Cry baby lyrics
Book Notes - Ben Parzybok (”Couch”)
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that is in some way relevant to their recently published books.
I first discovered Small Beer Press through the works of Kelly Link (who co-founded the press with her husband, Gavin Grant). Since reading her short fiction first collection, Stranger Things Happen, in 2001, Small Beer has introduced me to many interesting books and authors, and I have never been disappointed with a volume they have published.
Couch is the first novel they have published from their “slush pile” (unsolicited manuscripts), and it’s easy to see what made Ben Parzybok’s book stand out. Parzybok’s debut novel is a fantastic tale of three roommates (one an infamous computer hacker, one a con man, and one a psychic) and their possibly magical couch on a thrilling and often hilarious quest.
Publishers Weekly wrote of the book:
“Parzybok’s quirky humor recalls the flaws and successes of early Douglas Adams.”
In his own words, here is Ben Parzybok’s Book Notes essay for his debut novel, Couch:
Composing and listening to music go hand in hand for me, and I’m deeply indebted to some of these musicians for influencing and inspiring my work. I interpreted creating a soundtrack roughly - some of this would go in the movie, were the book made into one, others I wedged into the soundtrack because I couldn’t imagine leaving them out.
Thom is a computer geek whose hacking of a certain Washington-based software giant has won him a little fame but few job prospects. Erik is a smalltime con man, a fast-talker who is never quite quick enough on his feet. Their roommate, Tree, is a confused clairvoyant whose dreams and prophecies may not be completely off base. After a freak accident floods their apartment, the three are evicted?but they have to take their couch with them. The real problem? The couch?huge and orange?won’t let them put it down. Soon the three roommates are on a cross-country trek along back roads, byways, and rail lines, heading far out of Portland and deep into one very weird corner of the American dream, with a willful couch in tow.
Do Make Say Think - Highway 420 from the album Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn: Highway 420 is a perfect fit for Highway 30, which the roommates travel down, carrying the couch behind them. It’s hard, slow, meditative work, a time for introspection on self and one’s destiny. Do Make Say Think make fantastic music to write to.Though they have no lyrics, in listening to their music, you have a sense there’s a lot of intelligence there.
Datarock - Computer Camp Love: I think the book is, and I hope readers will agree, very funny - and the hilarious Computer Camp Love is perfectly crafted for Thom’s childhood. I can imagine Thom living this Commodore 64 geek romance in 1984.
Ben Allison - Third Rail: I love jazz bassist Ben Allison - and his track Third Rail says train adventure like nothing else. It’s perfect for Theo’s handmade, open-air rail cart that carries himself, a giant man named Randall, an opinionated dog, Thom, Tree, Erik and an unruly couch through various outer suburbs toward the Pacific ocean.
The Crooked Jades - Goodbye Trouble The Soul of Man: The couch - their cross, their trouble, is taken from them, and they are deeply sad. We all love our troubles, do we not?
Deltron 3030 - Positive Contact: Can I just say: Sci Fi Rap - Hell yeah! Let’s have more bands like this. Positive Contact is a great song and though this song is about a super-space-wars-rebel-fighting-DJ, it’s appropriate for Thom - who illicitly networks together thousands of computers inside of Microsoft in an attempt to answer the question- if there were a 100 monkeys, a 100 typewriters and infinite time would they write all of literature’s great works? The lyrics start “Now let’s see — Deltron Z, Art avenger”. If Thom were to stop and think about it, he might envision himself an art avenger - but he’s got no ego involved in the act, more a profound curiosity combined with some mad skillz.
Modest Mouse - Heart Cooks Brain: Thom’s Brain is a character in the book, here’s the part where brain is introduced - “Brain was the entity of indeterminable size that sat somewhere above Thom’s right eye, one inch in. The origin of
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Gawker’s favorite political pollster, 538’s Nate Silver, has come up with the most likely way that the McCain campaign can win a majority of votes in the electoral college. This graphic from the Sunday’s New York Post outlines McCain’s tiny chance. [538]
sometimes commercials seem less and less like commercials and more and more like music videos…music videos that make you want to buy breach khakis and wish you were more hip to indie rock. truly some indie fans get in the end angry at this selling-out for itunes downloads that some bands/musicians indulge themselves in as noted here…but hey, they’re kind of true commercials and generally involve a lot of beautiful colors. i was remembering move in reverse to the nick drake cabrio commercial (#1) that reintroduced the world to pink moon and really captured the essence of righteousness esteemed american joy-riding. so sometimes these ads can give some time-honoured classics unfamiliar life. here are what i arbitrarily deem to be the top 10. like this embeddable video playlist thing? you yourself can give searchles tv a go and make your own medium.1. vw cabrio ad - pink moon by jail drakehow it made me feel: constricted by the four walls around me and unruly about the fact that i was watching tv. this one ‘takes you away’ a bit.2. ipod nano ad - 1235 by feisthow it made me feel: like tube top jumpsuits were unquestionably going to down another go of it and that maybe i will move to canada if a republican makes it into the white house. that feist…she’s a keeper.3. vw ad - da da da by triohow it made me go through: hazy, a little stupid and weird encircling all my secondhand belongings. apparently the sale of those mean skeleton handtoy thingers really blew up after this ad started airing. 4. sony bravia ad - heartbeats by jose gonzalezhow it made me withstand: very testy and fuzzy and delighted i wasn’t on the clean-up crew for this shoot. star of the ad: the frog.5. gap ad - jump jive an’ wail by brian setzer orchestrahow it made me feel: bouncy