nonpretentious

Open letter to e-book publishers

Dear Macmillan and other arrogant publishing companies,

I have a Kindle, first edition. I am part of a target audience for the Kindle and similar devices: I travel a lot, I’m overeducated, and an early adopter of technology (for another example, I bought my first Tivo in 2000).

Recently, there has been a lot of coverage on how the iPad and Nook allow publishers to charge more than the $9.99 that Amazon wants to charge for e-books. Amazon believes that $9.99 is a fair price for an e-book, as the royalty and distribution model don’t require much capital. Macmillan and others believe that this price point is too low, and that books should be more like $12.99-$14.99. This is absurd.

Browsing at Amazon right now, I see that NY Times bestsellers are between….yup, $12.99 and $14.99. So Macmillan would have me buy an e-book for the same price (or even more in some cases) as a hardcover book? The utility of the e-book is less than the hardcover book. I can get money back out of a hardcover book by re-selling it, I can give it to a friend, I can light it on fire and warm my hands. Based on this diminished utility, unless I only read when I travel, why would I buy an e-book? People generally like hardcover books and they don’t require a $200+ reader in order to be able to read them.

I think twice about buying a book at $9.99 unless it’s something I really want to read; at $12.99 or $14.99, I will wait for it to be $7 in a few months. I can read one of  hundreds of thousands of other books in the meantime. Good luck with this totally asinine pricing.

Yours truly,

jdl

Cover v. Original: Morning Dew

The original: “Morning Dew” by Bonnie Dobson

The contenders: The Grateful Dead, Jeff Beck, Lulu, Devo (video below), Einstürzende Neubauten, & Lee Hazlewood (link to mp3 below).

I’m not sure whether it’s the oppressive heat, the path of destruction being left throughout east Asia by typhoon Marakot, or my recent viewing of the trailer for Roland Emmerich’s next masterwork 2012 that’s got me feeling, well, feelin’ a little apocalyptic.

I suppose Nevil Shute must have felt that way in 1957 when he penned his novel “On The Beach”, a bleak tale of nuclear war in which the forced euthanasia of an infant is one of the more positive occurrences on humanity’s inexorable march to extinction. Shute didn’t have to worry about our modern doomsday scenarios (it’s gonna be the LHC, I tell you); no, in the 50’s men were men and our impending doom was an old-fashioned nuclear holocaust.

The novel struck a chord with a lot of people, probably because they had been performing duck & cover drills before homeroom since the Soviets got the bomb in 1949. Stanley Kramer adopted the novel was into a film starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner in 1959 and it was this film that inspired a young Bonnie Dobson to write “Morning Dew” in 1962.

Dobson’s lyrics lament a world in which nothing is spared by the apocalypse: “You didn’t hear no young man cry/Now there is no more morning dew” – the end will be swift and brutal. The relentless hopelessness of Shute’s novel hammered home, that was not a young man crying out, it was humanity’s death rattle.

Dobson’s version of the song, recorded live in 1962 at Folk City in Greenwich Village consists of just Dobson’s voice and guitar accompaniment and was a modest success. The song was destined to become another slightly well-known folk standard until it was plucked from obscurity by a soon-to-be world famous band from San Francisco.

The Grateful Dead, hippies, Jerry Garcia, Dick’s Picks… honestly, nuclear holocaust doesn’t seem like a bad option when confronted with this list. But crazy as it may seem, The Dead did occasionally pull a gem out of their never-ending pile of boring, pointless, patchouli-scented jams (and even one fair-to-good album!). On their 1967 debut, they wisely chose to stick to someone else’s songwriting for at least one track, and cut their own version of “Morning Dew”. It became a live favorite that the band played for decades. Their version, expanded for a full band, takes the song from its stark folk roots and turns it into a nice piece of west-coast psychedelia. The Dead’s version lacks the ominous sorrow of Dobson’s original, but its midtempo, laid-back vibe has considerable charm of it’s own. On the other hand, all it takes is one Deadhead completely missing the point of the song and talking about “Jerry’s moving and soulful riffs” to consider getting your hands on the suicide pills handed out to the victims of radiation in On The Beach.

Inexplicably, this song about nuclear holocaust, written by a relatively unknown Canadian folkie went on to be covered by a wide range of artists. Maybe it’s the timeless subject matter of our species’ march toward annihilation, or maybe it’s just good songwriting. But now it’s time for a battle royale to determine which version of this song is the best, one of the covers or the original. Before you vote, let’s take a look at some of the other contenders in addition to the Grateful Dead.

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How I Buy Books

Like any normal person, I dig through the TED archives when I can’t fall asleep at night.

(Readers, you heard it here first: when you don’t have a television in your bedroom, video apps are the next best thing.)

Which is how I stumbled upon this inspirational gem circa 5 or 6 in the morning…

Seriously, it was like this guy – Alain de Botton – knew me.

Not only did he address my own hatred of snobs – hence, the name of this site (“nonpretentious”) – he also understood my fear of that seemingly innocuous question, “What do you do for a living?”

Plus, it was like he knew my mother, my personal cheerleader and financier.  (Yes, Ladies and Gentleman, revisingproust’s mother keeps this operation ticking.)

Listening to him, I felt like a girl with a creative vision, not a fraud or an unemployed lawyer.  When I subtracted outside expectations from my definition of success, I felt rejuvenated.  …Well, actually, I felt much more calm.  And, tired.  Really.  Tired.  (Remember, it was 6 o’clock in the morning.)

I sorta forgot about de Botton until today when I watched “500 Days of Summer.”

As an aspiring architect, Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) earns a living writing greeting cards.  While it’s not a major theme of the movie, the character’s career anxiety is palpable as is his search for happiness.  Was I suprised when the camera zoomed in to reveal that the book he was reading was “The Architecture of Happiness” by Alain de Botton?  Not surprised.  Just motivated to go read something by this guy.

As soon as I came home, I scanned Amazon to find a title that spoke to me.  I’m not an architect so I thought I’d find something that matched my own pursuit of happiness.

That’s how I bought, “How Proust Can Change Your Life.”  I’ll let you know how it is.

Writing Pains

The shoulder in question

Inexplicable pain without causation.  No fall.  No injury or accident.  And as of yet, no definitive diagnosis.  A torn Rotator Cuff?  A pinched nerve?  A strain? A sprain?  Family doctor, orthopedic specialist, radiology, pharmacy. physical therapy.  Repeat.  The days are blurring into doses of time.  A few hours of sleep here, there.  A few pills.  The only constant: the couch, my ass.

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Borrowing a Free Lunch

With Michael Jackson’s death, Perez Hilton’s reporting of Michael Jackson’s death, and reporting on Twitter’s reporting of Michael Jackson’s death, it’s hard to think that anything else went on in the world this week.

Die hard cultural connoisseurs may have caught glimpse that Farrah Fawcett also passed away, the NBA draft occurred, the Supreme Court ruled the strip-search of a 13-year-old girl illegal, and violence in Iraq heated up.

If you missed any of those headlines, you can think of yourself as caught up. No news source was wasting pages on these items.

It makes sense then that the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post hardly wasted a breath – a sentence, a web page – on a story about Chris Anderson’s verbatim use of Wikipedia entries in his new book “Free.”  The story, scooped by those literary nerds over at the Virginia Quarterly Review, could not compete with the juicier pieces of the week and was left to cultural irrelevance.  No matter that Anderson serves as Editor-in-Chief of Wired magazine nor that he’s author of the NY Times Bestseller, “The Long Tail.”

The short of it:

The VQR realizes that many passages from Chris Anderson’s new book resemble Wiki entries and report on the issue (complete with highlighted comparisons).

Anderson admits to his errors and explains them as oversight during a rushed, final stage of the drafting process. His publisher supports Anderson’s story and apology. Anderson engages with readers of the VQR piece and responds in the comments himself.

For those who think this story is less culturally relevant than Michael Jackson’s death, I hear you.  I’ll be the first to admit that the story lacks the appeal of a major celebrity’s death, the circumstances thereof, and the consequences thereto.  Surely, it does not reveal who owns the rights to the Beatles songs or the liability of MJ’s personal doctor.  However, let me bring up a few talking points – the sexiest that I can think of – to try to persuade you that this news item is as complex as Liza Minelli’s prediction of Michael Jackson’s autopsy results.

1.  The LA Times cited to a commenter on Gawker who said, “‘Can’t decide which is more embarrassing — failing to cite Wikipedia as a source or using Wikipedia as a source.’”

Is it irresponsible to research on Wikipedia?  Doesn’t this prove that Wikipedia is a go-to source for many people, not only asinine college students who don’t know any better?

Hasn’t the site put in safeguards to make sure the information is accurate and complete? When will it be legitimate to cite to Wikipedia as a source of information without the stigma of lazy college student?

2.  The call-and-response function of comments sections on blogs.  Anderson manned up to his error and addressed the source itself via comments.  If plagiarism lowers our respect or trust for an author, has Anderson’s honesty mitigated these consequences?

3.  In a world where Kaavya Viswanatha and Jayson Blair faced massive repercussions for their plagiarism, why haven’t there been more news outlets reporting on Anderson’s actions?

[mix tapes] Behind the Music Box Set – Paul Sommerstein and Marc Goodman

There are people who influence your life.  Some of these people you’ve met.  Some of these people you aspire to be.  Some you can’t quite place into categories.

These mixes are from, inspired, and made possible by two people who usually stand behind the scenes in the music industry, Paul Sommerstein and Marc Goodman.  So, screw VH1.  We’re celebrating the real people behind the scenes.

DISC ONE:  PAUL SOMMERSTEIN’S PICKS

Paul Sommerstein is an attorney in New York City who specializes in entertainment law.  His bio from his website states this about him:

In other words, he is LIVING the dream (well, the dream for anyone who loves music and is an attorney – a small niche, perhaps).  He’s also living proof that there are cool lawyers.  And, judging by our e-mail exchanges – he’s even more living proof that not all lawyers are twiddling their thumbs waiting for layoffs in this economy.  (I guess it helps that he’s self-employed.  But, again, that’s besides the point.)

Because he obviously has better music taste than most people on this planet – we here at nonpretentious asked him to make a mix for us.  (We’re so happy he said “yes!”)  How many songs on this mix do you know?  If it’s more than two (our score), you’re good in our book.

DISC TWO:  A SAMPLE OF PAUL SOMMERSTEIN’S CLIENTS

And, we also decided to make a mix of a few of his clients – just to give you musical proof about why he’s so cool!

DISC THREE:  STRANGE WEATHER MIX

Marc Alan Goodman is an owner and engineer at Strange Weather recording studio in Brooklyn NY. By himself and along with his studio partner Joel Hamilton he’s worked on records with Tom Waits, Jolie Holland, Soulive, Lettuce, Talib Kweli, Mike Patton, Michel Gondry, Marc Ribot, Zeena Parkins, 2 Foot Yard, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Alfonso Velez, Deradoorian, Lou Reed, Beauty Pill, Colin Stetson, and tons more. He also has played in a number of touring bands over the last decade including illuminea, Circle and Square, and his current project Model Barbers.

More importantly, Marc Alan Goodman was my first crush ever (…a girl knows how to pick ‘em…). AND, this nonpretentious contributor/editor distinctly remembers when Marc Alan Goodman called her out for having her first crush ever. It was at the pencil sharpener. In a Hebrew school classroom. In fourth grade.

HE (in all of his infinite fourth grade wisdom): My mom said you were mean to me because you secretly like me.

ME (in all of my infinite fourth grade wisdom): No way! I am mean to you because you are a(n ever so dreamy!) dork!

(Note: That’s definitely not how the conversation went. I only remember the “he” part and I don’t even remember that part too well. I only remember how embarrassed I felt when that little tattletale called me out! From that day forward, I swore I’d never admit my feelings for someone. He scarred me for life – that’s why I am pretending here and now – in this revised version – that I called him a dork. Anyway, I’ll get over it.)

Marc Alan Goodman continues to impress me. He is less than thirty years old but he’s been passionate about this recording stuff for as long as I can remember.¹ The folks at nonpretentious are excited for his mix tape, which we’ll present to you without further ado.

Artist – Song – Album²

Chavez – Break Up Your Band – Gone Glimmering
Something all good bands should do at some point. Chavez then took their own advice.

Jolie Holland – Corrido por Buddy – The Living and The Dead

I never thought that within three years I’d go from listening to Jolie Holland every day to recording her most recent album. Jolie couldn’t even play this song without crying the first few times we tried. I still hear it in her voice.

Deradoorian – High Road – Mind Raft EP

Angel is a musical prodigy. It was an honor to get to record the drums for this song, and I’m hoping she can find time to keep working on her own stuff while touring with the Dirty Projectors

Alfonso Velez – Plymouth Barracuda – The Weather

The third and final song that I recorded on my playlist. Alfonso is one of those people who you just know is going to be a legend in twenty years. If there’s any record to buy someone as a gift this is it.

Bran Van 3000 – Couch Surfer – Glee (N/A on iTunes, Amazon link)

James Di Salvio’s bored affectation was always a treat for me. And having spent my own years as a couch surfer since I can finally understand his understated annoyance. What a bunch of jerks we are.

Nina Simone – It Be’s That Way Sometimes – Silk and Soul

Of all Nina’s records this one comes out of the box the hardest. The drums make almost no sense but she’s never been one afraid to take things in a whole new direction.

Jon Guez – Tired of These Butterflies – Compassionately Drawn (N/A on iTunes, myspace)

Super-genius Jon Guez’s tireless tirade against indecision will always stand up amongst my favorite music of all time. I just wish other people would hear it. Not available on itunes, but you can get it on vinyl. Just ask.

Tom Waits – Strange Weather – Beautiful Maladies (N/A on iTunes, Amazon link)

The song that’s title inspired my studio. Not his greatest song of all time, but one few people have heard. Though originally written for Marianne Faithful I still thing Tom’s version is better.

Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine – Just As I Am

Speaks for itself

Nina Simone – Don’t Smoke in Bed – Little Girl Blue

Advice you can’t turn down. She’s leaving, you’re leaving, anyone’s leaving. Just remember…

Kate Bush – The Sensual World – The Sensual World

A lot of people seem to consider this album the end of Kate Bush’s career. If you ask me it’s a high point. When denied the rights to use a pasage from Ulysses as the lyrics she wrote her own. And they’re just as good.

Brainiac – Hot Seat Can’t Sit Down – Hissing Prigs in Static Couture

If Tim Taylor had never died in a car crash in 1997 I’d like to believe that we’d all know who he was. But from the reaction of people I’ve spoken to at least the ones who do seem to appreciate it.

Dirty Projectors – Temecula Sunrise – Bitte Orca

David Longstreth is the most valid and prolific artist I’ve heard of who’s as of now still seemingly undiscovered. But people have taken notice. His recent colaberations with David Byrne and Bjork should help bring some recognition to this beatiful work in a time when nothing seems to sell.

The Modern Lovers – Someone I Care About – Precise Modern Lovers Order

I don’t want just a girl to fool around with. I don’t want just a girl to ball. What I want is a girl that I care about. Or nothing at all. This live record is my personal highlight of Jonathan Richman’s career. Too bad it was so early.

The Kinks – Arthur – Arthur
Perhaps the most heartbreaking album finale of all time. I still cry every time they break into the chorus at the end.

There you have it.  It’s still Wednesday in some time zone, right?

¹ In his archives, there may or may not be a video that he produced with me and this red head kid, both of us dressed in black tights, singing a Spanish song explaining how to conjugate “gustarse” – red head kid: Me gustan tus ojos, me: Me gusta pelo rojo – to the tune of “What a Feeling.”

² I really appreciated that he included the album.  When I create these mixes and there are a number of different versions, especially versions with different track lengths, I’m always scared that I picked the wrong one.  (If I did this to you http://www.seanbonner.com/, http://www.twistedphysics.typepad.com/, http://manbartlett.com/, or http://pulpandcircumstance.blogspot.com/, please feel free to send me nasty e-mails.  Plus, I can always go back and change it for anyone who comes across your mixes now.  <– BTW, if you haven’t come across their mixes, I highly recommend them – feel free to listen on our last.fm station – we only play mixes from nonpretentious.)  Point is, I’m sad to say that even with Marc Alan Goodman’s effort, some of his album choices were not available and I had to go with what was there.  I’ve kept his album picks in the playlist in case you’d like to find those tracks on your own.

–

nonpretentious publishes mix tapes every Wednesday.   Our goal is to create a digital version of trading mixes, sharing music, etc. AND also publicize the work of “common people” (i.e. not superstar celebs but celebs nonetheless) who are doing cool things around the globe.  Check out the [mix tapes] archives to hear more.

Letters to Inspiring Writers #9: References in Dave Egger’s A.H.W.O.S.G. that I Understand Now

Written in the style of one Mr. Dave Eggers as interpreted by revisingproust

I was going to wait to write this post after reading the entire 400+ pages of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.  However, it’s Friday and no one has really updated nonpretentious, so I figured I might as well, because we all know you need/want/desire/crave/yearn for something to read at work, especially on a Friday.  (Note:  I’m lazily writing this post and it may not actually be posted for you to read until after work on Friday, if you live on the East Coast of the United States of America.)

So, why did I decide to post this post now instead of waiting until I finished A.H.W.O.S.G.?  Well, the readers of nonpretentious are such smart, creative, intellectual (synonym for smart), college-educated (except for those who aren’t), bookish bookworms that I had no doubt that they may be creating their summer reading lists or photographing their summer reading lists or updating their summer reading lists if they happen to keep their lists in electronic form.  (I know I am.)

And, in case they’ve never read A.H.W.O.S.G., I wanted to recommend it so that you could add it to your queue.  So, there.  It’s RECOMMENDED. Continue reading…

For Voyeurs & Readers, With Love.

Have you ever read someone else’s diary?

Do you peruse PostSecret or the rants and raves on Craigslist?

Did you like The Jolly Postman series or The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy?

Are you a bibliophile?

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions above, I highly recommend taking one to two hours to sit down with 84, Charing Cross Road by Philadelphia-born Helene Hanff.

Be prepared to laugh, smile, and reevaluate your connection with your own collection of books.

Thank you very much again to Alastair Harper who first piqued my interest when he mentioned this book in his article, “Some Bookshops I Have Known.”

Note: I must really live under a rock because like The Age of Innocence, 84, Charing Cross Road is also a movie.  It came out in 1987 and stars Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, and Judi Dench.

Coming of Age

[Dear readers: I'm still fumbling with writing a "book review." I can't help but tell my whole life story in a review. I'd love to hear your ideas. On that note, I'll begin.]

I like to think of myself as relatively well-read.

In high school, I had to read most books required for high school students to read.  Some that my classes passed over, I read when my sister or my brother was required to read them so I could be a good older sibling and help them with their homework.

After high school, I went to a state university somewhere in the middle of America and graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature.  For my degree, I was required to take one class in literature from the pre-1600s.  I chose an in-depth course on the Canterbury Tales and it was one of the best decisions I made in my academic career.  I had to take two classes focusing on books from the 1600s to the 1830s.  I had some other requirements too but I’m already too far off topic to get into what I read for my classes focused on (theater and the) prison system or the school system.   And, I bet you can guess the required reading for my class entitled, “The Bible as Literature” with Ralph Williams.

After college, I did what every other English major does who doesn’t know what she wants to do and whose parents are regretting her decision not to be a business major or a doctor – I went to law school. 

– read. like. support. –

– read. like. support. –

In law school, I spent my days with a bookbag that seemed to weigh 90 pounds.  Every time my back ached or I was thrown off-balance onto my neighbor’s lap on public transportation, I reminded myself than the books I carried – or the excerpts of what could’ve been many more pounds of caselaw – abolished slavery, allowed women to vote, created the rules for search and seizure, and defined the building blocks for modern businesses such as contracts, property laws, and the tax code.  Again, however, I’ve told you much more than you need to know.  Especially because my point was to tell you that despite reading and digesting these monumental cases – of which there seemed to be endless pages and needs for outlines – I managed to read a few more books for pleasure, not wanting to lose my edge of “relatively well-read.”

By early 2009, I managed to accumulate around 200 books on my “read” shelf on Goodreads.

So, how did it come to pass that I never read The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton – or even heard of it, for that matter – until I saw an episode of Gossip Girl entitled, “The Age of Dissonance?”  FN1. 

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Letters to Inspiring Writers #8: Elizabeth Gilbert

From:     revisingproust@nonpretentious.com
Subject:     Letters to Inspiring Writers #8: Elizabeth Gilbert
Date:     April 17, 2009 3:26:28 AM EDT
To:     mail@wylieagency.com

Dear Liz:

I hope you don’t mind that I am being so informal with you.  After reading about your time as a Coyote Ugly muse, your extreme sadness over your divorce, and your urinary tract infection, I feel like I know you well enough to call you Liz.  (I was even tempted to write “Dear Groceries,” as if I was Richard from Texas.)

I’m writing this letter to you for a column called “Letters to Inspiring Writers” on a website called nonpretentious.  I say this because, if you decide to write me back (or meet me at Capogiro for Philadelphia’s finest gelato), I will post your reply to the site for everyone to read.  I think it’s only fair if I tell you that now.

Your strength as a writer reflects how you describe yourself as a person – a mix between a sensitive soul, a social butterfly, a neurotic, an explorer, an intoxicating romantic, someone with ADD, and someone with resolute determination.  I say this because your willingness to connect, share, and be vulnerable – while remaining quick-witted and approachable – is what got me through 300 pages of complete jealousy.

(Sorry, Liz, I’d love to say you had me at “I gave up all of my worldly possessions after an emotionally tiring divorce.”  But, cynicism – a close friend of mine – reminded me that you replaced a permanent address with a book deal (read: paid vacation) to travel to Italy to learn Italian, eat artichokes, and pizza, to India to study at your guru’s ashram, and to Bali to hang with a medicine man and meet someone who fell madly in love with you.   So, fine, I’m petty for resenting you, former SPIN-GQ-Esquire writer, This American Life contributor, Pushcart prize-winner, PEN/Faulkner finalist, and your tough life.  Isn’t it some consolation that, after hearing your point of view, I became a Liz Gilbert convert?)

Which brings me to your TED talk.
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