Book Review of Nicholson Baker's "The Traveling Sprinkler"

Soooo…. Nicholson Baker.  A national treasure?  Maybe not.  A really, REALLY solid contemporary author...absolutely.  This guys body of work is as good as it gets for a guy still kicking around.  “Vox” and “The Fermatta” knocked me out 20 years ago and he has published good work since those.  He is a maturing guy who after those books had the elbow room to write what he wants.  The books range from Presidential assassination fantasies to diatribes questioning the politically correct narratives of World War II.  All of it cogently written in a particular voice.  That voice also lent itself to storytelling in “The Everlasting Story of Nori”.  If you want an overview of a diverse writers life, check his Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholson_Baker

“The Traveling Sprinker” brings us back poet/anthologist Paul Chowder (from his prior book “The Anthologist” who is struggling to write poems but instead forays into popular songwriting, dance music, electronica and beats.  It is a classic middle aged man’s take on his own mid-life crisis as he deals with:

Not knowing what to do with his life

Failed relationships that are not quite dead yet

Health issues

Cigars

Drinking

Childlessness…

and the like.  He uses the title subject as a nice metaphor for...everything. It is one of those things I refer to as a "tractor" sprinkler but it follows the course of the hose that feeds it as it goes on whatever path is set for it and waters and... lets just say there are a lot of metaphorical opportunities there.

But it is an endearing book and an easy read as he learns about modern music and listens to it and creates his own amidst what appears to be the abundant debris of his life.

He cannot keep his liberal politics out of it but throws off shattering statistics regarding deaths related to drone warfare while remembering his passion for the bassoon as he smokes cigars and tries to write, primarily in his car.  The portrait is one of a talented guy who is occasionally brilliant as he wanders, literally through his life and… other than the brilliant part, I could certainly relate.  

The lead character is also a Quaker and I know nothing about Quakers so found that interesting.  The idea of going to a “meeting” and sitting in silence and contemplation for an hour or so seems… very healthy.  I tend to only go to “meetings” where people are fighting about money or opening by saying, “Hi, my name is Mike and I am an…”.  I guess this is what I like about Baker as an author.  He takes me outside my realm of experience and really outside my normal way of thinking about things and there is something liberating about that in a book, but here is a comfortableness and reality to his characters that ring true.

Wives should read this to have a better handle on what a mess their husbands are.  Younger men should read it so they can see what they will become (and that is assuming everything works out) and middle aged men should read it so you can go, “that seems about right”.  

It is a nice read from a nice author.

Some Singles From NPR From 2013

Soooo...I am listening to NPR’s Critics 50 picks for 2013 and picking them for you.  I am troubled this year that I seem to be listening to more well produced music, often with loops and...God forbid, automated drums.  WTF is wrong with me?  I have been recently wrestling with the paradigm shift that has already taken place in the industry which is away from the CD or Album or the idea that you need to pay for 10-13 songs when all you really want is the hit or the one song that grabs you.  I still like listening to whatever my favorites are doing but have fallen into the habit of just “owning” (buying on iTunes) the one song I really want or maybe two or three rather than the whole CD.  So I am going to look at music in a copule of different ways when looking back on 2013 and NPR’s list seemed like a good way to start but we are talking tunes or singles here rather than the CD they are connected with.  NPR had some interesting stuff I had not heard of and others that I did and here are my thoughts on whaty I gleaned from the list:

1. Bambino: “Amidinine”  This is motorcycle music for you.  I know it is out of season.  They are African Tauregs or some bullshit.  Who cares, this is really good and hooky and has balls. There is something about thisthat I know nothing about and I like.  I think they are from the Taureg tribe from Africa.  I am of the Becker tribe of Webster.  We can march but we do not rock like this.

2. Brandy Clark:  "Pray to Jesus”  70’s Country adapted for modern country poverty… and maybe hope…I don’t know.  “We Pray To Jesus and we play the lotto.”  That sounds like me. This entire CD was well reviewed and I think I probably grab the whole thing but this is “classis country” and I go to tell you, I love it.

3. BUIKA  "LA NOCHE MAS LARGA”  Latin Jazz for a late night…kind of like going to church.  That is all I have to say about that.

4. Haim “The Wire”  Though the intro seems to be “Heartache Tonight” this is interesting in the way Lorde is interesting.  There is something fresh sounding about it.  None essential but a Friday afternoon smile.  I kind of hate myself for even putting this in a list.  I hate myself for a lot of different reasons but let’s add Haim to the list.  I am told the whole CD is good.  I am not sure I can live with myself if I find out.

5. Jason Isbell:  “Elephant”.  If I have not already sold you this album it is my album of the year.  This song is a heart breaking homage to bar culture, cancer and how people die… as best they can.  See upcoming for my list.  Which is… limited but is my traditional CD list. “Different Days”, “Flying Over Water”...lots of depth here.

6. Kasey Musgraves:  “Merry Go Round”.  Really simply well written and performed classic country.  Americana at it’s best.  “Same trailer, different park”, “we get bored so we get married, just like dust we settle in this town”.  That is good shit. I don’t know whether she wrote this song but it is a study in songwriting.  If you like Brandy Clark you should LOVE Kasey Musgraves.

7. Laura Marling “Master Hunter”  NPR calls it "English Cosmic Folk”… Really?  It is driving and literary, she has a sneering little voice and it worth a listen.  It does not sound like most anything else out there.

8. Pedro Martinez Group:  “La Habana”…. there is a critical buzz… all Spanish…brilliant hand drumming… late night…why not?  For simple minded people like me think “quiet, talented Ricky Ricardo”.

9. San Fermin  “Renaissance”  I bought this CD at Euclid Records because of the CD art…it took NPR to make me listen.  Embarrassing.  This is mournful and the song is too “big” but it is pretty.  More listening will ensue.  I report, you decide.

10. Valerie June “Pushing Against A Stone”  Spare like a “Cat Power” song.  But better, with a twang and frankly more interesting.  I will need to check out the whole CD now.  I hate that.

11. Vampire Weekend:  “Step”  The CD is the best thing they have done since their debut.  Once again I have ignored but they are relentlessly pleasant and interesting.  Not enough for me to wax poetically about but seriously, who could really object to having this shit playing softly in the background while talking?  Nobody that you would want to talk to.

12. Waxahatchee:  Hollow Bedroom  All I could think of is Suzanne Vega singing “My Name Is Luka” but then the guitar came in and it got….compelling.

13. The Lorde CD:  I am sure for most of America it is overplayed but I never hear it unless I play it so the song “Royals” and “Tennis Court” are as finely crafted pop as you going to here.  

It has been a pretty good year. So that is NPR and if you don’t pay attention to their web site for music you need to re-evaluate your life.  They keep track of the new stuff as well as classic artists.  Their “Tiny Desk Concerts” are a trove of brilliance that one day might be compared to what the Smithsonian did for the Delta Blues.

New Pope, New Hope... for a Lutheran?

Sooooo... this old grumpy, religion skeptical Lutheran boy is impressed.  The Pope process is less than transparent.  As a Lutheran we stick our chins out at a lot of things Roman Catholic and pridefully show disdain for certain aspects of Roman Catholicism like saints, and Popes and the elevation of Mary to a Deity and praying for the dead... but we fail to mention that we adopted 90% of it whole cloth and in truth, Luther never wanted to leave but in his arrogance could not countenance that what was then the churches leadership did not embrace his version of God’s all encompassing Grace.

Of course as Lutherans we seem to have lost that.  Our leadership and the conservative Lutheran blogosphere which seems to govern our churches theology and doctrine are much more concerned about who their Pastors and laity are praying with than to be too concerned regarding something as silly as God’s Grace.  It has rarely been more important for our Missouri Synod President to appear on TV with cardinal Dolan and decry how Obama is the anti Christ and President Harrison referred to his testimony before Congress with the Roman catholic Bishop as a martyrdom.  Tears in my eyes for his suffering.  

The Catholics have been suffering hugely with their well publicized scandals which they have handled, for lack of a better word, poorly.  Benedict was a dogmatic Pope who embraced high church, wanted to bring back the Latin Mass (the language of Christ I think if it wasn’t German) and looked with at best a jaundiced eye on Vatican II.  But, for whatever reason he stepped aside.  The College of Cardinals for whatever reason was led to chose this very conservative but apparently very Jesuit Argentinian and this man, for whatever reason took the name of St. Francis as his own which holds as much symbolism as anything he could have led off with.

He is a VERY conservative guy.  He is said to dislike the “social justice” arm of Catholicism and signed a document stating that being worthy for the Eucharist includes accepting the churches stance on abortion.  But he is a Jesuit and he cares about the poor to his core and he might end up being a radical voice of God’s Grace and love from Rome.  The National catholic Reporter stated that “At a meeting of Latin American bishops in 2007 Bergoglio said "[w]e live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most, yet reduced misery the least" and that "[t]he unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers".  That is a heavy statement.

But words are just words.  I am a huge fan of Maundy Thursday where as Lutherans we celebrate the only commandment given us by Christ, that we love one another the way he loved us.  Catholics celebrate Holy Saturday as we prepare for Good Friday and Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.  Evidently there is a Vatican tradition of the Pope doing a foot washing on that day.  Christ of course washed the feet of his disciples prior to going to Gethsemane and surrendering to Judas and the mob.  Foot washing is beautiful in it’s humility and it is hard to envision any act of service more intimate.  It is my understanding (which is limited since I am of course a Lutheran) that the Pope would wash the feet of leaders of the church.  Men.  Men of station. Christian, righteous, pious, men.

But not Francis!  Francis goes to a prison.  Francis does not just visit the people in prison.  Francis goes and he washes their feet.  He washed the feet of prisoners.  he washes the feet of Muslims.  He washes the feet of... (gasp)... women.  This is not the way of the modern Church.  Our leaders like to make rules.  They like to make doctrine.  They like to enforce doctrine.  They enjoy sitting in their enclaves making edicts and then going out to visit the faithful.  Not that they are not happy when their flocks serve, so long as they serve with the right people, and of course if you Lutheran’s, so long as you do not worship with those people.  Some things are not to be tolerated.

But not Francis.  Francis goes to prison and serves the needs of the forgotten.  The needs of the lost.  The needs of the evil, broken sinners.  Francis went and served people like me.  I know I have quoted it before but Bruce Cockburn, Canadian rocker of may years, retold the nativity of Christ in his song “Cry of a Tiny Babe”, and he sings “It isn’t to the palace that the Christ Child comes, but to shepherds, street people, hookers and bums.”  Amen a

nd God Bless our new Pope.  He might not be the head of my church, I might not think he is infallible, I am sure he will take positions that offend and disappoint me but God Bless the new Pope this Easter and all my Catholic brothers and sisters for finding a man who with a humble act of mercy gives me new hope.

Happy Easter and God’s Peace.