"My Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal" by Russell Brand

I recently finished reading Russell Brand's first installment of his autobiographical "Booky Wook" series and quite enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed this one more. The first one, he tried more and I laughed more I think, but with this one, I could better see the celebrity that I know him as, and he had more stories about time spent in the U.S., which being American I can better relate to. In his first book, there were tedious details about his childhood and adolescence to give background into who he is, but in this one, he made the stories more relevant for what the reader probably wanted. Also, it helped that during this book, he was sober and clean--so that whole dramatic scene was eliminated and other topics could be focused upon. I much liked reading his stories about filming "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" in Hawaii, being friends with Morrissey and Noel from Oasis (respectively), his crush on Helen Mirren and meeting various celebrities during his MTV VMA hosting and filming "Get Him to the Greek." Particularly funny and somewhat inspiring was a story about a media debacle that Brand caused when he joked on air about having sexual relations with one of their guest's granddaughters. In that particular situation, Brand went through a bad time and learned some valuable lessons about going too far with his humor and how to be more vigilant of potential domino effects. I enjoyed Brand's second book and would love to meet him in person someday! I would probably want to discuss his books in detail, as there were many fascinating stories.

Between a Heart and a Rock Place, A Memoir by Pat Benatar

So I now feel like I know Pat Benatar. She seems pretty cool lady who really has her head on straight. Her book was a pretty good read, for women especially, since she's a tough cookie who juggled being the lead singer of a rock band and mothering 2 children. Her husband is her longtime guitarist in her band, which is interesting. I am always way more fascinated by couples who are in the same band together, because I know it's not easy and there are so many layers that can complicate things. When a couple makes it work for the long term, I am awestruck. I respect her for making it work and not giving up. There was a time when Benatar and her now husband were broken up, too, which was inspiring to read about. I liked reading about the mistakes and misjudgements she made while young, because it shows she's human and had a past that wasn't really what you would expect of a famous female rock singer. It wasn't anything bad, just unexpected and interesting. In this particular memoir, it was delightful to find out about the person on the other side of the songs that you hear on the radio. I don't know that I could rouse up one bad things to say about Pat Benatar. She wrote about living in back country Hawaii for a while, which would be so amazing. I don't know why more celebrities don't get homes that are clear away from much civilization and people prying into their private lives. I always admire when people do that, because it seems like a no brainer for gaining a sense of peace aside from the celebrity and vanity of it all. Anyway - what I found most interesting in Benatar's memoir was the battle she and her band went through with their former record label, Chrysalis. It was very eye-opening for a musician. All in all, a good read :) I recommend.

Book Review: "My Booky Wook" by Russell Brand

Russell Brand is a celebrity figure whom I've always found to be fascinating. "Get Him to the Greek" is a permanent fixture in our home - our go-to film when there's nothing good on TV and we want guaranteed entertainment and laughs (despite the fact that we've seen it dozens of times). I think Brand is brilliantly funny in that film.

Part One of Brand's autobiographical series,My Booky Wook, was rather entertaining and amusing. I did find myself laughing out loud every so often during my reading. Nothing in it was really unexpected from what I had already learned about Brand through the media, but some of the details were surprising and interesting. For example, the story about how Brand lost his virginity was not really a shocker, but it explains a lot. It was impressive to me how vividly he seems to recall much of his childhood, adolescence and beyond, especially considering how much drugs and booze he put into his body. I also found both his lexicon and syntax to be rather sophisticated.

I would recommend Brand's book to anyone who's ever been fascinated by the man. If you have never taken an interest in his personality, work or life, then this book probably isn't for you, because it goes really into depth about his life and experiences. Now that I'm finally finished with his first book, I'm just starting his second, "My Booky Wook 2" which seems like it can thankfully pick up where the other left off and tell more about his adult life and experiences as a celebrity. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from My Booky Wook:

"Weeks passed, gerbils germinated. I think Barney disgraced himself by getting pregnant with one of his son's children; I despaired of them. I did consider a Sodom and Gommorah-style smiting, preserving only Barney, but when I looked at their little faces my wrath was assuaged: 'How can I stay mad at you? You incestuous, cannibal little slags.'"

"My mum used to send me these postcards from hospital....There'd always be some encoded, 'Try and be a good boy' message stitched into it. Well, I wish I'd been naughtier, if anything. When I look back, it's not those misdeeds I regret...but the times when I conformed. I regret that I didn't realize...it's all just a trick to indoctrinate you into being a conditioned, tame, placid citizen. Rebel, children, I urge you, fight the turgid slick of conformity with which they seek to smother your glory."

And lastly: "Another thing which happened at that orgy that shouldn't is a washing-machine repair man turned up--not as a guest, but to repair the washing machine. That's bad scheduling, isn't it? 'Are you busy between nine and twelve on Wednesday?' 'No, not really, well...I was planning to have an orgy.'

Book Review: "Not Dead and Not For Sale" By Scott Weiland

It was perfect timing that I bought and read this book in mid-August, as I had tickets to see Stone Temple Pilots play a show on the beach over Labor Day weekend. And they were still really good live!

Something I loved about his book was that Weiland would talk about a certain time in his life, and then talk about a few songs he'd written during that time, and explain what the lyrics were about. As I listened to the songs on my ipod while I read each chapter on the beach, I could make sense of what he was singing and it was a really cool literary-meets-musical experience. Sure, Weiland talked about his experiences getting loaded and doing smack, but he didn't focus on his drug problem. Rather than bragging, it came off like he was just being honest about the history of his music and life as a musician.

He did talk about his childhood, and it surprised me to learn that he grew up in a financially rather well-off family. One part that I found shocking about Weiland's life was a trip he took to Paris one winter. He talked about nearly being murdered and castrated in the Parisian countryside and only barely escaping with his nuts. Crazy.

My favorite part about Weiland's stories was learning what a sensitive, mellow guy he seems to be...not something I'd sensed much from his music, as it's often dark and semi-heavy. He's also really devoted to his family and only really wrote about one woman the whole novel. Quite a contrast from reading the Motley Crue autobiography right before this one. I do recommend Weiland's book if you want a glimpse into the vocals and dynamic of Stone Temple Pilots.

Book Review: "The Dirt" by Motley Crue

Length: 400-some pages
Genre: Band Autobiography

I love to read band and artist autobiographies and biographies. This one, written by all four members of Motley Crue, was riveting! I wasn't expecting this one to be so un-put-downable, but it really was. Obviously the language and literary sophistication left something to be desired, but other than that, I was so into this book! Between the bandmates' detailed stories of their respective childhoods, their meeting, their early days as a band, their mind-bogglingly numerous sexcapades and drug abuse over the years, and their highs and lows as a major touring rock band since the 80s, it was all a lot to take in and all quite shocking to read about. Most interesting, was the fact that it was told from EACH of the bandmates' perspectives, so you really get a real feel for their individual personalities and a full idea of where everyone's heads were at during certain times and events. Additionally, it was hard to keep track of all the girls/girlfriends they wrote about because there were so many!

Other than the shallow goings-on that one might expect in such an artist autobiography, Motley Crue also wrote about some really personal and difficult times that each of them went through apart from the band. From Nikki Sixx's rough childhood and Vince Neil's detailing his daughter's unfortunate health problems, to Mick Mars' health problems and Tommy Lee's jail stint--by the end of these chapters, I was somehow oozing compassion for these guys who had seemed like such pigs at various earlier points throughout the book. It made me see the members of Motley Crue as real people with feelings and sensitivity as musicians, even if their pursuits and music may be lacking in integrity.

Motley Crue knew what they stood for and what they didn't stand for, and they sensed early on that their stories would be valuable and a juicy dish for readers and fans someday. Their story is rare and there will never be another band quite like them--they are four extremely original personalities and artists. Also included in "The Dirt" are about 20 pages of full color glossy photos of the band from their respective childhoods, to their first promotional photos to their respective wedding days. The photos help to visually narrate the lengthy read. I highly recommend this delectably deviant read.

Poem for Max

Little (God's) Creature
by Samuel Hazo

"Do you know what love is? Get a dog."
- Mona Van Duyn

Simply by lying down and being
dog, he demonstrates how
satisfaction differs from fulfillment.
Oscar's fulfilled.

Without
a clock he knows the time
of night, of year, of age.
...

What makes me love this pooch...?
...Is it
because he pays attention
and accepts contentment as life's
best reward?
Is it because
he thinks precisely with his nose
and chats concisely with his tail?
Or is it just his irreplaceability?
Each night he lies beside me
while I read

In dog's arithmetic
he's half my age, but catching up...
How innocent he is of malice,
treachery, impatience, envy
and the fear of death.

I read.
He sleeps.
We share mortality
in silence, breath by breath.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

I just finished reading this, finally. I mean, war books can take a long time to get through, right? So it goes. Anyway, Slaughterhouse Five is largely about author Kurt Vonnegut's experiences fighting as an American soldier in World War II. His tone and phrasing throughout the book are full of dark humor. A commonly used expression in Slaughterhouse is, "So it goes." It is Vonnegut's unique writer's device, used to transition from A to B in his writing, and to explain the "why" behind unjust events. To me, it's Vonnegut's equivalent of saying "Shit happens," "And that was that." Here's an example of how he uses the phrase: "..they saw some other people moving down by the riverside and they shot at them. They hit some of them. So it goes."

Vonnegut mainly writes about the awfulness of one particular bombing, in which he was present after he'd been captured as a prisoner of war during the final months of World War II. It was the Bombing of Dresden, an air raid bombing in Germany in 1945, whose death toll and destruction Vonnegut implies, were greater than the death toll and destruction of Hiroshima, Japan. (Casualties according to estimates in the 1970s by comparison: Hiroshima - 71,379; Dresden - 135,000). (More recent estimates suggest the casualties from Dresden to be between 22,000-25,000).

The plot of Slaughterhouse Five, and the main characters, are presented in such a way that Vonnegut's timeline of events is extremely erratic. This disjointed storyline is perhaps a coping mechanism for Vonnegut the writer, or to represent a reflection of a soldier's nightmarish memories. OR perhaps a way to make the story more interesting and bearable for readers, or himself. It does make the story more full, more colorful, and much less horrible to read about the destruction and aftermath of the bombing. His erratic plotline, absurd events and darkly comedic commentary make me think that Vonnegut himself must have suffered serious psychological repercussions from having witnessed the firebombing of Dresden. So it goes. (and by the way, I generally found this book to be very entertaining, enjoyable and historically educational).

Favorite excerpts:

[after the author compares the wreckage of Dresden aesthetically to the face of the moon].
"Nobody talked much as the expedition crossed the moon. There was nothing appropriate to say. One thing was clear: Absolutely everybody in the city was supposed to be dead, regardless of what they were, and that anybody that moved in it represented a flaw in the design. There were to be no moon men at all."

"Billy got out of bed in the moonlight. He felt spooky and luminous, felt as though he were wrapped in cool fur that was full of static electricity. He looked down at his bare feet. They were ivory and blue."