THE DANMAN CAN

J.G. Ballard 's  High-Rise  (1975) is a fascinating and almost entirely convincing fictional portrait of the breakdown of social structure—a microcosm of hierarchy and human behavior as portrayed through the lens of a tenement’s deterioration, and the territorialism, tribalism, and colonialism that results.

Having revisited  David Cronenberg 's 1996 film adaptation  ( review ) for the first time in over 20 years just over two months ago (and having watched another  J.G. Ballard  adaptation,  Ben Wheatley 's  High-Rise   (2015) ( review ) a couple of months prior to that), I was in the right frame of mind to finally delve into Ballard's controversial 1973 novel, Crash   (my first time reading the author). It's difficult to really put into words my feelings on this book, which, much like Cronenberg's film, is basically sex and car crashes. That's not to say that there isn't a sense of reflection, existentialism, and a comment on commodification present in the text. The repetitiveness of the narrative reinforces this, however there is also the sense that Ballard (who named the narrator here after himself) is on some level confessing his fantasies, fetishes, and obsessions.  That makes the novel that much more challenging, due to it being so explici...

Filled with incredible anecdotes and interesting connections, Don Coscarelli 's True Indie: Life And In Filmmaking   (2018) is a delight for film buffs, especially lovers of horror and science fiction. Coscarelli writes fondly about his experiences and his appreciation for his collaborators and fans is obvious—one gets the impression that he truly is as humble as he seems. A fun, breezy read that serves as less of a biography and more of a fun series of stories.

I watched  Michael Radford 's  1984 film adaptation  of  George Orwell 's novel  1984   (1949) for the second time last year. In my review of the film ( here ), I commented how I hadn't read Orwell's book since high school and that I couldn't vouch for exactly how faithful to it the film remained. I've now finally read the novel for a second time and all I can say is "wow"—the film really is an accurate representation of the imagery that is conjured in my head when I read the book. Perhaps it's unfair to the book (even though I did read it first, probably about 25 years ago) for me to picture scenes from the film as I read it, but it is just so incredibly true to the tone and descriptions. I think the one area where the book falls short is in addressing race, as it pertains to the state of the world in 1984. It barely touches upon the subject and it doesn't seem realistic that it wouldn't factor into the class structure of the novel. ...

Full disclosure:  M.R. Mackenzie  is a friend of mine. I've  guest hosted  numerous times on the podcast which he co-hosts,  Movie Matters . I also had a hand in proofreading this book, so this was my second read-through. And I like to support my friends in their creative endeavors. Regardless of all that, I still very much objectively enjoyed his sophomore novel  Cruel Summer  (2019). Summer is the sequel novel to In The Silence (2018) (my review for that book here ) and the second installment in the Kelvingrove Park Trilogy . Two of the main characters from  Silence , Zoe Callahan and Anna Scavolini, return in Summer , but the focus this time lies on Zoe rather than Anna. Three years after the horrific events of ITS , which, without spoiling anything, have a deep and personal affect on Zoe, we now find her embroiled in possible political scandal and in bad favor of some unsavory and dangerous people, who threaten her and her loved ones....

Having previously only been familiar with the characters of Sailor Ripley and Lula Pace Fortune through  David Lynch 's 1990 film adaptation (which I've seen many times and adore ), it was a treat (and a revelation) to finally visit them at the source. Barry Gifford  wrote 7 novels concerning Sailor & Lula from 1990–2007, all collected in the 2010 book Sailor & Lula: The Complete  Novels .  The first book in the series, Wild At Heart: The Story Of Sailor And Lula , was adapted very faithfully by Lynch for his film—save the ending, which necessarily needed to take the course that it did, in order for the characters to continue on in additional novels. It's easy to fall in love with Sailor & Lula—theirs is a true and lasting romance, the kind that we all wish we had. They stick together through thick and thin, as the saying goes. They might appear a bit trashy to some, but they are always cool and their love reaches that of Romeo And Juliet  prop...

With Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom Of A Filth Elder  (2019), John Waters  touches upon many subjects, including his passions—art, architecture, film, music, sex, rebellion. He also gets a bit poignant when he writes about his love life, friends that he's lost and, in particular, death. But rest assured, he never loses his acerbic wit—managing to squeeze in cuss words, graphic descriptions of unpleasantries and gallows humor galore. Essential reading for Waters fans.

Surprisingly, for such a fan of horror,   Mr. Mercedes  (2014) is only the sixth Stephen King book that I've read. I greatly enjoyed it—a gripping modern detective novel with compelling characters, albeit with some tropes, but they work for the story. I found some of the scenes and dialogue a little silly, but overall, it’s a winner. I look forward to reading the two sequels.

Weird Al: The Book  (2012) is an excellent oversized coffee table book, filled with high quality full-color photos from throughout Yankovic 's career. "WA"Y has always been one of my heroes—barring a period in my teens when I was "too cool" for him (I came back around). Al is a true artist (regardless of the fact that much of what he does is parody) whose work spans not just music, but videos, TV, film, and books—an endlessly clever parodist and, in my eyes, a genius. The writing isn't terribly in depth but all the major highlights are covered, albeit sometimes briefly. That's really my only complaint—as a longtime listener dating back to playing his cassettes on my boombox in the mid to late 80s, I just wanted more. Regardless, this is an essential book for fans, one that took me longer than it should have to pick up.

Room To Dream (2018) presents a unique approach to a biography—for each chapter, the first section is written by Kristine McKenna with much of her material being pulled from interviews with David Lynch 's collaborators, friends, and family. The second section of each chapter is written by Lynch himself, both commenting on the first section and making his own observations re: all the pivotal points in his life. Lynch has always been a fascinating person and this is an equally fascinating read, touching upon all the various facets of his life and career—film, painting, music, love, relationships—expanding on subjects that the documentary film David  Lynch: The Art Life (2016) ( which is great and worth your time ) only hinted at. This is an absolutely essential read for fans of the man—it's inspiring, engrossing and melancholic in equal measure. My only complaint: I would have liked a little more meat on certain topics. When it comes to such an interesting individual as L...

Full disclosure: M.R. Mackenzie is a friend of mine. I've guest hosted  numerous times on the podcast which he co-hosts, Movie Matters . I also helped proofread this book, so this was my second read-through. And I like to support my friends in their creative endeavors. Regardless of all that, I can honestly say that his debut novel In The Silence  (2018) is excellent. It's right up your alley if you're fan of gialli  such as What Have You Done To Solange? (1972) and/or murder/mysteries in the vein of a modernized  Agatha Christie . A whodunit with a criminology lecturer named Dr. Anna Scavolini as its protagonist,  Silence  is a riveting page-turner that rarely lets up steam. When Anna returns home to Glasgow for the holidays she witnesses a former classmate die before her eyes. When the police fail to give the case the attention she feels it deserves, she proceeds to investigate on her own. Anna's discoveries will shock and repulse her in equal measur...

South Of Heaven  (1967) was one the last few books written by Jim Thompson  during his lifetime (he wrote three more novels before he died in 1977). The story of a young man in Texas (a staple of Thompson's work), his grueling job working on a pipeline, his elusive best friend, the prostitute he falls in love with, and the unsavory characters he wants to bring to justice, South Of Heaven   has a bit more of a poetic nature than a good deal of Thompson's usual fare (the lead character even writes poetry)—it feels like a Cormac McCarthy novel at times (right down to the title).

I'll be performing in this show a week from today—hope you can make it down! The Hoo-Ha's: A Scary Storytelling Event This Halloween season, join us at the Mediator Stage for a live storytelling event featuring selections from Alvin Schwartz 's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy. $5 suggested donation with all proceeds to benefit the Day One Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center in Providence. We'll have autumnal refreshments with vegan and GF options (donations appreciated!) and locally made Halloween crafts will be available to purchase. October 21st, 2018 Mediator Stage 50 Rounds Ave, Providence, RI 02907 Doors at 7 PM, stories 7:30–9:00 $5 suggested donation Facebook event page here

Jim Thompson 's The Alcoholics (1953) is a short novel about a clinic called "El Healtho" in Los Angeles. At the heart of the book is Dr. Peter Murphy, who desperately wants to keep his clinic open—despite not having the money to—because he truly cares about curing his patients and he also doesn't want to be a failure. The characters that make up El Healtho are diverse and amusing (and this is one of Thompson's funniest novels) but I would definitely classify this book as one of Thompson's lesser works. Of course, lesser works by Jim Thompson are still very entertaining.

Clinton Brown, the protagonist of Jim Thompson 's novel The Nothing Man  (1953), is a neurotic, internally-struggling, violent male narrator to rival his character Lou Ford (of The Killer Inside Me (1952) and Wild Town (1957)). As with Killer , it's hard to relate to our lead, as he commits one shocking act after another, but we the readers can't turn away, instead turning the next page to find out which direction Clinton will careen next.

On the surface,  Texas By The Tail (1965) isn't as pulpy, hard-boiled or as deeply rooted in crime as the bulk of Jim Thompson 's novels, but it nonetheless involves grifting, a femme fatale of sorts, extortion, and tough guys. Tail   is an entertaining yarn with that Thompson touch and yet somehow more "lighthearted" than his usual fare.

Jim Thompson 's The Transgressors (1961) is interesting based solely on the fact that its main character, Tom Lord, appears to be a variation of Lou Ford, a character who appeared in both Thompson 's  The Killer Inside Me   (1952) and Wild Town  (1957). Besides the similar name, Lord is also a deputy sheriff and also had a father who was a doctor (just like Ford). Not only that, but Lord's initial love interest is one Joyce Lakewood, quite a similar name to the similarly trampy Joyce Lakeland from Killer . Transgressors doesn't get into the head of its protagonist in the way that Killer  did (Lord is not sadistic like Ford either), and it's not as good a novel, but it's a reliably pulpy yarn from America's "Dimestore Dostoevsky".

In Jim Thompson 's Wild Town  (1957) deputy sheriff Lou Ford, the protagonist of Thompson 's 1952 novel The Killer Inside Me  (still my favorite of his works), returns, though this time around his character is "a mirror image of the one in Killer Inside Me . In Wild Town Lou Ford is also a sheriff, he also plays the fool, and he is also smarter and more capable than anyone else in the small town although he keeps it well hidden. He also prefers, and is usually able, to manipulate events rather than directly intervene. However, whereas in Killer Lou Ford manipulates events to further his own greed and lust, in Wild Town he manipulates events to bring about justice, to help people, and even to play matchmaker."[1] If you love your crime pulpy, look no further. This one has many of the trademarks—a hotel, a dopey strongarm, femme fatales, an invalid old man, homicide, stolen money, twisting plot dynamics and steamy affairs. 1.  ^Wikipedia

Jim Thompson 's  The Golden Gizmo  (1954) is full of the unsavory guys characters and goings-on you'd expect from his brand of grim pulpy novels.

In  Jim Thompson 's Heed The Thunder  (aka Sins Of The Father ) (1946), his second novel, he still hadn't settled into his well-known pulpy style. Instead this book focuses on the deeds and misdeeds of a prairie family in the early 20th century. A breezy read, much like a lot of his work, but with nicely developed characters and the occasional pondering, poetic touch.