The Music of 1999 - Introduction

Ten years ago, I finally grew up.

While that may be a harsh thing to say about a thirty-two-year-old person, it was true. After many years in college and graduate school, I managed to claw my way out of school and into a real life. I had met a new lady in 1998 and we were still dating. In late December 1998, I moved back to my hometown. I looked for and found a job. I courted that lady and we married in August 1999. As the fall of 1999 crept onward, the millennial rush started. Remember Y2K? Remember all the End of the World books and movies? Remember all the Best of lists? As a historian, the ending of 1999 brought a confluence of eras. You could have the Person of the Year (can't really remember), the Person of the Decade (Bill Clinton is my vote, for better or worse), the Person of the Century (Gavrilo Princip; think about it: who else affected the 20th Century more?), and the Person of the Millennium (Johannes Gutenberg). It was an exciting time.

On my car stereo back then, I was being introduced to new music by artists I had never heard of and older artists I knew and liked were creating some of their best music. For me, 1999 was a very special year and the music is an integral part of it.

So, I'm sharing some of my favorite albums and songs from a decade (!) ago. It'll be an on-going series for the next several Mondays, at least through November. Maybe you liked some of these albums, too. Maybe you hated them. I'd like to hear from you.

First up (a bit later today): Sting's Brand New Day.

Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders - Haiku

A win is a win,
But it felt like pre-season
In rainy H-Town.

Houston Texans (2-2)- 29
Oakland Raiders (1-3) - 6

Forgotten Books: The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

You have to give Edgar Rice Burroughs credit, the man knows how to start a story. When we last saw our hero in The Return of Tarzan, John Clayton had married his true love, Jane Porter. The sweeping soundtrack played in your mind and the sun set on the Atlantic Ocean. You might be tempted to think that the opening scenes of the third book in the series, The Beasts of Tarzan, would show Lord and Lady Greystoke and their gushy love at peace in Scotland.

You’d be wrong. Chapter one’s title, “Kidnapped,” provides the first hint, paragraph one gives you all you need to know about this book: Tarzan arch enemy, Nikolas Rokoff, has escaped. Three pages later, the final piece of the plot: a piece of paper, written by his wife, to Tarzan: “Jack [Tarzan’s infant son] stolen from garden through complicity of new servant. Come at once. Jane.”

And we’re off. I don’t know enough pulp history to determine who was the first author to give a readership a series of cliffhangers but ERB is a likely candidate. Through manipulations a plenty, Tarzan finds himself captive on a boat headed to...Africa! No, seriously. I tell you what: if I’m Rokoff, I’m taking the Lord of the *Jungle* to Antarctica or the Sahara, anywhere but the very same jungle from whence he came. Now, truth be told, Rokoff maroons him on a jungle island (later named Jungle Island) where hoards of wild beasts have never heard of Tarzan. They must challenge the white man. They do.

They lose. Tarzan still knows how to speak ape and tussles with the king ape of a different tribe. Tarzan kills said ape and, after a bit, wins over the allegiance of the rest of the apes, about a dozen or so. At this stage, Tarzan becomes a cross between Dr. Doolittle and Aquaman: he recruits the apes (that's Akut on the cover image), Sheeta the leopard, and an African, Mugambi. We won’t even discuss the fact that the beasts of Tarzan include a man. Nevertheless, When Tarzan’s in trouble, he can send out a signal and his hoard come to his rescue.

With his posse in tow (literally, these apes help Tarzan row a boat from Jungle Island to the African mainland), Tarzan hunts Rokoff. Tarzan thinks Jane is in London but that his boy is with Rokoff. Jane, meanwhile, really *is* in Africa, having been captured by Rokoff but then escaping from him. Along the way, she gets an infant she *thinks* is hers but doesn’t find out the truth until later (i.e., daylight). The poor baby dies and, when Tarzan hears the news, he thinks it was his kid that died, not even knowing that the white woman is, in fact, his wife.

Burroughs packs in a lot of chases, near misses, deadly battles, into this book. With all the misdirection and mistaken identities, it’s almost like an episode of the old TV series, “Three’s Company.” As I mentioned earlier, ERB knows how to grab a reader and keep those pages a’ turnin’. At certain places, just when one hero is at the highest danger, ERB shifts focus to the other hero. He brings the second hero to death’s door...and then throws you back to the first hero. It’s Saturday morning serial storytelling at its best.

The kicker is the last chapter, when you learn about the fate of the infant and what he’s been doing while his parents are fighting wild beasts and crazed Russians. Granted, glancing at the title of the fourth book pretty much laid your fears to rest, but, still, it was kind of funny the way the whole thing turned out.

Burroughs writes in the omniscient narrator POV all the time and he breaks the fourth wall on the last page. “Possibly we shall see them [Tarzan, Jane, et. al.] all there amid the savage romance of the grim jungle and the great plains where Tarzan of the Apes loves best to be. Who knows?” Like Tarzan’s first two adventures, The Beasts of Tarzan was serialized first (in All-Story Cavalier magazine) and later published as a book. Burroughs knew what he was doing when he wrote those last words: leaving it up to the readers to demand the next exciting adventure of Tarzan.

Writing note: Burroughs started writing this third adventure of Tarzan in January 1914. He finished one month later. One. Month. Later.

Wow.

"Castle" Recap - Episode 2: "The Double Down"

Spoiler Alert: While I don’t name names, I give away plot points. Be warned.

If I had to select one of my favorite scenes from the sitcom “Friends,” it would have to be the one where Joey, of all people, corrects one of his co-stars on the correct usage of the word “whom.” In that scene, Joey merely states “whom” and all the cast members look at him in disbelief. As a writer, this one always gets me.

Last night on the second episode of “Castle,” "whom" made a cameo. At the crime scene, the dead therapist had words written on her face. Castle, ever the grammarian, noted the incorrect use of the word “you’re.” A few scenes later, Castle and Detective Beckett interview the dead woman’s BFF. The BFF mentions that the dead woman needed her help as a lawyer. Beckett presses the BFF to name the person “Against who” the dead woman needed a lawyer. Castle, unperturbed, utters “whom.” I cracked a smile. That would be the winner of the Best Quip Award for the episode, an understated one, but much preferable to Castle’s groaning on about the killer murdering the English language.

“The Double Down,” may have taken some of its humor from grammar, but it started as far from a textbook as possible. The opening scene had Beckett at her desk, doing paperwork. Castle sat next to her, eating popcorn, while a general melee erupted around them. Ever the horn dog, Castle took particular interest in one suspect's, uh, cleavage as it banged across Beckett’s desk, giving the writer an eyeful. A bit later, as the coroner arrives at the crime scene decked out in fancy clothes (“Unlike you, Beckett,” the coroner said, “I don’t wait around the station waiting for the call.”) she chastises Castle to “quit looking at the girls.” Castle complies, then falters, then complies again.

The humor that drove last night’s episode was the wager. Castle, unbeknownst to Beckett, bet Detectives Esposito and Ryan that he and Beckett could solve their case before they could crack theirs. We got to see lots of little scenes of other folks in the squad room exchanging money and quickly looking away from Beckett. Now, as any reader of mystery fiction or watcher of innumerable crime shows could tell you right then and there, the cases would be linked. Robert Downey, Jr. even riffed on that theme in the movie “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” But our detectives couldn’t figure out how.

As usual, Castle’s daughter provided the key. In a recurring theme, Alexis’s teenage troubles help Castle provide the nugget he needs to solve the case. Is it me or can Molly C. Quinn say so much more with her facial expressions that dialogue can express? The scene where she tells Castle about Owen getting all googly-eyed at a prettier (and bustier) girl was heartbreaking and elegant. Now, as much as I love the chemistry Castle has with Alexis and his mother, I certainly hope future episodes give them something more to do. They are part of why this show is so utterly charming. So far this season, it’s been a little scant with them. Nevertheless, Castle rushes back to headquarters and does the thing so many of his literary and television ancestors do: have the big reveal on how the crimes were perpetrated. He poses the question that gets the real detectives thinking…and they nab the perps.

I enjoy every episode of Castle, from season 1 through last night. Of all the shows so far (ten last year, two this year), this episode was the one that felt most like a cop show. Castle and Beckett had less chemistry-building scenes together. I know you can’t have every scene with the two of them bantering wittily as that would dilute the good ju-ju the show thrives on. However, I would hope the writers don’t move “Castle” to being just another cop show. It would lose that special something that makes “Castle” so watchable and enjoyable.

Beckett is clearly a great detective so she deduced the wager before the halfway mark. That was a given. However, as various leads sprang up, she started betting on her and Castle as well. One of the highlights of the show was when Beckett and Castle are in the interview room, grilling a suspect. You see Castle writing something on a notepad. Cut to the exterior of the interview room: Esposito and Ryan are there, looking in. We see what Castle wrote (paraphrased): “Beckett knows about the bet. You’re toast.” Made me laugh out loud.

Beckett’s Mom Case Watch: there was a reference by Beckett to her mom’s murder. I hope this means the writers will give us a special episode later in the season but not focus on it week-to-week.

What did you think of the episode?

And don’t forget to check out these sites for other takes on last night’s episode:
EW.com's Popwatch (not posted yet)
Bookspotcentral.com (not posted yet
And, for some great exclusives, I recommend the great exclusives at CastleTV.net for some behind-the-scenes news and interviews.

CSI: Miami Recap - Episode 2 "Hostile Takeover"

Riddle me this, Batman: how was last night's CSI: Miami episode like a Batman story? To find out, you'll have to check my inaugural episode recap over at Bookspotcentral.com.

Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - Haiku

Offense not bad. D
Like a sieve. Defeat snatched from
Vic'try's jaws...again.

Houston Texans - 24
Jacksonville Jaguars - 31

I Guess I'm Inspiring...

Fellow blogger and jazz lover, Chris, who runs The Louis L'amour Project, has written a nice post about a series of book reviews I did under the common theme Adventure Week. He now wants to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, King Solomon's Mines, and Tarzan of the Apes. I'd also add The Return of Tarzan, book two in the series, since it picks up the action immediately after the first book.

Thanks, Chris. Glad my enthusiasm for themed ideas like this gave you enough enjoyment that you now want to read them. Anyone else have a hankering for some classic adventure?

P.S., And thanks for the well wishes about the Houston Texans today. Alas, per usual for a Houston team, we played down to the competition and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm writing a haiku per game this season. Tune in tomorrow for Game 3.

One more "Castle" recap - Bookspotcentral

I subscribe to the RSS feed from Bookspotcentral and they posted a recap of Castle today. Check it out.

"Castle" - Season Premiere Recap

Of all the returning shows, ABC's "Castle" with Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, was the one to which I most looked forward. It was the one my wife and I watched live (while taping CSI: Miami; watched that one at 10pm CST, and that one was quite good, too). For my money, last night's season premiere didn't disappoint.

"Deep in Death" picks up the story of Richard Castle (Fillion) at an indeterminate amount of time since last season's finale. Castle is holding a photo shoot in the NY police station and an annoying fangirl of a reporter interviews Katic's Detective Beckett about Castle's invaluable contribution to solving cases. Beckett, of course, rolls her eyes, but is put back in line by her CO, who wants all the good press the NYPD can get.

Cut to the murder-of-the-week: a dead man in a tree with signs of strangulation. Beckett and Castle both offer potential reasons and motive before Beckett all but orders Castle back to the morgue with the body. Halfway there, the ambulance is attacked and masked men steal the body. A clearly shaken Castle utters one of his patented one-liners and we're off.

What follows is an hour of television that is flat-out fun. I found myself chuckling a lot at the two supporting detectives (Javier and Kevin), especially when you see them exchanging money and laying odds on when Beckett will forgive Castle. The murder-mystery is more interesting than those cases from season one, clearly riffing off our current economic uncertainty: an unemployed man goes to desperate measures to maintain the fiction of his life. It's almost plausible...to a certain point. Having cameos by Stephen J. Cannell and Michael Connelly is just icing on the cake. The relationship Castle has with his daughter and mother is almost enough to spin off on the Family Channel. And Castle's quip about Hollywood making a movie based on the Asteroids video game wins my Best Quip Award of the evening.

“Well, they just optioned Asteroid the video game, so my guess is yes. But Ryan Reynolds is playing the wee triangle [here, Fillion holds up his hands in a triangle shape], and he’s good.”

A write-up like mine can't do justice to the chemistry Fillion and Katic have on screen. Their witty banter, flying at light speed, brings to mind Moonlighting and (from what I've heard; never watched it) Bones. Fillion plays Castle as a man who knows he's charming and disarming, almost to a fault. Katic plays Beckett close to the vest, letting out little dribbles of back story per episode. More often than not, I'm watching this show with a big, goofy grin on my face. Ken Tucker, of Entertainment Weekly, once pronounced Castle was too cute by half. That may be so, but it's damn cute.

From more than one source (Gerald So's Twitter and the fan-based Castletv.net), it appears Castle beat The Jay Leno Show last night. Not bad, considering CSI: Miami is a ratings juggernaut. The thing I fear most is that Castle stays in this time slot and gets slaughtered by CSI: Miami, which is pretty much going to happen every week. If the ABC execs start thinking about cancelling this fun show, I sure hope they consider changing the time slot rather than cancellation. That's my plea.

I don't think that cancellation is likely in the near term, ,however. ABC commissioned a real Richard Castle book. In the show, Castle is promoting Heat Wave, the story inspired by Beckett, and featuring NY detective Nikki Heat. Well, you can actually go and purchase Heat Wave at your nearest bookstore. If you want to read a few chapters, head on over to the Castle page at ABC.com. It's a neat synergy. Speaking of synergy, Central Crime Zone posts an interview with Richard Castle (yeah, for real). It's cool reading the Q&A and hearing Fillion's voice.

The cool thing for y'all who might have missed it last night, Castle is on Hulu. You can watch last night's episode, about five episodes from season 1, and various clips and interviews. Take a look.

And watch Castle, even if you have to tape/DVR it. Then, every Tuesday, you can check back here for my take on the previous night's episode. EW.com has added Castle as part of it's TV Recap series, written by Mandy Bierly. Then you can read Marc Bernardin's hilarious confession of a man crush on Fillion, complete with video.

Whew! Is that enough homework for y'all? Hope not. You'll enjoy it.

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans - Haiku

Heart strings pulled when new
team plays old team. Luv ya blue?
Yup. But not today!

Houston Texans - 34
Tennessee Titans - 31

Forgotten Books: The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

(My latest contribution to Patti Abbott's Friday Forgotten Books. See her blog for the complete list.)

I did not hate this book. I really enjoyed it and easily recommend it as part of the one-two punch that is the origin story of Tarzan. But Edgar Rice Burroughs put so many “Come On!” moments in the novel that he would be slaughtered at any modern critique group. So, don’t forget: I liked the book.

When we last saw Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, (as recent as my forgotten book last week), he had made a decision that made the happy-ending part of me scream. And growl. And beat my chest like a gorilla. Well, not really. My family was still asleep.

Nevertheless, Tarzan leaves America and cruises across the Atlantic on an ocean liner. He injects himself in a quarrel not of his own making...and earns himself a dreaded enemy, the dastardly Nikolas Rokoff and his comrade-in-mischief, Alexis Paulvitch. Tarzan disembarks in Paris and stays with his friend, Paul d'Arnot, and, of course, Rokoff tries to off Tarzan again. And again. And again. Guess the hatred’s pretty deep.

After a time, Tarzan gets himself a job in Algeria and steams out of Paris. Lo, and behold, who should be on the ship? None other than Hazel Strong, Jane Porter’s best friend. Come on! They talk but she doesn’t know who he is. Rokoff’s there and manages to throw Tarzan overboard. And then he swims to shore. Come on! And lands right where he dad and mom were marooned early in the first book. Seriously?! Whereupon he delves back in the jungle and becomes, through various little incidences that don’t amount to much, the King of the Waziri people.

Later, Jane Porter, her dad, Tarzan’s blood cousin William Clayton, Rokoff (now in disguise as Thuran, all get shipwrecked *right where Tarzan just swam to shore*! Yeah, really. I’ll admit I was rolling my eyes at some parts of this story, not a good idea while listening to the audiobook and commuting in Houston rush hour traffic. I almost let out my own Tarzan yell when a car swerved near me.

Finally, there’s a lost city--found by Tarzan--, the great city of Opar. Tarzan himself gets captured but escapes. Yeah, really. Then--and you’re not going to believe this one--his one true love, Jane, gets herself captured, too. Yes! And Tarzan has to rescue her. Yes way! And then some other stuff happens that round out the book and make for a nice happy ending.

Lesson I take from reading The Return of Tarzan: coincidence must’ve been a lot more permissible in the 1910s as opposed to the 2000s. Some of Tarzan’s coincidences I could’ve stomached. But the landing exactly where he used to live. No way.

Taken together, however, The Return of Tarzan and Tarzan of the Apes is a great, pulp, adventure read. There are a couple of books I’ve enjoyed just a bit more this year. Other than those two, I haven’t enjoyed a book (they really are one giant adventure) as much as I enjoyed these two this year. They are great fun. Period.

You know, there’s another giant book out this week that lots of people are criticizing. I’ve started it already. I quickly realized that, yes, I have read this story before. But you know what? I don’t care. I had fun reading Tarzan and I’m going to have fun reading Dan Brown’s book, too. Fun is fun.

I’m pretty psyched about reading more Tarzan adventures. I’ve got about ten or so old paperbacks here on my shelf. I’ve mentioned before that I inherited boxes full of old westerns from my grandfather. In those boxes were the old Tarzan books. I recently asked my mom who bought those books. Without a word, she just smiled and tapped her chest with her thumb. Ah. Those are *her* books. Way to go, Mom.