To love a Hart means to love the late Owen, too, and his tale was told in a song named after him by Manhattan Murder Mystery, whose live shows have been compared to battle royales.

When I called Highland Park in Los Angeles home, I would ride the Metro to work and listen to Razorcake’s podcast, and that’s where I first heard Manhattan Murder Mystery. They’ve been called folk, maybe because singer and rhythm guitarist Matthew Teardrop plays a harmonica, they’ve been called punk, because that’s the scene they’ve been a part of and ethic they’ve held, and they’ve been called folk punk, which I personally don’t see as accurate (and I used to work at the same coffeehouse as the Andrew Jackson Jihad guys, so, I know what’s up). I tend to agree with a bio I’ve read from the Manhattan Murder Mystery website, which simply states they are “a rock band.” 

While the band has had rousing working class rallies like “City Hall” from “Women House,” and romantic tragedies like “Luxury Liner” from “Dumb,” my first listen was specifically a song called “I Always Think About Dyin’” which is as about as bleak a punk song as the title suggests, and I mean gritty yet catchy early East Coast garage punk that would have made GG Allin proud (bubblegum era Jabbers GG, not poop era Murder Junkies GG). ​

Their fourth album, at a juncture where band members have moved apart and out of L.A., some starting families of their own (my first born was in the womb when his mother was alongside me at that aforementioned hostel show), may be the one that wins them their long overdue global praise. It is in no small part thanks to the powerhouse behind it, Chicago’s Steve “don’t call me a producer” Albini (the man behind Pixies “Surfer Rosa,” Nirvana “In Utero,” PJ Harvey “Rid of Me,” shall I go on?). And fitting for this main event attraction cheered by its fanatic following, this new release is entitled “Baby Wrestlemania,” with cover art in the style of Ghanian pulp cinema.

We get right into it with “Artie Lange,” the first track and a recollection of the comedian’s suicide attempt.

and I know I’m worse for wear
messed my mind up beyond repair 
so I stabbed myself in the stomach 
18 times

There is an intertextuality between songs that is reminiscent of another Albini recorded artist, the late Jason Molina with both his band Songs: Ohia and its album “Magnolia Electric Company,” and the follow up when the band changed its name to Magnolia Electric Company and released “What Comes After the Blues.” Phrases are carried on from song to song, in the title or otherwise, such as a variation on an “Artie Lange” lyric showing up as the second track’s title, “Messed Up Mind.” 
​
Like Molina, whose words were about the demons that he ultimately succumbed to, Teardrop sings about his struggles, surviving poverty and how hard most of us have it under capitalism and an increasingly emotionally detached society - “I’m Alone and Life Is Tough” finds the song’s protagonist without his true love and “covered in dirt and dust… holes in my shoes and shit in my lungs.” But despite the despair, Teardrop seems to find redemption or at least pride at weathering the storm. Where Molina had John Henry, Manhattan Murder Mystery has Jim Cornette at its folk hero, “Greensboro” chronicling the night the legendary wrestling manager fell off the scaffold at Starrcade ‘86.

I got a 20 foot drop 
between me and you 
And if I ever get out of Greensboro alive
I’m gonna dust myself off, do what a man’s gotta do

The band’s earlier work was often called “literary” -  I think even as the cultural references have shifted from James Joyce to Road Warrior Animal (see their video for “Dumb,” which gives a history of the world from Genesis/The Big Bang to “Charlie bit my finger!” to Skynet decimating humanity), what counts is the poignancy of relating it all to one’s personal life (to be fair, I’m an easy mark for this - the band’s video for “Too Tough To Survive” came out after I had moved away from L.A., and the sight of scene queen Karen Centerfold with a tambourine brought me to nostalgic tears).

Other songs’ geography includes Imperial County and East Hollywood, and then we arrive at “Bodybag,” the first single (with an accompanying bloody music video with messianic tendencies) which prompted me to text these lyrics to my family: 

bodybag, bodybag
forever in a body bag
Jesus died
then he came back 
and I’m stuck here in this sack

“Matthew Teardrop is the Bob Dylan of my generation,” I also texted them. (I know he hates this comparison, or at least, isn’t historically a Dylan fan.)

The penultimate track “Me and Brittany” is a haunting story of the narrator remembering a dead friend, driving her to pick up her boyfriend as he’s released from prison, and watching her family cry at her funeral. It’s in this song he mentions having a baby and naming it Wrestlemania.

But it’s the last track that shares the album title, and is ostensibly Teardrop sharing advice with his daughter so she has a happier life than he did before she came into it. (I’m not telling tales out of school, this was covered in a recent interview.) The song even kicks in sounding like Hulk Hogan is about to walk out to beat The Iron Sheik for the WWF title, followed by a more upbeat melody and good life suggestions we could all heed.

try to find someone you could love
when it comes down to push and to shove 
you might need someone to kiss and to hug 
you might need someone to hold your hand
don’t get stuck with someone you can’t stand

It’s been a long, sad, bloody road, but if this is Manhattan Murder Mystery’s drive into the sunset before Judgement Day, the Polaroid we are left with is as beautiful as an expectant Linda Hamilton. But I still believe in this band as our future. ​

Here is week 19 of Sam's reading journey, the metrics and first week can be found here

​The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (Editor), Ted Nasmith (Illustrator)

1. Intrigue: 
   1. If you are interested in the Lord of the Rings mythology, then you’ve probably already read this, or are planning to read this and you don’t need me to convince you. This is a must of any Tolkien fan. 
   2. If you are a light LOTR individual or even someone who doesn’t care for it that much BUT still interested in mythology, this is a really fun book. It’s sort of what all high fantasy fans want - a collection of world building - and that’s it. These collections of short stories give context and a deeper understanding to the ways of Middle Earth.
2. Writing style:
   1. I am not the right person to review Tolkien. I’m not from that era. I’ve only read four of his books - Hobbit and LOTR trilogy - and I’m much more interested in characters than world building in a narrative. That’s not to say I didn’t like the world building of the Silmarillion - that’s the point of the book - I just can’t get down with excess information that’s not pertinent to the plot. Pertinent information for depth of knowledge about the world is great, but the infamous chair description in Fellowship is the ultimate example of my distaste for the sentence and chapter level writing Tolkien does. I think the stories overall are fascinating, but diving into ancillary information in the middle of a story is not my thing. 
   2. However, the Silmarillion is a it more streamlined than it’s predecessors, and since the point of the book is to tell myths, the normally ancillary information no longer feels ancillary. So, I don’t know. I quite liked it at a closer level than I thought I would. 
3. Flow of Storytelling:
   1. See above. 
   2. Just kidding, though it is prevalent that these short myths are supposed to be about all the details that normally halt Tolkien’s texts to a screeching, almost book ending, halt. 
   3. Ultimately my ability to judge the flow is hampered by the fact that I listened to this, and for me, this was the wrong type of format to consume this content. I found myself so bored at times with the myths, and found that I had to take a break in order to reinvigorate my reading stamina. 
4. Re-readability 
   1. Infinitely. There is so much detail in these myths that one could always use a refresher on the lore of Middle Earth. Seriously. There’s so much info. 
5. TESS
   1. This book qualifies because I’m unsure if the audiobook format for The Silmarillion halted the reading flow, or if I’m just not the one to read Tolkien. 
   2. What makes this book that extra something special is it’s perfect for Middle Earth fans. Like I wrote previously, it is the type of ancillary stuff us nerds love - even if it’s difficult to get through. 

Final rating: ★★★★ = For Sure Absolutely Read This - but you might not like it. That’s okay too! I did.

​Artist’s Statement:
I have always photographed things that catch my eye, especially the more mundane or overlooked those things might be.  I am particularly drawn to views of nature, sky & ground, and abstracted details of objects found in urban settings.  This photograph was taken in winter waiting on a commuter train at the Belmont, MA station to get back into Boston.  I was struck by how beautiful the road salt became as it pooled and veined into crusty canals resembling marbled granite.

Here is week 18 of Sam's reading journey, the metrics and first week can be found here

Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

1. Intrigue 
   1. Anyone who wants further insight into how division by _____ social category starts and stays in current day society needs to read this book. 
   2. It is on all of us to understand the different perspectives of those around us. This book cannot hurt, only help. 
2. Writing style: 
   1. Plain and easy to read. THe organization of this book is wonderful. 
   2. Juicy quotes:
      1. “It is important to understand that the system of advantage is perpetuated when we do not acknowledge its existence.” 
      2. “For many people of color, learning to break the silence is a survival issue. To remain silent would be to disconnect from her own experience, to swallow and internalize her own oppression.The cost of silence is too high.”
3. Flow of Storytelling:
   1. Each chapter is so succinct, and to the point. There’s no real room for confusion if you are at all familiar with sociology. 
   2. However this book does not escape the curse of most work like it. It bogs down in places where research has to be heavily explained. While exceptionally important, this book doesn’t navigate the tricky waters of research that flows with ease. 
4. Re-readability 
   1. Yes. Please do. We should all be up to date with this. 
5. TESS 
   1. Does not qualify.

Final rating: Final Rating: ★★★★

Jesse Bradley wishes he can’t feel his face. Follow him on Instagram at questionabledecisioncomics. ​

Here is week 17 of Sam's reading journey, the metrics and first week can be found here

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jashar Awan (Illustrator)

1. Intrigue 
   1. An absolutely amazing commentary on life in America as an immigrant, an immigrant from Nigeria, and being a black woman, Adichie wrote a prolific piece of fiction. Americanah is ultimately an exceptional love story for life. Following the consternation and exhilaration of Ifemelu, readers will dive deeply into the intricacies of living in the States while being from somewhere else - a journey a lot of us folks could use. 
2. Writing style
   1. Not much to say here. It’s brilliant. Adichie at a sentence level is pure joy. 
   2. Juicy quote: 
      1. “The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish it was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think of myself as black and I only became black when I came to America. When you are black in America and you fall in love with a white person, race doesn’t matter when you’re alone together because it’s just you and your love. But the minute you step outside, race matters. But we don’t talk about it. We don’t even tell our white partners the small things that piss us off and the things we wish they understood better, because we’re worried they will say we’re overreacting, or we’re being too sensitive. And we don’t want them to say, Look how far we’ve come, just forty years ago it would have been illegal for us to even be a couple blah blah blah, because you know what we’re thinking when they say that? We’re thinking why the fuck should it ever have been illegal anyway? But we don’t say any of this stuff. We let it pile up inside our heads and when we come to nice liberal dinners like this, we say that race doesn’t matter because that’s what we’re supposed to say, to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable. It’s true. I speak from experience.”
3. Flow of storytelling
   1. The flow between the telling of Ifemelu’s story and her counterpart, Obinze, is smooth. Unlike Ayn Rand, Adichie doesn’t get caught up in the “point” of the story. Therefore the story doesn’t lull because it touches on such and such a topic. Every commentary Adichie gives swims with the story. She never manufactures something just so she can say her part. 
   2. The issue I had with the book, came about 60% through the book. The story started to drag and a great deal of “come on, get on with it” energy overtook me for about thirty-ish pages. 
4. Re-readability 
   1. This is such a well written book at a sentence level, and has amazing insights into life, that I genuinely think I’ll re-read it next year. It’s a powerful story. 
5. TESS
   1. Does not qualify. 

Final rating: Final Rating: ★★★★