Celebrating Steinbeck on Central Coast

Saturday marked John Steinbeck’s 108th birthday. Dozens of residents gathered at the National Steinbeck Center to remember his contributions through many different kinds of books and art forms.

Los Angeles Times announces finalists for its Book Prizes

Also announced: Dave Eggers will be given the inaugural Innovators Award. Finalists for the 30th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were announced on Monday, and for the first time, graphic novels will be among the categories in competition. Prizes in 10 categories will be awarded on April 23, in an invitation-only ceremony at The Times.

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Los Angeles Times announces finalists for its Book Prizes

Coming in March

New Releases for March:

Circle of Greed: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Lawyer Who Brought Corporate America to Its Knees by Carl Cannon
Clint: A Retrospective by Richard Schickel
No Apology: The Case for American Greatness by Mitt Romney
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight by Karl Rove
The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change by Annie Leonard
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero by Tom Clavin

Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (Touchstone)

We always knew that Tommy Smothers was the more political of the famous Smothers Brothers comedy duo, but perhaps we never knew just how stridently he fought to maintain it. In 1967, (pre-cable) television was not the place for making snide, clever or obtuse political references on an entertainment variety show. At least so thought the well ensconced executives who ran the Tiffany network, CBS.

WIth guests like Joan Baez, David Steinberg, Pete Seeger and The Who (not to mention in-house talent like Steve Martin, Pat Paulsen, Mason Williams (“Classical Gas”) and Glen Campbell), Tom and Dick Smothers produced a Sunday night, prime-time variety show that was made for the counter-culture times (drugs, anti-war, anti-cop, etc…) The trouble was, CBS didn’t feel like inviting push-back from it’s myriad of constituencies, ranging from big-name sponsors to the eventual Nixon White House. Thus the brothers found themselves in endless battles over content with the network censors such that each show, each skit had to be reviewed by various people in the food-chain to determine it’s appropriateness in the days leading up to each broadcast.

Such machinations ultimately created a war between Tom and the network that, by 1969, ended in the termination of the show altogether.

Television writer, David Bianculli (Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously) has painstakingly gone back through every episode, internal memos, court transcripts (they sued CBS for breach of contract) as well as conducting interviews with everyone from the brothers to Lorne Michaels (then a writer for Smothers’ competitor “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In”) to CBS executives, former managers and others, in assembling the ultimate Smothers Brothers story. (Unfortunately, it took nearly fifteen years for Bianculli to finish the book between other projects and a heavy case of self-admitted procrastination.)

While much of the material that was considered ‘too hot for television’ back in 1967-69 would seem undramatically harmless today, it is clear that the brothers were pushing the limits of network television content by 60’s standards. To witness what they went through in combining comedy and politics and the effect it had on the times (the Vietnam War, LBJ, the Beatles, etc.) one cannot help but draw a straight line between their show and the work of modern day cable satirists like Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert and John Stewart, who would not be where they are today without the work of Dick and particularly, Tom Smothers.

Two Views of the Rock: Rick Rubin and Brian Eno

On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno – David Sheppard (Chicago Review Press) hardcover 471 pages.
Rick Rubin: In the Studio – Jake Brown (ECW Press) paperback 253 pages.

In the course of observing the rock based recordings of the late 20th Century, two names keep surfacing when it comes to exemplary album production. Brian Eno and Rick Rubin. Between the two of them, they have been responsible for some of the biggest and best selling albums of the rock era. Eno with his work on bands like U2, Coldplay and the Talking Heads, and Rubin with everyone from the Beastie Boys to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Tom Petty to Metallica.

Yet, as much as they are icons of rock production, the similarities seem to end there.

In his book, ‘On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno’, author David Sheppard chronicles both the life and the oeuvre of the enigmatic Mr. Eno; from his early upbringing in Suffolk, England to his days in an English provincial art school, to his joining a barely formed Roxy Music (where he is first credited with performing ‘treatments’), a decade-long solo career, on through his many cerebral and aesthetic projects (‘Oblique Strategies‘ being one of the most famous), several highly regarded avant-garde musical collaborations (first with Robert Fripp, then with David Byrne), a long series of ambient-based albums ultimately leading to his high-profile production work with David Bowie, Devo, U2, Coldplay and others.

Brown’s chronology, ‘Rick Rubin: In the Studio,’ while similar in development (sans the musician part) began in the dorms of NYU where his DefJam Records first took off, to his early years exploring hardcore rock and street based hip-hop, collecting a list of associates ranging from the aforementioned Beastie Boys, to RUN DMC, Slayer and more. Eventually, Rubin formed his own label (parting ways with co-Def Jam owner, Russell Simmons), moved to California and formed Def American (later just ‘American’) Recordings. Rubin’s stature continued to rise, and whilst not being much of a musician nor an engineer, he ended up helming records from the likes of the Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, the Dixie Chicks, Neil Diamond, Linkin Park and others.

The two books have much in common with and are as diverse as their respective subjects. While Sheppard’s book is both detailed and an intelligent rendering of the events in and surrounding it’s subject, Brown’s book is more tactical and directly relating to each of the recordings involved. Sheppard’s work is much more fluid and articulate in describing the ever-weaving career path (including numerous non-music endeavors – like his ambient wallscape ‘77 Million Paintings‘) while Brown largely sticks to the nitty-gritty of the details of the making of each record outlined. (Brown’s is rightly subtitled as part of his ‘In the Studio’ series.) Sheppard seems to have spent much more time with the principals in Eno’s life’s work, while much of Brown’s book is, unfortunately, based largely on an assemblage of reworked press quotes.

In all, both books shed a light on the sometimes hidden-from-view process of the recording studio. Sheppard’s Eno tome comes across as a much more painstaking and revealing work, while a similar type of in-depth, wide-ranging examination of Rubin’s career is still yet to be written. – Tim Devine

Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by James S. Hirsch (Scribner)

Willie Mays discusses playing in the Negro Leagues, his early days in the Majors, The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,’ his father’s influence, his fanship of Joe DiMaggio and more in support of the new book ‘Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend’ by James S. Hirsch. (Scribner)
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Willie Mays waited a long time to give his blessing for an authorized biography. When reading James Hirsch’s book, one realizes it was well worth the wait. In his 624 pages, Hirsch covers every detail of a man who is one of the top five players ever to play the game and serves as the link between power hitting outfielders from Joe DiMaggio to Barry Bonds. From his early days in the outmoded ‘negro leagues’ to being one of the early stars of baseball’s move to integration, Mays became one of the greatest spokepersons the game has ever known.

By generously offering his cooperation in terms of personal access as well as arranging interviews with obscure people from his past, ‘Say-Hey’ Willie opened the doors for the most comprehensive tome ever devoted to the Giants’ legend. From his days as an immediate star of New York’s Giants to the teams move to San Francisco (making Mays a cross-country star) to his final days back in New York with the Mets, Mays is seen as a remarkable player – a swiss army knife: at bat, on the bases and famously in centerfield. Yet, much of Mays’ personal life existed behind a private curtain, until now.

Hirsch goes into great detail describing Mays; an extensive exploration of ‘the Catch’, his effect on other players (most famously culminating in breaking up the epic fight between Dodger’s John Roseboro and Giant’s pitcher Juan Marichal) the performance drawbacks of Candlestick Park, as well as his period of financial difficulty, his dealing with the residual lingering racism off the field and finally becoming one of America’s most famous and well-liked players.

What is most fortunate, is that Mays finally granted his cooperation while we still have him with us. To have waited any longer would have undoubtedly made for a diminished work. Say-hey. Well done.

The Clinton Tapes – Taylor Branch (Simon & Schuster)

With former President Clinton in the news lately, we thought it would be a good time to look at the most recent book covering his White House years, ‘The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President’ by Taylor Branch.

The first thing that bears mention, is that this is not a book of transcripts of secret (or not so secret) White House tapes made in the Oval Office a la Nixon or even LBJ. The book is rather the recollections of Pulitzer Prize winning author, Taylor Branch (‘Parting the Waters’ about the rise of Martin Luther King) who was hired by Clinton to conduct a series of late-night interviews with the then president to chronicle his years in the White House; tapes that Clinton himself, has held onto for his own posterity, library, book, etc…

While not nearly a direct transcript, Branch’s deckle edged book is based on a series of detailed recollections from his discussions with Clinton that revel the president’s insider views and opinions on all the major issues of his two-term presidency. The range of topics is wide, moving adroitly from issues of a domestic nature (health care, gays in the military, campaign finance reform, the environment, the media and his major work on behalf of the economy and the balanced budget amendment) to foreign affairs (the middle east peace process, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq, Haiti, etc.) to politics (the mid-term elections, the contest with Bob Dole in 1996 and some harsh words reserved for Al Gore in the wake of the 2000 debacle, as well as relations with the House and Senate Republicans and their pestiferous leader, Newt Gingrich).

Some of the best and worst moments are those reserved exclusively for the Clintons, where Branch’s affinity for his former campaign worker friend (they knew each other from George McGovern’s presidential run 20 years earlier) show a certain favoritism for giving the Clintons at least the benefit of the doubt. Subjects like Whitewater, Vince Foster, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky are tempered by the more personal stories involving Clinton’s golf game, Hillary’s various social issues as well as the close relationship of both parents with daughter Chelsea.

In all, what emerges from The Clinton Tapes is an intimate look at a man who is a deep analytical thinker, a leader that is well schooled on his job and who considers the down-the-line implications of every move much like an experienced chessman. Once Clinton finally decides to release the tapes, we should have a window into even more of the nuances of the issues chronicled here, but until then, The Clinton Tapes serves as a rare window into a complex and issue filled eight-year term at the top.

Also available as an audio book.

New Book Details Starr and Clinton

Former federal prosecutor Hickman Ewing Jr. is featured in a new book about Kenneth Starr’s battle with Bill and Hillary Clinton, “Clash of the Titans.”

The book by Ken Gormley was reviewed this week in The Wall Street Journal. Ewing was United States attorney in Memphis during the 1980s before joining Starr’s staff during the Whitewater investigation in the Clinton years. The attached excerpt is from the review.

http://www.memphisflyer.com/CityBeatBlog/archives/2010/02/17/ewing-featured-in-new-book-about-ken-starr-and-clintons

Jobs Authorizes Biography. Issacson Gets Nod.

Apple (NASD: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs is collaborating with former Time managing editor Walter Isaacson on his first authorized biography, The New York Times reported.

People briefed on the project told The Times it is still in early planning stages, but is expected to cover Jobs’ entire life.

Isaacson has previously penned biographies of Einstein and Benjamin Franklin.

The Times noted that Jobs has previously reacted “angrily” to the publication of a number of unauthorized biographies, “and in some cases has directed Apple stores to temporarily remove other books from the same publishers from their shelves.”

Related Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/technology/companies/16apple.html

From Digital Media Wire

Novelist Dick Francis Dead at 89

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