| 
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The 2009-2010 music list
In contrast to books, my music list for this school year is comprised of the albums I repeatedly listened to. Not all of these were necessarily new to me but rather pieces I found myself consistently listening to while driving, shoveling snow in the driveway, at home while washing dishes, etc.
We Started Nothing- Ting Tings: Colorful, bouncy pop fun. Good stuff to listen to in the car with the family.
16 Lovers Lane (extended edition w/ bonus tracks)- Go-Betweens: This is kinda like “Raisin in the Sun” for me in that the original 1989 album is a cult classic but I think it should be more widely recognized. Not a single track of the original ten is anything less than excellent and the crop of outtakes from that era, while not as fully produced, includes many more gems. Robert, Grant, Amanda and Lindy- thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Marquee Moon, Adventure- Television: The soundtrack of many sessions of shoveling the driveway this last winter. Listening to these albums reaffirms my love of the sound of electric guitars. As D Boon once said, “Fuck Eric Clapton.” No offense, Eric, you’re pretty good and all but Verlaine is truly God of the six-string.
Trans-Europe Express, The Man Machine, Computer World- Kraftwerk: While at my in-laws over the Christmas vacation, I found myself rocking my two-month old infant son Spencer to sleep by gently dancing with him to the metronomic pulse of “Europe Endless,” which kicked me off onto a mini-obsession with these Hessian synth-pop architects.
Compilation- The Clean: A recent listen to The Verlaines’ “Juvenilia” convinced me to take a chance on this other New Zealand band also formed in the ‘80s and when I found a 2-disc anthology of theirs in a Newbury Comix for about 12 bucks, I had to try ‘em out. Although I found their songwriting to be merely consistent without their catalogue featuring much in the way of classic standout songs, they are such a good, exciting band to listen to. Plus like my own Humbert, their songs were brief in length, they accomplished a lot with meager recording budgets and none of the three members really had a truly strong singing voice (technically speaking); considering my admittedly warped sense of aesthetics, those aspects just make me adore them more.
69 Love Songs- Magnetic Fields: As the title indicates, there are a LOT of songs on this three-disc set but so many of them are truly wonderful. I like the eclecticism of the styles, both in terms of songwriting and production, I love the variety of lead vocalists employed, the diversity in instrumentation, moods and genres but really, there is a staggering amount of awesome songs to be found here. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scratch your head in wonder, you’ll be able to sing along with some of the choruses the very first time you hear some of these songs, while others will slowly reveal their virtues over time like melodic time-bombs, not to mention you’ll find almost every expression of love possible, from romance to obsession to tenderness to heartbreak to lust to spirituality to bitterness to hope to anxiety to frustration to the excitement of possibility to friendship to sexual deviancy to longing to devotion to stupidity to enlightenment to fury to witty repartee- I’ll shut up now.
The Fame- Lady Gaga: My wife plays it in the car here and there and although it’s not the kind of thing I would seek out on my own (same could be said of Ting Tings, I suppose), there is quite a smattering of awesome tracks on this album. The four hits (Just Dance, Poker Face, Love Game and especially Paparazzi) are all catchy, interesting songs that would still stand up outside of the fancy 2009 high-profile high-budget production sounds they are swaddled in. Beyond those four standouts, the quality drops considerably but there are still a good three tracks that could’ve been dance hits for more minor artists.
Twelve Steps- Rehab, Massachusetts: This album is chock-full of simple but often profoundly beautiful marriages of lyrics and melodies sung with understated passion, delivered with expert sympathetic backing where each musician involved is serving the songs masterfully. The story woven throughout the twelve songs is as complex as it is compelling and captivates the listener so well, I almost feel like this should be on my list of novels too but that would be doing an injustice to the powerful beauty of melodies like the stunning “19 Days” and the gorgeously sad “The Light of Your Ways.” Singer/songwriter Thane Thomsen and his cohorts find many ways to express the desperate ramifications of addiction throughout the record so that not only do the ballads achieve their purpose of haunting the listener but when it needs to rock, as on “A Pint of Salvation,” for instance, rock it does. The chorus in that last one is insistently pleading and breaks your heart but also provides (provides) a textbook example of a perfectly realized melodic/lyric hook. Maybe the only mis-step is an instrumental towards the end that just doesn’t add much to the proceedings thematically and the unfortunately harsh acoustic guitar string squawking between notes is grating to the ears. But who cares really on an album this wonderful? I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be part of the Valley scene where great art like this exists for such a small but fortunate audience.
Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack.
Modern Times- Bob Dylan: I was a few years behind the times in getting around to hearing this one (it’s from 2007, innit?) but it’s an ironic title anyway, as the music included therein is anything but trendy. The ballads on it, both the heartbreakers and the croony tracks alike, are the highlights for me but I’ll concede that I’ve come to dig some of the bluesy rambles as well.
Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, Ballad of Easy Rider, Untitled, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along, Live 1971- The Byrds. One of my guitar students hails from Nashville and he and I found ourselves espousing our admiration of Clarence White, which set me off on a kick listening to these late-era Byrds albums over and over again, some of which I already knew, others I picked up recently. I’ve already mentioned my high regard for Tom Verlaine’s guitar playing but I’m just as in awe of Clarence White and although each of them could appropriate different styles of playing at the drop of a hat, it’d be impossible to confuse them. I’ve always maintained that I can’t really truly love a guitarist as a player simply based on their guitar playing but that I also have to admire them as songwriters (like George Harrison or Richard Thompson), or as in the cases of Verlaine and White, as players who play songs, not notes, and yet still impart the tunes they play with their own distinct style without overwhelming it. Does that make any sense? I’ll shut up now.
Relocation Tactics, Are You Gonna Kiss or Wave Goodbye?- Spouse: My God, that “It=Love” is one of the coolest pop records I’ve ever heard IN MY LIFE. More good Valley stuff that I’m blessed to be able to know. Beyond these records showing off an excellent band with a cache of delectable tunes, there is also the sheer awesomeness of Jose Ayerve’s singing to enjoy.
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out- Yo La Tengo: This one has overlapped into the next “year” of listening. I recently ordered four more of their albums from the inter-library loan program (thank you, Brian!) to augment the three of theirs I already have. Although this record is known for conveying such a lovely mellow mood overall, ironically my favorite hard rock song I’ve heard of theirs so far is “Cherry Chapstick,” the only track on this album to feature a heavy sound blended with an upbeat tempo. Nonetheless, although Ira Kaplan’s guitar skronkfests in the middle and outro are delightful, the song boasts a helluva catchy melody and the lyrics strike their own perfect note as well.
We Started Nothing- Ting Tings: Colorful, bouncy pop fun. Good stuff to listen to in the car with the family.
16 Lovers Lane (extended edition w/ bonus tracks)- Go-Betweens: This is kinda like “Raisin in the Sun” for me in that the original 1989 album is a cult classic but I think it should be more widely recognized. Not a single track of the original ten is anything less than excellent and the crop of outtakes from that era, while not as fully produced, includes many more gems. Robert, Grant, Amanda and Lindy- thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Marquee Moon, Adventure- Television: The soundtrack of many sessions of shoveling the driveway this last winter. Listening to these albums reaffirms my love of the sound of electric guitars. As D Boon once said, “Fuck Eric Clapton.” No offense, Eric, you’re pretty good and all but Verlaine is truly God of the six-string.
Trans-Europe Express, The Man Machine, Computer World- Kraftwerk: While at my in-laws over the Christmas vacation, I found myself rocking my two-month old infant son Spencer to sleep by gently dancing with him to the metronomic pulse of “Europe Endless,” which kicked me off onto a mini-obsession with these Hessian synth-pop architects.
Compilation- The Clean: A recent listen to The Verlaines’ “Juvenilia” convinced me to take a chance on this other New Zealand band also formed in the ‘80s and when I found a 2-disc anthology of theirs in a Newbury Comix for about 12 bucks, I had to try ‘em out. Although I found their songwriting to be merely consistent without their catalogue featuring much in the way of classic standout songs, they are such a good, exciting band to listen to. Plus like my own Humbert, their songs were brief in length, they accomplished a lot with meager recording budgets and none of the three members really had a truly strong singing voice (technically speaking); considering my admittedly warped sense of aesthetics, those aspects just make me adore them more.
69 Love Songs- Magnetic Fields: As the title indicates, there are a LOT of songs on this three-disc set but so many of them are truly wonderful. I like the eclecticism of the styles, both in terms of songwriting and production, I love the variety of lead vocalists employed, the diversity in instrumentation, moods and genres but really, there is a staggering amount of awesome songs to be found here. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scratch your head in wonder, you’ll be able to sing along with some of the choruses the very first time you hear some of these songs, while others will slowly reveal their virtues over time like melodic time-bombs, not to mention you’ll find almost every expression of love possible, from romance to obsession to tenderness to heartbreak to lust to spirituality to bitterness to hope to anxiety to frustration to the excitement of possibility to friendship to sexual deviancy to longing to devotion to stupidity to enlightenment to fury to witty repartee- I’ll shut up now.
The Fame- Lady Gaga: My wife plays it in the car here and there and although it’s not the kind of thing I would seek out on my own (same could be said of Ting Tings, I suppose), there is quite a smattering of awesome tracks on this album. The four hits (Just Dance, Poker Face, Love Game and especially Paparazzi) are all catchy, interesting songs that would still stand up outside of the fancy 2009 high-profile high-budget production sounds they are swaddled in. Beyond those four standouts, the quality drops considerably but there are still a good three tracks that could’ve been dance hits for more minor artists.
Twelve Steps- Rehab, Massachusetts: This album is chock-full of simple but often profoundly beautiful marriages of lyrics and melodies sung with understated passion, delivered with expert sympathetic backing where each musician involved is serving the songs masterfully. The story woven throughout the twelve songs is as complex as it is compelling and captivates the listener so well, I almost feel like this should be on my list of novels too but that would be doing an injustice to the powerful beauty of melodies like the stunning “19 Days” and the gorgeously sad “The Light of Your Ways.” Singer/songwriter Thane Thomsen and his cohorts find many ways to express the desperate ramifications of addiction throughout the record so that not only do the ballads achieve their purpose of haunting the listener but when it needs to rock, as on “A Pint of Salvation,” for instance, rock it does. The chorus in that last one is insistently pleading and breaks your heart but also provides (provides) a textbook example of a perfectly realized melodic/lyric hook. Maybe the only mis-step is an instrumental towards the end that just doesn’t add much to the proceedings thematically and the unfortunately harsh acoustic guitar string squawking between notes is grating to the ears. But who cares really on an album this wonderful? I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be part of the Valley scene where great art like this exists for such a small but fortunate audience.
Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack.
Modern Times- Bob Dylan: I was a few years behind the times in getting around to hearing this one (it’s from 2007, innit?) but it’s an ironic title anyway, as the music included therein is anything but trendy. The ballads on it, both the heartbreakers and the croony tracks alike, are the highlights for me but I’ll concede that I’ve come to dig some of the bluesy rambles as well.
Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, Ballad of Easy Rider, Untitled, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along, Live 1971- The Byrds. One of my guitar students hails from Nashville and he and I found ourselves espousing our admiration of Clarence White, which set me off on a kick listening to these late-era Byrds albums over and over again, some of which I already knew, others I picked up recently. I’ve already mentioned my high regard for Tom Verlaine’s guitar playing but I’m just as in awe of Clarence White and although each of them could appropriate different styles of playing at the drop of a hat, it’d be impossible to confuse them. I’ve always maintained that I can’t really truly love a guitarist as a player simply based on their guitar playing but that I also have to admire them as songwriters (like George Harrison or Richard Thompson), or as in the cases of Verlaine and White, as players who play songs, not notes, and yet still impart the tunes they play with their own distinct style without overwhelming it. Does that make any sense? I’ll shut up now.
Relocation Tactics, Are You Gonna Kiss or Wave Goodbye?- Spouse: My God, that “It=Love” is one of the coolest pop records I’ve ever heard IN MY LIFE. More good Valley stuff that I’m blessed to be able to know. Beyond these records showing off an excellent band with a cache of delectable tunes, there is also the sheer awesomeness of Jose Ayerve’s singing to enjoy.
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out- Yo La Tengo: This one has overlapped into the next “year” of listening. I recently ordered four more of their albums from the inter-library loan program (thank you, Brian!) to augment the three of theirs I already have. Although this record is known for conveying such a lovely mellow mood overall, ironically my favorite hard rock song I’ve heard of theirs so far is “Cherry Chapstick,” the only track on this album to feature a heavy sound blended with an upbeat tempo. Nonetheless, although Ira Kaplan’s guitar skronkfests in the middle and outro are delightful, the song boasts a helluva catchy melody and the lyrics strike their own perfect note as well.
Year-End List?
If you know me, you know I love making lists such as the compilation of my own year-end list of the books, albums or films that meant something to me over the course of that year. However, unlike entertainment media, which seems to be inundated with end-of-the-year lists in December and January, I compile my list in June, probably because a natural cycle seems to be concluding for me at that time, due to being a teacher.
Anyway, I’ll start with my list of novels, plays, short stories and non-fiction books I’ve read over the course of this last year, from July ’09 to July ‘10 (a music list will follow). Since I’m a teacher, almost all of this reading material is connected to education in some way- either I’m re-reading something I’ve read before along with a class, reading something new to determine whether I might incorporate it into a class or it’s something one of my students talked me into reading or perhaps even bought me for this purpose. The list won’t include anything I simply skipped around in or began but didn’t complete (like the Bible for the former, where I read the gospel of Mark recently but that was all and Robert Bly’s “Iron John” for the latter; I gave it as much a chance as I could- I made it over halfway through but it really just wasn’t clicking with me).
Novels:
Siddhartha- Herman Hesse
Notes From Underground- FyodorDostoevsky
The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath: Back in 1999, I worked as an assistant manager at a record store in Portsmouth, NH. One of my co-workers was a teenage girl named Angelique who, due to having cystic fibrosis, had to enter the hospital for a two-week period for her yearly lung-clearing procedure. Before doing so, she asked friends and co-workers for materials to read, CDs to borrow, etc. Now, at that time, fifteen-year old Angelique was dipping her toe into the darker side of the popular culture of the day. For example, she adored Nine Inch Nails, dressed in a nearly all-black wardrobe, and had recently become enamored of the “Girl, Interrupted” film. I always considered that Kaysen book on which the film was based to be a kind of heir to Plath’s “Bell Jar” and so purchased a copy for Angelique to read during her hospital stay. Anyway, my wife and I soon moved away from Portsmouth and so I never got a chance to see Angelique again after her hospital stay and find out what Angie might’ve thought of the novel. Recently, I assigned the book to two students of mine, one named Karli, the other Carly, both of whom I thought would enjoy it and my estimation was dead-on. Karli was so smitten with it that she would sneak her copy under her desk and read it in other classes whenever she got the chance. Hearing this, I was reminded of Angelique, who I hadn’t seen or talked to since 1999. Now, for those that don’t know, cystic fibrosis affects the lungs in such a way that those who suffer from it live shortened life spans, most perishing around age 30, almost all dying before the age of 40. So, eleven years later, I decided to look Angelique up online to see whether she might still be around but cautiously preparing myself for a sad reality. Well, according to her facebook page, I learned that Angelique still is well enough to walk on her own in the yearly charity event she takes part in to raise funds for a cure for CF, has a serious boyfriend (in her profile pic, the two of them are just beaming and looking at each other rather than at the camera) and she maintains a website selling her own hand-crafted jewelry. The thing that struck me, however, was on the part of the facebook page where individuals list their favorite movies, bands, books, etc., Angie cites The Bell Jar as her number one fave. I guess I was destined to be a high school teacher- I just didn’t know it yet back in 1999. Anyway, after my brief bit of lurking, Angie and I reconnected properly through facebook and caught up and yes, she still likes Nine Inch Nails too (but don’t blame me for that one!)
Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov (re-read)
1984- George Orwell (r-r)
Confederacy of Dunces- John Kennedy Toole (r-r)
Slaughterhouse Five- Kurt Vonnegut (r-r)
Fun Home- Alison Bechdel (r-r)
The Diving Bell & The Butterfly- Jean-Dominique Bauby
Candide- Voltaire
Ethan Frome- Edith Wharton: I read this over the April vacation break and loved, loved, loved it. All of the elements that make great literature are here- great characters, a compelling plot, plus Wharton uses language beautifully. It presents its historical time and place perfectly, its themes are timeless, and although I didn’t incorporate it into any classes, I probably will at some point; I imagine that at least a portion of the kids will like it. Anyone who has lived through a brutally chilly New England winter and/or has been consumed with a passionate ache for someone they fell in love with can relate to this story at least enough to appreciate it.
The Bungalow Mystery- Carolyn Keene: This is a Nancy Drew novel that I read over the course of a few weeks with my daughter at bed-times. You gotta like how clever and courageous Nancy is but the plot and mystery itself wasn’t much to get excited about. I know- it’s for kids, but still, I think I’m just spoiled by all the Agatha Christie I’ve read in my time.
The Breadwinner- Deborah Ellis
Parvana’s Journey- Deborah Ellis
Plays:
The Piano Lesson- August Wilson: My wife had this on her shelf and I just casually picked it up when considering plays to work with in my Reading Modern Drama class. I’d heard good things about Wilson but had no idea how awesome this play would be. The characters are fantastic, the dialogue sucks you in, the family conflict at the heart of the drama is compelling and it’s almost impossible to take sides. Throw in the humor, the supernatural elements that are deftly woven in without losing the realism and you’ve got a case for Wilson as a genius playwright. All that said, most of the kids in class didn’t get all that into it. For one thing, the heavy ebonics in the dialogue threw them and the several levels of meaning were hard for them to pick up on, more so than with Tennessee Williams’ stuff. Either way, I gotta check out more of Wilson’s work…
Fences: August Wilson: So I did, plowing through this one in about a day while at my mother-in-law’s house. This is one of Wilson’s more famous pieces and it’s also pretty damn good but probably even less accessible to adolescents. Nonetheless, just as “Piano” is a must for music fans, this one is a must for baseball fans.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- Tennessee Williams
Suddenly Last Summer- Tennessee Williams: Just read it after the school year concluded. I saw the film version many years ago and remembered nothing about it. Doesn’t matter. I seriously doubt the Hollywood version comes anywhere near the actual ending of this play. You think gangsta rap is shocking? T.W. came up with some f-ed up s-t in his day. How was he so popular in the mainstream, exactly? Either way, I’ve never been disappointed with any of Williams’ plays. I’m honored to share initials with him.
Waiting For Godot- Samuel Beckett: I’d always heard good things about this one and I wasn’t disappointed. When we got to it in class, many of the kids were like “What the f is this craziness?” But the handful of students who are more inclined to dig literature immediately fell in love with it, as did I. Really fun to act out in class, especially Lucky’s 3 page-long sentence of gibberish. Also, I had the students collaborate with a classmate on writing then reading aloud their own short plays using “Godot” as an influence. One couple produced a brilliant piece called “Waiting for Cell Reception” where Tom (played by Tim) and Katrina (played by Kathryn) converge on the one spot on the campus of our school where cell reception is most likely (remember, we’re out in the sticks in Hardwick) and it just happens to be by a flagpole, which serves as an homage to Godot’s lone tree. The two students wait and wait and wait, bickering endlessly with each other such as when at one point, they decide to pray to God to try to obtain cell reception but can’t come to an agreement on how to pray since Tom/Tim is Christian and Katrina/Kathryn is Jewish. Awesome stuff! Interesting note: our school’s music teacher once performed the small “boy” role in a traveling troupe doing performances of “Godot” all over the U.S. in the late 1950s when he was about 11 years old. I forget which actor played which part but the two main roles were performed by none other than Robert Duvall and Dustin Hoffman well before they hit the big time with “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “The Graduate,” respectively. Nym said the two guys were a blast to travel with, very fun and congenial and supportive of him but at the same time big-time carousers drinking everything in sight and in possession of extremely filthy mouths.
Fat Pig- Neil Labute
The Shape of Things- Neil Labute
Foreplay, or the Art of the Fugue- David Ives
A Doll’s House- Henrik Ibsen (rr)
No Exit- Jean-Paul Sartre (rr)
The Glass Menagerie- Tennessee Williams (rr)
A Streetcar Named Desire- Tennessee Williams (rr)
A Raisin in the Sun- Lorraine Hansberry (rr): Easily one of my favorite pieces to do with classes. The four main characters are all wonderful, same with the expertly drawn minor characters; the conflict at the center of the piece drives the drama so that it’s utterly compelling. I also love how Hansberry ratchets up the drama until it’s unbearable at the end of each scene and then lets the tension loose like a rubber band so that the beginning of the following scene lets us take a deep breath. It’s usually then that she incorporates something funny, introduces a new character and then sets the whole thing to a slow boil again. I know this is a classic but I wonder why it’s not more famous. Like, I think it should be up there with those deathless high school things like Gatsby and Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye et al. It really is that good, I think, and my students all seem to inevitably get into it.
Death of a Salesman- Arthur Miller (rr)
Non-Fiction & Other:
Born on a Blue Day-Daniel Tammett
Learning Outside the Lines- Jonathan Mooney & David Cole
ADHD & Me (Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table)- Blake E.S. Taylor
Why Students Don’t Like School- Daniel Willingham
Growing Up Digital- Donald Tapscott
Short Stories:
"Pretty Mouth Green My Eyes"- J.D. Salinger
"Hapworth 16, 1924" J.D. Salinger
"De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period" J.D. Salinger
"Madame Zilensky & the King of Finland" Carson McCullers
"The Jockey" Carson McCullers
"Propeller" Ari Vais: Propeller? I hardly know her and you want me to propeller? Sorry, A.V. Lame joke aside, there were aspects of this that made me smile, from the relatively insignificant (the use of the word “pate” which somehow finds its way into every story Ari writes) to the more satisfying- the entire scene of the couple sneaking into the employees’ lounge in particular, although I wanted to spend much more time with the trashed co-worker character.
"Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" William Saroyan
"The Yellow Wallpaper" Charlotte Perkins Gilman (rr): A difficult piece to use in classes due to its use of elevated vocabulary, its seeming lack of plot (but not really- it’s the chronicle of a mind slowly losing sanity) and then of course, there’s the fact that it’s a work of literature that does a lot of things on many different levels. On its surface, it’s a Southern Gothic horror story but I also want students to be able to recognize its brilliant symbolism, its cinema verite style, its flavor-enhancing allusions and of course, its commentary on the feminist movement during women’s suffrage.
"A Jury of Her Peers" Susan Glaspell (rr): This is also available as a play called “Trifles”- in either format, it’s a murder mystery but one with several ingenious points being made on gender roles; often, I use it in a unit with “Wallpaper.”
"A Christmas Memory" Truman Capote (rr)
"For Esme With Love & Squalor" J.D. Salinger (rr): The quintessential Salinger story and my favorite of his ever, I have come to love Esme and “Sergeant X” like other people love Rick and Ilse or Charlie Bucket and Grampa Joe. Every time I read it, three pages from the ending, I’m rotflmao-ing at Clay and his “combat style” jeep driving boast, two pages from the ending and I’m so mad at humanity, I want to commit suicide (or like Salinger, retreat from society as much as possible) and on the last page, I’m inevitably overcome by the profound beauty of life.
"Fetch!" Robb White (rr): Great for younger students; it’s brief and contains action and a twist ending but does not contain much in the way of difficult vocabulary. Additionally, in this story about a Great Dane and its owner, there are easy-to-understand examples of literary devices such as metaphor, personification, and denotation/connotation.
Anyway, I’ll start with my list of novels, plays, short stories and non-fiction books I’ve read over the course of this last year, from July ’09 to July ‘10 (a music list will follow). Since I’m a teacher, almost all of this reading material is connected to education in some way- either I’m re-reading something I’ve read before along with a class, reading something new to determine whether I might incorporate it into a class or it’s something one of my students talked me into reading or perhaps even bought me for this purpose. The list won’t include anything I simply skipped around in or began but didn’t complete (like the Bible for the former, where I read the gospel of Mark recently but that was all and Robert Bly’s “Iron John” for the latter; I gave it as much a chance as I could- I made it over halfway through but it really just wasn’t clicking with me).
Novels:
Siddhartha- Herman Hesse
Notes From Underground- FyodorDostoevsky
The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath: Back in 1999, I worked as an assistant manager at a record store in Portsmouth, NH. One of my co-workers was a teenage girl named Angelique who, due to having cystic fibrosis, had to enter the hospital for a two-week period for her yearly lung-clearing procedure. Before doing so, she asked friends and co-workers for materials to read, CDs to borrow, etc. Now, at that time, fifteen-year old Angelique was dipping her toe into the darker side of the popular culture of the day. For example, she adored Nine Inch Nails, dressed in a nearly all-black wardrobe, and had recently become enamored of the “Girl, Interrupted” film. I always considered that Kaysen book on which the film was based to be a kind of heir to Plath’s “Bell Jar” and so purchased a copy for Angelique to read during her hospital stay. Anyway, my wife and I soon moved away from Portsmouth and so I never got a chance to see Angelique again after her hospital stay and find out what Angie might’ve thought of the novel. Recently, I assigned the book to two students of mine, one named Karli, the other Carly, both of whom I thought would enjoy it and my estimation was dead-on. Karli was so smitten with it that she would sneak her copy under her desk and read it in other classes whenever she got the chance. Hearing this, I was reminded of Angelique, who I hadn’t seen or talked to since 1999. Now, for those that don’t know, cystic fibrosis affects the lungs in such a way that those who suffer from it live shortened life spans, most perishing around age 30, almost all dying before the age of 40. So, eleven years later, I decided to look Angelique up online to see whether she might still be around but cautiously preparing myself for a sad reality. Well, according to her facebook page, I learned that Angelique still is well enough to walk on her own in the yearly charity event she takes part in to raise funds for a cure for CF, has a serious boyfriend (in her profile pic, the two of them are just beaming and looking at each other rather than at the camera) and she maintains a website selling her own hand-crafted jewelry. The thing that struck me, however, was on the part of the facebook page where individuals list their favorite movies, bands, books, etc., Angie cites The Bell Jar as her number one fave. I guess I was destined to be a high school teacher- I just didn’t know it yet back in 1999. Anyway, after my brief bit of lurking, Angie and I reconnected properly through facebook and caught up and yes, she still likes Nine Inch Nails too (but don’t blame me for that one!)
Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov (re-read)
1984- George Orwell (r-r)
Confederacy of Dunces- John Kennedy Toole (r-r)
Slaughterhouse Five- Kurt Vonnegut (r-r)
Fun Home- Alison Bechdel (r-r)
The Diving Bell & The Butterfly- Jean-Dominique Bauby
Candide- Voltaire
Ethan Frome- Edith Wharton: I read this over the April vacation break and loved, loved, loved it. All of the elements that make great literature are here- great characters, a compelling plot, plus Wharton uses language beautifully. It presents its historical time and place perfectly, its themes are timeless, and although I didn’t incorporate it into any classes, I probably will at some point; I imagine that at least a portion of the kids will like it. Anyone who has lived through a brutally chilly New England winter and/or has been consumed with a passionate ache for someone they fell in love with can relate to this story at least enough to appreciate it.
The Bungalow Mystery- Carolyn Keene: This is a Nancy Drew novel that I read over the course of a few weeks with my daughter at bed-times. You gotta like how clever and courageous Nancy is but the plot and mystery itself wasn’t much to get excited about. I know- it’s for kids, but still, I think I’m just spoiled by all the Agatha Christie I’ve read in my time.
The Breadwinner- Deborah Ellis
Parvana’s Journey- Deborah Ellis
Plays:
The Piano Lesson- August Wilson: My wife had this on her shelf and I just casually picked it up when considering plays to work with in my Reading Modern Drama class. I’d heard good things about Wilson but had no idea how awesome this play would be. The characters are fantastic, the dialogue sucks you in, the family conflict at the heart of the drama is compelling and it’s almost impossible to take sides. Throw in the humor, the supernatural elements that are deftly woven in without losing the realism and you’ve got a case for Wilson as a genius playwright. All that said, most of the kids in class didn’t get all that into it. For one thing, the heavy ebonics in the dialogue threw them and the several levels of meaning were hard for them to pick up on, more so than with Tennessee Williams’ stuff. Either way, I gotta check out more of Wilson’s work…
Fences: August Wilson: So I did, plowing through this one in about a day while at my mother-in-law’s house. This is one of Wilson’s more famous pieces and it’s also pretty damn good but probably even less accessible to adolescents. Nonetheless, just as “Piano” is a must for music fans, this one is a must for baseball fans.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- Tennessee Williams
Suddenly Last Summer- Tennessee Williams: Just read it after the school year concluded. I saw the film version many years ago and remembered nothing about it. Doesn’t matter. I seriously doubt the Hollywood version comes anywhere near the actual ending of this play. You think gangsta rap is shocking? T.W. came up with some f-ed up s-t in his day. How was he so popular in the mainstream, exactly? Either way, I’ve never been disappointed with any of Williams’ plays. I’m honored to share initials with him.
Waiting For Godot- Samuel Beckett: I’d always heard good things about this one and I wasn’t disappointed. When we got to it in class, many of the kids were like “What the f is this craziness?” But the handful of students who are more inclined to dig literature immediately fell in love with it, as did I. Really fun to act out in class, especially Lucky’s 3 page-long sentence of gibberish. Also, I had the students collaborate with a classmate on writing then reading aloud their own short plays using “Godot” as an influence. One couple produced a brilliant piece called “Waiting for Cell Reception” where Tom (played by Tim) and Katrina (played by Kathryn) converge on the one spot on the campus of our school where cell reception is most likely (remember, we’re out in the sticks in Hardwick) and it just happens to be by a flagpole, which serves as an homage to Godot’s lone tree. The two students wait and wait and wait, bickering endlessly with each other such as when at one point, they decide to pray to God to try to obtain cell reception but can’t come to an agreement on how to pray since Tom/Tim is Christian and Katrina/Kathryn is Jewish. Awesome stuff! Interesting note: our school’s music teacher once performed the small “boy” role in a traveling troupe doing performances of “Godot” all over the U.S. in the late 1950s when he was about 11 years old. I forget which actor played which part but the two main roles were performed by none other than Robert Duvall and Dustin Hoffman well before they hit the big time with “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “The Graduate,” respectively. Nym said the two guys were a blast to travel with, very fun and congenial and supportive of him but at the same time big-time carousers drinking everything in sight and in possession of extremely filthy mouths.
Fat Pig- Neil Labute
The Shape of Things- Neil Labute
Foreplay, or the Art of the Fugue- David Ives
A Doll’s House- Henrik Ibsen (rr)
No Exit- Jean-Paul Sartre (rr)
The Glass Menagerie- Tennessee Williams (rr)
A Streetcar Named Desire- Tennessee Williams (rr)
A Raisin in the Sun- Lorraine Hansberry (rr): Easily one of my favorite pieces to do with classes. The four main characters are all wonderful, same with the expertly drawn minor characters; the conflict at the center of the piece drives the drama so that it’s utterly compelling. I also love how Hansberry ratchets up the drama until it’s unbearable at the end of each scene and then lets the tension loose like a rubber band so that the beginning of the following scene lets us take a deep breath. It’s usually then that she incorporates something funny, introduces a new character and then sets the whole thing to a slow boil again. I know this is a classic but I wonder why it’s not more famous. Like, I think it should be up there with those deathless high school things like Gatsby and Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye et al. It really is that good, I think, and my students all seem to inevitably get into it.
Death of a Salesman- Arthur Miller (rr)
Non-Fiction & Other:
Born on a Blue Day-Daniel Tammett
Learning Outside the Lines- Jonathan Mooney & David Cole
ADHD & Me (Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table)- Blake E.S. Taylor
Why Students Don’t Like School- Daniel Willingham
Growing Up Digital- Donald Tapscott
Short Stories:
"Pretty Mouth Green My Eyes"- J.D. Salinger
"Hapworth 16, 1924" J.D. Salinger
"De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period" J.D. Salinger
"Madame Zilensky & the King of Finland" Carson McCullers
"The Jockey" Carson McCullers
"Propeller" Ari Vais: Propeller? I hardly know her and you want me to propeller? Sorry, A.V. Lame joke aside, there were aspects of this that made me smile, from the relatively insignificant (the use of the word “pate” which somehow finds its way into every story Ari writes) to the more satisfying- the entire scene of the couple sneaking into the employees’ lounge in particular, although I wanted to spend much more time with the trashed co-worker character.
"Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" William Saroyan
"The Yellow Wallpaper" Charlotte Perkins Gilman (rr): A difficult piece to use in classes due to its use of elevated vocabulary, its seeming lack of plot (but not really- it’s the chronicle of a mind slowly losing sanity) and then of course, there’s the fact that it’s a work of literature that does a lot of things on many different levels. On its surface, it’s a Southern Gothic horror story but I also want students to be able to recognize its brilliant symbolism, its cinema verite style, its flavor-enhancing allusions and of course, its commentary on the feminist movement during women’s suffrage.
"A Jury of Her Peers" Susan Glaspell (rr): This is also available as a play called “Trifles”- in either format, it’s a murder mystery but one with several ingenious points being made on gender roles; often, I use it in a unit with “Wallpaper.”
"A Christmas Memory" Truman Capote (rr)
"For Esme With Love & Squalor" J.D. Salinger (rr): The quintessential Salinger story and my favorite of his ever, I have come to love Esme and “Sergeant X” like other people love Rick and Ilse or Charlie Bucket and Grampa Joe. Every time I read it, three pages from the ending, I’m rotflmao-ing at Clay and his “combat style” jeep driving boast, two pages from the ending and I’m so mad at humanity, I want to commit suicide (or like Salinger, retreat from society as much as possible) and on the last page, I’m inevitably overcome by the profound beauty of life.
"Fetch!" Robb White (rr): Great for younger students; it’s brief and contains action and a twist ending but does not contain much in the way of difficult vocabulary. Additionally, in this story about a Great Dane and its owner, there are easy-to-understand examples of literary devices such as metaphor, personification, and denotation/connotation.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Northampton Sidewalk Concerts and Flaming Lips
On Friday July 23, 2010, School for the Dead, The Fawns, and The Salvation Alley String Band were scheduled to play a free outdoor concert in the center of Northampton, MA. The annual Northampton sidewalk sales were going on so the streets ordinarily should have been lined with tents and balloons and people wandering around. Unfortunately, on that Friday the streets were instead lined with rushing impromptu streams of freshly fallen rain. Dark gray clouds hung overhead and torrential bouts of rain bombarded the cement.
We rescheduled the show for Saturday. Unfortunately, that meant that Salvation Alley would not be able to play.
On Saturday, when we arrived to set up for the show, there was no rain. It was about a million degrees outside, but there was no rain and the stage area was luckily nicely shaded by the enormous looming church behind it.
We set up our equipment as the Primate Fiasco played a concert on the sidewalk. The atmosphere was festive and circus like and they filled the town with a nice energy. It made setting up the stage fun.
The Fawns played first for an hour and then SFTD played for an hour. These outdoor festival-like concerts are some of my favorite on-stage experiences. As people are constantly strolling by, you have a new audience every five seconds. Certainly, many folks stopped and sat down on the lawn or leaned on a lamp post to watch, but the constant flow of pedestrians made for a great people watching experience. We weren’t just playing to people on our side of the street. There were cars constantly cruising by with their windows open. All the way across the wide Main Street on the opposite sidewalk, I saw smiling faces stop and watch.We rescheduled the show for Saturday. Unfortunately, that meant that Salvation Alley would not be able to play.
On Saturday, when we arrived to set up for the show, there was no rain. It was about a million degrees outside, but there was no rain and the stage area was luckily nicely shaded by the enormous looming church behind it.
We set up our equipment as the Primate Fiasco played a concert on the sidewalk. The atmosphere was festive and circus like and they filled the town with a nice energy. It made setting up the stage fun.
I loved hearing my voice and Brian’s snare drum echo back at us from the old brick buildings across the street. I wish I could play a show like that every week.
The super hero of the day was Ryan Quinn from The Salvation Alley String Band. Even though his band wasn’t able to play, he came out and volunteered to man our merchandise table. That meant he not only sold albums, gave out change, and kept track of everything, he also had to navigate through a number of confusing conversations with some of Northampton’s most confusing citizens. He also took these pictures. Three cheers for Ryan.
When we were finished with our shows, we were drenched from the heat and we had to break down quickly because many of us had tickets to the Flaming Lips concert that was starting shortly.
A quick ride home, a super fast shower and change of clothes, and a fast ride out to Mountain Park brought us into the venue just in time for the Flaming Lips. I’ve been wanting to see them for years now and Lesa and I had even considered scheduling a trip or two around their touring schedule, as it turns out, we didn’t have to. They came to us.
Mountain Park was beautiful under the almost full moon. The grass was full of people, many of them friends of mine. The next couple of hours consisted of standing in a crowd and being assaulted by sound and site.
I mean this in a good way...watching the Flaming Lips was like staring into the sun.
What a perfect day, first I get to play two concerts with my favorite people and then I get to see a concert by a favorite band, and all of it outside beneath the summer skies.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Video for Carnival
Here's the new video for the song Carnival from my solo album, "Looks Like I'm Tall".
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
School for the Dead Outside In Northampton
5:00 - The Fawns6:00 - School for the Dead
What do you think? Wouldn't Saturday evening be a nice time to take a stroll through Northampton? Maybe get an ice-cream or a slice and hang out a bit with us?
Monday, July 19, 2010
2 Gigs - 3 Items Checked Off
This past weekend was a two-gig weekend. I was able to check off three new things on my list of things to check off.
Our set was short. It was only six songs, we did Periscope (School for the Dead), Red Eyed Reasons (Sitting Next To Brian), Pioneer Valley Rose (Salvation Alley String Band), Rosamonde (Bourgeois Heroes), High School Party (The Fawns), and I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City by Harry Nilsson. That last song was fitting becasue it was written especially for the movie Midnight Cowboy, even though it was not actually used.
On Sunday, School for the Dead played at The Green River Festival. We played on the Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child stage, which, yes, was fully run on solar power. It was a hot day under our tent but the show was pretty fun. When we finished, we saw a great set by Cake and a bunch of Hot Air Balloons filling up.
Pretty nice weekend.
Next stop for School for the Dead is this Friday outside in the center of Northampton on Main Street. Just follow the sound of the music. 5:00 - Salvation Alley String Band, 6:00 - The Fawns, 7:00 - School for the Dead.
- Play a show in a movie theater before a movie. Check.
- Play a show with a sign language interpreter. Check.
- Play a show on an entirely solar-powered stage. Check.
Our set was short. It was only six songs, we did Periscope (School for the Dead), Red Eyed Reasons (Sitting Next To Brian), Pioneer Valley Rose (Salvation Alley String Band), Rosamonde (Bourgeois Heroes), High School Party (The Fawns), and I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City by Harry Nilsson. That last song was fitting becasue it was written especially for the movie Midnight Cowboy, even though it was not actually used.
On Sunday, School for the Dead played at The Green River Festival. We played on the Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child stage, which, yes, was fully run on solar power. It was a hot day under our tent but the show was pretty fun. When we finished, we saw a great set by Cake and a bunch of Hot Air Balloons filling up.
Pretty nice weekend.
Next stop for School for the Dead is this Friday outside in the center of Northampton on Main Street. Just follow the sound of the music. 5:00 - Salvation Alley String Band, 6:00 - The Fawns, 7:00 - School for the Dead.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Rub Wrongways Caravan opens for Midnight Cowboy
Once again the Rub Wrongways Caravan of Stars is venturing into uncharted areas. This Saturday we are playing a brief set at Pothole Pictures in Shelburne Falls, MA. Pothole Pictures is a film series in a beautiful old theater called Memorial Hall. We will be "opening" for Midnight Cowboy! We play at 7:00 and the movie starts at 7:30. We've got six songs planned. We'll do one each from the bands School for the Dead, The Fawns, Bourgeois Heroes, Sitting Next To Brian, and Salvation Alley String Band, and a special cover song.
Those of you who have seen Midnight Cowboy know that there are some repeating musical pieces. One of them is "Everybody's Talkin'" sung by Harry Nilsson (pictured). But when the film was being made, Harry wrote another song specifically for the film that was never used. This song was called "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City". It's arrangement and mood are verrrry similar to "Everybody's Talkin'". We'll be finishing our set with that song.
Then we're clearing the stage and grabbing seats to watch the movie. Maybe you'll be there.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Video for Map by School for the Dead
Super 8 film shot in the 80's. Projected on a screen and filmed with a video camera soon after. Converted to a DVD in the 2000's. Turned into an AVI file this morning. Edited to fit the song "Map" from "A Telephone Built For Two".
Reading Lolita in Hardwick
Last year, the school in which I teach adapted its curriculum so that, rather than have four quarters or two semesters, we have nine terms spread out over the year, allowing for courses of varying lengths. For instance, my "Songwriters' Workshop" is one term while "College Composition" is usually a full year. Anyway, as the English department head, it's part of my job to decide on the curriculum offerings for each year and I like to think that I arrive at a balance of standard classes like American Literature Survey and Journalism but also specialized courses like these:
Man Vs. Man: The Literature of War (4-9 terms)
Much of the world’s literature throughout history has dealt with the theme of war and conflict. From ancient texts such as Homer’s epic poem The Iliad through Shakespeare’s Henry V to 20th century masterpieces by Hemingway, Vonnegut, et al, the subject of war has inspired writers to look at it in a variety of ways, in order to better comprehend human nature. Students will read a variety of texts with an emphasis on placing works in their historical context.
The GLBT Experience in Literature (4-9 terms)
In this course, students read, discuss, and write about both fictional and non-fictional accounts of the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual & Transgender) experience. From novels and short stories to memoir, poetry, plays, movies and documentaries, there is a rich pool of texts and media to choose from in exploring this topic. Students will discuss themes often encountered in post-secondary literature courses while still in high school so an open mind and a measure of maturity are expected on the part of interested students.
As you can see, teaching at a private school also offers the opportunity to include more unorthodox, possibly even controversial texts into the curriculum. With that in mind, one of the most popular classes I devised was one entitled "Banned Books! Reading Works of Literature Other Schools Won’t Let You Read." Last year, in my own section of this class, we started with the classic "1984" by George Orwell (yes, ironically, it has been banned in many high schools!) to get students thinking about censorship in society in general. Then the fun really began, as we also read a graphic novel called "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel, Vonnegut's brilliantly chaotic "Slaughterhouse-Five" and others but it also afforded me the opportunity to work with students on a reading of "Lolita." While cleaning up my classroom here over the summer, I just found a response I wrote to a prompt given to the class that reminded me how much I (and the students in this class) enjoyed reading this novel together. By the way, sometimes I write along with my students, partly because it lets me know myself how difficult an assignment really is and helps clarify my objectives for it in the first place but also because I've found students appreciate it when you work along with them rather than just assign things and crack the whip on due dates and such.
Anyway, in Chapter 31, Humbert quotes a famous poet with this couplet:
"The moral sense in mortals is the duty
We have to pay on mortal sense of beauty."
Now, Nabokov invented this couplet himself, which can elicit a good discussion on whether the imaginary poet and his couplet truly exist in the fictional world of Humbert or whether Humbert himself is supposed to have made this up and is passing it off as real. Anyway, that's only one road to take in analyzing the couplet- the point of the assignment was to have students write an in-class composition (to be shared aloud) on the function of the couplet in the narrative at that point in the novel. Knowing that the students would probably go in certain directions, based on their previous understanding of the work do far, I decided to deliberately dive into a more particular, probably obscure interpretation:
"Although our attention is probably initially directed towards the resemblance between the words “moral” and “mortal,” I think the meaning of this couplet hinges on the word directly in the center of it, which is “duty.” The more common meaning of that word denotes something that has to be done, an obligation, therefore connecting to “moral sense” but that is not the meaning directly used here. “Duty” in this couplet refers to a price that must be paid, as in a tax duty, something unavoidable, yes, but also something that takes a toll (if you can forgive my own pun here) on a person. So while Humbert appears to be saying something to the effect of having a moral duty that is compromised by one’s own particular sense of beauty, in his case, a natural physical attraction to younger girls that goes against society’s “moral sense,” if you look more closely, that idea is only implied. He’s being deceptive, or if not entirely deceptive, at least tricking us with words. We may read too quickly and fill in the meaning; if we pause to consider the function of the actual meaning of “duty” as it is used here, we see that he has to suffer, that he has a price that he must pay for his “sense of beauty,” and that is the misery and melancholy he feels knowing that he has corrupted Dolores Haze. It is true that it is his own fault, that he overrode whatever “moral sense” he initially had to engage in sexual affairs with Lolita but when he addresses the reader through the quotation of this imaginary poet’s lines (and indeed, is the poet imaginary within the diegesis, too?), there is also the word “we” being used. Therefore, readers must place themselves within the world of the quote and think of the ways in which we are also made to suffer based on our own “sense[s] of beauty.” We may not be pedophiles but is there some aspect to our own aesthetics, or our own sexual desires, that would not be sanctioned by some element of society? Indeed, this brief chapter brings up the idea of the Catholic church and priests, who are asked to be celibate, to refrain from sexual life altogether, to deny their natural healthy sexual impulses for their “moral sense.” Once again, Humbert is slyly using language and the ideas contained therein to make us sympathize with him, in effect to see ourselves caught in the same trap, substituting our own deep desires for his and seeing how we too might suffer, how we must pay for whatever we naturally find beautiful, desirable."
Fun stuff, and so exciting to be working on this kind of heady literary stuff with high school students.
Man Vs. Man: The Literature of War (4-9 terms)
Much of the world’s literature throughout history has dealt with the theme of war and conflict. From ancient texts such as Homer’s epic poem The Iliad through Shakespeare’s Henry V to 20th century masterpieces by Hemingway, Vonnegut, et al, the subject of war has inspired writers to look at it in a variety of ways, in order to better comprehend human nature. Students will read a variety of texts with an emphasis on placing works in their historical context.
The GLBT Experience in Literature (4-9 terms)
In this course, students read, discuss, and write about both fictional and non-fictional accounts of the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual & Transgender) experience. From novels and short stories to memoir, poetry, plays, movies and documentaries, there is a rich pool of texts and media to choose from in exploring this topic. Students will discuss themes often encountered in post-secondary literature courses while still in high school so an open mind and a measure of maturity are expected on the part of interested students.
As you can see, teaching at a private school also offers the opportunity to include more unorthodox, possibly even controversial texts into the curriculum. With that in mind, one of the most popular classes I devised was one entitled "Banned Books! Reading Works of Literature Other Schools Won’t Let You Read." Last year, in my own section of this class, we started with the classic "1984" by George Orwell (yes, ironically, it has been banned in many high schools!) to get students thinking about censorship in society in general. Then the fun really began, as we also read a graphic novel called "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel, Vonnegut's brilliantly chaotic "Slaughterhouse-Five" and others but it also afforded me the opportunity to work with students on a reading of "Lolita." While cleaning up my classroom here over the summer, I just found a response I wrote to a prompt given to the class that reminded me how much I (and the students in this class) enjoyed reading this novel together. By the way, sometimes I write along with my students, partly because it lets me know myself how difficult an assignment really is and helps clarify my objectives for it in the first place but also because I've found students appreciate it when you work along with them rather than just assign things and crack the whip on due dates and such.
Anyway, in Chapter 31, Humbert quotes a famous poet with this couplet:
"The moral sense in mortals is the duty
We have to pay on mortal sense of beauty."
Now, Nabokov invented this couplet himself, which can elicit a good discussion on whether the imaginary poet and his couplet truly exist in the fictional world of Humbert or whether Humbert himself is supposed to have made this up and is passing it off as real. Anyway, that's only one road to take in analyzing the couplet- the point of the assignment was to have students write an in-class composition (to be shared aloud) on the function of the couplet in the narrative at that point in the novel. Knowing that the students would probably go in certain directions, based on their previous understanding of the work do far, I decided to deliberately dive into a more particular, probably obscure interpretation:
"Although our attention is probably initially directed towards the resemblance between the words “moral” and “mortal,” I think the meaning of this couplet hinges on the word directly in the center of it, which is “duty.” The more common meaning of that word denotes something that has to be done, an obligation, therefore connecting to “moral sense” but that is not the meaning directly used here. “Duty” in this couplet refers to a price that must be paid, as in a tax duty, something unavoidable, yes, but also something that takes a toll (if you can forgive my own pun here) on a person. So while Humbert appears to be saying something to the effect of having a moral duty that is compromised by one’s own particular sense of beauty, in his case, a natural physical attraction to younger girls that goes against society’s “moral sense,” if you look more closely, that idea is only implied. He’s being deceptive, or if not entirely deceptive, at least tricking us with words. We may read too quickly and fill in the meaning; if we pause to consider the function of the actual meaning of “duty” as it is used here, we see that he has to suffer, that he has a price that he must pay for his “sense of beauty,” and that is the misery and melancholy he feels knowing that he has corrupted Dolores Haze. It is true that it is his own fault, that he overrode whatever “moral sense” he initially had to engage in sexual affairs with Lolita but when he addresses the reader through the quotation of this imaginary poet’s lines (and indeed, is the poet imaginary within the diegesis, too?), there is also the word “we” being used. Therefore, readers must place themselves within the world of the quote and think of the ways in which we are also made to suffer based on our own “sense[s] of beauty.” We may not be pedophiles but is there some aspect to our own aesthetics, or our own sexual desires, that would not be sanctioned by some element of society? Indeed, this brief chapter brings up the idea of the Catholic church and priests, who are asked to be celibate, to refrain from sexual life altogether, to deny their natural healthy sexual impulses for their “moral sense.” Once again, Humbert is slyly using language and the ideas contained therein to make us sympathize with him, in effect to see ourselves caught in the same trap, substituting our own deep desires for his and seeing how we too might suffer, how we must pay for whatever we naturally find beautiful, desirable."
Fun stuff, and so exciting to be working on this kind of heady literary stuff with high school students.
Friday, July 09, 2010
Nice press by Masslive.com and The Republican
Donnie Moorhouse wrote a nice piece about our upcoming show at the Green River Festival (Sunday, July 18). Here's a snippet.
"When Henning Ohlenbusch takes the stage at the Green River Fest with his band School for the Dead, it will be in front of an audience he might not typically find at a local club.You can read the whole article here: LiveWire: School for the Dead plays Kid's Music Stage at Green River Fest
This is the first year that the Green River Fest will include a Kid’s Music Stage, featuring performances from The Nields, School for the Dead, and Primate Fiasco.
As it turns out our music seems to already appeal to kids,” said Ohlenbusch. “I can't tell you the number of people who tell me their kids often ask them to play our CDs. I guess there's something sparkly and fun in our songs that children enjoy.”
Ohlenbusch suggested this new audience might not be such a stretch..."
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Umass Love Stories
Spurred on by one of my colleagues who is also a UMass grad, I decided to write up my "UMass love story" and enter it into the contest the UMass magazine was having back around Valentine's Day of this year. I thought it came out okay and I believe it's an interesting enough tale and I suppose I shouldn't expect that it deserved to be one of the top 30 but despite my wife's insistence that my ego just can't handle the reality (and she's probably right to an extent), I still think something is up.
Read the grand prize winner here:
First place
I dunno. Seems kinda blah to me so maybe my ego can be assuaged by the possibility that the folks judging these stories have lame tastes. But then the second-place one is pretty good:
Second place
I mean, you can see the twist from a mile away but at least there's some juicy descriptiveness in the language and the writer did have a nice hook.
Now read the piece I submitted:
Although I try to keep away from cliché in writing and although I like to think of myself as more a realist than romantic, the simple truth is that I fell in love at first sight with my wife of twelve years (Shelly Ricci ’98) when she stepped into Shakespeare class in Bartlett Hall in September 1992. For the next few months, I remember noticing consistently late Shelly often sneaking into class and immediately sucking on her asthma inhaler, having had to scurry across the chilly campus from her Sylvan dorm room to make that 9:05 AM start time. I eventually worked up the nerve to introduce myself and ask her out, only to find out that she also initially found me attractive but erroneously assumed I was not interested in women.
The reason for this is rather ironic. You see, my dining hall of choice in those days was the vegetarian Basics, which had only one entrance. As a result, my best buddy Jason and I would sit next to each other so that both of us could clearly see and comment to each other upon all the cute, hip girls as they entered. Obviously, he and I were completely oblivious to the fact that by not sitting across from each other but rather side-by-side that cute, hip girls like Shelly might figure Jason and I were ourselves already a couple!
Anyway, after a stroll through a deserted campus during Super Bowl Sunday festivities followed by a real date at a vegetarian restaurant in Northampton, Shelly and I fell in love with each other.
Seventeen years later, we live in Hardwick, MA where I work as the English department head at Eagle Hill High School, Shelly teaches culinary arts part-time there and we are parents to Hannah, 8, Owen, 3, and Spencer, a four-month old baby whose middle name is Bartlett, after the UMass building in which I first laid eyes upon the love of my life.
-Anthony Westcott ‘93
Re-reading mine now, I suppose it could've been much better, particularly if I had replaced some of the blander background stuff with more plot & descriptiveness. Either way, if you scan through the 25 other pieces that got published on the website (but not in the print magazine), I think you'll see mine is certainly not inferior to most of these. (Side note: the story by "Foley" was written by the widow of my good friend and UMass roommate Stefan; in fact, she mentions both the play that Stefan and I co-wrote and the day that he broke up with his prior fiancee, which I still remember, as Stefan took me on a long car ride out to his hometown to have someone to pour his heart out to- on that drive, I told him he had the immense female population of UMass to consider and to let the fiancee go, which perhaps helped convince him to start up the romance with Megan).
Other love stories
You see, I wondered when writing my piece whether the hook of my story, being erroneously perceived as gay, was just too controversial for publication. And now that I see that each and every love story that was published is between a man and a woman, now I wonder whether there might be something to that, after all.
Read the grand prize winner here:
First place
I dunno. Seems kinda blah to me so maybe my ego can be assuaged by the possibility that the folks judging these stories have lame tastes. But then the second-place one is pretty good:
Second place
I mean, you can see the twist from a mile away but at least there's some juicy descriptiveness in the language and the writer did have a nice hook.
Now read the piece I submitted:
Although I try to keep away from cliché in writing and although I like to think of myself as more a realist than romantic, the simple truth is that I fell in love at first sight with my wife of twelve years (Shelly Ricci ’98) when she stepped into Shakespeare class in Bartlett Hall in September 1992. For the next few months, I remember noticing consistently late Shelly often sneaking into class and immediately sucking on her asthma inhaler, having had to scurry across the chilly campus from her Sylvan dorm room to make that 9:05 AM start time. I eventually worked up the nerve to introduce myself and ask her out, only to find out that she also initially found me attractive but erroneously assumed I was not interested in women.
The reason for this is rather ironic. You see, my dining hall of choice in those days was the vegetarian Basics, which had only one entrance. As a result, my best buddy Jason and I would sit next to each other so that both of us could clearly see and comment to each other upon all the cute, hip girls as they entered. Obviously, he and I were completely oblivious to the fact that by not sitting across from each other but rather side-by-side that cute, hip girls like Shelly might figure Jason and I were ourselves already a couple!
Anyway, after a stroll through a deserted campus during Super Bowl Sunday festivities followed by a real date at a vegetarian restaurant in Northampton, Shelly and I fell in love with each other.
Seventeen years later, we live in Hardwick, MA where I work as the English department head at Eagle Hill High School, Shelly teaches culinary arts part-time there and we are parents to Hannah, 8, Owen, 3, and Spencer, a four-month old baby whose middle name is Bartlett, after the UMass building in which I first laid eyes upon the love of my life.
-Anthony Westcott ‘93
Re-reading mine now, I suppose it could've been much better, particularly if I had replaced some of the blander background stuff with more plot & descriptiveness. Either way, if you scan through the 25 other pieces that got published on the website (but not in the print magazine), I think you'll see mine is certainly not inferior to most of these. (Side note: the story by "Foley" was written by the widow of my good friend and UMass roommate Stefan; in fact, she mentions both the play that Stefan and I co-wrote and the day that he broke up with his prior fiancee, which I still remember, as Stefan took me on a long car ride out to his hometown to have someone to pour his heart out to- on that drive, I told him he had the immense female population of UMass to consider and to let the fiancee go, which perhaps helped convince him to start up the romance with Megan).
Other love stories
You see, I wondered when writing my piece whether the hook of my story, being erroneously perceived as gay, was just too controversial for publication. And now that I see that each and every love story that was published is between a man and a woman, now I wonder whether there might be something to that, after all.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
Ideas and blogs and questions
I'm toying with the idea of starting my own blog. To get me back in the habit of letting my musings escape the confines of my cranium.
I recently realized the sad trajectory of my writing habit/dependency:
1993-2001: wrote in journal 2-3 times a week.
2001-2008: realizing that I love an audience, I begin phasing out journal writing and save myself for the Aloha Steamtrain gig diary and then this here Rockumentary. Journal is lucky if I touch it 5 times a year.
2008 present: Facebook. Writings are reduced to 3-5 sentences followed by waiting for instant results. This is horrible. Also, Googlechat or Facebookchat--there's something about chatting with a couple people in particular that bring out a slew of rapid fire ideas. I wish I was on a writing team for a successful show or creative team for some company that met only by chat.
In any case, yeah. (that last "nothing" sentence may in fact be the title of the blog) maybe I'll start my own blog. Do people still read blogs? Mine would have a loose focus. If you've noticed, I like writing about music. And relating it to my life. Music and me--my two favorite things to talk about.
I'd also try to hash out ideas. I'd like to sell ideas to people that would do something with them. For top dollar. Hee.
The good thing about a blog is that it's dated. So say I talk about this idea or that idea and a year later, that idea exists and no one consulted me, I'd perhaps have a case. Would that stand up in court?
Maybe my blog would be dedicated to ideas for things that I'll probably not do. Or forget about. I figure if an idea still floats in my head a couple years after the initial flash of inspiration, it's probably not a bad idea.
Here are three ideas:
1) The Ask Me Button Game--you buy a box of, say, 50 buttons (or pins or badges, whatever you call them). They each have a different Ask Me message on them. "Ask me what I did after my prom". Or "Ask me where I'd go if I could retire today" or "Ask me what instrument do I wish I was a master of" and when you have a party, everyone gets one. Maybe every 20 minutes you get a new one. That way, the guests, especially the shy ones, get talking about things other than their jobs.
2) 1966-74: The Book. So many mixes I make seem to have those years as a parameter. Why? I believe those are the 8 years when rock and roll existed as an unabashed, unselfconscious, forward thinking entity. The artists believed in it, the critics were on their side. And there are only a handful (relatively) of songwriters/artists who created and released their stuff through that entire span. Flying by the seat of their pants, trying and failing, changing people's lives, changing the culture, and being taken seriously. I'd focus on maybe half American songwriters (Dylan, Reed, Simon, Wilson, Young...) and half UK (Lennon, Mccartney (separately) Jagger/Richards (together), Townshend, Davies, Van Morrison...).
There are patterns that many of them followed: styles, spirituality, drugs, ambition, burnout.. That'd be my focus.
3) Dark Star video game--I'm not a video game guy, and I'm a fair weather Grateful Dead fan. But one thing that never fails to intrigue me is how between 1969-74, the band played the song Dark Star about 200 times, each averaging about 25 minutes, and each totally different, save the vocal part. Online, one can see many many writings, lists, etc about it. I've cross referenced lists and have tracked down most of what people say are "the best" versions. Usually this entails a particularly chaotic noise/feedback section (usually between the first and second verse, or about 15 minutes in), a pretty, pretty spacy, airy part, an unexpected and inspired riff that changes the direction of things, an unexpected jam that happened for the first time (aka "Feelin' Groovy" or "Tighten Up"), or (mostly) inexplicable musical blends that makes you think "what the hell kind of music IS this? Bebop drumming, bass drones, jagged rhythm guitar and bluegrass banjo licks played on the lead guitar with a wah pedal?"
In any case, I discovered about two years ago that I enjoy listening to the Dead--or some eras of them--while driving long distances, which I do a lot. (going against the popular notion that one has to be high and in a big crowd to "get" their music. I'm totally straight and alone when I dig the Dead).
Driving and listening to one version of Dark Star, I came up with a video game idea. Navigating a musical landscape based on several "famous" versions of the tune. Of course, one cannot actually improvise in real time in a video game, but one can program thousands of possibilities, which is pretty much enough. I think Deadheads and many others could go for it. And the more I read about the band, the more "closeted" fans I discover. Ones who just don't wanna get involved "in that scene" but secretly seek out certain things, which leads to more and more...luckily, I've drawn a pretty stern line in the sand at what I do not and never will like.
well, then. Hi and Bye. Let's see where this leads. Maybe this will also serve as the introductory entry in my new blog. Make a seamless segue....?
I recently realized the sad trajectory of my writing habit/dependency:
1993-2001: wrote in journal 2-3 times a week.
2001-2008: realizing that I love an audience, I begin phasing out journal writing and save myself for the Aloha Steamtrain gig diary and then this here Rockumentary. Journal is lucky if I touch it 5 times a year.
2008 present: Facebook. Writings are reduced to 3-5 sentences followed by waiting for instant results. This is horrible. Also, Googlechat or Facebookchat--there's something about chatting with a couple people in particular that bring out a slew of rapid fire ideas. I wish I was on a writing team for a successful show or creative team for some company that met only by chat.
In any case, yeah. (that last "nothing" sentence may in fact be the title of the blog) maybe I'll start my own blog. Do people still read blogs? Mine would have a loose focus. If you've noticed, I like writing about music. And relating it to my life. Music and me--my two favorite things to talk about.
I'd also try to hash out ideas. I'd like to sell ideas to people that would do something with them. For top dollar. Hee.
The good thing about a blog is that it's dated. So say I talk about this idea or that idea and a year later, that idea exists and no one consulted me, I'd perhaps have a case. Would that stand up in court?
Maybe my blog would be dedicated to ideas for things that I'll probably not do. Or forget about. I figure if an idea still floats in my head a couple years after the initial flash of inspiration, it's probably not a bad idea.
Here are three ideas:
1) The Ask Me Button Game--you buy a box of, say, 50 buttons (or pins or badges, whatever you call them). They each have a different Ask Me message on them. "Ask me what I did after my prom". Or "Ask me where I'd go if I could retire today" or "Ask me what instrument do I wish I was a master of" and when you have a party, everyone gets one. Maybe every 20 minutes you get a new one. That way, the guests, especially the shy ones, get talking about things other than their jobs.
2) 1966-74: The Book. So many mixes I make seem to have those years as a parameter. Why? I believe those are the 8 years when rock and roll existed as an unabashed, unselfconscious, forward thinking entity. The artists believed in it, the critics were on their side. And there are only a handful (relatively) of songwriters/artists who created and released their stuff through that entire span. Flying by the seat of their pants, trying and failing, changing people's lives, changing the culture, and being taken seriously. I'd focus on maybe half American songwriters (Dylan, Reed, Simon, Wilson, Young...) and half UK (Lennon, Mccartney (separately) Jagger/Richards (together), Townshend, Davies, Van Morrison...).
There are patterns that many of them followed: styles, spirituality, drugs, ambition, burnout.. That'd be my focus.
3) Dark Star video game--I'm not a video game guy, and I'm a fair weather Grateful Dead fan. But one thing that never fails to intrigue me is how between 1969-74, the band played the song Dark Star about 200 times, each averaging about 25 minutes, and each totally different, save the vocal part. Online, one can see many many writings, lists, etc about it. I've cross referenced lists and have tracked down most of what people say are "the best" versions. Usually this entails a particularly chaotic noise/feedback section (usually between the first and second verse, or about 15 minutes in), a pretty, pretty spacy, airy part, an unexpected and inspired riff that changes the direction of things, an unexpected jam that happened for the first time (aka "Feelin' Groovy" or "Tighten Up"), or (mostly) inexplicable musical blends that makes you think "what the hell kind of music IS this? Bebop drumming, bass drones, jagged rhythm guitar and bluegrass banjo licks played on the lead guitar with a wah pedal?"
In any case, I discovered about two years ago that I enjoy listening to the Dead--or some eras of them--while driving long distances, which I do a lot. (going against the popular notion that one has to be high and in a big crowd to "get" their music. I'm totally straight and alone when I dig the Dead).
Driving and listening to one version of Dark Star, I came up with a video game idea. Navigating a musical landscape based on several "famous" versions of the tune. Of course, one cannot actually improvise in real time in a video game, but one can program thousands of possibilities, which is pretty much enough. I think Deadheads and many others could go for it. And the more I read about the band, the more "closeted" fans I discover. Ones who just don't wanna get involved "in that scene" but secretly seek out certain things, which leads to more and more...luckily, I've drawn a pretty stern line in the sand at what I do not and never will like.
well, then. Hi and Bye. Let's see where this leads. Maybe this will also serve as the introductory entry in my new blog. Make a seamless segue....?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)