I've been through an interesting and productive sequence of books lately. Leading up to the first Jefferson Wheelchair show, I was looking for books that might help our showmanship, which led me to one called "Win the Crowd" by Steve Cohen, a professional magician. There were a number of useful techniques in there, but the better ones are going to require some practice. I've put enough of the more straightforward ideas into practice to know that those work. Might have more on that later, after I get to experiment with the more advanced ideas. Useful stuff here for people who present themselves in front of a group in any way. One of the more interesting things I learned was how a stage magician prepares in advance and pays an extraordinary level of attention to audience reactions in order to constantly stay one step ahead of them.
That book led me to "The Charisma Myth" by Olivia Fox Cabane. Her premise is that charisma is not something people just have or don't have; charisma is a skill set that can be developed. She also theorizes that there are actually four distinct types of charisma, each involving a different balance of that skill set. Again, the more basic techniques have shown some promise, and I have some experimenting to do with the more advanced ones. In particular, I've tried slowing my speech and dropping the pitch of my voice at work to convey greater authority, with some success. I've tended to speak rapidly in my work out of necessity, because I have a lot of information to convey and very tight time frames, but I thought it might actually save me time if I came across as someone you didn't argue with. The experiment worked, for the most part. I have some refining to do. A key idea again in this book is mindfulness. A charismatic person is not distracted, and she presents several specific techniques to help you reduce or eliminate distractions from your mind.
From there I moved on to "Self-Compassion" by Kristin Neff. The link here is far less obvious. Losing my temper at work has been an ongoing problem for me, though I've gotten better over the last few years because I've been working so hard on it. It's hard for people who know me elsewhere to imagine me showing anger, never mind having a constant problem with it. All I can say is that there are things in my work environment that really push my buttons, and I'm coping with that as best I can.
The common link with the other books is an emphasis on mindfulness, on observing what is going on in your own head before it becomes a problem. Without getting too far into the psychology behind it, when I start feeling overwhelmed in the workplace, there's a lot of vicious self-talk in my head that sends me into a fight-or-flight response. Not good, because it actually restricts blood flow in the brain and makes it harder to think, just when you really need presence of mind. One possible solution is to use mindfulness to become aware of it before it gets out of control, and ease up on myself internally before I actually lose my temper at an external target. I haven't had enough pressure at work in the last week or so to test this any more than superficially, but it shows promise. It also dovetails nicely with my meditation and spiritual practice, as well as some of the charisma techniques from the first two books. I may be learning these techniques with different goals in mind, but why not put it all to work across the board to make my life better?
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, March 14, 2011
"Life" by Keith Richards
Just finished this book, and I'd give it a big recommendation. I like the Rolling Stones, but wouldn't call myself a hard core fan. I've always had the impression that Keith wasn't that articulate or interesting in and of himself, but this book has proven me wrong in a big way. If he had a ghostwriter, he had a good one.
The guitar-playing specifics included are likely to go right over the head of the average reader, while the guitar playing readers will be going over them in detail. I've heard a lot of bands cover Stones songs, but very few play them so they sound right, and he explains some of the reasons for that. Beautiful!
He also explains in detail how he managed to stay so functional while under the influence of several illegal substances on a regular basis, even as he says he wouldn't recommend anyone else try it. I don't enough personally about substance abuse to say how plausible what he is telling us is, but found it fascinating in a train wreck sort of way.
I'd like to have read more about the recording/creative processes involved in making the various Stones records than was included. He does explain his writing relationship with Mick Jagger well enough that I have a good idea how they wrote their songs, for the most part. There are a few insights into his relationships with the other members of the group, especially Mick Jagger, but most of it feels strangely removed, as though he barely knows them or wants to say as little as possible about them to keep band relations functional. He certainly doesn't say much about Bill Wyman (he talks almost as much about the Vox amp that Bill brought when he joined the band!), and band relations wouldn't be a factor there anymore. Ditto for Brian Jones, who doesn't get much credit for his role in the early days of the band.
There's not a lot of celebrity gossip for those who like that sort of thing. There are a few names dropped here and there, but nothing terribly new or surprising.
And ultimately, I found Keith surprisingly likable, even as he was honestly laying out some not-so-flattering truths about himself. He clearly truly understands what makes the Stones work well together and doesn't try to overstate his role in it. He attributes their success to their chemistry (correctly, in my opinion) and doesn't hold back praise for Mick's singing, playing harp, and performance skills or Charlie's steady bed of rhythm.
On the whole, very highly recommended if you like rock biography.
The guitar-playing specifics included are likely to go right over the head of the average reader, while the guitar playing readers will be going over them in detail. I've heard a lot of bands cover Stones songs, but very few play them so they sound right, and he explains some of the reasons for that. Beautiful!
He also explains in detail how he managed to stay so functional while under the influence of several illegal substances on a regular basis, even as he says he wouldn't recommend anyone else try it. I don't enough personally about substance abuse to say how plausible what he is telling us is, but found it fascinating in a train wreck sort of way.
I'd like to have read more about the recording/creative processes involved in making the various Stones records than was included. He does explain his writing relationship with Mick Jagger well enough that I have a good idea how they wrote their songs, for the most part. There are a few insights into his relationships with the other members of the group, especially Mick Jagger, but most of it feels strangely removed, as though he barely knows them or wants to say as little as possible about them to keep band relations functional. He certainly doesn't say much about Bill Wyman (he talks almost as much about the Vox amp that Bill brought when he joined the band!), and band relations wouldn't be a factor there anymore. Ditto for Brian Jones, who doesn't get much credit for his role in the early days of the band.
There's not a lot of celebrity gossip for those who like that sort of thing. There are a few names dropped here and there, but nothing terribly new or surprising.
And ultimately, I found Keith surprisingly likable, even as he was honestly laying out some not-so-flattering truths about himself. He clearly truly understands what makes the Stones work well together and doesn't try to overstate his role in it. He attributes their success to their chemistry (correctly, in my opinion) and doesn't hold back praise for Mick's singing, playing harp, and performance skills or Charlie's steady bed of rhythm.
On the whole, very highly recommended if you like rock biography.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Music Lesson & Zen Guitar
I recently finished a book called "The Music Lesson" by Victor Wooten. Though a lot of people haven't heard of him, Victor Wooten is one of the finest bassists in the world. If you haven't heard of him, I'd strongly suggest you check out his work as part of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. In the introduction, he says that a number of people had suggested to him that he write an instructional book to teach others to play as he does, and this was as close as he was going to get. It certainly isn't a conventional music instruction book.
One of Mr. Wooten's key points is that the way music is usually taught overemphasizes the student learning which notes to play. He points out that there are so many other components that make up good music as well, and provides numerous examples to make this point.
The book is written as a novel rather than an instruction book, with the main characters being the author himself as a young man and an enigmatic stranger named Michael who turns up uninvited in his living room and starts showing him things that mainly pertain to music, but also extend beyond that. Each chapter covers some aspect of making music, most of which don't involve which notes to play when. He also emphasizes that each player must ultimately find his own expression rather than imitate anybody else. Reading this really made me think about what I'm doing musically. I'd highly recommend this book to any aspiring musician regardless of their instrument of choice. The section on how to make someone else's solo sound better is worth the price of the book all by itself.
The one reservation I'd have about recommending this book is that the author is heavily influenced by Eastern philosophy. That obviously is no problem at all from my perspective, but at least one review I read objected to what the reviewer called Wooten's "yoga-style philosophy". It's true that the content is steeped in Eastern philosophy throughout, especially in the last chapter or two, but I'd argue that even a musician with a bias in the opposite direction would find enormous value in the quality of the musical content. I wish I could have read this book when I was just starting out, and I will lend it to as many of my musical friends who are willing to read it.
I'm still in the process of reading "Zen Guitar", which is similarly a book addressing various facets of playing guitar specifically, with quotes from a number of well known players. It's not as inspirational or directly useful as "The Music Lesson", but still good stuff, and the sections are brief, making it convenient for a quick reading before performance or practice. I'd also recommend this one, if not as highly.
One of Mr. Wooten's key points is that the way music is usually taught overemphasizes the student learning which notes to play. He points out that there are so many other components that make up good music as well, and provides numerous examples to make this point.
The book is written as a novel rather than an instruction book, with the main characters being the author himself as a young man and an enigmatic stranger named Michael who turns up uninvited in his living room and starts showing him things that mainly pertain to music, but also extend beyond that. Each chapter covers some aspect of making music, most of which don't involve which notes to play when. He also emphasizes that each player must ultimately find his own expression rather than imitate anybody else. Reading this really made me think about what I'm doing musically. I'd highly recommend this book to any aspiring musician regardless of their instrument of choice. The section on how to make someone else's solo sound better is worth the price of the book all by itself.
The one reservation I'd have about recommending this book is that the author is heavily influenced by Eastern philosophy. That obviously is no problem at all from my perspective, but at least one review I read objected to what the reviewer called Wooten's "yoga-style philosophy". It's true that the content is steeped in Eastern philosophy throughout, especially in the last chapter or two, but I'd argue that even a musician with a bias in the opposite direction would find enormous value in the quality of the musical content. I wish I could have read this book when I was just starting out, and I will lend it to as many of my musical friends who are willing to read it.
I'm still in the process of reading "Zen Guitar", which is similarly a book addressing various facets of playing guitar specifically, with quotes from a number of well known players. It's not as inspirational or directly useful as "The Music Lesson", but still good stuff, and the sections are brief, making it convenient for a quick reading before performance or practice. I'd also recommend this one, if not as highly.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Heaven and Hell
I recently finished "Heaven and Hell" by Don Felder, who had been a member of the Eagles for most of the band's existence. This is very much the insider's look I wanted to see. You can't take any single band member's version of events as the gospel truth, but you can get a reasonably good idea of how things were.
Every band has its personal dynamic. It's not always a very functional dynamic, and in my experience it is frequently very dysfunctional, which of course makes entertaining reading. According to Don Felder's view, Don Henley and Glenn Frey tended to side together in most things, and eventually had functionally full control over everything the band did in every way. I've been on both sides of that dynamic in various bands, and it is absolutely no fun to be consistently on the short end of that particular stick. If you happen to be one of the people in control, the smart move is to make some reasonable concessions to the others to keep them happy, or they don't tend to stay in that situation. I know I usually didn't. But when there's enough money involved, most people will hang around at least for a while. That's when things get contentious, and that's exactly what happened.
This is exactly the kind of rock biography I like to see. It doesn't gloss over when the main subject is behaving badly. I don't need to know a lot of dirt about famous people, but I do want to see what sort of human beings they are, warts and all, and how those people get along (or don't), and it shows that. I also like to know how musicians' most well known work was created, and in this case there was enough of that to keep me interested. In this case, Don Felder wrote the music for the Eagles' most famous single song, "Hotel California", and he provides some details about other songs as well.
One of the amazing things about many of these rock biographies is how unhappy most of these creative people are when they are producing their most successful work. It's a strange thing to see people who outwardly have everything in terms of money and creative success, and in the process make themselves and most of the people around them utterly miserable. I don't know if that misery is necessarily a requirement of producing great creative work, but if it is, I doubt that I'd be willing to pay that price if I had the choice.
Every band has its personal dynamic. It's not always a very functional dynamic, and in my experience it is frequently very dysfunctional, which of course makes entertaining reading. According to Don Felder's view, Don Henley and Glenn Frey tended to side together in most things, and eventually had functionally full control over everything the band did in every way. I've been on both sides of that dynamic in various bands, and it is absolutely no fun to be consistently on the short end of that particular stick. If you happen to be one of the people in control, the smart move is to make some reasonable concessions to the others to keep them happy, or they don't tend to stay in that situation. I know I usually didn't. But when there's enough money involved, most people will hang around at least for a while. That's when things get contentious, and that's exactly what happened.
This is exactly the kind of rock biography I like to see. It doesn't gloss over when the main subject is behaving badly. I don't need to know a lot of dirt about famous people, but I do want to see what sort of human beings they are, warts and all, and how those people get along (or don't), and it shows that. I also like to know how musicians' most well known work was created, and in this case there was enough of that to keep me interested. In this case, Don Felder wrote the music for the Eagles' most famous single song, "Hotel California", and he provides some details about other songs as well.
One of the amazing things about many of these rock biographies is how unhappy most of these creative people are when they are producing their most successful work. It's a strange thing to see people who outwardly have everything in terms of money and creative success, and in the process make themselves and most of the people around them utterly miserable. I don't know if that misery is necessarily a requirement of producing great creative work, but if it is, I doubt that I'd be willing to pay that price if I had the choice.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Time Flies Like the Wind; Fruit Flies Like a Banana
This isn't the title of a book, but it is on the back cover of one, and struck me as hilarious. I don't even think it's original to the author, but it's no less funny because of that.
The actual book is "Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate" by Brad Warner. I've been too sick for the last two days to do anything more than sleep, eat, then read until I get sleepy, and managed to finish the book in the meantime.
I don't think this is the strongest of Brad Warner's books, but it happened to hit me at the right time for me personally. For those who aren't familiar with him, Brad Warner is the unlikely American Zen master who also plays bass in a punk rock band and worked for a Japanese company that makes movies about giant monsters portrayed by guys in bad rubber suits. This time out, he talks about having one of the roughest years you can imagine and how he used his Buddhist practice to deal with it. During the course of that year, his mother passed away, his marriage broke up, and he lost his job with the movie company. He approaches all of this in a particularly unflinching way, keeping some details private, but for the most part letting his successes and failures all hang out for everyone to see. The core point of the book is to poke a big hole in the stereotype of the perfectly composed Zen master with no difficulties in his life who never makes a mistake. On that point, he is absolutely successful. His behavior in the course of the book is understandable, but not at all exemplary by his own admission. He points out on several occasions that even the best Zen practitioner makes mistakes and has difficulties in his life, and that anyone who tells you differently is almost certainly lying or just plain wrong.
I find this oddly comforting. It'd be nice to believe that there is someone in this world who really has it all together, and that that goal is attainable by us mere mortals, but it's a lot easier to believe that even the most together people in the world are still human and make mistakes or have serious difficulties in their lives from time to time. It shows us that it's more workable than you might think to get your life together as best humanly possible, and that mistakes are not only inevitable but essential to the process.
My Buddhist practice has definitely helped the quality of my life, but I'm still very much a beginner and still have some serious issues to work out. I had a time in my life similar to Mr. Warner's several years ago, which is why I was so interested in seeing how he dealt with it. All in all, it's not surprising that he did a better (if not perfect) job of dealing with his adversity, and that I can learn something from it.
This book is a more personal and less spiritually oriented book than his previous two. His writing style is as entertaining as ever, but if you're looking for Buddhist-style inspiration, there's less meat here than in his previous books. Still, I kept finding excuses to go back and read more until I was finished primarily because he has a fun way of describing his experiences, and the experiences are truly interesting in the first place. Warner has taken some flak in some Buddhist circles for his unconventional ways, and nothing in this book is going to change any opinions of him one way or another. Personally, I find his honesty refreshing and his writing engaging, and I'll probably buy his next book, too, whatever it happens to be. I think his approach to Buddhism is genuine and inspiring, though it's clear that he has his issues to work out, just like the rest of us.
The actual book is "Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate" by Brad Warner. I've been too sick for the last two days to do anything more than sleep, eat, then read until I get sleepy, and managed to finish the book in the meantime.
I don't think this is the strongest of Brad Warner's books, but it happened to hit me at the right time for me personally. For those who aren't familiar with him, Brad Warner is the unlikely American Zen master who also plays bass in a punk rock band and worked for a Japanese company that makes movies about giant monsters portrayed by guys in bad rubber suits. This time out, he talks about having one of the roughest years you can imagine and how he used his Buddhist practice to deal with it. During the course of that year, his mother passed away, his marriage broke up, and he lost his job with the movie company. He approaches all of this in a particularly unflinching way, keeping some details private, but for the most part letting his successes and failures all hang out for everyone to see. The core point of the book is to poke a big hole in the stereotype of the perfectly composed Zen master with no difficulties in his life who never makes a mistake. On that point, he is absolutely successful. His behavior in the course of the book is understandable, but not at all exemplary by his own admission. He points out on several occasions that even the best Zen practitioner makes mistakes and has difficulties in his life, and that anyone who tells you differently is almost certainly lying or just plain wrong.
I find this oddly comforting. It'd be nice to believe that there is someone in this world who really has it all together, and that that goal is attainable by us mere mortals, but it's a lot easier to believe that even the most together people in the world are still human and make mistakes or have serious difficulties in their lives from time to time. It shows us that it's more workable than you might think to get your life together as best humanly possible, and that mistakes are not only inevitable but essential to the process.
My Buddhist practice has definitely helped the quality of my life, but I'm still very much a beginner and still have some serious issues to work out. I had a time in my life similar to Mr. Warner's several years ago, which is why I was so interested in seeing how he dealt with it. All in all, it's not surprising that he did a better (if not perfect) job of dealing with his adversity, and that I can learn something from it.
This book is a more personal and less spiritually oriented book than his previous two. His writing style is as entertaining as ever, but if you're looking for Buddhist-style inspiration, there's less meat here than in his previous books. Still, I kept finding excuses to go back and read more until I was finished primarily because he has a fun way of describing his experiences, and the experiences are truly interesting in the first place. Warner has taken some flak in some Buddhist circles for his unconventional ways, and nothing in this book is going to change any opinions of him one way or another. Personally, I find his honesty refreshing and his writing engaging, and I'll probably buy his next book, too, whatever it happens to be. I think his approach to Buddhism is genuine and inspiring, though it's clear that he has his issues to work out, just like the rest of us.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Hardcore Zen/Sit Down & Shut Up
These are the first two books written by Brad Warner, and there's a third coming out early next year. Interesting guy. Most Zen masters don't have backgrounds involving being a punk rock bassist and working on the Ultraman TV series. I'd been looking for "Hardcore Zen" when I found "Sit Down & Shut Up" and ended up reading that one first. In retrospect, I think things ultimately worked out for the best that way.
"Hardcore Zen" gets off to an autobiographical start. That was fine with me, since I share some of Warner's interests, but it didn't have much to do with Zen as far as I could see. The point was actually to show how he became interested in Zen Buddhism, though it takes some time for that to become clear. The turning point was the chapter called "The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra", which is the clearest explanation of that sutra that I've ever read. Not that I've read that deeply on the subject, but it's a rare teacher who can bring that kind of clarity to his subject, and he follows through the rest of "Hardcore Zen" in the same mode.
I suspect that one of the reasons Buddhism isn't more popular in the west is a translation problem. There are words in some languages that have no real equivalent in another, and the more distant the relationship of the original languages, the harder translation can become. And there's a lot of linguistic distance indeed between English and the eastern languages used in the countries where Buddhism began. A good interpreter can bring across the general sense of the original language, but in some cases they literally lack the words, especially when the ideas involved carry many shades of subtle meaning. I have to give major credit to Brad Warner for bringing some Zen Buddhist ideas across far more clearly than I've read elsewhere. His style is direct and engaging, though I understand some people find that style a bit abrasive.
Dr. Aether was asking me about the book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", and my response was that while that's an excellent book, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a westerner's first exposure to Buddhism. I think "Hardcore Zen" just might be the book I would recommend in that role, with the caution to the reader to hang in there through the early chapters.
"Sit Down & Shut Up" is a smoother mix (which is why I'm glad I read that one first), keeping the autobiographical elements in the form of documenting a reunion of Midwestern punk bands and using the experiences as a framework to explain Dogen's "Shobogenzo". I have absolutely no experience with the work he's discussing, and so I have no opinion as to the quality of his explanation, but I can say that I found the ideas as inspiring as any of my other Buddhist reading and his presentation a lot more accessible than most for a person of my background.
I'd give both books a strong recommendation for a westerner interested in learning about Zen Buddhist concepts, especially "Hardcore Zen", with a caution to at least read through to the end of the Heart Sutra chapter if it hasn't been your cup of tea up to that point.
"Hardcore Zen" gets off to an autobiographical start. That was fine with me, since I share some of Warner's interests, but it didn't have much to do with Zen as far as I could see. The point was actually to show how he became interested in Zen Buddhism, though it takes some time for that to become clear. The turning point was the chapter called "The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra", which is the clearest explanation of that sutra that I've ever read. Not that I've read that deeply on the subject, but it's a rare teacher who can bring that kind of clarity to his subject, and he follows through the rest of "Hardcore Zen" in the same mode.
I suspect that one of the reasons Buddhism isn't more popular in the west is a translation problem. There are words in some languages that have no real equivalent in another, and the more distant the relationship of the original languages, the harder translation can become. And there's a lot of linguistic distance indeed between English and the eastern languages used in the countries where Buddhism began. A good interpreter can bring across the general sense of the original language, but in some cases they literally lack the words, especially when the ideas involved carry many shades of subtle meaning. I have to give major credit to Brad Warner for bringing some Zen Buddhist ideas across far more clearly than I've read elsewhere. His style is direct and engaging, though I understand some people find that style a bit abrasive.
Dr. Aether was asking me about the book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", and my response was that while that's an excellent book, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a westerner's first exposure to Buddhism. I think "Hardcore Zen" just might be the book I would recommend in that role, with the caution to the reader to hang in there through the early chapters.
"Sit Down & Shut Up" is a smoother mix (which is why I'm glad I read that one first), keeping the autobiographical elements in the form of documenting a reunion of Midwestern punk bands and using the experiences as a framework to explain Dogen's "Shobogenzo". I have absolutely no experience with the work he's discussing, and so I have no opinion as to the quality of his explanation, but I can say that I found the ideas as inspiring as any of my other Buddhist reading and his presentation a lot more accessible than most for a person of my background.
I'd give both books a strong recommendation for a westerner interested in learning about Zen Buddhist concepts, especially "Hardcore Zen", with a caution to at least read through to the end of the Heart Sutra chapter if it hasn't been your cup of tea up to that point.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Atrocity Archives
Just finished this book, written by Charles Stross, recommended to me by none other than Dr. Aether. Very good stuff. It's an interesting mix of Lovecraftian horror with scientific-sounding explanations and humor, largely at the expense of bureaucrats. The hero literally saves the universe and is promptly chastised by a superior for not doing the proper paperwork afterward. I loved the throw-away reference to Steve Jackson Games and the more extensive references to the "Pinky and the Brain" cartoons. I'm certain that there was a lot of computer-based humor in there as well that flew right by me, but would've had someone more technically oriented ROTFL.
One of these days, I might try a roleplaying campaign with a similar flavor, probably using Delta Green as background material and adding humorous touches. For now, I have enough creative irons in the fire.
One of these days, I might try a roleplaying campaign with a similar flavor, probably using Delta Green as background material and adding humorous touches. For now, I have enough creative irons in the fire.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon
I just finished the book "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon". I'll admit to being a fan in the first place.
The book was ostensibly written by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon, but in fact it was written by essentially everybody who knew him, which is a real strength. Her role was really more that of an editor. It begins with a touching firsthand account of the very end of his life, from the woman who was with him when he died, then resets to his childhood and progresses chronologically from there. The entire book is a series of brief bits, the longest of which is probably no more than a single page in length, written by whoever knew him during that time, plus there are bits and pieces from his own journals. He'd told his ex-wife just before his death that he wanted the entire story out there, in all of its unflattering detail, and that's exactly what it is. It's a powerful, effective approach, and I'd love to see it used for other biographies. As a side effect, it's also very easy to read. You can sit down and just read one or two segments, or you can read lengthy sections, and the experience works just as well either way.
The man's life was, frankly, one long train wreck. He was as insecure and selfish as he was brilliant, and he was very brilliant. After an early start as a highly regarded songwriter, he developed a reputation as an effective performer as well, though even his friends didn't think he was more than an adequate singer. He eventually fell into alcoholism and drug abuse, and was a spectacularly mean drunk. Like a lot of rock star stories, he came to terms with his condition after a long struggle, though his career never reached the heights of many of his friends. In fact, his career was in very poor shape at the time his cancer was discovered and brought a lot of attention back in his direction.
I was struck by how he managed to have a serious falling out with everybody who was ever important to him. There were no exceptions, unless you count the woman who was his closest friend at the very end, and that's likely because they simply hadn't known each other long enough. In some cases, he'd work out his differences with his friends or family and they'd resume their relationship, only to fall out yet again. And frankly, there's no doubt that the fault was his every time.
So why did these people put up with him? It wasn't as though he was wealthy, or successful, or even a particularly nice guy. I think it boils down to that he was an especially interesting guy, and that for all of his horrendous behavior, there was little actual malice in it. He was self-centered, but at the core of it, he just didn't cope very well with life. People would rescue him because they felt bad for him, then he'd do something that'd really tick them off, putting him in a bad spot again. Repeat as necessary for a lifetime.
He had no shortage of women in his life, and I have no idea why any sane woman would've stayed in a relationship with this man for very long. All I can say is that he must've been very persuasive.
I'm always fascinated by anyone's creative process, and his was certainly no exception. For all of the weird elements in his work, I was stunned to learn that most of them were based in actual events or phrases he came across, rather than invented. He'd build on those elements in his own way, but I hadn't anticipated that some of the songs were as literally true as they were. Very strange.
My wife asked me why I was so interested in reading about this horrible man and how nasty he was to other people. It was a good question, and I only really figured out the answer as I reached the very end of the book. He made many of the same mistakes everyone does in life; he just made them on a more spectacular scale than most people and more often. He could've chosen to take control of his life, but for some reason never did so. At the end of the day, he muddled through on the love and support of a lot of people who cared about him, and in that way he was no different than anyone else. Mistakes, I suppose, are ultimately the most human thing of all. His humanity came through in his work in his own unique style. He was enough like everybody else for a reader to feel the emotional connection and different enough to make it worthwhile to see how the story actually played out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who'd enjoy a biography, even if you're not familiar with his creative work, though I might warn off anyone who might be offended by substantial amounts of content regarding sex and drug/alcohol abuse.
The book was ostensibly written by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon, but in fact it was written by essentially everybody who knew him, which is a real strength. Her role was really more that of an editor. It begins with a touching firsthand account of the very end of his life, from the woman who was with him when he died, then resets to his childhood and progresses chronologically from there. The entire book is a series of brief bits, the longest of which is probably no more than a single page in length, written by whoever knew him during that time, plus there are bits and pieces from his own journals. He'd told his ex-wife just before his death that he wanted the entire story out there, in all of its unflattering detail, and that's exactly what it is. It's a powerful, effective approach, and I'd love to see it used for other biographies. As a side effect, it's also very easy to read. You can sit down and just read one or two segments, or you can read lengthy sections, and the experience works just as well either way.
The man's life was, frankly, one long train wreck. He was as insecure and selfish as he was brilliant, and he was very brilliant. After an early start as a highly regarded songwriter, he developed a reputation as an effective performer as well, though even his friends didn't think he was more than an adequate singer. He eventually fell into alcoholism and drug abuse, and was a spectacularly mean drunk. Like a lot of rock star stories, he came to terms with his condition after a long struggle, though his career never reached the heights of many of his friends. In fact, his career was in very poor shape at the time his cancer was discovered and brought a lot of attention back in his direction.
I was struck by how he managed to have a serious falling out with everybody who was ever important to him. There were no exceptions, unless you count the woman who was his closest friend at the very end, and that's likely because they simply hadn't known each other long enough. In some cases, he'd work out his differences with his friends or family and they'd resume their relationship, only to fall out yet again. And frankly, there's no doubt that the fault was his every time.
So why did these people put up with him? It wasn't as though he was wealthy, or successful, or even a particularly nice guy. I think it boils down to that he was an especially interesting guy, and that for all of his horrendous behavior, there was little actual malice in it. He was self-centered, but at the core of it, he just didn't cope very well with life. People would rescue him because they felt bad for him, then he'd do something that'd really tick them off, putting him in a bad spot again. Repeat as necessary for a lifetime.
He had no shortage of women in his life, and I have no idea why any sane woman would've stayed in a relationship with this man for very long. All I can say is that he must've been very persuasive.
I'm always fascinated by anyone's creative process, and his was certainly no exception. For all of the weird elements in his work, I was stunned to learn that most of them were based in actual events or phrases he came across, rather than invented. He'd build on those elements in his own way, but I hadn't anticipated that some of the songs were as literally true as they were. Very strange.
My wife asked me why I was so interested in reading about this horrible man and how nasty he was to other people. It was a good question, and I only really figured out the answer as I reached the very end of the book. He made many of the same mistakes everyone does in life; he just made them on a more spectacular scale than most people and more often. He could've chosen to take control of his life, but for some reason never did so. At the end of the day, he muddled through on the love and support of a lot of people who cared about him, and in that way he was no different than anyone else. Mistakes, I suppose, are ultimately the most human thing of all. His humanity came through in his work in his own unique style. He was enough like everybody else for a reader to feel the emotional connection and different enough to make it worthwhile to see how the story actually played out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who'd enjoy a biography, even if you're not familiar with his creative work, though I might warn off anyone who might be offended by substantial amounts of content regarding sex and drug/alcohol abuse.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Ethics for the New Millenium
Yes, it's been awhile again between posts. The excrement impacted upon the rotary oscillating device at work, and I was busy for a while.
In all of that, however, I managed to read a particularly good book, "Ethics for the New Millennium" by the Dalai Lama. In this book, the Dalai Lama makes a case that it's more than a Good Idea for human beings to get along; it's essential to our survival as a species. It all made so much sense to me. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the importance of human beings learning to get along and how they can do it. I'd cheerfully lend my copy to anyone who asks. The world just might be an incrementally better place each time someone reads this book.
I'm currently reading "Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic", which is supposed to be a biography, and reads more like a history of Tibet once you get past his childhood. I'd been hoping for a non-Buddhist's take on who he is as a human being, even though the book is officially authorized, but the books he's written himself tell me more about who he is than this one does. Informative, and I enjoyed reading it, but wouldn't recommend it unless you have a special interest.
I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but I don't think it'll be about the Dalai Lama or written by him. :-)
In all of that, however, I managed to read a particularly good book, "Ethics for the New Millennium" by the Dalai Lama. In this book, the Dalai Lama makes a case that it's more than a Good Idea for human beings to get along; it's essential to our survival as a species. It all made so much sense to me. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the importance of human beings learning to get along and how they can do it. I'd cheerfully lend my copy to anyone who asks. The world just might be an incrementally better place each time someone reads this book.
I'm currently reading "Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic", which is supposed to be a biography, and reads more like a history of Tibet once you get past his childhood. I'd been hoping for a non-Buddhist's take on who he is as a human being, even though the book is officially authorized, but the books he's written himself tell me more about who he is than this one does. Informative, and I enjoyed reading it, but wouldn't recommend it unless you have a special interest.
I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but I don't think it'll be about the Dalai Lama or written by him. :-)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Magic: The Obsession, Wedding Anniversary, and Other Stuff
The actual name of the game is Magic: The Gathering, but periodically it becomes an obsession for me, and this was one of those times. For those who may not know, this is a collectible card game representing a wizards' duel with cards in the same manner that chess represents two warring kings and their armies. The difference is that with Magic, you get to custom design your own army.
My wife has observed that I spend far more time in deck building than playing the game, and that's true. I used to buy a bunch of cards every time the newest expansion came out, then spend huge amounts of time making new decks and integrating the new cards into my existing decks. Then I realized that there weren't very many new cards making the cut into the existing decks, so I decreased the number of cards I was buying and decided that I would only integrate new cards into existing decks after each block of three expansions rather than after every expansion.
Even that has proven too unwieldy to continue, as I've spent far too much time this past week integrating new cards into a collection that's grown to over fifty working decks (not to mention the cards that haven't made it into decks for one reason or another). Considering that I usually play only about two dozen games a year with friends, it all seems ridiculous, and yet I don't want to stop buying a certain amount of new cards because building new decks with the new cards is half of the fun for me.
And so I've decided to change the new card integration process yet again. Without boring you with all of the details, it comes down to that I'll update the existing decks when I play with them, rather than when expansions come out. I'll set up a system to rotate through all existing decks so I won't spend so damn much time on this process in one shot.
I've recently finished the book "Broken Music", an autobiography from Sting. Considering that he's a songwriter known for his literate lyrics, it's not surprising that he does a fair job writing prose as well. I was hoping for some insights into the inner workings of the Police, which I didn't really get. Sting doesn't appear to have any more of a personal relationship with Andy Summers than you or I might have with any co-worker at the office, though he does speak highly of him as a professional. His personal and musical relationships with Stewart Copeland get some discussion, but there wasn't any information there that you couldn't have gotten from interviews from the Police era. What is interesting is that you learn more about what makes him tick as a human being. He grew up in some rough conditions, which might surprise those with a more highbrow impression of him. You can take the boy out of the neighborhood, but there's always some of the neighborhood in the boy afterward, and it comes through at times. The book is worth reading, even if you aren't a particular fan. If you are a fan, don't expect anything deep regarding the Police, but you can expect a better understanding of what makes their leader tick.
I also recently finished "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman. I'd recommend it if you liked American Gods, though it's not as strong or as sprawling. It's a more personal story.
I'm currently reading "Ethics for the New Millenium" by the Dalai Lama. Inspiring stuff. Reading this, you can't help but see the logic of his approach and wonder why human beings have such a hard time getting along when we essentially agree about the things that really matter. Even before reading this book, I've never understood the common human tendency to insist on dictating to others how they should live their lives. I'm not that far into this book yet, and might have more to say about it after I finish.
I'm still overindulging with Netflix, and we've picked up a DVD collection of 50 classic horor films, so it's been movie week. More on that another time.
I've had the last week off, and my wife had Thursday and Friday to spend with me. We usually take vacation time for the week of our wedding anniversary. We felt as though we should do something special for it, but the fact is that neither of us could think of anything special that we really wanted to do, so for the most part we just rested and watched movies at home. We didn't even buy gifts for each other, though we did buy a new ring for her while we were on a day trip. It's been a relaxing week for me, but the work week calls, and I have no choice but to answer.
We're usually well stocked with Christmas and birthday gifts by now (we have a lot of fall and winter birthdays in the family), but that's not the case this year at all. For some reason, the effort put into preparation to move seems to have taken all of that kind of energy and left us disinclined to focus on that area of life. We didn't even do any special preparation for Halloween, which is normally a favorite holiday with us. We're not going to have any choice but to try to catch up in the next month or so, so it's probably going to be a busy November.
I usually get a lot of writing done during the vacation this time of year, but that wasn't the case this time, primarily due to the Magic obsession. It was my choice, so I can't complain. I hope to get back into writing mode along with my usual routine this upcoming week.
My wife has observed that I spend far more time in deck building than playing the game, and that's true. I used to buy a bunch of cards every time the newest expansion came out, then spend huge amounts of time making new decks and integrating the new cards into my existing decks. Then I realized that there weren't very many new cards making the cut into the existing decks, so I decreased the number of cards I was buying and decided that I would only integrate new cards into existing decks after each block of three expansions rather than after every expansion.
Even that has proven too unwieldy to continue, as I've spent far too much time this past week integrating new cards into a collection that's grown to over fifty working decks (not to mention the cards that haven't made it into decks for one reason or another). Considering that I usually play only about two dozen games a year with friends, it all seems ridiculous, and yet I don't want to stop buying a certain amount of new cards because building new decks with the new cards is half of the fun for me.
And so I've decided to change the new card integration process yet again. Without boring you with all of the details, it comes down to that I'll update the existing decks when I play with them, rather than when expansions come out. I'll set up a system to rotate through all existing decks so I won't spend so damn much time on this process in one shot.
I've recently finished the book "Broken Music", an autobiography from Sting. Considering that he's a songwriter known for his literate lyrics, it's not surprising that he does a fair job writing prose as well. I was hoping for some insights into the inner workings of the Police, which I didn't really get. Sting doesn't appear to have any more of a personal relationship with Andy Summers than you or I might have with any co-worker at the office, though he does speak highly of him as a professional. His personal and musical relationships with Stewart Copeland get some discussion, but there wasn't any information there that you couldn't have gotten from interviews from the Police era. What is interesting is that you learn more about what makes him tick as a human being. He grew up in some rough conditions, which might surprise those with a more highbrow impression of him. You can take the boy out of the neighborhood, but there's always some of the neighborhood in the boy afterward, and it comes through at times. The book is worth reading, even if you aren't a particular fan. If you are a fan, don't expect anything deep regarding the Police, but you can expect a better understanding of what makes their leader tick.
I also recently finished "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman. I'd recommend it if you liked American Gods, though it's not as strong or as sprawling. It's a more personal story.
I'm currently reading "Ethics for the New Millenium" by the Dalai Lama. Inspiring stuff. Reading this, you can't help but see the logic of his approach and wonder why human beings have such a hard time getting along when we essentially agree about the things that really matter. Even before reading this book, I've never understood the common human tendency to insist on dictating to others how they should live their lives. I'm not that far into this book yet, and might have more to say about it after I finish.
I'm still overindulging with Netflix, and we've picked up a DVD collection of 50 classic horor films, so it's been movie week. More on that another time.
I've had the last week off, and my wife had Thursday and Friday to spend with me. We usually take vacation time for the week of our wedding anniversary. We felt as though we should do something special for it, but the fact is that neither of us could think of anything special that we really wanted to do, so for the most part we just rested and watched movies at home. We didn't even buy gifts for each other, though we did buy a new ring for her while we were on a day trip. It's been a relaxing week for me, but the work week calls, and I have no choice but to answer.
We're usually well stocked with Christmas and birthday gifts by now (we have a lot of fall and winter birthdays in the family), but that's not the case this year at all. For some reason, the effort put into preparation to move seems to have taken all of that kind of energy and left us disinclined to focus on that area of life. We didn't even do any special preparation for Halloween, which is normally a favorite holiday with us. We're not going to have any choice but to try to catch up in the next month or so, so it's probably going to be a busy November.
I usually get a lot of writing done during the vacation this time of year, but that wasn't the case this time, primarily due to the Magic obsession. It was my choice, so I can't complain. I hope to get back into writing mode along with my usual routine this upcoming week.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Harry Potter and the Register of Cash
I recently finished reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and saw the movie "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". My lovely wife read "Deathly Hallows" while I was at DexCon and pressed me to read it right away so she could talk to me about it. Then, since she was already in Potter mode, she wanted to go to see the movie.
Regarding "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", a number of reviews I'd read said that the critic was impressed by how J. K. Rowling had neatly tied up a number of long term threads in the last book. I wasn't as impressed, frankly. I felt that there were some elements that turned up in the last book for which the groundwork hadn't truly been established. The peculiarities of wands certainly weren't developed very much in the earlier books, then became of critical importance in this one. There were a few emotional reactions from some of the characters (primarily Harry's sudden and over-the-top anger with Lupin in one scene) that made little sense to me, and the ending included doing something with a powerful magical item that strikes me as flat out stupid and obviously dangerous.
Don't misunderstand me; I didn't hate the book. I just didn't like it as much as several of the previous books and felt that it was logically weak in spots. On the plus side, it did tie up some of the loose ends in very cool ways, including some elements I'd almost entirely forgotten. I really enjoyed the reappearance of characters from the very beginning. The final fate of virtually every character worked well for me, and I'm sure will more than satisfy the age group for which the series was written. My wife had come up with a far darker ending that I preferred to the one in the book, but I believe that ending would've been too much for the audience that's grown up with Harry. I can't see how they can possibly fit all of this into a cohesive movie, but of course they're going to have to try.
As for "Order of the Phoenix", they did a good job of condensing this one down to movie size. I really missed the deeper characterizations of the individual members of the Order, but that's the sort of thing that naturally had to give in to the time constraint. In fact, I'd say that the movie version was better in that Harry doesn't come off as being as whiny as he did in the book, which became annoying to me after a while. Big points to Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. I hated the character in the book, but there was exactly enough of her in the movie, and the actress nailed the part. It would've been very easy for her to go too far or not far enough with this character, and she did neither. Gamers may find it amusing to note that I read somewhere that she'd make a great voice for the Computer in a Paranoia game. I have to agree.
The ending of the movie makes sense if you've read the book (though the look of it differs significantly from the book in some respects), but I suspect that someone unfamiliar with the books and only trying to follow the story from the content of the films would be confused about what was going on in the end. I don't think someone only watching the films will have a clue about what Harry and his friends are actually doing in the Ministry of Magic toward the end (though I love the look the director gave those scenes). I found myself reminded of a night I spent watching David Lynch's movie version of "Dune" with two friends, explaining everything as we watched so they'd understand what was going on. Normally I'd consider it rude for someone to talk through an entire film we were watching as a group, but they kept asking questions and I kept answering them, and finally just gave running commentary. Afterwards, they both said that without my ongoing commentary, they'd have had no idea of what was happening and would've just given up and turned it off.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and might even re-read them one of these days. Time will tell if they're actually the classics some say they are. And I'll definitely go the theater to see the remaining movies, if only to see how they adapt the books. The movies have been well executed, on the whole. I'll predict that these stories get re-made about 10-15 years after the last movie is released, probably in the form of a TV series or miniseries rather than movies. The actors playing the kids in the current movies will do at least cameo appearances in adult roles.
Regarding "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", a number of reviews I'd read said that the critic was impressed by how J. K. Rowling had neatly tied up a number of long term threads in the last book. I wasn't as impressed, frankly. I felt that there were some elements that turned up in the last book for which the groundwork hadn't truly been established. The peculiarities of wands certainly weren't developed very much in the earlier books, then became of critical importance in this one. There were a few emotional reactions from some of the characters (primarily Harry's sudden and over-the-top anger with Lupin in one scene) that made little sense to me, and the ending included doing something with a powerful magical item that strikes me as flat out stupid and obviously dangerous.
Don't misunderstand me; I didn't hate the book. I just didn't like it as much as several of the previous books and felt that it was logically weak in spots. On the plus side, it did tie up some of the loose ends in very cool ways, including some elements I'd almost entirely forgotten. I really enjoyed the reappearance of characters from the very beginning. The final fate of virtually every character worked well for me, and I'm sure will more than satisfy the age group for which the series was written. My wife had come up with a far darker ending that I preferred to the one in the book, but I believe that ending would've been too much for the audience that's grown up with Harry. I can't see how they can possibly fit all of this into a cohesive movie, but of course they're going to have to try.
As for "Order of the Phoenix", they did a good job of condensing this one down to movie size. I really missed the deeper characterizations of the individual members of the Order, but that's the sort of thing that naturally had to give in to the time constraint. In fact, I'd say that the movie version was better in that Harry doesn't come off as being as whiny as he did in the book, which became annoying to me after a while. Big points to Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. I hated the character in the book, but there was exactly enough of her in the movie, and the actress nailed the part. It would've been very easy for her to go too far or not far enough with this character, and she did neither. Gamers may find it amusing to note that I read somewhere that she'd make a great voice for the Computer in a Paranoia game. I have to agree.
The ending of the movie makes sense if you've read the book (though the look of it differs significantly from the book in some respects), but I suspect that someone unfamiliar with the books and only trying to follow the story from the content of the films would be confused about what was going on in the end. I don't think someone only watching the films will have a clue about what Harry and his friends are actually doing in the Ministry of Magic toward the end (though I love the look the director gave those scenes). I found myself reminded of a night I spent watching David Lynch's movie version of "Dune" with two friends, explaining everything as we watched so they'd understand what was going on. Normally I'd consider it rude for someone to talk through an entire film we were watching as a group, but they kept asking questions and I kept answering them, and finally just gave running commentary. Afterwards, they both said that without my ongoing commentary, they'd have had no idea of what was happening and would've just given up and turned it off.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and might even re-read them one of these days. Time will tell if they're actually the classics some say they are. And I'll definitely go the theater to see the remaining movies, if only to see how they adapt the books. The movies have been well executed, on the whole. I'll predict that these stories get re-made about 10-15 years after the last movie is released, probably in the form of a TV series or miniseries rather than movies. The actors playing the kids in the current movies will do at least cameo appearances in adult roles.
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