"Doctor Sleep: A Novel" by Stephen King (2013)

"The Shining" was my introduction to Stephen King and to this day I still find it quintessential work of this author, where all his best qualities are focused into white hot inspiration. Although himself he detest the movie, it actually cemented novel's reputation - I have enjoyed both many times and even now, if I find myself walking along empty hotel corridors, I will probably expect twins to stand holding hands somewhere around the corner, this is how strongly images are etched in my consciousness. On the other hand, "Doctor Sleep: A Novel" was the main reason why I finally made a big step and crossed over to e-books - as a die hard, traditional book lover, I refused to accept electronic gadgets but when I heard that King wrote a sequel, I have actually bought e-reader. However, the virtual library eventually grew up more and more to the point that selection became difficult - instead of counting sheep, I could just browse titles in my collection and fall asleep - to this day I have not read the darn thing until now and only because the movie is out so quick, quick, let's read the novel before someone pulls me to the cinema.

Even though author himself is very much aware that writing a sequel to such totemic work as "The Shining" might be a misstep, the challenge was strong + King often thought about what happen to that little boy who was the main protagonist. It turned out a mistake. Or perhaps mistake is that we expected horror on the same level as "The Shining" - it is not and in fact, "Doctor Sleep: A Novel" is more concerned with the idea that alcoholism might run in the family so lots of space is about grown up Danny Torrance slowly turning in his father and following his self-destructive pattern, finding his way out of it and going on AA meetings. It obviously means a lot to King (himself ex-alcoholic) but less to readers who get bogged with Danny's nightmares and booze temptations. The major turn off for me was the fact that author forgot that antagonists must be a mystery if they are to be scary - once you show their POV, their "otherness" is less frightening and in fact they can be even slightly comical. No doubt, it was all intentional and perhaps significant in a way that shows that author is less interested in horror genre - he is much older now and has compassion even for the baddies. Even with a few well chosen scenes, the final result is underwhelming and I thought "is this it?" - for some reason I didn't really care for any of the characters, however far from losing his touch, King still held me firmly and turning the pages but the novel is nowhere near the excitement and thrill of the original. Approach with caution - just don't expect too much. 

"My Love Story: A Memoir" by Tina Turner (2018)

Conversational tone of both Turner's memoirs is not an accident - tailored after series of interviews, they are results of what co-authors probably recorded and later re-arranged into "books" but where in 1986. Kurt Loder peppered his text with other witnesses testimonies, this time Deborah Davis and Dominik Wichmann (both curiously absent from the book cover) decided to quote lady herself exclusively - this gives the book a certain charm and authenticity but in a way it also means that the format of conversation keeps everything mainly lightweight. Fans and readers familiar with 1986. "I, Tina" will find lots of things repeated, while second part of the book - which is supposed to be update of what was going on after 1986. - focuses on Turner's lifestyle, clothes, favourite fashion designers and her many houses. Back in 1980s Turner herself mentioned that she would love to one day write a sequel with her take on serious issues, wisdom and spirituality but we get none of it here - curiously, there is almost nothing about the music, collaborations or even how or why specific material was selected but we get chapters about her wedding, bridesmaids and such. Giorgio Armani and Sophia Loren. Surely, she had worked hard and deserves all the luxury, her delight in house arranging and exquisite furniture is all very nice but honestly there isn't a thing here that could not be found in glossy magazines that cover lifestyles of jet set. We know she hangs out with millionaires on yachts, goes for dinners and fashion shows. Fine.

Reminiscences about Ike Turner were not so earth-shattering as we knew this from before - no matter how far she removed herself (and she moved to Europe basically to make sure they will never meet again) scars are deep and unforgettable. Interestingly, it seems she never forgave her mother - "She was a spoiled little girl who grew up to be a spoiled adult." The relationship with sons is glossed over - she is very much adored by millions of fans who would rather not stop and think what kind of person leaves her sons behind and moves to another part of the world with a new lover. Sure, they were financially taken care of but from a distance. You might say they were all grown ups and deserved their own path in life, however if you read between the lines there is a certain firmness that she inherited from Zelma and maybe its not coincidental. It even occurred to me that Turner is more similar to her mother than she cares to admit. 

Later in the book come the serious health issues and this is interesting part because Turner was always such a strong presence that it seems almost impossible that age will finally catch up with her and the moment she retires, her body falls apart. Could it be that all these years of punishing tours actually keep her healthy? Perhaps strong self-discipline and determination pulled her trough the decades of performing but once she hang out her dancing shoes, there was one life threatening health scare after another - interestingly, she managed to keep it private until this book was published. I genuinely like her and feel a strange kinship with her (perhaps the only celebrity that strikes me as real person) but I also understand that public clamour for "just one more tour" is unrealistic since she is obviously a frail old lady now and pictures taken during recent Broadway opening show that she was constantly gently supported by people around her.

"Amazing Grace" by Sydney Pollack (1972/2018)

I went trough a period of mild depression recently, caused by bad weather and my annual Autumn chest cold so without really paying attention to it, I went work-home-work-home for a few weeks and would not leave my bed, while poring rain outside howled outside my window. Nothing gave me any joy or pleasure and I just wanted to disappear under the bed cover and fade away to sleep. Than at certain point I realised this is not healthy anymore so I decided to treat myself with something nice and to cheer myself up, I bought a ticket for newest movie about Aretha Franklin. On the night of the screening I regretted that I have to go anywhere because it was pouring rain again but it turned out into magical evening. First of all, the audience was very excited and enthusiastic + it was obvious that everybody who came trough the wind and the rain really wanted to be there. I must admit that Dutch cinema audience is by far the most civilised I have ever encountered - they are polite, appreciative and at the end of the movie always respectfully wait until all the credits are ended (unlike in my own Croatia where stampede starts instantly and no one cares about the credits). Right before the main feature started, there was a trailer about the new biopic of Judy Garland and I was amused to hear man sitting next to me muttering "tramp" - it startled me initially but later I thought to myself, well yes, why pretending its otherwise, we can light the candles at her shrine and click our heels all we want but sad truth is that woman probably was needy pain in the neck and someone I would probably avoid in real life. 

And now to a main feature: almost 50 years ago Queen of Soul (who at that time was at the peak of her powers) decided to go back to her roots and show to the world that she never forgot where she started from - the project was called "Amazing Grace" and it was double LP album recorded completely live at Baptist Church in Los Angeles. It turned into massive hit and to this day is still the best selling gospel album of all times (a feat she was not able to top with its sequel from 1987.) but what most people were not aware is that simultaneously as the recording was made, celebrated director Sydney Pollack filmed the whole process and live documentary was planned - than inexplicably shelved, locked in some vaults and completely forgotten. To this day, it is not completely clear why exactly this exciting document was never released - some say it was a technical issue (syncing music with the footage), others it was Franklin herself who even hired lawyers to stop the release without her permission. In any case, it turned in a great blessing because just as Franklin passed away, the movie is here to remind her what a sensational and once-in-a-lifetime artist she was.

First of all, some impressions: we all know the music but just hearing it means we actually never saw what it looked like in church itself. What a spectacle! Church itself was surprisingly small place, nothing special actually and audience was not so large - in fact initially it all looked somehow underwhelming (kind of studio recording with a small audience included, technicians and electric wires all over the place) until the music starts. The Church choir walks in (very theatrically, in some kind of procession step) and than great lady herself - introduced by enthusiastic reverend James Cleveland and there is also a strikingly athletic choir director Alexander Hamilton who at the times seems ready to fly away with the music. We all know that Aretha sang like a dream but its a special privilege to see her live in a church which for her is a completely natural habitat - the moment when she starts to sing, with her eyes closed, the God is in the house and suddenly we forget the shabby surroundings, tin-foil costumes of the choir or silly hairstyles of the church ladies in the audience. The power of music was so strong and overwhelming that I could not sit still in my chair but was constantly jigging along and following the rhythm with my fingers, occasionally even tearing up and wondering why am I crying - after all, I have no connections with Baptist church, religion or that unflattering painting of white Jesus on the wall - somehow the music itself lifted everything above its surroundings and the final effect was sensational. At the end of the movie the audience wildly applauded and everybody was super excited & thrilled to witness such a wonderful posthumous gift from Franklin who herself would have been pleased. What strikes me as very interesting is that she was completely focused on music and very unlike diva we expected her to be - other singers (specially contemporary ones) would probably pose for the camera and avoid unflattering angles but Franklin was all business - she was here to record and all her attention was on piano, microphone and music itself. Caught in a moment, she sweated a lot and I wondered why no one brings her something to wipe it off, until her own father (famously handsome and charismatic minister C. L. Franklin) joins the audience and at one point gently wipes her face - the way Franklin looks at him is absolute admiration, she was clearly a daddy's girl. Gospel singer Clara Ward is also here, sitting next to him and her own mother, Gertrude - gospel star of earlier era - at one point gets so excited that she had to be restrained or else she would jump on the stage. Add to this the audience clearly enjoying the spectacle and joining into a wild church dance - its just a fantastic visual document that is absolutely not to be missed. 

"Live And More" by Donna Summer (1977)

Double LP live recording released when Donna Summer was at the peak of her career and if you ever wonder why Summer and not thousands of other artists, here is a proof: she was dazzlingly versatile, excellent singer, had tons of top-shelf material (largely written by herself), was not afraid to stretch artistically in various directions and was also lovely to look at. Considering that double LP albums were at the time considered compliments that recording industry used to bestow of biggest rock stars (see "Frampton Comes Alive! " or "Wings over America" for example) it was also indisputable evidence that much-maligned and criticised disco could not be ignored - Summer was selling these hits like there's no tomorrow and even cemented her fame in the movie screen. 

The concept of streamlined, continuous flow of songs weaving into each other was very typical of what Summer was doing at the time and majority of these hits were given glitzy treatment with some added oomph, they mostly appear slightly faster than original recordings. Its just mind-boggling how the playlist was made up by highlight after highlight, clearly this was someone extremely prolific and successful. Dazzled by her disco fame, most of the critics dismissed side B clearly designed as interval, where Summer pauses for a moment and goes Las Vegas with jazzy medley and few ballads - what majority saw as a flaw, I found welcome showcase for singer's versatility and point that she could sing anything no matter what genre (imagine if she did some songs from "Hair" where she originally started back in the 1960s). While the rest of the world focused on enormous phenomenon of "MacArthur Park" I thought that Gershwin/Ellington medley was phenomenal and actually very interesting step out of the box. 

Personally this album will always stay close to my heart, because it happened to be one of the first LPs I ever owned - when I bought it back in the day as a kid, I had no idea who Summer was and in fact could hardly distinguish her from Diana Ross (I was very young) but I listened it non stop, as you do when your whole music collection has only two titles. Re-visiting it again decades later, I am purring with pleasure for recognising every single note and applause, even though I am aware of its faults - it is still great fun and disco as a celebration of joy. Perhaps a bit more of variety would be more welcome but obviously disco was what audience wanted. Interesting note: Summer's sisters sang on backing vocals.