Joe Clifford Faust's Blog, page 8
December 17, 2012
10 Things Jesus Never Said
10 Things Jesus Never Said: And Why You Should Stop Believing Them by Will Davis Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Inspiring and relevant, but this should be Christianity 101 if we’re serious about a relationship with God.
December 14, 2012
December 11, 2012
Little Drummer Boys
Now that we’re mired in the Season of Christmas, I have a confession to make. Of late, I’ve become something of a Scrooge over Christmas music.
I haven’t always been this way. Since I’ve been married, my wife and I have made a tradition of buying one Christmas album a year, and we’ve amassed quite a collection during our marriage. And it’s quite eclectic – I tend to like the quirky stuff like Captain Sensible’s One Christmas Catalog, and my wife is more a traditionalist. Starting on Thanksgiving, I’d slowly start to incorporate Christmas songs into my iTunes playlists, until by the final week it was 100%.
Then a few years ago somebody at Clear Channel got the idea to stunt a Cleveland radio station by going 100% Christmas music starting a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. It was kind of cool… but then the next year, everybody was hopping on the bandwagon, the stuff was everywhere and the Halloween costumes were barely moved to the clearance rack. That’s when I began the arcane practice of banging my head on the steering wheel during trips across the FM dial.
I became more and more enscrooged about it until this year. Maybe it’s because I’m no longer working in advertising, and therefore have not been writing about Christmas since July. Or maybe it’s because I no longer have to wake up to the stuff. But I’m back in the mood of voluntarily listening to Christmas music.
Now there are a couple of songs I don’t care for that will have me reaching for the iPod and dialing up my Jandek playlist. The 12 Days of Christmas is the worst holiday song ever, in my opinion, being tedious, repetitious, boring and… I don’t care. Not far behind it is The Little Drummer Boy.
But there’s a big difference between the two. That is, while I have yet to hear a version of 12 Days I like, there are some Drummer Boys out there I have become friends with. Thanks to my unscroogeness this year, and to a friend who apparently adores this song and has been posting versions of it daily on his Facebook page, I decided to come clean and do a countdown of my favorite versions of The Little Drummer Boy.
So here they are. And be warned: These are the only ones!
5. Mannheim Steamroller
Because they made it sound like prog. And I loves me some prog.
4. Dandy Warhols
To paraphrase something from another friend of mine, the Dandy Warhols are my favorite band whenever I’m listening to them. And you know that even though they’re singing this one, they don’t mean it.
3. Michael Franti and The Blind Boys of Alabama
Makes the story what it should be: a narrative. And the Boys bring it with gospel.
2. Bing Crosby and David Bowie
Who would’ve thunk it? This odd couple really works. And ever a sucker for multiple vocal parts, I like the intertwining of the two songs.
1. Miracle Legion
I love the stripped down arrangement and the odd harmonies. Who were these guys? And were their originals as good as this cover?
Happy holidays, and may all of your Scrooges be slight!
December 9, 2012
When Pigs Fly
When Pigs Fly by Bob Sanchez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Elmore Leonard meets Carl Hiaasen in this laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with noble cops, quirky lowlifes, and a wandering pig with a passion for brussel sprouts.
December 5, 2012
Who I Am
Who I Am by Pete Townshend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ol’ Pete can really write, but I quickly tired of his spoiled rock star behavior – how many boats and recording studios can one man buy/build?
November 5, 2012
The Second World War
The Second World War by Antony Beevor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Impressive single volume history of the Second World War, filled with interesting throw-away facts and peculiarities from the era.
October 24, 2012
August 21, 2012
Rum Punch
Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Books like this are why I love Elmore Leonard. And no, I haven’t seen Jackie Brown.
August 17, 2012
Everyone’s Reading Bastard
Everyone’s Reading Bastard by Nick Hornby
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Starts with a witty Hornsbyesque situation, develops a bit, and then veers wildly — and unfinishedly — in another direction at the finish. File under “literary”, I suppose.
