#CultureCoach?

Sour: The Turn of the Screw. By Henry James. From 1898. A novella. It’s a ghost story, or it’s a story of madness: a governess becomes convinced that her charges are being haunted by the spirits of her predecessors. How you read this book changes the nature o fwhat you’re reading.

MUSIC: I’m glad you liked Patti Smith.

I’ve not suggested any Best of… Albums so far. But I think I will: TALES OF A LIBRARIAN, by Tori Amos. It’s a real solid Best Of of Tori’s first decade making music. You’ll hear her sing about me in Tear In Your Hand. She’s unique and smart and the songs on here are a good selection of what she does.

Something to watch: A Clockwork Orange. Kubrick’s dystopic take on Anthony Burgess’ novel: violence and free will and beethoven. A film that was unavailable in the UK for over 30 years because every time they showed it (anecdotally) violence went up. Huge philosophical questions about free will and evil and suchlike. Some of it is hard to watch, but in the cultural literacy stakes it’s this or Kubrick’s The Shining, and this is a more important film.”

From the oracle himself, Neil.

Edit: I noticed that Neil has actually suggested A Clockwork Orange before. Keep it to yourselves, but I failed to watch it last time… I’m not very good at films. So I’m leaving it there in the hope I might watch it this time. Perhaps. Maybe.

Knibbs”

“Howdy sweet-pea. It’s to get kultcha-fied! 

BOOK: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. I myself only read this for the first time last year, and was astounded by all the popculture references that suddenly made a whole lot of sense. You too should experience this burst of enlightenment!

MUSIC: Avalon by Roxy Music. Because screw you and shut up. 

FILM: In the Mood for Love (2000) directed by Wong Kar-wai. Because of brilliance, and of love and lighting and camera angles and hair and dresses and sheer perfection.

Get it up ya.” - Jordan

So. Your book. I think it’s time for another CLASSIC. This one is my favourite Russian novel. Some Russian novels are filled with doom and despair. This one has doomladen undercurrents, but is much more about love and history and magic and salvation and damnation and Russia. It has the Devil in it, and a large black cat in it too, who does wonderful things. It’s called THE MASTER AND MARGERITA by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Movie: Not exactly. In conversation, I discovered that a huge gap in your eduction was the lack of Vintage Muppet Shows in your life. So… Season Two of the original Muppet Show is on DVD. (Season one is good, but they are still finding their feet.) You do not have to watch all of them. You do have to watch the John Cleese one.

Music: Do you have a record player? You must have. Get THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS and listen to it on LP. I do not know why every CD mix I’ve ever heard has sounded tinny and thin, but they do. I mean it.

Sidebar: Neil later texted me saying:

BOOK: Your book for this week is Perfume by Patrick Süskind. This blew my face off the first time I read it. Creepy beautiful perfection.

MUSIC: Give Up by The Postal Service, for all your super-sweet glitch-poppy needs.

FILM: Have you ever seen A CLOCKWORK ORANGE? If not, you should. It’s one of those films you should have seen. You don’t have to like it, but you should see it.”

“Your Culture Coach assignment this week is as follows:

A bit of mid-century science fiction with The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. Quite possibly the most terrifying book I’ve ever read, mainly because of its realism. Wyndham is a master at speculative fiction. His characters are so ordinary and believable, that their terrors become real to the reader as they deal with the sudden crazy situation he puts them in. Wyndham makes his sci-fi believable without giving too much backstory - his novels focus on how individuals/society would actually deal with world-shaking events. In Triffids, it’s blindness and flesh-eating plants.