blogwithmichael
Blog with Michael
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Susan Johnson - From Where I Fell (2021)
Book Review
Susan Johnson is an Australian author who has been publishing books since the 1990s. This is the first book of hers that I've read. My partner bought the book during one of the earlier lockdowns for something to read during iso. She read it in a day, and has been on me to read it for the last month or so.
I also read the whole book in a day. From Where I Fell is a an epistolary novel, comprised entirely of back and forth emails between Pamela - a Sydney based newly single mother of three French-Australian boys - and Chris, an upstate New York based university admissions officer. Pamela accidentally emails Chris when she was trying to reach out to her ex-husband and apologise for the way she left him, and messed up his email address and reached our other main character instead.
Both of the women are infuriating and loveable in their own idiosyncratic ways. Pamela has a tendency to go on (and on, and on, and on...) about herself and her hardships, and Chris is constantly checking her and reminding her that the whole world doesn't revolve around her. After a small hiccup where Pam really offends Chris, the two women open up to each other and tell each other their deepest secrets.
I didn't love this book. Pam being inside her own head for so much of the book, while completely understandable, did not make for a particularly compelling character. I spent the first 2/3 of the book just asking why Chris would even bother replying to this person who never asks about her, is so unobservant, and completely self indulged. A lot of the early emails attributed to Pam is overly flowery and borders on purple prose, and Chris doesn't react to it in the way any real person would. For much of the book, Chris feels like a mix of a cardboard cut out and a mirror. She mostly serves only as "the angel on the shoulder" of her email compatriot, giving her worldly life advice she's picked up from God-knows-where, and when she's not fulfilling this role she bounces Pam's own thoughts and feelings back at her, with not much in the way of actual engagement.
There are some really nice quotes throughout the book, though, two of which I've attached below.
Waiting for death is like waiting for birth. You know it's soon, you just don't know when.
We miss you like a dream which left our eyes before we could remember.
At the end of the day, I feel like I'm just not the target audience for this book, but I have a fair bit of trouble working out who is the intended reader. The writing is pretty good for the most part, but does border on flowery sometimes. The characters are pretty lacking, but I feel like that's more a function of the epistolary nature of the book, than any particular lack in the author. I usually judge my enjoyment on the book based on how much I think about what might happen to the characters post-ending, but I just didn't really care for these two.
Rating: 43.
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Aretha Franklin - Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly, 1972 (RSD 2021 release)
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Now spinning
Otis Blue | Otis Redding Sings Soul
Beautiful royal blue wax. What a better way to spend a Saturday evening than with the King of Soul himself.
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Delivery Day
Gordi - Our Two Skins (2020) + Aeroplane Bathroom/Sandwiches single
I bought this album 3 or 4 months ago directly from Gordi's online store, and completely forgot about it until it turned up at my door this morning. I bought the album mostly to support one of my favourite Aussie artists putting out music at the moment, but the free 7-inch was a great little addition as well. I've gotten really into 7-inch singles recently; in particular the random B-sides that you can occasionally find. Both tracks from the single here are cuts from the album proper, and the B-side is one of my favourite tracks, which was a nice little bonus. The LP is cut on white wax, and the 7-inch on a nice baby pink.
The album also came bundled with a cute little enamel pin. I always appreciate all the little extra stuff that artists throw in with their record releases.
I might do a review later on, I'm not too sure. The album is a year old now, and I feel like anyone who is into the current Aussie music scene will have given this album at least a few spins by now.
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Record Store Day 2021 purchases
Only two purchases from RSD2021, one from each drop day. I bought both records from Discrepancy Records online shop. Unfortunately both drop days ended up being in days of total lockdown in Melbourne, which really sucked because I was looking forward to doing some in person crate digging on the day, but it was not to be.
The first record I bought was Genesis - Live at Knebworth from the first drop day. I haven't given it enough of a listen to really do a proper review, and it's more of a live EP than a live album. Both sides are single tracks, with the A-side being a performance of Mama, the lead single from their eponymous 12th studio album. The B-side is the real winner, being a ~11 minute medley including great renditions of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and Twist & Shout. This pressing was limited to 3000 worldwide and hand numbered - my copy is 2140/3000.
The second record I bought was from the second drop day, and is another live performance put on wax for the first time. This one is from the Queen of Soul herself, the great Aretha Franklin - Oh Me Oh My: Aretha (Live in Philly, 1972). I only bought this online yesterday, so don't have it in hand just yet, but I'll definitely be reviewing this one as soon as I can. I love Aretha, and am so glad I managed to snag this one. This release was limited to 10,000 pressings worldwide, and is a double LP, with one disc being yellow and the other orange. I can't wait to spin this one.
Links:
Discrepancy Records https://www.discrepancy-records.com.au/
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Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)
This album released at a time when no other singer-songwriter was really hitting in the mainstream. The lyrics touch on so many issues that are still pervasive today, 30 years after the release of the album. Familial obligation, hometown blues, racial tension, love, regret are some of the key themes that Chapman explores throughout the album.
The opening track, Talkin' Bout a Revolution, sets the tone of the entire album. The simple acoustic guitar chords that begin the track let Chapman shine the spotlight on her lyrical ability, as she announces the poor are turning the tables on the wealthy and starting a revolution. This track, released at the height of the Reaganomics policy in the US, has become a regular at protests and rallies for its message of hope and rebellion.
Fast Car (Track 2) was obviously an international smash hit, and everything that can be said about it already has been. There is almost a sense of dread in the lyrics of this sing, as the narrator talks about wanting to get out of the town she grew up in, but staying because of her obligation to look after her father. The song then goes on to show how the narrator has fallen into the same life that her mother and father did, with her husband being a drunk who spends more time at the bar than home with his family. Chapman repeats "I had a feeling I could be someone" throughout the song, showing that she knows she can be in a better position than she is, but us constantly pulled down by her family situation.
The first time I heard Baby Can I Hold You (Track 5) was actually the cover that Boyzone released in their compilation album. While the Boyzone version of the song is pretty good, hearing the original for the first time I was struck by how much they missed the mark with the emotions that Chapman put in her rendition. It's sorrowful and full of regret, but also conciliatory at the same time. A really really moving song, and a personal favourite for me.
The introduction to Mountain O' Things (Track 6) is incredibly similar to the backing of the hook of Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. It was almost uncanny when I first heard the song. Chapman did it better.
I don't yet own this album on vinyl because it's so hard to find in Australia for whatever reason. It's definitely at the top of the wish-list for me though. This is one of my favourite albums that I've discovered this year, and quickly becoming one of my favourite albums of all time. It's easily up there as one of the best singer-songwriter albums with the likes of Tapestry (Carole King) and Blue (Joni Mitchell).
Rating: 93.
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Now Listening
09-Jul-2021 evening playlist:
Solange - A Seat at the Table (2016)
Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969)
Carole King - Welcome Home (1978)
Reviews:
Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
Carole King - Welcome Home (1978)
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Carole King - Welcome Home (1978)
This album was released in the aftermath of the death of Carole King's third husband Rick Evers, who co-wrote 3 songs on this album. By King's own account, Evers was a physically abusive, financially dependant drug addict. After a particularly violent episode, King's friends flew her to Hawaii to keep her safe. Evers went on a 3 day bender in LA and ended up dying of a cocaine and heroin overdose.
On the insert included with this LP, King wrote an obituary for her recently deceased husband, describing him as someone who "had more love to give than anyone" she had ever known.
Richard Edward Evers
January 6, 1947 - March 21, 1978
Rick was different from most people. He didn't do things in conventional ways. Some of that was because he was so special. Some of it was because he didn't want to be like people who are told what their choices are and blindly accept them as their only choices.
He often stretched beyond what some of us can understand. He didn't always do "sensible things". He often got angry and frustrated about things that many of us couldn't see. He had more love to give than anyone I've ever known.
The best of him lives on in those of us who knew him and shared his love and dreams. WELCOME HOME is one of those dreams. May Rick now and forever be at peace. I am glad I knew him.
- CAROLE
This obituary reads as particularly uncomfortable given what we now know about the nature of the relationship between King and Evers.
On to the music, the highlights on this album are few and far between. The first track - Main Street Saturday Night - is one of the only tracks that has a truly catchy chorus, but even then the lyrics feel like something you would produce at a 3-day songwriters workshop.
This album features a lot more electric guitar than Carole King's famous Tapestry (1971) album. The tracks all feature King's backing band, Colorado natives Navarro, the second King album to do so. While they do bring a new, more upbeat vibe to her music, King was always at her best with a sparse and simple piano or acoustic guitar backing, letting her singing and songwriters abilities shine at the front of her music.
The lowlights are aplenty on this album. Venusian Diamond (Track 3) is an attempt at an homage to The Beatles, however it just comes off as a poorly thought out and executed mimicry. Disco Tech (Track 6) is about as bad as you would imagine Carole King doing disco music would be. Uninspired instrumentation, really shoddy lyrics (you can meet the Dean of Boogaloo / He will get down and boogie with you / At Disco Tech - terrible stuff), and an overly long track length combine for this to be probably the worst Carole King song I've ever heard.
Everybody's for the Spirit (Track 9) is weirdly reminiscent of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. There's not much else worth saying about this track, but this was a particularly weird moment in the album.
On to the quality of the vinyl record itself, I picked this up for around $8 from an antique market, so wasn't expecting anything too amazing. The cover is quite worn, with a little splitting in the top seam, and the remnants of an old price sticker affixed to the front. The inserts and LP are both in pretty good visual condition, but the LP has some noticeable crackling and popping in between most tracks. Nothing worth complaining about for the money I spent.
Overall, this is a not so great album, and probably cemented Carole King's descent from the upper echelon of pop stars for her era. I'm glad I own it though, both because of the low price I paid for it and the fact that it's an album that I don't see too often in the bargain bins around here. I won't be rushing to listen to this album again any time soon.
Purchased at Daylesford Mill Market.
Rating: 28.
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The Boys in the Band (2020)
Director: Joe Mantello
Release date: 30-Sep-2020
A remake of the pivotal and outrageously controversial 1960s Off-Broadway show, The Boys in the Band hits as hard today as it did back then. The driving point of the film, that queer people can hate themselves just as much as heteronormative people do, shines through particularly strongly through the host of the party, Michael (Jim Parsons). A self-described Catholic, Michael goes from jovial and self deprecating (and sober) to a cruel and self hating drunk as the party goes from bad to worse to a straight up mess.
The acting is top notch throughout the film. The full cast reprised their roles from the 2018 Off-Broadway revival show, and every actor is openly gay. Knowing this to be the case can make for some extra discomfort for the viewer, as it is likely the actors themselves struggled with many of the emotions that their characters portray throughout the film. Robin de Jesús was a particular stand out in his portrayal of Emory, especially in the scene where Alan (Brian Hutchison) confronts him for being a "queer, cocksucker... goddamn freak".
The director leaned heavily into the fact that this is an adaptation of a stage production. Many of the camera shots feel as if they are actually filming on a stage set, and the out-of-focus characters often act as they would on a stage. Throughout the film, when each character is not the main point of attention, they are seen standing to the side in the background, not interacting with their environment and just waiting for their next cue. It made you focus all of your attention on whoever was speaking, just as you would if you were watching a play. The script is also word for word the same as the stage play. This led to some scenes feeling overacted, as the amount of exposition in stage dialogue felt clunky and unnecessary in the film version.
The characters frequently use homophobic slurs towards themselves and one another, which can be particularly uncomfortable as a viewer, especially when it is revealed that Michael truly believes that to be homosexual is unnatural and something that should be prayed away. Michael also uses racial slurs about the only black character in the film Bernard (Michael Benjamin Washington). When asked about how he felt about the use of the racial epithet, Washington said:
If you're setting a play in 1968 and you have a black character and we're gonna pretend like he's not black, then your not telling the truth.
Overall, the movie was carried by some phenomenal acting, but minorly let down by a loose script and some uncomfortable directorial choices. While it is clear that Mantello deliberately chose to keep the film as stage-like as possible, the movie could be that much better if it was just tightened up a little to make the adoption to film go more smoothly.
Watched on Netflix 04-Jul-2021.
Rating: 74.
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Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
One of the best live albums I've ever heard. This is Bill Withers at his most soulful, and his presence on stage is unrivalled. The story he tells before Grandma's Hands (Track 4) about going to his grandmother's church and singing along with the hymns is as funny as it is touching, and you can hear that the audience is there for the interludes almost as much as they are for the music.
I Can't Write Left Handed is the stand out track in an album full of highlights. In the introduction, Bill explains that they wrote the track before the Vietnam War ended, and he tells the story of a veteran he met who had lost his right arm. Even though the song is about the war, it's very much not a political or social protest song. It highlights how war, described as "politics by other means", is also a deeply personal event. The spoken introduction talks about the naivety of the youth who were asked to be the front line of the conflict:
I think about those kind of young guys now
Who all of a sudden, somebody comes up, and they're very law-abiding
So if somebody says "Go" they don't ask any questions, they just go
The instrumentation throughout the album is phenomenal, particular highlights include Ray Jackson on I Can't Write Left Handed, and percussionist Bobbye Hall throughout the whole set.
The pressing on the vinyl is clean, with very minimal crackling or popping, and no warping at all.
Purchased at Plug Seven on Smith St.
https://plugseven.com/
Rating: 87.
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