Tosh Berman's Blog, page 248

"A To Z of Mod" by Paolo Hewitt and Mark Baxter

Prestel ISBN: 978-3-7913-4605-2
At first glance "A To Z of Mod"  looks just like a gift book that one would put near the register, but alas its a tad more than that.  This is actually a pretty good general introduction to the Mod aesthetic and its people.  Paolo Hewitt and Mark Baxter did a good job with the text, but even more important the images in this book is pretty great. One wished it was in a larger format, but alas the world we live in is never perfect.  But it does give the key clothing figures as well as brands that makes the everyday Mod happy, and also equally important the major figures that made this movement happen.  So as you read the book you realize that this is a well-thought out little (in size) volume of what is essential for one's knowledge about Mod culture.   A good book for the quick reference if you need, but if you are a die-haed Mod, this book is not really for you - but more for your friend or family member who thinks you are weird.    For me the Mod is perhaps the most nobel individual on this planet.   Anything dandy related is better than the non-dandy world.  

Mention of RED GRASS By Boris Vian on Three Percent Website

Much appreciation for Chad Post and his website Three Percent for his beautiful mention of Boris Vian's RED GRASS.
Read it here:  http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=8572

"Autobiography" by Morrissey (Penguin Classics, UK)

Penguin Classics ISBN: 978-0-141-39481-7
A great memoir needs a strong character who writes, and Morrissey takes that role to the maximum.  Overall each page has a quotable sentence or two, and the way he constructs his sentences is a beauty in form.  The narrative is not important but its the way he tells the tale, and that he does very well. 
A long-time fan or student of Morrissey will not learn anything new.  He does get personal in his own way regarding his love life, which is vague, but one is allowed to connect the dots.   There are people through out his life that is very important to him.  In fact he has two sets of individuals that he cares for.  The people he knows, and the people he admires, which are mostly film and music icons of sorts.  Some are more famous than others, but they're interesting because his admiration for these artists are sort of a clue to what makes Morrissey tick. 
Sadly there is no index of names in the book, because his reading and listening taste is very interesting.  He's very much a curator of taste, his taste mind you, but I consider that one of his highest talents is to both expose these artists, as well as trying to figure how they influenced him.  His great admiration for New York Dolls and Sparks makes perfect sense when you hear his music.  I think Morrissey learned a lot from those two bands with respect to lyric writing, and also the same for various British poets.  Besides his appreciation for French pop music artists, it seems he doesn't make any comments on foreign literature - meaning non-English language books.   Except perhaps Pasolini, but I am not sure if that is an appreciation for his films more than his writing. 
The only drag in this book is him writing about the trial between him and the drummer of The Smiths.  He goes on many pages in detail about this case, which was a major event for him.  But I suspect for most readers it is just a case of money disagreement.  But even that, he writes with incredible passion, almost over-the-top and its kind of amazing piece of the book in its way.   I am going to have to presume that his editor at Penguin probably wanted him to cut this section out ,but I am glad that he stuck to his principal to keep it in.  It tells more about his passion, and this book is about passion.
The first part of the book is Charles Dickens circa Manchester 1970's.  His description of the sadistic gym teachers are right on the button - because i too suffered from these goons in the 70's (Morrissey and I are roughly around the same age), so I found it fascinating that even in America, had weird sex perverted gym teachers as well.  It was an international problem!   The way he paints his school years and the early Manchester punk scene is heartfelt and picturesque.  You can smell the grayness of the landscape off the pages.  Also his commentary on various people are hysterical and sometimes mean - but it is like having Noel Coward tearing into someone.  Morrissey has a sharp tongue that brings out even sharper words to the page.
Overall the book could have used a tighter editor, but in the end of the day (or night) this is a fantastic book that i think will please the Morrissey fans, as well as anyone wanting to read about the music scene of the era of The Smiths and solo Morrissey.  

A Real Copy of RED GRASS by Boris Vian (translated by Paul Knobloch) and designed by Mark Holley

As a publisher I'm so thrilled to be putting out Boris Vian's Science Fiction noir "Red Grass."  Translated by Paul Knobloch.  Introduction by Marc Lepprand.  Book Design by Mark Holley.

I just received an advanced copy from the printers and it is on route to D.A.P./Art Books warehouse and soon to your hands.   More information shortly!

- Tosh Berman, TamTam Books.

Signed Copies of "In The Words Of Sparks... Selected Lyrics" Now at Book Soup and Skylight Books

Ron Mael and Russell Mael (Sparks) have signed copies of their book "In The Words Of Sparks... Selected Lyrics"   For sell and only at:

Book Soup
8818 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-659-3110
info@booksoup.com
http://www.booksoup.com


And...

Skylight Books
1818 North Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
orders@skylightbooks. com
http://www.skylightbooks.com

Both stores can do shipping world wide.   First come first serve.

Lou Reed Part 2 (the solo Lou)

"Sweet Jane" live in Paris 1974


"Waiting For The Man" Lou Reed & John Cale 1972


Lou Reed full length documentary (American Masters)


Lou Reed "How Do You Think"


Lou Reed "Berlin"  Full Album

October 27, 2013

Lou Reed died this morning.  A major cultural generational shift.  There was a Lou Reed in my life for the past 50 years.  Now that presence is gone, but not really.  The great thing about recorded music is that it sticks to you as long as you have ears, and you have that record machine, or whatever device you want to listen music to - but his death is very sad.  I can’t say tragic, because I think he had a long and rich life.  But it is something to know that I am only 12 years apart from Lou, so yeah, it is really a moment to reflect on one’s ability to stick around or not.  The thing is I think most people thought that Lou Reed could never die.  It doesn’t seem to be part of his DNA.   I guess that is a wrong  thought.  An error on our part.  But man, you can’t beat that guy at his height.  The four Velvets albums (plus the live stuff) and the early solo albums were excellent as well.  Even the stuff I don’t like is never on the hack level.  I just didn’t like it, more about me than him.   But for sure will miss the Lou Reed as of the "now" appearance. 
- Tosh Berman

Lou Reed Part One

Lou Reed "Warhol Screen Test"



The Velvet Underground and Nico Full Vinyl Album


"White Light, White Heat" by The Velvet Underground full album


The Velvet Underground full album


The Velvet Underground "Loaded" full album


"Sunday Morning" by The Velvet Underground

Guy Debord (merci to Daniel Riccuito)

Guy DebordTruly a great writer.

"Haunted House" by Pierre Reverdy Translated by John Ashbery

Pierre ReverdyFor me it's the perfect book to bring with you in the bathtub.  If you read it slowly, and wait till the water reaches your chin, it is sort of the ideal situation with regards to this book.   "Haunted House" may be the first prose piece or fiction published in English by this great poet Pierre Reverdy.  The poet John Ashbery translated Reverdy's prose into English, which can't be the easiest thing in the world.  Nevertheless this is very much a classic Surrealist text - where the images flow dream-like against the other image.  
In the back of the book the publisher/editor compares this work to Lautréamont's "Chants de Maldoror" which is a fair comparison.  Both books bring up a dread that can't really be described, it is more of a mood piece than anything else.  As a reader you just follow the pathway and let the writing take you to another place.   For those who have a collection of Surrealist text, "Haunted House" is an important part of that textural world.  It is a fave of Andre Breton, so he knows!

The Brooklyn Rail/Black Square Editions (ISBN: 978-1-934029-01-5

"Americana" by Ray Davies

Sterling ISBN 978-1-4027-7891-9
Ray Davies’ memoir regarding his "affair" with America and its culture is great on so many levels.  The book works on different platforms.  The major theme of this memoir is regarding his life or thoughts on America, which makes it sort of a perfect travel journal.  When I hear the two words together "Ray and Davies" I think of England and Noel Coward.  I think Davies, overall, sees himself as rocker, but the fact he's probably one of the great songwriters that came out of the 20th Century. So yeah of course he rocks, but he is one of the great portrait painters of song.  His "Waterloo Sunset," "Lola, " and others are classic samples of setting character with a melody.  On top of that he is one of the great entertainers, in the tradition of British music hall of the 19th and 20th Century. 
The beauty of this book is the character Ray Davies, who is not only super British, but a very troublesome soul as well.  He wears doubt and depression as one would wear a winter coat during a blizzard.  It is almost second-nature to him, and I think he uses that aspect of his personality for the songs he writes.  To be honest I am not a huge fan of his music done after the late '70's, and still, this book takes place mostly during the Kinks successful years in America.  Which at that time, they became boring to me, music wise - but in the '60's and '70's he couldn't have been better.  On a genius level his songwriting was great - and now, as a prose memoir writer, his genius comes out again.
if there is another character that comes out of this book besides Ray, it is the city of New Orleans.  Ironically enough my other favorite book on this city is by Mod-great Nic Cohn, whose memoir 'Triksta"  is a horror show of a ride.  Both books, written by Englishmen of a similar age, and from the same culture, wrote incredibly and heartbreaking narratives dealing with both the beauty and nightmare aspect of the city.  For Ray, he chose to live in New Orleans, and eventually got shot in the leg during a robbery.  
This of course becomes a huge turning point in his life, and in a way it is about the cultural differences between the British character and the New Orleans citizen.  Ray obviously loves the city and its music culture, but is of course is shocked by the violence of that culture.  Him being a victim, is both heartbreaking and profound.  in a way Davies goes from one crisis to another, but when he pauses a bit, to reflect, its a win-win situation for the reader.
All the usual suspects are in the book, his brother Dave and the rest of the Kinks, but they're sort of side-players in this narrative.  There is more of a focus on people like Bill Graham, his road managers, and dealing with life on the road while touring America.  As a narrative it is not A going to B going to C, but more of a reflection on the people he met in America and how they affected him, both as an artist and on a personal level.   One of the legendary characters that comes out through this book, but almost Phantom like, is the great Alex Chilton.   Clearly Davies thinks of him and his work fondly, and it is a nice surprise to know that he knew and also thought of him as a fellow artist.  Alex of course is part of the New Orleans narrative.
If one had to compare this book to another music memoir it would be Pete Townshend's recent autobiography, due that both are good writers and observers - but I think Ray Davies' is actually more profound, because he has such a strong everyday human element not only for his songs, but I think in life as well.