Pops Read a Book: HORROR STORIES by Liz Phair

Sigh. I just blew through Liz Phair’s HORROR STORIES (Random House, 2019), and it’s only exacerbated my complicated feelings about someone who was once one of my favorite artists. Ostensibly a memoir, it’s a nonlinear collection of stories that delve deep into Phair’s personal life, primarily her mostly shitty relationships with men. I mean… I get it… as my pal, WFMU's Therese Mahler said, “Have you heard her lyrics?” But I wasn’t prepared to so frequently have to fight the urge to say out loud, “What are you DOING!?!” as I read this book (on a commuter train!!). I realize that great art is often created by complicated, often difficult personalities. I wouldn’t want to hang out with many of my favorite artists in numerous mediums. But I was hoping this book would delve deeper into the evolution / de-evolution of Liz’ highly controversial career arc, which is barely touched upon in the book. There’s also an interminable chapter about having her child (we get it, it’s magical and gross and beautiful and painful and you’ve never felt a love like this bla bla bla…). But, as much as the content often had me wincing, it’s never dull… the woman can write, for sure. And there are some segments (including the heartbreaking chapter on her own #metoo moments, centered around an ill-fated collaboration with the asshole [unnamed] Ryan Adams and a vivid tale of the New York City blackout) that will certainly stay with me (and make me keep this on the music books shelf). Ultimately, as frustrating as it can be, the book works for the same reason her music had an impact: It’s brutally honest, heartfelt, and bracingly her own. 

Pops Read a Book: CRUMB: A CARTOONIST'S LIFE

I finished CRUMB: A CARTOONIST’S LIFE (Scribner, 2025), Dan Nadel’s intensive (and intense) biography of arguably the most iconic underground cartoonist of all time, and one of the most polarizing, complicated figures in not just comics, but culture. I’ve always had a tangential relationship with Crumb, recognizing his genius, but often put off by the ugliness that his work at times displays (there’s also beauty, for sure). CRUMB (even more than Terry Zwigoff’s 1995 documentary) spends an awful lot of time trying to parse the artist’s misogynistic and racist works as sociological studies of human nature, and I’m sure that’s true to some extent. But as this book often lays bare, Crumb is also frequently just a raging id, both on the page and in real life, and I’ve never been comfortable with people who justify selfish, harmful behavior as artistic expression (being when separating the artist from the art is as impossible as removing their flesh). Then again, my relationship with much of the most important work of the 1960s is cultural appreciation more than subjective enjoyment. 

CRUMB is riveting (although the extended family becomes a bit tough to keep track of, making me wish for a family tree for reference), alternately enlightening, aggravating, inspiring, and heartbreaking. But I didn’t come out of it with a burning desire to add more of the man’s work to my library. I’m good with what I have already (a few collections, some anthologies of underground work, and oh yeah, every issue of WEIRDO), as well as the arm’s length at which I keep it. 

Pops (Re-)Read a Book: HEY KIDS, COMICS!

 There was a period in my life when comic books weren't that important (two, if you count birth to age 5)... in the mid-90s, I had just moved to Hoboken and started working for Warner Bros. Records, I was newly-single and ready to mingle, and, frankly, mainstream comics sucked at the time.

That waning of my geekiness didn't last too long, and over the years, the medium that defined me more than any other has returned to prominence as a source of comfort, diversion, and inspiration. But it's the comics I grew up with, not modern iterations that hit the spot.

Rob Kelly's HEY KIDS, COMICS! (a re-read) is an anthology of essays about the impact of comic books, mostly from the age when they were plucked off of drug store spinner ranks. It's an often bittersweet collection that anyone who's ever dismissed comic books and superheroes should be forced to read. Maybe they'd stop being judgmental pseudo-intellectuals and understand the transformative and cathartic power of a cheap, disposable periodical full of ridiculous stories populated by impossible characters (particularly to people for whom real life had its share of challenges).

To millions of people.... this stuff matters.

Originally posted on social media, Aug. 29, 2021

Pops Read a Book: TRUE BELIEVER

 There’s no more polarizing figure in the history of comics than Stan Lee. Many comics fans consider him a bloviating huckster who stole credit and kept creators from reaping the rewards he enjoyed. Others buy into the legend of him being the creative mastermind behind the Marvel Universe.

Me, I fall in the middle. Certainly, Stan’s greatest creation was “Stan Lee,” but I think it’s unfair to diminish his role in the Marvel firmament. Stan & Jack Kirby were the Lennon & McCartney of comics; Their best work was done “together” (however that played out).

But what’s not arguable is that—MCU cameos notwithstanding—the man’s third act was a tragedy of bad decisions, bad actors, and a sad disconnect from the culture he helped shape.

I just finished Abraham Riesman’s TRUE BELIEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF STAN LEE (Crown Publishing, 2021), a riveting, even-handed, and ultimately devastating biography of Stan. But as meticulously researched as it is, the book still can’t hammer down precisely what happened at the end of Lee’s life, as various self-serving succubi give conflicting reports that make objective reporting nigh-impossible.

Still, this is HIGHLY recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in the history of Marvel and its most famous frontman.

Originally posted on social media, April 12, 2022

Pops Read a Book: A&R

I finished my re-read of Bill Flanagan’s 2000 music biz novel, A&R, about a music exec’s transition from indie to major label and the dramas into which he becomes enmeshed. I was one year out of the biz myself (after a very brief toe-dip), so I could relate to some of the back-stabbing, double-talking, excess-defending, ego-stroking intrigue herein. But the book has aged into a quaint relic at this point (even if it was prescient in some ways). It’s a fun read, although the main character kind of fades into the background in the somewhat-rushed climax. But what struck me on this go-round had nothing to do with the content so much as how I read… I don’t read that much fiction—that is unless it’s in comic book form. And a lifetime of comic reading has had one negative side effect (some would argue more): Without visual reference, I have a hard time keeping characters in a novel straight. Wait, is this that guy or the other guy doing this thing to that other person, and who’s that again?

It’s one of the things I hate about my addled brain.

Oh, but dig that lovely cover by Ward Sutton!

Originally posted on social media, May 7, 2022

Pops (Re-)Read a Book: JAWS

 I was compelled by my JAWS WEEK posts (on Instagram, July 2022) to give Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel a re-read for the first time in almost half a century, and whooo— man, is the movie better than the book!

Setting aside some really discomfiting 1970s casual racism and homophobia in the first chapter, the book is even more soapy than I’d recalled. Hooper’s sexual liaison with Ellen Brody may lead to the frustrated housewife’s reassessment of her life, but it also solidifies Hooper as the kind of callous, spoiled frat boy for which Quint (criminally underdeveloped here, and not even a resident of Amity) instantly pegs him. Brody likewise is mostly a cranky cipher, spending a lot of the book wondering if his wife is banging the ichthyologist. The subplot of Mayor Larry Vaughan’s ties to the mafia is a bit underdeveloped, and there’s nothing about the boys from the karate school “karateing” the picket fences.

As for the titular leviathan, its attacks (aside from Chrissy’s opening kill, which mostly mirrors the film) are not nearly as impactful in prose as in film (which may be an unfair comparison), and its ultimate demise is the definition of anti-climactic. Hell, the ORCA doesn’t even go after the fish until two-thirds of the way into the book… and then they go back home every night!!

If anything, reading JAWS again has given me increased appreciation for Steven Spielberg’s storytelling instincts, and made me love the movie even more.

Originally posted on social media, July 18, 2022

Pops Read a Book: THE CAPED CRUSADE

 I just finished my third read of Glen Weldon's eminently (obviosulsy) re-readable 2016 book, THE CAPED CRUSADE: BATMAN AND THE RISE OF NERD CULTURE (Simon & Schuster). While the subtitle is a bit misleading (the book pretty much stays on the Batman tip and doesn't dig too deep into the larger issues), Weldon's take on Batman comics, movies, and TV shows is pretty much spot-on (particularly in the 2017 afterword in which he eviscerates the Snyderverse), funny, insightful, and brimming with geeky righteousness (not self-). Highly recommended for anyone who ever debated the merits of Adam West's, Christopher Nolan's, Neal Adams', Bruce Timm's, or Grant Morrison's Batman.... et al!

Originally posted on social media, Oct. 21, 2022

Pops Read a Book: AVA GARDNER: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS

I just finished AVA GARDNER: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS by Peter Evans and Gardner (Simon & Schuster, 2013) and didn’t understand its strange format until the epilogue.

Rather than taking the form of a straight up (ghostwritten) memoir, this book is a series of conversations between the author and his subject, half of them about the very writing of the book itself. Gardner (then in her ‘60s, suffering from ill health and feeling very obsolete and sad) vacillates between ribald honesty and anxious second-guessing, making for an often-frustrating reading experience. It’s not until the end of the book that it’s revealed that the intended project fell apart (reportedly because Sinatra disapproved of the collaborator), and the author pitched the idea for THIS book after Gardner had died, only to succumb to a heart attack himself before finishing it.

I guess if I’d known precisely when Gardner “started pushing clouds” (1990), I’d have wondered why this book took so long to come out, and maybe gleaned its origin, but I plead ignorance. I think the whole thing would’ve been much better served by not burying the lede at the end of the whole shebang, but your mileage may vary.

There’s also way too much fretting over asking Gardner about Frank’s penis size. But hey, what book doesn’t feature that?

Originally posted on social media, March 10, 2023

Pops Read a Book: THE DARK SIDE OF CAMELOT

I’m not gonna lie, I skimmed a lot of Seymour M. Hersh’s THE DARK SIDE OF CAMELOT (Back Bay Books, 1997)… this 500-page look at the political sins and personal peccadilloes of John F. Kennedy is verrrrrrry dense, and much of the political machinations with dozens of players had me glazing over. That’s right, I mostly dug into the more salacious stuff, the mob ties and the many, MANY, almost DAILY dalliances with women, from the most famous to unnamed call girls. I think the creepiest thing was learning that JFK willingly and knowingly spread his VD all over the country! Talk about a new frontier!

But what was most interesting is the recurring thread of journalists and politicians KNOWING most of this stuff, but holding it back to protect the office of the President. One can only speculate whether or not any of it would’ve damaged Kennedy politically (probably, given the time), but it’s also crazy to contrast that with today, when a certain unnamed POSPOTUS did shit that was every bit as risible right in the open, it was openly reported, and absolutely nobody gave a shit (well, nobody who could do anything, anyway).

We live in the weirdest times. 

Originally posted on social media, May 2, 2023

Pops Read a Book: THE DEADWOOD BIBLE

 THE DEADWOOD BIBLE: A LIE AGREED UPON by Matt Zoller Seitz (MZS Press, 2022), gifted upon me by @vizpics.

This cocksucker is a fuckin’ deeeeeep dive into David Milch’s HBO series, weighing in at over 500 goddamn pages (even digging into Milch’s JOHN FROM CINCINNATI, like anyone give’s a whore’s tit about that show). With critical fuckin’ essays, a biography of Milch’s fucked up life, episode breakdowns, and more, it’s an exhausting prick of a book, but one that you won’t feed to the pigs after you’re done.

…. What, want me to say something pretty?

Originally posted on social media, May 14, 2023

Pops Read a Book: THE AMERICAN WAY OF DEATH REVISITED

 Recent events made me pull out Jessica Mitford’s THE AMERICAN WAY OF DEATH REVISITED (Vintage Books, 2000) for a re-read (which I did with an incongruous bookmark).

Mitford’s groundbreaking 1963 exposé of the funeral industry and examination of how we as a culture deal with the passing of loved ones was revised in 1978, and updated again by the author shortly before her own death in 1996. Sadly, not much had changed since she first exposed the dubious ethics of a business whose very practices are designed to exploit grief and encourage excess.

Even before reading this book, I found the concepts of expensive, fancy (and open) caskets, embalming, and even burial to be bizarre, wasteful, and, frankly, not helpful. To me, funerals take despicable advantage of those responsible for the disposal of the departed, while the services themselves do not provide solace so much as a sledgehammer of grief and discomfort. Read this book and maybe you’ll join me in feeling that Walter and the Dude had the right idea when it came to taking care of Donny’s remains. At the very least, you’ll know what your rights are when the sad day comes when you have to make these terrible decisions.

Originally posted on social media, Oct. 10, 2023

Pops Read a Book: LAST WORDS: A MEMOIR

 I just finished LAST WORDS: A MEMOIR by George Carlin (with Tony Hendra, whom you may know as Spinal Tap’s manager, Ian Faith), a posthumous autobiography (hey, if anyone could do it, it’s Carlin) that’s heavy on the nostalgia (particularly of his youth) and at times a wee bit pretentious (there are way too many references to his “art”). I think the most revelatory thing was Carlin admitting what a terrible adult he was, avoiding responsibilities and obligations if they weren’t fun, digging himself into holes that took a long time to climb out of (and needing a co-author to write his own memoir).

TBH, Carlin’s work is very hit-or-miss for me, some of his bits feeling a bit forced, while others (such as “the Planet is Fine”) being things I quote on a weekly basis. But this book definitely made me understand the man a bit better, and it’s recommended to anyone who’s a fan even in the slightest.

Originally posted on social media, Dec. 3, 2023

Pops Read a Book: THE B SIDE

 THE B SIDE: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the American Song by Ben Yagoda (Riverhead Books, 2015) is an incredible history of the evolution of the art and business of (primarily) American songwriting in the 20th century. Yagoda’s heavily-researched overview tracks from the age of sheet music through Tin Pan Alley, the Jazz Age, Broadway, the birth of Rock and Roll, the solidification of the American Songbook in the mid-century, and finally the Beatles revolution. While dips into the business dealings and competition between BMI and ASCAP were a little too deep and dry for me, this is a mostly-riveting account for anyone who’s ever paid attention to not just the singers, but the songs.

Originally posted on social media, Feb. 13, 2024

Pops Read a Book: THE NEXT CIVIL WAR

 Forget Frankenstein, The Exorcist, or The Shining, Canadian journalist Stephen Marche’s THE NEXT CIVIL WAR (Avid Reader Press, 2022) is the most terrifying book I’ve ever read.

Presenting five possible scenarios for the downfall of American democracy (and, really, the end of society as we know it), Marche mixes empirical data, expert testimony, and evocative fictional scenarios in a powerful work of “speculative non-fiction” that should make anyone who brushes off the by-products of the Trump era think twice (or maybe even once). And Marche agrees that the two main culprits are climate change and the Internet, two things that aren't going away.

Critics of the book accuse Marche of being hyperbolic and playing into the kind of partisan division the book decries, but that’s the point… we’re at a tipping point not just in America, but by default, the entire world, and way too many people are simply not taking it seriously. This book has caused me severe depression and anxiety, but I just couldn’t put it down. Only time will tell how prescient this work of horror actually is.

Originally posted on social media, March 18, 2024

Pops Read a Book: JOHNNY CARSON

 I’ve been watching old TONIGHT SHOW episodes (rebranded as JOHNNY CARSON) for a while now, and it’s whetted my appetite to know more about the show and its host (and yes, I’m old enough to have watched it as a kid into adulthood; in Elementary School, I knew I was up too late if I heard the theme, with its distinctive opening blast of brass, coming from my parents’ bedroom). 

The succinctly titled, JOHNNY CARSON (Mariner Books, 2013) is written by Carson’s lawyer and friend (as much as he had them), Henry Bushkin, and it’s a highly subjective angle for the story. Rather than a straight biography, this book focuses on the years Bushkin worked and played with Johnny, dishing the dirt on his failed marriages, his contract negotiations, his business dealings, and his surprisingly laissez-faire attitude towards his own finances. 

It’s interesting, but it’s not really what I was looking for. There’s a sprinkling of biographical background (his mother was a nightmare and he was a distant father himself), but there’s almost nothing about the actual production and evolution of THE TONIGHT SHOW, or any kind of discussion about the sociological and cultural impact that it had. So, this one won’t be staying on the shelves. Luckily, this fall, the late Bill Zehme’s CARSON THE MAGNIFICENT, a book ten years in the making, will be released, and will no doubt be a far more satisfying dig into the life and work of the enigmatic superstar.

Originally posted on social media, April 23, 2024

Pops Read a Book: COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA

 I blew through Bob Odenkirk’s COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA (Random House, 2022), an eminently readable, often hilarious (of course), sometimes inspiring memoir. Tracing his nascent comedy years in Chicago (an encounter with the legendary Del Close gives fascinating backstory) through his vast comedy résumé into unexpected dramatic turns, Odenkirk’s story is laced with self-deprecation that never feels like the kind of false modesty that defines many Hollywood memoirs. Odenkirk’s literary voice is so strong that you can’t help but hear him while reading (it’s like an audiobook with print!). 

I only have two slight complaints, and they are of omission. I don’t know if Odenkirk finished writing this book before the January 6 insurrection or not, but I’ve been dying to hear some of Jay Johnston’s former coworkers to weigh in on why they think the comedian turned to the dark side. But more importantly, I wish the paperback edition (for which I waited) had included an added postscript about the author’s 2021 heart attack on the set of BETTER CALL SAUL that nearly killed him. In interviews since the event, Odenkirk has said that it was a life-altering event, so one would think he might want to add it to the story of, you know… his LIFE. Maybe at some point. But without that epilogue, as great as this book is, it feels… unfinished. 

originally posted on social media, May 11, 2024