'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'

I was a 12-year-old when I saw Sinéad O'Connor rip a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live. It was weird only because I didn’t really think much of her music and I didn’t understand the political and religious tension in Ireland of that time or the past 300 years. 

I remember being “outraged” because I equated the Pope with “goodness.” I remember others being outraged and Joe Pesci saying he would have “smacked” her if he were host and ripping a photograph of O’Connor.

Yet, 21 years after the fact, O’Connor’s action makes a lot more sense. I wonder if people, generally, feel differently about ripping the photo knowing what we know of the Catholic church? Neither O’Connor or the church have done well since.

Despite their own “outrage,” NBC did not cut away from O’Connor nor did they edit the West Coast feed. They could not buy that kind of coverage.

'Supa Dupa Fly'

What we talk about when we talk about Missy Elliott is where the hell she is. 

For a decade, there was no hotter hip-hop artist in the United States, man or woman. She had five platinum albums (including Supa Dupa Fly) and then around 2010 she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and she has since fallen off the face of the Earth.

That’s a relative statement. For the most famous female rapper in the world, she was relegated to making appearances on music specials about other artists (Aaliyah, Timbaland … two folks probably more responsible for Elliott’s career) and producing.

She has a new album in the chamber and has released some singles here and there. Still, it’s as if Elvis has left the building.

'Miss Lonelyhearts'

Odd that I looked for this really short novel for ages and could never find it. Got it at a random used bookstore in Austin. Then proceeded to see no less than 100 copies around town.

Being an advice columnist is probably a well-paid – maybe overpaid – gig; however, I would think it’s a very monotonous and high-pressure job. You probably get 1,000 letters (maybe?) and you pick two a day to write about. So you can pick what you want to talk about.

But after day No. 100, doesn’t it all start to run together and you wonder how people don’t figure out that rule No. 1 is to always tell the truth and be open with your feelings.

See, I could be an advice columnist.

'Fly Or Die'

This album was my introduction to the producer extraordinaire Pharrell, who before this was just a name associated with the production team of The Neptunes. 

Honestly, couldn’t be less impressed. Expecting a bombastic hip-hop record, I got a rock record, which sounds eerily like Lenny Kravitz. The rock record was one thing. Sounding like Kravitz was quite another (Kravitz himself has a guest vocal on the album).

It’s not until the recently released Daft Punk single “Get Lucky” that I saw that Pharrell actually had a little soul. And he didn’t even need to learn to play the drums to do it.  

'The Glass Key'

Allegedly Dashiell Hammett’s favorite novel, it is the final of his for the 1,001 list. I’ve enjoyed all of his novels and have taken a liking to the crime genre.

It’s served as the source to a number of adaptations in addition to an inspiration for the Coen brothers’ Miller’s Crossing. It’s also the namesake of the Glass Key Award, an honor bestowed on the author of the top crime novel in Scandinavia. 

So long, Dashiell. 

'All The Pretty Horses'

I’ve read a couple of novels from Cormac McCarthy and this is by far my favorite. The setting of southwest Texas and Mexico set before the downfall of the great ranches in Texas is perfectly painted by the author. The plot of two young men seeking to turn their back on an uncertain and foreign future is equally as exciting. 

All the Pretty Horses is the first book of the “Border Trilogy” and I can’t wait to read the remaining two installments.