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Here’s a few things that in my one man book
club my hungry eye has devoured so far this year.
”SACRED MIRRORS “ is a magnificent large format book
by visionary artist ALEX GREY, if you own the Beastie Boys’
Ill Communication, Nirvana’s In Utero or Tool’s Lateralus
albums, you’re already familiar with his work, but this collection
focuses on an exhibition of 21 panels reproduced immaculately, that
originally stretched over 150 feet & towered above the viewer
at over 10 feet tall including intricate & ornate individual
frames. Divided into 3 themes, body, mind & spirit, Grey’s
psychedelically fuelled, anatomically accurate paintings move us
through the transformation from body conciousness through to spiritual
conciousness . The panels, even at a reduced size are incredibly
potent , creating a sympathetic reaction in the viewer, as you look
into them they look into you & your perception of your own body
is awakened as you journey through the skeletal system, the nervous
system, the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system, the viscera,
the muscle system & on into the esoteric body map. It’s
a revelation.
Ever seen a film that was better than the book?
I thought not. So it could be an opportune time to check out the
work of writer DENNIS LEHANE, whose half dozen uncompromisingly
gritty novels have been quietly burning up the thriller / crime
genre over the last couple of years, culminating in MYSTIC RIVER,
that has placed him firmly in the mainstream. Unlike other writers
Lehane does not take us for a walk on the wildside of the American
criminal / drug underbelly or set up a protagonist for us to identify
with, but rather examines the effect of a crime on the people involved,
the family, the community, as the ripples extend out stirring up
the secrets past & present of those for whom the catharsis permanently
changes. His characters are not extreme, but just average working
people trying to live a life in the economically bleak reality of
America in transition. Lehane’s real strength is his plotting
that although avoiding fireworks, subtley compells the reader to
turn the page no matter how nightmarish the revelations may be awaiting
you there. It’s a desolate world inside & out, a microcosim
of the struggle that ordinary people have coming to terms with themselves
& the effects ,often unintended, of their actions.While reading
the book I found that I could imagine any of the actors in the movie
playing any of the roles, a testament to Lehane’s imaginative
power to write about the ordinary with compassion & power.
Any book that features a blurb on the cover by
James Ellroy describing it as “ a hypnotically hip hitman
thriller” is too good to pass up & BARRY EISLER’s
“RAIN FALL “ debut didn’t disappoint. It’s
high velocity pulp set in high tech Tokyo, as we follow John Rain,
a Japanese / American Ronin, not at home in either culture, an assassin
who specialises in making his hits appear as if they were the result
of natural causes. And he doesn’t do women .We are thrust
into Rain’s private mind & world & quickly identify
with him, willing him on as he pits his formidable skills &
mind against a series of opponents & situations that brings
out the samurai in us all. Andrew Vacchs’ survivalist Burke
character still holds the crown as the righteous bad guy ass kicker,
but with a sequel already released in America, Eisler’s John
Rain is the new guy on the block to watch.
I thought that the tough as nails “Cut Numbers” &
the epic “Trinities” were both great novels so I ‘ve
been looking forward to NICK TOCHES’ 3rd, “IN THE HAND
OF DANTE.
In spite of his prodigous output including “Hellfire”
the biography of Jerry Lee Lewis & others on Dean Martin &
Sonny Liston, numerous writings on music in books & magazines
as well as being an editor at Vanity Fair, Tosches turns his hand
to fiction sparingly. The results are often explosive. Rather than
the story being the star here, through an audacious blend of medieval
early Catholic Church intrigue, the hard boiled New York streets
& writing himself into the book, Tosches strives to create a
post modern literary fireworks show that somehow never pulls together
it’s multi levels into cohesive ignition. That said, it’s
far more ambitious than 99% of stuff jamming the shelves, Tosches’
mastery of language , his ability to dive deeply into the gutter
& soar into the heavens almost simultaneously & the powerful
personality that burns through beneath the prose makes it worth
the occassional trudge it becomes, there’s so much weight
behind every word that it almost defies you to ignore it. Don’t.
Although the first novels are more highly recommended to the uninitiated.
Nick Tosches features, along with 28 other interviewees
& 12 other contributors to the latest SEX & GUTS 4, an intermittent,
some issues are years apart, journal put together by the notorious
LYDIA LUNCH & her partner in grime GENE GREGORITS. It’s
their weightiest tome yet, 300 pages of print & photos that
walk on the cultural edge & lift the carpet on some strange
creatures & thought forms that live under there.
The lengthy interviews, or free ranging conversations really, include
John Waters, Steve Wynn, Jello Biafra, Asia Argento, Margaret Cho,
JG Thirwell, Jim Goad & Nick Tosches while the contributors
feature Nick, Hubert Selby Jr, Bibbe Hansen ( Beck’s mum )
Jerry Stahl & Lydia & Gene themselves, JK Potter’s
mind bending photography appears throughout. Sure it’s the
usual suspects, but it’s post fanzine aesthetic & good
natured gonzoism & the sheer amount of wordage here makes Vol
4 a rewarding table companion.
Excuse me, but I’ve just got get back to
Dan Brown’s awesome “The Da Vinci Code “, but
more about that maybe next time.
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