Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

by Carson McCullers

John Singer is a deaf mute who links the lives of four misfits like spokes to the center of a wheel. His calming understanding fills different needs for each of the sad characters.

This is not a book to be taken lightly or read on a whim. It hurts to read at times and paints a bleak picture of injustice, loneliness, and poverty yet also reveals that love and labor are the true meaning for living.

Maybe it is because I am not a native Minnesotan that I am able to see what it is like to be Minnesotan.  When someone has always lived in one place, they do not necessarily see the uniqueness of what is around them.  Or maybe it is because when explaining to my family in Texas what it is like to be living in Minnesota I am forced to evaluate traits that other Minnesotan just accept.  But I think the real reason I am able to see what it is like to be Minnesotan it is because I am from Texas and Texans too live with an understanding, an understanding that, above all else, we are Texan and unique in this world.

On my birthday it snowed eighteen inches.  Not the lights stuff that you can just push aside with little effort, but the heavy stuff.  I decided to classify snow falls by the amount of shovels need to remove a square foot.  Any snow that could be push to the side wouldn't count as snowfall.  There would then be "One Shovel Snow" which would take one shovelful to clear a foot, etc.  This storm was a "Three Shovel Snow".

As I was outside making little progress clearing our driveway, I was amazed to see all my neighbors doing the same.  I mean every neighbor.  Neighbors that I had not seen for months were outside throwing snow.  Most had snow throwers.

After spending almost an hour on this project and being about one fourth of the way done, my next door neighbor wheeled his snow thrower over to my driveway and proceeded to methodically clear the path.  After he was done, I thanked him and we talked a while about the amazing snowfall.  He was excited, almost giddy describing past snowfalls.  He compared this winter with other winters, mentioning cold as well as record snow falls and I noticed that it was not him who was thriving, it was the entire neighborhood.  There was an energy and excitement all over. 

As I tried to figure what was going on, I realized that it was days like this that Minnesotans felt different from the rest of the country.  This was our identity, what makes us unique.  Though there maybe big snows throughout America, we Minnesotans know, in our hearts, that ours snows where heavier, our cold is colder, and our winter is really winter.  No one else knows what it was like to survive here in the frozen north. 

Charlie said:  I like Ben Folds, at least I though I did.  He is quirky and nerdy but never took himself too seriously which made listening to him music fun.  "Brick" is a great song about a bad relationship.  I kind of feel for the guy in that song.

What happened on "Lonely Avenue" is inexcusable.  Ben Folds has taken himself way too seriously.  First by adding Nick Horsby to co-author lyrics.  Nick Horsby, who can write a great novel, is a disaster as a lyricist.  For example, "Levi Johnston's Blues", a song about Sarah Palin's brother-in-law Levi Johnstson, has the chorus, and I am not making this up:

"I'm a fucking redneck I live to hang out with the boys, play some hockey, do some fishing, and kill some moose.  I love to shoot the shit and do some chillin' I guess.  You fuck with me and I'll kick your ass." 

Are you serious Nick?  That is the best you can do?  Wow!

Ben Folds continued his new found importance by adding not just violins but an entire orchestra to each song.  So imagine if you can, the lyrics I just quoted surrounded by Ben Folds' piano and an entire string section.  More than nauseating.

There are bad albums and there are bad albums.  This album has me questioning why I ever liked anything Ben Folds ever did.  I may purge my entire library of Ben Folds after this.  On the Tina/Charlie Promote it, Lend it, Deny it scale, I, with vomit in my mouth, give this a Deny it.

Tina said:  I was eagerly anticipating the new Ben Folds Album for two reasons.

1. I have to admit that was I was disappointed with the previous album “Way to Normal” and was looking forward to another great album like my previous favorites (rockin’ the suburbs and songs for silverman).

2. I really like Nick Hornsby and I was hoping that Nick was going to kick Ben in the rear end and tell him to start writing good music.

I was quickly disappointed.

The album opens up with a song titled “Working Day” it begins as a heavy dose of self-esteem. With the lyrics starting off as “I can do this, really I’m good enough” and continues with “I’m a genius really I’m excellent. Better than them I kick their ass'.” However it quickly spins off into an almost depressing section…..that says “I’m a looser I’m a poser, It’s over, I mean and I quit, everything think I write is shit, hey, hey it’s a working day.” I get it, work is tough, and it’s a slam to your self-esteem when other people are critical of your work. The negativity on this song makes me want to cringe. It continues with the next song on Picture Window, where the lyrics are “hope is a bastard, hope is a liar, a cheater and a tease, hope comes near you kick it’s back side, got no place in days like these.” While I enjoy the instrumentation of this song, and reminds me of classic Ben Folds. I can’t seem to get away from the negative attitude. Album continues on a downslide, with “Levi’ Johnston’s Blues”…

However, after the worst song ever wrote in the entire world, (Levi Johnston’s Blues) the album has some good moments. It’s Ben, his piano and a string orchestra. This is the Ben I do enjoy, the heavy instruments, and the sappy, meaningless lyrics. If you don’t try to comprehend the lyrics, this album is rather enjoyable. The use of violins complements the piano and Ben makes good use of the synthesizer.

On the Tina/Charlie, promote it, lend it, deny it scale. I would like to shoot the shit with my redneck friends and lend it.

This is in no particular order and may be changed on a whim:

1.  Wait So Long:  Trampled by Turtles
2.  Beg Steal Or Borrow:  Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs
3.  Fuck You:  Cee Lo Green
4.  All I Want:  LCD Soundsystem
5.  Modern Man:  Arcade Fire
6.  The Difference Between Us:  Dead Weather
7.  The Mystery Zone:  Spoon
8.  The Man Who Would Speak True:  Blitzen Trapper
9.  Tighten Up:  The Black Keys
10.  Waving Flag:  Offside

Charlie said:  I am a huge James Murphy fan.  I was introduced to LCD Soundsystem in 2007 after I heard a Sound Opinions episode of the top albums of 2007 and both Jim and Greg listed "Sound of Silver", LCD Soundsystem's second album, in their top ten albums of that year.  I took a chance, and using a gift card from my brother, bought the album.  The rest is history, they are my favorite band. 

Why am a talking about LCD Soundsystem and James Murphy when I should be reviewing Free Energy?  Well, Free Energy's first Album, "Stuck on Nothing", was released by the DFA record label that was founded by, you guessed it, James Murphy.  Taking another chance and using another gift card, I down loaded the album off iTunes.

This was not nearly as rewarding of an experience.

Free Energy is playful, poppy, some what energetic but mostly boring.  Every song reminds me of a 1980's Cars pop song.  I like the Cars, they remind me of summers driving up to Stinky Fall to go tubing down the Comal River.   Maybe that is the problem.  Free Energy doesn't remind me of anything.  They just remind me of the $7.99 I wasted on iTunes.

On the Tina/Charlie Promote it, Lend it, Deny it scale, I, disappointingly, give Free Energy a Deny it.

Tina says: When Charlie handed me this album at coffee, and told me it was produced by James Murphy of LCD SoundSystem. I was warned that Free Energy was nothing like LCD SoundSystem. This is True.

Many of the songs on Stuck on Nothing are very poppy, catchy and easy to enjoy. I especially enjoyed Dream City and Bang Pop. They both were mindless feel good songs. The album continues with this theme throughout the album, catchy mindless songs. As I listened to this album I quickly became bored after the first couple of songs. The melodies are very similar and seen to be very repetitive, and this makes for a boring album. I quickly lost interest with this album after the first couple of songs.

Free Energy runs out of energy quickly and on the Tina/Charlie lend it, promote it, deny it scale. I will pass this album along as a lend it.

Stephen's home life is crumbling.  His father is drinking too much, the family is forced to sell off property to make ends meet, and his uncle Charles is going crazy.  Stephen's alienation with his peers seems to be extending to his family as well.  I get the sense that Stephen is a loner who is searching, for what I do not know. 

Having won thirty-three pound in a writing contest, Stephen tries to buy his family some happiness which fails.  He seems lost and money does not seem to bring the acceptance he craves.

Last year's New Year's Resolutions did not go well.  I made the following:

• Watch TV with a purpose. Only turn the television on with a program in mind and only watch that program. FAIL.  I continue to watch TV to kill time and relax. 
• Run three days a week. FAIL.  I did run a half marathon but I was not consistent with my running.
• Read five books with my mother, Ulysses by James Joyce, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, The Death Of The Heart by Elizabeth Bowen, and Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. SUCCESS. This was a lot of fun.

My 2011 Resolutions:

• No TV after Midnight.  The issue I find is that I watch a lot of crappy TV from midnight on.  This may help with my sleeping as well.
• Run three days a week and report my progress on my blog. It is a good goal and I like being in shape.
• Read five books with my mother:  Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, I, Claudius by Robert Graves, Deliverance by James Dickey, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, and The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene.   I am excited!
• Not to use the word "very" in any writing.  When writing my thank yous, I realized that the word "very" has lost all meaning and was just a filler word.
• Remove all dairy from my diet.  I am not going to be rude when invited over but I will try to make an effort to refrain from eating dairy. 

2011 HERE I COME!!!

I have almost completed chapter one and find this much more enjoyable than Ulysses.  I actually can follow Stephen's jumps from childhood to college. 

A friend of mine recommended that I first read this book before trying to tackle Ulysses and I now see why.  Stephen, one of the two main characters in Ulysses, is the hero in this book.  We see how he feels unconnected with the world around him, how he feels confused.

When he was quizzed if he kissed his mother good night and they boys laughed at both of his answers, he could not figure out the correct answer. 

I have felt that way before, searching for an answer where there was none.

by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie tells the story of Saleem Sinai whose birth on August 15th, 1947 mirrors that of his home country, India, as it grows into a nation. 

When tasting wine or beer, I often describe the taste as being big.  Big in a sense of complex and containing flavors that I may not be able to identify but I know they are there and I enjoy them.  I would say the same thing about this book.  It is big and full of complexities that I may not be able to describe, but I have enjoyed. 

Rushdie is an amazing story teller, beautifully weaving magic, history, betrayal, and truth.  This is a great book.