GET YOUR READ ON! ARTISTS COMBAT ISOLATIONISM

Having recently settled in to the very quiet existence of a rural country squire deep within Neverwhere, Washington, I was relishing a long awaited respite from the seething chaos of my former life in Southern California and recovering from an indisputably challenging 2019. It was only a matter of weeks however before the world unexpectedly went haywire and all of us suddenly, seemingly instantaneously, found ourselves in a non-volitional state of isolation.

If being forcibly sequestered isn’t unpleasant, the prevailing reasons are far more so. And then, in woefully predictable fashion, out came the media and ridiculous pundits to create their own insidious global pandemic of fear characterized by misinformation, lunatic speculation, and shock tactics that served to underpin the entire situation in a morass of negligence and social irresponsibility. But, hey, I guess they got bills to pay too, right?

GET YOUR READ ON – COMBATING ISOLATIONISM

My response? I immediately abandoned all of the negative noise and decided to take a more enriching, optimistic and constructive approach to managing the adverse effects of self-isolationism. That being some hard core bibliotherapy.

Regular visitors of Fates On Fire know that I am a dedicated and voracious reader. For me, reading has always been a way in which I could retreat from the world or my problems to simultaneously relax and engage mentally.

Reading is a method to actively connect, explore, self-palliate, replenish, learn, grow and, if you’re exceedingly fortunate, have your life changed. However, while I was acutely aware of its beneficial nature, I actually had never heard the term bibliotherapy before reading fellow blogger Savvy History who writes quite eloquently on the subject.

ARTISTS TO THE RESCUE

I wanted to do something a bit unique during these unique times and settled on the idea of an artist-specific curated list of reading fueled exclusively by individual recommendations. So, I reached out to some of my favorite artists, pals & strangers alike, including some of the finest authors, musicians and illustrators (and some a combination thereof) to provide personal book recommendations. Suffice it to say, the responses came in fast and furious (which is precisely why these people are amazing).

A COUPLE OF NOTES & FORMAT

This 2-part series consists of a total of 10 artists and 14 books. There really is no particular order except me attempting to have a semblance of balance between authors, musicians & illustrators and number of books in each post.

Each entry begins with the artist and a biography and then a quick review of each book. Think of this as Mr. Fate providing you with a list of great artists you can explore, thus paying it forward. A caveat – most artists provided multiple recommendations but I am only featuring the ones I read (as of the moment). Enjoy!

AIMEE ECHO – Musician

For over 20 years Aimee Echo has been the singer and front-woman for theSTART, a spellbindingly amazing band and one of my all time faves. Aimee’s also performed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garbage and, if you’re an old LA scenester, you’ll recall her first band, the Human Waste Project. Not tethered to the world of rock n’ roll, she is also the owner, director and primary teacher at Ashtanga Yoga Long Beach. Do yourself a favor and snap up theSTART’s newest 7” here.

“JUST KIDS” by Patti Smith

Aimee was the first to give a recommendation and it was also the first (but not the last) to surprise me. A winner of the National Book Award, “Just Kids” recounts the intense relationship between Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe in the late-60s and early 70s New York. Set amid such iconic places as the Chelsea Hotel and Max’s Kansas City, it is a captivating story of a chance friendship that, ultimately, burgeons into a love that characterizes and defines the lives of each. While I am not a fan of the work of either of these two, the sheer honesty and intensity of the story, couched in Smith’s brilliant prose, served to really draw me in. Overall, it is an extremely moving and touching snapshot in time of a couple of kids who, as it happened, became legendary artists. I had no idea this book existed and would never have picked it up even if I did, so I am very grateful for this recommendation that turned out as a delightful surprise.

LAIRD BARRON – Author

Laird Barron is an author and poet whose writing falls somewhere in the horror, noir and dark fantasy categories, but I consider him a unique and individual literary force whose writing stays with you long after the read has ended. A former Alaskan, Laird also raced the Iditarod and worked as a fisherman on the Bearing Sea before settling down to “write about the evil men do” and then proceed to win many prestigious awards including the Shirley Jackson, Bram Stoker, Locus and World Fantasy. Pick up a copy of “The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All” for a ride you’ll never forget.

“GENERATION LOSS” by Elizabeth Hand

Laird gave me a number of recommendations and this is what I chose to read first. I’d never heard of Elizabeth Hand or “Generation Loss,” but with a self-destructive, damaged photographer protagonist made briefly famous documenting the underbelly of the late-70 New York punk scene, it immediately formed a thread to “Just Kids.” Part psychological thriller, part love letter to Maine, and steeped in plenty of dark corners, “Generation Loss” tells the unsympathetic voyage of Cass Neary who heads to a defunct artist commune on the islands off Maine where she stumbles upon a grim mystery replete with murder, mayhem and creepiness. While there were some very graphic, unsettling scenes, Hand does a nice job interweaving themes of art, aging, serial killers in a repellent, but compelling tale of twisted redemption.

ROBERT BROCKWAY – Author

For those not in the know, Robert Brockway is an author of some pretty amazing books such as “The Unnoticeables,” “The Empty Ones,” and the hilarious non-fiction essay collection, “Everything is Going to Kill Everyone.” He’s also a senior editor and regular columnist for Cracked.com and one very funny dude. Be sure to check out his brand new book, “Carrier Wave”.

“A LUSH & SEETHING HELL” by John Hornor Jacobs

Like Laird, Robert gave me a number of recommendations and, oddly, one was “A Lush & Seething Hell” which I had, by pure chance, seen a couple of days before at a book store, but didn’t pull the trigger. I’m glad Robert gave me a reason to read this. It’s actually comprised of, “The Sea Dreams it is the Sky,” a previously published short story and a new novella, “My Heart Struck Sorrow.” The lyricism of the language employed in the former is sublime and, while initially difficult to catch the meter, it feels simultaneously poetic and exotic and this is where I found the joy. There are intensely graphic, unflinching descriptions of human torture that, while doing justice to an historical account, were difficult for me to wade through to get to an ending that was rather meh. The latter story is one of grief, loss and guilt adroitly woven together in a tale rooted in the self-exploration of the dual protagonists via blues music, specifically the mythic American folks song, “Stagger Lee” that keenly jumps from past to present in an electrifying way. Of the two reads, I found this one to be far superior.

JOHN KOVALIC – Illustrator, Cartoonist

John is an award winning illustrator and cartoonist and the creator of the comic Dork Tower, the long running, hilarious loving lampoon of nerd culture. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you’re likely familiar with his board game art as John is the graphic mastermind behind such wildly popular sensations as “Apples to Apples” and the ever growing and pervasive Munchkin games. The great news is that you can dip your toe into all things Dork Tower free online to sample John’s humor and art.

While I enjoyed all three of the books above quite a bit, their themes were a bit bleak and dark and began to somber my mood, so I figured I’d hit up John to get some smiles and laughs going on. And, man, did he deliver. I had so much fun, I dove straight in and devoured 3 of his recommendations.

VACATIONLAND: TRUE STORIES FROM PAINFUL BEACHES by John Hodgman

It seems that John Hodgman is semi-famous for being on TV, specifically on the Daily Show, playing the “PC” for Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign and other bits aside from being a humor author, but since I don’t watch TV, I had no clue who this guy was, but I sure do now. Hodgman’s self-described “privilege humor” is somewhat akin to what I imagine a David Sedaris & Jon Stewart amalgam to be (but perhaps a tad less relatable). In fact, I can see Hodgman’s humor as entirely binary in that you either like him or you don’t. I enjoyed the stories in “Vacationland” and they certainly perked up my mood. Hodgman deals with larger issues of middle age, the painful self-awareness that he is perhaps washed out, the struggle of being a jobbing actor/writer/podcaster/etc. while being a family man new to Maine with 2 vacation homes. Hodgman comes across as likable and there is always a touch of warmth and charm under his absurdity and wry wit. I gotta say though, this book, along with Hand’s made me never want to visit Maine, that’s for sure. However, it did make me immediately read Hodgman’s “Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms,” another Kovalic recommendation, which had me laughing out loud.

GIANT DAYS by John Allison

I just noticed that John gave me 2 other John’s to read (and Brockway gave me one too). I was unfamiliar with “Giant Days,” the comedic comic book with stunning artwork by Max Sarin & Lissa Treiman, but I’m glad he recommended it. After having read Volume 1 of the collected stories, it came as zero surprise that “Giant Days” has won 2 Eisner and 4 Harvey Awards. The story follows 3 women, Esther, Daisy & Susan at a UK university all of whom are attempting to define themselves and their ensuing adventures. The stories, characterized by a Brit tone, are fun and relatable and will certainly evoke memories for those who ever experienced life in a university residence hall.

Alice Bag – Musician & Author

An L.A. punk legend, Alice Bag is a singer, musician, author, educator and feminist. She came to notoriety as the founder and singer of The Bags, one of the first bands to form amid LA’s burgeoning punk scene in the late 70’s. She is the author of the critically acclaimed books ‘Violence Girl’ and ‘Pipe Bomb For the Soul.’  Her self-titled 2016 debut album received critical acclaim and was named one of the best albums of 2016 by AllMusic. Her second album, Blueprint, was named one of the Best Albums of 2018 by NPR and the Los Angeles Times. And she’s got a new one coming out shortly!

EDUCATED: A MEMOIR by Tara Westover

Fucking WOW! How’s that for a 2-word review. It’s no surprise that “Educated” has won about a zillion awards, been a #1 NYT bestseller and landed itself on the top spot of pretty much every credible review source. “Educated” is a magnificent & astonishing story of personal triumph. Having been raised in a family led by a mentally deranged, repugnant and sociopath father who is a lunatic fringe of an already lunatic fringe, Westover’s story of escape from a childhood devoid of any education to ultimately becoming a Gates Scholar and receiving a PhD from Cambridge University is beautiful, heart wrenching, jubilant, and remarkable. I could not put this down and you should definitely pick it up. By far the best book of the year for me and also on my Top 5 non-fiction of all time.

STAY TUNED FOR PART II OF THIS SERIES

I hope you enjoyed and found a few new artists and reads that you are excited to check out. Staying positive and strong amid all of this is tough, but I hope you can take a break from all the noise to relax and enjoy getting lost in a great book.

Stay tuned for Part II of this series where we have more wondrous reads by more incredible artists such as Ken Liu, Kristin Hersh, and Evan Dorkin and more! In the meantime stay safe and, most importantly, stay positive!