East of Eden
Aug 24, 2010 books
This is a letter from Steinbeck to his friend and editor Pascal “Pat” Covici at the beginning of the book:
Dear Pat,
You came upon me carving some kind of little figure out of wood and you said,
“Why don’t you make something for me?”
I asked you what you wanted and you said, “A box.”
“What For?”
“To put things in.”
“What things?”
“Whatever you have.” You said.
Well here’s your box. Nearly everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts—the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation.
And on top of these are all the gratitude and love I have for you.
And still the box is not full.
John
I am about 100 pages in and can see why it is so highly, highly regarded.
Tags: East of Eden, John Steinbeck, letter
Books etc.
I have said it before and I will say it again.
I judge books by their cover.
I know this isn’t pretty but it is true. What can I say? It has been that way for a long time. I often end up picking a book by the feel and texture of the cover and/or on the book jacket design. (Now before you go getting all high and mighty, don’t try to tell me you are above getting trapped by visual consumerism. Please. I’m guessing you bought something you have on right the fuck now based on how it looks over the quality of the product. Just saying…)
Admittedly, this modus operandi has steered me clear of a few sure shots and classics, but it also probably has something to do with the fact why my top 5 favorite books contain no classics. (I have read some of the classics, they just didn’t make it to one of the coveted Top 5 Favorite Chris Malo Books list.)
But here in Paris? Wow… I brought a few books with me but they were all the short story/reader/compendium type. No novels. I pass bookstores on the regular, but the books are all in French. So I Googled bookstores in Paris that sell books in English and turned the list of 11 into a map.
A few days ago I went to Galignani, across from the Louvre. It’s the oldest English bookstore on the continent. I went to the back where the books in English are and was blown away. First, as I said, I am someone who judge books by their cover. It was obvious that the covers used on the European editions of books differ- and are FAR superior- to their US counterparts. Damn near every book had covers that were beautiful. Either the photography or the graphics, but the design was just drop dead phenomenal. And it wasn’t just titles from one publishing house either. (Although Penguin titles seemed to extra stand out…) Across the board they were all markedly light years better than almost anything in the states.
And although they had a large selection of books it wasn’t like being in a Borders or B&N. It was a decent size for a bookstore in Paris with an English selection, but definitely not expansive. Yet, the selection they did have was outstanding. I easily could of walked out with 50 books. Instead I walked out with one. What blew my mind was when I went to the V’s. Before my eyes, not one, not two, but six titles by William T. Vollmann? I have yet to see a store back home that carries one, let alone six. The books of his I have I have all had to order online. But here…
I picked The Atlas because it seemed appropriate.
(They also had a selection of Nick Tosches, which is rare to see…)
The following day I dragged Jill out to hit more bookstores. I had picked up a copy of East of Eden in Galignani, but thought I might be able to find it used at one of the other places. Turns out I was wrong. We went to Village Voice Bookshop (new only; smallish selection), San Francisco Book Co. (used only; good selection, not for anyone that requires order), The Abbey (new & used; see: San Francisco Book Co.) and Shakespeare & Co. (new only; lots of history, lots of books, tourist trap) and none had it. So today I went back to Galignani and in between posting, finishing the third season of The Wire I have had my nose in it…
During one leg of our roadtrip, the conversation obviously turned to books, literature and authors. (See end of post for my often discussed/mentioned top 5.) Great convos for sure. Again, I commented that even as a recovering dope fiend, I still fear running out. If I find something I like I want to buy several of whatever it is, in case the original runs out or breaks. One of the things I love about reading and books is that the list of books to get to is endless. I can never run out. And for someone like me… It gives me a little bit of security.
Strange fact time?
Bookstores and libraries make me have to take a shit. No lie. Ask my family or any of my exes. If you are in a bookstore and want to find me, scan the place quick, then head for the men’s stalls.
My top 5 books (in no order & subject to change at any time):
- And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave
- The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
- Big Machine by Viktor LaValle
- Horace Afoot by Frederick Reuss
- Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Tags: books, bookstores, Paris
The End of Publishing
Mar 17, 2010 books, video, writing
Interesting video, made for a UK book publishing subsidiary.
All about perspective…
Tags: Penguin, The End of Publishing, UK
Big Machine
Feb 19, 2010 books
So I finished up the last book I was reading and just picked up Victor LaValle’s Big Machine at the library. I tend to pretty much stick to non-fiction unless I am reading short stories, but occasionally I break up the routine with a work of fiction.
A fiendishly imaginative comic novel about doubt, faith, and the monsters we carry within us.
Ricky Rice was as good as invisible: a middling hustler, recovering dope fiend, and traumatized suicide cult survivor running out the string of his life as a porter at a bus depot in Utica, New York. Until one day a letter appears, summoning him to the frozen woods of Vermont. There, Ricky is inducted into a band of paranormal investigators comprised of former addicts and petty criminals, all of whom had at some point in their wasted lives heard The Voice: a mysterious murmur on the wind, a disembodied shout, or a whisper in an empty room that may or may not be from God.
Evoking the disorienting wonder of writers like Haruki Murakami and Kevin Brockmeier, but driven by Victor LaValle’s perfectly pitched comic sensibility Big Machine is a mind-rattling literary adventure about sex, race, and the eternal struggle between faith and doubt.
Despite what this may or may not say about me, the truth is: I judge books by their covers. Say what you want, it’s true. For me. I was drawn to this cover and something a bout the description on the inside of the book jacket was reminicent of my favotie book of all-time, Horace Afoot. I checked it out and on my way back to the office noticed one of the blurbs on the back was from Mos Def.
“Gabriel Garcia Marquez mixed Edgar Allen Poe, but more than that. Big Machine is like nothing I’ve ever read, incredibly human and alien at the same time.”
Hmh. Interesting.
I cracked the book over lunch and within the first page and a half was hooked. Both story-wise and stylistically. I can already tell I am going to love this.
I always glance at Amazon reviews, usually after I have picked a book, and although they are few they are glowing.
Makes me want to check out other books LaValle has written.
Tags: Big Machine, Victor LaValle
E-Reader
My favorite sponsee Rob gave me a free Sony E-Reader at my homegroup anny last night. (You see why he is my favorite, right?) I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but I’m psyched to see what I think about it. I have a natural aversion to them, but I also like gadgets. We will see what wins.
I came across this post today too. While I commented on it over there, I will repeat myself over here.
Interesting stuff to think about.
As someone who has been a witness to the implosion of the music industry, labels, and therefore quality of music, part of this excites me while part of this frightens me. Not to say both industries are completely parallel but I have seen a drastic nosedive in quality of work because with endless space, the possibility of endless revisions and self publishing becoming the norm, the usual constraints and filters that weeded out the trash are then gone too. I wonder if this will follow with the book publishing world as well.
Tags: E-Reader, gadget, technology
My small, odd, fascination. Go figure.
Nov 14, 2009 books, music, storytelling, video, writing
So I am not exactly sure where this comes from. But it is definitely there. It’s one of those things where the clues or pieces of information have been there for a while and then suddenly it gels. This is one of those things.
I am fascinated and interested in very poor, very rural, people and cultures. Looking for an easy, loose definition of what I am referring to? White trash. I grew up middle-class and suburban. I own a rap magazine. I have never lived in the South or in the sticks. Maybe because it is unknown that I am attracted to and curious about it. Whatever.
It was first pointed out years ago by Sean. What was pointed out was my attraction to “white trash” kind of girls. My initial response was of course defensive, but damn he was right. Not for dating purposes, but smashing purposes. Not that I had, just that there was an undeniable attraction to girls who look a certain type of way. I have forever dated the polar opposite, but there is that attraction. Go figure.
But that’s not the only thin.
Another piece of the puzzle was when I watched an ABC News Special, A Hidden America: Children of the Appalachia. I was fascinated. Again, my growing up bears no resemblance to this. And it blows my mind that places like this still exist. Not just in the world, but a few hundred miles from the urban metropolis that I sit typing all this, with countless amenities at my fingertips. Go figure.
While I can’t say that I am a huge fan of country music, I can say that I am a fan of folk-y kind of music. Recently I have been listening to Jim White, The Avett Brothers, etc. The odd part is that much like hip-hop, I can’t relate. I can get in touch with and identify with some of the feelings, but as far as the specifics? not so much. But like rap, I am attracted to it and like it. Go figure.
I was at work and talking to Thom, and we were talking about books and authors. He is from Alabama. (Coincidentally, from the same small town as my one ex that Sean refers to as WT. Her mom one time punched another woman in the face at the Old Country Buffet for calling her white trash. You can decide.) So Tom pointed out some of the authors I was reading and liked belonged to a genre called “grit lit,” a form of “dirty realism.”
“[The]subgenre of Southern fiction is a direct response to the work of William Faulkner, a close cousin to Erskine Caldwell’s tales of rural poverty and Flannery O’Connor’s grotesque fantasies of alienation. The best grit lit is filled with ornery, deranged, and desperate characters who are fueled by violence, sex, and alcohol. Most the books discussed here are not for the faint of heart. Grit lit never pulls punches. It is, after all, gritty.”–David Hellman and Nancy Pearl
Thom put me on to a few authors to check out. To fuel creative cravings. Sometimes it isn’t always in the form of books or short stories, but I have been finding a bunch of websites online that feed me my literary fix. Recently I was on one of these sites and came across this, which is basically everything that I love about creative non-fiction and my world-I-don’t-know thirst. Go figure.
What about for a visual fix? Jill hates anything with a Southern twang, so on Saturday nights when she is at work I will find a movie or documentary to watch, something she would have no interest in. A few weeks ago I watched Dirty Driving: Thundercars of Indiana. It’s pretty much everything you might think. No matter what that is.
What does it all mean? I don’t know, and don’t really care. One of the nice things about maturity and growing more comfortable in my own skin is that I don’t feel a need to explain, know or defend what I like, or don’t. I just think it’s interesting. And makes me feel good when I find these unexplored parts of my personality for me to explore both internally and externally, as an extension of my tastes. What it means is that my Amazon list grows, and there is constantly new music to listen to and documentaries to watch. I ain’t mad.
Go figure.
Tags: ABC News, Appalachia, dirty realism, documentaries, Electric Literature, grit lit, Jim White, Martin Hyatt, The Avitt Brothers, white trash
Rant: The need for a 26/28 hour day
Nov 10, 2009 books, etc., journalism, writing
I wish I had more time…
It occurred to me the other day, I am really busy. Not just “I have a lot on my plate” busy. I mean really fucking busy.
About a month ago, in an effort to write more, I committed to writing 500 words four times a week. I have done that a grand total of .5 times. The one thing I did start to bang out was this:
At this point in my life, a typical week may consist of most or all of the following: 8am class, watching copious amounts of porn and getting paid for it, on stage or a tour bus with a high profile rapper, sitting in a basement with a bunch of other addicts, helping these addicts save their lives, believing these same addicts want to save mine, being unbelievably sweet to my girlfriend while being racked with fear that she wants someone who isn’t such a mush, wishing my sister was ok with herself, wondering why I can’t find time to get to the gym more, wishing my schedule was more in align with my friends, explaining to the FBI why I was almost an hour late to a 10am meeting, explaining to my boss that the 20 minute phonecall wasn’t me dicking around but about the iTunes deal we are brokering, wishing I could have sex with my girlfriend more regardless of how often we already have sex, studying First Amendment law while checking Facebook and watching football, wondering why I night I am convinced that I can do the next day on 4 hours sleep and than waking up feeling like I am willing to blow a small farm animal for four more hours sleep, loving hip-hop, hating hip-hop, wondering if that sponsee is ever going to call, wonder why that sponsee won’t stop fucking calling me, packing up the coffeepot for her to take with her to the stripclub, wondering if trading Young Matt Ronnie Brown for the Bronco’s D is a good idea, couple nights of 4 hours sleep, couple nights of 13 hours sleep, pressing refresh on the browser of my Blackberry because Facebook is the ONLY site my company blocks at work…
Which coincidentally, ties into this post.
Two nights last week, I was cooking full on dinners at 3am. Because I am so caught up in the things I have to do, I have no time for the things I want to do.
Here’s the bare bones of stuff I have going on: 50 hours a week at the day job, 2 classes (One requires a ton of time, one requires no time. One is a law class, one is a magazine editing class. You figure it out.), magazine stuff, recovery stuff, girlfriend stuff. Friends and social life are so far down on the list, they aren’t even making the list anymore. Shits so busy that I am on the list and supposed to get up with Aubrey and Sean P for the Sean P/Raekwon show here in Philly tonight and since my girl is in the Chi, the idea of going home and reading appeals to me more.
Now that may look like a busy, but not real busy, list of things on my plate. But here’s the thing: all the unforeseen intangibles and deviations that take up time.
Take recovery. There it is. But what that means is at least 3 or 4 meetings a week. Time for that. I am sponsoring about 3.5 guys right now. (The .5 is because I have two that are half-assing it, so I figure together they probably equal a half for the time it takes me to read their text messages of bullshit about why they aren’t around or in contact.) Then you figure I have to fit in my own stepwork, interacting with other addicts, secretary of the area duties and getting out the minutes, and you begin to see how looking deeper it can eat up the clock. A different impression than just reading “recovery.” Don’t get it twisted, not complaining at all. It is what it is.
Magazine stuff. This one has been a roller coaster. You figure between my boss barking at me about being on the phone and internet usage off the charts (Yes, I am finally getting in trouble for NOT watching porn at work…) trying to handle mag stuff here is difficult. And trying to fit those 50 hours of work around classes means that I am at the day job a lot. So you figure all those duties. Between getting writers, photogs, pictures, in touch with DJs and artists and labels and managers, then making sure the interviews actually pop off, then making sure I get all the content, and then editing it… And by now we all know to plan for about 20% of fuck-ups or changes in plans. (This issues? The cover-story writer taping over the interview with the artist. On purpose.) Now, it was hectic when doing it full-time, imagine it with today’s schedule. And a huge shoutout goes to Rockalepsy because he is the one holding this ship together right now. Make NO mistakes about that one AT ALL. Just because there’s a lot of work or unmanagability for me, does not mean that I got it the worst.
In any event, one of the things that is frustrating is that I don’t really feel like I am doing anything I am really passionate about. Dayjob watching porn? Not really. School? In theory it sounds good, but journalism? These days? I wonder if all the places I tried to freelance at, with the experience I already have, the reason I couldn’t even get an email returned when I was offering to work for free was because I didn’t have a degree. Magazine stuff? Look. There was a time and a place where we had fire for that. But in the almost 5 years that we have done it, with the ups and downs, I think we are all drained and going through the motions. So why are we doing it? There’s a situation that would provide insta-flame for us. It looks good, but we know well enough not to get excited or count those eggs until the paperwork is signed.
And it’s strange because two of the things I am blazahy about (school/journalism’s future and the magazine), I feel like I could be more excited, if I just had the time.
I am excited about magazine stuff because I love the music, I love owning my own business, I love being on stage with Ghostface, I love being able to call Kid Capri, I love having built something I am proud of when the odds were against us. And the deal we are working on is CRAZY. Like game and industry changing crazy. I try and pace my excitement, but it could be really major.
I get excited about writing, because even though things are rough and tough and real in the field, it also feels like it is a time for real creativity and innovation. Something will emerge. It’s a question of what and when. I think the magazine experience has given me a sense of believing in myself, and being capable of beating the odds. I have faith in my skill set and what I can do, offer and bring to the table. There’s a lot going on, and I want to be a part of it. I read things like this and look at people like George that has eternal optimism and try and be a part of the solution and not just complain about the problem and it inspires me. He put this together and sent me a proposal yesterday about “backpack journalism” workshops he is putting together for the Spring. (What is “backpack journalism?” Read this.)
Plus, throw into the mix trying to step-up web presence stuff, all tied in to branding, freelancing, etc. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, this site, my professional experience blog, trying to synch them, update them… That is a job in and of itself. Since I didn’t really care about it, or understand the significance, until recently, I’m a little behind. I didn’t have a Facebook account until a month or so ago. I’m still trying to unravel that. (Who sees what? What’s the difference between my News Feed, Live News Feed and Updates?) Imagine trying to synch it all. Fail.
But…
Can’t cut out work, got to pay the bills.
Can’t cut out school because I’m trying to learn and give myself every advantage. (This is partly fueled by my futile efforts to freelance. My naitivity thought with my experience it would be easy. Wrong.)
Can’t cut out magazine stuff because we are so close and that’s my baby. Although some days I think it may catch a case of the SIDS.
Can’t cut out the girl cuz that’s my heart and future wifey.
Can’t cut out my peoples, even though they are already sending out search teams for me I been so MIA, because that’s my team.
So what do I want to do? I want to read more. I am sick of the horrifical communication law textbook. I have a laundry list of books I want to get to. I want to write more. A lot more. Freelance, fiction, creative non-fiction. All the above. I am sick of reading about writing, thinking about writing, talking about writing, blogging about writing, reading about those who write, and not fucking writing. I want to paint more. I want to get to the gym more. (This isn’t one of those making an excuse things. When I had more time I was going. But for the past month it hasn’t really fit in the schedule.) But realtalk? Some days by the time I get home I got nothing left in me. It’s not a discipline thing, it’s a lack of energy thing. I want to turn on the TV and zone the fuck out.
I said it before and I will say it again. I am still waiting for Google to invent a 26 or 28 hour day.
It took me two days to post this.
Tags: books, Facebook, Foundation magazine, freelance, George Miller, LinkedIn, magazine, MySpace, PhIJI, reading, recovery, time, twitter, work, writing
Amazon’s Best of 2009 List- aka: juxtaposition
Nov 3, 2009 books
So Amazon.com just put out their Best of 2009 list.
It is interesting to note the the canyon of difference between the editors’ picks v. customers’ picks.
The eds put together the predictable list of literature over the last year.
The customers? Not so much. Fluffy Dan Brown at the number 1 position, conservative right wing nut jobs at 2 and 3, a comedian at 4, a coloring book at 7, and a book on getting thin at 10…
At least good to see Vollmann made the list, at 97, for Imperial.
On the editors’ picks, in case you were wondering…
Tags: Amazon, William T. Vollmann
The Bat Segundo Show
Sep 10, 2009 books, journalism, movies, writing
As someone who has done a bunch of interviews, I always try to go for good questions. Not the same 20 questions that have been asked and re-tread in a thousand other interviews someone has done. As someone who also loves to read and is eternally fascinated with artist’s creative the process (almost more-so than the product) but is completely turned off by high-brow, self absorbed, intellectual babble, I think Bat Segundo is perfect. The show consists of extremely well researched, astute and insightful interviews by Edward Champion.
The Bat Segundo Show is a cultural and literary podcast that involves very thorough long-form interviews with contemporary authors and other assorted artists.
I stumbled across it when looking for interviews with WTV (here and here), and now I am pouring through the catalog of podcasts. The selection of people is amazing. It sounds like the interviews take place in a cafe, and there is great ambient (but not distracting) background noise. Champion knows not only who he is interviewing inside and out, but their body of work as well, so he is able to ask pointed questions.
Standard questions that have been asked of guests over and over are avoided, whenever possible.
Not only is this appreciated by the listener, but many of his guests seem surprised (I’m sure after suffering a litany of boring interviews) as well. Champion is also not afraid to ask tougher questions, or try and elicit an answer if the guest seems squirrely. Not that he is trying to blindside them or it is in an aggressive manner, but it certainly is not only softball questions either. All of which make for an interesting interview, as opposed to simply an interview. Not only is this the aim or sound like a nice blurb on his About page, but Champion succeeds with an extensive collection of interviews. I often find myself googling his guests, so it’s a great way to also find new authors and new books.
There’s a lot to take away from Champion’s interviews. Not only about his subjects, but stylistically how to do a great interview, and the result.
Ed also does a companion blog that is full of jewels too.
Tags: Bat Segundo Show, Edward Champion, interview, William T. Vollmann
