Whatcha reading?

[Wolter]

Stumbled onto an online resource of all the nerd shit I’m into: https://d.lib.rochester.edu

Look at all the impenetrable Middle English texts for me to stagger through. https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/catalog

[Dr. Medulla]

25) Earth Vs Everybody - John Swartzwelder. Kindle. Kind of like as if the Simpsons best writer wrote a Futurama episode.

Is that one of the Burly novels? I've read a bunch of those—maybe even the above—but they all blur together. Generally pretty funny stuff.

[Silent Majority]

25) Earth Vs Everybody - John Swartzwelder. Kindle. Kind of like as if the Simpsons best writer wrote a Futurama episode.

Is that one of the Burly novels? I've read a bunch of those—maybe even the above—but they all blur together. Generally pretty funny stuff.

That's the one. Frank Burly is like season nine Homer Simpson playing a noir detective in a Treehouse of Horror. Like his other novels, Swartzwelder is funny on every page but he's wise to keep his books short because the breakneck pace, lack of characters and Groucho style quips get exhausting near the end. A sugar rush.

[Dr. Medulla]

25) Earth Vs Everybody - John Swartzwelder. Kindle. Kind of like as if the Simpsons best writer wrote a Futurama episode.

Is that one of the Burly novels? I've read a bunch of those—maybe even the above—but they all blur together. Generally pretty funny stuff.

That's the one. Frank Burly is like season nine Homer Simpson playing a noir detective in a Treehouse of Horror. Like his other novels, Swartzwelder is funny on every page but he's wise to keep his books short because the breakneck pace, lack of characters and Groucho style quips get exhausting near the end. A sugar rush.

That's an apt description. The plots, thin as they are, serve only to move from one gag to the next. It works because he knows his tone and doesn't stray, and, well, he's immensely comedically gifted. But the books are sensibly short, like a 30-minute episode, to avoid burnout.

[Flex]

Im re-reading Vince White Power's book on my vacay. Still eminently readable and full of ridiculous lying dialogue.

I'd forgotten he actually straight up channels Thatcher and says "there's no such thing as society." L O fucking L.

[Dr. Medulla]

Im re-reading Vince White Power's book on my vacay. Still eminently readable and full of ridiculous lying dialogue.

I'd forgotten he actually straight up channels Thatcher and says "there's no such thing as society." L O fucking L.

It's somehow perfect that mastermind Bernie drafted a fucking Thatcherite into the band. Nick's observation should serve as a warning to all bands: When you pick a guy for his attitude, that's what you're getting—his attitude.

[Silent Majority]

26) Baldwin by Roy Jenkins. Audiobook. A short life of, with 90% of the focus on the Premiership of, Stanley Baldwin, the dominant interwar Prime Minister of Britain. He is mostly remembered today as a spineless appeaser, coming just before Neville Chamberlain. He was also, with a lazy pose of moderate Conservatism, a role model for David Cameron. Lotsa focus on his parliamentary speeches. Some of the pleasure, if you're me, which I am, come from seeing the likes of Churchill in sniping supporting roles. Jenkins is a good writer and was a terrible politician (in terms of leaving Labour for it being too left wing for him in the early 80s) so he's very good for the politics. I really enjoyed it.

[Dr. Medulla]

if you're me, which I am

What a marvelously pithy phrase. It seems especially British in its dry humour.

[101Walterton]

Unless you are walking how do you stay awake listening to an audio book?

[Dr. Medulla]

Unless you are walking how do you stay awake listening to an audio book?

Never been a problem for me. It's actually the thing I concentrate on, especially when I'm exercising. It helps focus.

[101Walterton]

Unless you are walking how do you stay awake listening to an audio book?

Never been a problem for me. It's actually the thing I concentrate on, especially when I'm exercising. It helps focus.

Yep I get the exercising thing, I like to walk the dogs and listen. But if I sit in a chair to listen I just fall asleep.

[Dr. Medulla]

Unless you are walking how do you stay awake listening to an audio book?

Never been a problem for me. It's actually the thing I concentrate on, especially when I'm exercising. It helps focus.

Yep I get the exercising thing, I like to walk the dogs and listen. But if I sit in a chair to listen I just fall asleep.

Yeah, I can't just listen to an audiobook; it has to be in conjunction with something else.

[Silent Majority]

Yeah, same. If I'm sitting down, I'll read a book with my eyes like a chump. Audiobooks are for when I'm walking to work or doing chores.

[Silent Majority]

27) Get Shorty - Elmore Leonard. Audiobook. It's contractually obilgated that if you find yourself writing about Elmore Leonard, even if it's only a capsule that's essentially for your own notes, that you mention his dialogue. And the dialogue's great. I don't know if it's as realistic as people tend to say, but it's engaging as anything. I liked this book. Male wish fulfilment in the James Bond mold. The plot matters about as much as in PG Wodehouse. It's a scene delivery system. A gangster - fatally miscast as John Travolta in the film version - goes to Hollywood and ends up caught up in the movie business of the late eighties. Apparently, this is basically a long and elaborate way of punishing Dustin Hoffman for being flighty as he and Leonard collaborated on something that came to nothing over six months. I can see myself getting into a bit of a EL phase.

[Flex]

Im re-reading Vince White Power's book on my vacay. Still eminently readable and full of ridiculous lying dialogue.

I'd forgotten he actually straight up channels Thatcher and says "there's no such thing as society." L O fucking L.

Finished this the other day. I still say it's one of the most fun Clash books out there: sex, drugs (well, booze) and rock. It's got it all. And Vince wrote in a real clear and easy style. Even if so much of it is obvious bullshit. He's capable of some great turns of phrases. Discussing Germany's capitalist embrace, he says something like: the locals head into McDonald's to order some more freedom. If he'd had just a TOUCH of self awareness to go along with his nihilism he could have had a career as a culture critic, imho. Instead, he was sincere about the proto alt right shit and turned into the sad sack of shit we all know.

It's funny, now (and especially after reading Ralph's book) I'm inclined to read most of the "interventions" from Joe (and especially) Nick and Pete as sincere efforts to help an obviously troubled band member rather than the nefarious attempts at control he assumes in the book.

Bernie, however, remains the great villain.