A Miscellany of Recent Reads

Wednesday is about books, and writing. And reading. Today, a bunch of books I got around to finishing recently.

After last week’s panic things are improving around the place. The new piles of books are the ones to be removed — I finished my university essays for the semester, so I was able to get a stack (or two) of books back to the library, and another half stack back into the shelves. I’ve also filled three boxes of books to be donated or pawned off in some way. There are only so many Clive James books of columns you can collect in one lifetime…and all of that Tom Wolfe, time for the white suit to sit somewhere else I say.

I finally got through a few books I started a while back, or meant to read much earlier.

I’ve read everything by Jon Ronson. I’ve listened to his podcasts, his audiobook-exclusives, his guest-appearances on podcasts, watched as many of his docos as I could find, listened to radio shows and spots. And yet, I had not — until a couple of weeks ago — read The Men Who Stare At Goats, only took me 20 years! Not quite his first book, but certainly one of the ones that helped to really make his name, I guess I was put off by the confused-tone of the middling movie treatment. And also I had started it way back, and read some of it, enjoyed it even. So what got me to finish reading it after 20 years? Well, of course speaking to Ronson — which you can listen to on my podcast if you haven’t already. And his tour here later this year, which was why I got to speak to him. Of course we didn’t even bring up The Men Who Stare At Goats really. But, hey, a good interviewer is always prepared. And in this case, so was I!

I still can’t believe I got to speak to Ronson. And, on the topic of the podcast, if you’re new/ish to following me (and by new, I mean last four years really) I used to have a weekly podcast, but I kicked it in the guts during the pandemic’s lockdowns, and it landed in the too-hard basket. Then work picked up and podcasting didn’t — I find myself now wanting to return to it big time, but also I need to be realistic. So, watch this space, I guess. Meanwhile, I am continuing to experiment with it on the side by recording my open-mic poetry performances and sharing those. So here’s the latest:

I mentioned finishing my university course for the term — it was contemporary fiction, and I learned about some cool authors I didn’t know much about, and read some books I’d been meaning to, and others I only just found out about.

I went to the launch for Pip Adam’s book Audition last year, and promptly started the book, and rather than getting lost in it, I just got a bit lost. But that’s okay. I knew to park it and come back — because I’ve enjoyed other books she’s written. Turns out it was a prescribed text for this uni course, so when I knew that I waited and read it for the class. And wow - what a brilliant headfuck of a novel. I wrote my final essay around it (and other Adam books). And I can share (for anyone that might care) that the essay passed — in fact, Teach thinks I should try get it published somewhere like Spinoff or Newsroom. So, I’ll give that a hoon — and if there’s no luck there, I’ll probably share it here. The version I read has a different cover than the one up above, but there are two editions. And now the collector in me wants both of course!

It’s actually possible I’ve spent more time — in the last two decades anyway — reading about Joy Division than I have listening to them. And watching docos and movies. So, I went on a binge recently — not exactly hard to do, only a couple of albums and a few other singles (and essential comps/versions). And I got right back into New Order too, a deeper dive than ever before. Obviously there was motive: Peter Hook’s gig here playing the music from both bands:

It was fun to finally read his New Order book as part of that binge. I spent most of it wondering if Hook was funny, or a cunt, or maybe just an actual funny cunt. The gig was terrific — mostly. And the book was a bit too nerdy for me at times, and a bit repetitive but there was some good dirt-dishing, and some solid yarns. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a music book of this type, so it was a nice reminder of one of the best kinds of music memoir. These days people seem to want to come out clean. How’s that even possible after living the lives they’ve lived? I somewhat respect Hook for attempting to have a Couldn’t Give A Fuck attitude. So what if it has a New Car smell under all that buried old grit eh…

There’s another kind of music-related memoir I love to read…and that’s A really fucking shitty one that’s poorly written by a fan trying to feel like they’re more in than they are. I’ve wanted to read Carol Ann Harris’ Fleetwood Mac book forever. But couldn’t quite ever commit to paying for it. So, eventually I didn’t. I read this version and laughed — out loud at times — at the wildly bad writing and the desperate, breathless attempts to suggest she knew Buckingham better than anyone, and had expert knowledge of the band. Groupie-books are their own weird sub-genre within the music-book world. And I’m not there for every single one, but I’ve read a few. And when it’s about one of my all time favourite bands, and the sort of band I will always want to read about, then I’m obviously (and eventually) in! No regerts, as the tattoo says.

Apple TV’s fucking excellent Steve Martin doco (well, part one is fucking excellent, part two is good) alerted me to the fact that he had in fact released his second volume of memoir. I loved his first (Born Standing Up). It’s one of those books that, to me, is up there with Patti Smith’s Just Kids and Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Vol. 1. I’m also a huge fan of Steve Martin: Writer. From the films he wrote to the plays (Picasso at the Lapin Agile) and his New Yorker-and-adjacent pieces (Pure Drivel) and the novels and novella (Shop Girl). In recent years he’s been writing for comics, he has a proper cartoonist in to do the artwork and he writes the story. So for a memoir about his movie-making years he decided to carry on in that format. It works. Absolutely. My beef: It was too clean. And too short. I wanted more. But I did love it.

I met Peter Bukowski last week. He was the featured guest poet at the open mic, he’s Melbourne-based. And I’ve been aware of his work for about 20 years, discovered him through a love of his sometime-collaborator, Ken Bolton. What a treat to see him read, and then get to say hello. I bought a couple of books from him and got them signed. This has some funny, silly, short poems — maybe a few too many aphorisms (which seems paradoxical if anything) — but also there’s some real depth in the shallows. And I loved the breeziness of this volume. Cool to get a couple of books from him, and rude not to get them signed too of course:

^He even inspired me to write a really short — silly/funny — poem about something that happened on the way down to see him read.^

A year or two ago this memoir was on everyone’s list to read — including mine. Then I forgot. Or my list was too big. Or both, can’t it be both? (It usually is). Anyway, the excellent/horrific doco about Nickelodeon (TV3+) reminded me to get to this; I didn’t know anything about McCurdy, beyond the fact she was a teen/tween star. Well, she was on some shows on the Nick. So she’s referenced in the doco (doesn’t actually appear). Her book is a mesmerising trauma-ride. Forced into work, forced to help support the family, whilst still one of the kids in it. A sick mother who pushed her into an eating disorder. It’s tough, possibly very triggering for some, but there should be more books like this. And with future generations there will be of course. It’s also — weirdly — quite funny at times. Somehow. I’m glad I finally got to this, not my normal read I would say. But we’re all the better for when we read outside our zone from time to time.

Goodreads tells me I started this book five years ago — I guess, when it was released…

I like having things like this on my Kindle to chip away at. This weekend, after writing two essays in two nights, I wanted some comfort reading. So I hit into this proper, and finished it. Loved it too. It only covers the first four seasons of the show (the best run of it really) and it’s an oral history that has all the main players present (actors, directors, writers, producers, composers) and some funny and interesting details and behind-the-scenes stories are revealed. I love Charlie Brooker in book-form and wish he’d return to the format. I guess TV pays these days. But yeah, it was fun to reconnect with him in this medium. It also made me listen to some of the scores again, and watch a few favourite key episodes one more time. I’m still crawling through the most recent season. And it’s okay…but the spark is gone somewhat. I feel Black Mirror ultimately had its day. And I’m glad I was there for it. This book was a nice reminder of that.

And finally…

I was so excited about the Michael McDonald memoir that I even pre-ordered it. And it was good, but it ran out of steam a little toward the end, you could be cruel and say it mirrors his career — and maybe that’s true and not even that cruel, just the reality. Certainly the early pages are brilliant, a tough home life, but excitement hits early when he finds music. And plays covers and learns tunes on the spot, builds an enormous repertoire, then ends up on stage with Steely Dan a few days after accepting an offer to join the touring band. We know the hits he had with others as a background vocalist (Christopher Cross’ Ride Like The Wind) and he made the Doobie Brothers cool (for me, at least). He has so many great stories, including a tough “don’t meet your heroes” yarn about Ray Charles, that is wincingly believable. It’s a very good book actually — but yeah, drifts towards a glad I’m still here low-key vibe to finish. Which of course is fair enough and all, but also lacks any punch.

Years ago I interviewed McDonald, and couldn’t believe my luck. But didn’t really nail the interview. It was fine. And he was nice. I watched him talking to Rick Beato about this book, and I think maybe that’s just who he is. Dependable, nice, calm, lovely even. But yeah — he had some wild days at least…

And yes, it’s that Paul Reiser. TV star (and comedian) Paul Reiser. They met. We’re fans of each other. And Reiser recommended McDonald get the stories down. They shared calls and taped conversations, and Reiser got the stories typed up for McDonald to then rework. Interesting approach, and a winning collaboration.

Anyway, I’ll leave it there. That’s what I’ve been reading — or finishing reading — lately. See anything you like? And how about you? What’s finally moved off your To Read pile and was worth it?