I received my second issue of Prospect magazine just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I’m pleased to say that this issue not only confirmed my suspicions of the magazine, it actually impressed me a little bit more.  And it sort of made me wish I had done something similar with all the magazines:  do a write up and then see how the latest issue compares (but I won’t).

I’m not going to go into extravagant detail with this issue, since I just wrote about the previous issue, but I wanted to mention the article that I was not only fascinated by, but that made me wonder why I had to cross the Atlantic to read about them.

But referencing back: yes, If I ruled the world appears to be a regular feature and this one (about abolishing receipts for transactions under £5) was funny and well argued.  And Brian Eno is back, with a funny column about increasing segmentation in music.

In this issue, I enjoyed the article about the sinister use of the word “inappropriate” (which asserts official power) instead of “indecent” (which appeals to you as a human being).  And since I use inappropriate all the time with my kids, I totally got it.

The article about stronger maternity leave (in Sweden) was really great, arguing from both sides and giving me new things to think about (as I think women and men should get more).  And most interestingly, the argument for importing vegetables from Africa was a shocking strike across the bow of the “eat local” argument.  Africans hand pick their vegetables, and therefore use farm less carbon than machine-operated farms; this completely offsets any carbon they use in transport (most of which is shipped on commercial airlines that were going to fly anyway).  Oh, and yes, the money spent on African food would obviously help poor African farmers quite a lot.

On the U.S. front, this was the first I’d heard of a theoretical presidential bid for General Petraeus.

I was also fascinated to read about the shortage of rare earth metals–China is planning on reducing the amount it sells to keep them for home production–which could vastly impact future technologies.  And, in a another cool “word” article, I learned about the new online dictionary Wordnik, which, OED be damned, includes words from all over the web, provides context, and lets people know what words are being used, whether they are stupid or not (example: “awesomepants“).

In the book world, I’ve been getting a lot of requests at the library for Steig Larsson’s The Girl with Dragon Tattoo.  I’ve wondered what the fuss was about, and conveniently, there was a review of the whole trilogy here (which makes me not want to read the books, although I’m delighted to find out the main character is a witch).  Next, Sam Leith has a fun hypothetical: would you rather be bitten by a vampire or a zombie.

And there’s media reviews of both Law & Order (!) and Saw VI (as a metaphor for American political commentary).

I’m delighted to see The Way We Were back with quotes from old authors. And I was fascinated to read a personal history by a mixed-race man who discovered that his white mom grew up with a dog named Nigger.  But when she married a black man, it showed that the name wasn’t mean to be racist, just culturally insensitive.  It was a surprisingly funny recollection.

And of course, the cover article: about dictators using the web to disrupt civil disobedience was absolutely eye-opening for me (even if in retrospect, it seems obvious).

So, yes, Prospect, you rock my world.  Thanks.

I was in Barnes and Noble recently and I looked for Prospect on the shelves.  But the overwhelming breadth (and sheer disorganization) of their magazine section made me give up after a couple of minutes.  So, I’m still not sure if you can get the magazine in the States.  But you can subscribe here.

Many many years ago, I discovered Might magazine.  It was a funny, silly magazine that spoofed everything (but had a serious backbone, too).  (You can order back issues here).  And so, I subscribed around issue 13.  When the magazine folded (with issue 16–and you can read a little bit about that in the intro to Shiny Adidas Track Suits) it somehow morphed into McSweeney’s, and much of the creative team behind Might went with them.

The early volumes (1-5 are reviewed in these pages, and the rest will come one of these days) are a more literary enterprise than Might was.  There’s still a lot of the same humor (and a lot of silliness), but there are also lengthy non-fiction pieces.  The big difference is that McSweeney’s was bound as a softcover book rather than as a magazine. And, I guess technically it is called Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern as opposed to Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

Issue #6 came with a CD of music by They Might Be Giants.  And from then on it was anybody’s guess what the next issue would look like.  (This Wikipedia page provides a nice summary of all of the issues that have been published, including authors).

The latest issue (#33) is being printed as a newspaper (just to give an idea of the diversity of product here).

The books (for most of them are books, despite the above newspaper) come out occasionally.  I gather it was supposed to be a quarterly, but I don’t know that they’ve ever really kept a schedule. Many of the books are hardcover (beautifully bound).  Some have been paperbacks.  Occasionally they come in a fancy packaging (boxes, slipcases etc). You never know what you’re going to get, which is a lot of the fun.

Although you do know that you’re going to get quality short stories.  The list of fantastic (and well-known) authors grows and grows. (Just a few: Michael Chabon, Stephen King, David Foster Wallace, George Saunders, Roddy Doyle, A.M. Homes, and Joyce Carol Oates.)  And mixed in with them are less well known (ie. more indie) authors, as well as occasional unknowns.  And even if I don’t love every story, I know that they’ll all be worth a read.

McSweeney’s itself has grown from a publisher of this quarterly to include an empire that publishes books (their book of the month club is the way to go), an official periodical (The Believer), and a video magazine (Wholphin).

I am probably a little too steeped in McSweeney’s-world, but I’ve never been disappointed with a release of theirs (okay, that’s not true, they have published a few clunkers).  I’m always excited to get the box with the little chair as the return address.

And, of course, I began a Wikipedia page of all of the McSweeney’s Books. I’m delighted to see that folks have been adding to it!

Original mention in Periodicals Page:

McSweeney’s. Technically a periodical. A collection of short stories and things like it. I’m usually too overwhelmed by the time this comes in, and frankly, I am many many issues behind on reading this. However, I plowed through 21 and 22 recently, and just got 23. So, I’m looking forward to it and its brethren. I got turned onto McSweeney’s because I used to subscribe to MIGHT magazine (R.I.P) which was a hilarious magazine ala Spy (R.I.P). Might ran for a dozen or so issues and then strangely morphed into McSweeney’s. I think somehow my subscription ran over into McSweeney’s and the rest is 23 issues of fun!

SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-The Hungry Saw (2008).

It was the releases of this Tindersticks disc (their first in 5 years) on the venerable Constellation Records (in North America) that inspired my trip through their back catalog. I was completely surprised to see them released on Constellation, as the band doesn’t exactly fit with the label’s stereotypical style (although, realistically with the last dozen or so releases, Constellation has really expanded the kind of music they release).

And this is a fantastic Tindersticks release!  There’s not a bad song on the disc. And, even though nothing is as immediately gripping as say “Can We Start Again,” the disc contains some of the band’s strongest songs.  “The Hungry Saw” is simply amazing, both lyrically and in its catchy (yet creepy) chorus.  But the highlight is probably “Boobar, Come Back to Me,” a song that begins slowly and builds gloriously, including a call and response segment that makes this song really swagger.

“Mother Dear” features a strangely comical musical episode.  In an otherwise very mellow piano based track, right in the middle of the song, come slashing, somewhat atonal guitar chords.  It’s as if a more rocking song is trying to overtake the mellow track.  (The coup is rebuffed, though).

The biggest thing to note about the disc is that longtime co-songwriter Dickon has left the band.  And so, some of the co-writing duties have been taken up by David Boulter.  While it is obviously sad that Dickon has left, Staples seems revitalized on this disc, and Boulter’s additions (especially his quirky instrumentals) bring a new point of view to the proceedings.  Also of note is something of a return to the orchestral style (albeit a much more understated version).  However, different songs emphasize different aspects: horns on one, strings on another, but always underscored by the ubiquitous Hammond organ.

It’s not a radical departure or anything like that.  It’s more of a continuation after a well earned vacation.  And it’s certainly their strongest release since their first four.

[READ & WATCHED: October 2009] Souvenir of Canada, Souvenir of Canada 2 & Souvenir of Canada (the movie)

I got the first Souvenir of Canada when it came out.  (I was on a big Coupland kick and may have even bought it in Montreal).  I didn’t get #2 when it came out, probably because I didn’t really invest a lot of effort into the first one.  But after recently reading City of Glass, I wanted to get a little more involved in Coupland’s visual art.  So, I picked up #2 and, while investigating this second book, I discovered that he had made a film of the books, too.

Coupland explains in the introduction that this book is his personal vision of what Canada is like. It is designed for Canadians as something of a nostalgia trip, but it is also something of an introduction to unseen Canada for non-Canadians.  And so, what you don’t get is pictures of mounties and Tim Hortons and other things that fit the stereotypical Canadian bill. Rather, you get things that are significant to Coupland (and maybe the average Canadian born on the West Coast in the 60s).

He begins with Baffin Island and moves more or less alphabetically through significant things in his Canadian existence: chimo (the short lived Canadian greeting), wonderfully aggressive anti smoking ads on packs of smokes, the Group of Seven, Inuksuit rock statues (like on the cover of this Rush album), the maple leaf (the flag’s only been around since 1967), ookpik, Poutine, stubbies, Trans-Canada highway, through to Zed.

Coupland give s brief paragraph or two (or more in some cases) about the item/idea/concept and how it related to his life.  It certainly provides an insight into a culture that is often hidden in plain sight (especially to Americans).

I especially enjoyed learning about Capitaine Crounche.

Pictures feature heavily in the book.  There are a lot of stock photos of various Canadian items.  And there are a lot of photos that Coupland has used by permission to enhance his descriptions.

Coupland has also created several “still lifes” which he finds to be quintessentially Canadian.  They feature elements from his childhood mashed together into a disconcerting yet oddly familiar scene. So there are beer bottles and electronic hockey games and Canada geese and all manner of things.  Although I have to say that I don’t find them very appealing as art.

The second book picks up where the previous one left off two years earlier.

The first book is more text heavy than the second.  This volume has a lot more photos (not original ones, more stock footage pictures, which I rather like).  It begins with some abstract ideas about Being Canadian, but moves steadily into the CMHC Houses (which will come into play for Canada House), the brilliant Robertson screwdriver, his mom’s kitchen (a favorite of mine), Terry Fox, Tranna (Toronto), Treeplanters , Y?? (airport designations…Toronto’s is YYZ, hey, like the Rush song!), through to Zut!

The Robertson Screwdriver looks like this. And it doesn't strip like a Phillips head.

This volume feels even more personal. He discusses the prevalence of Canada Geese (and that his family raised some when he was little).  There’s his mother’s kitchen and of course, Canada House.  Canada House was a project that DC undertook.  He found a CMHC house that was destined for destruction.  He was able to decorate it with his art to make it quintessential Canadian.  It is fascinating to see, and seems like it would have been quite cool to visit (for the two weeks it was in operation). The fact that he adds personal information about the experiment (people who visited and where they were from) is great.

As I said the pictures in the books are a lot of fun.  I loved the Eatson’s catalog from the 70s, and, of course, the shots from Canada House are wonderful.  DC also wrote a book about Terry Fox a couple of years after this, so the pages about him are quite moving.

This is a wonderful continuation of the series, and I think I wound up enjoying this volume more.

As far as I can tell the Souvenir of Canada DVD was recently reissued with this new cover (on the left).  I prefer the original cover (on the right) [or is that the U.S DVD release?].  I didn’t read about any real difference between the two editions, so I assume it is just repackaged.

The DVD is something of a video version of the books, but there are many differences. The documentary doesn’t go through either book with a lot of detail.  It does mention a half or dozen or so entries, and there may even be some quotes from the books.  For the most part, it contains a few highlights from the books, but it goes off on its own tangents quite a bit.  The film also features music from the New Pornographers, so that’s nice too.

The first notable thing to me was Coupland’s voice.  I have never heard him speak before and it was absolutely nothing like what I expected (especially how slow his pace is).

The main focus of the DVD tends to fall on the aforementioned Canada House.  Even though the pictures of Canada House in the book are very cool, I felt like the book didn’t show enough of this cool exhibition.  The centerpiece of the film shows Coupland picking, tearing apart, cleaning up and assembling Canada House.  We get to see a lot of the things that he talks about it the book, but we get a more 360 degree Canada House experience.  It’s very interesting.

Like the books, the film is one man’s opinion of what Canada is.  What I like about it is that it is a very uncommerical (and I think very Vancouver-centric) opinion.  It also reflects back onto Coupland’s childhood (in the lat 60s/early 70s), and I learned more about him in a few moments than in all of the book jacket blurbs I’ve read.  It comes across as so much nostalgia.  But it clear that Coupland loves his home land.  And it’s that kind of passion that makes any art compelling.

As I said, I found a lot of his still lifes to be to random at best (he says you have to be Canadian to really appreciate them, but I think even aesthetically they’re a little blah).  But the standalone sculptures are all pretty cool.  He made some lamps out of fisherman’s floats (which are HUGE!).  But the most interesting items are the quilts.  He didn’t make them, but he designed them and they are all very cool. I especially liked the $1,000 quilt which is made of 1,000 loonie coins.

It was also interesting to learn that the Canada House exhibit was exported to London (the final line of the movie is hilarious).

So, which is the best of the three?  Obviously I think the film is the most fully formed and three-dimensional.  (The Canada House thing is very neat). But the books are also a lot of fun too.  Even if you’re not especially interested in Canada, if you enjoy seeing pop culture before it gets assimilated into corporate culture, this is a fun look at what Canada used to be like.  And, of course, Coupland’s writing is always engaging.

SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Donkeys 92-97 (1998).

Donkeys is a collection of singles, rarities and unreleased recordings.  It came out just before Simple Pleasure, and has tracks from the era of the first four discs.

With the reissue of those first four discs (and all the bonus tracks therein) and the Greatest Hits collection, it’s not really necessary to get this for these rare tracks.  (I admit that I haven’t actually checked to see if all of the tracks here are now available elsewhere…there seems to be a number of different mixes and versions of songs, so I’ll let someone else do the legwork).

However, if you’re disinclined to get the reissued discs for whatever reason, this is a great collection of songs that are worth having for any Tindersticks fan.  And, interestingly, it works quite well as an introduction for the newbie: it features several of the most accessible songs from the first few discs.  But, for fans, the highlights include their great cover of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.”  Also “Plus de Liaisons” a French version of  “No More Affairs.”  It also has the fabulous duet with Isabella Rossilini (“A Marriage Made in Heaven”) and another version of “For Those”  (I’m not entirely sure how many versions of that song exist, but there’s got to be about 3 or 4.

This disc is probably easy to track down cheaply since all the tracks are available elsewhere now (although my copy came from my friend Lar and has the Euro symbol on the Used sticker to prove it). Or, maybe it’s now totally rare and out of print and is hugely expensive.  Either way, it’s still a great collection of tracks.

[READ: November 5, 2009] “Too Much Happiness”

It’s a little lame to lump these two pieces together, but the Charles Foran article isn’t something I would review on its own.  Nevertheless, it is a very interesting look at Alice Munro’s hometown, and the Self-Guided Tour of Points of Interest in the Town of Wingham Relating to Alice Munro sounds like a fun thing to do if you’re in Ontario.  (Even if Munro herself is never actually there).

But onto Munro’s story.

I’ve only read a few stories by Alice Munro (they’ve all been reviewed here).  And yet, I’ve come to think of her as writing a certain type of story.  And this one does not conform to any of my notions of a Munro story.

First, it’s rather long. Second, it’s not set in Canada.  And third, it’s a historical piece about a real person.  There’s an author’s note at the end of the story which informs us that she learned about Sophia Kovalesky when she was looking up something else in the Encyclopedia Britannica (which I find charming in and of itself).  So, all of this seems to be something of a departure for her (at least from what I’ve read).

I admit right off the bat that I have a hard time with Russian stories (so, not too much Dostoevsky for me).  I have difficulty keeping the names and locations straight (despite my nationality).  And given that this is a historical piece (set in and around 1891) and there’s a lot of historical Russian information, I struggled with portions of this story.

Although I think what caused the biggest difficulty was that the story is designed as a reflective journey.  Sophia reflects back on different times of her life: her sister and questionable husband; her own first marriage (a political marriage designed to allow her to escape from her life); and her mentor and friend, Weierstras.

Sophia is a mathematician at a time when women were not mathematicians.  As the story opens she is awarded the Bordin Prize and has become something of a celebrity in math circles.  But she is still not offered a job.  She is also spending a lot of her time with Maksim Kovalevsky.

Despite having the same last name, they are not related (Sophia’s first marriage was to a distant cousin of Maksim’s).   Maksim is an academic but because he is a Liberal, he cannot teach in Russia.  (This is some of the historical Russian politics that I don’t know, so a lot of this infighting was lost on me).  Their friendship blossoms into more than friendship until she wins the Prize.  Suddenly, her star shines more brightly than his and he pulls away from her.

After several months apart, Sophia tries to rekindle their relationship, and it works.  He pledges to marry her (although she is not entire sure of his sincerity or even his motives).  And since they are both in their forties with little else in the way of romantic prospects, well, why not.

The remainder of the story shows Sophia taking a trip to give a lecture.  The trip entails trains, ferries and more trains.  It also involves trudging through snow and carrying her own bags (because of a currency mix up).

On the trip, Sophia reflects back on her life, and the many events that led her to this stage.  But she is also clearly becoming feverish from the travel.  So, as the story moves along, the dream sequences get a bit more hazy, and it’s not always clear when the action is happening.  Because the main story is also in the past tense, there are times when I had to really work on which storyline she was presently in.

After reflecting on the story, the timeline did make sense; it all seems to fall into place nicely, but during the story I was a bit confused.

And confusion is something I don’t expect from a Munro story.

Knowing that this is a piece of historical fiction changes things for me somewhat, even if I’d never head of Sophia Kovalevsky before.  Hers was a fascinating life, and I appreciate Munro for introducing her to me.  I feel like this might have worked better as an even longer story, as a lot of details seemed condensed.  But, Munro acknowledges that she didn’t intend to write Sophia’s history, just a portion of it.  And at that, she succeeds.

She also notes a great book about Sophia’s life (where she began her research): Little Sparrow: A Portrait of Sophia Kovalesky by Don H. Kennedy.

[READ: July 19, 2009] “Alice in Borderland”

This article provides some insight into Munro’s life, and the kind of people and places that she grew up with (many of whom appear (somewhat disguised) in her stories).  And, since most of her stories seem to be situated in Jubilee (a fictionalized version of the town of Wingham) in Huron County, Ontario, it’s a fascinating insight into her work.

Munro (born in 1931) grew up outside of Wingham, but after going to college, she moved to the West Coast and did not return to Ontario until the 1970s.

Foran’s article focuses on The Self-Guided Tour of Points of Interest in the Town of Wingham Relating to Alice Munro, a brochure available at the North Huron Museuem.  It includes a stop at the Alice Munro Literary Garden (where Munro herself has only visited once).  But mostly it reveals the locations and scenery where her stories are set.

While walking around the town, Foran talks with many residents (to see if he can recognize anyone from the stories).  Munro’s stories offended sensibilities when they were first published (she revealed Secrets); however, it seems like now people are rather fond of her and the modicum of celebrity she has given the region.

Foran also has a (somewhat rare for the publicity-shy Munro) lunch interview with her.  And this little insight into her personality makes the article completely rewarding for any Munro fan.

It’s available here.

I recently received an e-mail from a nice person at Prospect (a British magazine).  The email asked if I’d like to review their magazine.  After being completely flattered, I said, “Of course!”  And then I waited nervously hoping that the magazine was good and that I wouldn’t have to say anything mean about it, because I would.  Oh yes, I would.

But I don’t have to. They grabbed me right off the bat because the c & the t in the title are connected by a little filigree doodad.   I love typography, so that little flourish was a selling point (okay a superficial one, but I liked it immediately).

The “subtitle” of the magazine is “Good Writing About Things That Matter” and it is a totally apt description.  Prospect is a monthly magazine that covers all aspects of society: British, European, American and the world.  And, indeed, the writing is quite good.

In many ways it reminded me of The Walrus, a favorite magazine of mine.  (It’s a weird comparison since The Walrus has only been around for a few years, while Prospect has been around for about 13 (the November issue is number 164, so I’m guessing here), but it’s an apt comparison for its coverage: politics, culture, arts and more.

Because this was a new (to me)  magazine (and because I knew I’d be reviewing it), I decided to read every article.  There were a few that I thought I wouldn’t care much about.  But the writing totally grabbed me.  For instance, the article about Princess Diana (about whom I am indifferent) was fantastic.  It was cynical and funny and totally engaging.  And the same was true for just about every article in the magazine.

Normally I like to have at least two issues to refer to when reviewing.  So there may very well be things about this issue that are different from the others.  So, forgive, please, if I generalize incorrectly.

The first thing I wanted to mention was advertising.  In the magazines I read, I pretty much completely ignore the ads.  I see a picture of a car and I flip the page.  But in a new magazine, especially a foreign magazine, I like to see what’s up for sale.  (I especially like to see ads for products that are unavailable here).  But Prospect is virtually ad-free.  I’m not sure how things work for British magazines and advertising–if like NPR, there is a “sponsor” or two, or if it’s a pay as you go thing.  Anyhow, flipping through, we get a few full page or two page ads in the beginning: BMW, IBM and Baillie Gifford (which I’ve never heard of).  But once you get into the heart of the issue, there’s really no more (well, one for ExxonMobil just before the Letters).  But after that the ads are small and are for web sites that I’ve never heard of (a lot of publishers & small businesses).

The last few pages also have Classifieds Section (like the ones in most of the progressive magazines I read).  And that’s it.  It’s rather refreshing.  (But I guess I’ll have to read Heat to get the fun trashy ads–and yes I only know about Heat from The IT Crowd).

But moving on…

The opening article, In Prospect discusses what’s in the magazine.  This issue has a special section on the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference.  I’m not sure if all of the issues have special sections like this (set off in a different color and everything) or if this is a one off.

The thing that I liked immediately about the magazine was the If I Ruled the World Column.  From what I can tell, this is a regular feature of the magazine in which various people tell how they would make things better.  What an interesting concept, especially if the authors are smart (not just celebrities). (Or maybe it’s a regular column by Sam Leith…I’m not quite sure).

Next, there’s the second thing that delighted me: Six Things to Do This Month.  Lots of magazine recommend entertainment to see and do, and it’s interesting to see what kind of taste a new magazine has (while it’s true that these are all things happening in England, you can still judge the taste of the magazine as it applies to your location).  So, they suggest (and gives reasons why you should see): Film (An Education); Art (David Hockney); Music (Martha Wainwright(!)); Painting, Dance and Theatre.  So, even though I won’t be able to do 5 of the 6, I enjoy the artistic taste of the magazine.

This is followed by Political Notes.  It’s a brief article British politics.  While this may not affect me directly, whoever wins the British election will shape the world.  It’s an interesting insight into the politics of the magazine to see what they talk about here.

Next comes Diary (and this reminds me a lot of the opening Walrus pages).  It contains short articles about various things around the world: Media (Giving the newspaper game away in London); Finance (Global finance keeps on drifting eastward) North America (Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize…which offers an insight I had not heard before and one I found quite useful).  And (my friend Rich would have loved this) evidently a monthly column by Brian Eno (!).  I also really enjoyed the “Word of the Month” paragraph. (This month’s was “Dingbat,” a font type that I always talk about in my computer classes).

The Data page presents a few factual tidbits: a chart (about internet use) and a series of facts and quotes from various sources (In Detroit the average sale price of a house is $7,100 (from The Wall Street Journal)).  And, my favorite: Didier Drogba studied accountancy (from Didier Drogba’s Facebook page).

Next comes Letters and Opinions.  The first piece discusses the option of diminishing the power of British arms producers (to save the budget for the military).  The second encourages Bill Gates (and the Gates Foundation) to go after HIV like they did Netscape and wipe it off the map (great parallel there).  And then two articles: one about the Soviets and one about suffragettes which show personal insights into these issues.

From Our Correspondents has stories from across the globe.  It’s always embarrassing when you have to go abroad to hear about your own country, but the article about Republican Eric Cantor was completely enlightening to me.  The other articles abroad this month were from Brussels and China.

Then some of the major articles come up.  The first is about President Obama and his failure to heal party divisions in the country (despite his political successes).  There’s a second one about Obama’s foreign policy.  In the States, we’re stuck hearing the same talking points over and over again (just watch the Daily Show to see how many media people use the same exact phrase over and over.)  So it’s refreshing to have a thoughtful new perspective on something so close to home.

The rest of the big articles are what I love about monthly newsmagazines and why they are so much better than weeklies.  First off, if you need news now, you go to the internet, there’s no question.  But the problem with a weekly is that they often get stuck reporting about what’s happening NOW, THIS WEEK! whether it is significant or not (balloon boy?).  A monthly magazine, on the other hand, may not be current, but it can always be significant.

So, an article about Angela Merkel and the state of German elections is timely without being up to the minute.  But it was wonderfully informative (and check out the awesome election campaign poster graphic they included–the German reads: “We have more  to offer” (with that delightful shot of Merkel’s cleavage).  Then came the article on Princess Diana (which was actually about her family’s attempt to cash in on her at her birth home).  It was a first person narrative and was quite fascinating (and which I’m sure the Spencer’s didn’t appreciate).

The third one was possibly the most interesting article I have read in a while, period.  “How to really hug a hoodie” discusses an attempt in Glasgow to use a controversial American technique to reduce gang violence.  First off, why hadn’t I ever heard of this technique being used in America?  And second, it is clearly effective, so why are people shying away from it elsewhere.  This article was simply fantastic.  It’s available here.  Check it out!

Then comes the Arts section.  Now, clearly I love the arts, so it was a treat to see nearly half the magazine devoted to them.  But what I liked about them was the (in context) serious nature of the articles.  Why Britain Can’t Do The Wire looks at the struggles of writers in dealing with the BBC.  This very issue was brought up in the recent Monty Python documentary.  They complained about how much the BBC hierarchy has changed in the last 40 years, and how hard it is to do anything creative there.  Now, I of course love BBC comedies and think that many of them are fresh and better than what we can do here.  But I don’t know a lot about their dramas (they compare The Wire to Life on Mars, but I thought the UK Life on Mars was brilliant while the US version was rather flat.  Nevertheless, the points they makes are really strong.

Another TV article looked at the gruesomeness of current TV medical dramas.  They compared the calm and mellow medical examinations of Quincy to shows like NCIS, and how we aren’t squeamish about intense medical investigations anymore (or maybe we are, but we can’t turn away).

Sporting life covers sports.  I don’t really care about sports, but (and this will tell you how out of touch with sports I am), I was interested to read it because it told me about Mark Buehrle’s perfect game (and DeWayne Wise’s amazing catch in said game.  I used to watch and play sports a lot when I was a kid so I am well versed in the language and can totally appreciate magnificence in sports, I just don’t care about it).  So, thanks for that, anyhow (I watched the catch online and it was pretty amazing).  Although I do like reading about English football, for some reason, even if I don’t know anything about the teams.

The Arts & Books section features a number of great reviews.  And the reviews are fascinating for many reasons.  But first, the section opens with a print of The Suicide of Lucretia by Lucas Cranach the Elder.  This very painting was featured prominently in a Warehouse 13 episode we watched a few weeks before (synchronicity!).

The first book review is a first person account by another author.  The reviewed book is a fictional account of the writer’s father’s suicide; the reviewer talks about her own father’s suicide.  Rather than reviewing the book in great detail (she says it was amazing and kind of leaves it at that) she talks about the effect the book had on her life and on her writing.  It was a unique attitude in the often dull world of reviews.  There was also a review of Superfreakonomics which is just making the rounds here, and I’ll be curious to see how this review compares.

The Music article was “Who’s Afraid of the Avant Garde” and it was absolutely correct: avant garde painting is accepted (even if not everyone likes it) but avant garde music is often derided as just noise.

There’s a lot of good articles in here about painting as well.  I don’ often read gallery articles because I don’t get to go very often, but this one about an unknown (to me) painter Frank Auerbach was really interesting.

The Way We Were shows extracts from diaries that are quite amusing (and I rather hope that’s a regular feature).  While the Widescreen page looks at filmmaking in Iraq (and I, too, hope that the boy he mentions can indeed become a filmmaker when he grows up).

Finally, there’s Fiction.  I reviewed the story yesterday, and it seems like many well-respected authors get published here.  But I don’t think any of the stories are online so I can’t go back and check.

Lastly, one of my favorites: Puzzles!  There’s a rather difficult puzzle (with a contest) and then a very difficult crossword (with a contest).  I love crosswords, and I have always had a hard time with British ones. Although I greatly appreciate that they include the number of letters/words in the answer.  So far I have managed to get only three out of some 60 clues.  Phew.

And, of course, the back page.  Prospect’s back page features an Agony Aunt.  I’ve always enjoyed the phrase “agony aunt,” and find it be more dynamic than our simple “advice” sections.  This Agony Aunt seems to deal with various problems (elder parents, job stresses) with a very stern hand.  I don’t read advice columns generally (unless, you know, I see them) but I liked the way the Agony Aunt didn’t pull punches.

The special section about Copenhagen was very informative.  I’m a little weirded out that it appears to have been sponsored by Shell Oil, which seems counterintuitive (although I do appreciate that corporate “greenwashing” was discussed).  The Copenhagen Conference is an important environmental meeting that, consensus suggests, will likely not do all that much for preventing global catastrophe.  But these articles showed both positives and negatives, optimists and pessimists and, most importantly tried to be realistic about the whole thing.  So I finished the section feeling kind of glum about the future, but with a ray of hope.

So, yeah, I pretty much loved this magazine.  I feel like I may have been a little too gushy (and verbose) in this review, but this magazine spoke to me like few others do.  It reminds me of Harper’s but there’s more original work (as opposed to Harper’s excerpts from elsewhere).  And, as far as I can tell its not aggressively political (there is obviously a political slant to it, but it’s not in your face (or at least not in my face).

So, yes, if you can find Prospect here (and I haven’t actually seen what its availability is in the States), it’s a really great magazine.  In depth, but not overlong articles about issues that impact the world.  What more can you ask from a magazine?

SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Trouble Every Day [soundtrack] (2001).

This is the second soundtrack that Tindersticks made for director Clair Denis.  This disc is rather unlike Nenette Et Boni, in that this soundtrack is much more stark.  There are several moments on the disc where there is nothing but silence for several seconds.   “Core on Stairs” features a bass note or two and then even more silence, then one more note and more silence.  On “Room 231,” there are times when the only sound is a gently shaken maraca.  It’s rather eerie (and I’d like to believe it suits the film well).  But predominantly this is a string laden affair, highlighting the sadness of the movie.

The title track, however, contains the full band, including Stuart Staples’ singing.  And it’s a moody, evocative song.  Strings are plucked as Staples croons about trouble.  Actually the title song is broken up into the Opening and Closing Credits.  But they rather thoughtfully include the whole song at the end of the disc as well.

This is not an essential Tindersticks disc (you can get the title song elsewhere).  But if you like your music moody, this is a good one.  It may be a bit too sparse for casual listening, but it certain conjures up some interesting ideas.

[READ: October 27, 2009 ] DFW’s comments in The Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus

According to the Howling Fantods I have read all of the uncollected DFW pieces (except for the ones from the Pale King), and so this is my final piece (hooray!). It’s not really anything major.  As you can read from the Fantods’ summary below, this excerpt contains DFW’s comments inside this 1100 page Thesaurus.  Several authors contributed comments to the Thesaurus and all of their comments appear after the entry for the word.  They rest in boxes and are capped off by their initials.  The PDF that you can click on below is 85 pages long.  But if you search for DFW there are only 24 entries.  I copied and pasted them into a Word document that came out to 8 pages long.  So, it’s not unmanageable to read just DFW’s entries.

I’m not sure that this is the entirely of his contribution to the book.  (I assume it is, as I wouldn’t imagine The Fantods would skimp on us, but I’m also not going to find the book to confirm either.

“The Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus”. Compiled by Christine A. Lindberg. Oxford University Press; October, 2004. [NOTES: This is an actual (1100-page plus) thesaurus for writers. Scattered throughout are 'Word Notes' wherein various authors, DFW among them, discuss usage and that forever quest for the perfect word. Read selections featuring DFW here.]

Basically what you get here is DFW’s knowledge about word usage.  Anyone who has read his work knows he’s practically memorized the OED.  And with his familial love of grammar, he is  stickler for using words correctly.  Which makes him kind of a prig, except that he’s not a prig; he’s very funny.  And the examples he cites are great!

It will make you feel foolish of course if you do any of the things that he says make you look ignorant at best, but such is the price of learning.  If you have any interest in language and words, DFW’s comments are really very useful.  I don’t mean to short change the other contributors (I don’t even know how many other contributors there are or who any of them may be) as they are not listed anywhere in this excerpt.  I didn’t read any of their contributions (it is a thesaurus after all, so I’m not, just, you know, going to read it all).  But DFW’s entries at least, are certainly enjoyable.

If you plan to be a writer I would think the book itself is pretty indispensable.

DFW comments on 24 words in the book: all of, pulchritude, beg, bland, noma, critique, dialogue, dysphesia, effette, impossibly, feckless, fervent, focus, hairy, if, individual, loan, myriad, privilege, that, toward, unique, utilize, mucous.

Some of his entries are quite long, but a few are brief and funny.  Like pulchritude: A paradoxical noun because it means beauty but is itself one of the ugliest words in the language….”  His entry on if makes a good explanation for the distinction between if and whether.  His entry for loan begins: “If you use loan as a verb in anything other than ultra-informal speech, you’re marking yourself as ignorant or careless.”  He points out the distinction (that I never knew) that toward is the U.S. version and towards is the U.K. version, and you should always, always use toward, unless you are writing in the U.K.  And, my favorite, in the commentary on that, he writes, “you can occupy a bright child for most of a very quiet morning by challenging her to use “that” five times in a row in a single coherent sentence… ‘He said that that that that that writer used should really have been a which.’”  It took me a few reads before I could figure out how to say it properly (it’s about the distinction of using “which” instead of “that,” by the way.

And that’s what you get.  Smarty pants assistance for helping you become a better writer.  The geek in me thinks it would be kind of fun to read the whole book (or at least the boxed comments).  That I’d learn an awful lot.  Maybe if they made it a page-a-day calendar!

Although entire issues are available in PDF, I could find no cover images online.

Public Libraries is the magazine you get when you belong to the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association.  As you might gather, this division is for public librarians.

Like American Libraries, this magazine starts with a letter from the President of PLA.    But it’s the Tales from the Front section that I look at first.  This section discusses interesting events at public libraries around the country (Libraries using solar panels or digital bookmobiles, or even successful programs that other may wish to emulate).

Next comes Perspectives which showcases different viewpoints about library concerns.  This issue concerns The Big Read, sponsored by the NEA.  Next is Internet Spotlight. This issue’s “An Internet Holiday” irritated me immensely because it was written for people who don’t like the internet (which is fine), but insisted that “This Internet Spotlight Column is for everyone” about half a dozen times.  By the fourth paragraph, when they repeated, “So if you have ever felt [frustrated by computers], please read on” I nearly threw the mag across the room.  So, note to writers: don’t patronize your audience.

The rest of the magazine deals with topics essential to libraries: fundraising, young adult issues and advocacy for a better library.

The Feature articles are all long pieces.  And the thing that always strikes me about them is that they have References and Endnotes.  These are serious articles backed up by scholarship.  It’s very interesting to see.  Although, i admit I don’t often read them.

The final sections of the magazine review books and new products for libraries.

Most of the divisions of ALA have their own magazine.  And the formats are largely the same.  So, whatever your specialty is, there’s a journal for you.  (And there’s some (very minimal) insight into the world of librarians).

SOUNDTRACK: FIONA APPLE-When the Pawn… (1999).

I learned about Fiona Apple from CMJ New Music Monthly before her debut came out.  I was convinced she was just another pretty thing with little talent. But then I heard “Shadowboxer” and I was really impressed by the depth of her voice.  When I got the album, I was pretty much blown away.

When When the Pawn came out it was mocked for its absurdly long title.  (Even Janine Garofalo got in on the mocking, for which, shame on her because even if Fiona made some bad decisions, she was still a young woman who was fighting for the causes of good).

But looking beyond the title, For When the Pawn, shows Fiona’s voice getting stronger and more subtle, and her songwriting is truly amazing.  She used the assistance of Jon Brion, multi-instrumentalist and all around dabbler in fun sounds.  And he creates a soundscape of weird instruments, crazy sounds and an enveloping sounds that keep the album an item unto itself.

I haven’t listened to the disc in quite a while, but playing it again, i was impressed by the audacity of some of the musical choices, especially for a “pretty young thing” with a successful (and disturbing) video on the charts (“Criminal“).

The crazy noises that start off the disc (carnival-like keyboards, electronic squeals) sound a mile away from the jazzy sounds of “Shadowboxer” but Fiona’s voice comes in and you know that she’s still her, and her voice sounds even richer.  There’s a wild disconnect on “To Your Love” with the delicate vibes (!) that fill the bridge and the rough sounds in the chorus (not to mention the crazy wordplay: “My derring-do allows me to dance the rigadoon Around you But by the time I’m close to you, I lose my desideratum and now you”‘).  And then “Limp,” an amazing musical concoction:  more delicate jazzy openings followed by a raucous chorus with the wonderful put down: “So call me crazy, hold me down / Make me cry; get off now, baby- / It wont be long till you’ll be / Lying limp in your own hand.”

And that’s just the first three songs.  The rest of the disc sways between mellow jazzy numbers, beautiful ballads, and rocking scorchers, but it is always fueled by a dissonance that counters Apple’s voice perfectly.

Another can’t miss track is “Fast as You Can,” a wonderfully propelled track that bounces along jauntily until it hits an amazingly fast syncopated chorus.  And the production is so clean, the drum clap before the bridge is striking.  The disc ends with a couple of delicate songs.  “Get Gone” is  delightful jazzy song (complete with brushed drums).  It remains pretty mellow until Fiona breaks from a pause with a brutal “fucking go!”  And finally, the delicate ending of “I Know” brings the disc to a close.

Ten years later, this disc is still a gem.  One can only hope it gets rediscovered so a new legion of fans can enjoy its masterful music.  And for the full title of the disc, check the bottom the post….

[READ: October 16, 2009] “Fictional Futures and the Conspicuously Young”

This article opens with a note that Evan Martin found this article but noticed that it wasn’t online.  It was mentioned in Steven Moore’s essay “The First Draft Version of Infinite Jest.“  So he retyped it and it is now hosted on theknowe.net.  Here’s the write-up & link from The Howling Fantods:

“Fictional Futures and the Conspicuously Young”. The Review of Contemporary Fiction Vol. 8, No. 3, 1988. [NOTES: Read it here.]

This is a fascinating article in which DFW looks at the state of fiction circa 1987.  Specifically, he is responding to criticisms that the popular authors of the day, collectively Conspicuously Young, all fall into three very basic and uninspired cliche-filled boxes:

• Neiman-Marcus Nihilism
• Catatonic Realism
• Workshop Hermeticism

And the authors in question are Bret Easton Ellis, David Leavitt, Jay McInerney and these authors whom he mentions by last name only: Janowitz, Simpson and Minot.  Janowitz I assume is Tama Janowitz, but (Mona) Simpson and (Susan) Minot were unknown to me. I was surprised that later in the article Lorrie Moore appears to be included in this group of young writers (along with Amy Hempel who I’ve heard of) and Debra Spark (who I’ve not heard of). Although they seem to be contrasted with this group as examples of  “good” writers.

Anyhow, back to the article.  DFW does not disagree that the worst of  these Conspicuously Young (CY) authors do fall into these easy cliches.  However, he also criticizes the critics for bemoaning this new generational fiction.  DFW’s argument is that these critics complain that young authors spend too much time in the Now, while real literature should not date itself so much, or rely on pop culture as a signifier.  While DFW agrees that pop culture should not be a crutch, he also states that these critics are coming from a different reality.  They didn’t grow up with television as an unavoidable presence.  They weren’t saturated with media.  References to pop culture are such a part of these authors’ (of which he includes himself) lives that they can’t imagine it not being part of their fiction.

However, that’s still no excuse for lazy writing.  And for that, he is also very critical of fiction writing programs.  He notes the explosion of these programs in the last two dozen years or so.  And his main criticism of them is that the authors who teach in the programs (for they are largely authors) would rather be writing their books, not teaching others to write (which is understandable, yet unfortunate for the students).

Further, these programs tend to be unfailingly “safe” with regard to writing.  Like in most classes, students are taught to do what the teacher says (and mimic it back).  And this is something of a death knell for creative fiction.

And yet, he also comments that these authors should be aspiring to more than nihilistic comments about society.  Late 80’s American society, post Watergate and smack in the heart of Reaganism, is a confusing place for an artist.  So the above three groups make sense.

• Neiman-Marcus Nihilism because the mass culture the Yuppie inhabits and instantiates is itself at best empty and at worst evil.
• Catatonic Realism because in confusing times the bare minimal seems easy.
• Workshop Hermeticism because in confusing times caution seems prudent.

And yet.  And yet, “The state of general affairs that explains a nihilistic artistic outlook makes it imperative that art not be nihilistic.”  But fear not DFW suggests, there are up and coming writers who are not conspicuous yet but who are on the verge, ready to make great art.

The whole article is thoughtful; its simultaneously depressing and yet uplifting.  Of course, it being 20 years old does make some of the points no longer relevant.  I wonder if he thought Fiction Writing Programs had changed (for better or worse) in the last 20 years.

And yes, this confirms my contention that DFW was a great non-fiction writer.

—————————————————————————-

The full title of Fiona’s disc is:

When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he’ll win the whole thing ‘fore he enters the ring
There’s no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won’t matter, cuz you’ll know that you’re right

SOUNDTRACK: DANKO JONES-Never Too Loud (2008).

Danko Jones is a hard and fast rock band, with a one track mind and a straightforward sound.  They deal in excessive cliches (album titles include: Sleep is the Enemy, We Sweat Blood, Never Too Loud, etc) and play mostly short songs.  And despite all that apparent negativity, I enjoy them beyond reason.

Their first full length was a compilation of their early EPs, and it was full of outrageously short songs about big dumb sex (a bunch of the tracks were under two minutes).  Danko’s voice sounds a but like Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy, to give a frame of reference.

Never Too Loud, despite the name, actually changes their style a little bit.  He throws in a ballad (!), and he’s got one song “Take Me Home” which reminds me an awful lot of Kid Rock.   And songs like “King of Magazines” and “Forest for the Trees” similarly slow the pace down (Forest for the Trees is even 6 minutes long!).  But despite all that, Danko still rocks hard.

And yes, I admit that lyrically the disc isn’t ground breaking (“Still in High School” tends to sum up a lot of the themes here), but I don’t care.  Sometimes it’s fun to just rock out.  And Danko rocks with the best of them.

[READ: October 14, 2009] City of Glass

Douglas Coupland is from Vancouver.  And this book (and the revised edition) is like a love letter to the city (although he describes it as a personalized guide book).

When he first published this in 2000, Coupland had been experimenting with things other than novels, but this was the first book he released that was primarily photography (not his own, mind you).  He mixes photos of Vancouver landmarks as well as stock photos to illustrate the varied and multicultural life of Vancouver.

He also includes alphabetically titled texts in which he writes about a paragraph or two or three about the topic.  Most of these are personal insights into the city.  It’s not a work of fiction or even a collection of essays.  It’s more like love notes about this city.

Topics include: Backlot North (how B.C. comes after only Hollywood and New York as a primary filming location); Cantonese (the influx of Asians to Vancouver is astonishing); Greenpeace (founded there); See-Throughs (it’s not named the city of glass for nothing); Whales (there’s a special connection with the beluga–which I got to see when I was there) and of course, Grow-Ops (Vancouver has some of the strongest pot on the continent).

I’ve had the fortune of going to Vancouver and staying with a friend for a few days.  Getting the insider treatment of this cool city was certainly wonderful. I went to a number of interesting places, all right around the time that this book first came out.  I don’t really remember the details of my trip anymore, so I’m not sure if I went to many of the places specifically mentioned (except for Grouse Mountain of course), but I like to think I got to see a lot of the excitement.

Gushing about a city you went to on vacation is kind of silly, but I feel that Coupland’s excitement is infectious.  This quote more or less says it all: He writes that he spent his “twenties scouring the globe thinking there had to be a better city out there, until it dawned on [him] that Vancouver is the best one going.”  This book may not convince you of that, but it may get a few extra people to visit.

The revised edition doesn’t really change all that much.  A few new categories are added (The Big One, The Storm, Top 100 Surnames, North Shore Mountain Biking).  But then a few categories are removed from the first book too (and a few are in the new book but in different locations or with different titles).  The pictures all look a little brighter and cleaner, which is nice.  The biggest change comes in a few of the pieces (many are left untouched) in which he either updates an issue or changes its focus somewhat.

I was a little disappointed that not every section was updated.  Not because every section should be updated, but for instance, there’s one (Wildlife) in which he said (in 2000), “Last summer a black bear cub ambled down my driveway….”  It’s the same in the 2009 book.  Surely he could have just changed that to “A few years ago,” right?

So, if you’ve got the first edition, I’m not sure that it’s worth getting the revised edition   The pictures are better, sure, but I’m not sure that’s enough to justify the purchase.  If you don’t have either, I’d suggest getting the new one (although you can get a used first version at Amazon for about $3).

Either way, if you like Coupland (the writing is fairly short, but it is full of Coupland’s wit) or if you like Vancouver, this book is definitely a keeper.

The revised edition was also useful because it clued me in to the fact that Coupland has made some films (I knew about the series JPod, but did not know he had made a documentary (Souvenir of Canada) and a feature film (Everything’s Gone Green).  So thanks for that.  Now if only I can find them down here.

You get American Libraries magazine if you’re a member of the American Library Association.  So you can see that the audience is rather specific.

A lot of the magazine is advocating for librarians (and for librarians to attend the annual ALA conference).  (The word advocacy appears about 200 times in each issue).

The magazine opens with letters from the editor and the president as well as letters from the readers.  Librarian letters are usually pretty enjoyable because those who write are usually pretty passionate.

And then there’s news about ALA, the organization (like their endorsement of the Public option in the Health Care debate).  As the news items continue there’s a lot of items for librarians, but there’ also a lot of news about books and media in general.  So, here we learn that J.D. Salinger won his lawsuit against Frederick Colting who wrote an unauthroized sequel to Catcher in the Rye.

The larger news section addresses libraries in the US and abroad.  These are stories that are hardly covered in the mainstream media.  A recent issue talks about state budgets in light of the fiscal crisis.  While most people think that these issues are librarian-specific, the closing of libraries affects everyone, especially people who can’t afford to buy books or computers.  So, be mindful, and don’t let them close your branch!  The Global Reach box talks about libraries in other countries, usually with a cute or alarming story from there.

The Technology section is often library specific, and yet, since librarians are early adopters of new technology, there’s often a lot of interesting things to read in this section.  There’s a cool article about the restoration of the original moon pictures (from 1966).

My favorite section is the sound bites. “How the World Sees Us” contains quotes from various people who mention libraries. Most of them are positive (famous people who used the library a lot as kids) but there’s also the mocking stereotype quotes too.  It’s always a fun read.

The large articles in the center usually have a debate about a hot topic (or a topic that they have invented for the issue).  I don’t usually read them.  (Bad librarian!).  Although having said that, the article about how downloadable music (as opposed to CDs and LPs) will impact library collections was very interesting.  (I would think even to non-librarians).  This issue also had a cool section about library blogs.  I knew a lot of them, but it’s always great to hear about new ones.

As the magazine reaches the end, there’s a lot of talk about the conference, both upcoming and just passed.  Since I don’t go to them very often, I don’t read this section.   And then, like any good organization, the section ends with news about members: who did what and what happened to them.

The ending sections are specific to librarians: professional development titles as well as new products (and the all important classifieds).

The back page is always written by Will Manley.  Manley is a humorist (when I was at an NJLA conference this year, he was in the room behind me and he (and the uproarious laughter he garnered) absolutely drowned out the very dull seminar on genealogy that I was attending.  I was quite jealous).  Manley reminds me of Andy Rooney.  You know, his piece on PowerPoint was probably funnier when it was made ten years ago when PowerPoint was originally really prevalent, but it was still quite funny.

Obviously I can’t encourage people to subscribe to this if they’re not librarians, but this gives non librarians an idea what we read about.