I probably stopped listening to real hard rock around 1998, but recently, I have been listening to more and more mellow stuff. A big part of that comes from me still going backwards and listening to older blues music. Don't be too mistaken though, mellow for me may not be mellow for you. Eric Claptons Me and Mr. Johnson is mellow to me, but for most, it is still hard rock. Also, that doesn't mean I started listening to Jack Johson or Dave Matthews. I would rather go Vincent Van Gogh on my face than listen to that garbage.
2003:Elephant: The White Stripes. I go into all this mellow stuff and the first album on this post is probably the hardest album I have bought in years. Candy and I were in Marysville listening to the radio when Ball and Biscuit came on. We couldn't believe how awesome it was. I think what I love most about The White Stripes is that they are a stripped down blue band. Jack White's guitar is amazing and Meg White's drumming seems to always push you around. My friend Ernie always talks about a sense of urgency in music. It is hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it. There is definitely a sense of urgency here.
2004:Me and Mr. Johnson: Eric Clapton This album represents perfectly what I was listening to at the time, and to a certain extent now. Clapton has been ripping off Robert Johnson for years, this time he at least gave him credit for it. Robert Johnson is the king of the blues. I was listening to Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt and a lot of acoustic Hot Tuna.
2005: Guero: Beck I moved from Oroville to Sacramento during the summer of 2005. I did most of the move in nightly trips cramming a bunch of stuff in the back of my Hyundai Accent. I probably made twenty trips back and forth. I can still remember Summer Girl on the radio and the smell of sweet peaches in the air as I drove past Marysville on my way back home. One thing about Beck, he always does something different and sometimes is takes me years to get his albums, but ultimately, I always come around.
2006:Back to Black: Amy Winehouse I stopped listening to the radio in 2006. There is just too much garbage out there. From New-punk to Emo, it makes me want to tear my hair out. I look forward to the day when music takes another revolution like it did in the late 60's-early 70's, and then again in the early 90's. Maybe it takes 20 years for tha kind of thing to happen. If that's the case, we are in for a treat in about five years. Amy Winehouse however, is a throwback. Candy has been playing this album non-stop for months now. I like it, but it's getting old.
2007:Chrome Dreams II: Neil Young The third Neil Young entry. Between this and his Massey Hall performance, these might be the only two albums I bought in 2007 that came out in 2007. I had a lot of these songs already on bootleg albums as Neil has literally hundreds of unreleased material that he has been promising to release for years. In fact the original Chrome Dreams was never released at all and has a whole set of different songs fans have been trading online.
2008:Accelerate: R.E.M. It's July and I haven't bought an album since December. R.E.M.'s album will be the first one I buy as I know it rocks, but nothing else interests me.
Some notes: One of the reasons the last part of the list was so hard is because the idea of the Album is dead. People are making songs not albums because of iTunes. That encompasses a big part of my distaste for modern music. That and the fact that musicianship has taken a step back to make room for flash.
In august I will be attending Outside Lands in San Francisco. There are a lot of new bands I have never heard play. Maybe that will spark some interest in somebody new.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Demise of Rock
After 1997, rock 'n' roll took a turn south. There were a few reasons for this. 1) The death of Kurt Cobain I think had a dramatic effect on grunge bands who seemingly weren't prepared to step into his place as the leader (the obvious choice was Pearl Jam, but they were busy fighting a battle with Ticketmaster) 2) Boy bands took over in popular music 3) Rock bands still around took the worst part of grunge music (the stripped down chord-work/lack of guitar solos and ran with it without realizing that the early grunge bands mixed in guitar solos now and then and could play just as well as metal bands at the least. 4) Rap-rock 5) Maybe the most critical part, was the dominance of format radio and conglomerate radio. They didn't know what to do with a new Tom Petty album, he didn't fit in new rock stations and his new music didn't belong on classic rock. This left a lot of awesome bands in a sort of limbo. They still produced new music, but there was nowhere to play it. The best album released in 2001 was Bob Dylan's Love and Theft, but what radio station is going to play it?
1998:Devil Without a Cause: Kid Rock The less said about this garbage the better. The world would be a better place without Kid Rock. That being said, I think this is a good representation of how bad it got.
1999:Mule Variations: Tom Waits 1999 was the first time I had ever heard of Tom Waits. It was also the first time Candy, Nathan and I went to the Bridge School Benefit Concert. It remains the best year I have ever seen. Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Brian Wilson, The Who, Beck, Green Day, and Tom Waits. We thought it was a joke when he first came out on stage, but by the second song, we realized that it wasn't and instead enjoyed it. I went out the day after we got back and started buying his albums. Most people have never heard of Tom Waits, but you ought to look him up. I've never been disappointed in any of his albums.
2000: Silver and Gold: Neil Young Candy and I got married in June of this year. This album reminds me of our first apartment. Red Sun is one of those songs that brings Candy to tears about every time she listens to it. Among Neil fans it is often referred to as Harvest 2. If you like Harvest style Neil, this album is better.
2001:Love and Theft: Bob Dylan This came out the same week that Sept. 11th happened. I think I listened to Bob Dylan for a month straight. When we saw Bridge that year, Neil made a remark, that "a lot of songs have different meaning now." It was exactly what I was thinking about Bob Dylan. Suddenly songs of peace, became something completely different.
2001: Gold: Ryan Adams. There were other years that I could have done a tie, but while at the time, Love and Theft represented 2001, since then, this album by Ryan Adams has probably been played more in my car and house than any other. This is probably the best album to come out since 2000. Bluesy, rocking, country. This guy is awesome and can do it all.
2002:Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Wilco Everyone I knew was listening to Wilco so I picked this album up. It is awesome. The Mother Hips and Wilco are comparable. They are both sort of Alt-Rock/Country but The Mother Hips play circles around Wilco. Still, Wilco is awesome and I can't wait to see them in August.
1998:Devil Without a Cause: Kid Rock The less said about this garbage the better. The world would be a better place without Kid Rock. That being said, I think this is a good representation of how bad it got.
1999:Mule Variations: Tom Waits 1999 was the first time I had ever heard of Tom Waits. It was also the first time Candy, Nathan and I went to the Bridge School Benefit Concert. It remains the best year I have ever seen. Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Brian Wilson, The Who, Beck, Green Day, and Tom Waits. We thought it was a joke when he first came out on stage, but by the second song, we realized that it wasn't and instead enjoyed it. I went out the day after we got back and started buying his albums. Most people have never heard of Tom Waits, but you ought to look him up. I've never been disappointed in any of his albums.
2000: Silver and Gold: Neil Young Candy and I got married in June of this year. This album reminds me of our first apartment. Red Sun is one of those songs that brings Candy to tears about every time she listens to it. Among Neil fans it is often referred to as Harvest 2. If you like Harvest style Neil, this album is better.
2001:Love and Theft: Bob Dylan This came out the same week that Sept. 11th happened. I think I listened to Bob Dylan for a month straight. When we saw Bridge that year, Neil made a remark, that "a lot of songs have different meaning now." It was exactly what I was thinking about Bob Dylan. Suddenly songs of peace, became something completely different.
2001: Gold: Ryan Adams. There were other years that I could have done a tie, but while at the time, Love and Theft represented 2001, since then, this album by Ryan Adams has probably been played more in my car and house than any other. This is probably the best album to come out since 2000. Bluesy, rocking, country. This guy is awesome and can do it all.
2002:Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Wilco Everyone I knew was listening to Wilco so I picked this album up. It is awesome. The Mother Hips and Wilco are comparable. They are both sort of Alt-Rock/Country but The Mother Hips play circles around Wilco. Still, Wilco is awesome and I can't wait to see them in August.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Grunge Days
The next five years were all about grunge. I was in high school, most of my musical tastes and my views on life were formed here. I saw my first concert in 1995 and haven't stopped since.
1993:In Utero: Nirvana I bought this album the day it came out. To be honest, I loved Nirvana, but Nevermind isn't exactly easy to listen to. It has some great stuff, but for me, In Utero is the best Nirvana album, with Heart Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies, lyrically, it destroys Nevermind, the music is even better.
1994:Vitalogy: Pearl Jam Not my favorite Pearl Jam album (that would be No Code) but more than any other Pearl Jam album, it sort of sealed the deal as far as my love for them. It was probably in 1994 that my love for Guns 'n' Roses waned and Pearl Jam took over. The next year, seeing them on the Vitalogy tour made me a rabid fan. I started working at Taco Bell in March of 1994 and by the summer, I was working nights and we would crank up 106.7. Betterman and Courdory were on the radio constantly as well as Interstate Love Song by the Stone Temple Pilots. I also started dating Candy a few months after this album came out and I think I bought her this CD for her birthday.
1995:Melancholy and Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins This album came out the week before I saw Pearl Jam for the second time in San Jose. I went with Milan, Josh, and some girl I don't remember. We listened to it all the way down and back. Tonight, Tonight is one of the best Track 1 songs ever.
1996:Shootout: The Mother Hips I didn't see The Mother Hips until 1999, but this album was the one that really hooked me. I still listen to it all the time on road trips. It has my favorite live of any song ever in the song Transit Wind "off the white dash line on the black windswept road" as well as a coincidental "Candy...there was a time that your love came in handy but I can't get to sleep without weeping on your name" I've seen them more than any other band. I would say that the number is closer to 200 than 100. I think I have seen them everytime they have played in Chico or Sacramento since 2000 (I've missed one or two shows but not many)
1997: El Ultimo Concierto A & B: Soda Stereo. Still one of my favorite rock bands ever. I didn't discover them until the year they broke up. If they get back together, I will see them immediately no matter where they play. This is also one of my favorite live shows ever. Argentina has some really great rock bands. Soda Stereo is a three piece band but they sound fuller than that. This concert has all of their best 1990's stuff. Early stuff is o.k., but a little too 80's for me. The 90's stuff like "De Musica Ligera" and "Ella uso mi cabeza como un revolver" are nothing short of amazing.
Coming up: music takes a very bad turn with the onset of Rap/Rock bands and crappy grunge copies. It was about that time that I began to look into the past instead listening to the future. That being said, I am sure that Wilco will make an appearance.
1993:In Utero: Nirvana I bought this album the day it came out. To be honest, I loved Nirvana, but Nevermind isn't exactly easy to listen to. It has some great stuff, but for me, In Utero is the best Nirvana album, with Heart Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies, lyrically, it destroys Nevermind, the music is even better.
1994:Vitalogy: Pearl Jam Not my favorite Pearl Jam album (that would be No Code) but more than any other Pearl Jam album, it sort of sealed the deal as far as my love for them. It was probably in 1994 that my love for Guns 'n' Roses waned and Pearl Jam took over. The next year, seeing them on the Vitalogy tour made me a rabid fan. I started working at Taco Bell in March of 1994 and by the summer, I was working nights and we would crank up 106.7. Betterman and Courdory were on the radio constantly as well as Interstate Love Song by the Stone Temple Pilots. I also started dating Candy a few months after this album came out and I think I bought her this CD for her birthday.
1995:Melancholy and Infinite Sadness: Smashing Pumpkins This album came out the week before I saw Pearl Jam for the second time in San Jose. I went with Milan, Josh, and some girl I don't remember. We listened to it all the way down and back. Tonight, Tonight is one of the best Track 1 songs ever.
1996:Shootout: The Mother Hips I didn't see The Mother Hips until 1999, but this album was the one that really hooked me. I still listen to it all the time on road trips. It has my favorite live of any song ever in the song Transit Wind "off the white dash line on the black windswept road" as well as a coincidental "Candy...there was a time that your love came in handy but I can't get to sleep without weeping on your name" I've seen them more than any other band. I would say that the number is closer to 200 than 100. I think I have seen them everytime they have played in Chico or Sacramento since 2000 (I've missed one or two shows but not many)
1997: El Ultimo Concierto A & B: Soda Stereo. Still one of my favorite rock bands ever. I didn't discover them until the year they broke up. If they get back together, I will see them immediately no matter where they play. This is also one of my favorite live shows ever. Argentina has some really great rock bands. Soda Stereo is a three piece band but they sound fuller than that. This concert has all of their best 1990's stuff. Early stuff is o.k., but a little too 80's for me. The 90's stuff like "De Musica Ligera" and "Ella uso mi cabeza como un revolver" are nothing short of amazing.
Coming up: music takes a very bad turn with the onset of Rap/Rock bands and crappy grunge copies. It was about that time that I began to look into the past instead listening to the future. That being said, I am sure that Wilco will make an appearance.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Coming of Age
After I fell in love with Guns 'n' Roses, music started to be important to me. Before, it was always there, but wasn't something I obsessed about. The early nineties changed all of that for me.
1988:Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman 1988 was another terrible year for music, producing my all-time worst song to get stuck in your head, Don't worry be Happy, but amidst the garbage, Tracy Chapman's first and probably best CD came out. I love Tracy Chapman especially the song Gimme one reason, which isn't on this album, but Fast Car is a beast to get through and well worth it.
1989:Freedom: Neil Young After getting released and sued by Geffen for not sounding Neil Young enough, Neil puts out one of his best albums ever. Most people point to Rockin' in the Free World, which is great, but for me, give me the Crime in the City and the fragile Hanging on a Limb. I didn't discover Young until ten years after this was released, but he quickly became an obsession and he is still number 2 on the list of people I have seen in concert (Probably around 20 times.)
1990:Shake Your Money Maker: The Black Crowes. With America awash in metal and boy bands, The Black Crowes were a breath of fresh air. There isn't a bad song on this album and I think it was my first break from metal and into grunge (though it isn't grunge either) If you haven't seen The Black Crowes, you probably should quickly because they are awesome live.
1991:Out of Time: R.E.M. Where 1988 and 81 were terrible years for music. This had too many to offer. Ten, Nevermind, Gish, etc. It was the beggining of Grunge, the beginning of high school, and R.E.M. had this crazy song and video called Losing My Religion. Why not Pearl Jam and Nirvana here? Because my favorite albums come later. Although Ten and Nevermind were staples in my tape deck.
1992: Core: Stone Temple Pilots. While all of my favorite Grunge bands were out touring, instead of making music, there were some really cool one hit wonders out there, No Rain by Blind Melon being my favorite, but Core by the Stone Temple Pilots was straight awesome. I don't think this is their best album, but Wicked Garden, Dead and Bloated, and Plush rock. It's a shame Weiland couldn't kick the drugs.
up next, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and The Spice Girls?
1988:Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman 1988 was another terrible year for music, producing my all-time worst song to get stuck in your head, Don't worry be Happy, but amidst the garbage, Tracy Chapman's first and probably best CD came out. I love Tracy Chapman especially the song Gimme one reason, which isn't on this album, but Fast Car is a beast to get through and well worth it.
1989:Freedom: Neil Young After getting released and sued by Geffen for not sounding Neil Young enough, Neil puts out one of his best albums ever. Most people point to Rockin' in the Free World, which is great, but for me, give me the Crime in the City and the fragile Hanging on a Limb. I didn't discover Young until ten years after this was released, but he quickly became an obsession and he is still number 2 on the list of people I have seen in concert (Probably around 20 times.)
1990:Shake Your Money Maker: The Black Crowes. With America awash in metal and boy bands, The Black Crowes were a breath of fresh air. There isn't a bad song on this album and I think it was my first break from metal and into grunge (though it isn't grunge either) If you haven't seen The Black Crowes, you probably should quickly because they are awesome live.
1991:Out of Time: R.E.M. Where 1988 and 81 were terrible years for music. This had too many to offer. Ten, Nevermind, Gish, etc. It was the beggining of Grunge, the beginning of high school, and R.E.M. had this crazy song and video called Losing My Religion. Why not Pearl Jam and Nirvana here? Because my favorite albums come later. Although Ten and Nevermind were staples in my tape deck.
1992: Core: Stone Temple Pilots. While all of my favorite Grunge bands were out touring, instead of making music, there were some really cool one hit wonders out there, No Rain by Blind Melon being my favorite, but Core by the Stone Temple Pilots was straight awesome. I don't think this is their best album, but Wicked Garden, Dead and Bloated, and Plush rock. It's a shame Weiland couldn't kick the drugs.
up next, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and The Spice Girls?
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Mid-Eighties
I don't think I really listened to music before this time, I was into watching television too much, but about 1982, that all changed. Part of it was because of MTV, but really, it was all about Michael Jackson
1982: Thriller: Michael Jackson I can remember when this came out, people went insane. Even at five years old, the video Thriller was so awesome. That was really the song I loved, although at the time, Beat It was pretty cool as well. I was even so dorky that I practiced break dancing by myself (something which I continue to do this day as Candy can attest to. I still can't do the Moonwalk to save my life.) No matter how creepy Michael Jackson gets or how different it is than almost all the other music I listen to, I still love this album. I probably didn't like Billie Jean then, but today, it is by far the best Michael Jackson song.
1983:Sports: Huey Lewis and the News "They say the Heart of Rock 'n' Roll is still beating!" Awesome album. The album cover was cool, they looked cool, they were in Back to the Future, and for a kid, this album was really edgy. We used to listen to this album all the time. I think I have the album here that I stole from my parents house along with the Blues Brothers album.
1984: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc.: Dwight Yoakam. Ugh! I actually have never willingly put this record on. I don't need to. Since we have been dating and especially since we have been married, Candy has been listening to Dwight Yoakam almost non-stop (although I wouldn't mind going back to him if she turned off the Any Winehouse. She's great but enough already!) I used to hate Dwight, but respected the talent. Candy has beaten me down though and now I love him. Last year when we went to see him, it was an awesome show.
1985:Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston Enough of my dad rocking out. 1985 was a terrible year for music. Especially in my house as my mom seemed to figure out how to work the record player for something other than Kenny Rogers. This album was played non-stop. My mom would especially rock out to How will I know?
1986:Liscence to Ill: Beastie Boys I was nine and in fourth grade and rap was the new thing. It really didn't catch on that hard in O-town until fifth grade, but The Beastie Boys were for me, a forbidden fruit. I knew my mom would let me listen to them. It wasn't until I was like 22 that I discovered this record for real. In the meantime, I had The Fat Boys to tide me over.
1987: Appetite for Destruction: Guns 'n' Roses My first real love. I think I bought this album two or maybe three times. My mom would never let me listen to it, so I taped it in secret and listened to it on my walkman. The first video I ever remembered watching on MTV other than Ghostbusters and Michael Jackson was Sweet Child of Mine. It still is in my top ten favorite songs. It is an awesome album from beginning to end from the opening chords of Welcome to the Jungle, I was hooked. I've mellowed a lot in recent years, and really never got in to heavy metal with the exception of Guns, Metallica, and AC/DC and rarely listen to hard stuff anymore. But, the other day, in the car, Sweet Child of Mine was on the radio (on a classic rock station no less) and I couldn't help rocking out.
1982: Thriller: Michael Jackson I can remember when this came out, people went insane. Even at five years old, the video Thriller was so awesome. That was really the song I loved, although at the time, Beat It was pretty cool as well. I was even so dorky that I practiced break dancing by myself (something which I continue to do this day as Candy can attest to. I still can't do the Moonwalk to save my life.) No matter how creepy Michael Jackson gets or how different it is than almost all the other music I listen to, I still love this album. I probably didn't like Billie Jean then, but today, it is by far the best Michael Jackson song.
1983:Sports: Huey Lewis and the News "They say the Heart of Rock 'n' Roll is still beating!" Awesome album. The album cover was cool, they looked cool, they were in Back to the Future, and for a kid, this album was really edgy. We used to listen to this album all the time. I think I have the album here that I stole from my parents house along with the Blues Brothers album.
1984: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc.: Dwight Yoakam. Ugh! I actually have never willingly put this record on. I don't need to. Since we have been dating and especially since we have been married, Candy has been listening to Dwight Yoakam almost non-stop (although I wouldn't mind going back to him if she turned off the Any Winehouse. She's great but enough already!) I used to hate Dwight, but respected the talent. Candy has beaten me down though and now I love him. Last year when we went to see him, it was an awesome show.
1985:Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston Enough of my dad rocking out. 1985 was a terrible year for music. Especially in my house as my mom seemed to figure out how to work the record player for something other than Kenny Rogers. This album was played non-stop. My mom would especially rock out to How will I know?
1986:Liscence to Ill: Beastie Boys I was nine and in fourth grade and rap was the new thing. It really didn't catch on that hard in O-town until fifth grade, but The Beastie Boys were for me, a forbidden fruit. I knew my mom would let me listen to them. It wasn't until I was like 22 that I discovered this record for real. In the meantime, I had The Fat Boys to tide me over.
1987: Appetite for Destruction: Guns 'n' Roses My first real love. I think I bought this album two or maybe three times. My mom would never let me listen to it, so I taped it in secret and listened to it on my walkman. The first video I ever remembered watching on MTV other than Ghostbusters and Michael Jackson was Sweet Child of Mine. It still is in my top ten favorite songs. It is an awesome album from beginning to end from the opening chords of Welcome to the Jungle, I was hooked. I've mellowed a lot in recent years, and really never got in to heavy metal with the exception of Guns, Metallica, and AC/DC and rarely listen to hard stuff anymore. But, the other day, in the car, Sweet Child of Mine was on the radio (on a classic rock station no less) and I couldn't help rocking out.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
And now for something completely different
I saw this on another site, and since I love lists and music, this seemed like the perfect thing to do here.
The object is to list an album to represent every year of your life since you were born. You have to list an album that was released during the year specified.
That makes 21 albums plus justification for me since I was born in 1977. Some of them will be stuff that I am listening to now that was put out then, some will be stuff I love that had a great impact, others will be just albums I remember from a particular time and place.
1977: Fleetwood Mac: Rumours I have a love hate relationship with this band, but ultimately, they remind me of both my dad, Bill Clinton, and Chuck E. Cheese. I am sure my dad won't appreciate the association, but this album is great, although my favorite Fleetwood Mac song, Silver Springs wasn't included because it was too long. I remember my dad telling me that he went to see them once. I also remember being in Chuck E. Cheese in Chile thinking it was odd that in 1998, in South America, there was a mouse singing an American tune from the 1970's. Of course, they were right next door to a fast food joint that specialized in lamb sandwiches so I don't know why it was that odd.
1978: The Blues Brothers: Briefcase full of Blues. Oddly enough, another selection brought on because of my dad. We could only listen to two things on Sunday mornings: Church music and The Blues Brothers. It doesn't make sense but it does. This was the first album I put on when I got my first record player and it still rocks. I didn't know it growing up, but the entire backing band are old Staxx Records players.
1979: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedos Believe it or not, I don't own this album, but it rocks from beginning to end. Tom Petty is probably fourth on the list of bands I've seen most behind Neil Young, Pearl Jam, and The Mother Hips. Every show is pretty much the same, which is why I took a voluntary two year Petty hiatus, but in August, I'm seeing him again. The song refugee is probably one of the greatest rock songs ever.
1980:AC/DC: Back In Black It's cliche but in many ways so is the band. Most of their songs sound exactly the same, they're mostly all about rocking and sex, and they all rule. I remember listening to the Ballbreaker album when I was living at home and my mom asking me what the song "Harder than a Rock" was about. I lied mom. It is about exactly what you thought it was about.
1981:The Grateful Dead: Dead Set This was the second album I bought by the Grateful Dead and it remains my favorite (other than the other live stuff) Some of it is terrible, but Samson and Delilah, Friend of the Devil, and Little Red Rooster are awesome.
That's the first five years. Obviously, with possibly the exception of the first two albums listed, I wasn't listening to any of this stuff then. Frankly, I was born during a bad time for music. I hate late seventies rock for the most part, because it is mostly power ballads, disco is terrible, and it was really hard to come up with any album during some years (1981 was a bad year for music.)
Coming up next time...1982-1987 Michael Jackson, Guns 'n' Roses, maybe some R.E.M, maybe even a little Dwight Yoakam.
The object is to list an album to represent every year of your life since you were born. You have to list an album that was released during the year specified.
That makes 21 albums plus justification for me since I was born in 1977. Some of them will be stuff that I am listening to now that was put out then, some will be stuff I love that had a great impact, others will be just albums I remember from a particular time and place.
1977: Fleetwood Mac: Rumours I have a love hate relationship with this band, but ultimately, they remind me of both my dad, Bill Clinton, and Chuck E. Cheese. I am sure my dad won't appreciate the association, but this album is great, although my favorite Fleetwood Mac song, Silver Springs wasn't included because it was too long. I remember my dad telling me that he went to see them once. I also remember being in Chuck E. Cheese in Chile thinking it was odd that in 1998, in South America, there was a mouse singing an American tune from the 1970's. Of course, they were right next door to a fast food joint that specialized in lamb sandwiches so I don't know why it was that odd.
1978: The Blues Brothers: Briefcase full of Blues. Oddly enough, another selection brought on because of my dad. We could only listen to two things on Sunday mornings: Church music and The Blues Brothers. It doesn't make sense but it does. This was the first album I put on when I got my first record player and it still rocks. I didn't know it growing up, but the entire backing band are old Staxx Records players.
1979: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedos Believe it or not, I don't own this album, but it rocks from beginning to end. Tom Petty is probably fourth on the list of bands I've seen most behind Neil Young, Pearl Jam, and The Mother Hips. Every show is pretty much the same, which is why I took a voluntary two year Petty hiatus, but in August, I'm seeing him again. The song refugee is probably one of the greatest rock songs ever.
1980:AC/DC: Back In Black It's cliche but in many ways so is the band. Most of their songs sound exactly the same, they're mostly all about rocking and sex, and they all rule. I remember listening to the Ballbreaker album when I was living at home and my mom asking me what the song "Harder than a Rock" was about. I lied mom. It is about exactly what you thought it was about.
1981:The Grateful Dead: Dead Set This was the second album I bought by the Grateful Dead and it remains my favorite (other than the other live stuff) Some of it is terrible, but Samson and Delilah, Friend of the Devil, and Little Red Rooster are awesome.
That's the first five years. Obviously, with possibly the exception of the first two albums listed, I wasn't listening to any of this stuff then. Frankly, I was born during a bad time for music. I hate late seventies rock for the most part, because it is mostly power ballads, disco is terrible, and it was really hard to come up with any album during some years (1981 was a bad year for music.)
Coming up next time...1982-1987 Michael Jackson, Guns 'n' Roses, maybe some R.E.M, maybe even a little Dwight Yoakam.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Worst Place in the World
In Anthony Bourdain's book A Cook's Tour he descrbed Cambodia as "...the worst place on earth...a dream come true for international losers-a beautiful but badly beaten woman, staked out on an anthill for every predator in the world to do with as he wishes."
When I read that, I immediately thought back to Khaled Hosseini's book The Kite Runner.
The book is not set in Cambodia at all, but the image Bourdain evokes is appropriate. Because in Hosseini's writings, what is important is not so much the story, the people, or in many regards even the country, but rather that it is 2008 and places like the one he described in his book exist.
Difficulty: 3/5 The book is easy to read word-wise, and it isn't very long. Like most authors writing a book in English set in another non-English speaking country, he does include a lot of local words, but they are usually followed with an explanation so it isn't that difficult. The only real difficulty comes with the subject matter which can be in your face and difficult to swallow. I don't want to spoil it totally, but the book does have a rape in it.
Enjoyment: 3.5/5 Certainly the book is a good read, but at times, it drags a little especially after the halfway point, and while this shouldn't be an indicator of the quality of the book, there aren't many triumphs. We get a whole lot of very depressing stuff here. Is it interesting though? Absolutely. I think anyone who reads the book will be affected by it and will probably learn a whole lot. I haven't seen the movie, but from critical reviews, it lacks the power of the book and it is certainly a powerful book.
Set in Afganistan in the seventies, the first part of the book is actually quite fascinating to someone like me and most others who know very little about that part of the world. I think we all have our preconceptions about Afganistan, especially now that our troops have been there for several years, but Hosseini shatters them in the first few chapters. The idea of Afganistan as a broken, dry, ugly landscape ruled with an iron fist by Sharia Law was simply not true for Afganistan in the early seventies. In fact, according to Hosseini's description, I got the image of a slightly less technologically advanced (say 1910ish) America. That being said, the country had its problems. There was a definite caste system in place and being a monarchy, the upper-class had many priveledges that the lower-class did not. In one part, however when the main character Amir is describing both his own country and Iran, he might as well have been talking about two completely different places from the preconceptions I had about the area.
The problems begin when the king is deposed, guerrilla fighters take over, then the Soviets come in, the the Taliban kick the soviets out, etc. etc. etc. What we see in the book is a young boy (and eventually man) coping with his native country as it goes through now almost 40 years of war. The people were repressed, different factions ruled, and for the most part, daily life is nothing more than turmoil.
The main story features Amir and his best friend Hassan (the son of Amir's servant) as they learn to cope with all of this and the guilt Amir feels as he purposefully ruins Hassan's life and then as the Soviets come in, leaves him behind in the war torn country.
The secondary story, is more of a straightforward immigration story as Amir and his father Baba, both very wealthy in Afganistan, try and succeed in America as new immigrants to the country. They have to deal with their new positions in life and try to get by with the help and support of their fellow ex-countrymen.
The book is good, I recommend it and wish there was a way I could teach it to my Sophomores because I think it would be enlightening for them and help them understand the political mess that most of the world is in. One of the drawbacks about the book is that Amir leaves and we don't get to see much of the destruction of the country to bring it to where we are now. Hosseini does address this in his next book though, which was also very good: A Thousand Splendid Suns
When I read that, I immediately thought back to Khaled Hosseini's book The Kite Runner.
The book is not set in Cambodia at all, but the image Bourdain evokes is appropriate. Because in Hosseini's writings, what is important is not so much the story, the people, or in many regards even the country, but rather that it is 2008 and places like the one he described in his book exist.Difficulty: 3/5 The book is easy to read word-wise, and it isn't very long. Like most authors writing a book in English set in another non-English speaking country, he does include a lot of local words, but they are usually followed with an explanation so it isn't that difficult. The only real difficulty comes with the subject matter which can be in your face and difficult to swallow. I don't want to spoil it totally, but the book does have a rape in it.
Enjoyment: 3.5/5 Certainly the book is a good read, but at times, it drags a little especially after the halfway point, and while this shouldn't be an indicator of the quality of the book, there aren't many triumphs. We get a whole lot of very depressing stuff here. Is it interesting though? Absolutely. I think anyone who reads the book will be affected by it and will probably learn a whole lot. I haven't seen the movie, but from critical reviews, it lacks the power of the book and it is certainly a powerful book.
Set in Afganistan in the seventies, the first part of the book is actually quite fascinating to someone like me and most others who know very little about that part of the world. I think we all have our preconceptions about Afganistan, especially now that our troops have been there for several years, but Hosseini shatters them in the first few chapters. The idea of Afganistan as a broken, dry, ugly landscape ruled with an iron fist by Sharia Law was simply not true for Afganistan in the early seventies. In fact, according to Hosseini's description, I got the image of a slightly less technologically advanced (say 1910ish) America. That being said, the country had its problems. There was a definite caste system in place and being a monarchy, the upper-class had many priveledges that the lower-class did not. In one part, however when the main character Amir is describing both his own country and Iran, he might as well have been talking about two completely different places from the preconceptions I had about the area.
The problems begin when the king is deposed, guerrilla fighters take over, then the Soviets come in, the the Taliban kick the soviets out, etc. etc. etc. What we see in the book is a young boy (and eventually man) coping with his native country as it goes through now almost 40 years of war. The people were repressed, different factions ruled, and for the most part, daily life is nothing more than turmoil.
The main story features Amir and his best friend Hassan (the son of Amir's servant) as they learn to cope with all of this and the guilt Amir feels as he purposefully ruins Hassan's life and then as the Soviets come in, leaves him behind in the war torn country.
The secondary story, is more of a straightforward immigration story as Amir and his father Baba, both very wealthy in Afganistan, try and succeed in America as new immigrants to the country. They have to deal with their new positions in life and try to get by with the help and support of their fellow ex-countrymen.
The book is good, I recommend it and wish there was a way I could teach it to my Sophomores because I think it would be enlightening for them and help them understand the political mess that most of the world is in. One of the drawbacks about the book is that Amir leaves and we don't get to see much of the destruction of the country to bring it to where we are now. Hosseini does address this in his next book though, which was also very good: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Want something contemporary and non-fiction?
This isn't a formal review, mostly because I haven't read it, but one is coming when I get my hands on the book. Anyway, I just watched Thomas Friedman's conference on C-SPAN for the L.A. Book Expo and his new book Hot, Flat, and Crowded is coming out soon. It centers on the United States role in the "Green Movement" and how we can solve many of our geo-political problems by solving "Green Problems" instead of using force. It sounds great.
Friday, June 27, 2008
I'm not a Cook but I Watch one on T.V.
I watch a lot of television, and though I don't cook at all, I love to watch food programs. Not necessarily chefs preparing food or chefs cooking elaborate meals, but rather, chefs talking about food and culture and how food is a byproduct of the place we live. My obsession for watching programs like these led me to Anthony Bourdain both because he is a chef and a great writer.
Today we'll take a look at his first book: Kitchen Confidential
Difficulty: 2/5 The book is easy to read and a pleasure to read. Unless you get easily offended by cursing or stories about drug or alcohol abuse. He is a chef who has seen his share of hard times, mostly self-induced and as a result, there are some grisly stories in here.
Enjoyment: 5/5 As someone who loves eating out, this book is invaluable. It explains who is in the kitchen, how to act at a restaurant, what makes a good restaurant, and what goes on behind the scenes.
Mixing chapters about food with scenes from his life as a chef, the book is great in that it is both a biography and a study guide. Though he is not cooking now, we see what drew him to cooking in the first place, how he became a successful chef, and all of the bumps and bruises along the way. His biography is interesting, especially if you are a fan of his show on the Travel Channel: No Reservations. This is where I first got to know him. On the show, much like in his book, he is a lover of all things of quality, seemingly more interested in having experiences than souveniers, on an endless search for the perfect meal. The biography in the book fills in some gaps that we don't get on the T.V. show. He was addicted to several drugs, failed as a chef on numerous occasions, was a drug dealer, built up an army of cook friends and burned a lot of bridges before cleaning up his act and settling in at an up-scale restaurant.
What I like more about the book though, is what I call the "study guide" portion of the book. He teaches us all about the restaurant business, from owning your own restaurant, to cooking in the back, to serving tables, to eating out. What to do and what not to do, where to find good restaurants and what days are the best for eating out. Perhaps the most famous part of the book are his tips for when to eat out. He talks about Monday as being the worst day as you are essentially eating leftovers from the weekend. Asking for a steak well done? You're going to get the worst cut. He tells home cooks tips on how to cook like the pros, and reveals who really cooks most of the food in restaurants around the country.
I love this book and those that followed. If you enjoy eating out, pick it up, you won't be sorry. If you loved the movie Ratatouille, like I did, you may be surprised to see that many of the concepts in that movie (from the different personalities in the kitchen to the end scene with the food critic,) are inspired by this book.
On a side note, I am going to be posting a lot in the next few days, so watch out.
Currently reading: The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
Currently watching: UEFA Soccer Chamionships...Go Germany!
Today we'll take a look at his first book: Kitchen Confidential
Difficulty: 2/5 The book is easy to read and a pleasure to read. Unless you get easily offended by cursing or stories about drug or alcohol abuse. He is a chef who has seen his share of hard times, mostly self-induced and as a result, there are some grisly stories in here.
Enjoyment: 5/5 As someone who loves eating out, this book is invaluable. It explains who is in the kitchen, how to act at a restaurant, what makes a good restaurant, and what goes on behind the scenes.
Mixing chapters about food with scenes from his life as a chef, the book is great in that it is both a biography and a study guide. Though he is not cooking now, we see what drew him to cooking in the first place, how he became a successful chef, and all of the bumps and bruises along the way. His biography is interesting, especially if you are a fan of his show on the Travel Channel: No Reservations. This is where I first got to know him. On the show, much like in his book, he is a lover of all things of quality, seemingly more interested in having experiences than souveniers, on an endless search for the perfect meal. The biography in the book fills in some gaps that we don't get on the T.V. show. He was addicted to several drugs, failed as a chef on numerous occasions, was a drug dealer, built up an army of cook friends and burned a lot of bridges before cleaning up his act and settling in at an up-scale restaurant.
What I like more about the book though, is what I call the "study guide" portion of the book. He teaches us all about the restaurant business, from owning your own restaurant, to cooking in the back, to serving tables, to eating out. What to do and what not to do, where to find good restaurants and what days are the best for eating out. Perhaps the most famous part of the book are his tips for when to eat out. He talks about Monday as being the worst day as you are essentially eating leftovers from the weekend. Asking for a steak well done? You're going to get the worst cut. He tells home cooks tips on how to cook like the pros, and reveals who really cooks most of the food in restaurants around the country.
I love this book and those that followed. If you enjoy eating out, pick it up, you won't be sorry. If you loved the movie Ratatouille, like I did, you may be surprised to see that many of the concepts in that movie (from the different personalities in the kitchen to the end scene with the food critic,) are inspired by this book.
On a side note, I am going to be posting a lot in the next few days, so watch out.
Currently reading: The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
Currently watching: UEFA Soccer Chamionships...Go Germany!
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Greatest Story Ever Told Part 2
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
One of the best things about Huck Finn is that here we have Twain at his satirical best. Americans love satire, probably more than most other countries (England may have the edge, but it is a close race) and our sense of satire begins with Mark Twain. In the quote above (the prelude to the book) we get a sense of Twain's humor but it doesn't stop there. Most people are familiar with at least one Twain quote, but it is in Huck Finn that Twain uses humor to scold without getting too cynical about humanity.
I think a lot of my views about the world stem from this period in Twain's writing. It is optimistic about life, but generally cynical about humanity. Twain becomes darker and more bitter as time went on, but here Twain, through Huck, loves life and takes pleasure from it while sharing a negative view of humanity as a whole.
There were plenty of reasons for this as well. During this period in American history, Twain saw America divided over the civil war, slavery at its worst, emancipation, and the rise of the KKK and lynching. He saw the expansion west and the total annihlation of the south. Later during the Gilded Age, he became even more critical of the stripping away and homogenization of local cultures, and our obsession with materialism.
In Huck Finn, Twain makes appearances and speaks directly to the audience through Huck and other characters breaking down the wall to speak to us directly. In one of the most direct scenes, Twain, through the character Sherburn launches into a diatribe about mob violence and lynching in general. He calls a mob pitiful:
"The pitifulest thing out is a mob; that's what an army is--a mob; they don't fight with courage that's born in them, but with courage that's borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any MAN at the head of it is BENEATH pitifulness"
"Your newspapers call you a brave people so much that you think you are braver than any other people - whereas you're just as brave, and no braver. Why don't your juries hang murderers? Because they're afraid the man's friends will shoot them in the back, in the dark -- and it's just what they WOULD do."
As Huck shares his adventures with the King and the Duke, a couple of con men, he sees other terrible things about society. They con people out of money through religion, drama, and by pretending to be someone they're not to get an inheritance. Both the King and the Duke are evil people and will stoop at nothing to get ahead. They both however keep getting one-upped by others who are just as corrupt.
Chapter 31 is perhaps the greatest chapter and the most damning of society in general. In it, Jim has just been sold by th King and the Duke back into slavery and Huck doesn't know what to do. He panics and realizes that God is punishing him for helping free Jim. He realizes then that God is always watching and would get him in the end. As a reader who has followed Huck through all of his adventures it is heartbreaking to see a boy feel wicked for doing something we know to be right. He tries to pray and ask forgiveness, but he can't because "you can't pray a lie." So, he then writes a letter to Jim's owner Miss Watson and tells her that she can pick up her slave. But then, as soon as he was finished he begins to think about Jim and how they were friends.
"It was a close place. I took . . . up [the letter I’d written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: “All right then, I’ll go to hell”—and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming."
His decision to go to hell for helping out a friend and a father figure is Twain at his most critical in this book. I think he is reaching out to everyone in the south and holding a mirror up to them and saying "do you see what you have done? Do you see how rotten you are to make a boy feel this way?"
It gets even worse when Huck runs into Tom Sawyers aunt later and explains he was late because the engine blew in a boat "Good Gracious, anybody hurt?" Huck responds by saying "No'm killed a nigger" She says, "good because sometimes people do get hurt"
In the end, Huck realizes that whatever it means to be "Sivilized" in this society wasn't for him. He decides to go his own road to makes his own rules about his life without having to follow rules that are both hypocritical and wrong.
If you've never read Huck, do it sooner rather than later. I think you are missing one of the greatest books of all time. You won't be disappointed in the least.
Currently reading: Sophomore research papers
Currently listening to: R.E.M. on Austin City Limits
One of the best things about Huck Finn is that here we have Twain at his satirical best. Americans love satire, probably more than most other countries (England may have the edge, but it is a close race) and our sense of satire begins with Mark Twain. In the quote above (the prelude to the book) we get a sense of Twain's humor but it doesn't stop there. Most people are familiar with at least one Twain quote, but it is in Huck Finn that Twain uses humor to scold without getting too cynical about humanity.
I think a lot of my views about the world stem from this period in Twain's writing. It is optimistic about life, but generally cynical about humanity. Twain becomes darker and more bitter as time went on, but here Twain, through Huck, loves life and takes pleasure from it while sharing a negative view of humanity as a whole.
There were plenty of reasons for this as well. During this period in American history, Twain saw America divided over the civil war, slavery at its worst, emancipation, and the rise of the KKK and lynching. He saw the expansion west and the total annihlation of the south. Later during the Gilded Age, he became even more critical of the stripping away and homogenization of local cultures, and our obsession with materialism.
In Huck Finn, Twain makes appearances and speaks directly to the audience through Huck and other characters breaking down the wall to speak to us directly. In one of the most direct scenes, Twain, through the character Sherburn launches into a diatribe about mob violence and lynching in general. He calls a mob pitiful:
"The pitifulest thing out is a mob; that's what an army is--a mob; they don't fight with courage that's born in them, but with courage that's borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any MAN at the head of it is BENEATH pitifulness"
"Your newspapers call you a brave people so much that you think you are braver than any other people - whereas you're just as brave, and no braver. Why don't your juries hang murderers? Because they're afraid the man's friends will shoot them in the back, in the dark -- and it's just what they WOULD do."
As Huck shares his adventures with the King and the Duke, a couple of con men, he sees other terrible things about society. They con people out of money through religion, drama, and by pretending to be someone they're not to get an inheritance. Both the King and the Duke are evil people and will stoop at nothing to get ahead. They both however keep getting one-upped by others who are just as corrupt.
Chapter 31 is perhaps the greatest chapter and the most damning of society in general. In it, Jim has just been sold by th King and the Duke back into slavery and Huck doesn't know what to do. He panics and realizes that God is punishing him for helping free Jim. He realizes then that God is always watching and would get him in the end. As a reader who has followed Huck through all of his adventures it is heartbreaking to see a boy feel wicked for doing something we know to be right. He tries to pray and ask forgiveness, but he can't because "you can't pray a lie." So, he then writes a letter to Jim's owner Miss Watson and tells her that she can pick up her slave. But then, as soon as he was finished he begins to think about Jim and how they were friends.
"It was a close place. I took . . . up [the letter I’d written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: “All right then, I’ll go to hell”—and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming."
His decision to go to hell for helping out a friend and a father figure is Twain at his most critical in this book. I think he is reaching out to everyone in the south and holding a mirror up to them and saying "do you see what you have done? Do you see how rotten you are to make a boy feel this way?"
It gets even worse when Huck runs into Tom Sawyers aunt later and explains he was late because the engine blew in a boat "Good Gracious, anybody hurt?" Huck responds by saying "No'm killed a nigger" She says, "good because sometimes people do get hurt"
In the end, Huck realizes that whatever it means to be "Sivilized" in this society wasn't for him. He decides to go his own road to makes his own rules about his life without having to follow rules that are both hypocritical and wrong.
If you've never read Huck, do it sooner rather than later. I think you are missing one of the greatest books of all time. You won't be disappointed in the least.
Currently reading: Sophomore research papers
Currently listening to: R.E.M. on Austin City Limits
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Greatest Story Ever Told pt. 1
Hemingway once said "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn."
This will be a two part series because I can write for a year and not finish what I have to say about this book
Difficulty: 3/5 While Tom Sawyer was a children's book, this sequel was meant for adults. It covers adult themes and ideas and the language is very difficult. I recommend reading it out loud for the first few chapters until you get the hang of the various accents. Especially when it comes to Jim's accent which is thick and difficult to read even for experienced accent readers. The book is also very long, but worth the trouble.
Enjoyment: 5/5 It isn't my favorite book of all time (that will come later, I think I will reread it over summer) but it ranks right up there. First things first, don't watch the movie. There are quite a few books that have had awesome movie adaptations. Huck Finn, possibly because of its large scale, has never been done correctly. I really can't recommend any of the Huck Finn movies (and I think I have seen them all.)
For the first part, I think I will discuss the plot a little and some of the major ideas in the book. Huck Finn is about life in the Pre-civil War South. Huck was raised on the river and is frankly ignorant about just about everything. This is a sequel, but you really don't have to read the first book to understand the second. The characters are there, but they don't take real substance until Huck Finn.
Twain's first goal in the book is seemingly to paint as accurate a portrayal as he can of what it was like to live back then. He even tells us in the beginning that there are four seperate accents in the book and he spent time getting them just right. His major goal however is to take an innocent boy and use him to hold up a mirror to his society and the hypocrisy within.
In the book, Huck is being raised by two women in town who are trying to "sivilise" him. They teach him about religion, manners, and help to make him literate. Huck's deadbeat father who takes no interest in his son's life, hears that Huck (from Tom Sawyer) has stumbled on to quite a bit of money. Huck's father decides to use Huck to get ahold of the money and use it for himself. He takes Huck back to the river and abuses him both mentally and physically. Fearing for his life, Huck fakes his death and heads down the river with an escaped slave, Jim.
From then on, Jim and Huck have a series of adventures including hooking up with a couple of con-men, taking part in a Redneck Romeo and Juliet, and ultimately Jim gets sold into slavery.
As the book starts the first thing that stands out is Huck's ability to reason. As an innocent child he neither accepts nor denies anything at face value. Instead, we see him weigh all moral decisions, facts, and myths on a scale. When he learns that through prayer you can get anything you want, he prays for weeks for some hooks to fish with. When he doesn't recieve them, he decides prayer doesn't work. When he learns about hell, he asks if Tom Sawyer was going there. Upon hearing an affirmative answer, he decides if Tom is going to be there, then that's where I want to be.
It is this sense of innocence that allows him to understand the hypocrisy within the world he lives. He sees a judge that allows Huck's father (a man who is terrible in every way) to reclaim Huck because it is better for sons to be with their fathers. He sees people scam each other one day and backstab each other the next. He sees a world in which all of the so-called civilized people mistreat and enslave others, kill each other, and come by night with hoods on to serve the "common good"
Next time: Lynching, Jim and Huck, Chapter 31!
Currently reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Prince Caspian
Currently listening to: Mother Hips Chico 2005 show
New Activity: supervising water polo strength conditioning after school in the weight room.
This will be a two part series because I can write for a year and not finish what I have to say about this book
Difficulty: 3/5 While Tom Sawyer was a children's book, this sequel was meant for adults. It covers adult themes and ideas and the language is very difficult. I recommend reading it out loud for the first few chapters until you get the hang of the various accents. Especially when it comes to Jim's accent which is thick and difficult to read even for experienced accent readers. The book is also very long, but worth the trouble.
Enjoyment: 5/5 It isn't my favorite book of all time (that will come later, I think I will reread it over summer) but it ranks right up there. First things first, don't watch the movie. There are quite a few books that have had awesome movie adaptations. Huck Finn, possibly because of its large scale, has never been done correctly. I really can't recommend any of the Huck Finn movies (and I think I have seen them all.)
For the first part, I think I will discuss the plot a little and some of the major ideas in the book. Huck Finn is about life in the Pre-civil War South. Huck was raised on the river and is frankly ignorant about just about everything. This is a sequel, but you really don't have to read the first book to understand the second. The characters are there, but they don't take real substance until Huck Finn.
Twain's first goal in the book is seemingly to paint as accurate a portrayal as he can of what it was like to live back then. He even tells us in the beginning that there are four seperate accents in the book and he spent time getting them just right. His major goal however is to take an innocent boy and use him to hold up a mirror to his society and the hypocrisy within.
In the book, Huck is being raised by two women in town who are trying to "sivilise" him. They teach him about religion, manners, and help to make him literate. Huck's deadbeat father who takes no interest in his son's life, hears that Huck (from Tom Sawyer) has stumbled on to quite a bit of money. Huck's father decides to use Huck to get ahold of the money and use it for himself. He takes Huck back to the river and abuses him both mentally and physically. Fearing for his life, Huck fakes his death and heads down the river with an escaped slave, Jim.
From then on, Jim and Huck have a series of adventures including hooking up with a couple of con-men, taking part in a Redneck Romeo and Juliet, and ultimately Jim gets sold into slavery.
As the book starts the first thing that stands out is Huck's ability to reason. As an innocent child he neither accepts nor denies anything at face value. Instead, we see him weigh all moral decisions, facts, and myths on a scale. When he learns that through prayer you can get anything you want, he prays for weeks for some hooks to fish with. When he doesn't recieve them, he decides prayer doesn't work. When he learns about hell, he asks if Tom Sawyer was going there. Upon hearing an affirmative answer, he decides if Tom is going to be there, then that's where I want to be.
It is this sense of innocence that allows him to understand the hypocrisy within the world he lives. He sees a judge that allows Huck's father (a man who is terrible in every way) to reclaim Huck because it is better for sons to be with their fathers. He sees people scam each other one day and backstab each other the next. He sees a world in which all of the so-called civilized people mistreat and enslave others, kill each other, and come by night with hoods on to serve the "common good"
Next time: Lynching, Jim and Huck, Chapter 31!
Currently reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Prince Caspian
Currently listening to: Mother Hips Chico 2005 show
New Activity: supervising water polo strength conditioning after school in the weight room.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Burn Baby Burn!
Nazi Book Burning
"We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone made equal . . . A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man’s mind."
"Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores."
Tonight I thought I would review one of my top ten books of all time: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Difficulty: 3/5 Bradbury lays the satire and social commentary on a little think here, but in between we get rich metaphor and imagery. Sometimes people get a little confused, but ultimately, he wants us to get it and even if the plot seems convoluted at times, the message never is. Like all of the best books, every time I read it, I pick up something new though.
Enjoyment: 5/5 This book never fails to get me excited and worked up. Perhaps it is because the message is something that I believe in wholeheartedly, perhaps because every time I read it, the message gets that much more applicable to our own society.
I think in order to fully appreciate Fahrenheit, you need to understand the inner workings of the dystopian novel. For the most part, a dystopian novel contains a few parts: A small group of people controling the larger portion of people, an adherence to some sort of ideal or else some attempt at creating a perfect society, and an innocent discovering the truth. Often, dystopian societies take some ideal within our own society and turn it on its head or look at the direction of our society and project the end result. As an example, look at the movie "The Truman Show" in it, we see the end result of our television obsessed society in which a person is born and raised on a television set and the entire world watches his life. Every aspect of his life is controlled and censored and the only person in the entire show who doesn't understand this is Truman himself.
In Fahrenheit, we see Guy Montag a futuristic fireman who starts fires instead of putting them out. In fact, his job is to burn books because they are evil and make people sad. He is married to an unfeeling woman who is obsessed with television and entertainment and can't hold a serious thought in her head for any length of time. None of this seems to phase Montag until he meets a young girl named Clarisse who asks him questions such as "are you happy?" and tells him "I'm not afraid of you." All of this gets Montag to reevaluate the life he is living.
The plot in this book is secondary to the internal message and Bradbury's diatribe against our own society. One of the most amazing things about this book is that despite its warnings, we are closer to Bradbury's future than ever before (keep in mind, Bradbury wrote this book in the early 1950's) He predicted that people would have wall-sized televisions and watch them constantly, more interested in the pretty lights, game shows, and mindless soap operas than actually thinking. When not watching television, or sometimes while watching television, people have little ear radios to entertain them as well. The society is sped up and no one is allowed to think or ponder serious questions about life. It is all go,go,go all the time.
When Montag realizes the silliness of it all, he begins to inquire about books and what makes them so evil. The answer is that books make people think, books make people realize bad things about their world that makes them sad. Books can be offensive to people as well. It's easier to read summaries of books or watch movies, or better yet, ignore them all together.
Interestingly enough, we see the same thing today. Movies of books in which the plot and the best parts of the book are left out or altered (The movie Troy comes to mind when King Priam's scene asking Achilles for his son back comes off as just a throwaway line instead of the focal point of the book.) We see from the left and the right people who want to censor or ban stuff because of its message or content because in one way or another it offends them. Reasons include but are not limited to cussing, it has a racist message (Huck Finn), it offends a religious group (Harry Potter), it has too much sex in it or too much violence, it doesn't have enough women in it, it stereotypes gays, and the list goes on and on.
The problem of course it that this kind of censorship eliminates our ability to think and choose freely. There are plenty of images that offend me. Two in particular are rape and blasphemy. That being said, I can choose not to watch, read about, support, or participate in those activities. Watching a movie that challenges my belief in God is often more of a positive thing for my belief in God than a negative. I was watching a seminar discussing Dan Brown's awful book The DaVinci Code in which the professor said something to the effect of "faith is not the absence of doubt, otherwise it wouldn't be faith, it would be proof. Proof is the opposite of faith" She used it to show that we shouldn't be afraid to read books or materials that challenge our faith as they are often an impetus to renew and rediscover why we have faith in the first place. Rape is very hard for me to stomach, but I can't ignore it completely or I may forget why it is that it is so despicable. I will be posting soon about the book the Kite Runner in which there is a horrific rape scene. I could have put the book down right there, and I almost did, but instead I kept reading and got further insight into the effects rape can have on a person physically, mentally, and emotionally.
If Fahrenheit has taught me anything, it is to be careful of people who want to control your mind, thoughts, and actions. I am capable enough to do that myself.
Currently reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Currently listening to: My Morning Jacket ruled on Saturday Night Live last night.
Random note of interest: My JV Boys took third place in the 200 free relay and 2nd in the 400 free relay at sections this year in swimming. There were just over 100 teams represented and we beat some big private schools with loads of students, money, and recruiters so it was a pretty big deal. They swam the 400 in 3:26.33 which is a 51.5 second average 100 for each of them.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Columbus was wrong
For today's entry I thought I would review a book I read in October.
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Difficulty: 5/5 The book is huge and has some fairly complex economical and business ideas. There are parts that a lot of people will probably find totally uninteresting, but to me the book was a page-turner
Enjoyment: 5/5 Thomas Friedman is probably the smartest person in America right now and I try and read everything he says. This book, was what really turned me on to him and I think it has revolutionized the way I teach and the way I think about the world.
I have been getting into non-fiction a lot lately. In particular, non-fiction that discusses cultural trends. Upcoming reviews will include Fast Food Nation, Born to Buy, Everything Bad is Good for You, and a book on war that I can't remember the title of but I am going to steal it from the person who teaches next door to me.
Anyway, the book centers around the giant leaps forward the world has taken in both technology and business and how we can prepare for it. If you want an idea of what I am talking about watch the Youtube video below:
In his book, Friedman discusses the ten important events that got us to where we are, what we as a country are doing to prepare for the future, and how parents, teachers, and anyone in or entering the workforce can prepare to enter an increasingly competitive and global market.
Some things that in particular stand out to me is that when Bill Gates was talking about how things have changed he said that if you asked someone 20 years ago whether they would rather be the smartest in India or an idiot in Indiana, anyone would respond an idiot in Indiana. If you asked the same questions today, he said the answer would be India for sure. In fact, he said, it doesn't really matter where you live as long as you're smart and willing to work cheap. He also mentioned that he keeps his American employees on, but increasingly has turned to the Chinese for most of his improvements in product and anything else that needs to get done. He said essentially that if you are an American going into any type of business that involves computers, you have to realize that the Chinese will work for a third of the pay, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. Which means you have to bring something to the table that makes an employer want to hire someone who works 8 hours a day for three times the pay and only five days a week. You have to make yourself indispensible to the company.
Another interesting point he brings up is the failure of the Clinton and Bush administration to address these problems. His indictment of Bush is particularly scathing and I can't say that I disagree. He points out that during the Cold War, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon asked parents, children, and schools to focus on science, math and technology. Since the end of the Cold War, the focus is to recruit scientists from other countries and lure the best and brightest students to America with the promise of a better life. As many 3rd world countries have made giant leaps forward (India in particular is not only seeing an economic boom, but they are in many ways lightyears ahead of us in technology) luring scientists and inventors has been increasingly difficult. When 9/11 hit, Bush should have responded by making the sciences and technology a priority to face a new global threat. Instead, he said that we should buy stuff.
I can't tell you how much I loved this book and I think it is essential reading for any parent or anyone who plans on spending time in the workforce. As a teacher, it has revolutionized my way of teaching as I now teach my students to prepare to live in a global economy. I reccomended the book to my brother-in-law who works for a consulting firm and from talking to him about his work, everything in this book is unfolding on a daily basis at his work.
Reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Listening: Cake "Going the Distance" (I am in the midst of section championships and find myself listening to it to pump myself up)
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Difficulty: 5/5 The book is huge and has some fairly complex economical and business ideas. There are parts that a lot of people will probably find totally uninteresting, but to me the book was a page-turner
Enjoyment: 5/5 Thomas Friedman is probably the smartest person in America right now and I try and read everything he says. This book, was what really turned me on to him and I think it has revolutionized the way I teach and the way I think about the world.
I have been getting into non-fiction a lot lately. In particular, non-fiction that discusses cultural trends. Upcoming reviews will include Fast Food Nation, Born to Buy, Everything Bad is Good for You, and a book on war that I can't remember the title of but I am going to steal it from the person who teaches next door to me.
Anyway, the book centers around the giant leaps forward the world has taken in both technology and business and how we can prepare for it. If you want an idea of what I am talking about watch the Youtube video below:
In his book, Friedman discusses the ten important events that got us to where we are, what we as a country are doing to prepare for the future, and how parents, teachers, and anyone in or entering the workforce can prepare to enter an increasingly competitive and global market.
Some things that in particular stand out to me is that when Bill Gates was talking about how things have changed he said that if you asked someone 20 years ago whether they would rather be the smartest in India or an idiot in Indiana, anyone would respond an idiot in Indiana. If you asked the same questions today, he said the answer would be India for sure. In fact, he said, it doesn't really matter where you live as long as you're smart and willing to work cheap. He also mentioned that he keeps his American employees on, but increasingly has turned to the Chinese for most of his improvements in product and anything else that needs to get done. He said essentially that if you are an American going into any type of business that involves computers, you have to realize that the Chinese will work for a third of the pay, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. Which means you have to bring something to the table that makes an employer want to hire someone who works 8 hours a day for three times the pay and only five days a week. You have to make yourself indispensible to the company.
Another interesting point he brings up is the failure of the Clinton and Bush administration to address these problems. His indictment of Bush is particularly scathing and I can't say that I disagree. He points out that during the Cold War, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon asked parents, children, and schools to focus on science, math and technology. Since the end of the Cold War, the focus is to recruit scientists from other countries and lure the best and brightest students to America with the promise of a better life. As many 3rd world countries have made giant leaps forward (India in particular is not only seeing an economic boom, but they are in many ways lightyears ahead of us in technology) luring scientists and inventors has been increasingly difficult. When 9/11 hit, Bush should have responded by making the sciences and technology a priority to face a new global threat. Instead, he said that we should buy stuff.
I can't tell you how much I loved this book and I think it is essential reading for any parent or anyone who plans on spending time in the workforce. As a teacher, it has revolutionized my way of teaching as I now teach my students to prepare to live in a global economy. I reccomended the book to my brother-in-law who works for a consulting firm and from talking to him about his work, everything in this book is unfolding on a daily basis at his work.
Reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Listening: Cake "Going the Distance" (I am in the midst of section championships and find myself listening to it to pump myself up)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Success through murder
I guess for my first book, I will review the latest book I have read.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Difficult of read: 5/5 This book is a beast. The translation I had was a cheap Barnes and Noble copy, but with most Russian books, or any non-American book for that matter, getting through some of the cultural stuff and the names in particular can be a challenge. As an example, imagine not speaking English and reading a book in which the main character's name is Jonathon Macpherson. The nicknames used "johnny, John" are easy enough but if he is married and the wife calls him "sweety" or "buns" or he has friends that call him by a shortened version of his last name "J-mac" it would be difficult to sort out who is who. When you complicate things further because in other countries, such as Latin America (and maybe Russia) they have four names, it becomes very difficult. The content, however, was easy enough to follow.
Enjoyment: 4/5 This is considered by many to be Dostoevsky's masterpiece. It is my third Dostoevsky book, and I liked it well enough, but there was a lot to grasp here and perhaps reading it over the course of a month dimmed my enjoyment a bit.
The setting of St. Petersburg as Russia transistions from the upper-class dominated serf-system and into a more traditional middle-class environment creates a lot of tension and a lot of parallels to Russia today. You have people pining for the old days, people trying to get ahead, and others who want to transition into socialism.
In the midst of it all, the main character, Raskolikov, is a young student who is content to live in squallid conditions for most of the book, and yet has a scheme to put him up with the likes of Napolean. The basic question of the novel is two-fold: First, is individual success the highest achievement of life on earth? And second, why do we cherish many individuals who commit heinous crimes to get to the top once they are there?
Raskolikov's plan to murder an old woman for her money is nothing more than a stepping stone to greater things for him. He views the murder as less of a crime as he does a gift to humanity. Certainly the woman he killed was not a contributor to society, at least in his mind, so by killing her he is able to take her money and use it for the common good.
One of the interesting points about this book is Roskolnikov's love for his family and for a poor family in town. He is a genuinely good guy who makes a monumental mistake. At what point does society forgive him for his actions?
The more I write about this book, the better it gets upon reflection. I think my favorite parts of the book are his interaction with Sofia Semyonovna. She is a young girl who prostitutes herself to help her family. While most see her as a common street urchin, Roskolnikov falls in love immediately. Perhaps bound by their common desire to do good for those they love.
If you haven't read Dostoevsky before, I really can't reccomend it. I think there is a lot here that would turn off the average reader. But if you are intrigued, I reccomend first picking up a copy of Notes from Underground first to get a taste of the awesomeness that is Dostoevsky at his best. Then, settle in with this book. I can say this, after Notes from Underground, The Idiot, and now Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky puts himself way up on my list of favorite authors.
On another note:
Reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Listening to: Stardust by Willie Nelson
Random Site I love at the moment: Joshreads.com It is an awesome site if you like daily comics such as Garfield (which I don't) or if you completely dislike them but want snarky comments about them (which I do)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Difficult of read: 5/5 This book is a beast. The translation I had was a cheap Barnes and Noble copy, but with most Russian books, or any non-American book for that matter, getting through some of the cultural stuff and the names in particular can be a challenge. As an example, imagine not speaking English and reading a book in which the main character's name is Jonathon Macpherson. The nicknames used "johnny, John" are easy enough but if he is married and the wife calls him "sweety" or "buns" or he has friends that call him by a shortened version of his last name "J-mac" it would be difficult to sort out who is who. When you complicate things further because in other countries, such as Latin America (and maybe Russia) they have four names, it becomes very difficult. The content, however, was easy enough to follow.
Enjoyment: 4/5 This is considered by many to be Dostoevsky's masterpiece. It is my third Dostoevsky book, and I liked it well enough, but there was a lot to grasp here and perhaps reading it over the course of a month dimmed my enjoyment a bit.
The setting of St. Petersburg as Russia transistions from the upper-class dominated serf-system and into a more traditional middle-class environment creates a lot of tension and a lot of parallels to Russia today. You have people pining for the old days, people trying to get ahead, and others who want to transition into socialism.
In the midst of it all, the main character, Raskolikov, is a young student who is content to live in squallid conditions for most of the book, and yet has a scheme to put him up with the likes of Napolean. The basic question of the novel is two-fold: First, is individual success the highest achievement of life on earth? And second, why do we cherish many individuals who commit heinous crimes to get to the top once they are there?
Raskolikov's plan to murder an old woman for her money is nothing more than a stepping stone to greater things for him. He views the murder as less of a crime as he does a gift to humanity. Certainly the woman he killed was not a contributor to society, at least in his mind, so by killing her he is able to take her money and use it for the common good.
One of the interesting points about this book is Roskolnikov's love for his family and for a poor family in town. He is a genuinely good guy who makes a monumental mistake. At what point does society forgive him for his actions?
The more I write about this book, the better it gets upon reflection. I think my favorite parts of the book are his interaction with Sofia Semyonovna. She is a young girl who prostitutes herself to help her family. While most see her as a common street urchin, Roskolnikov falls in love immediately. Perhaps bound by their common desire to do good for those they love.
If you haven't read Dostoevsky before, I really can't reccomend it. I think there is a lot here that would turn off the average reader. But if you are intrigued, I reccomend first picking up a copy of Notes from Underground first to get a taste of the awesomeness that is Dostoevsky at his best. Then, settle in with this book. I can say this, after Notes from Underground, The Idiot, and now Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky puts himself way up on my list of favorite authors.
On another note:
Reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Listening to: Stardust by Willie Nelson
Random Site I love at the moment: Joshreads.com It is an awesome site if you like daily comics such as Garfield (which I don't) or if you completely dislike them but want snarky comments about them (which I do)
Sense and Sensibility-Meta Post
About a week ago, my sister asked me for a good book to read and we started talking about Othello and she said it was boring. I told her all the reasons why it was the third greatest Shakespeare play and she told me, "you should start a blog and post stuff like this." So I did.
Basically I read a lot of books and thought I would share my thoughts about them with you. From time to time, I will be bringing in some other influences of mine such as music, video games, television, and movies, but mostly, books are my deal. Enjoy...
Basically I read a lot of books and thought I would share my thoughts about them with you. From time to time, I will be bringing in some other influences of mine such as music, video games, television, and movies, but mostly, books are my deal. Enjoy...
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