more than twenty years into this CARNIVALESQUE FREAK-SHOW that is SOCIAL MEDIA, we are all pretty much too intimately FAMILIAR with the CONCEPT of having an AVATAR or ALIAS that represents us ONLINE via SOCIAL MEDIA, CHAT ROOMS, COMMENT SECTIONS and the like.  such is a VEHICLE for DUPLICITY, DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR and general HORRIFIC BEHAVIOR due to the lack of ACCOUNTABILITY that comes with having your NAME and LIKENESS attached to your WRITTEN OPINIONS.

cartoonist PETER BAGGE's presents in his COMPELLING GRAPHIC NOVEL ​OTHER LIVES (VERTIGO, 2010) a variety of CHARACTERS that blur the line between their REAL-LIFE IDENTITIES and online SECOND-WORLD PERSONAS as well as PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL LIES, SECRETS and OBFUSCATIONS that DIVIDE and ISOLATE them from EACH OTHER as well as THEMSELVES.  its an INTRIGUING SUBJECT considering that all of us hold a SELF-PERCEPTION that GUIDES and INFORMS our DAILY BEHAVIOR and sense of EXPERIENTIAL CONTINUITY as a UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL.  through SOCIAL MEDIA we allow ourselves a WARPED MIRROR to CURATE a WIDELY-DISSEMINATED PUBLIC PROFILE that presents us as we see OURSELVES and not necessarily as we are perceived by OTHERS. 

through BAGGE's CHARACTERS we can observe a SIMILAR NARRATIVE based on such self-initiated DISTORTIONS that devolves into CHAOS and HARMFUL SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ACTIONS.  these CHARACTERS act out of a variety of motives from DESPERATION, LONELINESS and DESPAIR to AMBITION, SURVIVAL and an INTENSE need to BELONG.  its ironic that such use of AVATARS and ONLINE MONIKERS only makes such PROBLEMS more AGONIZING and SEVERE, since such INCENTIVES the very MOTIVES that manifest in such EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL ruination.

BAGGE seemingly offers no way out of this DEVASTATING DILEMMA outside of HONEST COMMUNICATION with both ONESELF and their IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY.  ONLINE FORUMS where one's OPINION is habitually SELF-REINFORCED does little to MITIGATE that LONG and PAINFUL DOWNWARD SPIRAL.  makes me reconsider the PERILS and/or BENEFITS or writing a BLOG.  seriously.

​OTHER LIVES is definitely an INTRIGUING READ well worth checking out.  much RECOMMENDED.  i look forward to seeking out more from BAGGE's CATALOGUE include HATE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1990-2011) and NEAT STUFF (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1985-89) in the future.

my introduction to the BLUESY NYC-MIAMI-based / GEORGIA-raised INDIE ROCK SINGER-SONGWRITER CHAN MARSHALL and her CAT POWER MONIKER was back in the mid-2000s when i was in undergrad and THE GREATEST (MATADOR, 2006) came out.  living overseas in AFRICA and THE MIDDLE EAST during a PRE-INTERNET AGE throughout the 1990s, i was a bit behind the curve culturally in terms of stateside UNDERGROUND MUSIC.  like everyone, what caught my ear immediately was this RESTRAINED VOCAL DELIVERY and EMOTIVE WEIGHT in which she sang her OPAQUE and intensely PERSONAL LYRICS.  the further back in her CATALOGUE i traveled, the more of an ENIGMA she became, which no doubt is part of her APPEAL as a MODERN CULTURAL FIGURE and ARCHETYPE of an immensely TALENTED yet TROUBLED ARTIST. 


in CAT POWER: A GOOD WOMAN (CROWN, 2009), AUTHOR ELIZABETH GOODMAN provides a PORTRAIT of an AMBITIOUS SONGWRITER that holds a DEEP AMBIVALENCE towards her GIFAT.  as you would expect, this UNCERTAINTY regarding her TALENT is rooted in her biography as the CHILD OF DIVORCE who often placated the EMOTIONAL NEEDS of those around her POWER, often subsuming and folding her own needs and IDENTITY into that of others.  her ABSENTEE FATHER being a FAILED MUSICIAN who although technically educated in the CRAFT, never resonated with a WIDER AUDIENCE and projected such FRUSTRATION on his DAUGHTER and her NASCENT INTEREST in MUSIC.  this is key, because she was made to feel UNWORTHY and NOT VALUED for her lack of MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE which curdled into later DEFEATIST INTERNALIZATIONS of INFERIORITY and being UNDESERVING of RESPECT, especially when she found FAME and later COMMERCIAL SUCCESS. 

MARSHALL is a COMPLICATED FIGURE, no doubt, plagued by an INFERIORITY COMPLEX that paradoxically comes with a FIRM CONFIDENCE in her INTUITIVE ABILITY as both an OBSERVER and a WRITER.  this should not come as a surprise since basking in one's SUBSERVIENCE is a FORM of MANIPULATION, since one ironically feels that they are SINGULAR in their supposed LOWLY STATURE.  its an INTRIGUING DYNAMIC that played out in her CAREER, especially those LEGENDARY CONCERTS in which she publicly broke down and wallowed in her own SELF-PITY and effectively elevated her PERSONAL BREAKDOWN into a piece of PERFORMANCE ART, violating the BASIC CONCEIT of a LIVE SHOW in which a PAYING AUDIENCE is treated to a MUSICAL PERFORMANCE.  that RELATIONSHIP between AUDIENCE and ARTIST, and her breach of such, could only happen with a certain VOLATILITY that is counterintuitively defined by TRUST, BELIEF and CONVICTION in oneself. 

and it is not like MARSHALL is the first PROMINENT ARTIST to be known for seemingly basking in their own SELF-DESTRUCTION.  that CULTURAL LINEAGE goes back arguably to the origins of ART itself and is part of HUMAN NATURE and our DISTINCT SOCIAL BIAS towards NEGATIVE EMOTIONS.  part of the UNDOUBTED APPEAL of MARSHALL is her vulnerability and penchant for PUBLIC SELF-SABOTAGE.  i dont know what that means in terms of implicating the AUDIENCE in this unseemly COMPLICIT act of incentivizing such BEHAVIOR.  you look at everyone from LEGENDARY ARTISTS like JIM MORRISON, GG ALLIN and IGGY POP and unquestionably part of their ENDURING APPEAL are those PUBLIC TRANSGRESSIONS on-stage that violated BASIC CULTURAL MORES regarding GOOD BEHAVIOR and HUMAN DECENCY.  you dont have to look far ahead and recognize that KANYE WEST, TED NUGENT, 6IX9INE and so on are playing buy that same PLAYBOOK, albeit one projected outwardly to instigate ATTENTION and cultivate NOTORIETY rather than internally as a COMPLICATED FORM of SELF-IMMOLATION.

much else was covered in A GOOD WOMAN, which touched on ASPECTS of MENTAL HEALTH, BRAIN DISORDERS, GENERATIONAL TRAUMA and the ROLE of a COMMUNITY in supporting / spurring / challenging / hampering the EFFORTS of a NASCENT ARTIST, but for me the takeaway from this BOOK is that CENTRAL DYNAMIC of MARSHALL's PROBLEMATIC, ABSURD and CONTRADICTORY dual-pole NATURE as both a MASTER MANIPULATOR and VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE.  that ASPECT is something GOODMAN does a GREAT DEAL to unwind and parse through carefully to much EFFECT.  understanding that DYNAMIC makes me consider the INTENTIONALITY of other provocative ARTISTS of the past (everyone from CARAVAGGIO to KURT COBAIN) and my own COMPLICIT ROLE in the PROPAGATION of such NOTORIETY. 

i mean, i am writing about it after all.

i thoroughly enjoyed this BOOK and recommend it to anyone interested in the INTERRELATED ROLES of PERSONA, BEHAVIOR and SPECTACLE in MODERN POPULAR CULTURE irrespective of your level of INTEREST in INDIE ROCK.

i remember years ago when i was working in YOKOHAMA visiting the SOJIJI TEMPLE and learning that the administered an ENGLISH-SPEAKING ZAZEN SESSIONS twice a month.   my first EXPERIENCE was INTENSE as you were sitting and doing nothing but allowing your THOUGHTS to EBB AND FLOW NATURALLY as you maintained a CERTAIN POSTURE.  this went on for two 45 minute SESSIONS followed by five minutes of WALKING ZAZEN around this BUDDHIST TEMPLE in COMPLETE SILENCE.  i dont know if id ever been limited before to only my THOUGHTS for an EXTENDED period of time sans DISTRACTIONS.  i remember walking out of that EXPERIENCE with a sense of CLARITY and EMOTIONAL EVENHANDEDNESS that was entirely NOVEL to me.

such was my FORMAL INTRODUCTION to MEDITATION.

much gets bandied about when mentioning THINGS like the MANY BENEFITS of MINDFULNESS and the practice of MEDITATION, but the KANSAS-based cartoonist GRANT SNIDER in his ILLUSTRATED GRAPHIC NOVEL THE ART OF LIVING: REFLECTIONS ON MINDFULNESS AND THE OVEREXAMINED LIFE (ABRAMS, 2022) seems keen on presenting a SIMPLE, DIRECT and UNADORNED VISUAL ARGUMENT for the POSITIVE SIDE EFFECTS of such a practice.  those being states of AWARENESS, COMPASSION, GRATITUDE, CALMNESS and APPRECIATION for the LITTLE THINGS in life.  in our FAST-PACED, HYPER-COMPETITIVE and EVER-EVOLVING MODERN CULTURE we are severely burdened by our INDIVIDUAL AMBITIONS, SELF-DEFINITIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS, NEGATIVE IDEATIONS and UNHELPFUL INTERNALIZATIONS.  such is compounded by SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER and our sense of IDENTITY in relation to our PROJECTED PEER GROUP.  we are so accutely attuned to those OUTSIDE FORCES that we dont stand a chance in terms of establishing our own GROUNDED BALANCE in relation to such.  that is where this BOOK is HELPFUL.  each PANEL seems destined to be copied and posted on a HOME-OFFICE WALL, WORK CUBICLE or POWER-POINT PRESENTATION regarding the BENEFITS of centering ONESELF through MEDITATION.

most if not all deal with being aware of one's SENSES, one's BREATH, one's BASIC state of being ALIVE and taking such in on its own terms.  that being ALIVE is not about ACHIEVEMENTS, ADORATION or amassing PHYSICAL THINGS, rather a state of AWARENESS of being in the CURRENT MOMENT is what it is all about.  i find reading these PANELS snaps me out of my CURRENT MENTAL STATE or INTERNAL DIALOGUE and makes me consider my CONNECTION to my PHYSICAL BODY in this MOMENT right now.

its POWERFUL stuff and i cant recommend this BOOK enough as it is WELL-WORTH the MOMENT of SELF-REFLECTION it produces each time i revisit it.​

the very CONCEPT of FEMALE VIRTUE is such a culturally LOADED TOPIC with UNFAIR DOUBLE STANDARDS and OBVIOUS PROJECTION that the RARE NOVEL that explicitly centers its PLOT around such like NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE's THE SCARLET LETTER (TICKNOR, REED & FIELDS, 1850) is of PERENNIAL CONCERN and RELEVANCE to MODERN DIALOGUE on the SUBJECT.  at this point it has entered both the AMERICAN VERNACULAR and IMAGINATION as a TOUCHSTONE POINT OF REFERENCE, even for those who have not read or immediately FAMILIAR with the FINER DETAILS of the MID-19TH CENTURY NOVEL.

its INTRIGUING now to consider that the notion of proving one's PATERNITY as a SCIENTIFIC FACT is a recent TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH.  for the longest period of HUMAN HISTORY only MATERNITY was something that people had FAITH in as an ESTABLISHED FACT, putting their VIRTUOUSNESS at a PREMIUM given how the VIOLATION of such would rip apart the FABRIC of the FAMILY IDENTITY.  obviously such is an extreme UNFAIR BURDEN.  THE SCARLET LETTER deals through its CENTRAL CHARACTER of HESTER PRYNNE this very DYNAMIC of how a COMMUNITY deals with the VIOLATION of said DOMESTIC SANCTITY and the FAMILY UNIT as a building for society.  and the answer is NOT WELL.  PRYNNE has am ILLEGITIMATE DAUGHTER PEARL she birth out of WEDLOCK with a local minister who shamefully uses his position to shield himself from POTENTIAL REPRISALS.  such is the PRIVILEDGE of his GENDER.  this leads PRYNNE to take the full brunt of the SITUATION, forced to stand at a gallows in public view and the HUMILIATION of forever having to wear a SCARLET 'A' on her clothing to literally mark her as an ADULTERER in the COMMUNITY.  the MEN in this NARRATIVE, both her CUCKOLDED HUSBAND and the MINISTER, do nothing to assist her in her situation, rendering PRYNNE thoroughly ISOLATED both socially and spiritually.

this sort of MEDIEVAL, PRE-MODERN THINKING is still very much the case in conservative RELIGIOUS CIRCLES all over the globe.  embedded within such backward logic is the concept of this supposed need to dominate a GENDER through both their SEXUALITY and FERTILITY.  there is a whole branch of FEMINIST THEORY called ECOFEMINISM that explicates how MEN have been trained en masse to conceptualize WOMEN as a LIMITED RESOURCE like LAND with no AGENCY or CONTROL in their own REPRODUCTIVE PROCESSES.  in the wake of the DOBBS DECISION that recently overturned the RIGHT TO PRIVACY under ROE V. WADE, overturning the federal MANDATED right to an ABORTION, this thread of THINKING is all to UBIQUITOUS in AMERICAN life.  its an EMBEDDED part of our CULTURE, straight from the outset when WOMEN had no VOTING RIGHTS and were EFFECTIVE CHATTEL to their HUSBANDS.

i remember i taught this book once at a high school in NYC and it spurred many a DISCUSSION about the role of WOMEN in different GLOBAL SOCIETIES, but IMPLICIT in said CONVERSATIONS was this notion that AMERICA is different.  we arent.  we are as susceptible now to this form of MEDIEVAL THINKING as we ever were almost 175 years ago when this novel was written.  it is UNCOMFORTABLE in its PRESCIENCE and CONTINUED RELEVANCY in our EVER-EVOLVING DISCUSSION regarding GENDER in SOCIETY and the continued UNFAIR BURDEN placed on WOMANKIND that is perpetuated by COERCIVE RELIGIOUS and ECONOMIC SYSTEMS that have their own AGENDA regarding POWER and INFLUENCE.  its an endlessly FASCINATING SUBJECT and THE SCARLET LETTER is as good as any other touchstone resource for spurring that vital discussion.

growing up for the most part OVERSEAS, i was never an NPR LISTENER (or for that matter was even aware of the EXISTENCE of PUBLIC RADIO).  i recall discovering RADIOLAB (WNYC, 2002-present) during my time in grad school at TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY through a FRIEND who used IDEAS from the PROGRAM as the basis for a series of lesson plans that setup a project revolving around SCRIPTWRITING for use on the RADIO.  what struck me immediately about RADIOLAB was how it presented these massive CONCEPTUAL IDEAS in an immediately APPROACHABLE, TACTILE and entirely IMMERSIVE MANNER.  the POWER and MAGIC of the RADIO PROGRAM was how VISCERAL the STORYTELLING was, which made the INTELLECTUAL CONCEITS all the more ACCESSIBLE to a complete LAYMAN like myself.

i was hooked.

what JESSICA ABEL constructs in her AMBITIOUS OUT ON THE WIRE: THE STORYTELLING SECRETS OF THE NEW MATERS OF RADIO (CROWN, 2015) GRAPHIC NOVEL, with CONTEXT and INSIGHT from ASSISTING NARRATIVE CO-PILOT IRA GLASS, are the myriad of CONSIDERATIONS, PROCESSES and CREATIVITY that go into manufacturing such ENVELOPING, WELL-CONSIDERED THOUGHT PIECES.  PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS include not only RADIOLAB, but also THIS AMERICAN LIFE, SNAP JUDGMENT, PLANET MONEY, THE MOTH RADIO HOUR, 99% INVISIBLE and RADIO DIARIES.  in a very PALPABLE SENSE, as one is presented with the UNIQUE ASPECTS of the WRITING, TRACKING and EDITING PROCESSES of these VARYING PROGRAMS, there is a META-NARRATIVE that pervades throughout through the distinctly VISUAL MEDIUM of a GRAPHIC NOVEL.  it is never lost that she is translating the CREATIVE ROCESS of one MEDIUM (AURAL) through that of another (VISUAL), the INTERPLAY of which i found endlessly FASCINATING throughout my READING EXPERIENCE.
 
due to the fact that RADIO PROGRAMS are a completely AURAL EXPERIENCE, there are DISTINCT LIMITATIONS that must be considered.  unlike a TEXT that one can reread or a MOVIE / TELEVISION PROGRAM that provides a whole host of INFORMATION (BODY LANGUAGE, MICRO-EXPRESSIONS, SOCIAL CUES, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES) outside of the WORDS spoken that a VIEWER can infer, AUDIO is EPHEMERAL by NATURE.  the MEDIUM itself is comparatively BRUTAL in that if a LISTENER becomes CONFUSED or LOST its almost IMPOSSIBLE to have them fully IMMERSE once again.  the POTENTIAL for FAILURE is very REAL and making RADIO PROGRAMS is by definition a RISKY ENDEAVOR.  it is a HIGH WIRE ACT.  such is why when it works, it is often a TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE beyond that of other MEDIUMS as the CINEMATIC AURALS are entirely SELF-GENERATED in the UNIQUE mind's eye of each LISTENER.

as a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER i find this all ENTHRALLING, since there is much overlap with attempting to spur EVOCATIVE IDEAS in one's own CREATIVE WRITING.  given that the MEDIUM is SOUND there are additional TECHNIQUES like SIGNPOSTING, SOUND DESIGN, REPETITION, CALLBACKS and even EXPLICIT EXPOSITION.  take too long on one ASPECT and you bore the listener but push the TEMPO too much and you lose CLARITY.  as i was reading OUT ON THE WIRE, i kept thinking about the CONCEPT of AUDIENCE and who THEY see as such.  DIFFERENT CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES (POLITICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL, ETHICAL, SPIRITUAL and so on), EDUCATIONAL LEVELS, FAMILIARITY with the TOPICS presented and ease with VOCABULARY (especially TECHNICAL JARGON) could dramatically affect one's ABILITY to grapple with the NARRATIVE being presented.  but maybe such INNATE COMPLEXITY is what makes INVESTIGATIVE NARRATIVE RADIO PROGRAMMING so INTRIGUING in the first place.

if anything, OUT ON THE WIRE just explodes the CONCEIT that WELL-CONCEIVED, WRITTEN and EXECUTED RADIO PROGRAMMING, especially this recent WAVE of EXTENDED NARRATIVE THINK PIECES, is anything but an INTENSIVE LABOR OF LOVE conducted by COMMITTED TEAMS of WRITERS, PRODUCERS, SOUND DESIGNERS, EDITORS and even VOICE ACTORS.  it definitely makes me more aware of the ACTUAL PEOPLE behind the PRODUCT moving forward and the levels of INTENTION involved with CONTENT that is consumed so seamlessly as if such always existed.  the PROCESS and MENTAL EFFORT is anything but the TRANSITORY NATURE of the MEDIUM itself, that is for sure.  definitely a WELCOME and INQUISITIVE read for anyone interested in RADIO and the CREATIVE ROCESS.  much recommended.

back in undergrad as part of a MODERN BRITISH LITERATURE CLASS i was tasked with JULIAN BARNES' FASCINATING TALKING IT OVER (KNOPF, 1991) NOVEL, which essentially deals with the FALLOUT from a LOVE TRIANGLE.  and not like in some sexually VULGAR, titillating or even PROVOCATIVE MANNER, but more just the EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE that comes with TRAUMA of INFIDELITY and the FRACTURED TRUST and WARPED sense of SELF-IDENTITY therein.  it is a HEADY BOOK because it is asking you to talk sides.

but what makes INTERESTING is that all three CHARACTERS involved are UNRELIABLE NARRATORS.  at a certain point, at least in my EXPERIENCE, you give up attempting to parse out who is telling the the TRUTH and who is really to blame and just embrace the FLUIDITY of it all.  all three CHARACTERS are telling the TRUTH, or at least a TRUTH being their TRUTH, and paradoxically all three are very much lying through OMISSION, INTERPRETATION of FACTS, and just their DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE on what is an incredibly UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION.  in fact id argue the real CORE FOCUS of the BOOK is not the LOVE TRIANGLE itself, but the INHERENT, UNSPOKEN MALLEABILITY of LANGUAGE itself and its COMPLICATED, and UNDEPENDABLE,  RELATIONSHIP with the CONSTRUCTION of a SHARED MEANING and a COMMON UNDERSTANDING of REALITY.  as HUMANS, we all are the main CHARACTERS in our own SELF-NARRATIVE.  its our NATURE.  and LANGUAGE is our IMPERFECT VEHICLE for connecting emotionally and psychologically with one another, and that SELF-INVOLVED BIAS is always there.  in a sense, TALKING IT OVER is a META-NARRATIVE about how LANGUAGE itself instrumentally contributes to a MUTABLE NATURE OF REALITY that none of us can truly share with one another. 

now back to this BRITISH LITERATURE CLASS.  we had a major assignment where we had to compare TALKING IT OVER to another BOOK that similarly used LANGUAGE in this manner.  the PROFESSOR was on loan from COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY so my CLASSMATES were attempting to impress her by comparing such to JAMES JOYCE's ULYSSES (SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY, 1922) or HERMAN MELVILLE's MOBY-DICK (HARPER & BROTHERS, 1851), DAVID FOSTER WALLACE's INFINITE JEST (LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY, 1996), FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (THE RUSSIAN MESSENGER, 1866) and AYN RAND's ATLAS SHRUGGED (RANDOM HOUSE, 1957).  to what end i still dont remember or understand outside of trying to impress her.  i was completely stunned when in the following CLASS the PROFESSOR quoted from my paper and explaining to the CLASS how this TOMMY LEE guy from a MEMOIR called THE DIRT: CONFESSIONS OF THE WORLD'S MOST NOTORIOUS ROCK BAND (HARPER ENTERTAINMENT, 2001) was very much engaged in the exact same ACTIVITY regarding the DUPLICITOUS NATURE of LANGUAGE and how such warps IDENTITY, MEANING and TRUTH from the BARNES' NOVEL.  it was arguably my greatest college MOMENT to have this PROFESSOR speak at length about MOTLEY CRUE in such an ELEVATED LITERATURE COURSE.  but THE DIRT itself was written CHAPTER by CHAPTER, like TALKING IT OVER, from the PERSPECTIVE of one of the BAND MEMBERS and each was basically responding arguing in their CHAPTER why their version of the history of the band was CORRECT and why the others were completely FULL OF SHIT.  in the end you believe none of them and leave with a NOISY, COMPLICATED and APOCRYPHAL NOTION of the band itself and their RELATIONSHIP to one another.  same STRUCTURE, same OBSTACLES, same absolute AUTHORIAL UNRELIABILITY, same RESULT.

so yeah, my RECOMMENDATION is to read both BACK-TO-BACK.  probably TALKING IT OVER first because it very much is a CAPTIVATING and UNIQUE LITERARY ACHIEVEMENT.  and then you can read about how TOMMY LEE slept with everyone's GIRLFRIENDS and WIVES back in the 1980s.  itll all somehow make sense.

back when i was teaching my FAVORITE GENRE to cover in a class was no doubt MAGICAL REALISM.  there is just this SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF that happens when you shut off that part of your brain that detects things at FACE VALUE like AUTHENTICITY and FIDELITY to EXPERIENCED REALITY and you just focus on what SUBJECTIVE and FIGURATIVE INFORMATION the AUTHOR is presenting to you.  HYPERBOLE and all.

in this IMMERSIVE yet OPAQUE graphic novel INTERPRETATION of HOW TO TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES (DARK HORSE, 2016), a previously PUBLISHED NEIL GAIMAN (THE SANDMAN) SHORT STORY illustrated by BRAZILIAN ARTISTS FÁBIO MOON and GABRIEL BÁ, that MYSTERY and WONDER is channeled as two ENGLISH teenage ADOLESCENT BOYS in the 1970s enter the WRONG party at a LONDON flat and try to pickup OLDER WOMEN. 

whats INTRIGUING about the NARRATIVE is that NO CONTEXT is ever fully given to who these women are, where they are from, or what they are all doing at this residence other than dancing amongst themselves while listening to MELANCHOLIC NEIL YOUNG SONGS.  the AWKWARDNESS of the conversations that the more TIMID of the two BOYS, ENN, has with three WOMEN is only matched by the LACK OF LOGICAL COHESION in the conversation itself.  is such a DISCONNECT caused by the FOREIGN LACK OF COMMAND of the ENGLISH language of these WOMEN or the INABILITY to listen and hold ATTENTION of ENN himself.  VIC, the more classically HANDSOME and CONFIDENT of the two BOYS, finds himself presumably hooking up with the WOMAN that answered the door, only to drag both them out in an abrupt HURRIED FASHION back onto the street for UNKNOWN REASONS.  all we know is the UNBRIDLED RAGE eminating from the WOMAN as she DEATH-STARES him while walking down the stairs.  again, NO CONTEXT or EXPLANATION provided.  its all INTERESTING because ENN was in the midst of listening to a poem from another YOUNG WOMAN in a language he DIDNT UNDERSTAND but was wholly ENTRANCED by nonetheless, as if he was saw the FUTURE and the PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSE in just the sound of it.

thats as GREAT an EXPLANATION of the PROFOUND MYSTERY between the sexes as any ive come across.  what is the CAUSE of ATTRACTION between two people (regardless of GENDER, GENDER EXPRESSION or GENDER IDENTITY).  defies LOGIC, LANGUAGE, TIME, SPACE, GEOGRAPHY, CONTEXT or HUMAN COMPREHENSION.  if anything, BASE CONSTRUCTIONS like WORDS and MEANING dilute such in the PROCESS.

makes sense to me.

for whatever reason i am attracted to these largely EXPLOITATIVE ALTERNATIVE ROCK BIOGRAPHIES published by ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN in the mid-to-late 1990s.  bands like SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA and the like.  what i find INTRIGUING about them is that you get a somewhat CONTEMPORANEOUS sense of their PERSONAL NARRATIVE and ARTISTIC TRAJECTORY, not a RETROSPECTIVE ACCOUNT filtered through the HAZY and often INACCURATE GAUZE of TIME and INEVITABLE critical DISAPPOINTMENT.  these books were written and published in short order with the TIME-SENSITIVE OBJECTIVE of taking advantage of their SUBJECT's POPULARITY at its RELATIVE peak.

for MARTIN HUXLEY's unimaginatively titled NINE INCH NAILS (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1997) BIOGRAPHY of TRENT REZNOR, what comes across is the COMPELLING PORTRAIT of a VISIONARY and deeply AMBITIOUS and INNOVATIVE SONGWRITER who attempts to find CATHARSIS in his CRAFT but ends up amassing INNER-CONFLICT and TURMOIL in the process.  born and raised in RURAL WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, the PERSONAL NARRATIVE of REZNOR is one defined by BOREDOM.   for some the countryside is a PASTORAL IDYLL of TRANQUILITY that promotes a ROOTED BALANCE with NATURE.  for REZNOR there is a RESTLESS QUALITY that came with being out of reach of MAINSTREAM CULTURE.  its not surprising that he left college early to pursue MUSIC and life in a bigger city, of which he chose NEARBY CLEVELAND.  there he found a SMALL but FRACTURED and INTERNECINE COMMUNITY of MUSICIANS, many of which were STRUGGLING by playing bars in cover bands and the like.  its not like OHIO was a CULTURAL NEXUS on par with LOS ANGELES or NEW YORK CITY, but the ISOLATION worked in his favor as he was able to find work as an ASSISTANT in a STUDIO and basically work for RECORDING TIME while subsisting on BASIC NUTRITION.

the BOOK deconstructs the PERSONA of REZNOR as this MYSTERIOUS and UNDERGROUND AVENGING ANGEL of INDUSTRIAL MUSIC and all things ALTERNATIVE, instead rooting his success in his SONGWRITING GIFTS, CREATIVITY and PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to dissect and RECONSTITUTE a version of himself on wax.  i tend to agree with that ASSESSMENT since what separated his MUSIC from PREDECESSORS in DEPECHE MODE, KMFDM, SKINNY PUPPY, MINISTRY and so on was the INTERIOR NATURE of his LYRICS.  those SLASHING DISSONANT GUITARS, ARPEGGIATED ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD RUNS and PROGRAMMED POLYRHYTHMS were but an INGENIOUS SOUNDSCAPE to buttress LYRICS that entirely exposed his INSECURITIES and deep-seated EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITIES.  somehow these UNCONVENTIONAL mechanized and INORGANIC AURAL ELEMENTS made these INTIMATE ADMISSIONS hit that much HARDER.  over time when finding some semblance of footing as an EFFECTIVE LIVE DRAW, especially in HIGH PROFILE TOURS / GIGS like LOLLAPALOOZA, WOODSTOCK 94 and an opening slot for DAVID BOWIE, REZNOR adroitly understood how his PUBLIC PERSONA had shifted. 

and for me that RELATIONSHIP between him and his PERSONA is the real crux of his CAREER circa THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL (INTERSCOPE, 1994) ERA and beyond.  witnessing and being culpable in your own PUBLIC PERSONA becoming a wildly DISTORTED CARICATURE of yourself.  the BOOK ends during this CONSEQUENTIAL PERIOD and hints at FUTURE PROJECTS.  of course we all know about the EXTENDED SABBATICAL REZNOR took thereafter to get a grip on himself, his CAREER and his life.  these early BELOVED YEARS of his CAREER provided his fans with an EFFECTIVE SOUNDTRACK to exorcise PAST TRAUMA and PAIN, but at the expense of his MENTAL HEALTH.  i appreciate that REZNOR had the FRAME-OF-MIND to look after and consolidate himself and return all the STRONGER YEARS later with a match DEEP FOCUS and MOTIVATION to create MEANINGFUL ART, albeit from a PERSPECTIVE that doesnt feed off SELF-LOATHING and SELF-DEFEATING IMPULSES.  for his sake and that of his FANS.

NINE INCH NAILS is a perfectly PEDESTRIAN quick read with some INTERESTING TIDBITS thrown in enough to satiate COMPLETISTS and REZNOR FANATICS.  im sure once REZNOR gets around to writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY or participating in a SANCTIONED BIOGRAPHY that a more COMPLETE PICTURE will flesh out his PAST CHOICES.  until then this INESSENTIAL BOOK will somewhat suffice.  NOT TERRIBLE, but NOT GROUNDBREAKING either.  only HARDCORE FANS need apply.

CHARLES BURNS is pretty far out there.

his highly STYLIZED work seems to find the common ground between FILM AUTEURS like DAVID LYNCH and DAVID CRONENBERG, meaning that his NARRATIVES and ILLUSTRATIONS are often concerned with unraveling and revealing the SUBTERRANEAN, VIOLENT dimensions lurking in both our individual PSYCHES and collective BEHAVIORS as BASE HUMAN ANIMALS.  there is often a SURREALISTIC, SCI-FI vibe to his work but the INHERENT AUTHENTICITY of the reactions of his subjects grounds such in EMOTIONAL REALISM, much like LYNCH and CRONENBERG.

X'ED OUT (PANTHEON, 2010) is the first in a trilogy of GRAPHIC NOVELS by REVERED SURREALIST CARTOONIST and ILLUSTRATOR BURNS, all of which eventually came out in his LAST LOOK (PANTHEON, 2016) volume.   BURNS of course is NOTORIOUS for his ICONIC early ILLUSTRATIVE work with SUB POP RECORDS and his AWARDED previous volume release, BLACK HOLE (PANTHEON, 2005).  like most BURNS faire,  X'ED OUT introduces its audience to a world that seemingly transpires in-between various states of MEMORY, CONSCIOUSNESS and projected EXPECTATION.  the subject seems to be slipping in and out of various MIND-STATES to the point that one is not sure which PROJECTED SELF is living and experiencing a TRUE REALITY and which is merely inhabiting a fantastically RECONSTRUCTED ALTERNATIVE state a la THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939) film where DOROTHY's AUNTS and UNCLES make up all the DREAM CHARACTERS.  its a dizzyingly KALEIDOSCOPIC EXPERIENCE attempting to parse out all the BURNS, but ultimately one just succumbs to the FLUID and highly MALLEABLE NATURE of CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF-IDENTITY and REALITY as presented by BURNS. 

​the MAIN CHARACTER, who we presume is a TEENAGER, seems subconsciously attracted to DANGER and the LURID aspects of HUMAN SEXUALITY.  such makes sense given that at such a stage in life, ADULT REALITIES and RELATIONSHIPS in particular are all a deep well of UNKNOWN entities and POSSIBLE DEAD-ENDS that corner one into REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES related to particular LIFESTYLES choices.  i knew a few YOUNG COUPLES during my high school years that managed to get PREGNANT unexpectedly and the PSYCHOLOGICAL and EMOTIONAL REPERCUSSIONS of such a POWERFUL EXPERIENCE were LONG-LASTING and TRAUMATIC for all involved.  so i get the QUEASY feeling of UNEASE that comes with INCOMPLETE KNOWLEDGE about the world and oneself that BURNS mines in X'ED OUT about the TEENAGE EXPERIENCE.

the NARRATIVE presented in X'ED OUT makes little sense, but i dont believe it is SURREALISTIC for SURREALISM sake.  i feel like there is an ALLEGORY there that is just beginning to be revealed.  hopefully in the next installment in THE HIVE (PANTHEON, 2012), more answers will be forthcoming.  knowing BURNS though, such is WISHFUL THINKING.  if anything itll promised to be more COMPLEX, THOUGHT-PROVOKING and utterly CONFUSING with the amount of SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES, TIME-TRAVEL and DISGUISED FUGUE STATES rendered for our COLLECTIVE AMUSEMENT. 

and im looking forward to it. 

its DIFFICULT to verbalize the PROPER CONTEXT of the BEAT WRITER JACK KEROUAC's STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS COUNTERCULTURE NOVEL ON THE ROAD (VIKING, 1957) and its MASSIVE CULTURAL IMPACT on the COLLECTIVE AMERICAN PSYCHE and related sense of POSTWAR SELF-IDENTITY.  its ENDURING LEGACY far outweighs its LOOSE, SEMI-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE centered around two FICTIONAL BEATNIKS, SAL PARADISE and DEAN MORIARTY (based on KEROUAC himself and friend NEAL CASSADY), running around the CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES and their experiences therein.

in my opinion ON THE ROAD taps into this 19th century MINDSET of seeming LIMITLESS WESTWARD EXPANSION and MANIFEST DESTINY.  when it was written in 1951 the INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM was not a thing and traveling nationwide by automobile meant going on MAKESHIFT roads through SMALL towns.  looking back there is a certain romance in this set of CIRCUMSTANCES since it offered the potential for random interactions along the way.  the UNITED STATES is so geographically vast and such a COLOSSAL piece of real estate that its easy to feel overwhelmed and even alienated by such.  there is no one AMERICA but lots of INTERRELATED regions with their own UNIQUE RITUALS, MORES, CUISINES, HISTORIES, VALUES and FOLKWAYS. 

​with ON THE ROAD, KEROUAC tapped into the urge to just venture out and experience the country in all of its COMPLEXITY and SPLENDOR with no plan or objective.  in fact, the NARRATIVE is DISTINCTIVE in that CHARACTERS come and go with no LASTING IMPACT or concocted MEANING or MORAL to their inclusion like RANDOM PASSENGERS on a JOURNEY that we, as READERS, are all likewise on as a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE.  and to me that sense of ARBITRARY INTERACTIONS and FLUIDITY is part and parcel to the experience of being ALIVE.  things just happen.  some of the CHARACTERS are based on FAMOUS BEAT WRITERS, like CARLO MARX (ALLEN GINSBERG) and OLD BULL LEE (WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS), but most arent. 

KEROUAC filled MULTIPLE JOURNALS of his travels around the country and apocryphally wrote the NOVEL in one sitting on one extended scroll (on a typewriter).  that (likely FALSE) STORY plays into the legend of the PURE AUTHENTICITY of the AUTHOR's SINGULAR VISION, where LITERARY NICETIES like THREE-PART NARRATIVE STRUCTURES, FORESHADOWING and ALLEGORY are done away with in order to just get the STORY out in all of its INCIDENTAL and UNPLANNED detail.  i am aware that some view this NOVEL, just based on its CONSTRUCTION as a COMPLETE ABOMINATION in much need of MAJOR EDITING and SERIOUS RETHINKING regarding MEANDERING PLOT LINES and NONESSENTIAL CHARACTERS. but arguably that is the point, its deviations from expectations surrounding FORM and GENRE allow it to function as a stand-in for REALITY, almost like a CINEMA VERITE film. 

LIFE doesnt follow LITERARY RULES, but often time MEMORY does.  i believe KEROUAC was attempting to bypass MEMORY and re-experience his travels as he did when he was actually living them out in REAL LIFE.  that is the experience of reading ON THE ROAD, and for generations of READERS since then, that OPEN "anything goes" MINDSET is how they envision their own SELF-NARRATIVE in CONTEXT. 

dont think.  just go.  experience LIFE.  such is what makes you truly MODERN and TRULY AMERICAN.  or so that is the LEGACY of this IDIOSYNCRATIC book.

kinda WEIRD to consider that such a journey would not have been remotely possible for AMERICANS of other RACES or GENDER back in the early 1950s.  goes to show the PERNICIOUS POWER of PRIVILEGE and PREJUDICE in how CULTURE is developed, defined, related and propagated in LITERATURE.

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2009) is a FRENCH GRAPHIC NOVEL that is absolutely TWISTED in a decidedly ABSURDIST manner that i did not anticipate entering into this FANTASY narrative.  written by MARIE POMMEPUY & FABIEN VEHLMANN and lovingly illustrated by KERASCOËT, the namesake of COLLABORATIVE HUSBAND-AND-WIFE team POMMEPUY and SEBASTIAN COSSET, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS  is very much a CASE STUDY in STARK contrasts with seemingly ENCHANTING ILLUSTRATIONS of DIMINUTIVE DWELLERS in a LUSH forest acting out a BRUTAL NARRATIVE that is as NIHILISTIC as it is CHAOTIC and ANARCHISTIC.  it should be stated the particular STYLE of these ALLURING ILLUSTRATIONS seem ripped straight from that INNOCENT MODE of CLASSIC children's LITERATURE read and presented and preschools and kindergartens the world over.

the only difference is that these PIXIES and SPRITES inhabit a world of RANDOM DEATH and WANTON CRUELTY that they seem OBLIVIOUS and UNPREPARED for in terms of IMAGINATION and basic COMPREHENSION.  seeking food and shelter the take advantage of the ROTTING CORPSE of a YOUNG CHILD inexplicably lying PROSTRATE on the ground from some UNREVEALED ailment or condition that led to her untimely passing.  these woodland figures seek refuge in her eye socket and opportunisticly steal from her lunch pack as they go about their day.  death follows everyone, where some are eaten by TOADS or a COLONY OF ANTS or even harassed by BIRDS and passing INSECTS.  NATURE in this context is an equal opportunity destroyer.  that being said, the plot feels very LORD OF THE FLIES (FABER AND FABER, 1954) with these NAIVE INHABITANTS being subject to the RUTHLESS DARWINIAN CODE OF NATURE in a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT, both INTERNALLY as a social community and EXTERNALLY against the UNFORGIVING elements.

my sense is that BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS is attempting to present a WORLDVIEW that is weary of APPEARANCES, which are UNREPRESENTATIVE and consciously deceiving us of the TRUE NATURE OF REALITY.  such could also be said about much of what we take for granted about our own EXISTENCE and LIMITED sense of SELF-IDENTITY, which may be rooted in bedrock that is looser and less defined then we'd hoped or imagined.  especially now given that BASIC concepts of EQUALITY, FAIR PLAY and even DEMOCRACY seem up for grabs in a world run by those with a REGRESSIVE and REDUCTIVE ZERO-SUM MENTALITY.

better to be on guard and CONSCIOUS of said THREATS.  not get lulled into APPEARANCES as is the case with BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, whose WHIMSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS belie the true intent of the NARRATIVE and its DARK take on EXPERIENCED REALITY. 

i was a sophomore at a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND when i basically devoured and too to heart the stridently POLITICAL LOS ANGELES ALTERNATIVE METAL BAND SYSTEM OF A DOWN's lyrically and sonically INCENDIARY eponymous debut album SYSTEM OF A DOWN (AMERICAN, 1998), so much so that as part of a WORLD HISTORY class assignment tasked with us researching an UNDERREPORTED CULTURAL EVENT, i wrote about the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.  looking back it was a POWERFUL EXPERIENCE writing that essay, because some TURKISH EXCHANGE STUDENTS caught wind of my topic and repeatedly, albeit somewhat respectfully, argued forcefully and passionately that such was the stuff of FANTASY, inherently NONFACTUAL and at worst a RACIST lie against TURKS perpetuated by THE WEST.  so of course i included that whole series of exchanges in the paper itself to state how such was still very much a real, living concern and point of EXTREME GEOPOLITICAL CONTROVERSY some 80+ years after its occurrence.

and its occurrence, despite AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY to the contrary up through BIDEN ending such in 2021, was and still is an historical fact.

i mention this because SERJ TANKIAN, the ARMENIAN-AMERICAN SONGWRITER / COMPOSER / ACTIVIST and CELEBRATED VOCALIST of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, in his RECENT memoir DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM (HACHETTE, 2024), makes clear the depths of how his MUSIC and POLITICAL ACTIVISM are not separate entities, but INTERTWINED EXPRESSIONS for combatting that are rooted in a self-image that is defined by the GENERATIONAL TRAUMA incurred by his family and the goal of UNIVERSAL RECOGNITION of said PAIN and ANGUISH.  i am almost certain that for most readers of this book, i.e. OBSESSED METALHEADS, there will no doubt be much DISAPPOINTMENT at the amount of ARMENIAN HISTORY imparted at the expense of TRADITIONAL ROCK N ROLL fair about the INTERNAL DYNAMICS of the BAND, their origins and HIDDEN meanings behind FAMOUS tracks.  that is all there but its not the FOCUS in the least.  in fact, his role as an ARTIST is largely an outgrowth of his ACTIVISM, which he has been involved with since his teens in LOS ANGELES as an IMMIGRANT from BEIRUT, where he was born and lived til age seven. 

i feel like for the longest time, especially in the many years since SYSTEM OF A DOWN became a DORMANT entity in favor of ever more UNCOMMERCIAL and AVANT-GARDE releases by TANKIAN, there has been a dearth of information regarding the indefinite hiatus to the fanbase.  there are plenty of examples of prominent CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS starting side projects that scratch an ARTISTIC itch, but such is usually communicated as such to the public.  such MUSICIANS include MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN (TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUSCIFER), PHIL ANSELMO (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT RITUAL), DAVE GROHL (FOO FIGHTERS, THEM CROOKED VULTURES), CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES, CROSSES, PALMS), TOM MORELLO (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE, THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB), MAX CAVALERA (SOULFLY, KILLER BE KILLED, CAVALERA CONSIRACY), DAMON ALBARN (BLUR, GORILLAZ), SLASH (GUNS N ROSES, THE CONSPIRATORS), THOM YORKE (RADIOHEAD, ATOMS FOR PEACE), JACK WHITE (THE WHITE STRIPES, THE RACONTEURS, THE DEAD WEATHER) and COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR).  in those cases the main thing remained the main thing.  with SYSTEM OF A DOWN there was much interest, but no information, just a bunch of random SELF-INVOLVED EXPERIMENTAL albums by TANKIAN and the SCARS ON BROADWAY vehicle for GUITARIST and SONGWRITER DARON MALAKIAN.

what is learned through this memoir is how truly COMPLICATED the INTERNAL DYNAMICS of SYSTEM OF A DOWN truly were, even at the peak of their creative powers in the first half of the 2000s.  most of this was between TANKIAN and MALAKIAN, who each vied for CREATIVE CONTROL of the BAND.  MALAKIAN (and the rest of the band) effectively wanted an UNAMBIGUOUS DELINEATION OF LABOR whereby he wrote the MUSIC and TANKIAN wrote the LYRICS, with some MINIMAL overlap.  over time TANKIAN wanted more CONTROL over the MUSIC, ground MALAKIAN was UNWILLING to cede.  publishing splits also entered the picture but really ARTISTIC CONTROL is what caused TANKIAN to step away from the BAND blaze his own INDEPENDENT path.  in one of the most POTENT admissions in the book TANKIAN accepts that the STRIDENT manner in which he put himself out there politically belied a more INTIMATE INABILITY to effectively confront his own friends in the BAND regarding PROBLEMS he (alone) saw in their CREATIVE PROCESS and DECISION-MAKING PATTERNS.  his subsequent solo career and MYRIAD of outside collaborations thus worked as a means of reclaiming that PROCESS.  that CONTROL.  and thus almost twenty years after the release of MEZMERIZE (AMERICAN, 2005) and HYPNOTIZE (AMERICAN, 2005) there has not been a new SYSTEM OF A DOWN album.  this memoir in part is his explanation of such, as well as introduction to his POLITICS and ACTIVISM for the uninitiated, to a still RABID fanbase waiting for NEW MUSIC.

i get the feeling that the wait will continue UNABATED since TANKIAN is likely to hold the BAND and his audience HOSTAGE indefinitely, EXPLANATIONS notwithstanding.  its not that i dont understand his RATIONALE, its just that BANDS are inherently not DEMOCRACIES, so its CONFUSING and a bit ANNOYING how NAIVE he comes across aspire for SYSTEM OF A DOWN to be one.  BANDS are more than not usually dominated by KEY MEMBERS vying for POWER and RECOGNITION (and often publishing).  see NOTORIOUS examples like OASIS, VAN HALEN, METALLICA, THE SMITHS, FLEETWOOD MAC, GUNS N' ROSES, THE POLICE, BLINK-182, NEW ORDER, PANTERA, THE KINKS, SONIC YOUTH, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, THE EAGLES, SMASHING PUMPKINS and even THE BEATLES.  not everyone can be SENSIBLE and COMPASSIONATE like U2, RADIOHEAD, COLDPLAY, REM and RUSH who share royalties evenly.  the norm is the quite the OPPOSITE.  they are the exception.  SYSTEM OF A DOWN is a SINGULAR BAND with a UNIQUE aesthetic and their fans have long suffered through DYSFUNCTION, INACTIVITY and a dearth of NEW MATERIAL.  they lose in the end as they are stuck with these SELF-INDULGENT TANKIAN side trips that arent particularly COMPELLING. 

​just get the BAND back together already.

the ROCK N ROLL CULTURAL PHENOMENON that was GUNS N' ROSES is on full display and CELEBRATED in STUNNING detail in the RECKLESS LIFE: GUNS N' ROSES (OMNIBUS, 2015) graphic novel by BRITISH AUTHOR JIM MCCARTHY and ARTIST MARC OLIVENT.  through its STARK black-and-white IMAGERY and direct PROSE, this team was able to provide and CONTEXT and DEPTH to the NARRATIVE of this NOTORIOUS LOS ANGELES band with all of its REQUISITE DANGER, VOLATILITY, DEBAUCHERY, PARANOIA and GUTS. 

in particular, their treatment of the pre-FAME lives of each MEMBER just proves what a collection of MISFITS the band actually were.  in particular the ERUPTIVE UNPREDICTABILITY that is VOCALIST AXL ROSE, with all of his PUNCTUALITY issues and UNSTABLE TEMPERAMENT, makes total sense when you consider his RURAL midwestern INDIANA UPBRINGING and the CLOSETED MINDSET he was attempting to break out of that was related to the OVERBEARING RELIGIOSITY of his community and the HYPOCRISY of the adults in his life who provided him no EMOTIONAL SECURITY.  the graphic novel does not excuse his later behavior, of which was quite MISOGYNISTIC and even RACIST at times, but rather places it in context.  likewise you have the figure of MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST DUFF MCKAGAN and his fervent love of UNDERGROUND PUNK ROCK and involvement in the NASCENT pre-ALTERNATIVE scene in SEATTLE being overshadowed by the rise of heroin that affected multiple FORMER BANDMATES.  for him LOS ANGELES represented a clean start and a NEW IDENTITY as a BASSIST ready to chase his ambitions in the belly of the beast.  in SLASH, being BIRACIAL and the only son of BOHEMIAN artists involved in the MUSIC INDUSTRY, was garnered a certain OUTSIDER status from the jump and viewed ROCK N ROLL and his NEW IDENTITY as a GUITARIST as a means of expressing his ANGER and FRUSTRATION at his parents' seemingly ABRUPT DIVORCE as a teenager.  for all of the key MEMBERS of GUNS N' ROSES, as presented by MCCARTHY and OLIVENT, you get the sense of the TRUE VALUE of the collective and what it meant for their own TROUBLED PSYCHES and COMPLICATED SELF-IDENTITIES, and why such ballooned and/or deconstructed once FAME, FORTUNE and all the ATTENDANT BENEFITS (LIMITLESS SEX and DRUGS) of their labour came to fruition.

you get the REAL SENSE that for ROSE in particular, having never been given LOVE, AFFECTION or MEANINGFUL ATTENTION as a child, there was no amount of MONEY, FAME or public outcry of DISGUST or display of LOVE that would fill that INITIAL VOID.  such also plays into the MANIC PARANOIA of the late USE YOUR ILLUISION-era when he bought the rights to the band name and attempted to re-employ the ORIGINAL BAND MEMBERS as effective HIRED GUNS.  for him LOVE was about CONTROL.  and CONTROL of the SUFFOCATING and CONSTRICTING variety.  it isolated him and was the reason the CULTURE, as well as myself, largely revolted and went over to support the commercially and artistically SUCCESSFUL SCOTT WEILAND-fronted rival VELVET REVOLVER camp in the early 2000s.

most of this INFORMATION is known to dedicated GUNS N' ROSES fans, but the PACKAGING and PRESENTATION of the RECKLESS LIFE: GUNS N' ROSES graphic novel was a delight to engage with and reconsider the INTERWOVEN NARRATIVES of the band once again.  it provides INSIGHT into the PSYCHOLOGICAL and SOCIO-ECONONOMIC BACKGROUNDS of all the main MEMBERS and makes you consider ALTERNATE outcomes and possibilities that never came to pass because of such.  it is all terribly INTRIGUING and well worth checking out for anyone interested in MODERN ROCK N ROLL history. 

it is FASCINATING to consider BUSINESSES and INDUSTRIES whose INNOVATIONS have transformed and put a LONG-LASTING stamp on CULTURE as we know it and take completely for granted.  i immediately think of MASSIVE, ICONIC INDUSTRIES related to TRAVEL (trains, planes and automobiles), CONSUMER GOODS (television, electric kitchen appliances, etc.), CINEMA and INFRASTRUCTURE (highways, bridges, tunnels) that largely defined MODERNITY in a post-WORLD WAR II AMERICA and its then-BOOMING economy. 


what WRITER IAN S. PORT (VILLAGE VOICE, ROLLING STONE) in his FANTASTIC THE BIRTH OF LOUD: LEO FENDER, LES PAUL, AND THE GUITAR PIONEERING RIVALRY THAT SHAPED ROCK 'N' ROLL (SCRIBNER, 2019) book is make a COMPELLING argument for the inclusion of the SOLIDBODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, CONCEIVED, MANUFACTURED and MARKETED in the 1940s along such DEFINING INNOVATIONS.  chief among said reasoning is that the advent of such, epitomized by the rivalry of MANUFACTURERS FENDER and GIBSON, whose PRODUCT INNOVATIONS regarding such still underpin MUSIC CULTURE more than 75 years later.  but what i find truly CAPTIVATING is not how these INSTRUMENTS and PRODUCTS influenced CONTEMPORARY music, but rather how their birth was in a totally different pre-ROCK N ROLL CULTURAL ERA and that, as a BUSINESS PROPOSITION, were attempts at addressing the needs and wants of a cadre of MUSICIANS DIFFERENT and FOREIGN to what we may now recognize.  FENDER MODELS like the TELECASTER and STRATOCASTER, as well as the GIBSON LES PAUL and SG MODELS, long sustaining icons of MODERN CULTURE through MULTIPLE generations to the PRESENT, are counterintuitively ANACHRONISMS from an absolutely BYGONE era.

and i think that last part is lost on people.  for all intents and purposes, those first few MASS-PRODUCED SOLIDBODY GUITARS ENGINEERED, MARKETED and MANUFACTURED primarily by FENDER and GIBSON (although GRETSCH, DANELECTRO, GUILD, RICKENBACKER, EPIPHONE, D'ANGELICO, HARMONY and KAY among others as well) have varied differently in terms of specs since their inception, which is beyond REMARKABLE.  the INDUSTRY DISRUPTOR was absolutely LEO FENDER and his SMALL operation out of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA who built MODERATELY-PRICED INSTRUMENTS with a MODULAR DESIGN (neck and body were joined via screws) aimed initially at both HOBBYIST and WORKING PROFESSIONAL SEGMENTS.  this was in contrast to GIBSON, who made their REFINED LES PAUL MODEL aimed exclusively at PROFESSIONALS in response to the success of the relatively SPARE and BASIC TELECASTER MODEL, who chose to make SOLID-BODIED INSTRUMENTS that were in the tradition of their HOLLOW-BODIED ACOUSTIC MODELS that had a decidedly OLD-WORLD EUROPEAN ARTISAN and LUTHIER tradition about them.  a MODULAR SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION like FENDER's was in essence an insult to their heritage.  the two companies couldnt be more different in terms of PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY or the SEGMENTS they went after.  

this difference brought their SOLID-BODIED INSTRUMENTS on SEPARATE paths.  the TELECASTER, and its follow-up answer to the LES PAUL - the likewise CURVY and more ERGONOMICALLY-DESIGNED STRATOCASTER, with its more MODEST pricing were wildly SUCCESSFUL and available to all levels of PLAYERS while the ICONIC LES PAUL SINGLE CUTAWAY MODEL died out in 1960 after an eight-year run due to DWINDLING sales.  it was just too EXPENSIVE for the market at that point.

it was only after the BRITISH INVASION (which interestingly via THE BEATLES was an initial boom for ORANGE COUNTY CROSSTOWN RIVAL RICKENBACKER) garnered AMERICAN POPULAR INTEREST in RHTHYM & BLUES (i.e. ROCK N ROLL).  subsequently FORMER YARDBIRDS GUITARIST ERIC CLAPTON resurrecting the LES PAUL MODEL in the eyes of the AMERICAN CONSUMER with the sounds he generated on the debut BLUES BREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON (DECCA, 1966) album by JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUES BREAKERS.  for UPCOMING BRITISH GUITARISTS like ROBERT FRIPP, JIMMY PAGE and the like the LES PAUL instantaneously became de rigeur for SUSTAIN, TOUCH-SENSITIVITY and just SHEER TONE.  the FENDER MODELS in their eyes were considered toys until a then-UNKNOWN JIMMY HENDRIX blew away CREAM while sitting in with them at an early 1966 gig and made everyone reconsider such.  in essence several SEMINAL AMERICAN and BRITISH BLUES-based ROCK N ROLL MUSICIANS created in the PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS both brands as valid options for EXPRESSIVE sonic artistry at LOUD volumes.  gone were the days of the ACOUSTIC GUITAR as an ACCOMPANYING INSTRUMENT, it now held sway on center stage.

given that history, LEO FENDER originally geared his GUITARS and AMPLIFIERS towards TOURING COUNTRY MUSICIANS of the 1940s from the SOUTHWEST (who were likewise entertaining recent CALIFORNIA IMMIGRANTS from the DUST BOWL) who had reliability and feedback issues.  along with PAUL BIGSBY, who LEO FENDER based some of his early MODELS on his template upon, they did such well at a COMPETITIVE price point.  GIBSON saw their DEMOGRAPHIC in the JAZZ and BIG BAND music of post-war CROONERS like BING CROSBY and FRANK SINATRA.  LES PAUL himself was an AMBITIOUS MUSICIAN, COMPOSER and AUDIO ENGINEER whose work with second-wife MARY FORD gave him the profile to have GIBSON wish to attach his name to their already designed PRODUCT.  that the sonic needs of that GENERATION of POST-WAR MUSICIANS found a sanctuary in the CULTURE and GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS thereafter is EXTRAORDINARY to the point of being UNBELIEVABLE.

its a narrative about a SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PROPOSITION that is UNRIVALED in my estimation.  none of the individual MAJOR PLAYERS, not LEO FENDER or LES PAUL or TED MCCARTY or DON RANDALL or PAUL BIGSBY or SETH LOVER had any clue about how said BUSINESS DECISIONS and PRODUCT INNOVATIONS made in a specific HISTORICAL and CULTURAL CONTEXT to address a nominally SMALL MARKET SEGMENT would blossom and reverberate down the decades and in effect transform the sound of AMERICAN music through the rest of the 20th century and well into the next.

with the OMNIPRESENCE of SOCIAL MEDIA in our lives and COLLECTIVE ATTENTION SPACE, it is DIFFICULT to not be deceived into comparing and potentially judging one's own life and career trajectory to that of others.  if not entirely IMPOSSIBLE.  massively POWERFUL corporations quite literally base their stock VALUE on their ability to garner your attention and the BEST, QUICKEST route is through cultivating NEGATIVE EMOTIONS.  some call it ENRAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT.  but it is a starkly RELEVANT and very TOPICAL CULTURAL DYNAMIC that is playing out quite literally in this GENERATION of GUINEA PIGS, i mean USERS.

in his graphic novel SELF-ESTEEM AND THE END OF THE WORLD (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2024), IRISH CARTOONIST LUKE HEALY through his NAMESAKE character explores the consequences of internalizing the QUALITY and MEANING of one's life through the VALIDATION, or lack thereof, of others.  it follows a character who falls into a DEEP spiral of DESPAIR, SELF-DOUBT and DEPRESSION when his TWIN BROTHER does not ask him to be his best man at his wedding.  for two that share so much, HEALY finds himself SOCIALLY, SPIRITUALLY and PSYCHICALLY DISCONNECTED from his FAMILY.  his ISOLATION finds him UNPRODUCTIVE both at work and in life, where he seems to be more of an OBSERVER than that of an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT.  ROMANTIC and CAREER OPPORTUNITIES present themselves in life over the years, but nothing effectuates meaning or growth in his BEHAVIOR or MINDSET, which seems STAGNANT and hopelessly SELF-INVOLVED.  at times he even conflates supposed AWARENESS for pressing GLOBAL concerns (CLIMATE CHANGE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE WARS, etc.) with that of his own problems.  this latent NARCISSISM again seems to be a result of how our SELF-PERCEPTIONS have been rewired in the age of readily available, instantaneously globally published information via the INTERNET.  it is seemingly INEVITABLE that one will project themselves onto that which garners so much of their TIME and ENERGY (this blog included).

SELF-ESTEEM AND THE END OF THE WORLD never really provides any ADEQUATE answer to this conundrum, outside of HEALY's RELATIONSHIP with his MOTHER, who both pokes and confounds him, knowing him all too well.  it is the type of relationship that is UNCOMFORTABLE yet somehow REASSURING, the idea that she knows him and accepts him for who he really is WARTS-AND-ALL.  maybe finding CONNECTION in one another OFFLINE is what is going to get us through this rough patch where MANIPULATIVE ONLINE ALGORITHMS and UNFETTERED (and rather UNHELPFUL) access to one another's PRESENTED lives has ISOLATED us as a SOCIETY.  maybe just walking outside, breathing the air and just taking it all in with a big sigh will help us relax and find peace and respite.

i doubt it.  this BRUTAL online HELLSCAPE is here to stay.  so glad i was fortunate enough to grow up in a PRE-INTERNET age.

the much REVERED SWISS PSYCHOLOGIST CARL JUNG once theorized at length about the NATURE of our sense of INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY, or PERSONALITY, and argued that such was made up of two COMPONENTS, those being the PERSONA and the SHADOW.  in essence our PERSONA is the mask we wear in social situations whereas the SHADOW encapsulates all of the HIDDEN aspects we unconsciously choose to REPRESS.  the SHADOW is the VOLATILE, highly EMOTIONAL aspect of our IDENTITY built on POWERFUL emotions like FEAR, GUILT, REMORSE and DISGUST, and is accordingly REPRESSED from our CONSCIOUSNESS due to the fact that we consciously deem such impulses to be HARMFUL to others, EVIL, DETRIMENTAL to our own health and socially UNACCEPTABLE.  according to JUNG, when we witness ASPECTS of others we find REPULSIVE or DESPICABLE, such are aspects of our own PERSONALITY that we REPRESS and wish to avoid confronting.  such is PROJECTION, which is a POWERFUL PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENA.

of course JUNG was just a small child when NOTED IRISH PLAYWRIGHT OSCAR WILDE wrote his INFAMOUS, and now much CELEBRATED, GOTHIC NOVEL THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (WARD, LOCK AND COMPANY, 1891), but it functions on a shared sense of the DUALITY of our INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY, that which we present and REPRESS to society at large.  the plot of the NOVEL revolves around in an aristocrat who agrees to a FAUSTIAN BARGAIN in which he is granted eternal youth and beauty in exchange for his SOUL, the kicker being that a painted self-portrait of his will record and showcase the TRUE NATURE of his sins.  GOTHIC NOVELS are focused on the SUBLIME and SUPERNATURAL aspects of NATURE as a METAPHOR for our INTERNAL MORAL UNIVERSE and THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY is no different.  the NOVEL was considered CONTROVERSIAL at the time of publication due to its portrayal of a libertine engaging in HEDONISM without remorse in a decidedly DEBAUCHED manner given the CONSERVATIVE VICTORIAN mores of the era.  although the characters are HETEROSEXUAL in the novel, there is an understanding that the way they are depicted is informed with HOMOEROTIC STYLE and SENSIBILITY.  WILDE being famously jailed for trumped up "GROSS INDECENCY" charges related to his own HOMOSEXUALITY that ultimately led to his DOWNFALL, was more than familiar with leading a double existence.  one in which you presented to POLITE society and the other you REPRESS unless among SUPPORTIVE company.  in this manner it is difficult to not read THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY as a biting critique for the ages of the INHERENT HYPOCRISY at the heart of VICTORIAN ENGLAND.

it also acts as a PERENNIAL MARKER of how we collectively relate to our own SHADOW's needs and desires that we unknowingly REPRESS as a CULTURE.  for years such was related to aspects of RACE, CLASS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, CREED and/or GENDER IDENTITY (note: for some conservatives in MODERN AMERICA such REPRESSED feelings still remains unquestionably  intact), but i wonder what such will be moving forward.  since such is part of our HUMAN NATURE, it is a POWERFUL PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENA after all.  we will always project unto each other that which we dont wish to identify in ourselves, irregardless of its AUTHENTICITY.  for me that engagement with the SHADOW is the joint power and CULTURAL LEGACY of JUNGIAN THEORY and THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.

i should state straight away that i am a HUGE fan of the cable SKIT COMEDY program MR. SHOW WITH BOB AND DAVID (HBO, 1995-98) and virtually everyone associated with it, no matter how FLEETING, including BOB ODENKIRK, DAVID CROSS, SARAH SILVERMAN, JACK BLACK, KAREN KILGARIFF, JILL TALLEY, PAUL F. TOMPKINS, JANEANE GAROFALO, JAY JOHNSTON, MARY LYNN RAJSKUB, TOM KENNY and BRIAN POSEHN.  to my close friends, we very much quote and cherish that show like it was our generation's MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS (BBC, 1969-74), and such was my introduction to POSEHN and his uniquely AWKWARD COMEDIC PERSONA.  POSEHN has long been a SUCCESSFUL COMEDY WRITER and VETERAN small-part SITCOM ACTOR for decades now and his RECENT MEMOIR FOREVER NERDY: LIVING MY DORKY DREAMS AND STAYING METAL (DA CAPO, 2018) very much recounts his TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD and early struggles to maintain his MENTAL HEALTH but only through his self-described NERDY OBSESSIONS with HORROR FILMS, COMIC BOOKS, STAR WARS, STEPHEN KING NOVELS, COMEDY and especially HEAVY METAL.

fate dealt POSEHN a seemingly bad hand in his youth where he experienced much TRAUMA through the DEATHS of MULTIPLE PEOPLE around him, including his FATHER, a SURROGATE FATHER, a BABYSITTER and the firsthand witnessing of a random BRUTAL roadside accidents from his paper route as a CHILD. to make matters worse, he seemingly had little EMOTIONAL support from his MOTHER during his formative years which only became more UNCERTAIN and VOLATILE as he got older and consciously acted out once he established a sense of AGENCY and INDEPENDENCE.  then there was school where he was MERCILESLLY HAZED and OSTRACIZED for being GANGLY and WEIRD.  in retrospect it makes absolute total sense that he felt CURSED as a kid.

and this is where his IDIOSYNCRATIC passions and seemingly IDLE PURSUITS comes into play in FOREVER NERDY.  even within the context of a particularly TRAUMATIC and LONELY CHILDHOOD, these self-described PERSONAL OBSESSIONS were sublimated acts in the hope of establishing a sense of COMMUNITY.  and that is key.  NERD CULTURE, even before such had a name and its PURSUITS marketed with literal conventions nationwide, is on some level about CONNECTING PEOPLE on a deeply EMOTIONAL level.  in POSEHN's case all of his aforementioned PURSUITS with regards to FILM, MUSIC, LITERATURE and COMEDY are really about sharing NARRATIVES and UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCES with others and identifying a common bond with such.  its rather touching that as an adult he found himself meeting his IDOLS, those figures that literally assisted him survive his FRAUGHT CHILDHOOD, who likewise knew him through his WORK and emotionally identified themselves to an extent  in his ART as well.  just a TOTAL FULL CIRCLE MOMENT.

and to an extent his PURSUIT of COMEDY and that COMMUNITY was what led him to find ultimately LOVE, CONNECTION, SECURITY and HAPPINESS with his spouse.  again, it makes sense that he steadfastly attests that he will maintain and stay FOREVER NERDY, since being TRUE to himself paid dividends both professionally as well as personally in the long-run.  what started out as a FRAUGHT and TRAGIC PERSONAL NARRATIVE dealing with ACUTE PHYSICAL TRAUMA and EMOTIONAL NEGLECT at the most SENSITIVE of one's FORMATIVE DEVELOPMENT, turns into a POSITIVE accounting of maintaining an IDENTITY in the face of RIDICULE.  that those hopefully and GENUINE attempts at COMMUNITY-BUILDING will hit pay dirt eventually in spite of HARDSHIP.  POSEHN is a testament to such and his MEMOIR is consciously geared towards those very much in the throes and vice grip of MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES exacerbated by TERRIBLE familial living situations.  the idea that life does in fact get better.

i really enjoyed this book, but then again i am completely biased being such a MASSIVE MR. SHOW fan.  or rather more accurately, nerd.

there is this ENDURING FALLACY regarding CHILDREN'S STORIES probably due to everyone being raised and effectively INDOCTRINATED on DISNEY ANIMATED films, that plot-wise they have to be structurally SIMPLISTIC with UNAMBIGUOUS moral messaging.  such is why i usually seek out FAIRY TALES and ORAL TRADITIONS from abroad, especially when such is meant for consumption by kids.  the GRAPHIC NOVEL THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2010) is a collaboration of sorts between the renowned MODERN FRENCH ILLUSTRATOR DAVID B, best known for his CELEBRATED, AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL GRAPHIC NOVEL EPILEPTIC (PANTHEON, 2005), and the LONG-DECEASED 20th century FRENCH NOVELIST PIERRE MAC ORLAN.

in essence, this COMIC is an ENGLISH translation of DAVID B's ADAPTATION of a PIERRE MAC ORLAN SHORT STORY about a YOUNG KIDNAPPED BOY being raised on a PIRATE SHIP manned and operated by a DECEASED CAPTAIN and CREW.  such are DOOMED in a REPETITIVE, DOLDRUM EXISTENCE of ETERNAL DAMNATION where they are HUNGRY but cannot eat, are THIRSTY but cannot drink and have no way of offing THEMSELVES to make such end.  every time they attempt to KILL THEMSELVES in one MASSIVE gesture, FATE or NATURE gets involved and alleviates them of that SWEET embrace of DEATH.  for they are DAMNED for ETERNITY to just wander and SUFFER endlessly across the ocean.

in this STORY, the YOUNG boy functions as an OPPORTUNITY for the CAPTAIN and his CREW to showcase and project a hitherto lost sense of HUMANITY towards a JELOUS god that has left them with this ABYSMAL FATE.  what is INTRIGUING to me is that there is no CONCLUSION in the PLOT as to their success in this SCHEME.  it is basically up to the reader to JUDGE the MERITS of their actions.  i was raised catholic and attended (briefly) parochial school and i can remember how SIMPLISTIC the MORALIZING was during religion classes and mid-day mass lectures from the pulpit.  i never bought in, it all seemed so easy placing JUDGEMENT and BLAME on others, as well as ourselves.  when i have learned since then is that LIFE is COMPLICATED and people do the best they can IN-THE-MOMENT more or less.  sometimes if pushed to a brink, people can make all sorts of decisions they later come to REGRET.  just like there was no RESOLUTION stated in THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING with regard to the FATE of the CAPTAIN and CREW, there are no guarantees in our lives either.  when one thinks back to their own MISTAKES, MISGIVINGS and MISADVENTURES, one quickly realizes the power of INTENTION.  how they were feeling and what OUTCOMES they intended to effectuate at the moment of a decision.  JUDGEMENT may occur down the line, but at least being SELF-REFLECTIVE will help possibly prevent RECIDIVISM in the future.

for me that is the message of this GRAPHIC NOVEL.  be in the moment.  learn from your MISTAKES and move forward with a sense of GRACE and try not to consider outcomes.  be KIND and CHARITABLE with no reward in mind, ETERNAL DAMNATION or not.  at least that was my take from reading THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING.

long the PROTOTYPICAL AFRICAN NOVEL included in COUNTLESS required stateside underclassman WORLD LITERATURE courses, THINGS FALL APART (WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD, 1958) by the ICONIC NIGERIAN author CHINUA ACHEBE is a CLASSIC unto itself.  the PLOT revolves around the rise and fall of the FICTIONAL figure of OKONKWO, a preternaturally GIFTED, LOCAL clan leader in PRECOLONIAL IGBOLAND.

for those UNFAMILIAR with the WEST AFRICAN nation of NIGERIA, the BRITISH colonized such in the late 19th century after effectively seizing such by agreement from the PORTUGUESE who had been in the area dating back to the mid-15th century.  both sought the area for its RESOURCES in terms of PALM OIL, TIN, COTTON, COCOA and SLAVES.  NIGERIA gained its independence from the UNITED KINGDOM in 1960, two years after the publication of THINGS FALL APART.  in true BRITISH fashion, the departing colonizers combined three historically COMPETING tribes (YORUBA, HAUSA, IGBO) against each other in the VOLATILE formation of the nation which quickly resulted in the especially BLOODY BIAFRAN WAR after the IGBOs attempted secession in 1967.  the IGBOs ANCESTRAL HOMELAND is that of the SOUTHEASTERN COASTAL REGION of the country with BOUNTIFUL PETROLEUM RESERVES that have resulted NIGERIA with becoming a textbook example of the RESOURCE CURSE of developing nations with an economy dominated by a EFFECTIVE MONOCULTURE or reliance on a SINGLE COMMODITY.

all that being said, what made THINGS FALL APART an INTRIGUING NOVEL worthy of inclusion in the canon of WORLD LITERATURE was due to its structure.  ACHEBE was raised by PROTESTANT parents and thus was given a TRADITIONAL ANGLICAN education regarding the bible as well as the classics.  THINGS FALL APART is NOTABLE in that it combines the ORAL FOLK TRADITIONS of the IGBOs with the NARRATIVE STRUCTURE surrounding the TRAGIC HERO first provided by the ANCIENT GREEKS.  it is a STORY regarding COLONIZATION and the DESTRUCTIVE effects of such on SELF-IDENTITY told through the MEDIUM and NARRATIVE STRUCTURE of that very oppressor.  its pretty ingenious to criticize and take on those who formally subjugated you by taking on their PERSPECTIVE and TRADITIONS as the vehicle for such BARBED critiques.

back in my teaching days i would utilize this TEXT after presenting various GREEK plays as well as a SHAKESPEARE TRAGEDY or two (OTHELLO, HAMLET, MACBETH, etc.) for context and familiarity surrounding with the TRAGIC HERO FORM.  then THINGS FALL APART was where id complicate such.  i always felt it was a COMPELLING TEXT in that sense, especially when doing so overseas where my students were similarly caught between two or more cultures simultaneously.  NIGERIA itself is a nation of competing interests and peoples, a COMPLICATED and VOLATILE CONSTRUCT that only exists because the BRITISH created such pitting peoples against one another so that theyd be easier to manipulate from a far post-COLONIZATION (like with INDIA/PAKISTAN, ISRAEL/PALESTINE and so forth).  the short novel spurred debates and inspired discussions every time. 

i miss teaching THINGS FALL APART.  an INSPIRED NOVEL that is well-worth checking out and revisiting.  still RELEVANT as ever.

INTERPLANETARY COLONIES, NURSE CLONES and SPACE PIRATES?  QUEENS cartoonist KATIE SKELLY in her debut offering NURSE NURSE (SPARKPLUG, 2012) seemingly has all that covered and more in an OPAQUE but thoroughly ENTERTAINING SCIENCE FICTION NARRATIVE about an INQUISITIVE, WELL-INTENTIONED and SELF-SACRIFICING NURSE named GEMMA who is thrown into a MAD ADVENTURE as she INNOCENTLY goes about her duties on VENUS battling a MYSTERIOUS SPACE VIRUS. 

right off the jump this GRAPHIC NOVEL had MAJOR BARBARELLA (PARAMOUNT, 1968) vibes with its EPISODIC PLOT STRUCTURE and LOVABLE INCOHERENCE.  it very much felt like SKELLY intentioned us to enjoy the ride and admire the PSYCHEDELIC DEPICTIONS of FAR-OUT, FUTURE worlds, space travel and INTERPLANETARY COLONIES than get to mired down in the PLOT or deeper meanings.  GEMMA, a NURSE straight out of school, is thrown into a vortex of CHARACTERS and SITUATIONS that confront and challenge her sense of SELF-IDENTITY and PURPOSE, but ultimately when such gets too HEAVY she outsmarts her adversaries and finds DELIGHT in being in the moment. 

no TRAUMA.  no deep-seated MOTIVATION.  no WISDOM gained.

its almost like an EPISODE of SEINFELD (NBC, 1989-1998) or IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXP, 2005-present) in the sense that the EPISODIC nature of SITCOM TELEVISION PROGRAMS has each segment a SELF-CONTAINED NARRATIVE world unto itself.  this way they can be scheduled interchangeably with no CONFUSION to the viewer.  i almost feel like GEMMA and her ADVENTURES functioned in a SIMILAR fashion.  yes the space pirates reoccur a few times, but their reoccurrence doesnt elicit any DEEP-SEATED FEAR, ANGER or TRAUMA in GEMMA, more as a  PLAUSIBLE VEHICLE or PLOT DEVICE to alter the SETTING.

my FAVORITE thing about this GRAPHIC NOVEL are the EMOTIVE, SIMPLY DRAWN ILLUSTRATIONS that to my eyes had a DISTINCT PETER MAX feel to them.  in that sense there is an almost CHILD-LIKE AMORALITY to them, as if GEMMA's EXPERIENCES are almost DREAM-LIKE and SURREAL, which is not far from the VAGUENESS and IMPRESSIONISTIC manner in which the NARRATIVE unfolds and concludes.

i definitely enjoyed the INVENTIVE RIDICULOUSNESS that was NURSE NURSE and look forward to seeking out other SKELLY titles in the FUTURE.  definitely worth checking out.