February: What I'm reading, watching and listening to.
Books: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Since roughly the beginning of the year, I've been reading 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'. I'm enjoying it but I've been reading slowly, usually before bed. Written in 1943 by Betty Smith, the story chronicles the life of young Francie Nolan who comes of age in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the 1910s and 20s. Smith is an incredible story teller. Each chapter is a scene, a story on it's own, which transports the reader back to that time period. We get a look into the poor, mostly immigrant community of Williamsburg and the trials and tribulations of the Nolan family as Francie grows up. Having lived in Williamsburg and now in Bushwick, it's interesting to see some familiar streets mentioned in the book as I can compare today's Brooklyn to Smith's Brooklyn. I'm about two-thirds finished with the book. I'm interested to see how it ends, but it's taken me on such a journey that I don't want it too end too soon.
Music: Stephane Wrembel's Django Experiment; Lettuce Elevate
I've been hooked on the music of Stephane Wrembel lately, a French guitarist who plays the 'gypsy jazz' music of Django Reinhardt. I learned about Wrembel from the movie Midnight in Paris, which features his song 'Bistro Fada'. I downloaded a few of his Django Experiment albums which features songs done in the traditional style of jazz in the '20s while other songs have more of a modern interpretation. This style of music really resonates with me lately. I especially enjoyed this online performance as well.
Lettuce has been one of my favorite bands for many years and they continue to play and write music which hooks me. Every time I see them live, the band is better than the last time I saw them. I've been listening to their 2019 album Elevate lately but their live shows are especially captivating - I found this show from 2017 and it's full of the raging funk one can expect from Lettuce.
TV: The Gilded Age
I don’t watch much TV. I don’t have any streaming subscriptions. In fact, I don’t even own a TV. But occasionally a series will capture my attention. I'm a big fan of Downton Abbey and writer/director/producer Julian Fellowes has a new show on HBO. The Gilded Age is set in New York City in the late 19th century. Mostly I'm interested in the history of the era, when rich, powerful families like the Astors, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, shaped the city and country as we know it. Some historic Gilded age mansions still exist in Manhattan today. There's only three episodes of the show available but its kept me watching so far.
Podcasts: Tanis
Ok I confess - I'm obsessed with Tanis. I wrote a bit about Rabbits, the new novel from writer/producer Terry Miles, but I haven't done a deep dive into Tanis yet (coming soon). This is the third time I'm listening to the podcast. Each time, I discover new tidbits, things I didn't pick up on the first or second listen. The subject matter is what really hooks me- a mysterious place in the woods of the Pacific Northwest where strange things occur. It's not clear who or what this place is but protagonist Nic Silver (Terry Miles) wants to find out. Equal parts conspiracy, historical, spiritual and technological, Tanis has it all for me: the story, the writing, the acting and the sound design is really well done. It's my favorite fictional podcast out there. I usually listen during work when I need to get some mindless task done like inputting data to an Excel sheet. I can just zone out and listen to Nic, MK and the gang delve deeper into the mystery. Recently, I downloaded Season 1 and listened to a few hours while on a road trip - it felt more like how a book unfolds, instead of just tuning-in to an episode here and there. I'm currently working my way through Season 2.
Movies: Encounters at the End of the World; Stalker.
It's winter here in New York. I find the snow and cold comforting - the city is quieter, the pace is slower. One cold night, I put on Werner Herzog's 2007 film Encounters at the End of the World. Herzog travels to Antarctica to investigate the continent and the collection of people stationed there. As Herzog says, "Antarctica is not the moon, even though sometimes it feels like it."
In the podcast Tanis, Nic Silver mentions the Strugastky brothers sci-fi novel The Roadside Picnic and Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 film Stalker, also written by the Strugatsky brothers. As I continue down the Tanis rabbit hole, I had to watch Stalker. I can see how the movie influenced Terry Miles while writing and creating Tanis, as the podcast draws heavily on Stalker. On the face, the movie is about a Stalker, a guide, who brings a Writer and a Professor into The Zone, a mysterious place full of traps but where there is a Room which can make your deepest desires come true. It's an interesting film and unlike anything I've ever seen. It's hard to explain, hard to follow at times and I'm not sure what it's really about but I loved it regardless.
Until next time,
KW