Gasp!

Book Review: The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson by Rob Simone

The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson
by Rob Simone
Lulu, 39 pages, 2009. $10.88 paperback, $5 ebook

It's very possible that Rob Simone's book, "The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson" is the first publication on the pop star's death. Rather than being a retrospective of  his life, Simone has written a 39-page tome on why he thinks Jackson died.

Under most circumstances, such observations or thoughts would be irrelevant. After all, the coroner has yet to speak. The toxicology reports haven't come back. 

Rob Simone is a Los Angeles talk show host. He discuss all subjects on his show, including the unexplained. Leonard Nimoy, Janeane Garofalo, Charlie Sheen, and former CNN anchor Cheryll Jones have appeared on his program. Simone has connections in Hollywood, and he's outside the mainstream media. Not a bad thing these days.

Simone alleges that Jackson had a condition called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder which can show up in young adulthood. It can cause early-onset emphysema. If it becomes severe, it may require a lung transplant.

Though he says his source is a doctor who treated Jackson, Simone is not the first person who made this claim. Ian Halperin made similar statements in an interview with In-Touch magazine. The Jackson camp denied that Michael had a health condition.

After further describing the disorder, Simone pieces evidence together media reports of Jackson's doctor visits. He believes that Jackson wore a surgical mask in public because he had this genetic disorder.

Simone believes that this deficiency, along with an addiction to prescription painkillers, is what caused Jackson's demise.

Considering the fast turn-around time of this book, anybody would have low expectations. Perhaps Simone is just trying to make a quick buck off a dead man. But there are two things that Simone does well: He doesn't disrespect Jackson and he shatters the veil of silence. For too long, people around Jackson were silent. If he was addicted to painkillers, then that silence only enabled him to continue.

The people around Jackson were doing him a disservice. Many times, family and friends of addicts would prefer the addiction to continue. Stoned and drunk people are far easier to manipulate and control. Like many other cash-cows and idols, Jackson had far too many leeches glued to him.

I strongly suspect that Simone has had pieces of this booklet in his back pocket for a while.It feels more like a radio show than a book. That's not a bad thing. After all, the guy is a radio show host. And this booklet might help satisfy grieving fans who are beginning to crave answers. If Simone is right about the genetic disorder, it will cast a whole new light on the life of Michael Jackson.

For more info on Rob Simone's show

"The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson" by Rob Simone, available in print and ebook editions on Lulu. 

Book Review: Ghost by Fred Burton

Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent
by Fred Burton
Random House, $16, 288 pages, Released: June 9, 2009

"The bodies fell out of the sky and plummeted into a shepard's field. A Greek peasant, minding his flock of sheep, discovered them battered and smashed almost beyond recognition. Before this horrible day, the trio had been a family: one grandmother, one daughter, one infant granddaughter. These were terror's latest targets."

Fred Burton served in the Diplomatic Security Service, part of the Department of State. From the mid-80's to 1998, Burton investigated terrorism acts against the United States. He advised the government on ways to protect assets and personnel. Burton also shuffled world leaders around town, protecting them as they met with American officials or appeared at public events. In his memoir, "Ghost" he remembers with stinging detail both the perpetrators and victims of terrorist attacks.

Burton takes readers by the hand, leading them a variety of events. Making calls on a scrambled, high-security phone system, he becomes familiar with Oliver North. We see Terry Waite, hostage negotiator, asking to speak with Oliver North on the phone.

"I look at the number. It is a direct White House line. I glance down at the STU-III and wonder what I should do next. Something doesn't smell right here. Why is Waite tied in with the NSC? Is Waite the administration's go-between with Hezbollah? I thought he was working on behalf of the archbishop of Canterbury."

Later, we learn: "Terry Waite was just a cover for the real negotiations,ones that treated each hostage as capital that the Iranians and Hezbollah could use to buy TOW missiles."

 Burton investigated the death of Pakistani President Zia, and provides evidence on how the KGB took his plane down. He also discusses Ramzi Yousef and the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, and how he assisted in the capture of Yousef.

These episodic stories are structured in a whodunit form, fraught with tension. Burton describes his own role with humility. He is not heroic in these stories. Rather, he presents himself as a public servant who cannot forget the innocent men and women who have been killed. It is reminiscent of "Dragnet", except in this case, the protagonist has more personality.

Burton makes certain that readers identify with the victims of terrorist attacks. It will be difficult to forget the sad details of the attacks, along with the sociopathic mentality of the terrorists. While presenting new information about historical events, Burton manages to involve readers emotionally. "Ghost" is a compelling book.

Book Review: X Saves the World by Jeff Gordinier

When Generation X was first marketed to twenty-somethings back in the early 90's, no one I knew identified with the term. Just out of college myself, I resented the implication that all of us could be lumped into one tidy category. We're not a group. We're individuals.

 

We decided that Generation X was a marketing scheme to get us to buy something. Buy the clothes, the lifestyle or the ideas. After all, corporatism moved the world. Fuck that.

 

I now know that Generation X never identifies itself as Generation X, and the fact that I refused to be lumped into that corporate culture term means that I'm uber-Generation X.

 

Follow me?

 

My generation refuses to identify itself as a generation. We don't wear pants that splay the word "juicy" across our asses. That kind of tackiness is best left to the Millenials. We've also left them alone with  their lip-syncing singers and blond chick narcissists.

 

We don't need to have our self-esteem propped up by receiving a trophy for participating. We believe trophies are meaningless if given to everyone.

 

It's safe to tell you that Jeff Gordinier thinks the same thing. His book, "X Saves the World" dives straight into the issues of being sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and the magnificient Millenials. One generation drones on and on about how they changed the world. The other believes they are just too fabulous for the rest of us.

 

"In spite of what we've been trained to think, Generation X has done a lot already. The more the boomers talk about bringing the world together, the less they succeed at it, but a thousand Woodstocks couldn't touch what Generation X has already accomplished through the shrewd and inspired use of media and technology."

 

It's true! We're not just a bunch of slackers. Chad Hurley and Steve Chen - both Xers - founded YouTube so Xers can catalogue our favorite videos. College juniors Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson founded The Onion in 1988, making Xers laugh with it's unique brand of irony. Google was also founded by us.

 

Gordinier wants us to know that we've accomplished quite a bit in our old age. Though we'll never get trophies from the media, Xers need to be reminded that we have a reason for being here. Gordinier encourages us to find ways to change our own corner of the world. The ripples will spread outward.

 

Yes, I'm telling you to read the book.

Book Review: Drawers & Booths by Ara 13

Drawers & Booths by Ara 13
Covington Moore, 228 pages, $15.00.

In a city occupied by the American military, a villager is beaten by vigilantes. Trapped in a ring of tires, the man is burned alive.

"Drawers & Booths" begins as a story about military officers who are seeking to "win the hearts and minds" of its citizens. The story is abruptly interrupted by the narrator who mocks readers as he explains himself.

"Well reader, you might as well follow me since you've come this far. I'm not quite sure what you expect to get out of all this. Maybe you're just killing time. But you'll have to excuse me if I don't analyze your motives any further. I've got a job to do."

The storyline then moves to Auschwitz for a brief visit with victims of Josef Mengele. The chapter - three pages - ends with a juxtaposition of Mengele's evil and the love that the victims have for each other.

The narrator is looking for a murderer. Once he figures out that his character name is an anagram, he realizes who he needs to capture and bring to trial... God. With gentle references to Law & Order, God is brought to the courtroom.

Is he responsible for man's inhumanity? Does one need to believe in God in order to have morals? These are a few of the questions debated during the trial.

Metafiction is defined as fiction that never lets readers forget they are reading a book. Through constantly calling attention to the story, the role of the author and the non-existence of the characters, readers are forced to go beyond their normal assumptions and expectations.

Under a less skilled hand, "Drawers & Booths" could have been an indulgent exercise in preciousness and self-righteousness. However, Ara 13 checks his agenda at the door. Consistently steering clear of easy answers, he raises the possibilities of metafiction to a new level.

"Drawers & Booths" is an exciting debut by an author who is one to watch.

Book Review: A by Curt Eaton

A by Curt Eaton
AuthorHouse, 460 pages. $32.99. Released 2008.

I don't usually put subtitles on reviews but I am making an exception for this one. It is this: I wish I edited books for a living. The first book I would dismantle and make anew would be "A" by Curt Eaton.

Book Review: Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards

Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities by Elizabeth Edwards
Broadway Books, 224 pages. $22.95. Released: May 8, 2009

From media reports, one would assume that Elizabeth Edwards' new book, "Resilience" is about victimhood and survivorship.  That is not the case.

Perhaps it is the fact that she has incurable stage four breast cancer that makes her go far deeper than one would expect. But this is not a book describing titillating events. Rather, it is a poetic and heartfelt story about dealing with circumstances that go wildly beyond your control.

Edwards picks out memories from her life that demonstrate how others have processed tragedy. A Japanese woman, about to become a geisha, experienced the atomic explosion in Hiroshima. Scarred with burns on her arms, she was no longer celebrated for her beauty. Instead, she became a dance instructor. As a child, Edwards learned how to move gracefully under her tutelage. The woman also taught her acceptance.

"She accepted her life as it was. If she bore resentment or hatred, she found a way to bury it, to not let it define the rest of her life. And she found the happiest ending now available to her in the pleasures of a simple life, the dignity of her remarkable civility and the absence of pain."

Book Review: Reaching Climax by Gary Gladstone

Reaching Climax: And Other Towns Along the American Highway
by Gary Gladstone
Ten Speed Press, 144 pages, $19.95. 2007

People who reside in oddly named towns, such as Dickshooter, Idaho and Idiotville, Oregon probably have a sense of humor. After all, it takes guts to live in a locale that lends itself to jokes. "Reaching Climax" by award-winning photographer Gary Gladstone features insightful and humorous images of these unusual places and the people who inhabit them.

Each portrait creatively illustrates the name and personality of the town. The picture of Two Egg, Florida centers on a retired tobacco farmer holding two eggs. For Hooker, Ohio, Gary Zuck stands next to the giant silver hook on a tow truck.

Other times, Gladstone juxtaposes the town's name. An image for Hell Hollow, New Hampshire features Mary Mills holding two plastic containers of strawberries. Nothing hellish there. The picture of Fickle, Indiana features a couple holding each other - very much in love.

For each portrait, Gladstone includes commentary about the characters in the image. Usually quite complimentary, these stories also highlight stories of how these unusual towns were named. Erect, North Carolina received its name after three other attempts to name the town were rejected by the postal authorities. "... the town fathers threw up their hands and, in a defiantly flippant gesture, named the town Erect, supposedly after the extremely upright posture of their very tall group leader, Tom Bray."

Reflecting on the experiences of working on his similarly-themed first book, "Passing Gas" and this project, Gladstone writes that he expected to see "cartoon towns populated by cartoon people. I expected to have to manufacture outrageous situations or arrange over-the-top settings and backgrounds to do justice to my idea of a fitting portrait. What I found was that I had not only brought cameras, film and root beer with me, I was also hauling foolish expectations, prejudices, and a bit of snobbery." It's refreshing to see the American Heartland depicted as a place of character, humor and wisdom.

Book Review - Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector

Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector
by Mick Brown
Alfred A. Knopf, 2007, 464 pages. 2007.

For those of us born several decades later, Phil Spector might be a has-been and a "who again?" wrapped in an enigma. But anybody familiar with music from the '50s and '60s will tell you that Spector created a new technique of record production called "The Wall of Sound." It's lush sound was created through using layers of instrumentals in such a way that listeners would get happily lost in the music. Think of "Good Vibrations" sung by the Beach Boys or "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" from the Righteous Brothers. Both were produced by Spector using his Wall of Sound techniques.

Spector's version of that Righteous Brothers hit was declared the "most played song of the 20th Century" by BMI, Inc. It's hard to reconcile the 20th Century Phil Spector with the 21st version. It's not the same man. Or is it?

It's a question that Mick Brown considers in his book, "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector."

Book Review: The King Rat and His Court by William Arthur Bruno

The King Rat and His Court: Lesson in Corporate Greed by William Arthur Bruno. Illustrated by Eduardo del Rio.

Booksurge Publishing. 252 pages. $15.00. Released March 19, 2009.

 

"Having observed management consultants for over three decades, what became apparent to me was the similarity of their playbooks. Indeed, I observed that their methods were borrowed from those used by corrupt regimes on prisoners, and even on their own people," writes William Arthur Bruno in his new book, "The King Rat and His Court: Lessons in Corporate Greed."

 

Through comparing the behavior of unethical business leaders to rats, Bruno describes troubled corporations. Once these rat nests are identified, readers can take steps to expose or avoid the beasts.

 

Bruno describes each pivotal position in an organization - from CEO to Human Resource Officers and Management Consultants. Each "rat" is a spoke in the wheel of a dysfunctional system. Through working together, corrupt management teams keep the King Rat - the CEO - in power. The King Rat takes as much as he can from the company and its employees before leaving. Whether he leaves willingly or is fired, the system is set up so that he will be well compensated for his non-performance.

 

This description might sound familiar, but Bruno also details the conduct of rat-like CEOs. "Employees outside of the Inner Court rarely see the King unless the event is highly programmed in advance by a member of the Court... Members of his Court have grand offices that surround the King, rather than being located in the departments they oversee."

 

To determine the degree of rat infestation in their place of employment, readers are invited to take the "Degree of Rat Infestation and Deviance" test in the Appendix. It consists of 50 questions about the behavior of senior management.

 

Many readers will feel startled when they recognize their place of employment in this book. People who have either been scapegoated or suffered because of these rats will feel relieved when they realize that they didn't cause the problems in the workplace. As Bruno writes, "If you thought that you would be promoted on merit, forget about it. You are needed to do the work. When your worth has been extracted, you will become expendable. In other words, your cheese will be moved." Rats usually get rid of good employees to make room for cronies.

 

Through interspersing facts about rat behavior throughout the book, Bruno makes the rodent comparison less of a gimmick. In fact, readers may be left wondering if there isn't something primal about unethical business behavior. Is it animal instinct that has made corporate leaders into rodents, or is there another sociological cause?

 

Before these questions are answers, the problem must be diagnosed. 'The King Rat' is an effective guidebook for employees who find themselves surrounded by rat-faced leaders.

Book Review: The Day We Lost the H-Bomb by Barbara Moran

The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History by Barbara Moran
Ballantine Books, 336 pages, $26.00. Release date: April 28, 2009

On January 17, 1966, an American B-52 bomber carrying four unarmed thermonuclear weapons exploded during an airborne refueling operation. Three bombs landed in Palomares, a farming village on the southern tip of Spain, but where was the fourth? Barbara Moran's new book, "The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History" deftly describes a military operation fraught with terrifying consequences.

Out of the three top-secret H-Bombs that fell on land, only one was found in relatively good condition. The two others had cratered the earth, spreading pieces of the weapon along with contamination for hundreds of yards. "The SAC's final report of the accident said that most of the weapon was so mangled 'that you couldn't tell what is was or where it came from.'"

Authorities expected fury from the Spanish villagers. Instead, they were greeted with concern. Men from the village helped recovery body parts from the seven airmen who died in the explosion. Others, like Pepe Lopez, found one of the bombs near a small brush fire and stomped it out with his foot. Francisco Simo Orts, a fisherman, witnessed the explosion and tried to help the military recover the fourth bomb.

The Spanish government, under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, worked with the U.S. military to cover-up the incident. They never wanted to see the word "nuclear" in connection with the accident, lest it call into question why Americans were flying over Spanish airspace in planes loaded with nukes. As Moran explains, the Strategic Air Command performed flyovers to deter a sneak attack by the Soviets. Both the military and the public agreed that peaceful coexistence with the Communists could only be achieved through strength.

The international press, however, knew a cover-up when they saw it. News leaked out about the flyovers, a missing bomb and men in radiation suits testing the soil. The military continued plodding along, despite the attention. Engineers tried to calculate the location of the device by running formulas through an IBM 7090 computer.

Book Review: The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell

The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean M. Twenge, PhD. and W. Keith Campbell, PhD.
Free Press, 352 pages, $26.00. Scheduled to be released April 21, 2009.

"Every culture is shaped by its fundamental core beliefs, and in America today, there are few values more fiercely held than the importance of self-admiration," write Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell in their new book, "The Narcissism Epidemic." The authors provide a solid case that American culture is driven not only by greed, but primarily by love of self.

Television celebrates the bratty reality TV star. Plastic surgery has descended from the upper class to the average teenager, who wants to look like Hollywood stars. Pop singers brag about their awesomeness in songs. Telling people how hot you are is a cottage industry - just ask Paris Hilton.

Narcissism allows Americans  a sense of entitlement. In school, a 4.0 average isn't the same as in years past. Grade inflation now ensures that many students will not have their self-esteem damaged by their laziness. Helicopter parents ensure that their children will not suffer the effects of their irresponsibility. True accomplishment is devalued.

Narcissism also gives us a culture of meanness. "Even apart from the search for fame, narcissism is a significant risk factor for aggression and violent behavior ... However, narcissists are aggressive exactly because they love themselves so much and believe that their needs take precedence." The authors believe that the rise in school shootings is directly linked to the upswing in cultural and individual narcissism. If children rule over their parents in the home they must also have all of their demands met in other facets of society.

On the Internet, tirades against those who dare to disagree  are commonplace. "There is a stubborn insistence that 'my opinion matters,' yet, at the same time, the stubborn insistence that other people's opinions are wrong or irrelevant."  Anonymity allows narcissists to say what is truly on their minds, and what most readers will find is this: They believe you suck.

Americans have been under the mistaken belief that bullying is caused by people with low self-esteem. The authors provide ample evidence to the contrary; bullying is caused by people who honestly believe they are entitled and you are not. Narcissists already believe they are special, they don't need to be told. They deserve to have their "self-expressions" treasured because they wrote/composed/acted it.

Self-esteem has become the cure-all for everything that ails humanity. But not everyone suffers from low self-esteem. Telling children that they are special over and over again reinforces how different they are. The authors believe that differences are what drive people away from each other. Emphasizing similarities fosters empathy and compassion.

This is an important book, one that will change the way your perceive your country and your culture. One has to admire the authors, who are certain to face a terrible backlash from a culture that refuses to engage in introspection. People who haven't accomplished anything special don't deserve applause, but Twenge and Campbell deserve an ovation for giving Americans a wake-up call.

Book Review: Priceless Memories by Bob Barker with Digby Diehl

Priceless Memories
by Bob Barker with Digby Diehl
Center Street, 256 pages, $24.99.
Scheduled to be released April 6, 2009.

The best celebrity autobiographies offer something more than cocktail stories. Famous people have access and privilege, enabling them to witness history in a unique way. A successful celeb memoir offers a window into the world, rather than just a recounting of one's life. Which is why "Priceless Memories" by Bob Barker with Digby Diehl, is a pleasant surprise. Not only does Barker write about his days on the TV game show, "The Price is Right," he also touches on broadcasting's golden age, animal rights, the end of World War II and American life in the '50s.

Rather than telling the story chronologically, Barker begins by recounting what he believes to be the most important moment in his career - a phone call from t.v. legend Ralph Edwards. The broadcasting giant needed a host for his show "Truth or Consequences" and Barker fit the bill. After a tedious audition process, he became host of the show. He recounts his relationship with Mark Goodwin, another powerhouse game show producer, along with how he began hosting "The Price Is Right."

These stories are to be expected, after all, Bob Barker was on television for fifty years. He has seen technology change, prices increase and legends pass away. As he notes about his audience, "Then, of course, we had the long hair during the hippie period. There were times I would point over to someone in the audience and say, 'What about this girl?' And a man would stand up, with his long hair, and say, 'What do you mean, girl?'"

The memoir contains a few surprises, such as Barker's childhood on a South Dakota. He is one-eighth Sioux and grew up on a Native American reservation. Both his mother and his former wife, Dorothy Jo, are spoken of in glowing terms. Dorothy Jo passed away in 1981 from inoperable lung cancer. Barker doesn't dwell on her death, but astute readers will sense his profound loss. He touches briefly on his "on-again off-again" girlfriend who shares his passion for animal rights.

His work in the animal rights movement extended beyond his admonition to 'have your pets spayed or neutered.' Barker got 'The Price is Right' to stop using fur or leather prizes. They also stopped featuring fishing equipment and aquariums. "Out of my respect for my beliefs and my vegetarianism, the staff stopped putting meat on the grills and barbecues that we gave away." He was less successful in getting the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants to stop using fur coats, so he quit those lucrative jobs. 

In the early-'80s, Barker and Mark Goodson decided to feature American-manufactured cars on 'The Price Is Right', rather than foreign imports. Despite corporate pressure, this practice continued for the duration of Barker's tenure.

Despite Internet reports to the contrary, Barker never gives readers the impression that he seriously considered roles in porn movies. As a funny aside, he tells readers that as a young man he went to meet a photographer for a modeling assignment. The photographer ended up being a porn director. Sensible readers will understand that these things happen all the time in the entertainment business, and there is no implication that it is anything more than a humorous story.

Indeed, it is Barker's humor and voice that readers will find most appealing. From the first sentence of the preface, "If you are fifty years old or younger, I have been on national television your entire life, and I would like to begin this book by telling you how I got there," you understand that this is Bob Barker talking. And he still worth listening to.

Book Review - I Can See Clearly Now: A Novel by Brendan Halpin

I Can See Clearly Now: A Novel
by Brendan Halpin
Villard Books, 288 pages, released March 24, 2009

"Music had always been his escape from all the stress and problems of the rest of his life, a wonderful sonic space he could escape into, and now all of his problems - Pamela's insistent come-ons, what to do about Julie, how to make his parents proud of him, everything - it was all wrapped up in the music...All the songs he'd written in the last week contained all of his uncertainty and fear, so playing them didn't release him from it."

It's rare to read a novel reminiscent of oh-so-many conversations about creativity, community and commerce. Brendan Halpin's new book, "I Can See Clearly Now" examines the lives of four young musician/songwriters who take part in a network children's television project similar to "Schoolhouse Rock." Set in 1972, these songwriters smoke pot and write catchy songs about science, history, math and english.

Each character struggles with the dichotomy between creativity and money. Julie, the most experienced songwriter, spent her career writing commercial jingles. She lives in an expensive apartment on the Upper West Side, yet has no street cred as a "real songwriter." Levon, an African-American musician, quit touring with a funk band to join the project because it pays well. Peter is a garden-variety folkie trying to find his creative voice, and Sarah is sweet and innocent with absolutely no confidence. Funding for "Pop Goes the Classroom" comes from Clark Payson, network executive whose father has been pressured by the FCC to create more educational programming.

Locked in a recording studio with unlimited money and pot, boundaries blur. Sarah and Peter pursue a creative and sexual partnership. Levon and Julie pair up as well, without the romance. The structure of these relationships - or lack thereof - will feel familiar to those in community-created arts.

The group's leader is enigmatic folk singer Pamela Sanchez. Rather than encouraging her fleet of songwriters to create, she wants them to concentrate on the creative journey. The songwriters become enchanted by their own brilliance. This artistic self-indulgence is symbolized by Pamela's mentoring relationship with Sarah. After a meeting with Pamela, Sarah is inspired to focus on her own feces in an effort to "cleanse herself." She strokes Sarah's ego, telling her she is the best in the group.

Pamela manipulates each songwriter and her effect is immediate. With the exception of Julie, the songwriters turn out obscure, irrelevant work. Relationships become strained. When Payson wants to see what his money has bought, he is disappointed. Julie, the commercial jingle-ist, is the only songwriter who understands that her art needs to be relevant to her audience.

"Pamela sighed. 'Yes, dear, but Clark is not an artist. Clark is a pencil pusher. He has a feel for commerce, but not art. He hired me to make the artistic choices knowing that his artistic senses weren't as finely honed as my own."

Dingo, their recording engineer/producer, knows the challenges of being a working musician all too well. Now that he has a family, he would rather spend more time with them than touring with bands on the road. Witnessing Pamela's influence on these young songwriters makes him work on finding a solution to all of their problems. But can he do it without compromising his own values?

Each chapter is dedicated to a character's point of view. Halpin seamlessly transitions between these perspectives. This type of structure allows readers to understand the interior and exterior of each life. These people are neither good or bad. Their motivations and intentions are spelled out without the editorial judgment of the author.

Above all, that is the reason this novel works so well. Everyone asks the same question: How can you make a livable wage as an artist without selling out your principles? As in life, characters comes up with their own answers. Breezily written, "I Can See Clearly Now" is deceptively deep.

Book Review: Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers by Caroline Sullivan

Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers by Caroline Sullivan

Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999 256 pages

 

Exciting girls everywhere with their tartan costumes and pop-sap songs, the Bay City Rollers ruled Britain in the mid-70s. Their single, "Saturday Night," crossed the ocean in 1975, topping the U.S. charts. By 1978, their immense fame faded. They closed that year out by starring in The Bay City Rollers Meet the Saturday Superstars, alongside a character named Witchiepoo. So much for rock respect.

 

Caroline Sullivan's memoir, "Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers" isn't about the Scottish group. Instead, she focuses on herself and a gaggle of girls who served as groupies to the boy band. It's a fun, memorable and breezy glimpse at growing up the 70s.

 

Sullivan skillfully structures the book by setting up a question in the opening chapter. Just how did she - a teenage girl from New Jersey - end up serving them beer and cigarettes in a Detroit hotel room. It wasn't as easy as it might sound. From the time they landed on American soil, Sullivan followed the group by any means necessary. The chases, turnarounds and trickery involved are captivating. Throughout the book, the question isn't whether Sullivan and her Tartan Tarts (as they called themselves) could catch up with the group. They did, more often than not. Rather, the reader is left curious what will happen when they finally get members of the band alone in a room. Will she have the courage to act on her convictions?

 

Throughout the book, it is assumed that the reader knows that Sullivan is one of Britain's leading rock critics. In between getting fired from jobs and questioning her sanity, Sullivan straddles between her love of all things Roller and punk music. These hints of the future serve as a brilliant counterpoint, putting the Rollers and even the 70s in a colorful pop context.

 

The band beds them and brushes them off, but the payoff comes years later. In 1994, Sullivan interviewed Les McKeown for Radio 1's show "Soundbite." McKeown is trying to revive a stagnant career. She is doing a segment on fading teen idols. The game is reversed, and now he tries to impress her. This power shift underscores how the times have changed. Thank goodness for that.

 

Caroline Sullivan's book was a hit in Britain. At one point the film rights were optioned by Courtney Love. For those of you who don't know about the book, it is a perfect way to shoot a weekend. Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.

 

Further reading on the Bay City Rollers:

 

A recent profile of Les McKeown in the Scotsman.

 

Complaints of missing royalties

 

Watch them perform their hit: Saturday Night

Book Discussion: Chain of Blame by Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla

Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis by Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2008.

If you're reading my blog, then I trust that you aren't interested in reading about Wall Street. I don't blame you. Like me, you probably figured that a life in the arts meant never having to know anything about money. Stocks, bonds, blah, who cares.

But it's important for culture creators to understand the world around them. Why is the economy tanking? What is it about human nature that made this happen?

Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla don't delve into such philosophical aspects in "Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis." Instead, they give you the meat of the crisis and a map of the bones in the closet.

Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo appears briefly in the beginning to set off a chain of events. Flamboyant and tough-talking, Mozilo is sympathetic enough. Things seemed to be going well for Mozilo until Countrywide got into the subprime mortgage business. By July 2007, earnings were down by a third. During a second quarter conference call, Mozilo was asked by analysts when the housing market would improve. "2009," he told them. "We are experiencing a huge price depression, one we have not seen before - not since the Great Depression."

Wall Street runs on emotions and perceptions, and the word "depression" spooked investors. According to Muolo and Padilla, the Dow Jones plunged 226 points on the basis of this conference call.

 As the authors recount the history of mortgages and dubious loans, a herd mentality begins to emerge. Southern California becomes home to many mortgage companies, who open and close within a short time. Deregulation takes hold and suddenly everyone needs a loan broker. 
   
 "Just how much experience did a loan officer or broker need in this era (the 90s)? In Peter Cugno's opinion, the basic requirements were these: 'You had to be a high school graduate. You had to be clever, mature, and have an upbeat personality.'"

And then, scandals erupt. A former stripper who became a loan broker bilked homeowners out of $60 million. Her scam? Financially troubled homeowners signed their houses over to her company. Once their credit had been successfully rescued, they expected to get their houses back. Instead, they were charged 40 percent interest on the original loan.

When Ameriquest enters the stage, the book heats up. The authors believe that Ameriquest accelerated the bacchanalian energy of the mortgage industry. Account executives were in charge of "bringing in loans." Such positions could make anywhere between $30K to $50K a month, not including bonuses. Volume was king. The more loans you brought in, the more you earned. The CEO was fond of giving away cars and cash to top earners. Ameriquest originated the "stated income loans," which trusted the borrower to state truthfully how much he or she earned. If FICO and AVM scores were high, then the loan would be granted. These types of loans would later be nicknamed "liar loans."

While running catchy commercials, Ameriquest heavily influenced government. Executives donated money to both Democratic and Republican parties with the hope of gaining access to key people in government. Legislation that could hurt their business would effectively be squashed. Despite their donations, several state governments began investigating complaints about the company. Eventually, Ameriquest settled these complaints, "agreeing to pay 49 states $325 million to settle charges that it engaged in abusive lending practices." Then, the CEO of Ameriquest's parent company became U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, serving under President George W. Bush.

For others who felt compelled to compete, Ameriquest's business practices opened the door to even more abusive practices.  There are tales of bosses demanding that more loans be made, one even going so far as to beat an employee's desk with a baseball bat. People with dubious ethics flock to the scene. Stockholders demand more money from these companies, so they are forced to make more unwise loans. More, more, more.

And then a financier invents something called a "real estate investment trust," a type of corporation which requires the company to continuously turn 90% of its net worth over to investors. Some companies are seduced by this model; others are aghast at the idea. It would require companies to constantly feed their investors. They can never put money aside for economic downturns. REITS allowed a number of these companies to go public, but at a tremendous cost.

It's difficult to keep track of these characters and companies, but one gets the feeling that individuals aren't important. The title implies that everyone is at fault. But by the end of the book, the authors point out the real problem:

"It can be said of the mortgage/housing crisis of 2007 and 2008 that it was not caused by government deregulation. It wasn't. No major laws were changed to pave the way for what happened. But it can also be said that during the Bush years regulators didn't regulate."

Artists and authors might be repelled by all of this talk about greed and corporatism, and who can blame them. Readers will probably feel the need to take a shower after finishing the book. So let's go to the most important part of the book, a description of one of the richest men in the world, Warren Buffett. Mozilo meets with Buffett at the Embassy Suites Hotel. It was Buffett's choice.

"Mozilo was a Four Seasons kind of guy. They met for breakfast at the hotel, standing in line in the cafeteria with their trays. People were staring. (Mozilo later learned that the reason Buffett wanted to meet at the Embassy Suites was that as a frequent guest of the hotel chain he was entitled to a free breakfast once a month. This was Buffett's once-a-monther.) After breakfast they went out to Buffett's car, a Lincoln Continental. Tapes were scattered about the dashboard. 'The car was a dirty mess,' Mozilo said of the visit. The Lincoln wouldn't start. Buffett didn't have a cell phone. He called a tow truck by using a pay phone inside the hotel. Back at Buffett's office in Omaha, Mozilo noted it didn't have a computer in it."

This passage on page 119 underscores the difference between real wealth and phony money. Buffett remains the richest man in the world, according to Forbes magazine. And the rest of these "rich men" are out of business.

Book Review: In Europe

Issac Butler and I recently discovered that we read the same book. So we decided to write a review of it on our respective blogs. Here's my review. His review can be found at Parabasis.

In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century, by Geert Mak, translated from the Dutch by Sam Garrett. Pantheon Books. 896 pages. $35

In 1999, Geert Mak embarked on a journey, searching for the new Europe. The Euro had officially launched and talk was high that these cultures could meld into a cauldron of superpower strength. His yearlong series for the Dutch newspaper, NRC Handelsblad provided a means for Europeans to reflect on their past and their future. These observations have been culled into a book, “In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century.”
  
  Part travelogue and historical memoir, the book begins at the 1900 Paris World Fair, he slides his way through cities that experienced great moments in time. Queen Victoria’s funeral in London dissolves into a three dimensional literary portrait of Kaiser Wilhelm. Berlin shifts to Vienna, followed by World War I. There are no central characters, other than the continent itself.
  
  The settings are ample backdrop for the speaking parts of its citizens. Plain-spoken and at times harsh, these quotes provide insight into a very different mindset. People who have lived through a multitude of political regimes are allowed to question everything and accept nothing. It is a sensibility that is both intensely practical and world-weary.
  
  For the early part of the book, Mak relies on voices from history to get a feeling for what life was like in the early century. People speak through quotes from letters and other documents. As he reaches World War II, citizens begin to discuss their memories.
  
  Perhaps this is reason that World War II is underscored so heavily. There are close to 400 pages alone on World War II, with heavy emphasis on Nazi Germany. Mussolini appears briefly, and the problems in Basque get short shrift. But it is here that Mak’s attention to the issues of European identity begin to crystallize before dissipating again into Nazi history.
  
  The central question to Mak’s book is whether Europeans can grow beyond a history of genocide that extends from concentration camps to “ethnic cleansing” in the former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, the genesis of this problem is never fully uncovered. It may be wrong to ask Mak to answer it. After all, it seems that every place has a difficult history. Each city, state or country has an “other” who becomes the focal point for all that is wrong in that society.
  
  Rather than diagnosing the problem, Mak provides a forum for acknowledgment. How present citizens contend with that history provides debate today. Some residents would like to build monuments to their challenging past, while others would prefer to close their eyes and proclaim it finished.
  
 
 One of the most memorable chapters is “Himmlerstadt,” which explores Birkenau, a concentration camp in Poland.
  
  Mak vividly describes the crumbling remains of the camp: “Swallows dip and soar above the few barracks that have been left standing, the bare red smokestacks, the groves of birch that grow on human ashes. A bird has built its nest amid the rubble of Crematorium III. Above the gate one can still see the soot from hundreds of steam locomotives that pulled in here.”
  
  Mak then moves on to historical documentation. In this case, it’s a diary of an Auschwitz camp physician. Snippets are used to illustrate what life was like then. Mak juxtaposes this with reflections on what Birkenau means now, especially to those who live in the area.
  
  For them, Birkenau is a place that draws tourists. A resident of the small Polish town says, “Everyone here knew what was going on in the camp, you could see it, or smell it at least. But no one thinks about that anymore.” She goes on to express resentment against the visitors. “You don’t hear anything from the real victims and their families. But you should see the rest of the people who come here.” She continues, “They all claim Auschwitz for themselves. They’ve never suffered for a moment themselves, but my, how they’d like to hitch a ride with the real victims! It’s enough to make you sick.”
  
  Europe has tried nearly every other form of government: socialism, communism, fascism, Nazism, and constitutional monarchy. But ultimately, it’s the actions of its citizens that create a country. Mak’s book reveals that Europe has come a long way, and it has a long way yet to go.

Feeling the American Century

What It Felt Like: Living in the American Century
by Henry Allen.
Pantheon Books
pg. 176, Copyright 2000.

Henry Allen's book, "What It Felt Like: Living in the American Century" is a fabulous book. Starting with 1900, each chapter is dedicated to a decade's worth of memories, product name-dropping, and random dialogue. Allen picks an underlying theme with ties each of these elements together.

In books like these, it's usually the earlier part of the decade that gets short shrift. The writing sparkles in the chapters which the author remembers. In this case, Allen's best work is done in the first few chapters. His voice is dispassionate, allowing readers to feel the full effect of the words. "You stand at attention in restaurants whenever the band plays, 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' which it does a lot, and there's a punch in the nose waiting for any man who doesn't. Sauerkraut becomes 'liberty cabbage.' German measles are 'liberty measles.'"

Renaming words was a 1910-1920 phenomena, which as you remember, played out again nearly 90 years later. Such patterns are subtly underscored throughout the book. Greed and rampant materialism appear and then disappear; waiting for each generation to discover it anew. And they always do.

From the 60s onward, the book takes a more dour tone; paranoia and narcissism laced with disappointment. Greed makes life simple in the 80s, but scheduling life becomes complicated. And the 90s, the "Whatever" decade in which technology imposed itself on relationships. In this book, he sees America as a lonely place - by choice. "Memoirs replaced novels as the fashionable sport. Internet games and chat rooms replaced social life, even offering the change to change your identity and sign on as someone else."

Allen allows readers to reach their own conclusions about the American Century. But with this evidence, it's hard not to be worried about the future.

If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer

IF I DID IT: Confessions of the Killer
by The Goldman Family
Beaufort Books. 254 pages. $24.95

Unreliable narrator doesn’t begin to describe O.J. Simpson. Within the first pages of his text, "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer" readers will become keenly aware of being manipulated.

Simpson’s literary voice is charming. He assures us that he will share the facts of the murder because he knows them better than anyone else. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe he did do it. What if he did? A few pages later, he assures us once again that he will tell the truth.

By the end of the book, the only certainty is that two people are dead. This man, acquitted of murder, is telling us that he did it. He is also telling us how he killed them, and why. But then, it’s all hypothetical and he’s telling us the truth.

The death of Nicole, his wife and Ron Goldman, an innocent bystander, made instant celebrities of court reporters. It riveted the country and divided a nation along racial lines. It informed the public about domestic violence and made jury nullification a household word.

Those who cheered at the nonguilty verdict will not find a rallying cry here. Simpson is all about himself. There is no mention of race. Nothing other than building a case that Nicole had it coming to her.

She was materialistic, "venomous and full of rage and anger." But it’s the domestic violence charges that annoy him the most. He didn’t hit her, he grabbed her. "The ones (bruises) on her arms – I put them there. Her face? I didn’t hit her, but it’s possible she hurt herself while we were scuffling."

In his defense of her famous 911 call: "I hit her once – not even hit her technically – and ever since that day I’d been known as a wife-beater." Hit but not hit. Kill but not kill. His capacity for rationalization is boundless.

Much is made of Chapter 6, which describes the murders, but Chapter 5 is more problematic. Throughout the text, he has built a case that Nicole’s friends were into drugs and other sordid activities. It appears that he will make a case that her friends killed her. Instead, he says, "If you’ve got kids, you’re stuck with that person for the rest of your life. It was not a pleasant thought."

He wasn’t going to be dragged down. So he killed her... Maybe. When confronted with a knife-wielding Simpson, Ron Goldman, an unlucky fellow that night, adopted a karate stance to defend himself. It only made Simpson angrier. He killed him, too... Perhaps. There are no gory details because he claims he doesn’t remember them. He only recalls being soaked in blood afterward.

So we don't really know if he killed her or not.

There is no introspection and no sense of responsibility. Even in murder, Simpson is the hero, the rescuer, the one who dispenses justice. There is no empathy.

His name isn’t in the credits. Officially, the author of this book is The Goldman Family. The copyright for Simpson’s text is under the name of Lorraine Brooke Associates. LBA, for short, was founded so Simpson could profit off the book without paying the family for the civil judgment owed them.

Both a Federal and California court ruled that the company was a sham, according to The Goldman Family’s commentary in the beginning of the book. While LBA was founded to provide money for his children, Simpson used the entire book’s advance to pay off an IRS debt and pay down his mortgage.

Pablo F. Fenjves, the ghostwriter and collaborator for the book wrote the prologue. Ironically, he also testified at Simpson’s trial – for the prosecution. Fenjves heard the dog’s wail that night. He tells us that this fact didn’t figure into the collaboration. Simpson had complete editorial control over the book and didn’t hesitate to use it.

When the Goldmans won the rights to Simpson’s text, they were also compelled by the court to publish it. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice. Nicole’s family fought against the book, and only later changed their minds. By then it was too late.

Regardless of how one feels about the Goldman Family or the entire affair, exposure is closure. Simpson’s narcissism, his manipulations and inability to accept responsibility are clear throughout the book.

Emerson once said that "People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character." Ambiguity and distraction might work in the U.S. Justice system, but in this case his words convict him.

(Update: I forgot to include a small edit that was in a later draft of this review. The ambiguous chapter six paragraph was made slightly more ambiguous in this review. After all, he did did not sorta mighta maybe had something to do with whatever went on that night.)

66 Laps by Leslie Lehr Spirson

Book Marginalia is a new feature on Gasp. I started it so I could explore genres that I normally wouldn't cover. It is not meant to be a complete review; rather it is more like my personal notebook.

66 Laps, a novel
by Leslie Lehr Spirson
2000, Villard/Random House, page 214

How I received the book: I found it. Literally.

What attracted me: I thought it was Chick Lit. Since I don't read that genre, I read it to expand my horizons.

Plotline: Suburban mother has an affair as revenge against husband. Bad things happen. Dostoevsky meets Chick Lit.

Structure: Standard. Status quo ---> Suspicion ---> Action ---> More Action ---> Climax ---> Ending.

Writing style: Curiously, there were wisps of poetry in the book. A cut above what I would expect from the genre. She also does that "shocking first sentence which stands alone in a paragraph" thing which feels a bit 90s-ish to me. But the book was published in 2000, so I can't complain.

Comment: When I detailed the plotline to Jethro - including the ending - he asked if was diving into my pulp fiction collection again. The ending was that tough.

Analysis: As well, the book points out that there's a huge chasm between the lives of men and women. Men can grow old gracefully, women can't. Men can have affairs, and women can't. A passage in the book reflects the idea that a male perspective is the norm, according to a sociologist. That kind of thing. Main character indulges in the stereotype and then complains about it as well.

Length of time to read the book: One sitting. About the time it took Auburn Tigers to lose to Mississippi State in a football game.

About the Author: This book won the 1998 Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society Gold Medal for Best Novella. Also, she wrote the script to "Heartless," which was shown on the USA Network. 66 Laps was her first book. She's written a few other nonfiction books about parenting.

Criticism: I wasn't the intended audience for this book since I tend to be an asexual reader. I don't think about a "female perspective" when I read. For the most part, I've grown out of those limiting "male v. female" beliefs as well. So readers who want to ponder that Chinese finger puzzle would enjoy this book. The pulp fiction elements make it fun. I'd be interested to read her next book, just to see if she's gone beyond her comfort zone.

Book Review: Manhattan

Manhattan
by Neal Travis
Crown Publishers, 1979, 212 pages

This book ended up in Decatur, Alabama where I bought it for a dime and I would love to know how it happened. How could a book, about beautiful New Yorkers wind up in a thrift store shack?

The main character is the New York magazine called Manhattan. All of the characters are tied into the magazine. The publisher, Michael Glennon, must fight a hostile takeover of his empire. Jamie Kilgour, a gay gossip columnist, wants to prove his worth as a reporter. Both Glennon and Harry Cave, Managing Editor, are having an affair with Jane, Glennon’s secretary.

Peripheral characters are patterned after famous people. Leon Spielberg is similar to Stephen, except that he’s a 70-year old bald director. Glenda Davis is a dead-ringer for Bette, and Louise appears to be a nod to Linda Ronstadt. These little character asides are fun, but also distracting.

"Tales of the City" by Armistead Maupin was published in 1978, and "Manhattan" is reminiscent of it. Whereas Maupin wrote about the characters and their relationships with each other, Travis writes about the space between the characters. Which is to say, he’s writing about thin air. The pace of the book is fast, too fast to get to know anybody.

Perhaps it mimics life in the Big City. In between the mafia, bricks of cocaine, famous locales, and pseudo-celebs, there’s very little substance. Maybe that’s why the apple on the cover looks like more like tomato.