A book is one of the last pure artistic mediums in the world, the result of one person’s vision. Unlike a Hollywood film, a book is not reinterpreted, manipulated and manufactured by a team that had nothing to do with its creation in the first place. Since books require such an investment of time to read, I mostly try to go on recommendations from trusted sources or stick to authors I know I like. My sources and authors have done me right with this batch of books.
Now, before you decide I’m some kind of super-reader, keep in mind that the previous ‘Recent Reads’ blog was way back in August, ’09. I’ve averaged about a book and a half a month. Not bad, I suppose, but I aspire to do better. Of course quantity is not important, only quality. Best to take your time and absorb the words, rereading pages at times. Sometimes I think I could be happy dropping everything so I can just read all the books I want to read. But alas, I must live and create music and writings of my own. But along the way I’m inspired by books such as these:
Dave Eggers “A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius”
If memoir writing is guitar playing, then Dave Eggers is Eddie Van Halen and it’s 1980. In other words, we’re all paying attention, trying not to emulate him too much, watching what he does next. This book was really hot in the earlier part of the 00’s and will be one of those books for which the decade is defined. Central to the book are the tragic circumstances surrounding Eggers’ young adulthood in early 90’s San Francisco, something he is able to reflect on in a way that is both deeply moving and, surprisingly, hilarious. It is some of the most original writing I’ve ever seen. Don’t let the title throw you- he is describing his work sarcastically, some might say, ironically. I get the feeling that he honestly didn’t think it was that good, and took a lot of chances, throwing self consciousness out the window. And the most ironic part is that it more than good. Heartbreaking? Yes. Staggering? Yes. Genius? That’s totally subjective. I think so.
Jonathan Safron Foer “Everything Is Illuminated”
If Dave Eggers is the Eddie Van Halen of memoir writing, Jonathan Safron Foer is the Pat Metheny of novelists. Like Pat Metheny’s 1976 album “Bright Size Life,” this book is a debut by a mid twenty-something, forward thinking artist who breaks all the rules to make something challenging, beautiful and timeless. “Everything Is Illuminated” tells a story of a trip to the Ukraine in search of a mysterious woman from a World War II era photograph. It’s told from several different perspectives and within different periods of time, all skillfully woven together. It moves back and forth between the present tense and deeply poetic tales of events that may or may not have taken place centuries ago. With a painfully funny take on the English language, a young Ukranian translater, (named Alex) is one of the more memorable characters in current literature. It does take several chapters to get used to the style and rhythm of it, but as soon as you do, it becomes riveting, funny and deeply moving.
Charles Bukowski “Women”
Charlies Bukowski has become someone I cherish and wish I’d known about when I was younger. Had I read his poems and novels, I’d have had a leg up on understanding human behavior, modern society and West Coast poetry and culture. Bukowski calls out the hypocrisy of modern life in the US and one doesn’t have to condone his uncontrollable drinking and womanizing to love his work and find it educating, enlightening, uplifting and at times, laugh out loud funny. Charles Bukowski, known as ‘Hank’ to his friends, has helped inspire me and many others to take more chances with our own writing and “Women” is said to be a loose inspiration for the hit Showtime series “Californication.” Speaking of which…
Hank Moody* “God Hates Us All”
In this book, Hank Moody creates a surreal world of New York characters- actors, musicians, models, show biz lawyers, rappers and other people who seem glamorous on the outside but who are dysfunctional at best, self destructive at worst. Amidst the compulsive bad behavior, most of the characters are somehow inexplicably well spoken, knowledgeable, clever and quick-witted. This paradox works well and the dialogue is nothing short of brilliant. Moody’s expert knowledge of music and pop culture is sprinkled throughout. Who else would name a book after a Slayer album? I hear that Mr. Moody is suffering from a terrible case of writers block at the moment and living more tales of debaucherous tales of depravity. I’m waiting for him to pull it together enough to channel his current tales into more books. He also really needs to patch things up with his ex girlfriend Karen and their daughter Becca. (*Hank Moody is not real- he’s a character played by David Duchovney on the aforementioned series Californication. It’s unclear who actually wrote the book, although Jonathan Grotenstein is credited as co-writer.)
Ned Vizzini “It’s kind Of A Funny Story”
One of the great things about living in Brooklyn is being surrounded by writers who live here. A few cases in point- Jonathan Safroen Foer, Paul Auster and my own neighbor, Ned Vizzini. I had no idea he wrote professionally until one day when he had a stack of books in his hand and he gave me a copy and said “You don’t have to read it, I won’t be offended” I did read it and was blown away. Barely in his 30’s, Ned has several books out, most of which are marketed to teens and early twenty-somethings. “It’s Kind Of A Funny Story,” transcends its own YA (Young Adult), genre and would appeal to anyone. It’s a coming of age tale, of a young male who grows up in Brooklyn and has difficulty making sense of his surroundings and the world in general. Although I grew up on the West Coast, some of it reminded me how I felt when I was younger and helped me imagine what it would be like growing up today where every kid grows up so fast, and is constantly texting, talking on a cell phone and posting on Facebook. Fortunately, I never wound up in a hospital psych ward as the character does. Ned himself actually spent a few days in the psych ward of our local hospital (a long time ago) and used the experience as the basis for this book. “It’s Kind Of A Funny Story” has been picked up by Disney to be made into a motion picture staring Zach Galifianakis from “The Hangover” and Emma Roberts. The film hits theaters in this Fall.
Phillip Roth “Goodbye Columbus”
This was Philip Roth’s first book, the one that won the National Book Award launched his literary career back in 1959. “Goodbye Columbus” actually consists of six stories. Despite his longevity, Mr. Roth’s current writing is as relevant as ever and he’s one of the few authors for whom I plan to read everything he has ever written.The 136 page ‘title track’ if you will, describes a relationship between two young people who, despite both being Jewish and living New Jersey in the late 50’s, come from diametrically opposed backgrounds due to social class. It is easy to relate to the challenges faced by these characters as many of the relationship complexities are familiar to anyone whose dated someone from a different type of family than their own. The rest of the book consists of short stories anywhere from sixteen to forty pages, written with a directness, clarity and poetic attention to detail. My favorite of these short stories is “Defender Of The Faith” (no relation to the Judas Priest song).
Chuck Klosterman “ Killing Yourself To Live”
A thrity something guy takes a trip across the US to visit the locations of famous rock’n’roll deaths. These include the Kurt Cobain suicide, the plane crashes of Buddy Holly and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Duane Allman motorcycle accident, the Great White nightlub fire in Providence and many more. The trip is made in context of turning the research into a piece for Spin Magazine and in the process he is able to view these events and their affects on music and pop culture as well as his the chaos surrounding his own interesting personal life. Tragedy aside, there is some brilliant humor and life affirming observations here. As I began this book, I couldn’t help thinking, This sort of reminds me of Dave Eggers. Then on page 17 I read this: “In all probability you will also (as you read) complain about the author’s reliance on self-indulgent, post-modern self awareness, which will prompt the person you’re conversing with to criticize the influence of Dave Eggers on the memoir writing genre.”
Chuck Klosterman “Fargo Rock City”
The aforementioned author, a successful and respected young rock critic for Spin Magazine, does the unthinkable- he breaks from writing about hip indy rock bands such like Radiohead and The Flaming Lips etc…to come out of the closet as a lifelong and unapologetic fan of band like Motley Crue, WASP, Kiss and other 80’s hard rock bands. He describes his upbringing in Fargo, North Dakoto and how his live was forever changed by this music. He makes compelling arguments as to why metal, particularly the ‘glam metal’ he grew up on, is relevant despite it being dismissed and laughed at by so many of his fellow rock critics. The book is uplifting and makes one proud to be a hard rock fan, like a literary version of ‘School Of Rock.’
Norman Mailer “An American Dream”
I’d been meaning to check out Norman Mailer for a long time and picked this one partially because of the awesome cover- a paper grocery shopping bag filled with an American flag, a machine gun, a half empty bottle of whiskey, a television, a model sports car and sexy female undergarments and jewelry. This is from the an old printing which I found at a used bookstore. The cover and the book itself remind me of a quote I heard while watching a DVD of the Showtime series ‘Dexter,” ( a show I didn’t think I’d like but was turned on to by someone I care about deeply- she knew). The quote is this: “There are no secrets in life, only hidden truths that lie beneath the surface.” The main character of this book is an all American success story- a decorated war vet, two term congressman and celebrity media figure who gets drawn into a tangled web of sex, lies, deception and murder.
Richard Yates “Revolutionary Road”
This is a compelling novel that can cause readers to re-examine their own life choices. I first got turned on to the book by one of Nick Hornby’s characters in “A Long Way Down,” a young American rock musician in London. He ponders jumping off a building with a copy of “Revolutionary Road” in his hands to get more people to read it, the book is that good. It’s true. Like “An American Dream,’ it takes place in the early 60’s and exposes hidden truths of life in the US and takes place in New York. The focus of “Revolutionary Road” however, is not the secrets of the rich and powerful, but those of average citizens. It tells the story of a young couple in the NY suburbs faced with the concept of settling into a typical existence or making the harder choice of pursuing their own individualism, creativity and self-identity.
Harper Lee “To Kill A Mockingbird”
I know, I’m very late reading this one. Somehow, I wasn’t assigned it in high school. I’m thinking may have had to do with the political correctness of the city I grew up in, Berkeley. Despite the appearance of characters who are racist, the book clearly has a message of tolerance which triumphs over any offensive language. That any school district would ban this book goes against the very standards they are supposedly trying to adhere too. A timeless classic, this Pulitzer Prize winning novel that is as entertaining as it is educational and required reading for all. .
Hiruki Murikami- “Sputnik Sweetheart” A slightly tragic story with an air of mystery. I like everything Murikami writes and this was no exception. I was a bit disappointed although its not the authors fault- I read it while in Japan last September, hoping to connect with Japan on a deeper level. Then I realized the book takes place almost entirely in Greece…
Anthony Bourdaine “The Bobby Gold Stories”
Long before becoming a household name via his show on The Travel Channel and celebrity guest appearances on “Top Chef’ and other shows, Anthony Bourdaine was a chef in some of New York’s busiest and best restaurants. In his non existent spare time, usually at the crack of dawn before work, he slogged out books, including his memoir Kitchen Confidential, which I rank in my top ten favorites of all time. In “The Bobby Gold Stories” he tells a fictional tale that reads like an episode of The Sopranos in literary form set in the New York restaurant world. A great, fun quick read.
Nick Hornby “High Fidelity”
Although Nick Hornby is most known for this book, which spawned a hit movie, I’ve come to it after reading a couple of his other books, “Songbook” and “A Long Way Down.” Like those books, this one does not disappoint. While not quite as outrageous as “A Long Way Down” or as introspective as “Songbook,” it contains fiercely memorable characters and lets you on the life of a disillusioned London record shop owner as he rants about his failed relationships and oddball friends/employees.
Henry Rollins “Black Coffee Blues”
I read part II and III of the Black Coffee Blues trilogy first and while I liked this book a lot, I feel he really found himself on those other books, so I’d start with one of those (“Do I Come Here Often” and “Smile, You’re Traveling”).. Nonetheless, essential reading for Rollins fans. I never imagined myself thinking of Henry Rollins as a kindred spirit, knowledgeable about all kinds of music, art and books.
Gavin Essler “A Scandalous Man”
My friend Gavin Essler is a BBC journalist and host of the TV program ‘Newsnight’ which is considered the “Nightline” of the UK. We were introduced by his girlfriend, a London based musician whom I’ve performed with. Its title and cover immediately reminded me the political suspense novels by authors such as John Clancy. While I’m generally not a big fan of that style of books, this novel transcends the genre with characters that are genuinely realistic and interesting and knowledge of political leaders and their secrets from someone who has been interviewing them first hand for years. Gavin really knows his stuff and I was surprised to find myself drawn into the story, caring about the characters and enjoying the book immensely.
Mark Levine “Heavy Metal Islam”
Although heavy metal and Islam are two terms once unimaginable in the same phrase, the truth is that metal heads and Muslims are not mutually exclusive. Hard music, despite being repressed by some governments and religious organizations, is alive and well in the Middle East. Many Muslims are fun, down to Earth rock’n’roll fans just like us, who go against the image perpetuated by the US media: that of the US flag burning, pro-terrorism extremist. I had my own experience with this, producing the Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda who are mentioned in the book.This author is a youngish University professor who happens to play guitar, travels all over the region and takes a broad look at the effect of metal, hard rock and hip hop on the region. It’s a bit like a textbook or doctoral dissertation at times, and there are occasionally reveals the professor’s gaps in metal knowledge (Iron Maiden’s mascot is Eddie, not ‘Freddy’). Nonetheless, this book is a fascinating read and highly recommended.