It’s only the beginning of April, but I’m already thinking of what I’m going to read this summer. So, in no particular order:
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Shining by Stephen King
Proust was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer
Moon by Tony Fletcher (reread)
Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith
Let the Right One In by John Lindqvist
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
And a bunch of other things that catch my fancy, I’m sure.
Any suggestions?
Photo taken by Ben Parks
I like collecting LPs. I don’t actually own a turntable, but there’s something very special about going into a record shop and finding something that you didn’t expect to.
The other day I came across this LP, the soundtrack to the cult classic Quadrophenia, based on the Who album of the same name.
Quadrophenia holds a special place in my heart, both the album and the movie. The album because it’s one of my favorites, if not my favorite. The movie? Well, I’m enamored with mods and rockers.
Also, the movie showcases Brighton, England, as the heart of the mod-rocker fight in May 1964.
The photo is actually one of the back of the album; I really like the pier in the background and Jimmy in the foreground–the picture is very pretty, and instantly pulls you in.
In this age of mp3s and iPods, being able to hold something in your hands, to hold music between your fingers, is a wonderful thing. There is little joy to be found upon discovering a song on iTunes, but to find an album in a record shop? Now, that’s something to smile about.
My love for The Who began in my senior year of high school. It was a long, slow process, this becoming attuned to a “new” band, but it seemed like the world was kicking me in the seat of my pants to listen to them.
My first encounter was the summer before senior year. I was at a Shakespearean acting camp, and as luck would have it, I wore my Beatles shirt the same day as my friend Nick wore his Who shirt. “Who are they?” I asked. Nick listed their most famous songs–“Baba O’Riley,” “Pinball Wizard,” etc–and I stared at him like an idiot.
Flash forward three months. I sat in art class, and my teacher played The Who to get himself psyched for their concert. I liked it enough, but didn’t think anything of it.
A couple months later I was looking online at Beatles and Queen fan art, when I noticed a few of the artists also drew The Who. Intrigued, I went to the library and listened to a few Who albums–Greatest Hits, Tommy and Quadrophenia. With the opening notes of Tommy‘s “Overture” I was hooked.
Ned Wolfe 