I’M READING AS FAST AS I CAN (SEPTEMBER 2012 EDITION)

Reading the books, writing the book reports, and etc and so on.

JUST FINISHED

A Renegade History Of The United States by Thaddeus Russell

The subtitle says it all: “How Drunks, Delinquents and Other Outcasts Made America”. It’s an interesting idea for an American history book, and one that gets to the heart of an underplayed fact of American society – its ideals of liberty and freedom have always been at odds with the Powers That Be who didn’t believe that should include drinking, swearing, fighting, screwing and otherwise having a good time and enjoying yrself. From an idealistic POV, the Founding Fathers believed that a govt run by the people for the people would fail if the people were too busy drinking, swearing, fighting, screwing, etc., and the solution was to instill the American ethic that it’s a virtue to do nothing but work hard yr entire life instead of having fun. That context is key to understanding some of Russell’s more outrageous claims – i.e. slaves had it better than freemen, Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X did their share of repressing black culture, the New Deal was fascism without the genocide, and gay marriage is a copout. I don’t agree with some of his conclusions, but I highly recommend the book, if only to challenge yr preconceptions and start an argument.

JUST STARTED

Down And Out In Paris And London by George Orwell

I’ve been on a bit of an Orwell kick recently, and this memoir of his time living in poverty, and what it’s really like to be poor, seemed like a good thing to read now, given the current meme in American politics that the poor have only themselves to blame for being that way because they spend all their cash on booze, iPhones and air conditioners. So why not?

( ALSO: Connie Willis! Angela Carter! Cats! And giant aliens! )

They might be giants,

This is dF

LISTEN TO IT #57-59: THE OLD GUARD CALLED, THEY WANT THEIR ROCKINROLLS BACK

I’ve half-joked in the past that it seems the only new music I like these days is either by bands with at least 30 years experience, or bands that copy them.

Not only is that proving true in 2012, but it seems this is the year that a number of old bands are reconvening after decades of inactivity to record new albums as if to show people how it's done.

That’s nothing new – these days almost everyone who isn't The Smiths is getting back together for one reason or other. But more often than not, their new material struggles to live up to their classic stuff.

Which brings us to Public Image Ltd.

They're back with a new record financed by John Lydon’s butter adverts. It's the proverbial mixed bag – a few tracks live up to the old PIL (which is impressive considering Lydon’s the only original member present), but the others, while good, aren’t really registering. They may grow on me, though.

On the flip side, you have Redd Kross, back after 15 years and are still obsessed with Hollywood trash rock to somewhat glorious effect. I don't have the album yet, but I like what I'm gearing so far.

And on a slight tangent, I should also mention The Cult, who are also back with a new album, and while it's only been five years since the last one, Ian Astbury had said that one would actually be the last one. And The Cult has been on hiatus at least twice in their long career. And I haven't really listened to any of their albums since Sonic Temple. So I'm just going to slip them in here. 

And I can I just say I'm really digging the new album Choice Of Weapon. 

That's something I never expected to type – partly because I thought they peaked with Electric. But I admit I never would have tried the new album if bedsitter23  hadn’t alerted me that it was worth checking out.

And it is. It’s not as essential as Electric, and Ian Astbury still injects the usual cheesy clichéd imagery into his lyrics (“behold a grey horse” indeed). But that’s part of their charm, really. 

At this rate, it’s going to be nothing but geezers in my end-of-year Top 10 list.

Grumpy old(er) men,

This is dF