A RANDOMLY PUBLISHED JOURNAL OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION AUGUST 2002—SPECIAL “TOM EMERGES FROM THE DARK” EDITION INTRODUCTION Okay, it’s been awhile since my last Newsletter— I’ve been busy! I’ll bring you up-to-date on the movies I’ve seen and the books I’ve read, as well as recap my February trip to Chicago. I also report on the arts, and say goodbye to a friend. To read up on my trips to Europe, take a look at the April 2002 and July 2002 editions. CHICAGO BOOKS A quick summary of some books: ♦
THE TOM NEWSLETTER
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Way back in February, I flew down to the Windy City on a business trip. Along with touring the Auto Show there and catching up with my friend Ed, I also visited another Frank Lloyd Wright building—the Robie House. After all, when in Chicago, I have to take in some architecture! This particular house is under renovation, so it doesn’t offer the same experience of seeing Wright’s Oak Park home. But it bears all the hallmarks of the famed architect: the art glass, the hearth in the centre of the living space, the lighting and trim, and the proportions. It is a house that guards the privacy of its residents, a typical Wright feature—the terrace wall obstructs the view inside from the sidewalk. Great quantities of sunlight can enter the living room, but the peering gaze of passersby cannot. In the end, a nice addition to my Wright collection.
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Scandalmonger (William Safire)—a far too intricate story set in the Washington D.C. of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr revolving around the freedom of the press and other constitutional issues. The Man Who Ate the 747 (Ben Sherwood)—a sappy tale about a guy who eats a plane to impress a woman. Anil's Ghost (Michael Ondaatje)—co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize, a commentary on the long-running civil strife in Sri Lanka. Mercy Among the Children (David Adams Richards)—the other co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize, a depressing tale of life in the Miramichi. The Hiding Place (Trezza Azzopardi)—on the 2000 Booker Prize shortlist, a novel about a Maltese immigrant in Wales coming to grips with her past. When We Were Orphans (Kazuo Ishiguro)—also shortlisted for the 2000 Booker Prize, the story of Christopher Banks, living in London, but who grew up in Shanghai. The disappearance of his parents in his childhood led him to his career as a private investigator. He returns to China to find them. In this book, we see the world through Banks' eyes, but Ishiguro also suggests to the reader that things may be otherwise-skillfully done. The Biographer's Tale (A.S. Byatt)— Phineas G. Nanson decides to write the biography of the great biographer Scholes Destry-Scholes, and comes across his notes on Carl Linnaeus, Henrik Ibsen and Francis Galton-who all made a career of naming things. As one would expect in an A.S. Byatt novel, it is high in intellect, but it doesn't have the same intensity of the quest which gave Possession (whose film adaptation is being released this summer) its excellence. The Basque History of the World (Mark Kurlansky)—from the author of Cod, a history of the inventors of jai alai and the beret.
I enjoy those jaunty general science books about Victorian invention and discovery, and read two of them in Mauve and Time Lord. In Mauve, 1
author Simon Garfield recounts the life of William Perkin, the chemist who discovered the colour mauve. In doing so, he spawned the new industry of fabric dyes and transformed the world of chemistry from backroom alchemy to engine of enterprise. And in Time Lord, Clarke Blaise writes about Sandford Fleming’s role in instituting standard time around the world. We take it for granted today that the planet is divided into 24 (or so) time zones, but could you imagine getting everyone to agree to it? MOVIES It's been so long since I've seen most of these films that not only are they out on video, the retrospective directors' cuts have been issued as well! ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring—3 hours down, 6 to go! The Shipping News—Gordon Pinsent fits right in as a crusty Newfoundlander. Vanilla Sky—trippy, very trippy. Gosford Park—classic Altman. The Count of Monte Cristo—keep your swash buckled at all times. The Fourth Angel—the only reason I saw this one was because Jeremy Irons portrayed a reporter from The Economist, who worked to avenge the death of his family in an airplane hijacking … a dreadful movie. and after a long hiatus from the cinemas … Austin Powers: Goldmember-like a long Benny Hill episode.
otherwise bare gallery such that it partially blocked the doorway. We figured because of this obstruction, and that the sofa faced the opposite wall, the artist was isolating himself from society—in fact, this was a cry for help! We questioned whether or not there was any change under the sofa’s cushions, but we didn’t dare touch anything. However, in our efforts to better interact with the art, and therefore the artist, we decided to contribute our own money and each threw in a coin—on close examination, they were suitably wedged in between the cushions, and our work was done. EBONY The ravages of age had caught up with Ebony, my sister Elyanne’s cat, and it was time for her new incarnation. When we lived under the same roof, Ebony and I shared a relationship not unlike that of the Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War—maintaining the same policy of Mutual Assured Destruction. In fact, if we faced off in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, soldiers on both sides would urge us to calm down, indicating there would be no need for that kind of tension. There were the occasional battles, always ending if one drew blood from the other—it seemed I was always the one getting nicked. We surmised that Ebony was the mastermind behind a conspiracy to take over the earth, but she was hampered by her lack of opposable thumbs. Her long black fur must have worked as a high-gain antenna (to communicate with the other members of her cabal), whose effectiveness was only increased by having a thin layer of her hair spread all throughout her home. And the reception must have been stronger when it was knotted up, because the mere sight of a brush would get her hissing and scratching. Many people turn to their pets for unconditional love— with Ebony, we got unconditional angst and suspicion. She did mellow in her older years, but still did us proud by taking an entire veterinary clinic hostage a while back. Despite her evil tendencies, Ebony was a steady and loyal companion, and will be sadly missed.
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ART There was great controversy surrounding the award of the Turner Prize last December. The prize, awarded for modern art, went to Martin Creed for his work entitled "The Lights Going On and Off". Yes, that’s right, the piece of art was the lights flashing on and off in an empty gallery. One particular person was not impressed by the choice, so she attempted to deface it by throwing two eggs against the wall in the gallery. Thankfully, the mess was quickly cleaned up, and there was no lasting damage. As it turns out, Creed had some of his works on display in the Art Gallery of Hamilton at the time, so with my associate art critic Graham, I went to see it for myself. One work was very similar to the prizewinner: an empty gallery where the lights turned on and off in forty second intervals. We stood in awe of its greatness for a few minutes. The other work there was an old sofa placed in an 2