My last 4 reads were Three Cups of Tea about a guy who liked to climb mountains but then almost died on one so decided to build schools in the Himalaya. It was well reviewed by critics and well-received by me. Then I read The Winter of our Discontents by John Steinbeck. It took me awhile but I plugged through it and found it clever and amusing. It was a later work so it was a little bit more refined and to the point than some of his earlier stuff. It was also not set in the Salinas valley but rather in coastal New York...I think, it very well could have been New England I do not recall. But, it was good. Into Thin Air wasn't that impressive. You know the outcome. People fucked up. Hindsight tells me I didn't need 300 pages to tell me that. Such is life. Then just finished The Year of Living Biblically about a guy who tries to live according to the Bible for 12 months. He's an agnostic Jew and spends 9 months in the Old Testament lifestyle and then his last 3 more focused on the Good News. It's rather amusing and learned a little bit more Bible. The Bible fascinates me but I've already tried (very unsuccessfully) to read it. I'd fall asleep at every mention of "A" beget "B" who beget "C" and so on down the line for 3 columns in size 6 font. Painful. Maybe in the mean time I'll skip Genesis and go from there...
I think I've already recommended this but if you are looking for a good book and are mildly interested in music read Chuck Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live:85% of a True Story (This actually came while I was reading the Steinbeck book, but I pounded through this one in 2 days and then proceeded to forget all about it until now). It's very, very good (Shit, I did mention this already because I said this blog would get many more hits if I was actually a margainally talented writer like he is. Darn). Well, consider this my offering, in exchange for your suggestions. If it's good I'll massage your feet. If it's lousy I won't worry about it, as I've said my choices are not always spot-on.
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Also, I don't care if you've never heard much of them but the next time your at a music store (read: Bull Moose or some other store that sells used cd's. FYE or whatever the hell that store is can piss up a rope if they think I'm paying seventeen bones for a cd in this economy.) buy The Black Crowes' Three Snakes and One Charm. Heavy blues riffs, solid lyrics. 12 songs of quality. Spans all ranges of music from heartfelt unrequitted-love ballads to fun songs you could listen to while imbibing in your favorite spirit. You should expect nothing less from "The Most Rock & Roll Rock & Roll Band of All Time (their quote, not mine...but I think it's pretty true)..."
Bull Moose usually has it for $3 used. That's where I found it. Short story: I had heard of The Black Crowes but had never "heard them" (you know? Like, you remember one or two of their songs? Like finally putting a name with a face...) until this past spring. Wandering through Bull Moose I said to myself "I've heard of these Black Crowes, Let me see the cd's they have in stock here." Three Snakes and One Charm was the only used one they had that day, for $2.98. I purchased said cd and it is now solidly in my top 7 cd's and convinced me to buy four other Crowes cd's as used ones have crossed in front of my path. All are good, but something about your first holds a memory in your head that continually captures your heart. Kind of like your first love. And the first time you had celery sticks with peanut butter AND raisins on them. Those are ants on a log. Brilliant.
But I told you that story to tell you this story: Buy Three Snakes and One Charm (used...) and you will not regret your decision. It's that good (Under a Mountain and Girl from a Pawnshop are personal fav's...). Girl From a Pawnshop bootleg video courtesy of youtube for your viewing and listening pleasure is provided free of charge below. I may or may not like these fellers just because Chris Robinson rocks some sick flow (which I had and want again) and a thick beard (which I've never had, never will, but always will want for...)...
Boys Will Be Boys - Jeff Pearlman
ReplyDeleteHigh comedy, worth a read if you havent had a chance yet.