I love oral histories. They are a modern way to tell a modern history and become a great documentation of a moment in time. It allows the people who were there to tell the story in their words which really lets the character of the people and the moment shine. They don't get bogged down with boring recitation of facts and limit the amount an author can filter the details. "Everybody Loves Our Town" is an oral history of the Seattle music scene that grew in the 80's and exploded in the early 90's. It documents the rise of bands like Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains and all the problems that came along with it.
One of the great things about oral histories is how they show people's different takes on common events. Numerous times in "Everybody Loves Our Town" we get two or three different stories from eye witnesses how an event went down. This could probably be as much attributed to copious drug and alcohol abuse as it could the human condition, but it's this condition that makes the oral history more real then an author determining a definitive sequence of events. History has always been in the eye of the beholder and these types of books show us all the beholders.
By letting the artists tell the story we also get a first hand look at another condition common in the arts, jealousy. As much as people like to talk about camaraderie of the Seattle scene being what made it special, it wasn't any more immune to bitterness then anywhere else. Just like anywhere in the entertainment industry, we see a bunch of bands who didn't reach high level of success lashing out and talking trash on the bands that did. They were all about money or not true to the scene or all about themselves. It's a stance I don't understand, it seems to me the point of being in a band or a movie star or a writer is to create something that people will enjoy and you can make a living off, but one I realize will always come with the territory.
There was very little new I learned by reading the book. It basically reinforced many of the stories and characterizations I was already familiar with (Big Surprise: Courtney Love comes off as a horrible person and nobody likes her!). If there was one knock on the book it would be it's lack of time-frame. It tends to jump around in time without really letting you know and at times it becomes a chore to figure out what the context of some of the events are. But it was a wonderful trip down memory lane and had me making a Seattle playlist on my IPod. If you're a child of the late 80's/early 90's, this is a great read. If you are younger and consider yourself a student of music it's probably a must read.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
48 In 2012?: #2 The Visable Man by Chuck Klosterman
How many issues can you deal with in 230 pages? That seems to be the question pop-culture essayist, Chuck Klosterman, is trying to answer with his second attempt at fiction. The Visible Man is crammed full of probing questions on how our society views itself and those of us that encapsulate it. What is reality? Is someone watching me and to what extent? What role does psychoanalysis play in my life? Can science be trusted? Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? What is loneliness and what role does it play in my life? What does it mean to be in a relationship? Klosterman seems to leave no rock unturned in this quick read about a therapist and her rather strange client.
It a slight departure from what his fans are used to reading stylistically, Klosterman has written a book that feels more like something you would expect from Chuck Palahniuk, without the typical Palahniuk graphic details and colorful language, while still finding a way to include the pop-culture philosophy that we have grown to love him for. The Visible Man is a dark book that treads on heavy ground, yet is able to find a good laugh and moments of lightness. The main character, a "scientist" who has developed a suit that makes him "unseen" that he uses to spy on people when they are alone, has no problem switching from a description on how he caused a girl to overdose on cocaine and speed to hypothesizing that people listen to the Beatles so much because they are told they are supposed to like them. It's equal parts social commentary, pop-culture commentary and entertaining thriller.
I'm not sure we ever get any answers to the questions posed, Klosterman's work has always been more about the asking then the answering, but that doesn't hurt the journey at all. Klosterman is trying to turn a mirror to a society that, much like his main character, has a problem seeing itself for what it really is. There doesn't need to be concrete answers, but there should be some self-evaluation.
If all this seems like a heavy handed evaluation of a piece of fiction by a pop-culture observer, then ignore everything I've written and know that The Visible Man is an enjoyable quick read about a man who can make himself invisible and the problems that power can cause. It really is as much a psycho-thriller as it is a commentary on society. And in that way, Klosterman has crafted an amazing book that is a must read.
It a slight departure from what his fans are used to reading stylistically, Klosterman has written a book that feels more like something you would expect from Chuck Palahniuk, without the typical Palahniuk graphic details and colorful language, while still finding a way to include the pop-culture philosophy that we have grown to love him for. The Visible Man is a dark book that treads on heavy ground, yet is able to find a good laugh and moments of lightness. The main character, a "scientist" who has developed a suit that makes him "unseen" that he uses to spy on people when they are alone, has no problem switching from a description on how he caused a girl to overdose on cocaine and speed to hypothesizing that people listen to the Beatles so much because they are told they are supposed to like them. It's equal parts social commentary, pop-culture commentary and entertaining thriller.
I'm not sure we ever get any answers to the questions posed, Klosterman's work has always been more about the asking then the answering, but that doesn't hurt the journey at all. Klosterman is trying to turn a mirror to a society that, much like his main character, has a problem seeing itself for what it really is. There doesn't need to be concrete answers, but there should be some self-evaluation.
If all this seems like a heavy handed evaluation of a piece of fiction by a pop-culture observer, then ignore everything I've written and know that The Visible Man is an enjoyable quick read about a man who can make himself invisible and the problems that power can cause. It really is as much a psycho-thriller as it is a commentary on society. And in that way, Klosterman has crafted an amazing book that is a must read.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
How I Met Your Mother: 46 Minutes
Just when I'm about to give up on HIMYM they always seems to pull out a gem. "46 Minutes" had me laughing like a sitcom is supposed to, something that has been terrible lacking this season. For the first time in what seems like forever, the writers seemed to focus on the funny instead of telling a poignant story or trying to further character development. This episode put the jokes upfront allowing us to laugh while the HIMYM story was moved along in the background. It's not that there wasn't character development or a moral to the gangs shenanigans, it's just that it didn't force it's way to the front of the line stepping on the humor along the way.
One of the most welcome pluses in this episode was the presence of Chris Elliot. The writers let his comedic genius shine and helped make this a gem of an episode. His performance brought back memories of Get A Life, one of my all time favorite sitcoms. Nobody knows off-beat comedy better then Elliot and his presence brought an edge to the episode that has been lacking this season. The Widow Rodriguez jokes were hilarious and his taunting of Marshal was spot on.
This episode also did a good job with a ton of subtle pop culture references. At times it felt more like a Community style send up of different movie genres (close camera horror, disaster action, seedy poker game movies) then your typical HIMYM and it worked. The writers did beat you over the head with what they were doing, yet made it clear what they were making fun of.
A few other things I found funny... Ted's rendition of "We Built Chip City", the idea of early relationship chicken which was then brilliantly morphed into relationship compliance (ok, ok, Kal Penn is starting to be bearable), and two new versions of the opening credits. I would have liked to see more of Barney as group leader and a little more made of Barney's abandonment issues, but beggars can't be choosers.
My one question is, is that the end of MacLaren's? It would be a bold move for the writers to abandon the bar, but one that could spark creativity. I think it would be interesting for them to bury the bar and move on. If they can do that, I'm sure they can learn to keep the show going after revealing the mother... or would moving away from the bar (and moving Marshal and Lilly to the suburbs) just be jumping the shark? Either way, this is the shows first win in a while, bringing the season record up to 4-8-2.
One of the most welcome pluses in this episode was the presence of Chris Elliot. The writers let his comedic genius shine and helped make this a gem of an episode. His performance brought back memories of Get A Life, one of my all time favorite sitcoms. Nobody knows off-beat comedy better then Elliot and his presence brought an edge to the episode that has been lacking this season. The Widow Rodriguez jokes were hilarious and his taunting of Marshal was spot on.
This episode also did a good job with a ton of subtle pop culture references. At times it felt more like a Community style send up of different movie genres (close camera horror, disaster action, seedy poker game movies) then your typical HIMYM and it worked. The writers did beat you over the head with what they were doing, yet made it clear what they were making fun of.
A few other things I found funny... Ted's rendition of "We Built Chip City", the idea of early relationship chicken which was then brilliantly morphed into relationship compliance (ok, ok, Kal Penn is starting to be bearable), and two new versions of the opening credits. I would have liked to see more of Barney as group leader and a little more made of Barney's abandonment issues, but beggars can't be choosers.
My one question is, is that the end of MacLaren's? It would be a bold move for the writers to abandon the bar, but one that could spark creativity. I think it would be interesting for them to bury the bar and move on. If they can do that, I'm sure they can learn to keep the show going after revealing the mother... or would moving away from the bar (and moving Marshal and Lilly to the suburbs) just be jumping the shark? Either way, this is the shows first win in a while, bringing the season record up to 4-8-2.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
48 In 2012?: #1 The Innocent Man by John Grisham
An old friend and former college roommate posted something on Facebook recently. Based on a couple of comments he had heard a few years back, one that George Vanderbilt had averaged reading two books a week for his entire lifetime, the other that leaders tend to be readers and readers tend to be leaders, he decided to challenge himself to read four books a month over a calender year. It's been three years, but he hasn't yet hit his goal, so this year he asked anyone who wished to join him. Being a huge fan of such challenges, especially when it comes to things I love to do, I jumped at that chance and will try to document my attempts on this blog.
My friend created a template that allows you to enter the books you will read, the amount of pages in the book and the amount of pages you have read, so you can keep track of your goal and what you may or may not need to accomplish to achieve the goal. So, I have pretty much planned out my reading for the year. I tried to keep to a formula for each month's choices in an attempt to keep my reading diverse and in line with my reading habits. I tried to keep to one paperback book, a book that I carry around with me for reading during work breaks or down time at school, one fiction book, most likely a recent novel I'm interested in reading, one non-fiction book, anything from history to biography to sports stuff, and one wild card.
In all honesty, I doubt I will accomplish the goal this year. I read 35 books last year and 13 more books in a year is a pretty good jump. Also, one of the books, my wild card in January, is "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace. I've had this book on my Goodreads "reading shelf" for three years. I keep picking it up and putting it down and getting very little accomplished as far as finishing it. As much as I would love to read 48 books in 2012, I think my true accomplishment will be putting this long, dense, far from intriguing book to rest. I put it right up front figuring if it carries over to month two or even month three, I still have most of the year to make up two books.
But enough about what I want to do, or may do, or any other future tense helping verb you can put in front of do, and on to what I have done...
The first book I finished in 2012 was "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham. I take a lot of shots at John Grisham in my writing. I just don't find his prose well written. It's choppy and filled with cliches and nothing about his dialogue feels real or believable. His stories although at times entertaining, also tend to more then push the limit of believability. So, why do I read so much of his stuff? It's a long story, but basically I got the books for free and his stuff is easy to read and fills time and occasionally entertains me.
"Innocent Man" is a huge departure for Grisham. None of my typical criticism is valid because none of "Innocent Man" is a product of Grisham's imagination. "Innocent Man" is a true crime story about a botched small town murder case in Oklahoma that almost led to an innocent man being given the death penalty. Grisham lays out a crazy tale of small town politics, bad lawyering, suspect judging, and a man's spiral into mental deterioration. Unlike in his fiction, Grisham's prose pops off the page as he beautifully describes small town Oklahoma, a troubled investigation and trial, death row and other circumstances. Although at times the narrative seems to jump around, the story keeps moving at a torrid pace, never losing it's suspense. Grisham should really think about cutting down on his fiction and move into the world of true crime. His talents seem to be better served there.
My friend created a template that allows you to enter the books you will read, the amount of pages in the book and the amount of pages you have read, so you can keep track of your goal and what you may or may not need to accomplish to achieve the goal. So, I have pretty much planned out my reading for the year. I tried to keep to a formula for each month's choices in an attempt to keep my reading diverse and in line with my reading habits. I tried to keep to one paperback book, a book that I carry around with me for reading during work breaks or down time at school, one fiction book, most likely a recent novel I'm interested in reading, one non-fiction book, anything from history to biography to sports stuff, and one wild card.
In all honesty, I doubt I will accomplish the goal this year. I read 35 books last year and 13 more books in a year is a pretty good jump. Also, one of the books, my wild card in January, is "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace. I've had this book on my Goodreads "reading shelf" for three years. I keep picking it up and putting it down and getting very little accomplished as far as finishing it. As much as I would love to read 48 books in 2012, I think my true accomplishment will be putting this long, dense, far from intriguing book to rest. I put it right up front figuring if it carries over to month two or even month three, I still have most of the year to make up two books.
But enough about what I want to do, or may do, or any other future tense helping verb you can put in front of do, and on to what I have done...
The first book I finished in 2012 was "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham. I take a lot of shots at John Grisham in my writing. I just don't find his prose well written. It's choppy and filled with cliches and nothing about his dialogue feels real or believable. His stories although at times entertaining, also tend to more then push the limit of believability. So, why do I read so much of his stuff? It's a long story, but basically I got the books for free and his stuff is easy to read and fills time and occasionally entertains me.
"Innocent Man" is a huge departure for Grisham. None of my typical criticism is valid because none of "Innocent Man" is a product of Grisham's imagination. "Innocent Man" is a true crime story about a botched small town murder case in Oklahoma that almost led to an innocent man being given the death penalty. Grisham lays out a crazy tale of small town politics, bad lawyering, suspect judging, and a man's spiral into mental deterioration. Unlike in his fiction, Grisham's prose pops off the page as he beautifully describes small town Oklahoma, a troubled investigation and trial, death row and other circumstances. Although at times the narrative seems to jump around, the story keeps moving at a torrid pace, never losing it's suspense. Grisham should really think about cutting down on his fiction and move into the world of true crime. His talents seem to be better served there.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
How I Met Your Mother: Tailgate
Not much to say about yet another lack luster HIMYM. Marshal's storyline with his dead father fell flat. The Puzzle's call back didn't do the original idea justice because it failed to deliver with any funny and went absolutely nowhere. This could have been a great storyline but once again it got fumbled. The biggest question right now might be, why do the writers think that the answer to their writing doldrums is changing who is telling the story from week to week? Ted's voice wasn't what was holding back the funny and changing the narrator from week to week, while possible a good creative decision in the hands of capable writers, just isn't doing anything but confusing the story. I'm not sure where the laughs went with this show, but it doesn't look like they are ever coming back.
On a bright note, Kumar was not totally annoying and out of place. Either he's starting to grow into the role or my standards for this show are dropping like a lead weight. In all honesty, it's not clear what the case is.
3-8-2!
On a bright note, Kumar was not totally annoying and out of place. Either he's starting to grow into the role or my standards for this show are dropping like a lead weight. In all honesty, it's not clear what the case is.
3-8-2!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Top 5: Dead People Of 2011
This was supposed to go up Friday, but it got delayed. Better late then never, I guess, but I doubt anyone was actually waiting on another Top 5 list from me. This last best of 2011 Top 5 is going to deal with dead people. I know this one sounds a little morbid, but it's meant to be in honor of these people who left us this year and the things they accomplished while alive. That being the case you will not see people who the world was happy to see go. There will be no Osama Bin Laden or Muammer Gaddafi or Kim Jong-il, just people who left a positive or inspirational legacy behind.
Some of you may be asking, what about a best of 2011 movies? I will do a whole week of those lists leading up to the Oscars. It seems like a more fitting time to deal with the best movies of the year. So here is my list of Top 5 Dead People Of 2011...
5) Duke Snider - 84
In all honesty, The Duke was going to wind up in my honorable mentions, but when I did a little research on this topic I only found him on one list of people that died in 2011, and that bothered me so much I made sure he was in my top 5. Duke Snider was once considered the best center fielder in baseball. The famous argument once asked, who was better Willy Mays, Mickey Mantle or Duke Snider. I find it hard to believe that he went from seriously considered for this argument to not even mentioned on a list of famous people who died. He wasn't as flamboyant as Mays and he didn't have the wild night life of Mantle, so I guess he just gets lost in history. But I will always have room for one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
4) Jack LaLanne - 96
People always like to bring up Jim Fixx when giving excuses for not exercising. Running guru Jim Fixx died at age 52 of a heart attack. For those people I counter with Jack LaLanne, the man who brought physical fitness and proper diet to the masses and lived until the age of 96. LaLanne basically created the fitness industry we know today, being one of the first people to publish fitness books, star on exercise television programs, to open nation wide gyms, and of course, selling juicers on TV. Our country is healthier (some would say that's not saying much) because of LaLanne and his love and belief in person physical fitness.
3) Joe Frazier -67
In an era when boxing still mattered, Frazier was one of the kings. Growing up, I thought I knew boxing and then I saw a rebroadcast of an Ali-Frazier fight and everything changed. The way the two just stood there and beat the crap out of each other was amazing. I've never seen anything so brutal, impressive or entertaining. Frazier was never the public darling that Ali was or as important when it came to issues outside of boxing, like civil rights, but he was still an important figure in America. One could argue that without Frazier, Ali might not have become as huge as he did. As one half of the greatest rivalry ever and one of the greatest boxers to ever step in the ring, Smokin' Joe will be missed.
2) Elizabeth Taylor - 79
For my generation, Elizabeth Taylor wasn't much more then a punchline, but that doesn't change the importance she held to many generations prior. For years she was the personification of beauty in an industry that was filled with beautiful people. Practically American royalty, there are very few people who were more famous or more iconic then Taylor. As much as here time in the lime light had passed, her death to Americans wasn't much different then the death of a queen. The death of a living legend and someone who is certainly part of American mythology is always a great lose.
1) Steve Jobs - 56
Was there much doubt about Steve Jobs being number one on this list? He's youngest person on this list, yet is more responsible for how we live our daily lives then anyone who died this year and probably anyone who is still alive. I'm not a Mac guy, but I still can't imagine my life today without Steve Job's influence. Pioneer of the personal computer revolution, CEO of Apple when the IMac, IPod and IPhone were introduced, co-founder of Pixar, he basically supervised the way we know live our lives. We will certainly miss his genius and whatever other ideas he may have brought to us, but we will also live with him and his creations for the rest of our lives.
Honorable Mentions: Al Davis-82, Randy Savage-58, Heavy D-44, Andy Rooney-92, Amy Winehouse-27
Some of you may be asking, what about a best of 2011 movies? I will do a whole week of those lists leading up to the Oscars. It seems like a more fitting time to deal with the best movies of the year. So here is my list of Top 5 Dead People Of 2011...
5) Duke Snider - 84
In all honesty, The Duke was going to wind up in my honorable mentions, but when I did a little research on this topic I only found him on one list of people that died in 2011, and that bothered me so much I made sure he was in my top 5. Duke Snider was once considered the best center fielder in baseball. The famous argument once asked, who was better Willy Mays, Mickey Mantle or Duke Snider. I find it hard to believe that he went from seriously considered for this argument to not even mentioned on a list of famous people who died. He wasn't as flamboyant as Mays and he didn't have the wild night life of Mantle, so I guess he just gets lost in history. But I will always have room for one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
4) Jack LaLanne - 96
People always like to bring up Jim Fixx when giving excuses for not exercising. Running guru Jim Fixx died at age 52 of a heart attack. For those people I counter with Jack LaLanne, the man who brought physical fitness and proper diet to the masses and lived until the age of 96. LaLanne basically created the fitness industry we know today, being one of the first people to publish fitness books, star on exercise television programs, to open nation wide gyms, and of course, selling juicers on TV. Our country is healthier (some would say that's not saying much) because of LaLanne and his love and belief in person physical fitness.
3) Joe Frazier -67
In an era when boxing still mattered, Frazier was one of the kings. Growing up, I thought I knew boxing and then I saw a rebroadcast of an Ali-Frazier fight and everything changed. The way the two just stood there and beat the crap out of each other was amazing. I've never seen anything so brutal, impressive or entertaining. Frazier was never the public darling that Ali was or as important when it came to issues outside of boxing, like civil rights, but he was still an important figure in America. One could argue that without Frazier, Ali might not have become as huge as he did. As one half of the greatest rivalry ever and one of the greatest boxers to ever step in the ring, Smokin' Joe will be missed.
2) Elizabeth Taylor - 79
For my generation, Elizabeth Taylor wasn't much more then a punchline, but that doesn't change the importance she held to many generations prior. For years she was the personification of beauty in an industry that was filled with beautiful people. Practically American royalty, there are very few people who were more famous or more iconic then Taylor. As much as here time in the lime light had passed, her death to Americans wasn't much different then the death of a queen. The death of a living legend and someone who is certainly part of American mythology is always a great lose.
1) Steve Jobs - 56
Was there much doubt about Steve Jobs being number one on this list? He's youngest person on this list, yet is more responsible for how we live our daily lives then anyone who died this year and probably anyone who is still alive. I'm not a Mac guy, but I still can't imagine my life today without Steve Job's influence. Pioneer of the personal computer revolution, CEO of Apple when the IMac, IPod and IPhone were introduced, co-founder of Pixar, he basically supervised the way we know live our lives. We will certainly miss his genius and whatever other ideas he may have brought to us, but we will also live with him and his creations for the rest of our lives.
Honorable Mentions: Al Davis-82, Randy Savage-58, Heavy D-44, Andy Rooney-92, Amy Winehouse-27
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