bedsitter23

The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo--and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation by James Donovan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This year we went to the Alamo. I had never been but had been always told it’s just a small building in the middle of San Antonio. Which it was. I didn’t feel particularly cheated though. There is something fascinating about it. I was reminded as I visited that English musician Phil Collins is the owner of the most Alamo memorabilia.

Anyway, we thought it was an interesting piece and of course, I had to pick one of the books available for sale at the gift shop.

The story by necessity tells the story of William Travis, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett and Santa Anna. These are all colorful characters. We don’t get a deep dive of the back story but we do get a lot of buildup.

The battle itself is also fairly short so we get a timeline of the events that led towards it, the siege and battle itself and the immediate events that followed.

I really wanted to like this book and I have no doubt Donovan was thorough in his research but dang this was a slog to read.

I really liked the afterword which discusses the veracity of the two most popular Alamo stories (Travis drawing a line and Moses Rose, the Frenchman who survived the battle) and does a good job of laying out the argument that these stories are true.

I also really liked the way Santa Anna was presented from different angles. Yes, he is one of history’s bad guys but it was good to see those nuances. The book stops short of taking on the Mexican American War but I did find the army movements of the era fascinating as well.

I think I learned a lot from this book. It just wasn’t as an easy read as I had hoped for



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Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made by Michael Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is for movie buffs. For a good period of my life that was me. I wonder what my average movie viewing was in College. It had to get close to averaging four a week, I would have to guess.

This has the feel of an AJ Jacobs book with author Adams dedicating a year to watching bad movies every day to determine the worst movie of all time. He used critics lists but then added user review sites to compile the worst of the worst.

There’s plenty of reasons a movie can be bad- blockbuster budgets that flop, low budget movies that wish they were good but aren’t, shock value movies, just plain boring movies and so on.

He categorizes these as the title says- you have sexplotation, horror and so on. Adams has a good sense of humor and though there’s a certain element that may make you want to watch bad movies, you are generally glad that he did it for you

He largely summarizes plots and why they are bad movies in an engaging manner. There’s Ed Wood and Reefer Madness and Pia Zadora and Police Academy 3 and all the usual suspects. He also talks to different directors and asks their favorite bad movies.

While I doubt diehards will find it definitive, I did appreciate the deep dive in those B movie directors that might fly under the radar.

If you truly like bad movies, then you will enjoy this. You can relate to the ones you saw and may add those to your viewing list based on your tastes.

There definitely a market for bad movies in the late 90s/early 00s. Adams does a fairly good job of trying to disqualify some movies for time or content (no porn for example) but as he digs deep into these recent zero budget films towards the end of the book, it does start to bog down.

Moving from well known films like Manos: Hands of Fate or Sylvester Stallone’s notorious debut Party at Kitty and Studs to fare like The Maize movies and Rollergator- I think he does too deep of a dive and repetition kicks in

Still, I quite enjoyed this book and it seems a decent addition to the book shelf of a movie buff



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The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump by Terry Pluto

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I’m aware of Pluto’s reputation as a great sports writer with an appreciation for a good sense of humor. I saw this in a used bookstore and couldn’t resist.

There’s a famous meme that shows the top song of the year that every Major League Baseball team won a World Series. Maybe your team has won in the era of Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny, or even Adele and One Direction. Maybe it’s 50 Cent or Nelly or if things are particularly tough for your team you can joke about New Kids on the Block, Garth Brooks, Whitney, Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson or gasp as far as back as ABBA.

Then there’s the Cleveland Guardians (nee Indians) whose last World Series win predates rock n roll. Is the Cleveland team cursed so bad that they have not won since the days Perry Como, Dinah Shore and Bing Crosby dominated the hit parade.

Perhaps. After being competitive in the 1940s and 1950s, their luck seemed to change in 1960 when they traded their most popular young All-Star player to Detroit for an aging Harvey Kuehnn. Was it a curse? Well, it certainly seemed like an unusual move. For the ensuing decades, it seemed like Cleveland had nothing but bad luck.

In truth, there is probably a straight correlation from the curse to the fact that the Indians were always owned by people who didn’t have the extra money to make the team worthwhile. Sure, there was bad luck, but without that cash infusion to offset it with any better luck.

It’s funny. I was a huge fan of 70s and 80s baseball and I don’t know a ton of Indians players. They were not a competitive team for so long. Sure there were team legends like Andre Thornton and Mike Hargrove but they were few and far between.

The Indians did reacquire Covalito in 1965 but it was the beginning of a series of trades where they sent prospects who became stars for players who didn’t pan out.

Through the years, when the team had great young players, they inevitably got hurt. Sam McDowell, Ray Fosse, Wayne Garland (almost the instant he signed a ten year contract) and most famously Joe Charboneau, the 1980 Rookie of the Year. He would only play 70 more games total in 1981 and 1982 before being forced to retire.

Then there’s hall of famer Dennis Eckersley who the team was forced to trade due to Rick Manning causing marital problems.

Offsetting good news is rare. The Indians did give Frank Robinson a managerial start- the first African American to do so- though they can hardly provide him with a winning team.

In 1986, the team has young stars and a winning team, but 1987 expectations come crushing down. The book ends in 1994. Tragedy has hit in 1993 when two pitchers die in a boating accident. But good things were on the horizon. The Cleveland Stadium- a hulking structure built for football and devoid of the intimate charm of modern day baseball parks; not to mention right off the chilly winds of Lake Erie- is replaced in 1994. Richard Jacobs has taken complete ownership in 1992. The days of partial ownership, lackluster finances and inept front offices may be gone.

Now 30 years after the book was published, we know things do get better. The team went on a run of success from 1995 to 2001, as if Pluto’s book may have exorcised some demons. The team reached the World Series in 1995 and 1997. Pluto suggested in the 94 book that longtime Indian player Hargrove (hired in 1991) was the right manager for the team and he was not wrong. The 41 year World Series appearance drought had ended.

But we also know that the team still hasn’t won the ring. The Indians come the closest in 2016 going to Game 7 against a team that had an even bigger gap in Championships, the Chicago Cubs. The fate of Cleveland has improved quite a bit since the Dolan Family bought them in 2000. No longer the joke Pluto wrote about, and yet that big prize is still elusive.

This is a fun book. If you are someone who loves baseball stories or perhaps you are taking on one of those 30 Teams 30 Books projects, then this is a good one to pick up.



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 As I usually do this time of year, please enjoy my list of Top 20 albums of 2024, which are all artists I featured last year.

Sam Barber- Restless Mind (Lockeland Records/ Atlantic) -21 year old releases 28 song debut album with as much ambition as early Zach Bryan with a similar set of talents too.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby- The Future Is On the Way Out (ATO) - I am going to tell my children this debut from Chicago based five piece is the Smiths.

The Bug Club - On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System (Sub Pop)- Quirky Welsh duo continue to thrill with their multi-genre influenced indie rock.

Zach Bryan- The Great American Bar Scene (Belting Bronco/Warner)- Bryan finally reaches his full potential making an album that gets played on country radio but in line with Springsteen mythos, even featuring the Boss himself.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds- Wild God (PIAS)- As if Ghosteen-era Nick Cave would meet pre-Ghosteen era Nick Cave and they made a record.

Cheekface - It's Sorted (Cheekface)- Somehow pulling from the slacker pop of Jonathan Richman and Steven Malkmus and quirky alternative like the B-52s and Devo to make music that is somehow both and also neither Blink-182 style Pop-Punk and modern day Crank Wave.

Decemberists- As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (YABB)- With a six year hiatus, Colin Meloy returns with an album that pulls from all of the eras from the band from the bookish, 19th century-obsessed quirky folk of the early albums and the melodic prog rock-loving straight forward Americana of recent years.

Mick Harvey- Five Ways to Say Goodbye (Mute)- The first "solo" album in a decade from the hardly idle Harvey is a fantastic curation of mostly covers that fit well into his catalog.

Libertines All Quiet on the Eastern Esplenade (Casablanca/Republic/EMI) Surprising fourth album is a fan favorite from Barat and Doherty’s gang.

NewDad- Madra (Atlantic/Fair Youth) - Long awaited debut from Irish band that blends shoegaze and indie pop in the ways those great groups of the 1990s often did.

Old 97's-American Primitive (ATO)- As the title implies, the Old 97's keep it pretty raw here, and continue their streak of great albums.

Peter Perrett- The Cleansing (Domino) - Third solo album from the other side of a career that started with the glorious self-destructive leader of the Only Ones still with the qualities that made him so compelling with the gravitas of approaching the final years.

Real Estate - Daniel (Domino) - Sixth album from one of the great bands of that made their recorded debut in the same magical "indie rock" era with Passion Pit, Florence and the Machine and Titus Andronicus, still going strong mixing surf sounds, jangly guitars and dream pop.

Charlie Risso -Alive (T3) Hugo Race produced Chanteuse from London via Genoa delivers cinematic third album that deserves to be heard.

Still Corners -Dream Talk (Wrecking Light) - Dreams are the theme on the sixth album from long time neo-psych ethereal pop UK/US duo.

Swami and the Bed Of Nails- All Of This Awaits You (Swami)- Out of the sadness of losing friend Rick Froberg, John Reis gives us this immensely enjoyable songs about things as diverse as condiments, Banana peels and Harbor Freight tools. Suck it, writer's block.

The The- Ensoulment (Cineola/Earmusic) -For a brief moment, Matt Johnson and Warne Livesay team up again and capture some of that Infected/Mind Bomb magic.

Tindersticks - Soft Tissue- (City Slang) - Album # 14 is a short one but contains the elements like Stuart Staples's soulful voice to add some excellent new songs to their lengthy catalogue.

Vacations- No Place Like Home (Nettwerk/No Fun) -Third album from Australian indie poppers bridges classic college rock and millennial pop influence.

X- Smoke & Fiction (Fat Possum)- Much heralded final album from legendary band gives us what we want- Billy's fantastic guitar, DJ's thump and those wonderful harmonies with lyrics that look back at their career, leaving us wanting more even if all we get might be solo work.

Iggy is one of those artists that I can always talk about. 2020 brings us a nice big boxed set of the Bowie years. I am such a Stooges guy. It's not I don't love The Idiot and Lust for Life, but I have to admit, they generally haven't been my go-tos, but listening to them again, they are pretty flawless. I have also been reading on Bowie in Berlin, so this has also helped my appreciation. I think we know now that it really was a true collaboration. I think we think of Bowie elevating Iggy, but it went both ways.

Iggy is one of those artists that seemingly had his every move caught on tape. I have spent a great deal of time and money over the years on the various compilations and live albums. Interestingly, why the complaint about the boxed set is that the bonus live material has been widely available on bootlegs forever, it was new to me.

So the boxed set has went along largely unheralded, but it has brought me a lot of joy. I would recommend the five minute interview with Pop from the time period for an insight on the relationship between the two artists. The live album for me is the best part.

Iggy at The Agora in Cleveland is phenomenal. It is an incredible live performance from someone who has had a career in incredible live performances in several separate decades and guises.

The addition of Bowie on keyboards really does include this great aspect to the work. Of course, it's Bowie but it truly is the work of this fantastic band. Iggy is backed also by the Sales brothers, and on these live performance, either longtime cohort Scotty Thurston or underappreciated 'Berlin records' hero Ricky Gardiner. The setlist heavy on the Stooges' biggest 'hits' with a smattering of new songs that fit the aesthetic seamlessly like "Turn Blue"(with its "Mama, I shot myself up" mid-song breakdown, the pulsating keyboard led "China Girl"and "Funtime".

My pick for today is "Gimme Danger" as it shows the nuance of the addition of Bowie to a song that doesn't generally have room for nuance, and it's just but one example from the set. The Rainbow Theatre set from London that opens up the live disc falls short only in comparison for me. It's still high octane Iggy, of course. Also included on the box set is the previously released TV Eye Live- which draws from American tour stops and has some of that bold-faced rebellion.

Almost as revelatory as the Agora performance (and maybe even more) is the Mantra Studios, Chicago concert. No audience here, but you would never guess it. Ig is at his most energetic. The band backs him up at 100mph. Bowie adds to the frenzy with keys and his vocals are backing clear and recognizable.

I have long loved Metallic KO and its confrontation (and a long list of worthy descendants like the Sex Pistols, Black Flag, the Cramps, the Dead Boys, and so many more), that I thought I had seen it all- but the Agora concert and Mantra Studios performance easily finds itself a place among the best.

Let it Come Down is the first major album from Producer/Shimmy Disc honcho Mark Kramer in some time. Kramer is known for a wide list of often-offbeat artists that he worked with such as Galaxie 500,Gwar, Ween, White Zombie, Daniel Johnston, Urge Overkill, King Missile, the Boredoms, Royal Trux, Pussy Galore and Naked City to name some of the many.

As a musical artist, Kramer's biggest contribution was as part of a duo with performance artist Ann Magnuson known as Bongwater. Being active in a few social media communities, people are still discovering this band from the late 80s and early 90s.

The four albums are weird mixes of psychedelia, samples, spoken word, sex, satire, FM Rock, and various other ingredients. Although the provocatively titled Power of Pussy is their most known piece of work, the slightly more accessible The Big Sell Out is my favorite piece of work of theirs. An album that I would at times past, rave about.

In many ways, Bongwater seems a product of their time, and yet, they were such an unusual group, I often think their music perhaps aged well, since it was not beholden to usual standards.

When Magnuson and Kramer broke up romantically and musically, the latter released an ambitious triple record called The Guilt Trip which referenced George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. It was incredibly self-indulgent, but it blew us indie-heads away. It is also the type of album I expected not to hold up nearly 30 years later, but it actually is still quite good in its quirky way.

I was a big enough fan that I picked up the next two Kramer albums, though they were a bit obscure. However, they didn't stick for me. Kramer remained prolific for a time. and I do enjoy the album he did with Penn Jillete as The Captain Howdy which is at least half-brilliant.

From there, I have tried to keep an eye on Kramer, though his releases seemed to dip even obscurer in the new century, with his focus largely on the Brill Building catalog or classical music.

So Let It Come Down is a welcome return with the most conventional and advertised Kramer album in years. The band is also a duo, this time with UK Singer/Songwriter Xan Tyler, though it won't be confused with Bongwater.

Yet in many ways, it does bear a certain resemblance sonically. Closer Three Wishes with its sample would not be noticed appended to a Bongwater release.

The song Forget chosen to be a 'single' to introduce the album to the masses would fit well on The Guilt Trip and has the Beatlesque sound we associate with the Producer.

The Pitchfork review compares the band to another of Kramer's 'discoveries', the band Low; and although Let it Come Down blazes a path beyond Bongwater, "The Guilt Trip" and Low, the are probably the three closest touchpoints for this band. Each song certainly could fit into one of those three sounds.

Songs We Sang In Our Dreams doesn't quite hit the highest highs of Kramer's career, but what is surprising is how close it gets. So an instant cult classic? Sounds about right.

Like many bands, one album looms heavily over the Dears discography.

After some initial attempts at trying to formulate their sound, in 2004, they released No Cities Left, a classic in an age of post-Y2K bounty.

They seemingly will always be chasing this.

Which may be unfair. I don't believe that they have truly made a bad album. Lovers Rock is the 6th album in fourteen years, which calculates to something like a record every two and a half years. (I will pick Degeneration Street if you are looking to drop the needle somewhere).

Lovers Rock is an unusual first album. The production and instrumentation does not seem obvious. That said, it seems to work in favor of repeated listening. In fact, in a matter of a month and a half, this has become has much loved to me as No Cities Left.

Reviews seemed a bit mixed, though generally bands 20 years and 8 albums in are usually met with a lukewarm reception. In this case, most criticism is around 'who wants to listen to a depressing set of songs with the world is like today, and how have Dears mainstays Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak stayed together for two-decades-plus when every album sounds like the product of a disintegrating romance.

Also of note, a couple of reviews mention the similarity in voice to Damon Albarn, which might be a relief from twenty years of comparison to Morrissey.

In summary, this one didn't grab me on first listen, but I am so glad I stuck with it. It's some of the band's best work, and one of my favorite records of the year.