Brad

A BOOK NARRATED WELL, BUT WANTING.

Revisado: 12-23-21

Before I begin, keep in mind that everything I write below is based strictly and exclusively on this audiobook and not the print edition which I have not seen. It is possible that the print version meets the criteria needed to consider this book worthy of taking seriously. This audiobook version does not.

While there isn’t very much to say about this little book, what there is to say is unfortunate; for the topic of the thing is of course timely and highly relevant to the state of things today. But how in the world this work could represent the best effort ( or even a lazy effort ) from someone — anyone — with a Ph.D is confounding. The topic as I said is so important in fact, that for this author’s work here to fall so far short of meeting even the most rudimentary requirements of a thesis by an undergraduate is inexcusable. First among these is source material. Without that, the arguments in the book cannot amount to anything than anecdotal. It’s a short book that should be longer. One hopes the author will give it another go, next time with references.

On the plus side, where the content of the book is woefully lacking in substance, the performance by the reader is very good indeed. It’s because of that fact alone I was able to finish the book.

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The Music Will Go On.

Revisado: 11-17-21

After listening to this wonderful “deep dive” into the musical mind of Paul Simon a couple of things occurred to me:

(1) I recalled a Major League Baseball players’ strike decades ago that had fans like me wondering if this would be the death of the game.
“Baseball will never die”, said I, “The business might. But as long as there’s a vacant lot somewhere and some kids — there will be Baseball”. And (2): These days the concern is the survival of music; to which I feel it’s safe to say the answer is precisely the same as it was for Baseball.

Malcolm Gladwell is of my generation and, for us, music is everything (well, very very close to everything). Growing up in the early 1970’s, how could it not be?

My hope is that this immersive interview (or better, “INNER-VIEW?”) format will attract a large listenership of aspiring artists -AS WELL AS- become a program where accomplished, established musicians — by now loathe to do the same-old-same-old voyeuristic celebrity interview, but do want to talk about their approach to craft, have a venue to do so.

Malcolm hit this one out of the park!

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ARE WE “WEIMAR AMERICA?

Revisado: 11-03-21

The former “Republicans” may as well be called the “faschistische republikanische partei”. They have followed the Nazi playbook to the letter. And to the loser who gave this book only one star based on the voice of the “author”, the author isn’t the reader.

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Brilliant!

Revisado: 03-30-21

This is the only book till now that makes our time and place in history not just understandable, but obvious; and not just obvious, but inevitable. We have come to a place in history where we must come to terms with the fact that exploration is penultimate to exploitation. We have begun to internalize the fact that Earth is where we are, and where we will forever be. Everyplace else is uninhabitable or inaccessible. What now? Read the book.

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SUPER BAD (bad as in: Awful)

Revisado: 02-17-21

It starts off bad and remains bad till about chapter 6 and 7 (roughly half way). But then, suddenly, it becomes EVEN WORSE!

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“CARE FOR A CIGAR?” “MUCH OBLIGED. HEY! A CORONA. I LIKE YOU JUST FINE!”

Revisado: 08-14-20

Once the crown of emperors in the Antique age. It’s been a Mexican and a Cuban staple (a beer and a cigar, respectively). So now, it’s a virus – one with more disruption than any others in a century. We think of people who are out of their jobs. But some entire industries have shut down indefinitely, including the one I’m thinking of — the Entertainment industry, and the movie making part of it specifically.

There’s a myth out there – admittedly propped up by the ‘Biz’ itself, but a myth nonetheless that would have all believe that those show folks in Hollywood – the Movie Star types – have so much money that they don’t need to work anyway. All I’ll say to that is: It ain’t so.

THERE’S NO BUSINESS IN SHOW BUSINESS.

So, with everything at full stop I pray that this upcoming 2020 election will remove Trump and open up a new Washington D.C. that actually takes SERIOUS things seriously. And very soon, we can get back to work.

Thank you Woody Allen for this delightful surprise. I never saw this coming. What with you being so p r i v a t e and r e c l u s I v e (NOT).
Stay Busy
-B

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A Bit Too Rich...

Revisado: 07-07-20

Listening to this may be difficult for anyone who’s ever suffered through a long monotonous poetry reading. Craig Childs goes for “literature” and overshoots. It is written like a prose poem, distractingly wordy. It’s also written in first person, present tense, which, at least in nonfiction, never fails to sound pretentious – this is not an exception.

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YAAAAWWWN

Revisado: 03-21-20

Something happens at the beginning. A super virus pandemic kills off the entire population of the world (save for 30 or so wealthy New Englanders).

Then the eating begins and NEVER STOPS. Everyone is constantly eating. Not that that’s a bad thing. But in this relentlessly boring apocalypse, eating is pretty much the only thing. It’s an ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT APOCALYPSE.

Other than that, it’s unforgivably predictable. Every character is a cartoon. We’ve met all of them many times before for sure.

The story is so bad that the poor writing and the cardboard characters go practically unnoticed.

The narrator is great. But no narrator could breath life in this.

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Buddha-Drivel

Revisado: 11-17-19

If you are still enthralled with Buddhism and eastern philosophy, this course will finally cure you of that unfortunate preoccupation. The program has a title, but the program and the title have little in common. Packed with enough Buddha-Drivel, Buddha-Babel, and Buddha-Jargon to make Padmasambava uneasy, Avalokateshvara indifferent, and the Buddha bored.

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WONDERFUL AND WONDERFUL.

Revisado: 08-06-19

I am one who lived through this. In 2017 I lost everything to Harvey. I didn't get to watch my hometown Astros win the World Series, I was too far gone - lost in the chaos of insurance and survival. But I can attest to the accuracy of this beautifully written narrative even though there is no need for such testimony. The author is a highly acclaimed and respected Houston columnist and a first class writer.

This book is going to be a sleeper. It is non-fiction. It is regional. As such, it will forever be relegated to bookstores' "Regional" sections; and only in Houston bookstores at that. Thanks to Amazon however, "Regional" is now a category void of meaning.

The narration is fine. It could have been read by Scott Brick (the reader of the audio edition of "Moneyball"). But here, Jamie Renell is a better choice. He is every bit as good as Brick in his ability to avoid sounding like he's reading to someone convalescing in a hospital recovery room. Plus, Renell is a tad more restrained - less apt to flights of melodrama.

All in all, this is everything an audiobook should be. I recommend it highly. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

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