Archive for the ‘RocknRoll’ Category

Why Do We Care About Literary Awards?

Posted: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 in Literary Awards, Publishing, Recommended, RocknRoll
Tags: , , ,

Why Do We Care About Literary Awards?

Excellent question. Mark O’ Connor argues that expecting literary prizes to be about literary achievement makes about as much sense as arguing that Grammies should award a prize to The Minutemen.

When you put it that way…  I mean, who can argue?

Takeaway:

“They’re great for the publishing industry, …the handful of writers who win them… But I don’t think anyone …should be looking for them to accurately reflect what’s really happening — what is truly vital and new and exciting — in contemporary fiction… “

Recommended–well worth reading.

Best Reads, 2010 (Music and Memoir)

Posted: Friday, December 31, 2010 in Best Books, Classical Music, Dylan, ezra pound, Fiction, Highly Recommended, Recommended, RocknRoll
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

These are the best books Bat Terrier read this year. (Disclosure: no books by friends on this list.)

Popular Music

Classical Music

The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth  Century, Alex Ross

Memoir

Should Dylan Bag It?

Posted: Saturday, December 18, 2010 in Dylan, Polls, RocknRoll
Tags: , ,

The  Wall Street Journal‘s John Jurgensen recently opined that Bob Dylan, who at age 69 seems content to wear cowboy hats and croak his way through revamped, often unrecognizable versions of his songs, should finally hang it up and retire.

So should the Voice of a Generation finally quit voicing and make his final Restless Farewell before sauntering off to the shuffleboard circuit? Vote below and feel free to add your opinions in the comments.

Of Interest: Rules for Writing Fiction, Patti Smith Interview, Melville’s Polytheism

Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 in Clipping, Fiction, On Writing, RocknRoll, Video
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Click here for rules for writing fiction, according to Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Richard Ford, Jonathan Franzen, Neil Gaiman, and others.

Jonathon Lethem interviews Patti Smith, who talks about human strength, William Blake, Roberto Bolano, and, of course, writing Just Kids. Link here. Worthy.

Nietzsche said: “God is dead. We have killed him.” Melville tells us what to about it. Link here.

Congratulations to Patti Smith, Goddess of the Known World

Posted: Thursday, November 18, 2010 in Audio Recordings, RocknRoll
Tags: , , , ,

Patti Smith

Last night, Patti Smith won the National Book Award, for her memoir of bohemian life in New York, Just Kids.

*

A long time ago, in another world, the 1970s, Bat Terrier heard Patti Smith sing Lou Reed‘s Pale Blue Eyes and decided she was a goddess. Then came Smith’s first record, Horses, and it was obvious she was a rocker and a poet, too. She said the most amazing things–”those who have suffered understand suffering and thereby extend their hands,” “Jesus died for some somebody’s sins, but not mine.” Bat Terrier has loved her ever since. Her voice is the sound of a heart breaking with compassion for the world. And she’s funny (and wise):

And a true rock goddess:

Congratulations, Patti!