BOOK OF THE MONTH: GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC by Jonathan Lethem

I was gonna talk about Lethems new book: The Ecstasy of Influence but I got half way through before the library took it back, and frankly, unless you're a hardcore fan, the essays and short blurbs might be a bit heady.....
Not having the new book, I decided to re-read an old one: GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC.This is Lethems first published novel (which is being made into a movie!). It's so fun. It's a hardboiled detective novel (in the voice of Raymond Chandler) in a distopian science fiction world. Animals have been genetically engineered into a more evolved state and act as servants and lower level employees, babies growth is rapidly sped up so that they are independant in the first year( which leads to them being drunks and cynics). Pretty much everyone has their own personalized state sponsored drug blend for snorting. All media has become non-linear, TV is more like the itunes visualizer and the news is expressed with a soundtrack rather than words. But the best thing about the book is the protaganist, Conrad Metcalf, a classic private dick. Just like Marlowe or Sam Spade. His metaphors and descriptions are hilarious,
“Some people have things written all over their faces; the big guy had a couple of words misspelled in crayon on his.”
Reading this I was reminded how much I love most of Lethems work and how broad his styles are, I recommend almost anything he's written, especially Fortressof Solitude, Girl in Landscape and Chronic City......

BOOK OF THE WEEK: NICO-SONGS THEY NEVER PLAY ON THE RADIO by James Young

 

I once knew this junkie chick who was a dominatrix. At first, hanging out with her was exotic and interesting. She'd tell stories about nailing  a dudes dick to a couch or making a guy shove a coffee pot up his ass and she'd be charming and lovely. Her siamese cat was named Bran Muffin, it only ate sardines. I thought I was cool when I hung around her....like she was some kinda supermodel. 

Pretty quickly our relationship wasn't so glamorous. I would have to give her rides to dealers houses, lend her cash  and eventually ended up looking after her ancient and horrible cat (and footing the bills) while it shit and pissed all over everything. I think that's what knowing Nico must have been like. 

This book is hilarious. I normally hate biographies but this is a worthy read. It traces the attempted comeback of Nico in the 80's. It was Written by the guy who was hired to play keyboard for the world tour. Great characters, perfect descriptions of life in the 80's and the inside stories of some of those shitty songs with Nico's harmonium....I can't believe I have all that shit on vinyl......

BOOK OF THE WEEK: BEDWETTER by Sarah Silverman

"I've been very prescrictive, and at moments just flat out judgemental in this chapter, and it's about to get a little worse. I am also going to suggest you make anal sex a treat. In my own life, it's nonexistent. I am one of those people who believe anuses are filthy (except mine, you could eat off mine-it's been scientifically proven). Again doody comes out of tushies-mine excepted-and that's gross."