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I just finished "Excelsior You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd" by Eugene B. Bergmann. I don't think it was particularly  well written, but it contains generous portions of Shepherd's radio monologues and extensive quotes from some of his co-workers and acquaintances.  As someone who grew up desperately trying to talk, write and think like Shepherd, it's kind of disappointing to learn just how much of a Grade A prick he could be outside of the radio studio.

Is that a new or recent book, Randy? I'm interested in Shepherd esp. because of his Hoosier roots.

It was published in 2004. The author also seems to be quite active in "Shep" the Yahoo email group devoted to Shepherd.

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Douglas Woolf, THE TIMING CHAIN

:tup:tup:tup Douglas Woolf is one of my favorite writers. The neglect of his writings by the literary establishment (and most everyone else) is criminal.

Great to see someone else reading his stuff.

An aside - on page 35 you'll find - "He only stopped to pee in Fishkill." I believe that was Doug's way of saying hello - he had stopped by to visit (in Fishkill, N.Y., where I used to live) some time before The Timing Chain was published.

P.S. - Thanks for posting the link - I hadn't seen it and I'm going to print and save it.

Edited by paul secor
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I suppose I would be kidding myself if I thought this book was ever going to come out in english buts its one I would love to read. I guess I will have to get my french friends to get it for me and try to struggle through it. Its a period and milieu that fascinates me. I was recently reading a book with tales of Austrian emigres in France during the war, how they survived and outwitted the police and Gestapo. Just amazing.

Now reading L'Affaire Joinovici by Andre Goldschmidt, a book that deals with the case of a notorious and unique jewish double agent who made a fortune in Paris during World War Two as a scrap metal dealer who was allowed to continue working during the nazi occupation. 'Monsieur Joseph' as he was nicknamed  was condemned as a collaborator of the nazi regime by a French court in 1949.

During the trial, a number of jewish and non-jewish witnesses testified that Joinovici had helped save their lives.

After he served part of his sentence, he fled and went to Israel but the government refused to apply the Law of Return to such a controversial Jew. He was sent back to jail in France and died in 1965.

The book tries to clear some of the mysteries surrounding Monsieur Joseph's activities and brings a somehow positive account of his deeds for the French Resistance.

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Just finished The Last Avant-Garde: the Making of the New York School of Poets, by David Lehman.

I'm getting more interested in poetry in my middle age.

I'd also recommend Lehman's earlier book The Perfect Murder: a Study in Detection (a Guide to the Best Mysteries Ever Written). It's a nice overview of the world of detective and crime fiction.

Edited by Kalo
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Summer reading: Jon Stewart's Naked Pictures of Famous People, to be followed by Neal Pollack: Never Mind the Pollacks.

(I'm kind of ashamed to admit that they've both jumped As I Lay Dying in the queue...Faulkner's just not conducive to reading on the train when my commute's only about 10-15 minutes long each way.)

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Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

--Believe it or not I've never read this one, it was recommended by a friend so I went and picked it up at Borders today.

For $9.95 plus shipping I'll send you a nice hunk of New England granite. I find it makes for a much sturdier paperweight, and is much more effective at propping up asymmetrical furniture. Downside: the granite is no good for kindling--you may have to stock up on extra copies of Anthem around mid-November.

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Summer reading: Jon Stewart's Naked Pictures of Famous People, to be followed by Neal Pollack: Never Mind the Pollacks.

(I'm kind of ashamed to admit that they've both jumped As I Lay Dying in the queue...Faulkner's just not conducive to reading on the train when my commute's only about 10-15 minutes long each way.)

At least the Faulkner book is written in relatively short chapters. Try reading Proust, say, during your commute. You'd get through about one SENTENCE per trip...

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I finally got the Bob Newhart Show Complete first Season Set.

I'm settling in for a debut viewing now.

Are you going to do a shot every time someone says "Hi Bob"?

I have on occasion participated in that particular drinking game.

You can get really trashed. :alien:

Truly one of the great comedy shows of all time though.

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We do a morning show here starting at 6am. If someone gets in early, they just throw something we wouldn't normally play on until 6. A lot of times this is comedy. A couple of weeks ago we played an old Newhart record and got some very puzzeld responses . . . a lot of people just didn't get it at all.

--eric

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