STUFF THAT DOESN'T SUCK. VOL.1

Exactly what it sounds like. This will, hopefully, be a weekly feature in which I share/recommend stuff that doesn't suck. Movies, books, t.v. shows, writers, musicians, the odd actor. That sort of thing. Got it?

THE (unexpurgated) ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN 

Yeah, I know, Mark Twain, what a cutting edge choice. Well, I'm sure anybody reading this will realize that this 126 year old book is currently in the news, so it's on my mind. Also, it's one of the greatest books written by an American and (get this) fun to read.
I came to an appreciation of Mark Twain as an adult which is unfortunate for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which is a wonderful book but clearly meant to be enjoyed by younger readers. It's an ideal situation, however, for it's darker, more complex sequel.

For those who don't know, "Huckleberry Finn" tells the story of a young free-spirited boy who, in an effort to escape the "civilizing" efforts of his female relations, heads down the Mississippi River on a raft in search of adventure and freedom. Pretty good premise for a fun boy's adventure book don't you think? However, he has a companion who, then and now, has added a significant and troubling aspect to this simple story.  His name is Jim and he is a runaway slave. I'm not going to give a plot synopsis (you really should read it yourself) but suffice to say it's this central relationship between a good-hearted but ignorant boy and a grown man he considers stolen property that gives the novel it's lasting power and poignancy. If this simple, backwoods boy can come to the realization that this man is just that, a man, a human being with the same thoughts, feelings and right to be happy as any white person, than anyone can.
America can.

The above is a bit of a simplification, this is a multi-layered narrative with many conflicting themes and dramatic digressions but, I think I expressed the central idea pretty well.  Anyway, the reason I chose this book is because, as stated above, it's in the news. A new version of  "Huckleberry Finn" has been prepared with a certain word edited out. (WARNING: I despise euphemism and intend to use the offending word in the following paragraph. I assume we're all adults here but if you are upset by harsh words despite context, please stop reading now). Huck Finn is written from the point of view of the main character. The language  is honest, crude  colloquial, often ugly and contains the word "nigger" 213 times. Needless to say this has been a point of controversy throughout this book's publishing history. More to the point it has, especially in recent years, kept this important and relevant novel off school reading lists. In an effort to get the book back in schools and in the hands of young readers, a new version has been prepared in which "slave" has been substituted for "nigger". (Now, why "slave" is any less an offensive term is a mystery to me but we'll let that go for now.)

I understand why this has been done and I'm willing to concede that the editor and publishers have only the best intentions. Nevertheless, this wholesale censorship of a masterpiece of American literature is more than a little troubling. It is not the place of any modern editor to protect readers from the truths Twain was trying to portray. If readers are troubled by the casual use of an offensive term that's only because they should be. Hiding the rougher edges of literature can only infantalize readers and encourage complacency over active and engaged reading. I'm not expressing outrage, after all the unedited version will still be available, more concern and annoyance. Rather than try to sanitize history and otherwise dumb down the discussion of ideas can we not encourage people to think and deliberate, not just react? This is getting dangerously close to pompous so I'm going to move on.

Needless to say, great book.


"Come with us now, on a journey through time and space, to the world of......."

THE MIGHTY BOOSH

I don't normally like doing this, but if anything requires a composite description it's The Boosh. Imagine "The Goodies" (I hope you remember The Goodies, if not google them) combined with the Monkees with a dash of Python and filtered through the pop-surreal sensibilities of Sid and Marty Croft. In an era (mid 90s through late 00s)  of strong comedy on British television The Mighty Boosh stands as perhaps, the most original achievement of the bunch. Ostensibly, the adventures of two hapless zookeepers/musicians/shop workers, The Mighty Boosh can go anywhere and do anything, limited only by the bizarre imagination of it's two creators and stars.

Julian Barret plays Howard Moon, a pretentious , pedantic, jazz loving blow hard totally convinced of his own greatness. Noel Fielding plays androgynous uber-hipster Vince Noir, shallow, self absorbed and loved by almost everyone he meets. Why these two are best friends and constant companions is anyone's guess, but their collective weekly trials and tribulations reach heights of absurdity and strangeness that I find hilarious and irresistible.

The supporting cast is, if anything even more strange. There's Naboo, an enigmatic and mellow shaman, a talking gorilla named Bollo and the volcanic, insane, way-too-tight-polyester-suit wearing Bob Fossil. Over the course of 20 half hour episodes they encounter the Ape of Death, a green skinned cockney nutter called "The Hitcher", sex-crazed Yetis,  Mod Wolves, the officious Council of Shamen, a lonely merman called Old Gregg, Milky Joe, Sammy the Crab, the Crack Fox, a horrible demon (that looks like a friendly old lady) named Nanatoo, and many, many more.

I keep coming back to "surreal" because that oft misused word is perfectly applied in this case. Particularly in late episodes there is a dreamlike quality to the proceeding that keeps everything light as air, no matter how conceptually absurd the scripts become. A lot of British comedy is based on sour, nasty, sarcastic characters and that's great, I love that, but there is something joyous, even childlike about the Boosh. Even at it's most vulgar (at one point Vince sings a punk rock song called  "I took a sh*t on yer Mum") there's an invention and enthusiasm rarely seen in modern comedy (especially on television). I love the Boosh. It's a pop art masterpiece in motion

DEAD MAN

By 1996 director Jim Jarmusch was well established as one of the premiere names in American Independent film. His droll, deadpan sensibility had carried through all five of his feature films and he was seen as the quintessential "uptown" New York filmmaker. Something of a hipster but with a sincere interest in the world and the eccentric human beings that live in it. However, nothing in his previous work could have prepared audiences or critics for his sixth film, the trippy art western Dead Man.

On a train in what I assume is the late 1870's, a timid young man (Johnny Depp) in a loud suit is on his way west. In a series of dissolves, we see his fellow passenger grow more and more "wild", from Eastern "dudes" and their women, to buckskin wearing buffalo hunters. A strange, soot faced man (the engine's "fireman" played by Crispin Glover) sits and engages him in a weirdly intimate conversation in which we learn that he is William Blake (that name is no accident) an accountant on his way to the "end of the line" where he believes, a job is waiting for him. The conversation with this odd Melvillian character ends when the rest of the passengers all rise and begin wildly shooting out the windows at, we assume, passing herds of buffalo. Thus begins the strange odyssey of Dead Man, a one of a kind American masterpiece.

Needless to say there is no job and within twenty four hours Blake is on the run, with a bullet in his chest and three bounty hunters in his trail. In the woods he meets an eccentric Native American named "Nobody" who recoils in shock when he hears the name William Blake. It seems that Nobody, was once a captive in England and was much taken with the visionary poetry of William Blake. He automatically assumes that that this is one and the same and decided to help him on his way. The two have various strange encounters on the trail, some horrifying and violent, some hilarious, often both. This synopsis in no way captures the spirit or tone of this marvelous film, but I don't want to give away too much.

So much to recommend. The high contrast black and white cinematography by Robby Muller is haunting and beautiful, as is the atonal guitar score by Neil Young (yes, THAT Neil Young). The performances are note perfect from the late great Robert Mitchum as a mad industrialist to Lance Henrikson as the creepiest of the pursuing bounty hunters,(and a suspected cannibal). Depp is very fine in a performance of subtle comic befuddlement. He's like Buster Keaton with James Dean's cheekbones. The real standout, however, is Gary Farmer's Nobody. Odd, grumpy with a sardonic sense of humor and an innate passion for visionary poetry, there's never been a character quite like him in the movies, let alone a Native American character.

Throughout the film the poetry of of William Blake is alluded to or quoted outright. Nobody's belief in the transformational power of Blake's words drives the narrative far more than the "man-on-the-run" plot. This is one of the unique and elevating aspects of this film. It's one of the most profound explorations of the power of poetry to be found in cinema, far more so than crowd pleasing pablum like "Dead Poets Society" which assures us that poetry is primarily for the seduction of women. The other great theme of the film is death, what it is, what it means and how it should be met. Pretty heady stuff I know, but always entertaining with lots of subtle humor. I would go into more detail but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.

The film was met with primarily, indifferent reviews when first released and has been consistently poorly handled by it's distributor for the last fourteen years. This didn't stop it from appearing near the top of most international "best of the decade " lists at the end of the nineties. I doubt it will ever be a wildly popular movie, it's just too weird, but It's gratifying to see that it's achieved critical success and the status of a genuine cult film. Anyway, see it if you like Jim Jarmusch, Johnny Depp's more offbeat work, westerns or the poetry of William Blake.

So there you have it, the first installment. Stay tuned for more "Stuff that Doesn't Suck".
Volume 2 coming soon.