Does anyone else think that the three guys running for Ontario Premier have odd names? We have Ernie, Dalton, and Howard. OK, so Howard is not that strange, it's just a bit boring. Ernie? Well, it reminds me of Sesame Street. I can't see how anyone can have any respect for a leader called Ernie. He should just wear a striped shirt and be done with it. Dalton? The only other had Dalton I am aware of is (was) Dalton Camp. Does any nation have room for more than one Dalton?

Tags: elections, Ontario

Man, they are dropping like flies: Robert Palmer, Warren Zevon, John Ritter, Johnny Cash, George Plimpton, Elia Kazan. It makes me feel mortal.

Tags: death

Waiter Boy Wins Canadian Idol (my last word on Canadian Idol)

Congratulations to Ryan, winner of the manufactured-pop-idol-of-the-moment award. The fact that this was the most popular Canadian television show of all time is depressing and alarming. What is the viewing demographic anyway? I imagine that those people drooling over Ryan are either pre-pubescent girls or middle-aged women? Am I wrong?

He was not the best singer. Gary Beals could out sing him, and so could Billy Klippert. But, I suspect that Billy is thanking his lucky starts that he didn't win. He was saved the embarrassment of having to sing that inane piece of fluff that will be the first single. It's an abysmal example of song writing. It's boring, stupid, and, as Farley Flex said, "Walt Disney-esque." Is that the best they can do?

Oh, and how the hell did Tyler Hamilton get into the top 11? He is the most nasal singer I have ever heard. He has zero musical skill. He makes me cringe.

That's enough on that topic. Let's hope that the worldwide Idol craze dies very soon.

Tags: Canadian Idol

http://911digitalarchive.org/

Tags: 911

Love You Forever makes me puke.

My dislike of Robert Munch's children's book "Love you forever" is total. I wondered if it was intended to be some kind of dark comedy. In some ways, it is very funny, and I laughed the first time I read this story about the most dysfunctional mother-son relationship ever portrayed in children's literature. The last segment where the grown man sneaks into his mother's house to cradle his elderly mother in his arms is perverse and freaky. If one reads this book seriously, it is downright creepy. Has the author never heard of privacy? Perhaps there is something else going on. A few pages earlier, it is the psycho/stalker/mentally unstable mother who drives across town with a ladder strapped to the roof of her car. She climbs the ladder to sneak into her son's bedroom, crawls across the bedroom floor, and rocks him in her arms. I wonder what the man's wife had to say about that. Creepy is too kind a description of this bizarre book.

The scariest thing about the book is that it has sold 15,000,000 copies! What's wrong with you people?

If you don't believe me, believe my daughter. She will bring the book over and ask me to read it to her (I guess she is an eternally optimistic two-year-old). Part way through, she will beg me to stop. "I don't like that one," she says. In ten or fifteen tries, we rarely get past the first three or four pages, and I am relieved when she says she doesn't like it.

Oh, and the art sucks too.

Tags: Robert Munch, Children's Literature

The fact that Arthur Koestler has faded into relative obscurity, while contemporary authors, such as George Orwell, are well-known, has always baffled me. In addition to Koestler's fiction masterpiece, Darkness at Noon, he wrote on a wide range of topics, managing to be controversial, entertaining, and very original. His volumes of autobiography are considered by many to be among the best of the 20th century. Some may remember that the Police used the title of Koestler's Ghost in the Machine for one of their albums.

I had high hopes for David Cesarini's biography (Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind). While it does cover Koestler's life in detail (some of it excruciating), it renders Koestler as a sex-obsessed drunk and possibly a rapist. We need more scholarship on Koestler, and so this book is welcome. But, I am ambivalent about the book and am left to ponder its purpose. Reaction has been mixed. Edinburgh University moved his statue to a safer location, fearing vandals would deface it after having reading about Koestler's attitude to women.

In hindsight, I regret not tallying the car crashes and the mistresses. Both lists would be very very long. His appetite for sex somehow managed to keep pace with his ability to seduce or persuade. I agree that these details are necessary, and it reveals Koestler to be very much unlike the man I had imagined. However, these forays into drunken parties and the endless stream of girlfriends almost overshadow the portrait of the man as a very influential thinker, and author of some of the most important books of his time. I got the hint that Koestler was a terrible driver (largely because of his drinking) early in the book. Why do we need descriptions of his serial automobile accidents?

Overall, the book is a remarkable portrait of a man who deserves more scholarly attention. It's probably the best book we will get on Koestler for a long time.

Tags: Arthur Koestler, David Cesarini

Election Fever

Finally, we get the chance to get rid of the Tory government in Ontario. The Common-Sense revolution is dead. It made no sense anyway. I hope the people of Ontario will see through the Conservative Party's self-serving promises, like the $500 per year mortgage interest deduction. They have to be kidding. They know the only way they can hope to win is to offer stupid incentives like that, while they continue to dismantle public education and destroy the health care system. The electrical system is a mess. I say, vote Public Power. It's the only real choice. The NDP has a real platform that makes sense: public health care, public education, public water, public hydro, reasonable tuition, a fair minimum wage, affordable housing, good pensions, public transportation, child care. By contrast, the Tory platform is a carrot on a stick.

Tags: elections, Ontario

CD Prices Falling

The good news is that Universal is slashing CD prices by approximately 30%. EMI shares immediately plummeted. This is the best news I have heard in long time. CD prices are artificially high, and I feel like I have be robbed over the years. Don't forget that recent class action suit. I did not turn to illegal downloading. I think there is a strong collector in me (perhaps that is why I am a librarian). I am looking forward to other companies matching or beating these prices. It's about time. Now, I wonder if there are any good artists in the Universal catalogue...

Tags: music, CDs

Music

I have no top ten lists. I don't have a fav song or band or singer or movie or tv show or book. Is that weird? I used to. Years ago, I could list my top ten songs, just like that guy in High Fidelity. What was in the top spot? Well, I remember thinking that Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus was awesome. I still appreciate that one. I went through a phase where I really identified with How Soon is Now?, but didn't everybody? And then there was Kate Bush, Lou Reed, John Cale, The Clash, Brian Eno, Joy Division, Adrian Belew, My Bloody Valentine, The Pogues, The The, XTC, Shriekback, The Cure. Now, I listen to Labradford, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Do Make Say Think, Bill Laswell, etc. I gave up on the 3 minute pop song a long time ago. I have almost had it with lyrics, unless they are good ones, like those of Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, and Jeff Buckley.

If we go way back, into my pre-adolescent days, I was into Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. It was the legacy of my older brother, and I find that I still have a softspot for the Zeppelin. I even bought all of their CDs.

Tags: music

Canadian Idol sucks

After being somewhat amused by the first few episodes of Canadian Idol, mostly because of the parade of truly terrible singers (who can forget Konnichiwa by Tarcisio Tancredi?), I have to say that the show has degenerated into a complete disaster. It is based on the flawed premise that a good voice is all one needs to be a star. There is no interest in talent. It's clear that the producers think that Celine Dion and Mariah Carey are talented!

The show's producers should have paid more attention to Global TV's Popstars. Where are the winners now? I saw Sugar Jones CDs in the delete bin (where they belong).

Some of my favourite singers have weak or unusual voices. I refer to people like Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Billy Bragg, Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan, none of whom would have had a chance of winning a contest like Canadian Idol.

I think Jake and Farley's criticism of Gary Beals said everything. He didn't sing the song exactly like Percy Sledge, so it was a bad performance. In other words, they want singers who imitate the artist they are covering. So much for artistic license.

Tags: Canadian Idol

Lord of the Rings Makes me Sleepy

OK, so I watched the first two movies (part of 'em) on video, which, I realize, is not the same as the full theatre experience. I fell asleep during both with more than one hour left in each movie. The first time, several months ago, I thought it was one of those things. But, there can be little doubt that the Lord of the Rings bores me silly. It may be the most boring film ever. Is it just me? Maybe it would have helped if I had read the books. I fear that would also put me to sleep. If I ever get insomnia, I'll just make a trip to the video store.

Tags: Lord of the Rings, movies

Blogging & Philip Roth

I am new to Blogging, but not new to keeping a journal. In the last 10 years, I have written over 6000 pages, filling up 30 hardbound black books, the ones intended for artists to sketch in. I wanted acid-free paper. I wanted the words to last, to outlive my children and me. I can't say why, really.

Like many people, I have a built-in censor. And, now I wonder what the reaction will be when my descendants read them (if I haven't burned them by then). It worries me. Of course, there is the distinct possibility that my handwriting will be indecipherable.

I feel even more inclined to censor myself here, where anyone can read these words. Maybe I will relax after some time.

I am reading Philip Roth's Sabbath's Theater. This novel is not for everyone. It is sexually explicit, maybe deviant -- but not by my standards ;-) -- and very funny. Sabbath is a gargantuan character, and I can't but feel that I am reading a modern Rabelais. I rank Gargantua and Pantagruel as one of my all time favourite books. I am also reminded of The Confederacy of Dunces, perhaps because of the extreme nature of the protagonist. In both cases, these are larger than life individuals. Sabbath's Theater is a wild and entertaining book, but, despite the sex, it may not be erotic.

Tags: blogging, journaling, reading, Philip Roth

"Hey Homo"

Is Sesame Street putting hidden messages in its CDs? Listen to Elmo and the Orchestra, and find out for yourself. Since my daughter adores this CD (which received the 2001 Grammy award for Musical Album for Children) I have heard it countless (and I mean countless) times. I am tired of it.

But, there is no longer any question in my mind that Big Bird says "Hey homo" when Elmo comes to visit. Just what is Sesame Street trying to do? Perhaps this is a response to all of those people who have long believed that this little red friend is a little gay friend.

Tags: Sesame Street, Elmo, Big Bird

Milk

Milk (cow's milk, that is) has to be the most disgusting "food" ever. I haven't touched the stuff (or cheese, butter, ice cream, etc.) for four years, and I feel much better because of it. Think about it. This is the breast milk of a hairy 2000 pound animal! Why do we drink it? I think it comes down to marketing. The various dairy marketers would have you believe that milk is essential. Why should it be? Humans are the only species that drink milk as adults and, not only that, we drink the milk of animals. It makes no sense.

From Dr. Benjamin Spock:

"Cow's milk in the past has always been oversold as the perfect food, but we are now seeing that it isn't the perfect food at all and the government really shouldn't be behind any efforts to promote it as such."

Believe me, dairy marketers are lying, and nutritionists have been duped. Milk is bad for you. There are countless scientific articles attesting to that. Search Medline, if you don't believe me.

From Dr. Robert M. Kradjian:

"To my thinking, there is only one valid reason to drink or use milk products. That is just because we simply want to. Because we like it and because it has become part of our culture. Because we have become accustomed to its taste and texture. Because we like the way it slides down our throat. Because our parents did the very best they could for us and provided milk in our earliest training and conditioning. They taught us to like it. And then probably the very best reason is...ICE CREAM! I've heard it described, ...'to die for'."

I could rant about milk for days. I would be happy if we just stopped promoting it as a health food. It's not and it never has been.

Tags: milk

Take a Survey

Someone wants to know what non-librarians think of libraries and librarians. Take the survey.

Tags: librarians, libraries

Ambient Ping

Last night, I attended the Ambient Ping's 4th Anniversary Special at the Nia Club @ C'est What? featuring ARC with Pholde and General Chaos Visuals. The combination of ARC and Pholde seemed to go well beyond "ambient" perhaps drifting into ambient mayhem, if there is such a thing as that.

Pholde uses scrap metal -- saw blades, files, angle iron, etc. -- to create a miasma of noise. This, against Baker's slightly Frippy guitar loops and some tribal rhythms kicked out of the drum kit, created a wall of intense, repetitive, and very compelling sound.

I was able to pick up a couple of CDs from the Ping Things boutique.

More great music is upcoming at the Ping, including Psychosomatic Climax Machine. Check out the schedule.

Tags: Ambient Ping, music

It's been a while. Since my last post, we have put a new roof on the house, taken a vacation and had the kitchen torn apart (it is still in disarray). One room is about to get new drywall, plus some much needed electricity. Ah, yes, electricity. The blackout blacked out the last part of my vacation. We spent 41 hours and 10 minutes without power. I thought that they had forgotten us, until CBC mentioned our neighbourhood on the air. A flood in a transformer building (or something) extended our outage.

I admit that I have been watching Canadian Idol. I got hooked during the first episode. I couldn't believe that people with zero talent could attempt to pass themselves off as real singers. It was painful to watch and sometimes hilarious. For a brief moment, I felt that I could do better. Who knows?

Recently, I have read:

Oxygen, by Andrew Miller (excerpt)
Portrait of an Artist as an Old Man, by Joseph Heller (review)
Spadework, by Timothy Findley (interview)
Travels by Night, by Douglas Fetherling
Gone Indian, by Robert Kroetsch (essay)
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me, by Javier Marias (review)

Later.

Tags: renovations, reading, blackout, Canadian Idol

Don DeLillo

Don DeLillo is, without question, the greatest living novelist. I finally read The Body Artist, his short follow-up to Underworld. (Read chapter one). It is a deceptively simple story, and quite unlike Underworld, or his other novels.

Tags: Don DeLillo, reading

The eleventh Scream in High Park literary festival was held last night in High Park, Toronto's largest urban park. Readers were Wakefield Brewster, Lise Down, Sheila Heti, Dennis Lee, Jay MillAr, Motion, Elizabeth Ruth, Shyam Selvadurai, Karen Solie, Michael Turner, and Fred Wah. Highlights for me were Fred Wah, Dennis Lee, and Wakefield Brewster.

Since I am on the topic of writing, I should mention sex. There are some interesting discussions of library porn out there. In Sex in the Stacks, Candi Strecker gives us short descriptions of ten pornographic novels featuring librarians and libraries. The Image of Librarians in Pornography provides synopses of some of the 49 novels listed. They have such catchy titles, like Helpful Head Librarian and Nympho Librarian.

Recoil News Parody Magazine reported in June 2003 that "[t]he universally held suspicion among male youths that all female librarians transform from polite, repressed spinsters into coquettish, aggressive sexpots upon the removal of glasses and hair pins is unrealistic, or at least exaggerated, Cornell University researchers announced Monday." The report added that librarians are inaccurately portrayed "as smoking hot sex mongers who prey on young male library patrons. " Parody, perhaps, but probably true.

Tags: scream in high park, library porn, librarians

This is old news, but, the Library of Alexandria is being rebuilt, in a project by the Egyptian Government and UNESCO. This is a cool project.

I am listening to do make say think and Shalabi Effect. I have just finished reading Spalding Gray's Morning, Noon and Night.

Tags: libraries, music