Being the grateful recipient of a Christmas Barnes And Noble gift card (A bookstore, to those of you that are of a foreign disposition), I have decided that I should get help with my next book purchase.
I love books. The ones with words. And also the ones with pictures. I have also been prone to ones that sometimes require the thinking with the brain and/or thoughtful scratching of the hair on my chin (-e-chin-chin). I also like books that YOU get excited about - It makes me want to read them too.
So with the thoughtful gift in hand, and the generous sentiment filed away for future reference, I decided that, through it, you would have the opportunity to help start off my 2009 reading choices. I plan to read twenty books next year - With five of those being of an instructive nature and teaching me a new skill
If you would send me one choice, or a top five, or a favourite/new/rediscovered author, then I will not only compile myself a reading list for 2009, but will score the nominations (Much like a successful 2004 election) in some loose manner and pick out which author/publisher will be the beneficiary of my gift card redemption.
For your own benefit I have provided my top five (just in case you need a list for yourself)
1. - Katherine Dunn - Geeklove (Though, the rest of her novels are less well engineered)
2. - Charles Bukowski - Post Office (Some of his other work can be swear words and drunken buffoonery, but in Post Office you're on his side... It's an unbelievable "cry-laugher", so be warned!)
3. - Michael Azzerad - Our Band Could Be Your Life (It could!)
4. - Paul Auster - Book Of Illusions (I think I've just got to the point that I only read Paul Auster when my life is getting a little dull, because I know that during the reading odd and interesting coincedences will start to happen - It's true... Try it for yourself)
5. - Walt Whitman - Leaves Of Grass (I truly can't pass by this on my book shelf and not pick it up. It's torn and tattered and dog-eared and bent at the spine, but whenever I lose a little faith in humanity I read some of this and it restores my enthusiasm for life!)
Not on this list, but contenders are;
Charles De Lint (The Little Country, if anything, but anything will actually do), Anthony Kiedis - Scar Tissue, Walter Wangerin, Jr. - The Book Of The Dunn Cow (I've never been so frightened by a chicken!), Morgan Llywelyn - Bard (The total Celtic spirit, and almost a history, in 461 pages), Colin Bateman (Anything. Honestly, anything at all. From Bangor, Northern Ireland. You'll know him from Divorcing Jack and maybe Wild About Harry, but get stuck into Of Wee Sweetie Mice And Men or maybe Empire State and you'll shut those believing that you had just, in actual fact, read a text book on the Northern Irish male!)
I'd be most grateful if you'd help me with my list, but I also think that you'll find it interesting too.
Joyeux Noël
Leslie
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
It turns out that my trip home to Ireland (the Chronology will be skewed here with subsequent blogs) has set me back 3 years, 11 months and 18 days.
I am constantly amazed at the attitudes and demands of American life. There is a sense of entitlement with most of the Americans I know that I had myself convinced was some sort of skewed preconception of mine until I returned home for two weeks at the end of November. I'm right in thinking that almost four years is enough to consider myself educated (albeit from a removed point of view - an outsider point of view, say) in American ways. I might have lost the edge of my accent in recent times, but my values hold pretty true, even if I do "play the game" in a state of semi-passivity. I was happy to rediscover the quiet self assuredness of the Northern Irish, in not only their customer service attributes, but also in something as simple as driving down a highway. There is a real sense of humility in their everyday life that America has beaten out of me. Customer service in a restaurant setting is straight forward and honest, as if the waiter (or in one case, the waitress - Yes they have no trouble using that term in Ireland) was simply serving their parents, or siblings - A desire to seem professional, but without the pretense of camaraderie, or puppy dog need to please. This stems a little from the knowledge (rightly so) that no one person is better than another. You know, I think it's because of the lack of "competition" (and also quite possibly, the need for the use of quotation marks!) with everyday people. It's the, "I'm not anything less than you when you go home and crap on the shitter" attitude in a completely unconscious manner that sets the tone for every transaction.
Today I was in a room full of corporate hounds, trying to validate their every decision within the corporate boundaries of their servitude to the (here we go again) "Customer" and the talk was of rules and policies and best practices and I spent almost my whole time (not all, as I am a respectful little puppy-hound myself) seeing the stark contrast with what I had just experienced at home. In Ireland it wouldn't be about what it says in the rule book, but more about how I believe I should treat other human beings trying to get through the day in the exact same way as myself.
Every little decision, argument, life choice, change in tone, roll of the eyes, tut, harrumph and sigh is analyzed until the life has been rung out of it, whereas Irish life never apologises for speaking its mind, ignoring every little politic or even being misunderstood. NOTHING is dumbed down in case you might not understand it, because having to have it explained is not a weakness - instead it actually has allowed you and me to make a connection and instead of me being the smart one (which, of course I never felt in the first place, as it's not a competition!), we now both have the knowledge, because it was shared, and are as smart as each other. "Sure, aren't we a couple of smarty pantses? 'Mon we'll go have a pint!"
Maybe all America is missing is story telling.
I recall reading a quote recently that states that there might have been great societies that have survived without the wheel, but there have been none that have not had stories. I sense everyday, this lack of appreciation for story telling, for sharing knowledge and information and for opening up of discussion and it seems it's because it might make one of us look stupid. It might make one of us seem, well... more knowledgeable - Oh, God, we wouldn't want that, so how about instead I either not tell a story, or tell it in such a way that all life and thought has been stripped from it so that you don't have to use your underused brain to totally misunderstand the thing that has been taught!
Let me analyze what I just said, attend a support group, appropriate some therapy and maybe take some strong drugs to stop me from speaking my mind again!
Salt of the earth, the Northern Irish are, and I'm badly in need of some seasoning! (please don't be sick.... but it's true!)
I am constantly amazed at the attitudes and demands of American life. There is a sense of entitlement with most of the Americans I know that I had myself convinced was some sort of skewed preconception of mine until I returned home for two weeks at the end of November. I'm right in thinking that almost four years is enough to consider myself educated (albeit from a removed point of view - an outsider point of view, say) in American ways. I might have lost the edge of my accent in recent times, but my values hold pretty true, even if I do "play the game" in a state of semi-passivity. I was happy to rediscover the quiet self assuredness of the Northern Irish, in not only their customer service attributes, but also in something as simple as driving down a highway. There is a real sense of humility in their everyday life that America has beaten out of me. Customer service in a restaurant setting is straight forward and honest, as if the waiter (or in one case, the waitress - Yes they have no trouble using that term in Ireland) was simply serving their parents, or siblings - A desire to seem professional, but without the pretense of camaraderie, or puppy dog need to please. This stems a little from the knowledge (rightly so) that no one person is better than another. You know, I think it's because of the lack of "competition" (and also quite possibly, the need for the use of quotation marks!) with everyday people. It's the, "I'm not anything less than you when you go home and crap on the shitter" attitude in a completely unconscious manner that sets the tone for every transaction.
Today I was in a room full of corporate hounds, trying to validate their every decision within the corporate boundaries of their servitude to the (here we go again) "Customer" and the talk was of rules and policies and best practices and I spent almost my whole time (not all, as I am a respectful little puppy-hound myself) seeing the stark contrast with what I had just experienced at home. In Ireland it wouldn't be about what it says in the rule book, but more about how I believe I should treat other human beings trying to get through the day in the exact same way as myself.
Every little decision, argument, life choice, change in tone, roll of the eyes, tut, harrumph and sigh is analyzed until the life has been rung out of it, whereas Irish life never apologises for speaking its mind, ignoring every little politic or even being misunderstood. NOTHING is dumbed down in case you might not understand it, because having to have it explained is not a weakness - instead it actually has allowed you and me to make a connection and instead of me being the smart one (which, of course I never felt in the first place, as it's not a competition!), we now both have the knowledge, because it was shared, and are as smart as each other. "Sure, aren't we a couple of smarty pantses? 'Mon we'll go have a pint!"
Maybe all America is missing is story telling.
I recall reading a quote recently that states that there might have been great societies that have survived without the wheel, but there have been none that have not had stories. I sense everyday, this lack of appreciation for story telling, for sharing knowledge and information and for opening up of discussion and it seems it's because it might make one of us look stupid. It might make one of us seem, well... more knowledgeable - Oh, God, we wouldn't want that, so how about instead I either not tell a story, or tell it in such a way that all life and thought has been stripped from it so that you don't have to use your underused brain to totally misunderstand the thing that has been taught!
Let me analyze what I just said, attend a support group, appropriate some therapy and maybe take some strong drugs to stop me from speaking my mind again!
Salt of the earth, the Northern Irish are, and I'm badly in need of some seasoning! (please don't be sick.... but it's true!)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Agonisingly Joyous 2008 Xmas Pop Poll
Xmas Pop Poll 2008 - Get Yr Joy On!
Being not important to be validated by a CD compiled, designed and delivered by one Elliott, James, but most sought after and eagerly anticipated each Xmas none the less, I thought it important to share my results, as that, after all, is one of the most interesting aspects, being, as it were, talking and discussing with our peers what musical delights have set our fancy a-fire this year.
America has provided some distractions and delights in its previously described nooks and crannies. I've said it before, but sometimes you've got to do a little digging to find the gems.
Lots of the old Lesser's choices this year come from the long distance of time having been enraptured by one Robert Palmer's (No... not that guy) book, Deep Blues about the beginnings of blues. For me it was the deep attention to detailed musical theory that caught my noggin in it's twelve bar bliss. I started out by listening to the things he was talking about in the artists he mentioned and then started to see some of that in my own music - What better way to appreciate something than it sounding a little like yourself!
First on my non ordered list has to be Bye Bye Bird by the embodied embouchement of Sonny Boy Williamson - The fact that I was able to go on to YouTube and watch him make that warbled and muffled harmonica noise by placing the whole thing in his mouth sideways and still play a tune, played no part in my new admiration for the song!
Next discovery was the 2004 album, Before And After by the Wannadies. Not much needs to be said of the Wannadies, because they play music that almost sounds like it was written for the express purpose of being on one of James' Xmas Pop Poll CD's! The songs Piss On You, Little By Little and the blissful Love Letter are stand-outs.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss? Are you kidding me? Who the hell told them that would be a good match? I'm not quite sure, but if I used the word genius it wouldn't be too far off the mark. Do I hate revisits to a musical past? No, not really, but in a modern world, without the modern twist it can seem a little pretentious (please don't mention the grating - if useable - Seeger Sessions), but there's just something about Raising Sand, and especially the track Fortune Teller. I can also honestly say that listening to Polly Come Home makes me want to reach out and lick Roberts chest in much the much vaunted Led Zep groupie stylee.
Joan Coffey did break my heart, make me cry, give up and sigh in a heap. Struggles And Lulls is probably the best female singer/songwriter album I've ever heard. A Little Deeper and Don't Tell Me will make many thirty-something's rip open their AM radio searching for the little Irish Pixie Minx living within, enchanting like Atargatis from the murky waters of death, drink and love, but it is the track Nearly Was that tells the most truth and ruptures parts in your chest that you didn't know you had, while King Of The Drink, which should really be performed by a mid American punk band at the same ponderous pace, brings the wrinkles out in her face that makes us love her all the more.
Anna Nalick also tickled a fancy or two, and not just because she's a stunningly pretty twenty-four year old American singer/songwriter, but mostly because of the acoustic versions of her overly produced album, Wreck Of The Day, tear down the prissy decoration applied by producers Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn (Originally from Blind Melon - I've never liked melons) and show the songs for the investments they should be.
Much praise should also be lauded on my cat for singing the best version of "Oh My God, There's A Bug On The Light And I Want To Eat It (Get It For Me Please)" just now!
Discovering what made 1500 people stand in the Minnesota night to see DeVotchKa made an incredible impact on my imminently musical 2009. Their blend of Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero and Mariachi is infectious and not at all the psuedo folk roots dance music for the sake of filling First Avenue that you'd imagine. In fact I'm pretty sure that listening to Dearly Departed wedged tightly between a sweatily enamoured "Kate" and "Josh" in the packed Main Room was probably the most painful, embarrassing and blissful experience since a first kiss. I own the album How It Ends, but have also been coddled on dark evenings by their cover of the Siouxsie and the Banshee's song, The Last Beat Of My Heart, which manages to evoke the pain of the original in a wood splintering, folk/punk way. This - if anything, would be my high scorer in my Pop Poll list.
The infuriating Jose Gonzales and the cover Heartbeats comes a close second. Infuriating by his severe lack of stretch in his musicality, song to song, but beautiful in his unquestionable taste in performing "bath" music. He has Almost drowned me on too many occasions, but has also made me inexplicably clean!
Lets not take a paragraph break and bare our crack at old ladies out the window for the glorious ORIGINAL version of Heartbeats by The Knife
Guitar picking you say? Why of course... Lets tie the dirty mess of dreadlocked hair, (much envied) Boheme attire, white boy funk and twelve stringed blues wood chipping of John Butler Trio. Better Than gave me enough distraction to run a red light (It was in a stupid place anyway) and then the video for Funky Tonight made me break fingernails since in an attempt to pull some fingerpicking drive out of my own, and many cover, tunes.
Oh... and then in a astounding oversight, I left Dick Gaughan somewhere in my past and rediscovered, and covered, him recently. Outstanding tunes are The World Turned Upside Down (Almost outshone by The Great Billy Bragg's own version) and Pound A Week Rise about Lord Robens' promises to the miners before he tore their, albeit fading, industry apart.
Please consider my entries for the Minnesota region.
Leslie Rich
Being not important to be validated by a CD compiled, designed and delivered by one Elliott, James, but most sought after and eagerly anticipated each Xmas none the less, I thought it important to share my results, as that, after all, is one of the most interesting aspects, being, as it were, talking and discussing with our peers what musical delights have set our fancy a-fire this year.
America has provided some distractions and delights in its previously described nooks and crannies. I've said it before, but sometimes you've got to do a little digging to find the gems.
Lots of the old Lesser's choices this year come from the long distance of time having been enraptured by one Robert Palmer's (No... not that guy) book, Deep Blues about the beginnings of blues. For me it was the deep attention to detailed musical theory that caught my noggin in it's twelve bar bliss. I started out by listening to the things he was talking about in the artists he mentioned and then started to see some of that in my own music - What better way to appreciate something than it sounding a little like yourself!
First on my non ordered list has to be Bye Bye Bird by the embodied embouchement of Sonny Boy Williamson - The fact that I was able to go on to YouTube and watch him make that warbled and muffled harmonica noise by placing the whole thing in his mouth sideways and still play a tune, played no part in my new admiration for the song!
Next discovery was the 2004 album, Before And After by the Wannadies. Not much needs to be said of the Wannadies, because they play music that almost sounds like it was written for the express purpose of being on one of James' Xmas Pop Poll CD's! The songs Piss On You, Little By Little and the blissful Love Letter are stand-outs.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss? Are you kidding me? Who the hell told them that would be a good match? I'm not quite sure, but if I used the word genius it wouldn't be too far off the mark. Do I hate revisits to a musical past? No, not really, but in a modern world, without the modern twist it can seem a little pretentious (please don't mention the grating - if useable - Seeger Sessions), but there's just something about Raising Sand, and especially the track Fortune Teller. I can also honestly say that listening to Polly Come Home makes me want to reach out and lick Roberts chest in much the much vaunted Led Zep groupie stylee.
Joan Coffey did break my heart, make me cry, give up and sigh in a heap. Struggles And Lulls is probably the best female singer/songwriter album I've ever heard. A Little Deeper and Don't Tell Me will make many thirty-something's rip open their AM radio searching for the little Irish Pixie Minx living within, enchanting like Atargatis from the murky waters of death, drink and love, but it is the track Nearly Was that tells the most truth and ruptures parts in your chest that you didn't know you had, while King Of The Drink, which should really be performed by a mid American punk band at the same ponderous pace, brings the wrinkles out in her face that makes us love her all the more.
Anna Nalick also tickled a fancy or two, and not just because she's a stunningly pretty twenty-four year old American singer/songwriter, but mostly because of the acoustic versions of her overly produced album, Wreck Of The Day, tear down the prissy decoration applied by producers Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn (Originally from Blind Melon - I've never liked melons) and show the songs for the investments they should be.
Much praise should also be lauded on my cat for singing the best version of "Oh My God, There's A Bug On The Light And I Want To Eat It (Get It For Me Please)" just now!Discovering what made 1500 people stand in the Minnesota night to see DeVotchKa made an incredible impact on my imminently musical 2009. Their blend of Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero and Mariachi is infectious and not at all the psuedo folk roots dance music for the sake of filling First Avenue that you'd imagine. In fact I'm pretty sure that listening to Dearly Departed wedged tightly between a sweatily enamoured "Kate" and "Josh" in the packed Main Room was probably the most painful, embarrassing and blissful experience since a first kiss. I own the album How It Ends, but have also been coddled on dark evenings by their cover of the Siouxsie and the Banshee's song, The Last Beat Of My Heart, which manages to evoke the pain of the original in a wood splintering, folk/punk way. This - if anything, would be my high scorer in my Pop Poll list.
The infuriating Jose Gonzales and the cover Heartbeats comes a close second. Infuriating by his severe lack of stretch in his musicality, song to song, but beautiful in his unquestionable taste in performing "bath" music. He has Almost drowned me on too many occasions, but has also made me inexplicably clean!
Lets not take a paragraph break and bare our crack at old ladies out the window for the glorious ORIGINAL version of Heartbeats by The Knife
Guitar picking you say? Why of course... Lets tie the dirty mess of dreadlocked hair, (much envied) Boheme attire, white boy funk and twelve stringed blues wood chipping of John Butler Trio. Better Than gave me enough distraction to run a red light (It was in a stupid place anyway) and then the video for Funky Tonight made me break fingernails since in an attempt to pull some fingerpicking drive out of my own, and many cover, tunes.
Oh... and then in a astounding oversight, I left Dick Gaughan somewhere in my past and rediscovered, and covered, him recently. Outstanding tunes are The World Turned Upside Down (Almost outshone by The Great Billy Bragg's own version) and Pound A Week Rise about Lord Robens' promises to the miners before he tore their, albeit fading, industry apart.
Please consider my entries for the Minnesota region.
Leslie Rich
Xmas Pop Poll #6
So, with James being of a creative sort, with more friends than money, he thought up an interesting way six years ago to not only engage them in dialogue about certain events of the past year, but also, ingeniously, giving them a hand in choosing their own holiday present - Namely, the mix-tape (on CD). The idea was that we, his friends, would choose what musical awakenings we'd had throughout the year, old, new, soul, punk, country or pop, whether it be a song or an album or an unreleased mash from YouTube. James would then, using a complicated formula, calculate with wires, pulleys, rolling eggs and sometimes even flame, the final scores from all of the tracks provided (some of course are picked by more than one person) and compile a unique and incredibly listenable CD of some of the best music of the year - much in the vein of our dearly departed John Peel. Having thus far not really played much of a part in the choices themselves, James would then turn his illustrious artistic hand to designing a cover and accompanying booklet.
Awards are given in various categories that are usually only determined by reading the pasta shapes still in last night's six quart pot. This cover has been always a specific delight of mine when gently ripping open the ubiquitous bubble envelope. I wonder each time how he'll beat last year's work of art.
This year I've been thinking about my top pop picks almost since recieving the thing in the mail shortly before Christmas 2007. It's time again I believe and like the child that can't wait till Mama checks if Santa has left yet, please see my choices for the ...
SIXTH ANNUAL XMAS (Sorry, forgot to mention that James is also a gentile) POP POLL - 2008...
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