Whatcha reading?

[Kimmelweck]

I assume this is the story: https://historyofyesterday.com/franklin ... se-defeat/

A friend and colleague is an FDR scholar, so I'm obliged to pass this on to completely wreck his syllabus.

Ha, that’s gotta be it! Can’t believe you found that. I recalled a blow dart to the chest, but I guess it was to the back of the head. I read about it around 36 years ago, so my memory is a little vague.

First hit googling "fdr ninjas." Dystopia aside, the internet demonstrates its worth.

Too funny. To this day, when someone mentions ninjas, that’s what I think about. Shame what they did to FDR.

[Dr. Medulla]

I assume this is the story: https://historyofyesterday.com/franklin ... se-defeat/

A friend and colleague is an FDR scholar, so I'm obliged to pass this on to completely wreck his syllabus.

Ha, that’s gotta be it! Can’t believe you found that. I recalled a blow dart to the chest, but I guess it was to the back of the head. I read about it around 36 years ago, so my memory is a little vague.

First hit googling "fdr ninjas." Dystopia aside, the internet demonstrates its worth.

Too funny. To this day, when someone mentions ninjas, that’s what I think about. Shame what they did to FDR.

Someone with serious 'shop skills needs to place a ninja in random frames of the Zapruder film, culminating with the headshot, making it seem like the ninja can move 200 mph.

[Kory]

I really only keep up with X-titles anymore, and those are starting to vary pretty wildly in quality. I like that there are so many mutant characters, but it means they need to have a jillion titles just to satisfy every reader's need to see their favorite character. Makes me wish I was more into FF or something else that just has the one book (though I do like them, and I've heard the recent Dan Slott stuff is pretty good—it's just that nothing will replace X-Men as my primary interest). I'm subscribed to both current DD and Dr. Strange, but I haven't had the motivation yet to actually read them.

The real quality is in non-Marvel/DC books, so that's where I spend most of my money.

I read (i.e., pirate) Spider-man, FF, DD, and Captain America, albeit more out of habit than genuine enjoyment. Of them all, Spider-man has been the best of late, but I'm not exactly panting for more. The main thing that I want is to be excited for the next issue to find out what happens next, but I rarely get that with contemporary comics. Honestly, Brubaker/Phillips are the only people in the comics biz that generate legit excitement for me.

Established superheroes (and even new ones) are at a disadvantage. How can you possibly hope to do anything unique with them with that much history behind them? Everything's been done or rehashed—like a long-running show such as the Simpsons. I get a lot of value out of other publishers like Image, Boom, D+Q, etc. who have more diverse genres.

[Dr. Medulla]

I really only keep up with X-titles anymore, and those are starting to vary pretty wildly in quality. I like that there are so many mutant characters, but it means they need to have a jillion titles just to satisfy every reader's need to see their favorite character. Makes me wish I was more into FF or something else that just has the one book (though I do like them, and I've heard the recent Dan Slott stuff is pretty good—it's just that nothing will replace X-Men as my primary interest). I'm subscribed to both current DD and Dr. Strange, but I haven't had the motivation yet to actually read them.

The real quality is in non-Marvel/DC books, so that's where I spend most of my money.

I read (i.e., pirate) Spider-man, FF, DD, and Captain America, albeit more out of habit than genuine enjoyment. Of them all, Spider-man has been the best of late, but I'm not exactly panting for more. The main thing that I want is to be excited for the next issue to find out what happens next, but I rarely get that with contemporary comics. Honestly, Brubaker/Phillips are the only people in the comics biz that generate legit excitement for me.

Established superheroes (and even new ones) are at a disadvantage. How can you possibly hope to do anything unique with them with that much history behind them? Everything's been done or rehashed—like a long-running show such as the Simpsons. I get a lot of value out of other publishers like Image, Boom, D+Q, etc. who have more diverse genres.

I fundamentally agree. I think the way out is to not even try to do anything unique and just work a formula without worrying about "this changes everything" stories. For people who think that's boring (and it might be me there), well, you're not the audience anymore. But that's better than muddy storytelling that seeks to shock and disrupt first and foremost.

[Dr. Medulla]

From my colleague:

[Kimmelweck]

From my colleague:

Nice.

Sounds like he was already aware of the unfortunate truth surrounding FDR’s demise?

[Dr. Medulla]

From my colleague:

Nice.

Sounds like he was already aware of the unfortunate truth surrounding FDR’s demise?

Nope. Something he quickly whipped up.

[Kimmelweck]

From my colleague:

Nice.

Sounds like he was already aware of the unfortunate truth surrounding FDR’s demise?

Nope. Something he quickly whipped up.

Oh, he knows. They all know….

[Dr. Medulla]

I’ve abandoned Maya because it’s flat-out fucking boring and moved onto this Beach Boys book. I thought about possibly using it in my rock class next year, but it’s way too long for student attention spans, so I’m reading it for myself.

[Flex]

https://beachboyslegacy.com/img/books/1 ... -cover.jpg
I’ve abandoned Maya because it’s flat-out fucking boring and moved onto this Beach Boys book. I thought about possibly using it in my rock class next year, but it’s way too long for student attention spans, so I’m reading it for myself.

Despite my Beachitudinal allegiance, I've never actually read this one, even though I understand it's sort of the ur-text by which most other serious Beach Boys critique and documentation has flowed from. I'd be pretty curious what you make of it.

I have David Leaf's God Only Knows: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys & The California Myth on my desk just waiting to be read. Would love to get to it sometime in the first quarter of this year. I heard some fans complain it's too salacious and dishy at times, which made it sound like a fun read.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://beachboyslegacy.com/img/books/1 ... -cover.jpg
I’ve abandoned Maya because it’s flat-out fucking boring and moved onto this Beach Boys book. I thought about possibly using it in my rock class next year, but it’s way too long for student attention spans, so I’m reading it for myself.

Despite my Beachitudinal allegiance, I've never actually read this one, even though I understand it's sort of the ur-text by which most other serious Beach Boys critique and documentation has flowed from. I'd be pretty curious what you make of it.

I'll let you know. I'm only a couple chapters in. The second chapter is an exceedingly tedious account of the Wilson family in Kansas in the 19th century. I know it's a tough thing to figure out how far back to go, but, c'mon, get to the fireworks factory. Also, somehow I've never known that Brian is deaf in one ear (it's mentioned in chapter one). That only makes his genius all the more remarkable. The author also compliments Bruce Johnston in that first chapter, which made me think of Hoy's coward line and I smiled.

I have David Leaf's God Only Knows: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys & The California Myth on my desk just waiting to be read. Would love to get to it sometime in the first quarter of this year. I heard some fans complain it's too salacious and dishy at times, which made it sound like a fun read.

If it's salacious at the expense of Mike, anyone who complains is a moron.

[Silent Majority]

2) Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen - Donald Miller. Audiobook. 2017. A more up to date marketing book than the previous, foundational one with its implied derisive ignorance of those nerds in their mothers' basements on the internet. This was based around creating narratives and was smug as hell about storytelling from a monomyth Joseph Campbell perspective. "This book will ruin movies, I warn you." Nah, I don't watch bad formulaic mercenary trash. Thanks though. Useful for clarifying a message for a business, fooling itself if it thinks it's giving good writing advice.

3) Chief Customer Officer 2.0 - Jeanne Bliss. Audiobook. 2016. This was useful for my job as it was geared exactly towards it. Man, I loathe capitalism.

[Dr. Medulla]

2) Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen - Donald Miller. Audiobook. 2017. A more up to date marketing book than the previous, foundational one with its implied derisive ignorance of those nerds in their mothers' basements on the internet. This was based around creating narratives and was smug as hell about storytelling from a monomyth Joseph Campbell perspective. "This book will ruin movies, I warn you." Nah, I don't watch bad formulaic mercenary trash. Thanks though. Useful for clarifying a message for a business, fooling itself if it thinks it's giving good writing advice.

3) Chief Customer Officer 2.0 - Jeanne Bliss. Audiobook. 2016. This was useful for my job as it was geared exactly towards it. Man, I loathe capitalism.

In my imagination, I see all these business books as fundamentally this:

[Silent Majority]

2) Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen - Donald Miller. Audiobook. 2017. A more up to date marketing book than the previous, foundational one with its implied derisive ignorance of those nerds in their mothers' basements on the internet. This was based around creating narratives and was smug as hell about storytelling from a monomyth Joseph Campbell perspective. "This book will ruin movies, I warn you." Nah, I don't watch bad formulaic mercenary trash. Thanks though. Useful for clarifying a message for a business, fooling itself if it thinks it's giving good writing advice.

3) Chief Customer Officer 2.0 - Jeanne Bliss. Audiobook. 2016. This was useful for my job as it was geared exactly towards it. Man, I loathe capitalism.

In my imagination, I see all these business books as fundamentally this:

Probably got a dozen more of these to go this year.

[Silent Majority]

4) Comedy of Errors - William Shakespeare. 1594. Audio performance listened to and read. Puns aside, Shakespeare had a brutal sense of humour, with great laughs expected from scenes of people getting beaten up. Very Ade Edmondson in that way. Some beautiful language, particularly in the fifth act. Taming of the Shrew next.