Desert Island stuff
This entry was posted on 12/18/2006 7:25 AM and is filed under Music, Movies, Books.
Let's see. If I were stranded on a desert island with a primo Bose audio system, a comfortable reading chair and a HD DVD attached to a home theater system and a 32-inch plasma TV (attached to the wall of the thatched hut, of course), here's what I would need.
CDs:
1 – Big Star "No. 1 Record/Radio City"
The best thing that ever happened to pure pop – 10-20 years too early.What Alex Chilton (and on the first record, Chris Bell) put together sounds just as good today.
2 – Beatles "Abbey Road"
In my mind, the penultimate Beatles disc is also the best. George Harrison came into his own here and the suite on the second side is pure aural bliss.3 – Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto/Antonio Carlos Jobim "Getz/Gilberto"
I am a Bossa Nova freak. And even you're sick of the "Girl from Ipanema," you can't beat an album that includes the definitive version of "Desafinado" plus the wonderfully evocative "Corcovado."
4 – Suzanne Vega "Suzanne Vega"
Her first album and still the best. It got me through my senior year of college. "Small Blue Thing" is simply shattering. And the violin solo on "Undertow" sends shivers down my spine every time.5 – Jonathan Edwards & the Seldom Scene "Blue Ridge"
I am neither a big fan of bluegrass or 70's mellow gold. But somehow this combination works superbly. Not only does Edwards make his big hit "Sunshine" shine in an unexpected way, but I could just wallow in the evocative title track.
Books:
1 – "Henderson the Rain King," Saul Bellow
I read this in a high school English class and I still go back to it. At one point or another, we can all sympathize with the title character's empty cry of "I want, I want, I want…."
2 – "Shoeless Joe," W.P. Kinsella
The book that "Field of Dreams" was based on with one crucial difference: Intead of the fictional James Earl Jones character, we get Ray Kinsella going on a cross-country odyssey with one of his (and my own) literary heroes: J.D. Salinger. I wish I were in that VW bus.3 – "Absolute Beginners," Colin McInnes
Described by many as the British version of "Catcher in the Rye," this story of disaffected teenagers living in late 50s London isn't too obtuse for those of us across the big pond to grasp -- and thoroughly enjoy.4 – "Jazz Country," Nat Henthoff
A rare entry into fiction by the "Village Voice" columnist, this book follows a white teenager's attempts to break into the mostly African-American world of Jazz – and have his eyes opened more than a few times along the way.5 – "The Phantom Tollbooth," Norton Juster
To me, the most important piece of children's literature out there. Juster's sense of whimsy causes children to think in ways most books geared for them seldom do (Sorry, J.K.) Jules Feiffer's drawings are a perfect complement to the tale.
Movies
1 – Local Hero
Directed by Bill Forsyth ("Gregory's Girl"), this 1983 film still makes me smile every time I see it. Peter Riegert ("Animal House") is an oil executive sent to a quirky Scottish town to buy it out for a refinery site. One problem: With most residents clamoring to take the money and run, he falls in love with the place and doesn't want it to disappear. Also, Mark Knopfler's score is amazing.2 – Yellow Submarine
Much to their eternal regret, the Beatles were only marginally involved in this animated film from 1968. The visuals are incredibly imaginative. And the scouse one-liners from the faux Fab Four make the absurd plot more than palatable.3 – Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I'm sorry, but in my mind John Hughes was the auteur of the 80s. And this movie has so many little moments that make me laugh every time I see them. Plus the film explores the underlying themes of teenage life without hitting viewers over the head. 4 – Reds
I was deep into my lefttist teenager days in 1981 when I stood in line at East 59th and Third Avenue to watch the movie on its first day. I wasn't disappointed. Warren Beatty's epic didn't skimp on John Reed's extraordinary life and the scenes taking place in the early days of the Russian Revolution are more uplifting than any "Rocky" movie.5 – Funny Face
Audrey Hepburn. Fred Astaire. George Gershwin's best songs. Could there be anything better? 'S Wonderful, indeed.
