ANGELS ON TOAST BY DAWN POWELL

The description on the back of ANGELS ON TOAST by Dawn Powell describes the characters in this frenetic, witty, and clever book as being “on the make”.

Now, while that expression has sexual connotations, that’s not the only meaning. The characters in ANGELS ON TOAST are all desperately chasing something be it new business opportunities (Such as Lou Donovan or Jay Oliver) or a better deal in life (Eby Vane and Trina Kameray) or just information (TV Truedale) or the opposite sex (all of the above)….Or maybe it’s just a new trap, a new challenge, something to hold you back, to struggle with, escape from….

The idea that American capitalism is synonymous with making a fast buck is both a blessing and a curse although the narrative is so spry and flows so well and is filled with so many funny scenes, one never thinks of the negative sides.

I like how ANGELS ON TOAST moves so effortlessly between the different characters (always a sign of a great writer)….I also like how the book feels like a part of a greater whole….the beginning and the ending aren’t necessarily that but simply where the writer picked up and then left off….One could see the story both with more backstory and also continuing on and on into the future.

Dawn Powell is one of the best kept secrets in literature….Championed for many years by other writers (Powell herself passed away in 1965), many of her books were re-released in the late 90’s….She is definitely a writer I plan on reading more of….On my reading list is THE LOCUST HAVE NO KING.

YEARS OF REFUSAL BY MORRISSEY

I hardly buy CD’s anymore….This is partly because I very rarely hear a band that I like enough that I would want to buy a whole CD preferring instead to burn individual songs off the Internet….Of artists I have been a fan of for long periods of time, very few of them are still active….One artist who still releases music that I will always buy is Morrissey.

His latest CD YEARS OF REFUSAL however does not inspire me to write much….Not that it’s bad, there are a number of great songs (SOMETHING IS SQUEEZING MY SKULL, ALL YOU NEED IS ME, BLACK CLOUD, SORRY DOESN’T HELP) it’s just extremely short (less than 40 minutes I think) and many of the songs are very simple(even the ballads) comprising of two or three chords played at different volumes and relying on Morrissey to set the chord changes off by his voice.

Looking back at my personal history of music, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, and The Smiths are and were my favorites….Morrissey has now been a solo artist almost three times longer than, his past band, The Smiths, were together….He is also the only one of those three still making interesting music.

During the seven year hiatus between 1997 and 2004, when Morrissey toured constantly building his fan base but didn’t release any new CD’s, fan excitement really grew and I for one was not let down by his last two CD’s YOU ARE THE QUARRY and RINGLEADER OF THE TORMENTORS which I thought were excellent.

That’s why I’m puzzled by YEARS OF REFUSAL…. The meticulous production and excellent melodies are not on display here despite this being produced by Jerry Finn who produced YOU ARE THE QUARRY….Instead, the result is a bit sloppy although one cannot deny the energy of the musicians nor Morrissey himself who sounds great as always….He has long been my favorite singer and on that score this CD is alright.

Not a bad musical experience if you are a Morrissey fan like myself….Just much lighter compared to what has come before (I think I will do a future post describing the quality of individual Morrissey CD’s)….We will see if this grows on me over time.

TWO STORIES THE CORPORATE NEWS MEDIA CAN NO LONGER IGNORE PLUS PRESIDENT OBAMA PICKS THE WRONG ENEMY (MARK SANFORD)

One of the greatest myths of the west (especially America) is the myth of the free press….This is constantly harped upon and held up as way in which Western countries are superior to countries in other parts of the world.

Now, it is true that by comparison there is limited government intrusion upon the press but this is substituted with the pressure placed by large corporations, well-financed special interest groups etc….In many ways, these groups are more perfidious and sinister than direct governmental interference because it is much harder to prove their involvement and they are more shadowy and less direct in their dealings.

Two stories that have been obvious to the rest of the world have finally grown in such intensity that they can no longer be denied by the corporate press….

One is that there are many innocent men in Guatanamo Bay whose only crime was to be in Afghanistan at the time of the US military action….For years (and this has been confirmed by released detainees) it has been asserted that the US picked up combatants and non-combatants alike not caring about the difference….Now, the truth is finally coming out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090320/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_guantanamo_wrongly_held_10

The other, a more recent event, is that Israeli soldiers deliberately murdered civilians including women and children during the recent Gaza rampage….These murders (and yes it is homicide) did not occur in combat situations….There were scores of allegations and these were of course routinely denied by the Israelinaziss….Well guess what they might be true after all.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/22/israel-palestinian-territories-war-crimes

Look, I no longer support America with tax dollars or anything else and yes I am biased because I believe in peace and justice and am not religious and have no axe to grind on that score….After listening to the always classy Dick Cheney (who reminds me a of a pig turd in an expensive suit) say the current president has made America less safe and how torture was the most effective weapon of the last eight years and I reflect on the fact this utterly worthless war criminal was the Vice President of the United States, I vow to laugh out loud whenever America takes the moral high road.

And where was President Obama the last few weeks on these issues??? Well actually I don’t blame him that much(at least not yet) because I know the economy is top priority.

On the political battlefields, President Obama seems to have taken a page out of Bill Clinton’s book and deliberately engaged enemies he knows are unpopular or will be unpopular elevating them because he knows it will easier for him to take them on in the war of ideas.

Bill Clinton was fortunate to have Newt Gingrich who was every inch the womanizer he was, had an even more tangled white trash upbringing and on policy issues advocated more orphanages, less of a place for women in society, and who during hard economic times had a hissy fit because he didn’t get the seat he wanted on Air Force One.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago how Obama was lucky to have Rush Limbaugh for the same reasons and purpose and I would also add Dick Cheney to that….A man whose popularity was somewhere slightly below leprosy and painful hemorroidal itch when he left office.

Recently, Obama has targeted the Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, for not wanting to accept the stimulus money unless he could use it to pay down the state debt….I think this is a mistake.

For one, Mark Sanford is not Gingrich or Limbaugh….There’s never been a personal scandal associated with him and he has been happily married with a family for many years.

For another, I believe that Governor Sanford is a man of deep principles not a glory hound….He’s taking this action because he honestly believes it is the best course.

The Obama team perhaps thinks that by elevating Governor Sanford in this fashion, they weaken his presidential chances in 2012….Again, this is wrong….The conservative base love this and it allays suspicions they might have about other parts of his beliefs.

You see, Governor Sanford is not George Bush….He comes from the almost forgotten about Barry Goldwater wing of the Republican Party that are closer to Libertarians than Republicans….The most recent advocate of this type of thinking was Congressman Ron Paul whom Governor Sanford often voted with when he was also in the House of Representatives….In the end, I think what might make doom him is his public rejection of pre-emptive warfare and the fact he doesn’t kiss the pinky ring of the Zionists unless he does a complete about face which is always sickening to watch.

However, as I noted, he is a man of consistency in thought and ideology which is rare….In these desperate times, if President Obama can’t make the colossal bailouts jumpstart the economy for working people, Governor Sanford could be just what they are looking for.

THE SOUND OF WAVES BY YUKIO MISHIMA

Upon completing THE SOUND OF WAVES by Yukio Mishima, I was left with a very good feeling as if the final happy ending and the folk tale/ fable like construction of the story had imbued my soul with positive energy….A deceptively simple love story set on a Japanese island where fishing and abalone diving are the two primary industries, this book is painstakingly detailed while at the same time poetic and lyrical which is a great balancing act.

This relatively short book while spare and not covering that much time or distance still feels like an epic once it is considered in full….The final scene at the top of the lighthouse (which prior to that had only been shown and described from the outside) is like the final scene of any literary journey….What it symbolizes I think is that the palace of wisdom has been attained after much struggle by the protagonists who can now go on and live their lives together.

I’ve never cared much for Yukio Mishima who always seemed to me to be more famous for being Yukio Mishima and the ridiculous way in which he died rather than for the quality of his literary output….That being said, THE SOUND OF WAVES is one of his earlier books and my past experiences with his writing (which I didn’t much care for) was his later work so maybe I need to check out more of his earlier work???

THE NIGHT PORTER PLUS DIRK BOGARDE - POSTER BOY FOR DECADENCE

THE NIGHT PORTER is a film that starts out with a large handicap….Any description of its subject matter (which is about as politically incorrect as one can get) is bound to turn off a good portion of its potential audience.

Set in Vienna in 1957, THE NIGHT PORTER(made in 1974) is about a Nazi war criminal (masterfully played by Dirk Bogarde) who works as the night desk clerk in a hotel….He is aided and abetted by other Nazi war criminals who form a secret network to protect former Nazis….The main event of this process is what they call “a trial”….This is done not to seek justice but to erase each Nazi’s evil history….It involves the burning of all evidence (photos etc.) connecting them to past crimes, the murder of any witnesses and/or victims who can identify them, and a full confession of all they did….This last condition is key….The purpose here is to both cleanse the Nazi of guilt and make a clean break of the past as well as making sure there are no loose ends….After that, he can disappear into a new life.

As Bogarde’s character prepares for his “trial”, he encounters as a guest in his hotel, a woman(played by the eternally beautiful Charlotte Rampling) whom he sexually tormented and engaged in a perverse relationship with when she was a 15 year old prisoner at the concentration camp where he worked….Now, she is the cold and icy wife of a famous conductor….After some back and forth, the two once again resume their sick relationship which grows to include chains and broken glass….This in turn angers his Nazi cohorts who fear their coupling up could bring on the unwanted attention of the authorities

I should mention at this point that despite the overt decadence and sex in this film, aside from some nudity, it is not especially gratuitous….Rather, it focuses on the psychological make-up of both Bogarde and Rampling’s characters and how their pathology brings about their undoing.
For, as is noted by his Nazi brethren, Bogarde was really a minor player, a junior official who pretended to be a doctor in order to fulfill his sick needs (which included an interest in photography)….This is exactly the type of person Nazism attracted and encouraged which is a theme often explored in other European films about fascism such as THE DAMNED (which also stars Bogarde), 1900, and 120 DAYS OF SODOM.

Rampling’s character has already been murdered….This occurred the first time she was abused in the concentration camp (which interestingly enough is never shown) and her innocence was stolen from her….Conditioned at this young age, she can now only relate to the perversity she has a chance to experience again and is not a complete person.

They both fill an unhealthy need in each other….The fact that at the end they both dress up in the outfits they were wearing the first time they met is telling….A deeply thought out character study with a strong statement not necessarily on history or politics but on the convoluted pathways of the human mind….The flashback scenes to the concentration camp days are impressively shot….Filled with black and red, they are almost like a vision of Hell itself….Bogarde’s character in the present is pale and thin (he looks like Bryan Ferry’s slightly less-coiffed, more haggard older brother)….However, in the past he is red cheeked, heavily made up and puffed out like the devil himself.

A unique, unforgettable film but not for everybody….

While Charlotte Rampling was never better than in this film, the key here is Dirk Bogarde….He started his career as a British pin-up teen idol making the usual teenybopper trash as well as war pictures(he himself was a decorated war hero who had a number of hair-raising combat experiences in WWII which he later wrote about)….However, something happened starting with the eerie and unnerving 1963 film THE SERVANT and continuing on until his retirement to write a string of witty, fascinating books on his life in acting and other topics.

Basically, Bogarde at that point went on a run of critically acclaimed often surreal, often extremely arty films made in Europe….In fact, aside from the all-star war picture A BRIDGE TOO FAR, it is one of the most anti-Hollywood careers I’ve ever seen.

In many of them, Dirk Bogarde was the anti-method actor….Rather than physically changing himself to suit the role, the roles were tailored to suit Bogarde and specifically to suit the aging process which showed real life on Bogarde’s face.

What I mean by that ( and I am not attacking Bogarde personally here as I know nothing about his personal life other then he was rumored to be gay) is that Bogarde, while handsome in a pretty, European way started to look more and more like Dorian Gray’s painting….Many of his roles have him as the tired victim of decadence….Even in films where he was meant to be somewhat villainous, his usually brilliant performance enhanced by the worn beauty of his appearance gave even the worst characters he played different sides that the audience could relate to.

It has been said that by the age of forty, you have the face you deserve....Well all I know is that Dirk Bogarde had a perfect look and it suited the films he did (It is of course true he was given very good material to work with)….Very few other actors are so lucky or cursed.

THE DISABLED PETS SHOW

The Curriculum and Instruction Focus Group created as part of the WASC Accreditation process ( and which I am part of) recently sponsored a pet talk at the junior school section of Ipoh International School….When this was first discussed, I understood that this was to be a talk from a veterinarian regarding pet care.

However, when the event actually took place last week, as the little kids lined up, one of the visiting animal people went “ SHHHH” and put her finger up to her lips and said “Please keep in mind our animals are disabled”.

And so the kids were treated to a 26 year old pony (which is like 90 years in human terms) with blood red eyes that hardly moved, several three-legged dogs, and the showstopper….a cat with some sort of spinal paralysis that forces it to stay in a basket and has robbed it of all movement.
Now the original vet idea was a good one….Many kids are pet owners but probably pawn off the actual responsibility of cleaning and caring for the pet onto someone else so it’s good to hear about that from a professional….However, I’m not sure what can be gained from the disabled pet show.

In fact, I find it offensive that people spend this much time and money on animals that probably should be humanely put to sleep….I don’t understand, in this world of starvation and poverty inflicting, you know, HUMANS, and in much of the world CHILDREN, that someone would go to all that trouble to feed and clean a paralyzed cat in a basket.

What rubbish!!!!!!!!!!

When people have so lost their sense of priorities and their sense of fellowship with their fellow human beings, I know that the worst aspects of corrupt, dislocated, non-familial Western culture are starting to leak into and poison the best of Southeast Asian culture….My advice to Malaysia is resist with all your might!!!!!

The other detail, which I found intensely humorous and which I ranted and raved about in front of my classes, was the fact these people, the vet plus some other people who sang and entertained and spoke of disabled pets and apparently have absolutely no life, in fact, travel from place to place showing off these disabled animals.

I can see it now….MOM, DAD, GUESS WHAT I JUST HEARD THE DISABLED PET SHOW IS COMING TO TOWN….HALLELUJAH, SON, ARE THEY BRINGING THE 90 YEAR OLD PONIES, THE THREE LEGGED DOGS, AND, BE STILL MY BEATING HEART, THE PARALYZED CAT IN THE BASKET? YES THEY ARE……OH I WON’T BE ABLE TO SLEEP TONIGHT….I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE MAKIOKA SISTERS BY JUNICHIRO TANIZAKI

Sometimes in literature and in life it is the little details that mean more than anything, that engrave themselves on the memory while the loud so-called turning points of life (love, falling out of love, conflict and of course death) are only acknowledged as important plot points the way one acknowledges the fan or the air conditioner on a hot night….They are key to understanding the story but are like facts from a textbook rather than the images that get under your skin or sear themselves to your consciousness.

THE MAKIOKA SISTERS by Junichiro Tanizaki is a book filled with such little details….Apart from being a classic of any genre (forget about dubbing something as “literature” only), it is one of the most meticulously constructed books I’ve ever read….When I was done reading it, I could of course immediately recall a number of the big events of the novel but I had just as easy a time recalling the smaller events-a description of a meal, the Osaka Cherry Blossom Festival, a Miai ( the Japanese function wherein a prospective bride and groom meet along with family representatives).

The four Makioka sisters are among the most fleshed-out, well described, multi-dimensional characters in all of literature especially the three who live in Ashiya; the sturdy mother surrogate Sachiko, the wild, modern Taeko, and the quiet, reserved, old-fashioned Yukiko.

The third sister, Yukiko, in particular, is important because I believe she symbolizes the death of the old Japan of tradition and formality….Her reluctance to wed and failure to find a husband for most of the book is representative of Japan on one hand advancing militarily to become an aggressive world power and on the other hand still clinging to old quaint customs like arranged marriages and the tea ceremony….Her finally giving in to marriage at the end of the book represents a Japan that can no longer put off war and attacks Pearl Harbor and the upset stomach that plagues her during her wedding and as she leaves for the honeymoon (providing one of the best closing lines I’ve ever read in a book) represents the dark future ahead….One could also discuss the character of the man she married of whom there was a question of whether or not he could maintain a steady income….This was after a number of failed Miai’s earlier in the book with men who were better financial prospects as husbands.

Taeko, the youngest sister, who has several lovers throughout THE MAKIOKA SISTERS, ignores orders from older siblings and people higher in the family structure, has a career (as opposed to most other female characters of the same class in the book who are either housewives or waiting to become housewives), and ends up pregnant out of wedlock, is the unknown future….This is where Japan becomes adrift from its old traditions and culture and patriarchal family structure and becomes a society without values.

But despite all this, this is not a book that is particularly heavy with symbolism….It’s there but addressed in such a precise, delicate manner that the writing never becomes overbearing…. The narrative is also written in such a way so as to get around the usual predictable structure with big telegraphed plot points, conflict, denouement, and resolution….Here everything moves with such reality that when events happen it feels like reality not someone’s attempt to tell a story.

Honestly, one of the greatest books I’ve ever read….If I could pick my own texts for the literature class I teach, THE MAKIOKA SISTERS would be near the top of the list.