I’ve been off work for the past few weeks, which has given me plenty of time to sit in front of the fire and read. A few of the highlights:
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Category: Books
Categories
The Holy Goof …
“Related or unrelated, if it was a fact, I knew it. Important or unimportant, whether the amount of coffee grown in Brazil last year, or the weight of Trotsky’s brain, I deal with facts.”
— Neal Cassady, in a letter to Allen Ginsberg
When I read this, it struck me as a brick and mortar incarnation of William Carlos Williams’ edict: “No ideas but in things.”
I just finished William Plummer’s biography of Neal Cassady, “The Holy Goof.” Great read. Cassady is one of those figures who always fascinated me. On one hand, he was this brilliant Beat cyclone who didn’t waste his time writing about life. He was too busy living it. On the other, he was a piece of crap who treated women terribly and often took advantage of his friends.
“The Holy Goof” does a good job of presenting both Cassadys, but it’s clearly a sympathetic bio. If you’re interested in Cassady, Kerouac and/or Kesey, this is worth checking out.
Now Playing: Pumpkin Headed Troll Woman from the album The Road Goes on Forever by Cold Beans and Bacon
I read Kill Your Idols a while ago, but it’s worth a mention. It’s a series of essays by Generation X and Y rock critics. The premise is pretty simple. Take aim at classic rock icons and open fire.
It’s a lot like shooting trout in a barrel. The essays range from fun to obvious to annoying. The best one (and I’m prejudice here) is by my friend Leanne. She takes on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Pronounced” album. But she turns it more into a commentary on Southern culture, which is incredibly on the mark. To quote:
“I’m here to tell you that the definitive Southern rock band is handing you an F-350 truckload of bombastic, sentimental bullshit. Its vision of the South as a land of rebels resisting all things modern, intellectual and Northern is as outdated as hoop skirts, and was even when the band made its debut in 1973.”
Other essays tackle everything from the Dead Kennedys to the Byrds. It’s fun in the way top 100 lists are fun. I didn’t even realize some of these albums were part of the canon. There were several I’d never heard. And when you look at the critics’ favorite albums in the back of the book, it’s amusing to note some of them list music that’s targeted in “Kill Your Idols.”
Definitely worth picking up for anyone who grew up with classic rock as their soundtrack …
Now Playing: Long Black Veil from the album The Pizza Tapes by Jerry Garcia, David Grisman & Tony Rice