A Rant, A Review, and some extras.

I scared myself the other night.

I was flicking back and forth between the Academy Awards and campaign news when suddenly I realized that I didn’t know which one I was watching. A good looking, nattily dressed man was reciting a scripted and well-rehearsed text. His spin-doctor thoughts were compressed into digestible nutshells of digital comprehension and I was sound bitten by the asp of the media Nile.

I’m kidding. It never happened. Shame on you for believing me. Shame on me for even making the comparison. Shame on The West Wing for giving me the idea.. Shame on the average American for choosing or eliminating a candidate based on a fifteen second video clip that is repeated every night for a week. Shame on all of us for forming opinions without having an intelligent grasp of the issue.

This is our country folks, and the average Joe goes into the voting booth unprepared. Whether his opinion was formed early in the campaign or two minutes before he voted, dazzled by the last flash of brilliance before he left the house.

Please take the time to educate yourself. Don’t vote for Edwards just because he looks good on camera. Conversely, don’t vote for Kerry just because he’s a shaved Lincoln. Don’t vote for Bush just because he is mid-war. Don’t vote based on color or creed or media savvy.

In the next few months, you will be manipulated with more skill than a huckster down at Slipery Sams Used Cars. Don’t just kick the tires. It’s your country and your future. Get under the hood. And if you don’t know what you’re looking at when, READ A BOOK.

That’s what this column is all about

Half of Paradise by James Lee Burke
Published by Little Brown & Company; (October 1998)
ISBN: 0786889462 (Paperback)

If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know that I am a new fan of James Lee Burke. As promised, I went back into his work and found his first book. I don’t know how long it sat in a pile in the warehouse, but it was long enough to yellow the edges that were exposed to air. For a five-year-old paperback, it was in great condition. (Note: The hardcover can sell for more than $1000).

When first published in 1965, the New York Times called it an “impressive, passionate” debut. Unfortunately, his hard-boiled look at life did not find an audience. The Great Society was still recovering from the loss of Kennedy, and still settling into the sacrifices of another police action to staunch the rise of Communism. Burke’s stuff was too close to life to qualify as entertainment.

In this story, Burke takes an intense look at the lives of three desperate men from Louisiana. Avery Broussard, the last member of a once upright and prosperous white family, lets the taste for alcohol and excitement knock the final pins out from under the pins of his foundation. J.P. Winfield is a plain-speaking guitar player from a dirt-poor family. His rise to fame takes its toll on this simple man. Finally, there is Toussaint Boudreaux, a black longshoreman and amateur boxer. One snag with the law puts him one the road to destruction.

The interaction between these three men is so slight that each story could stand on it’s own as a novella. Perhaps Burke put them together to be sure that we got the point. Each man comes complete with the seeds of his own destruction. Each man knowingly makes the decisions that determine his fate.

This was Burke’s powerful, though little read entrance into big-time publishing. It is not as polished as his present work. But there is something in the raw delivery that makes it work.

EXTRA
Last week, a reader asked why I limit this column to books, television and the movies. He suggested that I add the occasional review of local community theater. I gave him my stock answer about the photo at the top of this column. Who’s not going to know it was me? Hey, I have to live in this area too!

Too be more honest, I don’t think Community Theater wants real reviews. I’ve listened to producers, directors and cast members tear a reviewer inside out for voicing an uncomplimentary opinion about a show. The funny thing is, I can’t blame them.

Community Theater draws its talent from the shallow end of the pool. The director can usually hook a few good ones for the better roles, but the odds of loading the show with blockbusters are pretty remote. I guess Broadway has given us enough unbalanced casts. Community Theater is not immune to this malfunction.

The problem is that Community Theater is full of volunteers having a good time and doing their best. This is similar the Pop Warner and the Little League. A sports writer would be out of line if he tore up one of these teams. The same thing goes for the theater reviewer. Give the folks a break. The professional actors, like the professional sports players, are making money at their craft. They should be able to absorb a couple of direct hits. The actors in CT are doing their level best and the director usually has his or her hands full turning chaos into clarity.

So that’s why I avoid giving you opinions on local theater. I’m chicken.

ANOTHER EXTRA

Welcome to Mooseport with Ray Romano, Gene Hackman and Maura Tierney.

This one is for Ray Romano fans. He’s the same guy we see on television. It was no work for him at all. Walk off one set and onto the other. It was longer and more expensive, but it was just like at home. Gene Hackman played the big city politician out of place in small town politics. Again, it was not a stretch for him either. He simply transferred the emotion of a great actor out of place in a dinky movie to the role of president. Maura Tierney is a real breath of fresh air. It was worth the ticket price just to see her outside of ER. If anyone is worthy of graduation from tv to the big screen, this lady is ready.

Thanks for reading this far. See you next week.