Book learning #88 Things the grandchildren should know by Mark Oliver Everett

The Eels are easily in my top five all time favourite bands. I am almost unable to fault any of the output of the past twenty years. Not only that, but I have found some crazy levels of personal and moral inspiration from the words uttered and written by Mr E. 

Seeing the band recently was one of the highlights of my gig going life. The evening was absolutely perfect, driving through a cold unseasonally wintery March evening to see them following a profoundly shitty day at a job I could not stand. I had yet to hear the latest album  so the gig was made the better by having to carefully listen to songs to see if I approved.

I approved.

Quite frankly, at my age, I should know better, very much better.

But, really, why concern myself with aging and all that is supposed to go with it?

I got this book for my birthday and read it swiftly. It covers the full run of human existence and offers some gorgeous nuggets of advice to any wannabe creative type. It is written in the style of the lyrics and accordingly, is a true joy to behold and enjoy.

book Learning 31:Mr Nice. An Autobiography. By Howard Marks.

Mr Nice. An Autobiography. By Howard Marks.

Upon the birth of Henry I was advised by my brother to get into some good airport reading. He told me that I wouldn't get much time or energy for anything too taxing or too interesting. He was mostly right.
I'd seen my mum read this a few years ago, It was very much a must read for the New Lad brigade back in the UK in the Nineties.
Alright, I'll give it a try.
Marks can tell a good story and he's clearly an intelligent guy. The drawback occurs when it soon becomes obvious that it's variations on the same story over a number of years. I'm also such a book-slut that if the book doesn't hold me well enough me from start to finish I'm soon pondering my next read.
An entertaining read, I guess that's why so many stoners have managed to plough through it. A romantic read with a bunch of fascinating underworld characters getting into scrapes involving the smuggling of massive ammounts of marajuana and hash around the world.

And nobody really got hurt.

Yeah?

I wonder about that. This isn't the place for my views on drugs but Marks does a superb job on glossing over his criminal activities. For him it's a life's adventure in a foggy cloud of false passports and close calls with The Man.

By the end I was getting quite excited about his ineviatble 'bust'.
By the end it was rather like listening to that lovable yet repetitive stoner friend who cannot quite remember the punchline to the story they were telling you.