The premise of this book was simple: ask twenty writers what rock and roll record they would take to a desert island." Sounds like a flimsy excuse for pulping a lot of trees? It is indeed—but, even worse, the 20 resulting essays here devastatingly expose the sorry state of what passes for criticism in the world of rock. Ellen Willis: "What it comes down to for me—as a Velvets fan, a lover of rock and roll, a New Yorker, an aesthete, a punk, a sinner, a sometime seeker of enlightenment (and love) (and sex) is this: I believe that we are all, openly or secretly, struggling against one or another kind of nihilism." Dave Marsh chooses "Onan's Greatest Hits" (songs to masturbate by). Langdon Winner: "Having lived in something of a shipwreck for the past several years. . . ." Tom Smucker: "Give me Precious Lord. With it I could make a stab at the eternal." Nick Tosches: "When I first heard '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction,' I was fifteen years old, and had never gotten laid." Get the idea? Pretentious, self-indulgent, and above all aggressively pre-sophomoric (even Janet Maslin, who writes brightly adult film reviews, goes all teenager-y)—most of the writers here pay tribute to favorite music (the Stones, Van Morrison, the Eagles, Captain Beefheart, Bruce Springsteen, no Beatles) in narcissistic confession-credos that are wearyingly similar, nearly all in the jivey Village Voice/Rolling Stone manner. As a result, and perhaps most crucially, few of these paeans will win new listeners for the records. (A couple of exceptions: Tom Carson's tribute to the comically trashy Ramones, Kit Rachlis on Neil Young.) And only John Rockwell really writes about rock as music—in a lengthy, precise analysis of the vocal artistry of Linda Ronstadt (she "reaffirms the place of interpretation in contemporary popular music"). Rockwell's grown-up approach gives some hope that rock criticism can some day be rich, varied, substantial; as of now, on the fairly representative evidence here, it's kid stuff all the way.
Pub Date: Nov. 29, 1979
ISBN: 030681532X
Page Count: 334
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1979
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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