Meme sheep on parade
It’s been many months since the Friday Five went away, so I guess I’ll take a stab at these questions that are doing the rounds. You didn’t think I’d miss an opportunity to be unique, did you? Mind you, I’m not about to limit myself to one answer each! Let’s get esoteric!
Name a book you own that no one on your friends list does Seven Dada Manifestos and Lampisteries, Tristan Tzara Why doesn’t everyone have a copy of the original Dada manifestos? I don’t know, but I do know that Tristan Tzara considered himself rather likable. A Diplomatic History of the American People, Bailey It shouldn’t really surprise anyone that just as today, the entire history of American foreign relations is rife with tales of belligerent, ignorant Merkuns. Calhamer on Diplomacy: The Boardgame “Diplomacy” and Diplomatic History, Allan Calhamer A fascinating discussion of the correlation between the world’s greatest game, Avalon Hill’s Diplomacy, and the real-world geopolitical situation in pre-war Europe that it simulates, written by the game’s creator. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, Stephen Puleo A chronicle of one of the most surreal-yet painfully real-tragedies in Boston’s storied history. Eugenics and Sex Harmony, Dr. Herman Rubin (1933) The full title of this 1933 book tells it all: Eugenics and Sex Harmony; The Sexes, Their Relations and Problems; Including Fascinating Medical Discoveries, Prevention of Disease, and Special Advice for Common Disorders; by Herman H. Rubin, M.D.; Author of “Your Mysterious Glands”, “Glands and Health”, Member of American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Eugenics Society, Eugenics Research Association, Contributor to Scientific and Medical Literature, etc. Imagine all the fun to be found in a 75 year-old sex ed textbook. A wonderful time capsule, chock full of bigotry and ignorance.
Name a CD you own that no one on your friends list does Liabach, Let It Be Laibach is a Slovenian art movement and industrial dance band with an affection for everything Germanic, covering every song on one of the Beatles’ most popular albums: how can you go wrong? Their revision of “One After 909” is truly righteous. Various incl. Laibach, Trans Slovenia Express Laibach again, paired with other Slovenian bands, doing remakes of Kraftwerk’s most popular songs. Musique… non-stop. HWA (Hoez With Attitude), Livin’ in a Hoe House The original bitches, HWA did for rap what Lords of Acid did for dance: sexualized it by bringing forth the nasty attitude of the powerful, sexually-motivated woman. Concussion Ensemble, Stampede Concussion, indeed! Imagine a high-energy band, sans vocals, fronted by three drummers, backed up by bass, guitar, and a found-objects percussionist. It’s a tragedy that these guys didn’t stay together. Devo, Devo E-Z Listening Disc Devo. Muzak. We must repeat.
Name a DVD/VHS tape you own that no one on your friends list does Yawn. I only own two DVDs, and surprisingly both are animated features. The first is Richard Linklater’s Waking Life, a wonderful romp through pop philosophy and navel-gazing. The other… In the summer of 1981 I was between junior and senior years in high school and just coming into possession of a teenaged boy’s cockiness offset by sexually frustrated angst. Ivan Reitman’s Heavy Metal captured that time perfectly in a splat of kitschy sci-fi spiced with sex, drugs, music, and violence. It’s a one-way ticket to midnight. As for VHS tapes, that box hasn’t been opened since 1990, and is going to stay that way.
Name a place you’ve been that no one on your friends list has been I think I have two to pick from here, and they’re my only two trips outside the US (no, Canadia doesn’t count). My 2000 trip to Barbados with some of the Staples project team was absolutely wonderful, as was the 2002 DargonZine Writers’ Summit, where my writers and I spent two weeks travelling all over Scotland. I’d repeat either of those trips in a heartbeat.