Nick Drake had a short career, publishing two albums which got little attention, then he released the acoustic solo album Pink Moon in 1972. It had mixed reviews, but there was a number of critics and followers who thought it was top-notch, a blend of singer-songwriter blues, melancholy, and creativity. He had depression and mental health issues, though and he died of an overdose in 1974 at age 26.
Since his death, there are still some dedicated fans, enjoying his honest, but rhythmically complex songs. The title track to his solo album is a simple song and it is included here-
Outsider – An Old Man, a Mountain, and the Search for a Hidden Past is the story
of Dag Aabye, told by journalist Brett Popplewell. Dag was born in Norway and was orphaned at the end of World War II. He was brought up by foster parents, but the shadow of suspicion is that he was the child of a Nazi soldier and a German sympathizer. He would have been the heir to an estate in Norway, but he left and traveled to Chile, the United States, and Canada to ski and to work teaching skiing. He skied some extreme slops and he is sometimes thought of as the father of extreme skiing. He married, had children, and worked as a logger, but in the last 20 years, he has been divorced and estranged from his family. He lives in a bus in the bush on the slopes of Silver Star Mountain near Vernon. He turned to ultramarathoning and ran for hours every day, competing in the Ultra Death Race as the oldest competitor. At 78 he still runs on trails every day and lives in the bush without electricity, running water, or any other services. He keeps detailed journals and finds a positive spin to every day’s challenges.
The story is a journalist’s enquiry into his life. The author befriends Dag, reads his journals, interviews him and his family members, travels to Norway, and does heritage work to find out the truth of his parents and his beginnings. It is well-written and an easy read. On a personal level, I had seen Dag running at Silver Star and possibly in ultra races but didn’t know anything about him. I had run ultramarathons too. I had known and run with other runners who ran long distances every day, but we all went back to our warm homes afterwards, not to an unheated bus.
Although Dag is somewhat unique in his view of the world, I question the wisdom of some of the decisions he had made. He claims to be happy, though, and there are many people who have a home, an income, and a social life that aren’t. Sometimes the story is a little unsettling. Maybe that’s a good thing.
John Prine wrote Hello in There in 1971. It is a song about aging, loneliness, and isolation:
“So if you’re walking down the street sometime and you spot some hollow ancient eyes, please don’t just pass them by and stare, as if you didn’t care. Say ‘Hello in there,’”
The song is full of heart-felt empathy and poignancy and has been reinterpreted a number of times to become one of our culture’s best songs. John Prine wrote many songs, but this one resonates very strongly with listeners.
Project Hail Mary is a sustained, entertaining science fiction novel. There is lots of science and engineering, many quips and lots of banter, several plot twists, and some excitement, providing ongoing tension throughout. Best of all, there is a pervading sense of wonder, following a “what-if” premise developed by the author.
The story starts with Ryland Grace waking up, alone on a spaceship, not knowing who he was, why he was there, nor where he is heading. As the story fills in the background, we find out he is alone and on a long journey to save the planet. We later find out he was a reluctant astronaut, and not really qualified to be the only person on such an important mission. At his destination, he is surprised to see that an alien spaceship is orbiting the targeted planet, orbiting Tau Ceti.
The best part of the book was the interaction between Ryland and the alien Rocky. From first contact to the final paragraph, it is the “shining element” of the novel. Universal themes of friendship, courage, ingenuity, and service to a noble cause are wound into the fabric of the tale. The final part of the book was a perfect choice, ironic, but a fitting conclusion.
Project Hail Mary is a rewarding science fiction book and is highly recommended.
Hey, That’s No way to Say Goodbye was released in 1967 on Leonard Cohen’s album Songs of Leonard Cohen. It is a song about the waning of a relationship. It is written as a folk song, but with emotional depth that shows acceptance and reflection. Cohen was a poet and the lyrics have a melancholy conversational tone.
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
in city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
but now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
This book is a bit of a dupe. The author uses a gimmick to attract a select audience. The first two chapters are full of f-bombs, hyperbole, illogical generalizations, and unstructured conclusions. By chapter three he settles into more of a logical pattern and traditional language. The messages are not new. They are recycled, but restated in a social-media type of diatribe. Yet, there are some good insights here and there.
Overall, though, it is written using a gimmick to attract the interest of a younger audience who may be looking for some informal thoughts on coping with the modern world. The book feels like a conversation in a bar after a few drinks and, in a stupor, it may sound wise and meaningful. When the hangover subsides, the book is a forgettable experience.
Tears in Heaven was written and performed by Eric Clapton after the death of his 4 year old son, who fell from the 53rd floor of an apartment building. After a period of reclusion and mourning, he wanted to take on a project, writing a personal song for the soundtrack of a film. The song was later released on Clapton’s album Unplugged. It became a number one song, won 3 Grammy awards and eventually reached Platinum status.
The early performances were heartfelt and mesmerizing and after so many years, the song is part of us, a reminder of what it might be like to lose someone.
The Searcher is a modern-day western set in Ireland. Cal Hooper is a divorced, retired American who has moved to rural western Ireland, looking for peace, trying to leave behind a lifetime of police work and a broken marriage. He picks a run-down house on the lower slopes of the mountain and sets about to fix it up, go fishing, and get a fresh start. There are secrets in the village, though, and a young teenager (Trey) asks him for help in find a brother who has gone missing. The story moves along slowly. Characters, dialogue, and local color are well-developed and detailed. It is partly a mystery, partly a crime story, partly a slow-burning thriller, but it is mostly a well-crafted novel about finding one’s moral compass. A lesser writer may have clearly-defined good guys and bad guys, but the characters of this novel are ordinary people who face difficult choices and must call on themselves to make the right decisions and actions, regardless of the accepted laws, what the police may require, and what people might think. Cal, Trey, Cal’s neighbor Mart, and Lena allow us into their complex inner lives, and we are asked to understand and we are challenged to decide what we might do in the same situation.
Tana French is a gifted writer who brings creative insights and clever plots, unexpected twists, and rich layers of complexity to her books. The Searcher is one of her best [4.8/5].
The song “Vincent” has long been a favorite. Don McClean wrote it after reading a book about Vincent van Gogh. The song starts off with a reference to a painting (Starry, Starry Night).
Starry, starry nightPaint your palette blue and greyLook out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the treesand the daffodilsCatch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen landNow I understand
What you tried to say to meAnd how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know howPerhaps they'll listen now
This is a poignant and artistic song worth listening to. I have continued to have it on my own playlists now for a half century.
Razorblade Tears is a thriller novel by S.A. Crosby. Two hard ex-cons unite after their sons are brutally murdered. Although the fathers were homophobes and were distanced from their gay sons, they did love them in their own silent and rough manner. One of the fathers is black and the other is a somewhat racist white man, but they find common ground to seek justice for their sons. They soon come to realize that they will need to exact revenge themselves and what follows are raw, action-packed sequences, with lots of blood spilled. Between these sections, the fathers reconcile their feelings for their families and vow to protect those who are left. This is a quick-moving visceral story, well-crafted by the author. Recommended, but with a note about the level of violence. 4.4/5 stars.
