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"Before you know it as the years go by, you're just like other people you have seen, with all those peculiar human ailments. Just another vehicle for temper and vanity and rashness and all the rest. Who wants it? Who needs it? These things occupy the place where a man's soul should be." -- Henderson the Rain King

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Books #8 and #9

On my Victoria trip, I finished up two more books in my quest to knock out 50 this year.

Book #8 was McSweeney's Issue #15. The theme this quarter was Iceland. The book was printed there and over half of the stories came from Icelandic writers. While McSweeney's is always excellent, I'd have to say that overall this was one of the more disappointing issues I've read. It wasn't all bad though. My favorite piece was the first story in the book, "A Precursor of the Cinema" by Steven Millhauser. It was a really interesting story about a guy named Harlan Crane who was either a really good illusionist or the most under-rated inventor in history. Part of what makes the story great is that I have no idea whether it's fiction or non-fiction. It's written as non-fiction, but I can't find anything about Crane on the web, so maybe it's all made up. Either way it's a great read. I was also pleased to see the new issue includes a story from Univeristy of Florida professer, Padgett Powell. Go Gators!

Book #9 was Forced Entries: The Downtown Diaries 1971-1973 by Jim Carroll. I really enjoyed reading The Basketball Diaries, and since this book is the sequel I was excited to pick it up. Although it didn't quite live up to its predecessor (what sequel ever does), it was still a really good read so my excitement turned out to be well warranted. A word to the wise about Jim Carroll is that both of these diaries are all about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, so if that isn't your thing I'd stay away. If that doesn't scare you off Carroll provides a fascinating look into the underbelly of the New York City drug scene in the 1970's. Some of the best moments in Forced Entries come during often hilarious cameo appearances by Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, William S. Burroughs, and the Velvet Underground. One of my favorite entries is titled 'Rock 'N' Roll' where Carroll talks about how his friends want him to front a rock band but he doesn't think he could ever do it:
"...I respect craft. I believe in technique...and my singing abilities are so serious a handicap that it would take a whole new scale to make the entire thing less than ludicrous." - Jim Carroll
The irony of the entry is that by 1980, The Jim Carroll Band would release its first album Catholic Boy.

On to book #10...

posted by Jamie at 11:24 PM