TOP 100 BOOK SITES
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| Q&A: 'Literarian' Dave Eggers talks about the writing life After co-scripting the screenplay for Where the Wild Things Are and writing a novelization, Dave Eggers has signed a movie deal ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Letter From Istanbul: Mr. Pamuk’s Neighborhood In fashionable Nisantasi, the kind of people featured in Orhan Pamuk’s new novel don’t always like the attention. feeds.nytimes.com |
Win every book on the Costa book awards shortlist Your chance to win all 20 books on the Costa book awards shortlist feeds.guardian.co.uk |
McGee on music: Jack White and the wonders of spoken word Spoken word has become a lost art in rock'n'roll – so give thanks to the White Stripes frontman for reviving the genre"I believe in vinyl records/I believe in MP3/I believe in Tutti Frutti/I believe in R&B/I believe in psychedelics/I believe in LSD." The above words are from BP Fallon's spoken word and rock'n'roll instructional record I Believe in Elvis Presley. Fallon is a personal friend, cultural raconteur, DJ, writer, photographer, and now a musical spoken-word poet (with the help of Jack White's Third Man Records). Fallon is indeed a legend, having worked with Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and T-Rex. I Believe in Elvis Presley – a call to arms for the post-internet generation – is coming out as a three-sided spoken word 7" on Third Man. It could, in itself, be a manifesto for Third Man Records with its shared belief in the blues, MP3s and classic vinyl. Third Man Industries is fascinating. It's another faction of what can be reasonably called "the music industry of Jack White". And in the days of the failing major label, it's become more of a figurehead than just a vanity venture, comprising a record shop, studio and label, not to mention the successful documentary Under the Great Northern Lights. White's perfectionism is legendary, and his obsessive tendencies are close to the ideals of Phil Spector. (I love the tales of Third Man employees made to wear black and yellow uniforms at all times.) The label has indeed thrown up some great surprises, whether it be the Dead Weather, Smoke Fairies (the Velvets meets Vashti), the return of Dexter Romweber (Flat Duo Jets) or solo tracks by Jack White on Fly Farm Blues. Third Man releases great rock'n'roll records, recorded by Jack White, produced by Jack White and put out by Jack White.I find his efforts to revive the spoken-word genre from obscurity to be fascinating. BP Fallon's album is the second spoken-word release by Third Man; White is also releasing inspirational tracts from Carl Sagan's Cosmos. It was the magnificent Joe Foster of Rev-Ola Records who made me realise that spoken word could be a musical art form. At Creation, we used to love spoken word. We once released the street poetry of Cassius Clay's I Am the Greatest. It's still a cool reminder that the rhymes of Clay, aka Muhammad Ali, were one of the many, many reasons he was the greatest entertainer of all time.The Beats started the spoken-word genre with stunning albums by Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. They were all strong statements of atmospheric intent and a radical mixture of jazz and poetry. Nonetheless, spoken-word albums are a lost art today. It's a sad state of affairs. I mean – who can forget the jazz poetry of Ken Nordine? Or the astrology-inspired Moog psychedelia of Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds?Maybe it was the humorous and kitschy cash-ins by celebrities who turned people against spoken word. I mean, just look at William Shatner's The Transformed Man! Through his "acting", he transformed the spoken-word album into unintended comedy. Or how about the frankly bizarre Beatles readings by Bill Cosby? Or the overwrought poetry of Jim Morrison (Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine)? Or the emo psychotherapy of Henry Rollins? Whatever the reason, somehow spoken word died. With the release of BP Fallon and Carl Sagan's spoken-word singles, White has laid another cool layer of authenticity on to his pop-culture empire. White's attempts to resurrect the art form should be championed.Pop and rockThe White StripesJack KerouacWilliam BurroughsPoetryAlan McGeeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Books of The Times: Trying to Paint the Deity by Numbers Against a Backdrop of Jewish Culture A big, ambitious novel that is nominally about God but unfolds on the earthly plane, following an academic who finds success with a best seller on atheism. feeds.nytimes.com |