Round-Up of Summer Reading

Somehow, the end of the summer completely got away from me.  I can't really say where all my time went, but 
I was so busy that I didn't even notice it slip away.  Sure, I spent some time reading, but that only accounts for a small amount of time.  Regardless, I'm back an focused. 

Since I can attest for the time I spent reading, here's a round-up of the remainder of my summer reading.  The theme this season was memoir, it just kind of happened that way.

Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg: Nobody appreciates pop culture more than Simon Pegg.  Throughout his memoir he is nothing short of ecstatic as he tells how science fiction influenced his life.  Therefore, when he became involved in making science fiction, he hit the jackpot.  His book is the tale of a young sci-fi fan who grew into a really big sci-fi fan.  It's sweet in its enthusiasm and a great opportunity to get acquainted with the actor.  Admittedly, the references in the book are easier to understand if you have seen his movies (which you should anyway).

Role Models by John Waters: In this book, the iconic film maker interviews the people he considers his role models (as you may have gleaned from the title).  After reading it, I feel like I now know more, not only about John Waters, but about the world.  His interviews range from celebrities like Johnny Mathis to the infamous to the unknown.  It's exactly what you would expect from John Waters.  Each chapter is devoted to a different person, however the focus may shift from the individual to related facts.  Honestly, it's nothing short of amazing the amount of information about underground groups and fetishes.  And you can almost see his smirk as he shares what he knows.

Wild Boy: My Life In Duran Duran by Andy Taylor: This book almost made me stop liking Duran Duran. It's probably one of the few books I wish I hadn't read.  There's nothing wrong with it perse; it's written well enough, it tells of the rise and fall (and rise again) of one of the 80s most successful bands.  And I'm not so big a fan of the band that tarnishing their image would upset me.  There's just nothing likeable about the people in the book.  Duran Duran weren't a hard-working band playing through the music scene, they were the house band at Birmingham's Rum Runner night club.  And it seems they always felt a sense of entitlement.  Through the ups and downs of the band's career, the member just make it nearly impossible to root for the band.

Bossypants by Tina Fey: Unlike the Duran Duran book, this one actually made more interested in the subject.  I've never been a big fan of Saturday Night Live or the sitcoms on NBC, but I do like Tina Fey.  And I figured that her book would be light and funny, which I needed.  And it was.  Self-deprecating, and self-aware, reading her book is almost like sitting with a friend at a bar.  She he is honest and hilarious.  Like Simon Pegg, she can hardly believe the success she's achieved, and there is something about it that attitude that makes her even more likeable. 

And now, I'm ready for some fiction.

Book Review: See A Little Light by Bob Mould

During college I developed a close bond to Bob Mould.  No, I've never met the guy.  But I played his solo album, Black Sheets of Rain and Sugar's Copper Blue so incessantly that I felt I knew him, or more importantly that he knew and understood me.  And therein lies the genius of Bob Mould, he is able to take unadulterated passionate emotions and express them eloquently. His albums are cauldrons nearly boiling over with anger, frustration, insecurity and at the other end of the spectrum, hope.  And in my twenties, these were emotions I understood well, many of us did.

So in his memoir, See A Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody, I had no idea which Bob Mould I would encounter.  Would it be the witty, biting Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü?  Would it be the angry Bob Mould who sang "Stop Your Crying"?  Or would See A Little Light tell the saga of a world-weary musician?  The answer is: None of the above.  In his memoir, we are introduced to a kindler, gentler Bob Mould.  Through the years, he has learned to feel comfortable in his own skin.  This is not a book about riding in vans and getting laid (though there is fair amount of that).  The drugs, sex and rock'n'roll of the scene play more of a background as Bob relates how music transformed his life.  During his chaotic and abusive upbringing in upstate New York, Bob discovered the two things that brought escape: booze and music. 

But he found that escape didn't solve all of his problems.  Success seemed to arrived accompanied by a complicated labyrinth of social issues.  Underlying everything was his insecurity and coming to terms with his homosexuality.  At various points in his life, he made baby steps, with some faltering along the way.  Ultimately, he recounts how he was finally able to embrace the person he is and how this fueled his creativity.  As you read, you're cheering him along.

See A Little Light provides a perspective on the music scene that only Bob Mould could share.  Through 80s DIY to the indie bubble during the 90s, he was at the forefront of it all.  And as he looks back on his life, he does so with a sense of humor and understanding. 

Book Review: Just Kids by Patti Smith

I'm rounding out the season of summer reading with a series of memoirs.  This happened completely accidentally.  I reserved one from library and while I was on the site, I remembered that I wanted to read another.  Soon enough, my queue was filled with half a dozen memoirs.  And so there you go.

The one that started this tangent was Patti Smith's Just Kids.  It had been on my reading list for a while, it just took me this long to remember to reserve it.  One night I was out with my friend Elisa, who essentially suggested that I drop whatever else I was doing and find a copy of this book.  And I'm glad I took her advice.

Looking at her now, a mature artist with an iconic career, it's hard to imagine that Patti Smith was once young and dumb.  She was once 18, and make the decisions and mistakes that 18-year-old do.  She flew by the seat of her pants, took chances and saw the world with wonder.  This led her to meeting Robert Mapplethorpe.  Together, the two of them explored the city, immersed themselves in the bohemian scene erupting around them and experimented with their art. 

Just Kids is a beautiful tale of two young people coming into their own, falling in love with each other and the world.  Patti Smith has an absolutely poetic way of looking at the world.  Even through tough times of homelessness and poverty, she describes the time she spent with Mapplethorpe with tenderness and caring.  As life began to take the two of them on divergent paths, they managed to maintain their mutual support system, having their unique bond as a touch-stone.  Through the highs and lows, especially the lows, they were always there for each other. It's a reminder that within us all, we have a vulnerability and that we all start out as kids. 

Book Review: Talking To Girls About Duran Duran

If I can be counted under any demographic, file me under the one that's guaranteed to read a book with the title Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut.  I grew up during the 80s - the music of that era had a profound influence on my life.  Plus, I hold a special infinity for the Fab 5.

In his follow up to Love Is A Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield once again reminisces about his music collection.  Each chapter is represented by a song, and focuses on key moments of his life.  Through adolescence, growing up in a Irish Catholic family, surrounded by sisters who were on a constant crusade to help make him cool, Rob Sheffield found that music filled the gaps to the sometimes awkard moments of social interaction.  Pop sound somehow provided a key to understanding girls. He understands the importance of the timing of hand-claps in songs. Each chapter is devoted to a different song.  Sometimes the connections between the story told in the chapter and the song itself are harder to find.  One may be the soundtrack to the era, "Total Eclipse fo the Heart" may remind him of the girl with the Bonnie Tyler hair. 

The book is sweet and nostalgic. It's as if looking through his tape collection (there's even a chapter devoted to the cassingle) he finds old friends.  What I love the most about this book is that Rob Sheffield is not afraid to admit his love for pop music.  He holds a special affinity for Haysi Fantaysi, a group that even grates my girl nerves.  He bonds with his young sister through New Kids on The Block.  There's nothing pretentious here, just a guy who loved music and women (perhaps not in that order).

Book Review: Iggy Pop: Open Up & Bleed by Paul Trynka

Well, it would appear that my summer reading list has a theme.  As usual, I am obsessed with music.  Moreover, I can't stop reading about the early 1970s.  It was a time filled with strong characters and among them Iggy Pop stands tallest.

By all accounts, I'm surprised that Iggy Pop has survived this long.  After spending a good 25 years heavily abusing drugs, mutilating himself on stage, and taking enormous risks, it's surprising that anyone could sustain that lifestyle. But Iggy did, perhaps its part of his genius.  It's definitely what makes him so interesting.  In Open Up & Bleed, Paul Trynka takes a look at James Osterberg from the very beginning.  As a quick-witted over-acheiving child, he charmed fellow students and teachers.  Later in life, he formed bands that would introduce him to the people who eventually make up the Stooges.  Through the ups and downs of his career, it was his charm and wit that opened up new situations.  As the book details his life and career, it seems Iggy has a penchant for self-destruction.  But perhaps his creativity needed to rise out of the ashes like a phoenix, a shirtless, angry phoenix.  He seems to possess a duality of personality, yin and yang to the extreme.  On one side Jim Osterberg is intelligent, nurturing and level-headed.  Iggy, on the other hand, is frantic, creative, restless and eager to create a commotion.  Together, they created most influential music of the time.

Iggy's influence cannot be discounted.  Early punk bands not only covered his songs, but aped his style and attitude.  Although he never appreciated at this time, always one step ahead of the status quo, he deserves his place in the pantheon of rock goods.

Open Up & Bleed is a fun read, for the antics and travails of Iggy Pop.  It's also interesting for a look at musical history.