Hiroshimaby John Hersey John Hersey’s Hiroshima has been on my to-read list for over a decade. Ever since I read Howard Zinn’s recommendation of it, I made a note of it. Shame on me that it took so long. Hiroshima is written is simple terms, is only 150 pages, and packs a wallop. Everyone should read it. Hiroshima recounts the story of six survivors of the atomic bomb. Six people of different backgrounds and prospects, all complete unprepared to deal...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Floor It! 2LP by the Texas Gentlemen. It’s funny to think about how much the Texas Gentlemen have changed since first appearing with the release of Texas Jelly in 2018. Just two years ago, the Texas Gents arrived sporting the tightest sound but it was coupled with a design which let the album’s shape develop as it played. The end results turned out to be a mercurial work of art which...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Naked Giants’ The Shadow LP. While it’s not terribly uncommon for a band to make great creative changes in their sound and style unexpectedly throughout their career, the knowledge that such events can happen still doesn’t exactly explain the arc that Naked Giants have taken which ultimately brought the band to The Shadow – the group’s second full-length album for New West Records (third for the label). When the band started (in...
The Dispossessedby Ursula LeGuin I love Sci-Fi. I really do. I like to think of myself as a sci-fi guy. I’m not just talking movies and TV shows (the good ones, at least), but I try to actually do the work and read the classics. I’m waiting to meet a guru of the genre one day who can guide me to the real classics, and lesser known greats. Until then, I’m stuck going for the obvious choices. Of course, Isaac...
Run the JewelsRTJ4 4XLP Deluxe Edition + Instrumentalsphoto: turntablelab.com Is there any hope left for the youth? In a year filled with turmoil, the stakes have never been higher. If there ever was a time to educate ourselves it’s now. But, what’s the song of the summer? WAP. Meanwhile, Run the Jewels have released the smartest album of the year and it’s not getting anywhere near the attention it should. There was a period in the mid-2000s where I almost...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Crash Test Kid LP by Sammy Brue. After releasing a debut album which, while obviously ambitious, ultimately yielded results which were “just okay” followed by an EP that revealed a greater-than-average Blind Melon influence, Sammy Brue clearly upped his dose of Fuckitol, just cut loose and bravely elected to just have fun when it came to making Crash Test Kid. Through the eleven cuts on his sophomore LP, Brue lets each...
The Selected Works of Eugene V. Debs, Vol. I: Building Solidarity on the Tracks, 1877–1892by Eugene V. Debs, Tim Davenport (Editor), David Walters (Editor) Look, I try my hardest not to hate on books, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Going in, I was expecting to fully love The Selected Works of Eugene Debs. He’s a fascinating historical figure, has fought for the rights of the disenfranchised, was America’s most prominent socialist, founded the IWW, and ran for...
Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacementsby Bob Mehr Sure, we’ve reviewed this book already, but something this awesome deserved to be revisited. So, here’s a special edition of I Wanna Be Literated. I don’t quite understand why I never made this book a priority. I’m a very big Replacements fan and this is quite possibly the definitive biography on the band. Also, it’s critically acclaimed (5 stars on Amazon!?) and my favorite podcasts talk about its greatness (Bob...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Ghosts of West Virginia LP by Steve Earle and The Dukes. I confess that – for a variety of reasons, many of which are not rooted in rational or critical thinking – I have never really given Steve Earle a whole lot of my time. Some of that has to do with the politics and soapboxes, but suffice it to say that it has just never happened; I’ve never walked up...
Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthoodby Lucy Knisley I’ll be the first to admit that becoming a dad has made me soft. It comes as a surprise because I’ve been a cynical bastard for most of my life. And although I never wanted to become the guy who flaunts picture of his kid to people – and I still haven’t exactly – I will expound on stories of my kid when asked. I’m...