"Silo 2: Shift" by Hugh Howey (2013)

 

A month ago, I was so intrigued with TV series "Silo" that I decided to read the trilogy upon the series were based. To my biggest surprise, script was not literary following the novel but in fact embellished on it - the final result might be even better, as far as TV series goes, since it added many new characters and kind of twisted it a bit around, making it much more interesting. It kept the same basic story as in the book, but added much, much more. However, reading the book after the series also meant that I knew the end. 

It might sound like a sacrilege but I enjoyed "Shift" even more than the first part "Wool" for the simple reason that TV series at this point is still not being made and everything was new to me: I resisted temptation to read anything about it online and just hungrily dived into the story. "Shift" goes deep into the background of how Silo(s) actually came to be built in the first place and its even darker and more claustrophobic than the first part. Just like the first part, it follows several different timelines:

- 2049: we follow young politician Donald who is employed to built the huge underground silo, allegedly for nuclear waste. He bows to influential senator Thurman who obviously don't tell him everything and there is also Thurman's daughter Anna who continuously throws herself at Donald, even though their relationship is long over and Donald now has a wife, Helen

- 2110: deep frozen Troy is awaken for his shift in Silo 1, where everybody is deep frozen and awaken for work at scheduled intervals. He is deeply depressed as he knows that the world above was purposely destroyed and the only surviving population is the one inside 50 Silo's. Eventually we learn that Troy is actually Donald and everybody he ever knew is dead, including his wife. 

- we also follow young man Mission who is "porter" (messenger) in Silo 18 and we see the revolution from his point of view. We learn that Silo 18 was spared from destruction but all its inhabitants have erased memory. Much later, we learn about new sheriff from 18 who refused to clean the camera outside and she ventured into next door Silo 17

- we also follow young boy Jimmy who survives uprising in Silo 17 by hiding in a secret place where his father let him hide - he is instructed not to open door to anybody and spends years totally alone, until at the very end of the novel the sheriff from Silo 18 arrives

I was totally into it and enjoyed it a lot - again, because there was no TV series to confuse me, everything was fresh and new to me. I don't doubt that once when its finished, TV series will be exciting and again totally different - until than I intend to read the whole trilogy. 

Tribute to Live Aid: 40th Anniversary

 

Well imagine, it is exactly 40 years since Live Aid happened - a bit mind boggling fact, as I clearly remember this as one of the quintessential moments of 1980s pop culture and since I was a teenager back than, a major highlight of my life. I remember everything like it was yesterday, it was this spectacular 16 hour charity concert where simultaneously we followed what was going on at Wembley and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. I was at the hospital, recovering from a very difficult lung infection and I still remember hushing my mother and sending her back home so I could go back to TV and watch the biggest pop stars in the world duetting with each other. The highlight was supposed to be duet of Mick Jagger and Tina Turner, for which I had to wake up at 5 a.m and sneak into hospital's living room so I could watch it while nurses slept. The pictures of their duet was on every cover page next day, this is how huge they were. Of course, there were many stars performing and it was literary Olympus of the biggest names you can imagine, on both sides of Atlantic. 

I have never been on a Tribute Act concert, somehow suspecting its not the real thing so why bother. However, this sounded too good to miss and I am glad I went - with a faithful Tina fan in a tow - we went simply to check the Jagger/Turner duet but we actually ended up having great time. I explained him this is a venue where I already witnessed The Three Degrees and knew the audience was totally middle aged, happy, relaxed and confident - no youngsters, no kids, simply people of our age having fun. Nothing pretentious. On arrival, I was delighted to hear the sound of Royal Fanfare exactly like the concert originally started and than "Rockin' All Over The World" which was the first song performed back in 1985 - it was just as good as I expected and even more, since glorious 1980s hits simply poured from the stage and the audience was in a great mood. 

When Jagger/Turner duet happened, the performer who sung Turner (Dutch artist calling herself Diva Turner) explained that Turner had only one song on Live Aid, she will nevertheless sing few of Turner's live favourites and almost unbalanced the concert with her strong performance - I watched, fascinated. She was obviously not Tina Turner but she inhabited and very respectfully performed exactly in that gloriously regal and powerful style - the audience loved it and danced away. Later it continued as a 1980s jukebox and I totally got into it, much more than I expected - you see, I was there, living trough 1980s so I rarely listen to this music anymore, but this was great fun and I actually knew every song by heart. I promised to myself to check out other Tribute acts because as long as I like the music, it doesn't matter that is not original artist - we simply celebrate music itself and enjoy a good time. In a way, we also honour artists who are not here anymore. 

Performers: Arjan Janissen

                   Maureen Fernandes

                    Nicolette Junggeburth 

                    Jeroen Kraneveld

                    Richard van der Heijden

                    Charl Dijkhoff 

                    Robert van Asseldonk

"Elektra" by Jennifer Saint (2022)

Not long ago I saw stage production of "Trojan Women" by Euripides and it struck me how the play was ancient and modern at the same time (the fact strengthen by the characters wearing modern-day clothes) - the story about the war, destruction, suffering and survivors/victims might be the ultimate story of our world. I even watched 1971 film version, which was not bad at all. But reading is something else, it brings you completely in the mind of the characters and this is why books are still my number one treat. From the top of my head I recall several titles dealing with Trojan war - "Cassandra" by Christa Wolf, "The Penelopiad" by Margaret Atwood and "The Firebrand" by Marion Zimmer Bradley are just some that come to mind, apparently the subject is very popular again and exploration of Greek mythology is turning into a new literary trend. It is refreshing, because we are all getting a bit tired of same old Tudors. 

I was familiar with Greek mythology - at least I thought that I was, but obviously I forgot a lot trough the decades, so it struck me as a surprise to recall that notorious Clytemnestra was twin sister of Helen, almost like dark mirror to Helen legendary glow - but where Helen is shrouded in some imaginary cloud of her beauty, Clytemnestra is forever associated with murder of her husband and this is where Jennifer Saint gets her inspiration from - why Clytemnestra hated him so much and why did she do it. So the book is divided into three different (but connected) points of view - the sorrow of Clytemnestra who can't get over the ritual killing of her daughter Iphigenia as sacrifice, the confused anger of cursed priestess Cassandra and finally the white hot fury of Elektra who is obsessive about revenging her father's death. There is a lot of anger, hatred and all sorts of violent feelings here - one revenge follows another and it all gets a bit too much sometimes. Here is one voice of reason:

'‘You’ve lived under the shadow of this curse all your life. You’ve learned from your family’s history that blood must be repaid in blood. But I’ve been farming, working on your father’s lands for all of mine. I learned it from my father, how everything dies away and comes back again, how we sow and reap the harvest every year. I’ve learned the rhythms of the seasons, and how even the harshest of winters is always followed by spring. It’s a cycle constantly changing, but always the same. And your family’s curse, it’s like that, too. All the way back to Tantalus, your ancestors have done the same thing to one another. There’s a terrible crime, unbearable pain and then the lashing out of vengeance, and then it all begins again. I know it’s hard for you to see it, when the storms are raging and it’s impossible to imagine the dead earth will ever bring forth crops again. But it does – it always does."

‘But if we don’t take vengeance, if my brother lets our father’s killers go unpunished, what will the gods do then? It’s our duty.’ I clutch at the lock of hair in my hand, the only thing I have to give my father until Orestes comes back. ‘A woman can’t kill her husband, a usurper can’t steal a throne, and neither of them pay. It’s an insult to the gods, to my family, to everything.’

But where does it stop?’ His vehemence startles me. I’ve never known Georgios like this before. ‘Can’t you see that it just goes on, over and over? The gods demand their justice, but we suffer for it, every time.’

‘Well, what else should we do?’

‘You could be happy.’ He reaches across the table for my hand. ‘You escaped your mother and Aegisthus. They have nothing to do with your life any more.’

I snatch my hand away. ‘My father is dead because of them.’

‘Many people have dead fathers, Elektra.’

Strangely that the novel is named after Elektra (the sister of sacrificed Iphigenia and daughter of Clytemnestra herself) because Elektra herself might be the least interesting character of all - while all he other characters have some kind of background and explanation, Elektra is basically very one dimensional (at times even irritating) daddy's girl who almost gets mad with her daddy issues and than when he actually returns home after ten years, she can only get a glimpse of his helmet before he is murdered. So the revenge and fury goes on and on and its quite exhausting. Still, makes for great reading. 

Marianne Faithfull - Scarborough Fair

The Vagabond Lady: Marianne Faithfull (1946-2025)

 

We all knew that she was ailing - Covid almost killed her a few years ago and ever since she was basically retired - still, the news about her death came as a disappointment. I secretly hoped she would live to be a hundred and would forever bask in a glow of adoration from all the new generations of listeners who would find her cool, brave and inspiring. After all, how many 1960s pop stars can you name who had completely re-invented themselves and actually became even better, more interesting artists in their mature years? So when we talk about Marianne Faithfull, we are actually talking about two completely different artists: there is a young, breathtakingly beautiful girl in the 1960s and later, angry, middle aged and shock provoking rocker who gleefully enjoyed in her notoriety. Even though many (including Faithfull herself) dismissed her beginnings, I enjoy both of her phases and understand that the later chapter would not be possible without those early 1960s pop that would eventually serve as a stark contrast of things to come. 

What always bothered me - ever since I became aware of her - was the media's endless fascination with her fall from grace. Everywhere you look, her name was always connected with the excess of Swinging 1960s - drugs, police, arrests, scandals - it was almost like journalists could not stop talking about the connection with Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones. To a certain extent, this happens to many female artists, no matter how successful or important they might be: its always Sonny & Cher, Ike & Tina, Marianne & Mick, John & Yoko, Dylan and Baez. Almost like relationship to a famous men is what matters the most. In the decades since she left Mick Jagger behind and moved on to a surprisingly rich solo career, every single article would always go in the length about her 1960s days - which is actually illogical since her music really became better as she moved on to the middle age. I read how Faithfull herself was annoyed with this - every new album or a tour was always mentioned passingly but the biggest juice was her scandalous past. Even now in all these obituaries, its again the police, arrests and drugs and not her music that matters. No doubt, once the biopic is made, it will focus on that and not on her later years that really matter. 

Well, I see it differently, partly because I was not there in the swinging 1960s and I could only admire her glow from the geographical distance, that at the same time protected me from UK tabloid culture, so I always connected with Faithfull trough what matters - her music. Our first encounter was probably accidental - my mother, who knew that I always loved and doted on my vinyl collection, bought me 1981. LP "Dangerous Acquaintances" simply because she loved the cover photo. As a teenager, I knew nothing about the singer, except that her voice was obviously very different from everybody else - it was not a pretty voice but it had an interesting character and eventually I grew to love it. Back in the day, I played this one album over and over again until I memorised every word and every note. It was much later that I learned about her past and she stayed with me ever since - the very first CD I have ever bought was her 1987 compilation "The Very Best of Marianne Faithfull"  (the first time I actually heard her 1960s music)  and I even managed to see her live, performing Kurt Weil cabaret songs in London's Almeida Theatre - she was beautiful and I treasure the memory of it.

"Broken English" with the heartbreaking "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" is still probably the best introduction to mature Faithfull, though I actually prefer the original mix of the album, that was not released until 2013 (as deluxe reissue) - what the audience heard in 1979 was over-produced Steve Winwood version, that producers thought would sell better - in my opinion, his synthesisers intrude too much and if you can find 2013 release, everything sound much better without them. Recently I have been listening this album again a lot and marvelling how much colder, cleaner and somehow more logical everything sounds without this extra added padding.  

Faithfull would go on to continue recording and performing into her seventies, that famous croak becoming raspier with time and she would go on the stage even with a walking stick. I enjoyed her even in the movies - she was empress Maria Theresa in "Marie Antoinette" and a sweet naive widow who turns to sex shop work in "Irina Palm". I lived long enough to see her being finally celebrated as a solo artist and spoken in the same breath as Leonard Cohen. I read both volumes of her memoirs and it saddens me to see how media always focuses on scandals when discussing her - kind of what happened to Billie Holiday, really. I love her music and my all-time favourite Faithfull album would be 1999. "Vagabond Ways". Goodbye, my sweet lady. 

p.s.

Just recently discovered a harrowing video clip of obviously unwell Faithfull performing one of her old 1960s songs somewhere on a UK beach, where she had just fallen before the shooting and her dress is all dirty & soiled. She is high as a kite and prancing around - really fascinating in a bad sense - I share it here simply to point how much she changed in the meantime and grew into a well loved and respected artist.  

"They Thirst" by Robert McCammon (1981)

I am doing incredibly well with reading so far, already six books completed and its not even end of January! For my latest book, choice fell on an author I was not familiar with - I simply followed good reviews on Goodreads and thought, good old fashioned horror novel can't be bad. And I devoured the book in a week, with the greatest interest!

"They Thirst" is a gripping story, impossible to put down - as you guess from the title, its about vampires and as such one of the best vampire novels I had encountered - its not exactly in the same league with Stephen King, but than, nobody is. Still, it turned me into obsessive reader, the kind who reads long after the midnight and than again in the morning - I found it even amusing that reading fever grabbed me so strongly, it had not happen in a very long time. According to Goodreads it looks like I read the whole thing in five days, which sounds realistic. 

The story itself is about vampire invasion of Los Angeles and follows many (sometimes TOO many) characters as they first must accept the idea about vampires in their midst, than figure out how to survive and perhaps fight back. It's all very action-packed and holds reader's attention firmly, though I noticed that well-stocked cast of characters is here simply to add more victims and the story feels more exciting when the antagonists are kept as a mystery - when we are close to them, they loose some of the danger. Absolutely recommended.  

"He stared at Kelsen, his eyes going dark and cold. "Mr. Kelsen," he said, "is there a lock on the door of your little house there?"

"Yeah, there's a lock. Why?"

"Because I'm going to suggest that you do something, and I want you to listen to me very carefully." Palatazin's hands curled tighter around the bars. "If I tried to explain to you why I want you to do this, you wouldn't understand. So just listen, please."

"Okay," the watchman said, but he stepped back a pace from the man at the gate whose gaze had gone so hard and chilling.

"If anyone else comes to this gate tonight—man, woman, or child—you should lock your door and draw the blinds. If you hear this gate opening, you should turn up your radio very loud so you can't hear. And you should not come out to look. Let whoever it may be do as he or she pleases. But do not—do not—come out to try to stop them."

"If and when someone comes to this gate tonight," Palatazin continued, ignoring the question, "you should pray. Pray very loudly, don't pay any attention to anything they say to you." He squinted when the watchman's light hit his face. "Perhaps if you pray hard enough, they'll leave you in peace."

"Out of His Head: The Sound of Phil Spector" by Richard Williams (1972)

I bought this original 1972 paperback simply because I liked the ancient owner of the second-hand bookshop and even brought him some food from a fresh market nearby - he must be in his 80s and this place is his universe, loved everything about it. Than it turned out that the book itself actually excellent! Obviously this is from 1972 and this is the best thing about it - later books about Spector focus too much about scandals and the descent into the madness, but this little book is all about the music and the best thing about it might be that it was written while Spector was still working - it is a close look at the music industry circa 1972, with recently disbanded Beatles working closely with Spector and at that point he was still not completely manic, but respected producer instead.

One interesting thing that Williams notes is how before Spector, producers were really in the background - while he was preceded by some important names like John Hammond, George Goldner and Sam Phillips, it was Spector who marketed his records like the latest, newest product by Phil Spector - to my knowledge, nobody else did it before and surprisingly (from our perspective) the main artists were almost unimportant, it was all about Spector himself. Williams also covers every important aspect of Spector recorded output up to that point and how Beatles connection helped to bring him back to the forefront of music industry - for a while he seemed invincible but as we know, it will not stay like that. 

"Country: The Twisted Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll" by Nick Tosches (1977)

If you are looking for a concise, comprehensive history of country music, look elsewhere: Nick Tosches is way too idiosyncratic & original to stick to any subject for too long. Basically he is a music lover who also happens to write and his writing is mostly delightfully random - he goes where his muse leads him, never mind the chronology, subjects or logic. While 1984 book "Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll" is a genuine masterpiece, this one, published in 1977 is unfortunately not as brilliant - it feels as almost general rehearsal for things to come - but dear reader, even a unpolished Tosches is still towering above other, mediocre authors. Its just pity that this particular book is not quintessential as the other one. 

While the title promises this will be a book about country music, this is merely an idea and from here Tosches goes on, musing about the earliest influences, Appalachian songs, Scottish murder ballads and so on - then he gets inspired and writes whole chapter about obscure vaudeville singers in a blackface or early rockers like Jerry Lee Lewis - mostly he rambles about lesser known musicians who have left almost no trace and never ever discusses Nashville, Grand Ole Opry or anything you would expect from this book - he mentions Jonny Cash only to laugh at his teetotalism and says "There are several offensively pious men in country music. Johnny Cash and his God are a particularly tedious act. The strongest drink Cash serves at his parties is nonalcoholic fruit punch."  In other words, read if you are already familiar with the author but don't expect something that this book is not. It is a collection of random essays, connected with the IDEA of country music but not exclusively about it. 

"Not long ago, in March of 1996, as I toiled without thanks or recompense on these many well-punctuated paragraphs to make for you, my friend, a reliquary finely wrought so to befit the rare remains of arcane knowledge held within, a most extraordinary letter came to me from the Midwestern land. 

“Dear Mr. Tosches,” it began. “Hello my name is Paul Dandy and I am a 16 year old musicologist and historian with my studies focused on the great Emmett Miller. I have been researching Miller for about 6V2 years . . .” Of course, I responded to the young master posthaste, and in turn heard from him again. “Dear Mr. Nick,” he opened, more familiarly this time. “Its a thrill to know I have found someone (finally!) who understands how important Emmett really is, and its good to know that someone actually cares about trying to preserve and learn about his music and his life!”

I like to think that this young man speaks for his generation; and hearing the voice of this generation—oh, how it swells—I am gratified and I am humbled. Indeed, how dare I grumble of toil without thanks, toil without recompense! My hope is renewed, not only in the future of Miller studies, but in the future of America as well. Youth, I salute you. I place upon your shoulders the mantle of this mission, in your hands its fate. May your journey to Fort Hill Cemetery be golden-bowered and fruitful; may Lue Wanna and her Savage Dancers love you as they have loved no other; and may the ghost of Joe Tarto smile down upon you. Go now, and seek closure." 

"Billie Holiday" - Everest Records Archive Of Folk & Jazz Music (1973)

 

Since I treated myself with a brand new gramophone, I go for vinyl hunting every once in a while and my goal is always totally focused: I want to built (if possible) the LP collection I once had, back in the day when I was growing up. Now, many of these albums are available for streaming online, so whatever is already on Spotify, I don't need those - I only want to collect rare albums that have somehow slipped trough the cracks or were simply so obscure that only nerds like me would remember them. 

A few days ago, I found this jewel in one of Amsterdam's second hand vinyl shops. On a first glance, it's nothing unusual - just another Billie Holiday compilation, released originally in the early 1970s in the aftermath of successful, Oscar-nominated biopic "Lady Sings the Blues" that brought Lady Day back in the public view. Just like so many other compilations, this one was printed and re-printed so many times that a decade later it eventually came to be released in my homeland under the title "Everest Records Archive Of Folk & Jazz Music" and everything about it, from a cover to the random music selection, tells you this was a budget label. But what is important is - this was for me the very first time I have ever heard Billie Holiday. And say what you want, that it's not chronological, that it has a bad cover art, incredible bad sound (specially on a last track "The Same Old Story") and it could have been better assembled - still, it was the only Holiday LP I had and I listened it religiously.

Back than, I was a teenager and bought in her myth totally without reservation - everything about her life seemed fascinating to me and if you asked me than, my 14 year old self was totally in love with her. Combination of alluring music and old black & white pictures (where Holiday was always a sharp dresser) filled my dreams. In the subsequent years I managed to collect quite a nice collection of her recorded work chronologically and in much better sound (on CDs) - but it seems that once I got my hands on everything, I overdosed a bit on Lady Day and nowadays I don't listen her at all. So when I found this old LP (in a perfect condition) it made me extremely happy and here am I, some 42 years later (and 66 years after her death) listening the exactly same record I listened back than, with a glass of cold booze next to me and my heart purrs with every note. 

"Extinction" by Douglas Preston (2024)

 

I have never read Douglas Preston before. Probably because he belongs in the group of best-selling American authors are so ubiquitous that the sheer volume of their titles puts me off - just like Tom Clancy, James Patterson, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler or David Baldacci I am aware these people are very successful but their body of work is intimidating and I wouldn't know where to start. However, since I started New Year very strong with my reading and for a change was focused on some recent titles published in 2024, the choice fell on the latest Preston. I am glad it happened, because it was a fast-paced thriller that I could not put down.

Since this is my very first introduction to Preston, I can't say how much this novel is representative of his style but it was a solid entertainment. "Extinction" is happening in a luxurious mountain resort in Colorado, where big company "Erebus" has re-reconstructed some long-extinct animals like wooly mammoths - the wealthy visitors are invited to visit the park and gaze at the animals from the safe distance. Kind of Jurassic park. When unexpected (and very brutal) murder happens, agent Frances Cash is invited on her very first case and most of the book is about her overcoming all sorts of obstacles & misogyny - in fact, her constant struggle with authorities around her (even though she HERSELF is an authority) almost completely takes over the book and sometimes slows down the story. It all does tie up neatly towards the end and while I found it hard to put the book down, I have feeling too much time was wasted on agents manoeuvring administration/bureaucracy. The payback was that I learned about the real-life company that does de-extinction - their name is "Colossal" and they have fascinating web site. 

"Nosferatu" by Robert Eggers (2024)

I must confess something strange here, the original 1922 "Nosferatu" is one of my all-time favourite movies even though its a horror - I always loved silent movies and old black & white, pre-code movies - I just think they are wonderful, inspired and original as opposite to what came afterwards and looks dated. It might be strange to genuinely love horror movie, but it is what it is. It is a hypnotic quality, that creeps on you like a nightmare that will haunt your dreams for the rest of your life. Same for "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari".

I also like director Robert Eggers a lot. At first his movies were disturbing, repulsive and strange but eventually I realised this is actually good, someone who dares to be original and who is not dumbing down his movies for commercial success - everything I have seen from him so far was excellent. So I was not even surprised when I found out he will direct new version of "Nosferatu", since he is a but unhinged, it makes a perfect sense and better Eggers than someone else who might make a musical with product placements advertising in them. 

As soon as I heard that this new "Nosferatu" arrived in the cinema, I went immediately. I was so determined to see it and to enjoy it properly, that I even went by myself - this was too important to be ruined by someone talking trough the movie or asking me to explain everything. On top of it, I decided it must be seen in recently renovated little art cinema Lab 111 that has creepy atmosphere like of the ex sanatorium (the building itself was a hospital and pathological lab with its mortuary), where I even got myself a free film poster while waiting for screening to start. 

The movie was, thanks God, excellent - its basically a story of "Dracula" stolen from the original but the names were changed as Bram Stoker's widow refused to allow it for the movie. And if you loved the silent original, there is much to enjoy here, since Ebbert is excellent filmmaker and he obviously love 1922. version - for this movie he even developed a technique to replicate how the human eye perceives colour under moonlight by excluding red and yellow tones - the result is a total moonlight and it looks very good. Visually, the movie is spectacular and very effective - it is a thrill to see Nicholas Hoult (in Jonathan Harker-kind of role) walking trough the night with the snowflakes slowly falling around him or how he approaches the castle of his new client who wants to purchase a new property in Germany. If there is one thing to complain, it is that director might have been too respectful to the original - the story is what it is, it never was very deep or complicated or multi layered, it was just a basic skeleton of Dracula and nothing more - you could probably explain it in a few sentences. And Eggers does not dare to add anything new to it - he does include some sex scenes here and there (ugly and disturbing as they were) but that's it. Than again, even the original was always more about the atmosphere and feeling than the story. I wish that I could love it more but its still just a affectionate tribute to the 1922. original, not Eggers best movie - so far that was "The Lighthouse". 

p.s.

Almost forgot to mention the most important:

This is a very original Nosferatu - unlike the bald original and 1970s version (sadly dated now, but Klaus Kinski was excellent) or later glamorous Hollywood vampire, this vampire is a creepy undead creature who actually has something from the historical Romanian Vlad the Impaler although the director makes conscious decision not to show him clearly - he is mostly in the dark or far away or in the corner of the screen. Makes the monster more effective this way, as we fear things we cannot see clearly.