Book Talk
Yesterday I picked up a book, an actual book, and managed to read two whole pages before Wombat pulled a stack of magazines off the coffee table onto his dirty little toes, which then required me to transform, Wonder Woman-style, into Heroic Rescuer, a role I'm learning to relish nevermind that it's a role often assumed to thwart none other than my own alter ego, the Absentminded Neglecter). But today I'm eschewing talk about the baby to instead talk about my Other Interests (they do exist!), and so the real story here is the reading of the beginning of an actual book, which is remarkable for two reasons: (1) 99 percent of books I've read in the last five years have been in raw manuscript form and (2) someone has paid me to read them.
People often ask me if being an editor has affected my ability to read for pleasure, and although I realize it will sound like I'm reciting script of a Special Features interview from a good old run-of-the-mill porno flick (what?), I wouldn't say being an [editor] has made [reading] unenjoyable, although I will admit that [reading] certainly has a different quality when I'm doing it on my own terms and with the [book] of my choice rather than for a paycheck, and yes, sometimes, after a long day's worth of [reading] for pay, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is [read] some more.
So yesterday, it was a bit of a Thing when I picked up a book we had sitting around (it was taunting me), even though just as I was finding my groove--devouring phrases and sentences and paragraphs instead of nibbling syllable by syllable and punctuation mark by punctuation mark like usual--there was a crash and a cry and that was the end of that. But oh it was delicious however brief. So delicious that today at work I was suffering a case of literary blueballs so bad I had to talk myself down from assaulting the nearest paperback and dragging it into a closet that locks from the inside for a few moments of toe-curling speedreading. Even just a skim would do! It's been so long!
(Part of why it was kind of a big deal that I wanted to read something for its own sake is that what little non-work reading I've done over the last year or two has been pretty much all about the baby, and therefore "work" reading in its own way. And I know that the cool thing to say is "I finally have the time to read something other than a parenting magazine," but in truth I'm saying "I finally have the inclination to read something other than a parenting magazine" because, guess what, I kind of...like?...parenting magazines? Maybe? Don't judge me? Please?...Oh, hell, I DO like them for what they're worth, and although I would never in a million years argue that contained within their glossy pages, tucked in between all those full-page ads for crap I don't you don't no one needs, is anything resembling quality content, I will say that these days, for the most part, I don't frickin' care about quality content. Just show me supersaturated over-exposed photos of babies, maybe some of them in Halloween costumes, and I'm happy. Sure, if I had infinite time and infinite attention span, I'd throw some novels in on top of Baby Talk and Ferber and Your Baby, Week by Week, but still, given the choice, the parenting stuff keeps floating to the top, and although I know I should at the very least be embarrassed by this, I really don't care. It's like admitting that you're staying home on Friday night not because you can't go out but because you'd rather cuddle after bathtime and read two bedtime stories instead of one as opposed to attend a rave (are the kids still calling them raves?), and if that makes me one of THOSE parents, well, so be it.) (And just to clarify that I'm one of THOSE parents and not one of THOSE parents, I would never do that awful thing where I'd smile and nod and condescend that yes, I'm sure your active social life as a child-free person is just ducky, and I'm sure you're going to have oodles of fun at your rave or whatever, but it could never compare to the unspeakable joy of having children, and it's not something you'll understand until you have your own, so don't even try. GAH, I hate THOSE parents.)
Anyway, yesterday I wanted to read a book, and it (the wanting) was good.
Also yesterday Simon and I watched Magnolia after the kid was asleep, and DAMN, it's still the masterpiece that it's always been. At the risk of furthering the inappropriate subtext of previous paragraphs, that film gives me a giant movie boner, in the way that Hamlet and Death of a Salesman give me a drama boner, and The Great Gatsby and Lolita give me a lit boner, and Ailey's Revelations gives me a dance boner. To me, these works are perfect in the most literal sense of the word, and they're so exactly right in every way it's as if they were not created but rather born fully formed from the loins of the universe, as if they always existed out there and were just waiting for someone to pluck them from the ether and translate them in a way that humankind could understand. Simon feels this way about some songs (his relationship to music is much more developed than mine, although as composers go, Beethoven is as near flawless as anyone), but it made me wonder what other Perfect things out there I might be missing, you know, just in case I'm struck again with the urge to consume something more stimulating than my usual fare.
Where do you find perfection? (Extra points if it's a teevee show because I may be learned but I'm still lazy.)
I felt that same way about Magnolia when I first saw it. Need to see it again now that you mention it.
Damn, I feel like I was thinking "perfection" about some thing recently, but I can't remember right now what it was...
Perfection?
Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining.
I will stand by that. It's utterly gorgeous. Gives me chills!
Can you believe I've never seen "The Shining"? I'm...kind of scared.
test, please ignore, and no there will not be an avalanche this time I swear. and i won't turn off comment notification in order not to bug you and then forget to turn it back on this time either.
I've not seen Magnolia, and I've always wanted to. Adding to Netflix.
I tried to watch Magnolia once and turned it off, but I will give it another try.
Perfection, and in a television show? Deadwood. Writing, acting, LIGHTING, everything -- no contest.
I feel for some reason that I must preface/justify this by telling you that I have a First Class Hons in English Literature.... but... Bridget Jones Diary (the book, not the film). Pure, perfect, comedy genius.
Oh Bethany, I am SO with you on Deadwood. Sheer brilliance. Furthering my HBO drama boner is Carnivale and The Sopranos. Seriously, I think high school English students should have to watch The Sopranos. I love to read but was always slow on the uptake with things like symbolism, foreshadowing, etc. - but that show made it all click for me. Thanks, brutal on-screen violence!
30 Rock and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia give me a comedy boner. No Country for Old Men: movie boner. Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry: acting boner. Great Gatsby is my lit boner as well. And if any of you ever get the chance to see August: Osage County, GO. I am still recovering from my theatre boner.
Sorry for the super-long comment, but my life is apparently rich with boners. Who knew?
Oooh, I have a lot of overlap with Jiveturkey on this one and some with you as well.
30 Rock for TV comedy; Felicity (I KNOW) for college-age angsty TV drama; Gatsby and Lolita for literature; Prep for contemporary fiction; Serenade, The Four Temperaments, and Revelations for dance; and August: Osage County for theater (perfection in a play, for real).
For movies? It's kind of hard to narrow down, but a few that spring to mind are Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood for Love, Lost in Translation, and North by Northwest.
literature: 1984 (still fascinates me), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (for contemporary fiction)
film: Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders is a genius), Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz
tv: The Wire, 30 Rock, Weeds (i watch too much tv, but i have to admit that none of it is truly great.)
I love Mad Men (we get them through Netflix). I also just finished a book that I thought was wonderful. It is called 'The Most Beautiful Book in the World' by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. It is a collection of eight novellas. Each is amazing. Check it out!
For me, the first two seasons of The West Wing.
30 Rock for sheer hilarity and Dexter for dark genius.
That is an interesting question! I feel like there are a bunch of random places I find perfection but I'm forgetting them all. Other than spider webs - I'm a nerd and I think those are awesome. Arrested Development gives me a TV boner - perfectly witty and convoluted. Currently in music (as it always changes), I find perfection in "Hometown Glory" by Adele and "The Whaler" by Thrice.
I see a lot of people recommending t.v. shows (and the same ones at that), but I wonder if these are Perfect in the way I'm thinking of or if they're just really good shows people enjoy a lot. I "really enjoy" a lot of stuff (some quality, some not), but for me there's a major qualitative difference between a good movie/book/whatever and a true work of genius art, in which the pieces fell together in a way that seems above the capacity of a human mind to engineer. I mean, I think F. Scott Fitzgerald was a great writer, but none of his other stuff even comes close to "Gatsby," I think because with that one he just hit on some magic. I guess I just wonder if people will still be talking about "Deadwood" ten, twenty, fifty years from now, or if it will just be one of those things that everyone's REALLY into for a short time (the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long?) and then tosses when the next big thing comes around. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not the sort of thing I'm thinking of when I think "Perfect."
The best I can get with t.v. is the pilot of "The Wonder Years," and again, that's only one episode, which makes it more like a short film than anything.
season 1 of veronica mars. it's so perfect as is that it sucks if you don't watch it all and in order.
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I have read all 7 books dozens of times and every single time I am both amazed and enthralled. There is something so absolutely perfect about the worlds he created in those books, something that makes them tangible, like I could go down to the beach and find a Door and walk right into the story. They just flow, flawlessly, inextricably. I can't describe it better than that except to say that I am always disappointed when I finish reading them, because I don't want it to end, I don't want to have to go back to the real world.
For those of you who skip King because he writes "scary" books, these are NOT scary. Epic, beautiful, and strange, but not scary.
Friday Night Lights Season 1 (especially the episode "State") and Season 3 are as near to t.v. perfection as I've seen in a long time.
Seen Synecdoche, NY? :]
Oh, and Glee for TV. Short and simple, I is.
The SF nerd in me [heart]'s Dollhouse, but I'm not going to foist that on random passersby.
Deadwood has my vote as standing the test of time and perfect. That's all.
TV Perfection: The Wire, Veronica Mars
Comic Book Perfection: Scott Pilgrim series
Movie Perfection: All the Real Girls, City of God, Rushmore
Ooh, "Rushmore"! Yes! And "Harold and Maude." (Maybe I'm a sucker for a movie with a soundtrack gestalt?)
And I might as well say this too: I was SO excited for "Glee" to start because it looked like it was going to be full of everything I loved, but then...it's been a let-down. Most of the people who are going ga-ga over it right now seem to be people who say "I didn't think I'd like it, but...," which makes me wonder if it's the sort of thing that appeals to "outsiders" (i.e., non-theater people) in the way that "ER" appeals to non-medical professionals. Is there anyone out there who was really looking forward to "Glee" and was pleased when it met/exceeded their expectations?
Glee has been a bit of a let-down for me as well. The pilot was great, but since then... it's been falling flat. The singing is good but the lip syncing bad, and they kind of blew their load a bit early with the Journey song, in my opinion. I have continued to watch, but get a bit closer to turning it off midway through each week. So sad, it had so much potential!
As you stated, my dear, my perfect moments tend to be songs.
"Hummer" by Smashing Pumpkins. It's the song that was always there in the atmosphere, waiting for someone to carve it out of the air. Each time I listen to it, I hear something I haven't noticed before.
"The Ghost and Number One" by Jellyfish. It has structural brilliance. Melody. Strikingly complex harmonies. Brilliant lyrics. Creative instrumentation. Astounding musicianship. Plus, the bass line is the best ever ever ever, but you have to listen closely to really get it, because there is so much going on in this song.
"The Lady With the Braid" by Dory Previn. Simple, basic, guitar and voice. Simple story of boy-meets-girl becomes brilliant treatise on human frailty. And the way the song uses relative minor keys to change the mood of the song goes perfectly with the construction of the story. Smart smart smart.
"Red Barchetta" by Rush. There is no other song I've heard in which the music goes so perfectly with the lyrics. It feels to me like the sort of music that could tell the entire story simply as an instrumental, and you'd get just as much out of it - like an opera in a language you don't know. You can get the story and the emotions without knowing what is actually being said.
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