For this review, I read Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island. You might be thinking “Thats a book?! I thought it was a Martin Scorsese movie!” Well it is. It was just a book first. Author Dennis Lehane has a knack for writing phenomenal books that turn into phenomenal movies (Lehane wrote Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.) Anyway, to Shutter Island. Shutter Island tells the story of U.S Marshals Edward “Teddy” Daniels and Chuck Aule as they are sent to Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane to investigate the disappearance of inmate and multiple murderess Rachel Solando. As they deepen their investigation, a bigger picture becomes revealed. A picture of horrifying surgeries and radical experimental treatments. Meanwhile, a massive hurricane strikes the island, knocking out communications and electricity (ergo security measures.) Teddy and Chuck struggle for their lives and their sanity as the truth becomes revealed. Lehane establishes these two characters as well as others including Chief Of Medicine Dr. John Cawley, Daniels’ dead wife Dolores Chanel, inmate George Noyce among others. Lehane makes characters that are deeply defined in their goals and their methods of achieving them. As for the writing, it is flawless. Lehane creates a sense of being lost in a world where there is no truth and no information can be trusted as well as creating suspense that equals that of Stephen King or even Hitchcock himself. But the main reason why I love this book (and why you should either read it, see the movie or both) is a certain major plot twist that is one of the most breathtaking surprises that I’ve ever read or seen. When I read it, I literally flung the book across the room, not wanting it to be true. I cannot recommend Shutter Island highly enough. And I am very anxious to see what Scorsese and DiCaprio do with one of my new favorite books.
This looks like it could be the next classic teen flick; it’s based on a novel by C.D. Payne, which is already a classic from what I hear. Check out both, I know I will.
Jerry on the left and Abbie on the right. Both men were Revolutionary Yippies! in the 1960s, but who is cooler?
Hoffman was funnier
Rubin was zanier
Hoffman wrote more books including the incendiary Steal This Book
Rubin’s Do iT! is the best Yippie! book and far more colorful (plenty of pics, many displaying nude babes), wacky, and radical than any of Abbie’s, though his contain similar elements.
Hoffman staged more pranks: Throwing money over the New York Stock Exchange, levitating the Pentagon
Rubin was arguably more militant or “freakier.” He considered Charles Manson an inspiration and even chatted with him for hours in prison.
Hoffman was a member of SNCC in his early days
Rubin was active in the Free Speech Movement in his early days, though he made some Civil Rights protests as well
Hoffman wore an inverted Amerikan flag on his shirt
Rubin wore the Viet Cong (he spelled it Kong) flag on his shirt
Hoffman heard Castro speak
Rubin personally met him (if I’m not mistaken)
Hoffman has several biographies of him and including his own as well as an entertaining biopic called Steal This Movie
Rubin once stormed the halls of Congress half nude, dressed up in American Revolutionary attire, complete with war paint and ammunition, albeit a toy gun!
Hoffman along with Jefferson Airplane singer, Grace Slick once attempted to slip a hit of LSD into president Nixon’s coffee, but they never made it inside the White House
Rubin became a yuppie when the war ended: stockbroker, businessman,etc.
Hoffman was forced underground and became an environmentalist, when he rose above ground he continued his activism with the War On Drugs, and the CIAs sadistic, murderous involvement in Latin America as major targets
Well, I could go on and on here. Basically, both men were heroic and should be revered for their tactics, ideals, and for making revolution fun. So, who wins?……………
Abbie! because he never sold out and more importantly because of his unique form of media manipulation, which ultimately led to social change and gave people some laughs (or the jitters!).
Here’s some history in motion; this is Abbie right before the Chicago Democratic National Convention protests which culminated in him and seven others (including Rubin) being tried and convicted (though the decision was eventually reversed) for conspiracy to incite riots at the Convention:
The new Recommended Reading and Best of 2009 sections! Accessible by clicking on the links in this post AND/OR on the right-side navigational panel under the heading “Pages”.
I recently read the novel “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk. Palahniuk(I don’t know how to pronounce his name either) is also the author of the phenomenal “Fight Club” which I also recommend. But the topic at hand is “Choke.” The story follows Victor Mancini, a Med school drop-out who nows works at a living colonial museum, trying to pay for his anarchist mother’s elder care by choking on pieces of food in high end restaurants. He allows people to “save” him and then, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, these people go on to send him checks. He is also dealing with his Fourth Step in a Sexual Addiction recovery workshop. The style of the book is very much kind of inner monologue like. There is dialogue (very funny dialogue at that) but it is a bit sparse. The action takes place in present day but it flashes back to when Victor was, as the book says, “a stupid little shit” and his days of breaking and fleeing the law with his mother. This book is a great satire for anyone who loves black humor. There is also a movie to accompany it starring Sam Rockwell (which is always a good thing.)
Overall grade: A. A solid read worth your time. Cover for Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke"
Films (in no particular order):
1) It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
2) A Christmas Carol (in any of it’s versions, specifically 1951. I usually attend the play, as I will be in two weeks. One of the few plays I enjoy seeing)
3) A Christmas Story (1983)
4) Home Alone (1990)
5) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
6) The Santa Claus (1994)
7) Edward Scissorhands (1990) (okay, so only towards the end of the film this is applicable, but for me it gets me in the mood)
8) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (I suppose this is more apropos for Halloween)
9) Bad Santa (2003)
10) Die Hard (1988)
Tv:
1) The Simpsons- Most of their Christmas specials are worthy, but specifically, “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire” (1989)
2) South Park- Same deal as above, but especially “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” (1997)
3) Family Guy- “A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas” (2001)
4) At least one Johnny Cash Special
5) Dr.Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1964)
6) Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)
7) Frosty The Snowman (1969)
8) It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (2009)- Potentially Must See because the show is great, but I have not yet seen this special
9) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
10) SNL- various skits
Reading: A Christmas Carol By:Charles Dickens (1843) A Story A Day Till Christmas Various Authors (1985) The Catcher in the Rye By: J.D. Salinger (1951)
I usually end up viewing only half of these! But, either way, I have a lot of work to do and I recommend others to watch/ read them too. I would recommend music, but that will take too long. I’ll save it for another day. To kick things off, here’s Adam Sandler in a classic SNL skit. It’s too bad that Youtube doesn’t have the actual video, oh well.
Gotta remind myself that this might be worth the $5:
The Best of Me + You Vol. 1 compiles over 30 exclusive interviews and songs recorded at the Viva Radio’s Brooklyn studios between 2007 and 2009 for the station’s signature original program. Hosted by the inimitable Tedward, Me + You gives listeners an intimate and often whimsical look at artists that both shy from the spotlight and swarm to it like white on rice.
The Best of Me + You features interviews and songs from true-blooded American rock singer & composer Andrew W.K., French electronic minimalist / sex enthusiast Sebastien Tellier, DIG darlings The Dandy Warhols, brother-sister concept artists The Fiery Furnaces, drone and ambient duo Growing, Memphis rock n’ roller Jay Reatard, Columbus Ohio low fi purveyors Times New Viking, legendary punk pioneers The Homosexuals, new school punk torch bearers The Black Lips, Brooklyn frenzied instrumentalists Fiasco, and many many more!
The digital compilation comes with a beautiful 32 page zine documenting the behind-the-scenes hijinx with pictures and insider anecdotes. The compilation is available with purchase of the limited edition Me + You t-shirt or separately for the nice price of $5.00. Pick up your copy today!
Title: Black Panthers Speak Author(s): Phillip S. Foner. Includes writings by all your favorite Panthers: Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael, amongst others. Year: 1995 Pages: 328 Good Guys: Black Panthers and some of their vanilla comrades who fought beside them in the black struggle Bad Guys: Oppressive, White AmeriKKKA: Police, businesses, the entire U.S. Government (particularly the most rotten pigs, the FBI), and average, apathetic, ignorant citizens My Rating: A-
Why Subversive?:
I suppose it is “strange” for a white, suburban kid to walk around, clutching a book of militant black politics demonizing the wahhitte man and all his evils. But, then again I am a “strange” guy. So, why did I read this gem of incendiary material? Well, two main reasons: 1) I’m chiefly a propagandist, if anything. Without a doubt the Panthers are accountable for some truly outstanding propaganda. They are completely biased, unabashedly, may I add and write for their side/interests. The point of their works is not to offer you a fair look at how our society works or how certain events went down. Ohh no, they share their perspective of what it is like to be a free-thinking black revolutinary in an extremely racist and violent country that does not value them as human beings. If one were to read “objective” newspapers of the day they would not have the same reaction. The media was never fair to the Panthers, because they served and still serve the government. So, the Panthers fought the mainstream propaganda with their own propaganda and successfully did so. Crucial events such as the Chicago Conspiracy trial, Huey P. Newton’s manslaughter charge, the brutal murder of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark at the hands of Chicago Police with connection to the FBI are discussed extensively. 2) This book has helped me better understand how fucked up our nation was and still is and how ignorant, we white Americans are. Of course, by reading this or anything else, it does not immediately make me an expert on race relations and I certainly can not say I understand what it was or still is like to be a minority in the US of A. But, it does offer me an awareness of the American Nightmare for blacks, minorities, revolutionaries, and especially black revolutionaries (longer sentences than white revolutionaries). If the Weathermen were black they would all have been imprisoned. For those that doubt the sinister nature of our government, please look through the lens of the black experience in America. If you are privileged and white, then you will not be able to relate to it, but you will have a better understanding of how our vicious, racist system works.
I’m not saying I agree with all the Panthers’ tactics, but this subversive book at least demonstrates how positive and successful the Panthers were in their individual communities. They were a national organization and in each of their many chapters, they had schools, free breakfast for children programs, free medical clinics, and drug rehabilitation for poverty-stricken blacks. Unfortunately, history textbooks and other media outlets place too much emphasis on the violent conflicts and militancy of the Party and not as much focus on their positive, survival programs. Don’t get me wrong, the militancy was an important factor, after all their name was the “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense” and these were clearly violent times with extreme Police Brutality. In the following video, Co-founder, Bobby Seale details the Party’s Ten Point Program/Platform:
If you like this subversive book and/or want to learn more about the Black Panthers, the Black Struggle, or racist white scumfucks, then I recommend the following:
Soul On Ice By: Eldridge Cleaver Seize the Time By: Bobby Seale The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told To Alex Healy Malcolm X Speaks Live From Death Row By: Mumia Abu-Jamal
Seen above are Co-Founders, Bobby Seale, Chairman (left) and Huey P. Newton, Minister of Defense (right). Very badass.
I’m going to throw out some titles and deem whether I feel the novel/book or the film was better. Of course I’m only including works I’ve both read and viewed.
1) Fight Club– Film (novel was very close though)
2) Willy Wonka/ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– Film (1971)
3) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest– Film
4) The Shining– Novel (I love the film too)
5) A Clockwork Orange-Film
6) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas– Novel
7) Fast Times At Ridgemont High– Film
8) The Motorcycle Diaries– Novel
9) Manufacturing Consent Book
10) The Outsiders– Novel
11) The Autobiography of Malcolm X– Book
12) To Kill A Mockingbird-Novel
13) Of Mice and Men– Novella
14) Julius Caesar– Play
15) Macbeth– Play
16) A Christmas Carol– Novella
17) A Separate Peace Novel
18) Girl, Interrupted– Novel
19) American Hardcore– Book
20) The Great Gatsby– Novel
So, what does politics mean to me? That’s a surprisingly difficult question for me to answer, but by the end of this paper, I’m sure I will have the perfect response. For most kids my age, politics means nothing to them, at least it appears that way. For some strange reason my brain is completely engulfed in politics. Well sort of…. When I say politics, I don’t mean typical CNN headlines or vapid Congressional hearings. When I think of fascinating politics I conjure up an image of Abbie Hoffman decked out in his inverted American Flag tee shirt holding a demonstration or Howard Zinn giving a lecture to an audience of intrigued students. I often hear the term, “political junkie.” I suppose I’m more of a “subversive junkie.”
Every day the aforementioned subversive politics enters my psyche one way or another. While other teens chat about fantasy baseball teams, my comrades and I propose our fantasy political systems. One of my amigos desires a classic free market, laissez-faire, libertarian society. Another friend terrifyingly insists fascism is the path of sound politics. I personally find anarchism to be the most appealing (and most misunderstood) political philosophy. Although, I initially favored socialism. Anyway, I also co-run a blog that often features strong social/political commentary of the radical persuasion. I read dozens of dissident books, essays, and articles over the year. Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent and Jerry Rubin’s Do iT! can be found on my bookshelf, just to name a few. My friends and family make every effort to eschew engaging in debates with me because they know how much I love political bull sessions. Like most folks, I love You Tubing ridiculously funny videos, but most of the time I use this enormous resource to discover alternative forms of media, which are anonymous in the mainstream, to inform myself on how the system truly works. I do however maintain an open mind and always question anything and everything I hear, conventional or unconventional.
Being of the leftist political affiliation, I have just a tad bit of cynicism for our system. I see America as two entities: the people and the government. In an ideal society these two are one and therefore no one has to obey orders from illegitimate authority. As denizens of this great country it is our duty today to push for this kind of government for tomorrow. Since, few politicians share this view of our nation, I don’t trust 99% of them. I believe they are merely corporate stooges in the Evil Empire. With that being said, there are a select few here and there that I like and/or endorse. These include Ralph Nader (above all), Cynthia McKinney, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, and Ron Paul, whom actually has a completely different ideology than myself, but I greatly admire for maintaining integrity in an arena where such a word is foreign. I side with him on ending the Military Industrial Complex, prohibition (the War on Drugs), the Patriot Act/FISA legislation, and the Federal Reserve.
So, to answer the title question: what does politics mean to me? I suppose it means a system in which some people win and some people lose. A system where the people in power are only concerned with their own interests and maintaining that power. But, based on my influences, there is a solid dose of resistance against this system that can never be curtailed.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 