Things I Haven’t Had Time For
One good thing about being unemployed is the time to appreciate things that you tend to naturally cut out of your life when you are busy. Things like seeking out new music when the stuff you have has gotten stale, or reading those books in your “to read” pile that never seem to make the top of the list for that premium subway reading time when you are commuting. Things like reading that cute book you put in the bathroom.
Here are some things I have discovered:
Iron & Wine
My friend West Side Fo’ Life in da Hizzy gave me a crapload of MP3’s the other day. Considering my jobless status, this was a treasure trove.
I have mixed feelings about file-sharing in general. I DO think it is stealing, and I DO think it should be illegal… sort of. I believe the rights of artists to their own work should be protected, and that large-scale theft of their art should be put to an end, and small-scale theft should be prohibited on paper.
But that’s the law. In practice, I’m not quite so strict. I copied so many of my friends CD’s to tape when I was in high school, it would be hypocritical of me to say that such practices should stop now that the music is in a format that makes such trading even easier. Especially since this sharing is what creates buzz around artists and gets them popular. And popularity = $$.
So… Napster? Bad. Copying a mess o’ MP3’s you think your friend will like to a data CD? Sooooo good.
Case in point. Iron & Wine. Holy fuck, this band is good. They’re like… what if the Eagles of Death Metal met Simon & Garfunkle in a country music bar and did a jam session.
The music is soft and soothing, with gorgeous vocals and amazing guitar work. It takes some of the best aspects of country and modern cords, mixing them into a familiar yet totally new sound. Bra-fuckin’-vo!
I am always in the market for what I call “writing music”. This is music I can put on in the background when I am writing that can soothe and/or inspire me, while not being distracting. I had previously thought that Loreena McKennitt would never lose the top spot in this category, but that chick ain’t done nothing new in years.
I was given a good 34 songs, most of their catalog. But I’ve already spent $10 on iTunes buying more, and they have a fan for life now, as I will buy any new albums immediately, and will probably go see them live if the chance presents itself.
So was it worth it to the band to have their music pirated and given to me? I guess it’s not for me to say, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it.
More on music later. I haven’t even started in on Fiona Apple and Nine Inch Nails, or Mastodon.
Bathroom Reading: The Book of Ratings
Buy the Book of Ratings and keep it in arm’s reach of your toilet. I’m serious.
Lore Sjoberg may have an unpronounceable name, and I may be too lazy to .HMTL in the umlauts necessary to aid in the pronunciation, but shit, this guy can write. Lore takes all the everyday bits of life we take for granted, like sugar-coated breakfast cereals and aspects of bowling and grades them on the classic A, B, C, D, F scale, with a paragraph or two describing his thought process for each.
In addition to being one of the most consistently funny writers I’ve ever seen, each topic takes about as long to read as your average trip to the bathroom when all your pipes are working as they should. If you’re having a slow day, you can read two. If you’re having a miserable bathroom day, at least you’ll be laughing through the cramps and pain.
Check it out. Why not buy it today?
P.S. If you’re lazy and/or cheap. Or just bored at work, you can pretty much read the whole book for free online: The Book of Ratings Online
King Rat
I’ve also finally gotten around to reading King Rat by James Clavell. I’ve had that fucking book on my shelf, along with Shogun and Tai-Pan, for nigh-unto 15 years. The Pickytarian’s father gave them to me in high school, believe it or not.
I read Shogun like 2 or 3 years ago, and that book changed my life. It is probably the best novel I have ever read, and I’ve read a LOT. I immediately went on to Tai-Pan, which was next, chronologically (though it was actually written first). Also amazing, though not Shogun level. I moved on then to Gai-Jin, which was written much more recently, but was, again, chronologically next in the series, linking up the descendants of the characters of Shogun and Tai-Pan.
God damn, that book fucking sucked.
Disillusioned, King Rat sat around another few years, despite being about 1/4 the size of Shogun. I finally powered through it this weekend. Good shit. It really paints a good picture of the differences between Americans, British, and Australians, the English speaking countries that have always been allied. It made me both proud and disgusted to be an American, and gave a pretty clear picture of why Americans are so dominant in the world, and why the world hates us for it.
Written in 1962, the book is no less relevant today. Give it a read. If you’re too lazy, there was a movie starring George Segal, but I haven’t seen it.