Politicians, Quarantine, Racism, Sexism, Shaleen Surtie-Richards, South Africa, Violence, Zapiro | Leave a Comment »
January 8, 2022 by Paul Debraski
[CANCELLED: January 8, 2022] Nap Eyes / Kiwi Jr.
Nap Eyes opened for Destroyer in the last show I saw before the quarantining. I really wanted to see them headline a tour and do their own thing.
They had scheduled a show at Johnny Brenda’s for May of 2020 which was cancelled. Then they bided their time and waited until 2022 to schedule their new tour. But people are jerks and wouldn’t get vaccinated and now the virus had transformed itself so that everyone is going to get it.
I actually tested positive this week and wouldn’t have been able to go to this show anyhow, so I guess I’m glad the tour is on hold for a bit.
But damn, I want to see some Nap Eyes!
Kiwi Jr. is a fun Canadian band, recently described as “clever, easy-going jangle pop” that I’d really like to see live. So I hope this lineup stays the same when Nap Eyes comes back to Philly again. Some day.
Posted in Coronavirus, Destroyer, Johnny Brenda's, Kiwi Jr., Nap Eyes, Postponed, Quarantine | Leave a Comment »
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The Discworld Witches are back for another story. But things are different, and I didn’t remember this happening at all. Now that Magrat is firmly established with King Verence, she is no longer witching.
I Just Read About That... 