The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by
Alexandra Robbins My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's been a long time since I was in high school, but Robbins does an excellent job of transporting you back to those times and what were the typical concerns of the age. She followed a handful of smart kids at a prestigious school as they applied to colleges and followed one renowned scholar from the same school during his freshman year in college.
Of course, what made this book interesting is to compare my experience to theirs. If she would have written a book 13 years ago called _The Underachievers_ I probably could have made an appearance.
Also, hooray for her decision to include practical suggestions to improve the lives of high school kids preparing for college, rather than just bemoan the situation of education in America.
View all my reviews.
Here's Your Homework...
Compare and contrast the voices of Howlin' Wolf and Tom Waits.
And....go!
More substantial updates to follow, I promise.
Whatcha Listenin' To?
Where the Light Is: Live in Los Angeles John Mayer
On Cara’s recommendation I listened to this and she was right on, Mayer’s playing in the Trio setting dovetails nicely with the Hendrix I’ve been listening to as of late. In fact, he does a couple of Hendrix tunes, “Bold as Love,” and “Wait ‘Til Tomorrow.”
One thing is apparent with this recording. You can tell just by his guitar tones and the way he plays that he has spent time as a scholar of the strat-playing blues guys like Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His singing voice even sounds like SRV at times. This guy obviously has some skill on the guitar. He also has things to say in his songwriting- my two favorites being “Daughters” and “Gravity.”
But what’s interesting is that all of the preceding is usually said about obscure artists in the back of
Guitar World magazine, not guys who have had sentimental hits on the radio. Mayer is a famous dude. College girls probably think he is the greatest thing since sliced Dave Matthews. And, for once, I’m fine with that. He is a talented person who plays music with feeling and thought. He should be revered. I need to listen to more of his stuff.
Chicago Chicago
Speaking of talented guys who obviously breathe music…This is a pretty cool album in that it is so ambitious. You can tell they were interested in music that went beyond the structural conventions of pop music: verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. These guys were making songs that segued into each other and had extended instrumental sections, all the while maintaining a pop sound that translated to radio pretty easily, (with big edits) and of course, there are the horns which open up a whole world of possibilities, texturally-speaking.
…And then the 80s came and crushed this spirit of experimentalism as it did with so many bands…
The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind Osvaldo Golijov
This is another guy who comes recommended. He is a composer in the “classical tradition,” meaning his music is obviously written down and performed in auditoriums in front of dressed-up people but man! I would bet you’ve never heard music like this unless you live in Brooklyn with a bunch of Hassidic Jews.
For there are some very strong klezmer (Yiddish or Jewish folk music) gestures, which automatically sets it apart from the other 99% of music I’ve heard in the last year. It’s amazing how a handful of modal scales can evoke such an ancient sorrow or such a fun lightness, mainly by changing the tempo.
Anyway, this is really interesting listening and I recommend you check it out from the library if you are local.
It Only Took a Couple Days...
...And at the start of the new year, every unemployed, uninsured, young mother-to-be who can barely gather together the mental faculties to take down a phone number is looking for a doctor who will basically see them for free.
While I don't blame these ladies for being uninsured, and don't fully blame them for even being unemployed, I do wish that they would wait before deciding to bring another human being into the wreck of their lives. Maybe wait until they are in their mid-twenties? Does Medicaid pay for birth control? Anyone know?
I hate to start the year with bitching. So, here's the alternative.
My new year's resolution is to buy some of those re-usable bags to use at the grocery store. This just seems too easy! Thanks, Steven, for the practical tip!
