BORGESIAN QUALITIES

BORGESIAN GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS


There are two Borgesian themes that I think I worth teasing out:

1) The Aphoristic quality of Borges writing:  Having Aphoristic quality is desirable for all would-be writers of literature, whether it be prose, poetry or song lyrics.  The Aphorism is something that ties together Classic, Christian/Muslim/Jewish/Buddhist/Hindu Religious and Modern civilization together- everyone loves a good aphorism.

2) The Non-Specificity/Vagueness of Borges writing:  I think there is probably a history of treating Borges as a "sui generis" type of writer, when in reality, like all other innovators, he drew on a variety of disparate influences to create a new whole.  Regardless- detaching literature from specific time and places and transplanting events to a) the distant past b) the distant future or c) some other universe is not only a tried-and-true literary technique vetted by the guardians of "high art," it's also appreciated by the mass audience- see Science Fiction and Historical Drama, to give but two examples of many.  The vaguer you are, the more universal the appeal.

LABYRINTHS by JORGE LUIS BORGES

BOOK REVIEW
Labyrinths
by Jorge Luis Borges
A New Directions Paperback
This edition published 2007
Original English translation 1962

  Borges is one of those lucky cats who saw his reputation rise to match his talent DURING HIS OWN LIFE TIME.  He wrote his hits, basically a series of short stories that pre-figured most of what is considered "post-modern" in literature, during the 40s, i.e. waaaaayyyy before literary post-modernism  was in vogue.  For those who have heard the name but not read the book, here are some literary themes that Borges more or less invented:

  1.  The labyrinth as a metaphor for existence.
  2.  Using Kabbalah and Gnosticism as a source for fiction.
  3.  Blending genre fiction (detective stories) with philosophical musing.

   Amazingly, there was a twenty year gap between the time when Borges wrote his most enduring work and the time when it "made it" in English translation.  The first English translation of Labyrinths arrived in the mid 1960s, and the subsequent rise of Latin American novelists gave Borges an admirable position as fore-runner of "Magical Realism."  Borges work went on to influence the next fifty years of undergraduates.  I'm friends with at least one person who claims Labyrinths as his favorite book, and I'm sure I've met others and just not talked about that particular subject.

  It occurs to me that Borges' themes are no also self-evidently timeless, but that the enduring success of the work has proved that these same subjects: esoteric knowledge, sci-fish mumbo jumbo and, of course, the Labyrinth itself, have enduring popularity as a set of symbols that will elicit a strong, but unself conscious reaction, from many segments of the general audience.

   Borges has directly influenced a generation of purveyors of pop culture- it's hard not to see Borges reflected in David Lynch's Twin Peaks television show, and the foreword to this edition of Labyrinths is written by sci-fi author William Gibson.

  I imagine the Kabbalah/Gnosticism references were otherworldly in the milieu of 40s Argentina- certainly into the mid 1960s there couldn't have been other, if any- authors working with the same send of reference points.  Now of course, Madonna is into Kabbalah and Elaine Pagels sold a bazillion copies of the Gnostic Gospels, so neither subject is as fresh as it was a half century ago.

 

Show Review: Nite Jewel, Craft Spells, Youhuna, Sea Pony

SHOW REVIEW
Nite Jewel
Craft Spells
Yohuna
Sea Pony

      I've heard the new Nite Jewel record, and it's amazing.  I just wanted to toss that out there.  As I said to the Artist herself, this weekend, "With most independent bands, you can hear a limit in how high they can go in the quality of their recorded sound, with the new Nite Jewel record, there is no limit."

      Despite possessing an Art Fag tang, the Saturday nite line-up at the Soda Bar was a CS Touring joint, and the excellent turn out is a testament to Cory Stier being a booker on the rise. It's impossible to say that anyone competes with Tim Mays- since he actually books shows at the venue's of his potential "competitors" but in my mind both Soda Bar and Tin Can Alehouse rank as venues that at least have some identifiable strategy/plan when it comes to booking local and national bands.  I should toss Pink Elephant into the mix out of respect, but it's hard to say that Pink Elephant really cares about anything OTHER then Pink Elephant, whereas Mays, Soda Bar and Tin Can all have firm roots in the independent local music scene of today.

    During opening band Sea Pony's set, I almost "twittered" at Slumberland Records "hey sign this band," but it looks like they have sumthing going with Hardly Art, in Seattle.  What I heard was more Slumberland then Hardly Art, though to be fair to Hardly Art it's difficult to say IF they have an identifiable "sound."  It's funny- I'm trying to resolve this by looking at Velocity Girl's wikipedia page, since they are the most identifiable musical antecedent to Sea Pony, and I see Velocity Girl put out records on both "old" Slumberland and Sub Pop.  Touche, Hardly Art/Sub Pop- the point is yours.

  Yohuna was next, and I am simply going to restrict my opinion to verbal conversations I have- so ask if you see me around.

  Craft Spells played third- I believe Nite Jewel was the "headliner" but the crowd was def. there to see Craft Spells and Nite Jewel.  Craft Spells has a record out on Captured Tracks.  Let me just say that I feel a kinship to Captured Tracks, since label head Mike Sniper was a big inspiration to Dee Dee from the Dum Dum Girls, and I work with Dee Dee on Zoo Music.  I want to support Captured Tracks band to the best of my ability.

  Craft Spells is the one man project of Justin Vallesteros, though from watching their set Saturday night, it would be impossible to tell.  More like, "road test rock four piece" then bedroom indie project.  That's a smart move, because the resulting sound was a polished, up tempo, performance that drew a response from the appreciative crowd.  Looks like they haven't locked up North American booking yet- man, that should be a slam dunk, maybe they are just in negotiations.  They have half a million last.fm plays- hello- anyone out there?

  I had to leave before Nite Jewel played, but I want to reiterate- the new record- groundbreaking.  Really, really good.

 Also, I love watching bands on the televisions at Soda Bar from the banquette/both location- amazing.