Surf’s Up by The Beach Boys Lyrical Review Part II

“Take Good Care of Your Feet”

I’m almost unsure how to even approach this song’s lyrics.  They are simply so absurd that I can’t reasonably be upset with them or even disappointed.  Where “Long Promised Road” seems to shoot for the stars and stumbled somewhere along the way, this song is aiming somewhere else entirely.

“Long Promised Road” almost feels like you’ve been offered authentic Italian food and then being given an amateur cook’s first attempt at spaghetti; meanwhile, this song is more like being offered a vanilla Big Mac by a guy holding a Burger King bag, and before you can confusedly ask, “What?” he drops the bag, and a cat runs out of it and into an alleyway.  The thing is, a cat is a good pet, but it surely isn’t a vanilla Big Mac, whatever that would be.  This is a good song, but you’d be lying if you said you were expecting it based on the last two songs from the album.

To fans that followed The Beach Boys through the post-Pet Sounds sixties and into the early 70’s, this song may not be so much of a surprise.  It is actually rather reminiscent of some of the songs from Smiley Smile, particularly songs like “She’s Goin Bald” and “Vegetables.” (both excellent songs by the way.)  This song would fit in perfectly with those on that album, but it’s not on that album; it’s here on Surf’s Up which has so far failed to truly establish an identity for itself.  It’s almost astonishing to think that just a few years ago, this very same band had put out Pet Sounds, one of the greatest and earliest concept albums in all of pop music.

“Take Good Care of Your Feet” doesn’t fit in among the other songs of the album, but that’s hardly its fault.  Let’s take a look at the song itself to see if it warrants almost giving its listeners whiplash for a second time now after dropping their needle on this confused record.  Thankfully, I can say that it does manage to stand on its own two feet (pun intended) despite the album’s identity crisis and it’s own inherent oddness.  Listening to it, I can’t help but think about Brian Wilson’s personal obsession with health during the time he worked on Smile and wonder if it influenced this song in anyway.

Perhaps, this is a cautionary tale from Wilson’s perspective who was not left in good shape himself by the end of the decade.  Maybe it really is just a weird song about feet that Wilson, Al Jardine, and Gary Winfrey thought would be funny.  Either way, I have a soft spot for it.  The lyrics feel very earnest.  I believe that this narrator really does rub his feet with avocado cream.  I believe that he wants me to as well.  For that, I admittedly do like this very weird song.

7.5/10

 

This Is Love? How Strange

Everyone has been talking about Call Me By Your Name since it was published/released as a movie, and I think I went into reading it with too high of hopes. (Or, quite possibly, I just don’t understand love like the author does.)

It was incredibly hard to read through the first chapter, even though both the main character and love interest were introduced within the first ten pages. The entirety of the book felt to me a bit rushed, but at the same time, it took way too long to get to the meat of the story.

There were very beautiful lines in this book that created interesting characters, and the word choice was not what I would have chosen, but it definitely added to the piece. However, the lines were all dragged out, and I felt as though Andre Aciman (the author) could have given me some shorter lines so my brain had time to breathe in  between sentences.

I hate this, but I also skipped over a few pages at times and still understood the story, and I wish certain parts were not included. I don’t want to give spoiler alerts, so I’m not going to, but any parts that were about Elio, the main character, considering his love for Oliver were my favorite. They showed how unreliable he was as a first-person character, as well as the confusion and wishy-washy reactions to falling in love with Oliver.

I was actually very uneasy about the age-gap between both characters. (Oliver was 24 and Elio, 17.) That was something that I found very threatening, almost, and I was shocked to see how Aciman decided to go about handling it. That beingsaid, the ties the two had in religion were interesting. I still don’t know how I feel about it, but whatever.

The setting really did wonders for the growth in love in this piece. I do not think this piece would have been as successful in any other setting. The life Andre Aciman gave this small town was wild, the fragrances, foods, and style was something that kept me wanting to read. Having the ocean in this piece also gave a heavy, pulling feeling to my gut. It definitely was one of the most sensory aspect that painted a great picture in my head of setting.

The way this was written makes the book timeless. If you took out the small parts with technology and recent news, the piece could’ve been created a few years back or a hundred. The timelessness was also one of the most incredible aspects to this piece that drew me in. Andre Aciman is a peculiar writer to me, and I still don’t necessarily understand the love wholly in the book, but I did enjoy it and want to further study the piece.

Stop Doing this to Me, I Don’t Want to Like Your Work

I think I am going to read this piece for the November Coffeehouse, part because I am still searching for a poem that deals with time and is also something I can relate to.

Charles Bukowski always has a way of making me come back to his work, no matter his reputation and personality. (He’s kind of trashy, etc. etc.) I feel grounded in his poetry, in all of his pieces actually-this one is just something I felt the need to unpack and smear the personal revelations I understood from it into the blog-sphere.

Why does he do this to me? Why, “every day should be a miracle instead of a machination.”

First of all, is “machination” even a word? And secondly, my guts are sore from aching all the god-damn time, Mr. Bukowski, these lines are just too powerful for me.

The poem is real, it’s beautiful-I love it because of it’s authenticity. Realness is something I yearn to find in my own writing. It is something I haven’t discovered in my youth, and hope to find as I continue my life into adulthood and stop mooching themes from other authors.

I don’t think Charles Bukowski mooches as much as the rest of us do. I think he was born into the world an old, tired man, and all of his ideas are his own-they are impenetrable.

He titles the piece: FINGERNAILS; NOSTRILS; SHOELACES

he then begins a life-within-a-life story, some parts choppy, but all centering back to a central theme that can be found at the beginning, middle, and especially end of the poem.

The meat of this poem:

“it’s not so much that nothing means anything but more that it keeps meaning nothing.”

I love and hate his self-awareness and reflection at times. I love and hate having to grapple with my own image after reading these lines. This poem requires that I try and I give up all at once; it gives me a hundred headaches with each syllable. Love and hate, but mostly hard work, are needed here.

“such a sadness: everything trying to break into blossom.”

he is talking of horses being released from their shoots during a race, so too is he referring to himself and me and whoever else wants to existentialize horse races.

There is something soft-footed about his lines, something that wants to be heavy but cannot for the moment seem to find grounding. It makes me thoughtful, it makes my own body feel it’s weight instead of the words.

The poem almost makes up for Bukowski being such a s****y man. (I said almost.)

“the more people say, the less there is to say.”

You said it, Mr. Bukowski.

 

November Book Review: Kingdom of Ash

(SPOILERS!!!)

Kingdom of Ash is the final installment of the Throne of Glass series written by Sarah J. Maas. In the final book all of the loose ends tie together bringing all of the stories to a close. 

The book begins three months after the end book six; Aelin, the main character, has been trapped in an iron coffin and tortured for the entire three months by her aunt that is but one of the main villains that wants to take over their world. Aelin is close to breaking and is ready to end her life before she can give her aunt the information that she needs to find the last of the keys that will allow her to travel between worlds.

Rowan, Aelin’s mate, along with a small group of their court is at the same time traveling trying to find Aelin and rescue her so they can meet up with multiple armies from all over the world ready to defeat Erawan, the big bad that wants to end all of humanity. 

As the story progresses all of our favorite characters ranging all the way back to book one are seen again and play a large role in defeating Erawan and his demon army. There are large sacrifices made by all and many of the characters we have grown to love do not make it to the last page, but in the end, the good guys win and everyone is happy and healing. 

This series is one of my favorites for many reasons. For starters, most of the main characters are strong, capable, brilliant women that only have men around because they want them, not because they need them. Along with that fact, Sarah J. Maas creates the most well thought out world that I have ever read. It it filled with color and beauty that I have never read before.

My most favorite thing, though, about this book and the entire series is that it has a happy ending. I started reading these books about four years ago, when I was not in a great place mentally, and reading these books about this strong female lead that was just as equally human, was extremely good for me. I took solace in the fact that, though the characters are not real, they could go through the horrible events and still find happiness and love and peace. 

I read something somewhere one time that said you need to write the story that you need to hear. I think it also spans to read the story that you need to hear. If you need that courage and hope, then this is the series to get you started. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

“Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.”

The second book in this three book trilogy is action packed, with relationships breaking, where others build. Mare, the main character, must learn who to trust; but it seems as if that remains no one.

Among Mare’s escape at the end of Red Queen, she discovers that her once pronounced dead brother, is in fact, very much alive.

Between rescuing her own heart, having mixed feelings for a fallen and betrayed prince, and saving New Bloods who are like her, Mare is living the busiest of lives.

When all else fails, she know she can rely on herself, and if no one else can help her, she knows she will.

In this story, secrets are revealed, allied are made, enemies are defeated and reappear.

After narrowly escaping the burning city of Naercey, Mare and her friends make their way to a secluded island where her family and the Scarlet Guard lie low. Bruised and beaten, Mare quickly realizes she can’t trust anyone, not even her closest friends—maybe not even family. But Mare has a plan: she’s going to track down the rest of the newbloods—Reds with unknown powers that rival the strongest Silvers’—and build an army. She sets out with those closest to her, including Cal, the now disgraced prince. Feeling incredibly alone, she can’t help but gravitate toward him; they share an ache for the person they both believed Maven to be before he became a treacherous king. As her conviction rises, so does the body count, and it isn’t long before Mare becomes eerily like the killer she’s trying so hard to destroy. Though her friends are disturbed by what she’s become, not even they can stop her now. Her quest is fraught with trials and bloodshed, but the action lags; the traps begin to feel too familiar, and the first-person, present-tense narration spares no detail. Tragedy seems to be a certainty before the end, but the spectacle still packs a surprising punch.

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe

let me be clear: this book will destroy you. it will make you ache in ways you didn’t think were possible to ache before. you will feel it heavy in your chest for days – maybe even weeks – after, certain words echoing in the empty spaces of your life.

and you’ll love it for doing so.

when i read books, i always have a little sheet of post-it flags tucked into the front cover. why? to keep up with things i want to remember, to make note of the particular ways in which a sentence was worded that fell just right on my tongue or my ears, to make note of little phrases that punch me in the gut in just the right way that i never want to forget them.

with this book by benjamin alire saenz, i wanted to put a little flag on every. single. sentence. and every time i come back to this book, i somehow manage to find another little bit i love but never noticed before, and i have to flag it, too.

now, don’t get me wrong. i have read at least a couple books that have emulated a similar near-obsession with their contents. i have read plenty of pretty stories, or stories that are told in pretty words.

but this book is beautiful.

i stayed up well into the a.m. several times reading it, simply because i physically couldn’t muster up the conviction to tear myself away from it.

at its core, i find that this book is simply about adolescence. adolescence and human connection and discovering all the secrets of the universe, in the simplest (and most meta) of terms. readers witness our main characters, ari and dante, open themselves up and shut themselves down – to both each other and their families. our boys learn how to swim and run around desert flats in the rain and save birds. they love and they hate and they learn so much and so quickly, because that’s what being 15 is.

what saenz manages to do with this book is truly capture the whirlwind and complicated and – at times – ridiculously trivial nature of growing up, in a way that somehow manages not to feel cheesy or unrealistic or… well, like it was written by a 60-year-old man. this book is feeling things you still don’t quite understand, feeling things you’re terrified of feeling. it’s how easily we allow ourselves to act without thinking, yet still manage to be pensive about things we really should have done a long time ago.

when asked about my favorite book, this one is the first that comes to mind. when asked about my favorite author, this one is the first name on my tongue. when thinking of things to look forward to, this book’s pending sequel and film adaptation are at the forefront.

this book is everything i hope to be and more as an author. this is how i hope to use my storytelling, and these are the stories i want to tell.

And by Alan Haehnel is a roughly thirty-minute play that made my jaw drop. The main character, Aaron, starts out on the stage with comparing “the heartbeat of the world” to the sounds “and-and, and-and, and-and.” Actors begin coming in, saying the same thing to the beat. He calls it “the great connector.”

That is enough to compel you to stay interested, but once the plot gets started, it’s amazing. The other actors begin listing their problems, varying from fathers dying of cancer to no one noticing her haircut.

The continuous use of “and-and” in the first section of the play is an amazing auditory effect, especially when they crescendo. Aaron even compares using and to then, but, and because, but he claims that things are happening at the same time. This is the point of the whole play: everything is happening simultaneously. This happens, and this happens, not then, but, or because. He almost tells his story, but changes his mind, and then we get deeper into the other characters’ stories. In between, however, he always says “and” before the next person speaks.

At the end of this, he begins his own story again that happened three nights ago. He changes his mind again, and we are able to dig even deeper into the other stories. It becomes obvious that he is simply dodging the question of what he was doing while all the other things were happening. He even becomes seemingly more frantic as the play goes on, knowing that he is eventually going to have to tell his story.

The use of the auditory sense is only strengthened as the play goes on, as he makes them talk all at once to show how it really is instead of one-by-one like they were all telling the stories. However, it was the only way to make them decipherable. In reality, it is “pandemonium.” He keeps emphasizing how simultaneous everything is: someone having a hangnail, someone’s brother going off to war, someone worried that candy bars are getting smaller, and everything in between.

Once Aaron gets ready to tell his story again, he goes backstage and pulls out his mother, father, a bed with two bodies under the covers, his little sister, and himself (as he was playing video games three nights ago) for visuals! It’s a bit shocking, them all being on separate rolling platforms, but it’s so intriguing. We go through all of the character’s stories again, him still saying “and” in between, and he describes what everyone was doing in his house. What is the most interesting is his sister, Adrian: she was under the covers with someone else.

We then go back to the character’s stories again, which at this point, is getting a little tiring, even with the change of all the stories mixing together in a way that didn’t make sense. Aaron’s slightly ridiculing comments are funny, however. He becomes even more frantic, talking about how smart he is, and he could not have known. At this point, you have a pretty good idea of what is happening under Adrian’s covers.

He then categorizes everyone’s problems with a number, which didn’t seem as important to the play. He ranks and groups them, until his sister comes onto the stage. She keeps asking him what’s wrong, as she still has not told her mother and father what has happened. He keeps apologizing and asking how he could not have known. His sister is obviously strong, remarking that she isn’t as fragile as he thinks. Finally, it is said out loud that she was raped by someone that she thought loved her. This play was just Aaron’s way of processing the fact that he was playing video games, and everyone else in the house was doing something else while she was being raped.

This unique point of view on rape, a little brother the room over, is very interesting. Their moment together was raw, tender, and sweet, as were the moments when he kept trying to talk about his story and couldn’t. This play was a wonderful and unique situation that was a delightful read, even if it did get a little bit repetitive at parts. It was amazing getting to see someone work through something that serious on stage that didn’t even happen to him, but his sister. Seeing his sister at the end was equally amazing. Overall, I recommend watching or reading this play.

my newest obsession- spoiler, it’s Night Vale

Okay, I told myself I wouldn’t get into any new obsessions this year. I really did promise myself. Well… I broke that promise to myself. I kinda got into a new podcast series. It’s called “Welcome to Night Vale.”

“Night Vale” is a podcast that is made on both YouTube and iTunes. This podcast is… what can only be described as amazing. The very first episode enters with a voice saying these words:

“A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale.”

Then the music comes. Oh my god, the music in this podcast is wonderful. I love it so much, and it’s so catchy that I can’t help but hum along every time I hear it.

We discover that the name of the show host is Cecil Palmer, broadcasting on the radio from Night Vale. He talks about the events happening in Night Vale, like the civilization of people living under the pin retrieval area in lane five, or the dog park, that doesn’t allow people or dogs inside the dog park.

He also tells us about a newcomer named Carlos, who is a scientist. He describes Carlos as having dark skin, and having “long, perfect hair.” He admits that he was infatuated the moment he met him. And hoenstly, it is so refreshing to see a gay romance story in a work of fiction. There’s characters that reperesent almost every aspect of the LGBT+ community, and it’s very refreshing to see.

Later in the series, we learn of Night Vale’s enemy town, Desert Bluffs. Desert Bluffs is just like Night Vale in many ways: it’s a small desert community with townspeople who love their community. However, there is one major difference: the whole town is under the thumb of an evil corporation called Strex Corp, and they have mind-wiped everyone in the town, turning them into violent and obedient “employees” under Strex.

Everyone in Night Vale has a counterpart that lives in Desert Bluffs. Cecil’s coutnerpart is named Kevin. From his description, we are told that he looks like Cecil, except that he has “black gaping eyes and a sinister smile.” Every time Kevin and Cecil interact with each other, it’s a battle to survive the encounter.

The Night Vale community is a strange one, that is true, but there is one thing that makes it equivalent to any other town in our normal world: they love their community, and they care for their friends and family. Even when the town is threatened by the street cleaners on Street Cleaning Day, or when portals open that bring in their violent Desert Bluffs counterparts, they still do their best to protect each other.

And I think that’s a beautiful message for this quaint little show.

And now, the weather.

Imani Carter

Here at MSA, I go by Carter. It’s not a preference; I don’t mind being called Imani because that’s my name. Carter is typically what I want to change my last name to because I genuinely hate my current last name and I’ve always wanted to change it. But, I feel like there’s a difference between Skipwith and Carter. When I say this, I mean Jackson Imani (Skipwith) and MSA Imani (Carter). I started noticing this a couple weeks ago and I was talking to someone the other day about the changes I make when entering these different environments. When I’m Imani, I try to maintain a certain image everywhere I go. Skipwith’s a really smart person who doesn’t have any anxiety, depression, and works hard to maintain a good image. She works hard to make everyone happy; if everyone else is happy, so is she. She has no problems with religion. She’s  an all around happy and fun-loving person and though she has moods, they don’t last very long.

However, Skipwith is just the surface of Imani while Carter is the depth, it seems. Carter is still smart but she’s not as interested in academics like Skipwith. She’d rather be somewhere writing, drawing, or learning an instrument. She really dislikes school because of the previous pressure that was put on her from years back that Skipwith dealt with. And yes, Carter has always been there of course, but her full debut has been here at MSA away from the having to maintain a certain image and be this person everyone that she was. So, when heading back to Jackson, I have to be Skipwith and leave Carter behind at MSA. Lately, she’s been sneaking back to Jackson with me, though. Carter isn’t too worried about religion, either. She doesn’t get too caught up in beliefs or go strictly by the book. Carter isn’t afraid to hide her issues. She will tell you she has anxiety. She most definitely will tell you she has depression if it comes to that. She’s more cautious than Skipwith. She won’t leak out things that she feels will harm her later on. She thinks through so many situations at once. She doesn’t have that mental barrier that Skipwith has either. She did once upon a time but now that it’s down, she wears her heart on her sleeves and it’s more obvious than if it were Skipwith.

It’s just been weighing heavy on my chest lately. The surface of me and the depth of me. That’s just the way I think of it. As Carter and as Skipwith. It’s a topic I don’t talk about much and I had to get it off my chest somehow. Becoming Imani Carter is just interesting, but I feel more comfortable and more myself when I’m not wearing that mask. Honestly, being Imani Skipwith is draining because all I can do is hold it in but Carter doesn’t care. If she has to let it out, she will. If she needs to scream, she will do so. Imani Carter is so natural and more like who I need to be. I will, of course, still have tendencies of my past self, which is just how it is. So, yeah, my name’s Imani Skipwith-Carter and I approve this message.

heaven

seraphims, close to god. full of love, burning bright. an icarus that gets too close to the sun, but never get’s burned. maybe its because they are the sun. maybe its just because they’re an angel. four faced, snakes. trustworthy to god, but not to common folk. beware of the seraphims. more than faces than geminis and bright with love. gods mightiest.

cherubim, record keepers. full of knowledge from the heavens. gods intern. sent to get coffee, refill water coolers, and to exile adam and eve from eden. cat-like, but closer to humans than their predecessors. neanderthals to humans, seraphims to cherubim. not always holy, lucifer was of the cherubim. not all are as they seem. god cannot always tell the divine from the devilish.

thrones, carriers of god. meant to hold up the mightiest man himself, using their hand-crafted muscles to raise his throne above their head. degraded to the name of the thing that are presiding over. high-ranking angel, but at what cost? chariot of god or one-trick pony? depends on who is looking. lower-class would kill over the position, but it gets tiring to hold for eternity. even angels are sinful. lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.

dominions, pretty boys. faux humans with wings like the big-shots. a higher, lesser angel. presides over those below them, despite being of low-rank themselves. decoration to show that heaven can be beautiful too.

virtues, poster boys for heaven. lower class, but all the fame. answering prayers, taking names. miracle arranger, only loves the faithful. link between mortals and humans. other worldy, but still somehow real. real just like you and me. except i can’t seem to make the blind see or mend broken hearts. id be pretty well off if i could.

power of authorities, warriors of a land unknown. fighting demons, taking names, and also somehow managing the entire universe. i thought that was god’s job? soldiers just like ours, although ive never seen a sergeant with wings. said to be the most loyal of all, but lucifer had high hopes for him too.

principalities of rulers, more protectors of the people. humans cant seem to take care of themselves. fickle, fragile creatures in need of a hero. principalities are over a group. cliques are only for high school, heaven has them too. make sure youre in one or else these angels will not answer calls to rescue.

archangels, one and seven. michael, army leader. defeater of lucifer, whos keeping score? raphael, harmony healer. emotional health is equal to physical health. healer of all, heavenly. gabriel, messenger and teacher. writers alike are touched with her writing talents. jophiel, beauty is in the eye of the beholder with her. shields artists and their craft. uplifting like bergamot. ariel, guardian of all the sebastians and flounders alike. fauna is her domain. azrael, angel of death. end of road greeter. chamuel, defender against woes and anxieties. generation zs archangel.

angels, pawns of heaven. tend personally to humans. hallmark greeting card, generic heaven resident. lowest rank, but all the fame. heavens corrupt hierarchy.