Thug Notes

Classic Literature. Original Gangster

This web series is one of my favorite discoveries of 2013.

I have an interest in the classics, and I've found this series to be a fun and quick way to revisit them. Sure the character of Sparky Sweets, PhD is a...character, but it's all in fun and edumacation. I'm no academic, but the analysis seems pretty solid to me.

Peep the discussion on some of my favorite titles. 

Thug Notes: YouTube

Books - (Read In) 2013

** Re-read

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
Lionel Asbo: State of London - Martin Amis
Thirty-Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case - A.M. Rosenthal
Sugar Blues - William Duffy
Vampires in the Lemon Grove - Karen Russell
Winnie-the-Pooh - A.A. Milne
The Midwich Cuckoos - John Wyndham
The Walking Dead Compendium 1 - Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Tony Moore
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
Kick-Ass - Mark Millar, John Romita Jr.
Shopgirl - Steve Martin
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove - Amir "Questlove" Thompson
Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West - Cormac McCarthy
The Walking Dead Compendium 2 - Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard
Salt, Sugar, Fat - Michael Moss
You Are All Sanpaku - George Ohsawa
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson
How to Win Friends & Influence People (In the Digital Age) - Dale Carnegie
Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six - Jessica Buchanan, Erik Landemalm, Anthony Flacco
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells**
Levels of Life - Julian Barnes
The Good Lord Bird - James McBride
The Stranger - Albert Camus

Some notes:

Steve Jobs will confound you. You'll hate him when he treats people like shit; and then be amazed and inspired by vision and passion for quality and design. This back and forth made Walter Isaacson's biography my favorite read of the year. I'm a slow reader, but I got through this book (656 pages) in about two and a half days. You've probably heard a lot about this book already, but read it anyway -- it will make you think you can do anything.

I should read more children's books. Authors are able to do some amazing things with words when they bring their thoughts and words down to the level of a child. I laughed loudly several times reading Winnie-the-Pooh, and The Little Prince (this is a children's book, right?) is a beautiful tale.

Was very happy that Karen Russell received a Genius Grant from the MacArthur Foundation. She's extremely imaginative and some of her short stories are amazing, in particular the one about the silk factory (felt Miyazaki-esque), and the one about horses.

I powered through some books I hated (Kick-Ass, Shopgirl, Gone Girl). Never again.

I teared up while reading a book for the first time. Didn't know a thing about Captain Phillips before I read Jessica Buchanan's story, so the kidnapping experience was entirely fresh to me. It frightened me; made me lose hope; and finally exhausted me by the end of the book. The rescue by SEAL Team Six is absolutely amazing.

Blood Meridian is by far the bloodiest and bleakest book I have ever read. There were times I asked myself "What is the point of all of this?"

I love this book cover. I'd also like to see an on-screen update of this story. (1960|1995)

  

Things Fall Apart made me very angry. Religion...

Matt and I exchanged emails on the Questlove book. We didn't get to finish our conversation because he had some real life things to deal with, but I might share some of our thoughts in a future post.

Looking forward to another year of reading. If you have any suggestions, feel free to suggest.

Bun B's Rap Coloring and Activity Book

Available September 17, 2013 (Abrams Image)

Books - (Read In) 2012

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon
No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means To Be Black Now - Toure
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother - Amy Chua
Paul's Boutique - Dan LeRoy
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Great God Pan - Arthur Machen
The Call of Cthulhu - H.P. Lovercraft
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
The Monkey's Paw - Diane Mowat
Y: The Last Man (Vol. 1 - Vol. 3)
Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion - Janet Reitman
The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars...- Thomas Lennon & Robert B. Garant
The Devil All The Time - Donald Ray Pollock
This Is How You Lose Her - Junot Diaz*
Superman For All Seasons - Jeph Loeb
NW - Zadie Smith*
Ham on Rye - Charles Bukowski
The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

*Published in 2012

Briefly...Zadie Smith's NW

NW Girl.

First time I've read her work. Didn't like this one.

She's a talented writer, but I feel there needs to be balance between technique and storytelling. There's just way too much going on stylistically in this book, to the point of distraction. She's literature's answer to Chip-Fu on the Nervous Breakdown album. (at least she is here)

Also, whenever her characters were speaking patois, it felt like her characters were trying to speak patois.

That's all.

Thanks for reading. 

Unboxing: J-Zone - Root for the Villain

Order information: http://www.govillaingo.com

Rough Justice: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer - Peter Elkind

All Things Eliot Spitzer Report Card

Attorney General: A
New York Governor: D
john: F




A Tribe Called Quest - The Night He Got Caught

West Coast Hip Hop: A History In Pictures – Michael Miller

Project Details

We want to print Michael's book as a lovely 9x12 coffee table art book. Your help can make this possible! Michael Miller was the man at the right time when the west coast hip hop movement was exploding. Besides shooting all the major players in the game he also hung out with the artists and became a part of the culture. Shooting important figures like Cypress Hill, NWA, Tupac, Ice Cube, Snoop, House Of Pain, etc, etc His photo’s are an amazing archive of a magical time in music and his crazy but true stories about the shoots are mind blowing! These photo's will debut in major galleries in LA,SF,NY take advantage of this great opportunity to own one of these limited editions.

Kickstarting here: Link

Frankenstein

"To be a great and virtuous man appeared the highest honour that can befell a sensitive being; to be base and vicious, as many on record have been, appeared the lowest degradation"

It's funny how my (probably not uncommon) perception of Frankenstein's Monster, had been shaped by the Boris Karloff's portrayal in the 1931 film, directed by James Whale. Reading the plot summary of the film, it pretty much mirrors most of my mental images of tale.

The mad scientist. ("It's Alive!")
His hunched assistant.
The secluded laboratory.
Opened rooftops, and lightning storms.
A slow walking, dull creature.
Enraged villagers with pitchforks and torches.

Basically, this:


* 0:08 - 0:14 sounds mad familiar. Did someone sample it?*

I recently read the book, and wasn't surprised at how different it was, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.

The monster in this story is very complex, and at different points in the story (sometimes in a manner of pages or paragraphs) can be thoughtful, caring, frightening, stubborn, and quite frankly -- an asshole. There are points when you're not sure if you should feel sorry for it, though I suspect towards the end of the story, many wont.

The best parts of the story occur when the monster holds court with its creator (depicted by the author as more emo than madly ambitious). A good portion of their dialogue revolves around Man's capacity for evil, and I guess the circumstances which causes him to become or act this way.

The edition I read was only 200 pages, some of which dragged (surprising for such a short story). Still, there some to chew on here, so if you haven't read this classic, I would say it's a solid read.

Glenn O'Brien - The Daily

I'm too poor to ball out like Mr. O'Brien, but I'm still a fan.

Sock Game Alert: 1:05 of video.



Video by Shalini Sharma and Jonathan Tortora

Socks available at Tails and the Unexpected: Link

And Now, A Message From J-Zone

I am very excited about this book, so I thought I would share this message sent out to those on his mailing list.

-----------------------

What it is,

If you're getting this e-mail, there's a 98% chance it's because you posted a comment on the J-Zone blog on Dante Ross' website a few years back and left your e-mail. (If you want to be removed from this mailing list, just tell me – I hate mass e-mails too.) After garnering a cool and loyal following (due to your support), the blog croaked. I'll attribute 50% of that to the “real world” kickin' my a*s and 50% of that to the fact that blogging consistently nowadays is humanly impossible if you work 4 jobs and you're writing 2000-3000 word articles about specific sh*t like I was trying to do.

Rather than letting that blog to slip into "let me post a You Tube clip and write one line about it just to keep content flowing" territory, the energy went into writing my first book, Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit and a Celebration of Failure, instead. The book will be released this fall. The blog has also resurfaced (albeit with posts going up a bit less frequently) over at egotripland.com, home of Ego Trip NYC (the minds behind the VH1 TV shows Miss Rap Supreme and The White Rapper Show and the books The Book of Rap Lists and The Book of Racism). As for the book, those who dug my grumpy old man tirades and general lampoonery from years past might enjoy this collection of curmudgeonly rants, hip-hop-inspired memoirs, humorous outlooks on failure, and think pieces on the general stupidity of the world at large in 2011.

If you:

• are over 30
• are a native New Yorker (If you don't know who David Dinkins is, you don't count.)
• often wonder if men are the new women
• feel it’s perfectly acceptable to wear a clip-on tie with Master P’s face on it to a corporate job interview
• have a college degree that got you two choices in the real world: the broom or the mop
• had the opportunity to work with the legendary musical heroes of your childhood, then your broke a*s got sued by one of them for copyright infringement
• stuck a fork in dating in America and are now looking into blow-up dolls due to their low maintenance, low noise level, and low cost (an air body beats an airhead)
• were robbed for a fake gold chain in the early '90s
• are an artist whose career went kaput, so you were forced to get a “real” job and fall back into “real world” protocol. It was then you learned that the hip-hop 401k does not exist
• are sick of “couple accounts” on Facebook (Fellas, if you allow your girl to create one page for the both of you, her d*ck is bigger than yours. Furthermore, anyone over the age of 21 trying to “poke” me will be attacked with a Wiffle ball bat.)
• still use a Walkman and collect records
• live with your hostile 87-year-old grandmother who passes gas 24/7, leaves her dentures on your bathroom sink, and disrupts pimpin' at the house
• were a hip-hop kid of the '90s and/or enjoy nostalgic music business stories from that era
• plan on entering the music business and want to read true accounts of how utterly dysfunctional and useless most of the people in it are
• are sick of hearing all this bourgeois “Eat, Pray, Love” sh*t on dates. I want NYC's crime rate to return to the 1990 statistics for a week; then you'll really be praying to travel someplace expensive to “find yourself”. Shut the f*ck up and stop whining.
• hate incessant texting, emoticons, internet lingo you have to be 18 years old to understand (ROTFL, OMG), “Gadget Hoes”, “Flash Hoes”, and “Cosmo Hoes”. (Note: If you come to the club solely to text all night or to ask me to take a picture of you and your raggedy a*s friends at the bar holding drinks, those last three terms apply to you.)
• are a curmudgeon with an allergy to bullsh*t
• don’t stand a chance in life doing anything that doesn’t involve purchasing a Mister Softee ice cream truck, but truly believe that one day you will run for mayor and win…

This book is for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Root for the Villain is for 0.02% of the world's population and will probably sell like it. It's my first attempt at publishing a book after having my work published in bits and pieces over the years, so pardon me while I figure this out on the fly. More info coming soon!

New website, Ego Trip affiliation

http://www.govillaingo.com/ is my new website and it’s under construction (official launch later this month), but links to all of my social network crap are on the site now (Facebook, Twitter, Ego Trip page, etc.) Or, find links to the aforementioned social network crap at the bottom of this email to be kept abreast of developments if the book interests you. Chapters from it will be posted on my Ego Trip page starting in about three weeks, for a sneak peek.

In the meantime, check out my analysis on why the rumored remake of the movie Juice (feat. Soulja Boy) can't happen in 2011...it's impossible! (Click here to read)

Also, check out this super duper rare and extremely early Wu-Tang Clan footage that I taped off of public access TV in 1991 and ripped to You Tube. (Click here to see and read). 

Some of my older articles are on my Ego Trip page as well. I'll periodically be posting articles that aren't in the book, so check back in every so often.

Stay tuned and thanks for your past support,

J-Zone
--
--
P.S. - F*ck an iPod.

Norwegian Wood

"Perfect selfishness. Like, say I tell you I want to eat strawberry shortcake. And you stop everything you're doing and run out and buy it for me. And you come back out of breath and get down on your knees and hold this strawberry shortcake out to me. And I say I don't want it anymore and throw it out the window. That's what i'm looking for"

First viewing of film: solid
Novel: good
Second viewing of film (shortly after reading the novel): errrr...not so good.

I have to stop doing that to myself.

Portraits: Megan Fox

This photo belongs here: http://bookshelfporn.com/

It's almost too perfect.

Quotable

"If it ain't loaded and cocked, it will not shoot"

(Not surprisingly) The courtroom showdown is just as good in the novel, as it was on screen.

Glenn O'Brien - How To Be a Man: A Guide To Style and Behavior For The Modern Gentleman

"I don’t mind, since everyone will think I’m going someplace more fabulous later." - Glenn O'Brien on overdressing

Former television show host; screenwriter (need to find a copy of this film); magazine editor, and my favorite GQ Magazine contributor; Glenn O'Brien's style guide will be in stores next spring.

I'm sure not everyone likes being told what style is, but he does give useful tips, and his writing contains enough humor to balance what some might see as snobbery.

A definite first day purchase.

How To Be a Man: A Guide To Style and Behavior For The Modern Gentleman: Link

J-Zone - Root For The Villain

Day 1 purchase.



Hits from his twitter account

Greatest subtlety in rap album history: The Lench Mob en route to a drive-by while listening to Young MC's "Bust A Move" on Cube's 1st album

Hostage in my own home cause this pudgy ass kid knows Im here & keeps ringin my fuckin bell for candy. His mom big as hell too what the fuck

Everytime I listen to the production on Fear Of A Black Planet, I realize I ain't done jack shit. Most producers should feel the same way.

Thats why I fuck with facebook, I can see all the stuck up pretty girls from HS lookin 'bout ready to go get a Baconator now, its beautiful.



T.R.O.Y. Guest Blogger: link

Root for the Villain is slated for a 2011 release.

"preserve your legacy"

Portraits: J.D. Salinger

Well, actually it's just a photograph; a rare one taken of the reclusive author.



Story here: Newsweek

RZA - The Tao of Wu

I want it.

You want it.

Get it (Release Date: October 15, 2009).

In the meantime, read his CNN interview: here

Happy Birthday, Herbert George Wells

Looking pretty sharp at 143 years.

Google is celebrating his date of birth with a Google Doodle that uses objects from his 1898 classic novel, The War of The Worlds. Check it out at Google's homepage.

Btw...I did finish reading Love and Mr. Lewisham, and The History of Mr. Polly, during my HG Wells month. I was just too lazy and uninspired - which seems to happen too often - to write a review of any sort. Perhaps I'll revisit them in the future.

Next: The Shape of Things to Come

The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth

H.G. Wells' third novel (first published in 1904) examines the ethics of scientific research.

The food - designated Herakleophorbia IV by its creators Bensington and Redwood - heightens and strengthens the growth curve in living organisms. Besington and Redwood begin to conduct their research on hens. A married couple is hired to feed the hens regularly and monitor the results. Tragically (predictably) the couple are not suited for this sort of research, and their complete disregard for neatness and cleanliness results in the spread of the food. Soon the farm and neighboring towns are under siege by all manner beasts.



While the B-Movie nature of the first section, thrills; the remainder of the story focuses on the consequences of the experiments, specifically the embrace or rejection of evolution through the manipulation of science.

Without giving anything away, the conclusion ranks among the best of his work. Much like when I read The Time Machine, I simultaneously experienced excitement, fear and bewilderment.

Though not as highly regarded as his other science fiction classics, I very much enjoyed this book.

Recommendation: Read it!

Next: Love and Mr. Lewisham