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I NEED A GIFT
FOR...
TV, FILM
MY
FRIEND WHO LOVES SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.
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THE
CHRIS FARLEY SHOW: A BIOGRAPHY IN THREE ACTS
By TOM FARLEY, JR. and TANNER COLBY
Viking
Expect
both laughs and tears in this oral biography of the
life and comedy of SNL's Chris Farley. Farley's older
brother Tom teams up with Tanner Colby (who coauthored
Belushi: A Biography) to present a compilation
of interviews with family, friends, coworkers, and others
who had the pleasure of knowing the comedian. Together,
they paint a portrait of a big-hearted talent whose
addictions overtook his life and whose vulnerabilities
became the source of regret for those who wish they
could've saved him. The interviews, written into a chronological
narrative, include thoughts from fellow SNL alums such
as David Spade, Chris Rock, Mike Meyers, and Conan O'Brien.
(Yennie Cheung)
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AN
ACTOR FRIEND WHO LOVES CHRISTOPHER WALKEN.
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CHRISTOPHER
WALKEN A TO Z: THE MAN, THE MOVIES, THE LEGEND
By ROBERT SCHNAKENBERG
Quirk Books
Who
doesn't love Christopher Walken? The man is more than
just a quirky actor with an amazing cult following.
He's also Teflon when it comes to movies. As Christopher
Walken A to Z points out, he can star in some of
the worst movies of all time (Gigli, for example)
and still be as popular as ever. But did you know that
he has also worked as a lion tamer or that he filmed
a pilot for his own cooking show, Cooking with Chris?
Filled with tons of trivia and photographs, Christopher
Walken A to Z is a must for Walken fans. (Yennie
Cheung)
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MY BROTHER, WHO LOVES JAMES BOND
MOVIES.
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DEVIL
MAY CARE
By SEBASTIAN FAULKS
Doubleday
Devil May Care, the latest James Bond novel,
reads just like the originals. In fact, Faulks claims
to be "writing as Ian Fleming," and he picks up Bond's
story right where Fleming himself left off. The contrivance
frequently feels forced, but Bond can carry almost any
story he's in, despite an author's best attempts to
slow him down. Bond fans will find the new adventure
satisfying enough, and the back-to-basics approach provides
a fresh angle to the book in much the same way the recent
relaunch of the movie franchise freshened things for
Bond on screen. (Chris Mackowski)
[See
the HBC review]
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THE
MONEYPENNY DIARIES
By KATE WESTBROOK
Thomas Dunne Books
Sadly,
this one might be a tough sell for a male reader simply
because it's a female author writing a female narrator.
But a hardcore Bond man is working that chauvinist angle
a little too hard if he lets gender stop him from reading
this, the first in a three-book series focusing on the
most famous of all the Bond girls, Miss Moneypenny.
Edited by Kate Westbrook (a.k.a. British author Samantha
Weinberg), Miss Moneypenny's niece, the diary begins
in 1962 and provides a great deal of background information
on M's personal secretary, including her real name (Jane
Vivien), her past, and her own experiences with suave,
sophisticated 007. (Yennie Cheung)
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THE
IRREGULARS: ROALD DAHL AND THE BRITISH SPY RING IN WARTIME
WASHINGTON
By JENNET CONANT
Simon and Schuster
Believe it or not, Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming have more
in common than being popular British writers. After
being discharged from the Royal Air Force, Dahl was
employed by Her Majesty's Government to work as a spy
and a diplomat to the U.S. government, hobnobbing with
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. While Dahl is best known
for penning children's classics such as Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory, this biography details the
younger Dahl as being more akin to James Bond than one
might imagine. He even worked in the same outfit as
Ian Fleming and knew Bill Stephenson, the man who influenced
Fleming's creation of 007. It's only too bad that "Dahl…Roald
Dahl" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. (Yennie
Cheung)
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MY
MY DAD, WHO DOESN'T USUALLY READ BUT WATCHES RERUNS OF LAW
& ORDER RELIGIOUSLY.
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I
AM NOT A COP!
By RICHARD BELZER
Simon and Schuster
Your dad ought to recognize the name Richard Belzer
right away, but if not, he'll at least recognize Belzer's
face on the front cover of I Am Not a Cop! Belzer
plays Detective John Munch on Law & Order: SVU,
but in this novel, he takes his off-screen persona and
creates a cop dramedy of his own. Belzer's not the only
actor/stand-up comedian to have a go at fiction (see:
Steve Martin), but being that guy on one of those
interminable cop dramas makes this a difficult purchase
for some. I mean, your indie cred might shrivel up and
die if you buy this book! But keep in mind that this
is for your dad. Besides, if it's good enough to be
featured on The Daily Show, it's good enough
for your cool cred. (Yennie Cheung)
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MY FATHER-IN-LAW, WHO
LOVES STAR TREK BUT HAS ALL THE MOVIES.
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Buy
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CAPTAIN
KIRK'S GUIDE TO WOMEN
By JOHN "BONES" RODRIGUEZ
Pocket Books
UP
TILL NOW
By WILLIAM SHATNER with DAVID FISHER
Thomas Dunne Books
Regardless of how your dad feels about Captain Picard,
there's no denying that both Captain Kirk and William
Shatner are kind of amazing (though amazing in what
way differs from person to person). With that idea in
mind, perhaps your father-in-law would be amazed (or
at least amused) by Captain Kirk's Guide to Women
and Up Till Now. The former is a look at Kirk's
status as an intergalactic Casanova, including research
into Kirk's seduction techniques. Your father-in-law
may not need a Trekkie's guide to charming alien women,
but it may be something fun to read when he needs a
pick-me-up.
Up Till Now, on the other hand, is the autobiography
of Kirk's alter ego, William Shatner. The emphasis is
not on Star Trek (Shatner has already done a
memoir of those experiences) but rather a look back
on his entire life, from his childhood in Montreal to
the time when he did an entire feature film in Esperanto.
Yes, that's right. William Shatner did a film in Esperanto.
How many other actors would have the cojones
to do that? (Yennie Cheung)
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MY FRIEND WHO LOVES THE WIRE.
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GANG
LEADER FOR A DAY: A ROGUE SOCIOLOGIST TAKES TO THE STREETS
By By SUDHIR VENKATESH
Viking
I
actually once read something that claimed that fans
of The Wire would enjoy this book. I suppose
it may be true in concept if your friend is a fan of
the show's first season, which focuses on drug trade.
Gang Leader for a Day follows not a cop but a
doctoral student in sociology from the University of
Chicago who was invited to see how drug dealers function
in real life. It's not exactly a thrilling cop drama,
but it's an intriguing inside look at the links between
poverty and drug dealing. (Yennie Cheung)
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MUSIC
FOR
MY MUSIC-LOVING/HIPSTER DOUCHEBAG SIGNIFICANT OTHER.
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it from
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THE
PITCHFORK 500
By SCOTT PLAGENHOEF and RYAN SCHREIBER, Editors
Fireside
Contentious internet musical taste-maker pitchforkmedia.com
has released a list of the 500 "greatest" songs from
1977-present day. The resulting book, The Pitchfork
500, provides hours of fun for any music lover to
reminisce about, debate over, and learn from. Or it
will spurn them into making a list of the 500 other
songs that should have been on the list if Pitchfork
knew anything (that one's the hipster douchebag option).
(Kyle Olson)
[See
the HBC review]
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LIKE
A ROLLING STONE: THE STRANGE LIFE OF A TRIBUTE BAND
By STEVEN KURUTZ
Broadway
Whether
for fame, fortune, or the sheer ecstasy of being at
the very top of one's leather-pleated, bling-sporting
game, the allure of rock 'n' roll royalty can be magnetic
and addictive, even if you never really get there. Steven
Kurutz profiles the curious underworld of tribute musicians
and why they're an acceptable, aspartame-ridden substitute
for extravagant rock 'n' roll circus shows. (Samantha
Storey)
[See
the HBC review]
|
MY
PUNK ROCK AUNT.
|
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it from
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NO
WAVE. POST-PUNK. UNDERGROUND. NEW YORK. 1976-1980.
By BYRON COLEY and THURSTON MOORE
Abrams Image
Have
you ever seen so many periods in a title? But that's
how no wave—the noisy post-punk music that spawned
Lydia Lunch and James Chance, and inspired Sonic Youth
and Swans—rolls. It's bleak and blunt. But No
Wave the book is anything but bleak. It tells a
story, through smart narrative and rich photos, of a
nihilist movement with an abrasive sound that at its
heart was full of the cynical optimism that can only
rise from ashes. Fuck dance, let's art! (Marie Mundaca)
[See
the HBC article]
[WIN THIS BOOK!]
|
A FRIEND WHO LOVES '80S POP HITS UN-IRONICALLY.
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DON'T
YOU FORGET ABOUT ME
By JANCEE DUNN
Villard
As the title of Jancee Dunn's first novel suggests,
there's plenty of blast-from-the-past '80s referencing
to be had in Don't You Forget About Me. In the
book, protagonist Lillian Curtis finds her cushy New
York City life torn apart by her husband's desire for
a divorce. Devastated, Lillian flees to her parents'
home in suburban New Jersey to relive her high school
years, sleeping in her old bedroom (complete with '80s
band posters), reuniting with old friends, and considering
reconnecting with her old boyfriend at the 20-year high
school reunion. It sounds a bit like chick lit with
a few music references thrown in for good measure, but
Dunn—a contributing editor at Rolling Stone
and former 120 Minutes host on MTV—has the
music background to keep this more Grosse Point Blank
(you know, without the professional hitman angle) than
Pretty in Pink. (Yennie Cheung)
|
AN EDUCATED METALHEAD.
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33
1/3: BLACK SABBATH'S MASTER OF REALITY
By JOHN DARNIELLE
Continuum Books
The
college radio crowd is already well-aware of the 33
1/3 series of books. This one has the extra charm
of not only being about an amazing album but also being
written by a man who has written a few amazing albums
in his own right: John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats.
While it may not be as in-depth as other 33 1/3
entires, Darnielle knows how to appreciate music. Reading
this is kind of like talking about a favorite album
with a good friend whom you aren't trying to impress;
you're just sharing a love of music. (Kyle Olson)
[See
the HBC review]
[See
the HBC interview]
[WIN THIS BOOK!]
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HEAVY
METAL ISLAM
By MARK LEVINE
Three Rivers Press
Metalhead
and historian Mark LeVine takes on the controversial
and rapidly growing heavy metal music scene in the modern
Middle East and North Africa. With just the right mix
of socially-aware headbangers equipped with more than
enough culturally significant commentary, Heavy Metal
Islam is smart and insightful without going too far.
If anything, LeVine exposes a litany of metal bands
from the area who won't disappoint. (Samantha Storey)
[See
the HBC review]
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ALL
KNOWN METAL BANDS
By DAN NELSON
McSweeney's
If your beloved metalhead is also a trivia buff, this
makes for a nice little novelty gift. All Known Metal
Bands is simply what the title suggests: a list
of all the metal bands in existence. The price of the
book is a bit steep for a mere list of band names, but
it's an amusing little reference book and, like all
of McSweeney's books, it's beautifully printed and bound.
(Yennie Cheung)
|
MY
BANDMATES.
|
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it from
Amazon
or
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Buy
it from
Amazon
or
Powell's
Buy
it from
Amazon
or
Powell's
Buy
it from
Amazon
or
Powell's
|
33
1/3: THE POGUES' RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH
By JEFFRY T. ROESGEN
Continuum Books
Jeffrey
T. Roesgen (writer for Tiny Mixed Tapes) pens
a fictional sea-faring novella based on the Pogues's
second album, 1985's Rum, Sodomy & the Lash.
The book is intertwined with criticism and stories about
this enduring and influential album. (Marie Mundaca)
33
1/3: AFGHAN WHIGS' GENTLEMEN
By BOB GENDRON
Continuum Books
Gendron's
monograph of the Whigs's psychodramatic album Gentlemen
features new interviews with band members and record
company execs, and in-depth, song by song analysis of
the album. Even those not in love with the Whigs will
be interested in this deep examination of what should
have been a break-out album, that despite rave reviews
failed to garner serious radio or TV attention. (Marie
Mundaca)
THINGS THE GRANDCHILDREN SHOULD KNOW
By MARK OLIVER EVERETT
Thomas Dunne Books
EELS frontman Everett writes a beautiful memoir of his
tragic life and his odd rise in the rock world that
will leave readers misty-eyed. Things is written
in a conversational style, which may make you feel like
Everett is your best friend. (Marie Mundaca)
[See
the HBC review]
[See
the HBC interview]
[WIN THIS BOOK!]
I
SHOT A MAN IN RENO: A HISTORY OF DEATHY BY MURDER, SUICIDE,
FIRE, FLOOD, DRUGS, DISEASE MISADVENTURE AS RELATED
IN POPULAR SONG
By GRAEME THOMSON
Continuum Books
British author Thomson writes an interesting account
of popular music's fascination with death. He interviews
a lot of old people like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger,
but also sneaks in a chapter on hip-hop. The list of
the best death songs will no doubt cause some debate
among readers. "Spirit in the Sky"? No one dies
in that song! And two whole pages on Terry Jacks's "Seasons
in the Sun" is a bit much. But death is always fun,
right? (Marie Mundaca)
|
MY FUTURE BROTHER-IN-LAW,
WHO WANTS TO GO INTO THE MUSIC BUSINESS.
|
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it from
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|
THERE'S
A RIOT GOING ON: REVOLUTIONARIES, ROCK STARS, AND THE
RISE AND FALL OF THE '60S
By PETER DOGGETT
Canongate
There's no time in rock music more incendiary than the
period between 1965 and 1972. Fueled by the Vietnam
War and the Civil Rights Movement, a great deal of important
music was written to protest, to inform, and to inspire.
The era and the music from the time are pretty well
documented, but in There's a Riot Going On, Peter
Doggett focuses on the music industry more than the
socio-political movement of the era, revealing that
while some musicians were very much concerned with the
political movements of the time, others such as John
Lennon were more self-serving than they seemed. This
certainly won't be the most flattering portrait of some
of rock music's most iconic figures, but that's the
sort of portrait your future brother-in-law will see
in the biz. (Yennie Cheung)
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MY TEENAGE COUSIN WHO IDOLIZES THE
COLD WAR KIDS.
|
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WHAT
IT IS: WHAT IT IS
By PAUL G. MAZIAR and MAUST
Write Bloody
Poet
Paul G. Maziar and Cold War Kid and photographer Maust
collaborated on the DIY-style What It Is. It's
a must-have, double-bag item for fans of the Cold War
Kids and probably any gloomy, misunderstood teenager.
(Marie Mundaca)
[See
the HBC review]
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