BOOKS
On God: An Uncommon Conversation
by Norman Mailer with Michael Lennon
(Random House)
Whatever your thoughts on the recently deceased Norman Mailer — genius, sycophant, journalist, egotist — it’s hard to deny that the man had a unique perspective on society, religion and the battle between good and evil. This book condenses three years of conversations about atheism, Satan, creation and war that Mailer had with his friend and editor Lennon into a slender, wise dialogue.
Mailer — who before his death wrote a novel suggesting that Adolf Hitler was the child of the devil — fervently believed that evil had increased in the last century. From his standpoint, culled from years of interviewing soldiers and murderers on death row, he flatly rejected the idea of atheism as ridiculous. At the same time, he believed that organized religion was equally farcical. The truth, he explained, must be much more complex.
In discussion on topics as varied as ritual, telepathy and reincarnation, On God offers a fascinating look into the mind of one of the most flamboyant thinkers of the 20th century. This complex book is in many ways the graceful culmination of a lifetime spent in thought on the weightiest matters of all. It’s perhaps and quite poignantly the best nonfiction book to have come from Mailer in decades. — Paul Constant
OurSpace: Resisting the Corporate Control of Culture
by Christine Harold
(University of Minnesota Press)
The title, of course, is a play on the narcissistic nature of MySpace’s name, but OurSpace isn’t just a polemic against the popular “social” networking site that’s owned by Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp. In fact, it’s a broad look at anti-corporate, anti-consumerist activities in the Western world. Harold studies various methods of culture jamming to determine whether they actually work to inform the masses against corporate culture.
We learn that the results have been varied. Harold has some harsh words for Adbusters magazine and its recent attempts to sell the BlackSpot, an “unbranded” shoe. She is in favor of Kieron Dwyer, a comics artist who created a Starbucks parody logo emblazoned with the words “Consumer Whore,” which features a mermaid holding a cell phone wearing a giant dollar sign crown. Dwyer was successfully sued by Starbucks for trademark dilution via tarnishment.
From guerrilla protesters who throw pies in the faces of prominent figures in the international sociopolitical community to people who create gender reassignment by switching the voice boxes in talking G.I. Joe and Barbie dolls, Harold provides a good overview of the world today and what citizens are doing to create a space free of corporate control. — P.C.
MUSIC
Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic
Stories by Amy Friedman, Music by Laura Hall
Poet and Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes said it best: the simplest ingredient for healing is stories. And what could be better than legends about a Nigerian tortoise, a Chinese dragon and an Australian kangaroo? Animal Magic, a one hour CD (the second in the Tell Me a Story series), is full of folktales from seven countries around the world. Amy Friedman writes the adaptations of the myths, Laura Hall sets them to music and a variety of actors read them on CD. Each folktale offers insights into the condition of humanity and the state of our planet. “Cricket’s Song” examines how all living beings are dependent on other living beings. “Elephant’s Reward” highlights the importance of all creatures living in harmony with each other. A great idea for a child’s holiday gift, the CD isn’t only for kids. Adults will also be reminded of how music and stories can revive our spirits. ($16.95, MythsAndTales.com). — Jenny Rough
The Rusalka Cycle (Diaphonica)
Kitka
More than twenty years after the nuclear fallout in Chernobyl, the incident has become part of our collective past — for the most part. While scouting and studying native rusalka folk songs, the nine-woman group, Kitka, journeyed from San Francisco to the Ukraine. Along the way they stumbled on a daunting realization: Radiation still profoundly affects the daily lives of locals. The rusalka are part of regional mythology; spirit relics of women that died untimely deaths, they now inhabit the folklore and music of the Ukraine. Kitka interprets rusalka folklore in this gorgeous nine-song album, embodying the Shiva/Shakti edge between the harmonies of angels and deep, heavy laments — sometimes a cappella, sometimes backed by orchestras or even lone cellos. Their dedication is simultaneously ecological and mythological, capturing the spirit and sound of a politically tortured and culturally rich region. — Derek Beres
Presents Basement Bhangra (KOCH)
DJ Rekha
Modern bhangra would most likely still be indigenous to London and India had Rekha Malhotra not launched Basement Bhangra in New York’s Tribeca in 1997. Ten years into the monthly gathering, DJ Rekha drops her first album, an exceptional seventeen-track compilation which — like the two guarantees at her club nights: first, it will be packed and second, everyone will dance — doesn’t dissapoint. “Basement Bhangra Anthem,” which features Wyclef Jean and Bikram Singh trading vocal duties, engages in the same dance-floor-igniting textures and rhythms. Defined by the stringed tumbi and iktar, and the heavy beat of the dhol, the sound is instantly recognizable, but with an influx of imported bhangra. Meshing the upbeat “Fakir” through Panjabi MC into a Gunjan/Tigerstyle collaboration, Rekha’s sound is immediately diverse — a trend she maintains for over an hour on CD and over a decade behind the turntables. — D.B.