What are you reading now?
-
“EL PASO MARTY ROBBINS
Originally released on the album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
(Columbia, 1959)
Written by Marty RobbinsTHIS IS A BALLAD OF THE TORTURED SOUL, the cowboy heretic, prince of the protestants, falling in love with a smooth complexion dancing girl just like that, as fast as he can do it. The song hardly says anything you understand, but if you throw in the signs, symbols, and shapes, it hardly says anything that you don’t understand.
Gunfire, blood, and sudden death, seems like a typical western ballad, is anything but. This is Moloch, the cat’s eye pyramid, the underbelly of beauty, where you take away the bottom number and the others fall. The cowboy chosen “one, bloody mass sacrifice, Jews of the Holocaust, Christ in the temple, the blood of Aztecs up on the altar. This song kicks you down, and before you can get up, it hits you again. This is the stuff to live for, and what you make of it all. This is mankind created in the image of a jealous godhead. This is fatherhood, the devil god, and the golden calf—the godly man, a jealous human being. This mode of life is an all-confrontational mode of life, the highs and lows of it, what it actually is. Truth that needs no proof, where every need is an evil need. This is a ballad of outrageous love.El Paso—the passageway, the escape hatch, the secret staircase—ritual crime and symbolic lingo—circular imagery, names and numbers, transmigration, deportation, and all in the cryptic first person, the primitive self. The stench of perfume, alcohol, a puff of smoke, the duel, the worthless life, pain in the heart, staying in the saddle, love in vain, the grim reaper, and a love that’s stronger than death, and other things. The black knight and the white knight, the good luck charm, and “the evil eye. Five mounted cowboys, twelve more on the hill, and there’s more—queen of sin street, diseased prostitute, an apparition that’s solidly real. Heals emotionally disturbed people and the mentally ill, an invisible force, this is a woman you’re willing to stake your life on.
Rosa’s Cantina is the same cantina over and over again. The symbolic Rosa, the black gown and the bishop’s ring, the bread and the wine, and the blood. The blood of Christian martyrs, blood that dyes the white rose red, racked and scourged. A Catholic song, universal, where no insult will go unchallenged. Where every trail goes cold, where Rome has spoken.
The handsome young stranger, foreigner, dixie democrat, maybe twenty years younger, with his hands all over the snake worshipping Felina, dead on the floor. Killed by the quick-drawing cowboy with ferocious intent, shot him dead not a split second too late, with a wink and a nod. A mixed bag of a man, a magpie. To not have done so would be a violation of an age-old custom, practically a sacrilege. Don’t think there wasn’t any good in him, Felina might say with a heartfelt sigh. You bury “your face in the crotch of your elbow—it’s impossible to feel overjoyed. You hustle out the back door and steal a fine horse—fleeing in haste, northward and into the Badlands, into the chaos and climax of the song, you’re going as fast as you can, but it’s not all that fast.”Excerpt From
The Philosophy of Modern Song
Bob Dylan;
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=0
This material may be protected by copyright. -
Skull-splitting spears. Eyes flying out of their sockets. Teeth that shatter when confronted by the righteous swordwork of Charlemagne's knights.
Tarantino movies are Three Stooges-level compared to the Matter of France.
This has been especially good fun to listen to because it's a better-than-decent verse translation performed by a full cast. (Some of the voice actors kinda suck but overall, worth it.)
-
For whoever is the owl fan.
Owls of the United States and Canada: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior
Amazon: "An extensive, accessible guide to the owls of Canada and the United States, featuring beautiful photography.
There is no group of birds more mysterious and fascinating than owls. The loudmouths of the raptor world, they peep, trill, toot, bark, growl, shriek, whistle, chittle, whoop, chuckle, boom, and buzz. Indeed, very few actually “hoot.” They have become the stuff of lore and legend?from the Roman myth that an owl foot could reveal secrets, to the First Nations belief that an owl feather could give a newborn better night vision. But the truth about owls is much more exciting.
In this book, natural history writer and wildlife photographer Wayne Lynch reveals the secrets of these elusive species with stunning photographs, personal anecdotes, and accessible science. The photos alone are masterpieces. Unlike most published owl photos, which are portraits of birds in captivity, the vast majority of these were taken in the wild?a product of the author-photographer’s incredible knowledge and patience.
Lynch complements the photos with a wealth of facts about anatomy, habitat, diet, and family life. For each of the nineteen species that inhabit Canada and the United States, he provides a range map and a brief discussion of its distribution, population size, and status. Lynch debunks myths about owls’ “supernatural” powers of sight and hearing, discusses courtship rituals, and offers personal tips for finding owls in the wild.
From the great horned to the tiny elf owl, this amazing volume captures the beauty and mystery of these charismatic birds of prey.
Named one of the Best Reference Books of 2007 by Library Journal"
A buck-99.
-
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
-
@George-K that looks intriguing - is it good?
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
-
@Doctor-Phibes said in What are you reading now?:
@George-K that looks intriguing - is it good?
Just started it.
Halfway through the first chapter, and it's a bit...preachy.
The author goes on about how it's important to "become the music."
I'll reserve judgment for now.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
-
@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
The author goes on about how it's important to "become the music."
Oh, blimey. It says the author is a jazz musician as well as an academic - I've never heard of him, but that doesn't say much. Presumably jazz musician is mostly a hobby.
-
@Catseye3 said in What are you reading now?:
For whoever is the owl fan.
Owls of the United States and Canada: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior
Amazon: "An extensive, accessible guide to the owls of Canada and the United States, featuring beautiful photography.
There is no group of birds more mysterious and fascinating than owls. The loudmouths of the raptor world, they peep, trill, toot, bark, growl, shriek, whistle, chittle, whoop, chuckle, boom, and buzz. Indeed, very few actually “hoot.” They have become the stuff of lore and legend?from the Roman myth that an owl foot could reveal secrets, to the First Nations belief that an owl feather could give a newborn better night vision. But the truth about owls is much more exciting.
In this book, natural history writer and wildlife photographer Wayne Lynch reveals the secrets of these elusive species with stunning photographs, personal anecdotes, and accessible science. The photos alone are masterpieces. Unlike most published owl photos, which are portraits of birds in captivity, the vast majority of these were taken in the wild?a product of the author-photographer’s incredible knowledge and patience.
Lynch complements the photos with a wealth of facts about anatomy, habitat, diet, and family life. For each of the nineteen species that inhabit Canada and the United States, he provides a range map and a brief discussion of its distribution, population size, and status. Lynch debunks myths about owls’ “supernatural” powers of sight and hearing, discusses courtship rituals, and offers personal tips for finding owls in the wild.
From the great horned to the tiny elf owl, this amazing volume captures the beauty and mystery of these charismatic birds of prey.
Named one of the Best Reference Books of 2007 by Library Journal"
A buck-99.
The Expurgated Version of Olsen's Standard Book Of British Birds?!)
The one without the gannet.
(The-- ...one without the gannet?! They've all got the gannet--it's a standard British bird, the gannet's in all the books!)
Well, I don't like them. They wet their nests.
(Alright, I'll remove it! [tearing] Any other birds you don't like?)
I don't like the robin.
(The robin? Right, the robin! [tearing] There you are! Any others you don't like? Any others?)
The nuthatch.
(Right, the nuthatch, the nuthatch, they're not in here! [tearing] Any more? No gannets, no robins, no nuthatches, there's your book!) -
@bachophile said in What are you reading now?:
The Expurgated Version of Olsen's Standard Book Of British Birds?!)
The one without the gannet.
(The-- ...one without the gannet?! They've all got the gannet--it's a standard British bird, the gannet's in all the books!)
Well, I don't like them. They wet their nests.
(Alright, I'll remove it! [tearing] Any other birds you don't like?)
I don't like the robin.
(The robin? Right, the robin! [tearing] There you are! Any others you don't like? Any others?)
The nuthatch.
(Right, the nuthatch, the nuthatch, they're not in here! [tearing] Any more? No gannets, no robins, no nuthatches, there's your book!)POTD
-
“Little by little I am learning the art of being quite content by doing very little slowly” ~ Lionel Hardcastle
-
Education is extremely important.
-
Started this today. It's the first of a pair of books. We'll see how it goes. Kind of slow to get moving, but it's putting pieces into place that will come into play later (I hope).
The Commonwealth Saga is a series of science fiction novels by British science fiction writer Peter F. Hamilton. This saga consists of the novels Pandora's Star (2004) and Judas Unchained (2005). Hamilton has also written several books set in the same literary universe. Misspent Youth (2002) takes place 340 years before the events of Pandora's Star. The Void Trilogy, consisting of The Dreaming Void (2008), The Temporal Void (2009), and The Evolutionary Void (2010), takes place 1,200 years after the events of Judas Unchained; several of the main characters from Judas Unchained and Pandora's Star also appear in the Void trilogy.
-
Pretty decent spy yarn, realistic tradecraft, blah blah written by a CIA analyst.
-
Finished the above. Good spy tale. .
Now to one of my favorite genres, true maritime sea yarns. This has just been published and getting good reviews.
-
@bachophile That looks interesting. I was looking at the book and saw that the Arthur wrote "Lost City of Z". I believe I read that a long time ago.
-
Reading (actually listening to the audio book) called ""Say Nothing"
Really really good. Uses the kidnapping and killing of a Irish widow mother to explore the whole "Troubles", which were/are the "civil war" between the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.
I thought it was a very balanced book, does not take sides and shows that both sides did some very very bad thing. I did not know really much about this whole conflict, so very educational as well as a good read.
Highly recommended.
-
This guy is reasonably likely to win a nobel someday for this work. Beautifully written book. The science aspect is about an algae with a gene which turns light into electrical pulses. His lab figured out a way to implant this gene into mouse brains, into very specific locations, which allows them to shine laser light into the brain through the eyes, and control the mouse in specific ways, causing both feelings and actions. It's a novel and useful way to study the human brain. I was introduced to this guy through podcasts, which can be found on youtube, for anybody who might be curious.
