reviews
Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture Edited by Thurston Moore
You kids may not remember this, but long before the burnt CD, there was the mix tape. Much like CDs, it allowed people to set their own mood or make their own greatest hits of their favorite artists. However, like those who still buy and spin vinyl, there are people who feel that tapes still hold an intimacy that doesn't transcend well onto disc. These people include artists from many different mediums who have come together to share their favorite mix tape experiences in the book Mix Tape The Art of Cassette Culture
Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore not only
compiles the essays, but writes the introduction, where he talks about his punk rock neighbor, his ghetto blaster and the dozens of concertgoers who would throw their own mixes on stage. From there, the writings get much shorter and the art takes over. Pictures of the actual mix tapes the artists are describing are displayed along with the track list and "album art," which ranges from ransom note to fresh-from-the-record-company quality.
The panel of writers includes Ahmet Zappa (Frank's son), Mike Watt (of The Minutemen), music video director Richard Kern and tons of other indie art supermen no one has ever heard of. Their commentaries run anywhere from one sentence to three pages, telling who made the tape, the motions it evokes and all the memories that are tied to it.
At first, it may seem like this is just a collection of elitist asses coming together to tell everyone how hip their music selection is. But, on the contrary, many of the track lists feature popular songs by Tony Orlando & Dawn, Madonna and Neil Diamond. The book handles its subject with care and accomplishes its goal of letting other mixers who think of their work as art know they are not alone. The art and themes of the tapes make this more of a coffee table book, something not to read in one sitting, but to be discovered over and over again. And, while smiling at many of the songs and bands you have heard of, you might even become intrigued enough to uncover some new favorites.
The book also inspires those who are still mixing, whether it be on a tape, disc or iPod playlist. I think Thurston sums it up best in his introductory, and pretentious, essay: "Trying to control sharing through music is like trying to control an affair of the heart—nothing will stop it."
Jared Duncan
Candy Girl
The life of a stripper is hard. There are the odd fetishes, bad ippers, bruised bodies, drug-addled managers, late hours and bitchy girls.
Diablo Cody, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Juno, details her yearlong adventures as a stripper in her 2006 memoir, Candy Girl. Written in a witty, amusing and self-deprecating style—not unlike Juno—Cody's blatant honesty is often hilarious. At several points throughout the book, she offers a Top 10 list (for example Top 10 Worst Stripper Names, Top 10 Best Songs to Strip To) that had me laughing out loud at its frankness and absurdity.
Despite the book being one highlight after another, there were the occasional awkward moments.The phrase "too much information" is clearly not part of Cody's vocabulary. Do you want a detailed description of a certain area of her anatomy? You've got it here.
The book reads less like a novel and more like a blog. It's always ready with the next gag or shock, and Cody focuses on the stories with the most wallop, with quick transitions
in between.The blog style makes sense, as Cody first got noticed after a big-time Los Angeles agent googled various inappropriate terms and came across her blog chronicling her stripper tales called The Pussy Ranch. Cody still blogs, in a slightly less personal fashion, at www.mypace.com/diablocody.
Candy Girl is a perfect read for those used to skimming MySpace pages and Facebook stalking during lunch breaks. It's intensely personal, insanely funny and, at times, thoroughly uncomfortable.
Meet at the Creek Every Thursday
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Contact the writers: jduncan@kansan.com;
estawarz@kansan.com
interesting fact: Cats are known to have been fully domesticated in Egypt circa 4000 B.C., where they were highly regarded. -www.pawpathlitternet.com
04.17.2008
VOL. 5 ISS. 28
17