Larsson's Hornet's Nest & Movie Update / Kill Me if You Can

A hornet's nest is created by chewed bark, wood pulp or  plant material lasting several months and reach the size of a basketball and as when most things become larger they become heavier. Such was the case with Stieg Larsson's third in a trilogy, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest The more I read, the heavier the book became, taking longer than usual to finish. Only a hornet or two of excitement and intrigue buzzing around.

It was  expected though as the first two, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played with Fire" started out slow as well. Swedish references were difficult to ascertain. But as the first two, "...Hornet's Nest" Lisbeth Salander kicked with intensity and refused to relent to her killers. She's much like a hornets nest - - dangerous and should be handled only by professionals. The professional in this case, Mikael Blomkvist.

 Reading all three volumes provides insight into the life of Steig Larsson as one can draw many parallels, in fact, some of the characters are actually real people and in "..Hornets Nest." name(s) weren't changed on some.

(Movie update: the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is slated for release 12/21/2011, to watch the trailer..click here.) 

Kill Lisbeth Salander if you can, or "Kill Me If You Can" as in James Patterson's latest book.  Starting off, the plot seemed a bit unbelievable, but in true Patterson fashion, I exclaimed "What the ..." and "Holy s..." throughout  the book. "Kill Me if You Can" captures the reader, drawing you deeper into the plot and just when you think it's over, Patterson and co-author, Marshall Karp leaves you wanting more and wondering what's next, literally on the very last page!

Publisher moves up release date of Steve Jobs biography

Several news agencies are reporting that publisher, Simon and Schuster, has pushed up the release date of Walter Isaacson's much anticipated biography on the late Steve Jobs.  

Here are a couple:

Bloomberg: Jobs Biography Release Date Moved Up to Oct. 24 From February After Death

Huffington Post:  Pre-Orders Soar For Authorized Steve Jobs Biography

Isaacson, former editor of Time Magazine and CEO of CNN, is well known for his in depth biographies:

Einstein: His Life and Universe  and one that I've read, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Jobs' is in pretty good company don't ya think?

Concert Review: Shadows grow so long before my eyes..

The year was 1976,  gasoline cost 60 cents a gallon,  Elvis was still alive, our nation was bicentennially old, a fruit company was formed called, "Apple"  and a long haired, thirty-something rocker  decided to cut a live album...and 35 years later he's still showing us the way.

A booming voice resonated throughout the State Theater in Minneapolis this past Friday night leaving me to wonder, "What the...?!  "Am I at the right show?"  "Was that the voice of Captain Kirk, TJ Hooker and Denny Crane?"   I couldn't figure out why William Shatner would emcee a Frampton concert.  Now full disclosure, Shatner wasn't actually there, no. Just a recording. Although quite funny it did seem a bit odd. So I instilled the talents of my research staff made up of one ( yes, me) and found that Frampton is playing on Shatner's next album, called, Seeking Major Tom due out soon. Go Figure.

Sixty-one year old Peter Frampton played through the Frampton Comes Alive album, mixing the track order up a bit to keep us on our toes and humorously doing so, took a 20 minute intermission, then dove deeper into his repertoire of instrumentals and allowed us to feast on a little Humble Pie.

Throughout the show Frampton engaged the audience in a sing along, stepping back from the mic on occasion to join him on "Baby, I Love your Way" and others but did disappointedly remind us that "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is best left up to Mick and the Boys.

The guitar solos between Frampton and Adam Lester were truly remarkable and lasted for just the right moment,  accompanied by bass player Stanley Sheldon who has performed with Frampton since the  LIVE Album, drummer Rob Wojciechowski and local Rob Arthur on the keyboard and guitar made it an electric performance!

 While his voice may not be what it once was three decades ago ( you couldn't really tell) , that famous talk box came out in full force during, "Do You Feel Like We Do"  as we watched his  words transform into lights like an over sized EKG heart monitor letting us know he wasn't dead yet!

Plucking at our heart strings, while tugging at his guitar strings, Frampton ended the night with a beautiful, stirring rendition, of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

Set List:

 Something's Happening

 Doobie Wah

 Lines on My Face

 Show Me the Way

 It's a Plain Shame

 Wind of Change

 Penny for Your Thoughts

 All I Want To Be (Is by Your Side)

 Baby, I Love Your Way

 I Wanna Go to the Sun

 (I'll Give You) Money

 Do You Feel Like We Do

 Shine On

 Jumpin Jack Flash ( Cover - Rolling Stones)

Intermission

 Asleep At The Wheel( from Thank You Mr. Churchill)

 Restraint

 Float

 Boot It Up

 Double Nickels

 Four Day Creep

 Off the Hook

 Black Hole Sun (Cover -Soundgarden)

Encore

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (written by George Harrison)

Concert Review: The Complex Lindsey Buckingham

After taking a peek at the predicted set list as I most often do prior to a show, I originally intended to format my review as dinner at a favorite restaurant with a long time friend.  Reading the menu you see your old favorites and a  few new ones, translating that to his music both new, old and a bit of Fleetwood Mac. Me being a big fan of the Mac - -  both Fleetwood and McDonald's.

Then after attending Friday nights show at the Pantages Theater in Minneapolis, I changed my mind. What I witnessed was an extraordinary guitar player but full of psychoanalysis and deep thinking.  With  philosophic storytelling between each song, I wasn't sure if I was at a  concert or watching an episode of Frasier Crane, sans the humor.

His openness wasn't the only thing, quirky.  Take for instance, the order of songs. Slowly getting started with some familiar and not so familiar tunes, we felt and heard that recognizable thump of  "Tusk". The crowd came alive, some easing their way to the front of the stage. Then the song was over, leaving the audience  to wander back to their seats anxious to hear more zestful enthusiasm but left with something new "Stars are Crazy"  and "End of Time".   "Tusk" may have best been left towards the end, perhaps accompanied by the University of MN Marching Band?

Being a Rock N Roll Hall Famer and one of the most underrated guitar virtuosos,  Buckingham has earned the right to perform solo but his past love affair came resoundingly clear from one heckler who yelled, "Where's Stevie?" Much to the delight of his nicer audience, Buckingham didn't let the rudeness go unnoticed and countered,  I'm playing some  material from my new album tonight but for that man out there, sorry, "Stevie isn't on it."

Some new songs came together, "off hand" as 62 year old rocker prepped the audience and "Illumination" was a prime example. Not lighting up the crowd at all.

But hits such as "Second Hand News" "Big Love" and "Go Your Own Way", where he literally was banging on his guitar, gave the crowd what they expected, great guitar playing and remembrance of the wonderful Fleetwood Mac days of old. Reflection and introspection best left to the individual and their own devices and not the performer they paid to come see.

PS. For those Fleetwood Mac;fans, check out Lindsey's interview in Aug. 31 edition of  Rolling Stone as he hints at another FM tour or maybe a spin around the universe with Stevie.

Setlist:

Shut Us Down
Go Insane
Trouble
Never Going Back Again
Big Love
Under the Skin
All My Sorrows
In Our Own Time
Illumination
Second Hand News
Tusk
Stars Are Crazy
End of Time
That's the Way Love Goes
I'm So Afraid
Go Your Own Way
Encore:
Turn It On
Treason
Seeds We Sow

Thunder Dog, a 9/11 survival story.

Close your eyes. Go ahead, you know you can. Now start walking down the stairs, 1,463 stairs to be exact. Throw in a few hundred people, take away ventilation and air conditioning and toss in the anxiety over the unknown cause of your floor to tilt, and you have the ingredients of Michael Hingson's venture of survival that began on the 78th floor of the north Tower of the World Trade Center. But don't forget, ThunderDog, Rochelle, Hingson's guide dog. 

Blind at birth, Hingson's lives his life not as a blind person, but "a person who happens to be blind."  He tells of his extraordinary adventure as he and Rochelle navigate down the stairwell and out of the WTC area, only to be chased by the enormous dust cloud that eventually engulfed them.

Hingson's story is intense at first, taking each methodical step down the collapsing tower with Rochelle, then interwoven is Hingson's life story from his parents desire and battle to raise their son as any "normal" child to guide dog training to a successful career in sales at the Quantum group during the years prior to and shortly after 9/11 to now a career in consulting and speaking.

Full of courage and bravery, Hingson and his Thunderdog, Rochelle, find their way to survive and help others along the way.

But, don't let me tell you about his story, let him tell it you in these videos one  from an appearance on Larry King back on 9/11/2002 and another for his book.

The Help: the Book, the Movie and Reader's Poll

With the popularity of the movie, I thought I'd read the book and if it was good, I'd check out the movie.  If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know my stance on books made into movies or movies based on books, however you wish to phrase.

The Help, an extraordinary, riveting story about a group of women who help each other and through their challenges they discover, they help themselves. Through the eyes of central female characters, Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny, Stockett tells of the struggles of housekeepers in the deep south during the 1960's. A period piece, Stockett's style of writing adds to the realism of the book.

In respect to The Help, I'm glad I at least read the book. Really enjoyed it, it's subject matter, style of writing and that Stockett adds historical references which being a lover of history, further enhances my enjoyment.

But I've heard some don't enjoy the book as it taps into sensitive subjects of our country's torrid past. Prejudice whether it be social class, job, gender, age, religion or race exists in todays society unfortunately but it can't be ignored. Stockett's prose continues to bring to light part of our nations history, whether we like it or not.  Either way, I welcome all comments and questions and you may post them anonymously, as you can with all my blog posts. 

Can you identify  points of irony or symbolism in the books? Here's a few points that recognized or pondered:

• Skeeter helps the maids by writing a book with an aptly named title and ironically helps herself.
• Hilly continues to cast aspersions on those around her only to get a "taste" of her own medicine and fought to overcome her own stereotype when the nourishment of her  pie became known. Quite the humbling experience, don't ya think?
• Celia chopping down the mimosa tree signifies?
• Release of the movie at the same time of the unveiling of the  Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, coincidence or shrewd marketing?

Here's one question I've read, can a white woman write a book about black women? Does it matter?

Check out my readers poll at the top left of my blog.  Have you seen the movie? Like it better than the book? 

Looking forward to your comments...

9/11 books: "tattoos", Thunder Dog and 1,463 stairs to Freedom

Reading the USA Today over my daily breakfast regime, a page or two was dedicated to newly released books by survivors of our generations Pearl Harbor. Two caught my eye of which I've decided to read over the next several days. Given today is a Tuesday, when most books are released, I hopped in the car and went shopping. 

Unmeasured Strength, by Lauren Manning. Managing Director and Partner at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 106th floor of Tower Two, survived with over 80% of her body scarred and burnt. She doesn't hide her scars, she calls them "personal tattoos, her body art".

The second book, Thunder Dog, The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory. 1,463 stairs away from survival, freedom from the smoke filled inferno of the north tower. Hingson put his faith and  trust in his guide dog, Roselle, and triumphed!

Firehouse by the late David Halberstam is the only book I've read on 9/11 although I have several in my library.

Halberstam explores the lives of 13 men of Engine 40, Ladder 35 located on the West Side of Manhattan. Thirteen men became first responders to the World Trade Center, only one survived. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and Vietnam war correspondant, at the time of the writing lived three blocks from the station.

Any books that you've read or wish to recommend?

It's been years since I read Halberstams book, almost nine years to the date and I rarely read a book twice. However, accompanied with Manning's and Hingson's, I'll make an exception and read his, too.