Big Girl (2022) by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Big Girl (2022)

by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan

New York:  22/105

Harlem: 1/14

  The Audiobook listens run geographically ahead of the books, since fewer titles are Audiobooks.  Here we are in Harlem, the second New York borough to hit and the third sub-area of New York/New Jersey.  Like the other areas, Harlem could itself be a whole state, a small one.   I'm expecting that all of these books except maybe for one (Spanish Harlem) are going to be written by African-American authors, since Harlem is the unquestioned literary capital of Black America and part of the New York City, which is, by virtue of population size and location of the publishing industry, the unquestioned literary capital of the United States.

   

   Big Girl is the exception to all my complaints about YA type titles where the protagonist/narrator is a young woman who basically spends the whole book in her room, or like, at school, and if anything "real" happens to her its horrific.  You can write that novel any way you want, but I've read enough them at this point, 10 percent through the 1,001 Novels project, that 90% of these books are all the same, with only the ethnic background, socioeconomic status and geography changed.

  Big Girl is that other 10 percent- and these are books that genuinely open my eyes to a new perspective I hadn't given serious thought.  Here, it's the inner life of a morbidly obese high school student, the child of two African-American Yuppie/Professional parents who inhabit a refurbished brownstone in 1990's Manhattan.  Big Girl also has a strong theme of love for the pre-gentrification, now-vanished Harlem of that era, and I found both themes engaging.  Sullivan handles her subject with grace and dignity and does a fantastic job of getting inside the world of a morbidly obese teenager. 

  A

Ironweed (1983) by William Kennedy

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Ironweed (1983)

by William Kennedy

Albany, New York

New York: 21/105

Upstate New York: 20/23

    Ironweed, Pulitzer Prize winner and third book in William Kennedy's Albany Cycle, represents a kind of high-water mark of WHITE GUY literature- a moment in time when the entire literary establishment could fall under the spell of a drunken washed-up Albany area baseball player and his drunken regrets. And, don't get me wrong- I loved this book- def the highlight of the 22 books from Upstate New York in the 1,001 Novels: A Library of America project.   In fact, I think there is a strong argument to include Ironweed on the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die list as well.

    Francis Phelan- played by Jack Nicholson in the movie(!) is a down but not entirely out bum (his word) eking out something approximating existence in Albany, where he abandoned his family 20 years ago after he dropped his infant son and the infant son died.  He's haunted by this and other mistakes- quite literally haunted by the shades of the dude he brained with a rock at a Union protest, or the labor protestors who were shot by the cops after he brained the guy with the rock.

   In between he does some casual labor, hangs out with this stomach cancer ridden friends (occupational hazard of hard core alcoholics, I gather) and makes up with his abandoned family.  Sad but a good read. And you know, he like, is doing stuff besides sitting in his bedroom and complaining about life, which I feel like is 30 percent of the protagonists of the titles in the 1,001 Novels project. 

And Give You Peace (2014) by Jessica Treadway

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

And Give You Peace (2014)

by Jessica Treadway

Ashmont, New York

New York: 20/105

Upstate New York: 19/23

    Ashmont is very close to Albany New York- the last major non NYC metropole in New York state.  And Give You Peace is the first book from this metro, the other is Ironweed by William Kennedy.  This book is about an OCD father who murders himself and his 16 year old daughter, leaving his two older daughters and separated-but-not-divorced wife to pick up the pieces.  While I admire editor Susan Straight's impulse to include the mentally ill in her literary picture of America, once again I found myself reading a novel where the mentally ill character commits a horrific crime (murder/suicide) that seems ridiculously out of character.

   Now, in addition to having mental illness run in my family, and having been in a past relationship with a person who was diagnosed with OCD as an adult, I've been working as  a criminal defense attorney in state and federal court for over 20 years.  I have never ever heard of a murder attributed to OCD, let alone a horrific murder-suicide.  I'm not saying such a thing never happens, but I've never heard of it.   I found the entire idea that his character could woo the wife character and have three kids, and raise three kids to the point where the youngest was 16 only to finally "snap"- preposterous.  And not in a suspension of disbelief kind of way.

   In my experience OCD manifests in a very specific way: The obsession triggers a certain kind of behavior.  Both the obsession and the behavior it induces are repetitive.  OCD does not, in my experience, trigger a sufferer to shoot his teenage daughter in the head because he saw her necking with a neighbor boy in the treehouse.   Someone suffering from OCD might very well harm themselves in a number of ways- most often by the nature of the repetitive behavior as a form of self harm- scratching, cutting, etc.

   This novel was published by Greywolf Press in 2014.  Was there really an editor there who read this manuscript and said, "Yes!"  There was, of course, but man, I just did not buy it one bit. 

Ragtime (1975) by E.L. Doctorow

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Ragtime (1975)

by E.L. Doctorow

New York: 18/105

Upstate New York: 17/23

    Ragtime is another 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die/1,001 Novels: A Library of America cross-over title.  I read it for the 1,001 Books project back in 2016 and it is no surprise to find it listed on the 1,001 Novels list as well.   Perhaps worth noting that this is the southern most of the books from the "Upstate" section- below this it's the Bronx and then Manhattan and Long Island...  See my 2016 review below....

Published 8/20/16
Ragtime (1975)
by E.L Doctorow  

I quite enjoyed Ragtime, Doctorow's 1975 work of historical fiction.  Set largely in New York in the years prior to World War I, Doctorow blends a large cast of fictional and non-fictional characters in refreshing and novel fashion.   You've got J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit (America's first "It Girl."  Each of these historical figures have a sub-plot where they are treated in an irreverent fashion, blending factual history with a work of fiction.

   The major plot concerns a wealthy family living outside of New York.  They are referred to only by their family names, Father, Mother, Younger Brother.  The narrator at times appears to be a young son of the family, other times Doctorow adopts the third person.  The plot takes some time to develop, what with all the existential musings by Houdini and J.P. Morgan's obsession with the Egyptian pyramids and immortality.  

  Mother finds an abandoned African American infant in their spacious yard.  She saves the child and agrees to shelter the child's mother, an African American servant with no family.  Coalhouse Walker, the child's father, eventually finds his way to the family, where he slowly courts the mother of his child.  All appears to be headed towards a happy resolution for the young couple, when Walker's Model T Ford is vandalized by some local firefighters, resentful at the figure of an African American motorist using their roads.

   Coalhouse becomes obsessed with obtaining justice for his vehicle, and when his fiancé suffers an untimely death, he goes off the rails and launches a terrorist campaign against the men who have wronged him.  Doctorow covers an amazing amount of territory in roughly 300 pages.  It's a lesson in succinctness that might have been better observed by his successors.

Event Preview: Angie McMahon @ The Troubadour 3/15

 Event Preview

Angie McMahon @
The Troubadour 3/15

 This show is sold out but there are tickets available on secondary sites.  Angie McMahon is my partner Amy's newest client.  Angie impressed me from the start because she was the one who reached out to Amy, which really shows you something because I don't think anyone has ever written a thing about Amy and what an amazing manager she is.  It's fair to say that only recently have people begun to appreciate her, and obviously I'm biased, but she's already had quite a career and she isn't half done.  

  Angie is from Australia, and she found Amy because she wants to be global.  The thing I've noticed about Angie is that she creates the kind of relationship with her listeners that most artists only hope to create, and many never create at all.  I've already witnessed her do that, and not just with teenage girls but with grown ass adult men and women, including many who actually work in the entertainment industry and are therefore the hardest audience.  Angie only has one record on her current deal, and my sense is that her next record is either going to be on a major label or that she will turn down that opportunity. 

   But I'm now into my second decade of observing artists trying to go from "moderate indie acclaim" to a genuine world wide phenomenon, and ultimately, the sticking point seems to be generating that kind of relationship with the Audience.  Not just impressing the media and record labels- but honestly connecting with people- all kinds of people.  And Angie does that unlike any other artist I've observed closely over the  past 20 years.

  She's got all the pieces in place- Amy, a great booking agent and fantastic PR, her shows are selling out on three continents, she's got invited to play Fuji Rock-which is not particularly easy to do and she's a genuine talent.  I mean, her voice.  If you haven't checked out the new record, you should, and if you can afford secondary market tickets I'd advise you to get to the Troubadour because she won't be playing such a small venue again- just- you know- based on the number of tickets she's sold- next it will be a bigger venue and there will be a next time even though flying a band over from Australia is expensive AF.

Show Review: Topographies, Secret Attraction & Trit95 @ Genghis Cohen LA

 Show Review:

Topographies,

Secret Attraction &

Trit95

@ Genghis Cohen (Los Angeles, CA)

     Another night where I just felt fortunate there was a show- any show- to go to in Los Angeles.  Recent months have had me nostalgic for pre-pandemic local music, even though back in 2019 I was totally over local music and couldn't be bothered to go to a single show that could be described as "local music show."   Technically, last night was a bill with three non-local bands, though I would count Secret Attraction (PHX) and Trit95 (SD) as "local" based on my theory that Southern California:  Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial and Ventura all represent one market, in that you can get to any point to any other point in the are within a couple hours if you time your drive right.  Topographies was down from San Francisco for their album release party.   Dream put out an ep by Topographies and we have some kind of limited tape coming out.  Secret Attraction had a deal with Dream but it was cancelled by mutual consent over timing issues (Derek was impatient AF to put the record out).  Trit95 has two records- a compilation of his prior releases that we mixed and mastered that is at the test pressing stage and a record of new material that hasn't been recorded (or written? I don't know.)

    I'd never been to Genghis Cohen- which is both a fully functional "East Coast Chinese" food restaurant AND a venue that hosts both live music and stand-up comedy.  I still haven't been to the restaurant and this was my first time at the venue.  I was excited that the show was a sell-out, though I simply can't imagine that the capacity is over 50- it felt like maybe 35-40.  Also the show didn't sell out far enough in advance, which is something I now know "real" music industry people take into account.  You want a show to sell out quickly, not the night before the concert.  But at the local music level, a sell out is a sell out, because there are plenty of local music shows that don't even come close to selling out, or are free.  So the show sold out, which was great.

  Trit95 took the stage at 8:30 PM.  I may (and in fact am) biased, but Trit95 has the biggest Spotify listener ship of the three acts, and I felt like the room was the most crowded for his set.  This was the second or third time I've seen his 20 minute opener set with the three piece arrangement.  I thought it was, again, great, even though the lighting arrangement was inferior compared to the two bands after.  The three piece/no drummer look is a good vibe and I actually told the band after the show they really do NOT need a drummer.  Maybe the keyboard guy can hit a drum pad in his set up- because that it was a good look- but a live drummer is 100% superfluous in 2024.  This is a battle I've been fighting since 2008, but I think in 2024 there is no argument at any level of the music industry that you only need a live drummer if you are a full on professional touring band.

   Personally, I'm anxious to see a full headlining set, how many tickets he could sell etc.  We had a conversation after the show which indicated he needs to get signed up with a PRO- ASCAP, BMI, SESAC right away.  He mentioned he has a song coming out with EYEDRESS (16 million monthly listeners) and of course, the compilation LP I'm putting out. 

    Secret Attraction was next up.  Derek had the lighting situation figured out- they played with a blue wash that gave the velvet curtain in back a literal David Lynch vibe.   It was another solid set from Secret Attraction.  I saw on their social media that they were recording new material the other week- Derek is obssessed with being productive as possible, so I'm ready to start hearing new material.  Also interested to hear about their next LA area show- I know there will be one soon, knowing Derek, and having established a sell-out at any level means there will be interest from other venues.  I would love to see a similar bill at Zebulon or El Cid, to see how many tickets would sell etc.  Any of these bands by themselves would be worth booking just to get a read on the interest level.

    Topographies headlined- they have a new record out as of Interior Spring- although I haven't seen a single mention of it anywhere.  Like all bands who have put something out on Dream and then moved on, I'm always puzzled that they just didn't see how great Dream is, but understanding that for an individual artist, all they see is what Dream has done for THEM and they certainly don't have any interest or knowledge of the pre-Dream history.   So, I get it, but I can't help but be a little critical.   Mostly what I observe is that these acts have an opportunity to work with a label that has been there for close to a dozen artists making it to the pros over a fifteen year window, for some label that has been there for exactly zero artists making to the pros.  I know Mario doesn't talk to the bands like that, but that is what I'm thinking.

   Anyway, Topographies was good- they've got a UK/EU tour coming up which should be fun and the new record is out and available for sale in bandcamp.  Like I said, I think Dream is making a tape but don't have any details beyond the back and forth emails about production and the invoices.   If you have  a chance, go see Topographies on tour and buy the vinyl of the new record.

       

The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon (1820) by Washington Irving

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon (1820)

by Washington Irving

Tarrytown, New York

New York: 19/105

Upstate: 18/23

       Washington Irving has fallen out of favor in recent decades.  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has some value as early American royalty free IP, but other than that you'd be pressed to find a reader outside the literature departments of American universities.  Irving was, I think, the first professional man of letters- the Penguin Classics edition of this book- a compilation of what we would call magazine articles in the 20th century, bears an introduction by Irving himself that describes, of call things, the history of the publication rights for the book itself, complete with numerous references to his mentor, Sir Walter Scott.

   Besides The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the rest of the articles are mostly his travelogues from England.  When I went to Spain 15 years ago I actually read his book about Spain- which was actually pretty readable.  These articles I found less so.  It's also pretty clear that was familiar with the literary culture of his era- particularly the gothic style circa 18th century, which strongly influenced Sleepy Hollow.