Books
"Taxes, The Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels" by Stan Mack (NBM)
It would be nice if our transformation from British Colonies to that shining beacon of freedom was as orderly as we make it sound. It was a messy business, and not just in terms of warfare. We couldn't agree with others back then, and our struggles against government and fellow citizens haven't changed all that much. Most people can still be united by what they are against more than what they stand for. And minorities still get the short shrift -- just modernized versions of the same old discrimination.
Former Village Voice cartoonist Stan Mack lends a snarky studiousness to this tale, which presents his 1994 magnum opus in a present that reflects the strands that reach back to the American Revolution. In Mack's presentation, the war against England was one of elitists who had to sell the difference between self-rule and a monarchy to regular people in order to build an army -- and then rig the system in their own favor after the war was won.
And if it sucked to be a white guy who owned no property, being female or black was even worse. It was hard for them to embrace the rhetoric of the American victory after it had revealed itself as so opportunist in allowing the upper classes to seize their advantages.
From George Washington to Mitt Romney, it took us years to get here. Where, oh, where is the modern Daniel Shays? Somewhere
Mack's history is a vital and entertaining one. It captures Americans as radicals and wild cards and assures that rebellion is in our blood, even if it must be against each other.
Music
The Lovely Eggs -- "Wildlife" (Cherryade Records)
The term punk persists, but I have my doubts whether it really exists anymore, at least in its pure, original form. One argument in favor of the flavor of 1977 as a modern existence is certainly The Lovely Eggs. This British band mixes girlie charm and young cheekiness with a mix of garage noise and chiming catchiness that hearkens back to the old days of British punk when they might have been screaming and pounding and sneering, but they wanted you to dance and laugh and have a good time. It was just as much about attitude as delivery.
The Lovely Eggs is the effort of husband and wife duo Holly Ross and David Blackwell -- she plays guitar, he plays drums -- and together they manage to punctuate their lyrical wit in musical terms to the listener's delight.
There's plenty of poison to choose from here as a favorite. The album opens with the girlish rocker "Allergy," but the hilarious "Don't Patent That Shoe" really sets the tone for what's to come. "Scooter's Got Itchy" is a rave-up that will have you jumping up and down, while "Food" opens with the immortal line "I want to masticate with you," and it's all great from that point on, with more funny noise rock, as well as unexpectedly amusing spoken word pieces like "Idiot Check."
Highly recommended to those who like their noise clever. (www.thelovelyeggs.co.uk)
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