Tosh Berman's Blog, page 104
February 12, 2021
Tosh Berman's "Sparks-Tastic"
In 2008, Tosh Berman—author and publisher of TamTam Books—got on a plane with a single motive: Sparks Spectacular. It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London...a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic, which Tosh certainly is. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing each city's history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one shows and beyond, Sparks-Tasticdefines a place and time in music history that's too defining to be ignored.
The Second Anniversary of "TOSH: Growing Up In Wallace Berman's World"
Today is the second anniversary of my book TOSH being released to the world. In actuality, it feels like a year ago, then two years ago, due to the Covid-19 world sort of erased 2020 for me. Still, I was fortunate to promote my book in New York, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in 2019. Also, countless interviews with all sorts of media took place as well. Thank you, City Lights, for the pleasure of being with you (and still am). -Tosh Berman
February 10, 2021
"Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg - Musiques De Films 1959-1990"
There are many fine compilations out there regarding Serge Gainsbourg. I listed my favorite collections in the past, but this specific Gainsbourg is essential because it focuses on his soundtrack work. The cinema is very much part of the Gainsbourg landscape. This is a boxset with three-CDs, including bonus cuts, from the year 1959 to 1990. "Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg - Musiques De Films 1959-1990" is a superb and a must-have retrospective of some of his more nuanced and even masterpiece works. The obscure to the famous is in the collection. - Tosh Berman
The One Album I Listened to in 2007: Scott Walker's "And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?
According to my detailed buying habits, in 2007 the only new music I purchased that year was Scott Walker's "And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?" Hardcore orchestration music for a Dance performed by CandoCo Dance Company. I think "Pola X" was the first all-instrumental score by Scott, but this album is a mixture of glitches and sometimes lush orchestration. In parts, it reminds me of Webern string quartets. Still, an intense listening experience. - Tosh Berman
February 9, 2021
The Albums That I Listened to in 2006
2006 brought me two icon music artists and a re-introduction to someone I didn't expect to hear from. Scott Walker's "The Drift" is one of the great aural masterpieces of this century. Its intensity and insane humor are so jarring yet focused. I think of this album as songs, but they are also sound pieces with words. More like a mixture of sound poetry and reads like a great poem. What he did was so remarkable and original. I still get goosebumps listening to this album.
Sparks's "Hello Young Lovers" is just another example of perfection, as Ron and Russell Mael practiced. Songs like "Perfume" and "Metaphor" make me think that even as a writer, how do they come up with such incredible lyrics? Or the beauty of "As I Sit To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral." Their mixture of humor and pathos is an amazing tightrope in a song or in art. Yet, Sparks does this.
Being a mega-Serge Gainsbourg fan, it's heartening to find both Jane Birkin and daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg make superb music. With the assistance of the band Air and Jarvis Cocker, she came up with something magical, "5.55." These three albums alone made 2006 OK.
February 8, 2021
The One Album I Listened to in 2005
2005. What was that about? The only album I can remember buying that year was Paul McCartney's "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard." I haven't bought a Paul album since the 1970s, but I was pulled in by the album's title as well as the front cover photo by Mike McGear, Paul's brother. I think Mike was (or is) a remarkable photographer at the time, and his images of his brother, as well as the other members of the Fab Four, are classics.
Not only is this my favorite Paul album, but a total surprise that he came up with something special in the 21st-century. It's mostly Paul by himself, with some extra musicians, such as Joby Talbot, who worked with the arrangements for The Divine Comedy, and that aesthetic comes through on the recordings. It's a shame that Paul didn't work with Neil Hannon, because I think those two would make some sonic magic. Nevertheless, the decision to have Nigel Godrich behind the production was an excellent choice. Rumors are that he really pushed Paul on the writing as well as his lyrics. The album has all the classic Paul touches, but as an older man, he reflects in an interesting manner on his life through these songs. Therefore, it matches perfectly with the front cover. Paul as a very young man, or teenager, with a guitar in his backyard somewhere in Liverpool. A remarkable album. What's sad is that there were other things happening that were new musically, but I somehow missed the boat. I regret that I wasn't into Sunn(((O.
February 6, 2021
Introducing "The Sparks Brothers"
A remarkable documentary by Edgar Wright on my favorite group, Sparks. I'll write a longer appreciation/thoughts on the film shortly. Still, I want to recommend people to see this excellent work. I'm in it! Beyond that, it's still super good. More later!
February 5, 2021
"Sparks-Tastic" by Tosh Berman as discussed by the author on Tosh Talks
My talk on the making and writing of my first book "Sparks-Tastic." A book about Sparks (Ron Mael & Russell Mael) is also a memoir or travel book. Not a Sparks biography, but a book about how I feel about their music and image. As well as about Islington London and a bit of Paris. I went to their 21 Nights 21 Albums series of shows in London, which changed my life. The book reflects on that, as well as being an adventure for yours truly. "Sparks-Tastic" is still in print, and you can purchase it at any bookstore, as well as online shops. Tosh Berman
February 4, 2021
February 4, 2021, by Tosh Berman
February 4, 2021
Today Facebook is 17-years old. A mere teenager on the entranceway to being an adult. Where would I be without Facebook? Or bigger question, where would you be without Facebook? Before Facebook, I was quite happy to be on MySpace and then before that Friendster. I started being creative on MySpace by writing a daily diary directly to their website. Some reason or another, I became a Facebook member, and why I left for one social platform to the other is a mystery to me. I remember Facebook people at the time would rather be caught dead than be on MySpace. Facebook had a loyal fanbase, and memory doesn't serve me well why that was or is the reason. At the time, I think Facebook was more comfortable to use.
I have to point out the importance of Facebook to me and my writing. On news years eve, 2013, I decided to post an essay/fiction/journal entry every day in 2014. I posted the writings on my personal Google blog (Blogger) as well. Every morning I would wake up around 6:30 morning and started my research that day. It took me about an hour to figure out what I'm going to write about, and then by 11 that morning, I would post the piece on Facebook as well as my blog. For me, Facebook is a canvas for me to work on. I got a fair amount of readers, as well as people commenting on the pieces. So, right away, I got attention for my work. The negative thing about Facebook is its censorship time-to-time and obviously mining out personal information regarding your 'likes' and commentary. It's not uncommon to comment on something and then see the ad for that product or political party show up on your Facebook feed and even outside the website.
I have never been upset with Facebook because I know I'm a guest here, and the site is by no means my property. I don't have to pay rent, nor do I have to click on items brought to my attention. Still, it's difficult to ignore something or get emotionally involved, where you feel you must click to 'like." The Facebook community has done harm. We see that by the rise of Right-Wing Militant groups and others who use the platform to spread false reports or news. One can say the same for the Left, but I'll let that slide since I sympathize with The Left. Not only will I let that slide, but I will never leave Facebook. Even before the virus, I felt the strains of alienation and being separated from the landscape. By being with Facebook, I often felt outraged over someone's post or stance in life. I often think about it in the middle-of-the-night while trying to fall asleep.
Facebook is like having a boyfriend, girlfriend, or the other. You have to input information, thoughts, insight, and anger to make the social platform into something primarily vital in one's life. You can't win on Facebook, but you can survive. At times it is like watching a road accident took place, but one should just move on and go on to the other posts. It's interesting to note how personal Facebook can be. For instance, Mark chose the blue color design due that he's color-blind. That, maybe just a myth. But then again, Facebook itself is a myth. Happy 17th Birthday Facebook.
