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Curious, Furious, Convoluted Men
Audiobooks
- The Anthology, 1968-1992
Richard Pryor, 2001
- At the beginning of his comedy career, Peoria-born Pryor suffered extreme performance anxiety. Opening for singer Nina Simone, he shook so terribly that she “rocked him like a baby” night after night to calm him down.
BOD / 792.7 / PRY / 912
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Juno Diaz, 2007
- The fictional Wao is a 300-pound Dominican-American nerd who aspires to be a successful fantasy writer. His life and ambitions are shadowed by a family curse dating to the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
BOD / F / DIAZ / 818
- Gang Leader for a Day:
A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh, 2008
- As a sociology student at the University of Chicago, Venkatesh spent six years among bangers and dealers to study their lives and livelihoods. One reviewer notes, “He survived the experience without even as much as a good beating.”
BOD / 306.09773 / VEN / 946
- Johnny Got His Gun
Dalton Trumbo, 1939
- World War I doughboy Joe Bonham wakes injured in a hospital bed. A mortar shell has taken away his limbs and face, leaving him a prisoner in his own body. The Metallica song (and video) “One” is based on this novel.
BOD / F / TRUMBO / 1144
- The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History
Joseph Marshall, 2004
- With input from fellow Lakota Indians, Marshall vividly describes the life and times of Tasunke Witco, or Crazy Horse, a legendary man and respected leader who defeated General George Custer and the U.S. Army in 1876.
BOD / 970.1 / MAR / 778
- The Long Night of Winchell Dear
Robert James Waller, 2006
- Fans of No Country for Old Men will enjoy this story of questionable characters at cross purposes: a retired gambler, his housekeeper, a land squatter, a drug smuggler, and a rattlesnake.
BOD / F / WALLER / 582
- A Long Way Gone:
Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Ishmael Beah, 2007
- It is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers in more than 50 conflicts occurring worldwide. Ishmael Beah, a human rights advocate now living in the United States, was once one of them.
BOD / 966.4 / BEA / 683
- The Road
Cormac McCarthy, 2006
- A father and son travel post-apocalyptic Appalachia to seek the warmth and safety of the South. The ruined environment, loss and corruption of lives, and devastated landscapes paint a bleak picture of humanity’s future.
BOD / F / MCCARTHY / 697
- Strategic Grill Locations
Mitch Hedberg, 2003
- Hedberg’s brief but brilliant life as a comic ended by drug overdose in 2005. Among his object observations: “I saw a human pyramid once. It was very unnecessary.”
BOD / 792.23 / HED / 869
- The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to
Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
A.J. Jacobs, 2007
- The author spent twelve months living the Bible’s every dictate, striving to be what he describes as “the ultimate fundamentalist.” The experience transformed his world view in surprising and hilarious ways.
BOD / 220 / JAC / 914
Books
- Don’t Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs: She Thinks I’m a Piano
Player in a Whore House
Paul Carter, 2007
- Australian Carter describes the highs and lows of his life as a freelance oil-rig worker, involving white-knuckle rides, workaday hazards, lawlessness, injury, and death.
910.4 / CAR
- Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson:
An Oral Biography
Jann Wenner & Corey Seymour, 2007
- Friends and family recount the frenzies, frustrations, and freak-outs of modern journalism’s most infamous pioneer. On writing about Richard Nixon, Thompson said, “I beat him like a mad dog with mange every time I got a chance.”
B / THOMPSON, Hunter S.
- Icon: A Retrospective by the Grand Master of Fantastic Art
Frank Frazetta, 2003
- Frazetta’s influential paintings of warriors and wizards have adorned and inspired countless fantasy paperback covers, heavy metal album art, and custom van graphics. His life has been documented in the film Frazetta: Painting with Fire.
741.64 / FRA
- The Journey Is the Destination:
The Journals of Dan Eldon
Edited by Kathy Eldon, 1997
- Killed by a mob in Somalia at the age of 22, Eldon was Reuters’ youngest photographer ever and a prolific artist of profound depth and intensity.
070.49 / ELD
- Mainlines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste:
A Lester Bangs Reader
Edited by John Morthland, 2003
- Contemporary music criticism owes everything to Lester Bangs, who once observed, “Nothing ever quite dies, it just comes back in a different form.”
781.66 / BAN
- Mingering Mike: The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar
Dori Hadar, 2007
- Music hounds and crate diggers around Washington, D.C., helped rescue the work of an obscure artist who created more than 100 albums—but who never played or sang a single note.
741.66 / MIN
- Moondog: The Viking of 6th Avenue:
The Authorized Biography
Robert Scotto, 2007
- A well-known fixture on the streets of New York City between the late 1940s and early 1970s, the blind composer/musician Louis Thomas Hardin was equal parts scandal and sensation.
780.92 / HAR
- Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel: The Gun that Changed Everything
and the Misunderstood Genius Who Invented It
Julia Keller, 2008
- The author writes, “The Gatling gun is among the most compelling embodiments of this fraught paradox: a mechanical marvel that revolutionized the world’s capacity for cruelty.”
623.4424 / KEL
Comics & Graphic Novels
- Buddy Does Seattle
Peter Bagge, 2005
- This collection of Hate comics, spanning 1990 to 1994, features slacker Buddy Bradley and obnoxious friends trading barbs and beers in the birthplace of grunge. His misadventures continue with girlfriend Lisa in Buddy Does Jersey.
741.5973 / BAG
- Chicken with Plums
Marjane Satrapi, 2006
- Iranian illustrator Satrapi shares the story of her great-uncle, Nasser Ali—a musician who takes to his bed and dies eight days later after his hot-tempered wife destroys his most beloved instrument.
741.504 / SAT
- Garage Band
Gipi, 2007
- Amid family tensions, class anxiety, and a search for individuality, four teens skirt the law and strive to record their first demo tape.
741.504 / GIP
- Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Chris Ware, 2000
- This melancholy and masterfully executed graphic novel reflects the author’s self-described life as a nerd, “afraid of being punched in the hallway in between classes, waiting for my male body to arrive, and it never really quite did.”
741.504 / WAR
- Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron
Daniel Clowes, 1993
- As Clay Loudermilk attempts to track down his estranged wife, he is harried, hassled, and victimized by a series of nut-jobs and menacing kooks.
741.504 / CLO
- Lobo/Authority: Holiday Hell
Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, Simon Bisley, 2006
- Lobo is a blue-skinned mercenary, interstellar biker, and high-violence comic icon. In this story, the Easter Bunny hires him to assassinate Santa Claus. It’s on, fanboys!
741.504 / GIF
- Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China
Guy Delisle, 2006
- Canadian artist Delisle spent time supervising animation studios in China. He observed and lived the absurdities and delights of Chinese culture, which he chronicles here and in the book Pyongyang.
741.504 / DEL
- Spent
Joe Matt, 2007
- The Comics Journal observes, “There are superhero-comics fans telling one another that [graphic novelists are] a bunch of boring, pretentious twits drawing comics of themselves … and complaining about their boring lives … and here’s Joe Matt on a one-man crusade to prove them right.”
741.504 / MAT
- Stop Forgetting to Remember:
The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz
Peter Kuper, 2007
- Through his cipher Walter Kurtz, Kuper bears witness to the cartoonist’s life, rife with regrets, rocky relationships, and heavy doses of fantasy.
741.504 / KUP
- Watchmen
Alan Moore, 1986
- Now a major motion picture, this comic book series enlarges the possibilities of superheroes by probing the ethics, complexities, and personal failings of its characters, including a right-wing nationalist and a god-like immortal.
741.5973 / MOO
Movies
- American Movie: The Making of Northwestern
Chris Smith, 2000
- This documentary follows the rise and fall (and rise) of alcoholic auteur Mark Borschardt and his struggles to complete the no-budget horror film Coven.
DVD / 778.53 / AME / 1074 or VCV / 778.53 / AME / 1886
- American Splendor
Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, 2003
- Paul Giamatti portrays neurotic anti-hero Harvey Pekar, creator of the cult-hit confessional comic American Splendor.
DVD / AME / 953 or VCV / AME / 5493
- The Big Lebowski
Joel Coen, 1998
- The Coen Brothers’ masterpiece stars Jeff Bridges as “The Dude,” a stoner-slacker with a profound love of CCR, White Russians, and bowling.
DVD / BIG / 87 or VCV / BIG / 3772
- Brother’s Keeper
Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 1992
- This film examines the “Ward boys,” four illiterate bachelor brothers living in rural isolation. When William Ward dies, authorities are skeptical of natural causes and pin the blame on sibling Delbert.
DVD / 364.1523 / BRO / 1236 or VCV / 364.1523 / BRO / 2717
- Bukowski: Born into This
John Dullaghan, 2006
- Here the life of poet, raging boozer, and cult figure Charles Bukowski is documented through vintage footage, interviews with friends, and monologues by the man himself.
DVD / B / BUKOWSKI / 572
- Crumb
Terry Zwigoff, 1995
- Creator of Fritz the Cat and the “Keep on Truckin” cartoon, Robert Dennis Crumb is known for satirical, sexual, and sometimes shocking comics, which today appear in The New Yorker and in art exhibits worldwide.
VCV / CRU / 3023
- The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005
- This documentary depicts the life of singer-songwriter Johnston, his battles with mental illness, and his unlikely influence on rock musicians like Curt Cobain and Thurston Moore.
DVD / 616.895 / DEV / 840
- Into the Wild
Sean Penn, 2007
- In April 1992, 24-year-old Chris McCandless landed at Alaska’s Stampede Trail with little more than rice, a rifle, and a road map. Five months later, his body was found by hunters—his motivations and last days shrouded in mystery.
DVD / INT / 4272 or 4273/4274 or 4275/4276
- Monster Camp
Cullen Hoback, 2008
- Live-action role-playing (LARPing) provides desk jockeys a weekend outlet for fantasy battles and foam swordplay. Follow these Seattle men—okay, and a few women—as they transform themselves into goblins, wizards, and warriors.
DVD / 793.93 / MON / 830
- 24 Hour Party People
Michael Winterbottom, 2002
- Steve Coogan stars as Tony Wilson, whose Factory Records and Hacienda nightclub in “Madchester” England made famous acts like Joy Division, the Happy Mondays, and others from the 1970s through the 1990s.
VCV / TWE / 5258
Music
- Arkology
Lee “Scratch” Perry, 1997
- Many music historians co-credit Perry with creating the sounds of reggae and dub through engineering wizardry. His influence persists across the music spectrum and even now, in his 70s, he remains active behind the console.
CDFO / 972.92 / PER / 8487
- The Best of Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti, 2004
- At various times in his life, Nigerian musician Kuti was simultaneously married to 27 women, incited beatings and imprisonment with his songs, founded his own political party, and fused jazz, rock, and funk into Afrobeat.
CDFO / 966.9 / FEL / Q696
- 50th Anniversary Collection
James Brown, 2003
- Brown’s titles are countless: Soul Brother Number One, Sex Machine, Mr. Dynamite, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, Minister of the New New Super Heavy Funk, Mr. Please Please Please Please Her, The Boss, and The Godfather of Soul.
CDRO / BRO / 10155
- I Have Always Been Here Before:
The Roky Erickson Anthology
Roky Erickson, 2005
- Much like fellow ‘60s music icons Vince Taylor, Syd Barrett, and Brian Wilson, Erickson struggled with drug use, mental illness, and confinement. Today, he continues to rock venues like Austin City Limits, Coachella, and more.
CDRO / ERI / Q541
- The Kennedy Experience
Nigel Kennedy, 1999
- Reproached by one critic as a “Liberace for the Nineties” and presumably beyond, violinist Kennedy here delivers classical interpretation of Jimi Hendrix songs with seven other good-humored musicians sitting in.
CDCL / HEN / 7667
- Lest We Forget:
The Best of Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson, 2004
- After burlesque performer Dita Von Teese divorced him, the Antichrist Superstar sued for custody of their three cats. Conversely, his professed love of leather pants won PETA’s attention and a spot in their 2008 Worst Dressed List.
CDRO / MAR / 14900
- Monorails and Satellites
Sun Ra, 1966
- The composer/musician born Herman Poole Blunt played avant-garde tunes that spanned 20th-century jazz. His work and philosophy were born of prodigious talent, a fascination with Freemasonry, and an extraterrestrial experience.
CDJZ / SUN / 2962
- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie, 1972
- The most concise and accurate synopsis of Lady Stardust’s career can be found in the sixth episode of HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords, “Bowie.” In 1972, as Billboard observed, Bowie put the glitter and glamour back into rock.
CDRO / BOW / 1178
- Selected Ambient Works, 85-92
Aphex Twin, 1993
- Long before any jerk with a credit card could make laptop dance music, British engineering student Richard D. James released this collection of down-tempo, atmospheric electronica. He cares because you do.
CDRO / APH / 5849
- Tragic Songs of Life / Satan Is Real
Louvin Brothers, 2007
- Roots music duo Charlie and Ira started with gospel, wound up with the Grand Ole Opry, and always kept the ends out for the tie that binds. The cover of Satan Is Real, with flaming tires and twelve-foot plywood devil, is renown.
CDCW / LOU / 14598
- We’re Only in It for the Money / Lumpy Gravy
Frank Zappa, 1968
- Scientists regularly honor the late composer/guitarist Zappa by bestowing his name on new discoveries. According to Wikipedia, “Belgian biologists Bosmans and Bosselaers discovered in the early 1980s a Cameroonese spider, which they … named Pachygnatha zappa because ‘the ventral side of the abdomen of the female of this species strikingly resembles the artist’s legendary moustache.’”
CDRO / ZAP / 1961
03/03/11
