BOOK WEEK: Books about other arts and entertainment media

David, why are we doing this? I'm torturing myself coming up with ideas!

Anyway, let me be frank - I'm a hedonist. As much as I try to be a good politically-minded lefty-left-left-leftist, I'm self-serving first and foremost (easy set up for Augie, I suppose). I thought about doing a list of some of my favorite books on history and politics, but I got bored halfway through that post and abandoned it. No, my big love is arts and entertainment. I'm greedy - I need a constant stream of information and stimuli to get me through my day (especially at work, which is why I waste so much time playing on the internet). I'm one of those geeks who needs to read about what it is I'm reading/watching/hearing, so it's natural that I look for books about things I enjoy.

What comic fan could go without having Give Our Regards To The Atomsmashers! (Sean Howe, editor) on his/her bookshelf? Well, most, I suppose, but that's besides the point - this book really does have something for everyone, from the unabashed superhero addict to the effete artcomix snob, and everyone in between. The only piece that didn't really jibe with me was Metzler's piece on how he had a crush on Terra from New Teen Titans and how she "betrayed" him, or something, which was full parallels between that and his first dealings with the opposite sex as an adolescent. I'm understandably smitten with Jonathan Lethem's bit on Kirby (let's just say I adore Lethem and leave it at that), but I enjoyed reading about comics I have no connection to whatsoever, like Alex Ross's Uncle Sam. Howe pulled together very different writers talking about very different comics and comics-related endeavors, but the work never seems disjointed - the juxtaposition of Dr. Strange, Tintin and Yummy Fur works well and comes across much better than single essays trying to sum up all comics have to offer in a shorter space.

Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched To Their Limits by Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd... Ok. I’m cheating a bit here. One could easily read this book for the Police Comics reprints contained inside, but that reader would be missing out. What Jack Cole and Plastic Man lacks in text, it makes it up in sheer content. The text itself is fascinating, but the accompanying illustrations provide just as much to Spiegelman and Kidd’s study of Cole. Originally, Jack Cole and Plastic Man started out as a piece for The New Yorker (or was it the modified version in Playboy, or am I misremembering entirely?), which is where I first came across Cole. I came across Plastic Man, the character, at a much younger age, but never really gave him (or his creator) much thought. When I first read piece in The New Yorker, I had so tired of superhero comics (and comics in general) that the article only worked on me as a chronicle of a troubled artist. On that level, the book works well, but it works even better as a study of the man’s art. The illustrations provide as much insight into Cole’s work as the accompanying text, and the reprinted Police Comics stories are added bonuses that demonstrate points made in the text.

Nelson George's Hip Hop America and the already outdated Vibe History of Hip Hop are books I reread or flip through often, respectively. George's book doesn't go into the timeline-centered pop culture histories one often finds, but rather presents a series of essays on hip hop, ranging from the early "emerging markets" system of quasi-exploitation to hip hop in the marketing realm to the media's relationship with hip hop and back to why George fell in love with hip hop in the first place. If one wants to go beyond the mere history of hip hop, George's book is mandatory reading. The Vibe History of Hip Hop is by no means essential reading - it's primarily a scattershot look at the trends and artists of the genre presented like longer magazine articles. Still, it's coffee-table sized, so it's right next to The Smithsonian Book of Books and some others on my coffee table. Also, journalist and poet Greg Tate provides a tight, insightful conclusion that takes a look at where hip hop might be going that borders on precognition.

Also somewhat outdated is Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes by John Pierson. Unlike other film-related books, this deals more with the author's experience with the subjects rather than their actual works, but it's written in a carefree, easily read style. Perhaps I find more in it than others, judging by the Amazon reviews, because I've spent the last three or so years working in the marketing/programming side of the television industry, so it hits some notes with which I'm familiar. What's nice about it - and the reason I picked it up in the first place - is the discussion on the early viewings and marketings of Spike Lee's films. I'm kind of a Spike Lee junkie, I must admit.

Phoebe Hoban's Basquiat: A Quick Killing In Art is as much about the artist as it is about his work (probably moreso, indeed), but it's fitting - Basquiat didn't just make art, he lived it (Christ, I can't believe I just typed that). What I mean to say is, a book just going over the technical aspects and aesthetics of his work would be far more dry than this book; the personal touches not only give insight into his work, but provide narrative strength to what might otherwise be a bland discussion of places and paintings. Also, if you're more of a movie person, I'd suggest renting Basquiat, which is one of my all-time favorite movies.