Showing posts with label Novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Novel. Show all posts

Monday, November 4, 2019

Me & Mr. Cigar

Sometimes a "cigar" is just a "Mr."...

From the wild and wonderful mind of Gibby Haynes, world-famous 
Butthole Surfers front man/lyricist and self-proclaimed eternal Texan adolescent, comes the surreal tale of seventeen-year-old 
Oscar Lester and his trusted dog, Mr. Cigar.

"This book is so wild, so mind-blowing, so much fun to read, that I almost forgot it was fiction! (It is fiction, right? Mega-giant tech companies aren't really in cahoots with the government, right? Flying alien creatures aren't really mistaken for lawnmowers . . . right? Please, tell me this is fiction!) Fast-paced, brilliantly funny, irreverent, clever . . . AND it's illustrated? Me and Mr. Cigar is the quintessential teen read, and ipso facto a must-read for adults, too!"
Garth Stein, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Elevator PitchGibby Haynes, the front man of the legendary and genre-defying psychedelic rock band, the Butthole Surfers, has written a YA novel about a boy and his dog. Wait . . . what?

Long Play Version: Me and Mr. Cigar (Soho Teen | January 14th, 2020) is the wonderfully weird debut YA from psychedelic rock legend Gibby Haynes. It is as strange as you might imagine, more surreal than you would expect, and will move you in ways you could never anticipate. Part road trip, part coming-of-age, and part redemption, Me and Mr. Cigar takes Oscar Lester and his best friend/enforcer/magical pet dog, Mr. Cigar on a journey to save Oscar's sister, Rachel, who has been abducted by a sinister cabal for reasons unknown. Along the way, Oscar encounters ultra-secret technology, agents of the US government, super-wealthy corporate interests, and nefarious art dealers. But his motive to save Rachel always comes back to his dog. Five years earlier, Mr. Cigar bit off Rachel's hand, and she's been estranged from them ever since. In other words, this is YA the Gibby Haynes way.
It might seem strange that Haynes, once known as "The Weirdest Man in Showbusiness" for his lurid lyrics and intense stage presence, would set out to write a book for kids. But take a closer look at the surreal and often darkly comedic lyrics of the Butthole Surfers, and you'll see it all makes perfect sense. Haynes is a natural storyteller. He is a Texan, after all.
Haynes is also a visual artist, a music teacher, and the father of a young son. Butthole Surfers fans will find plenty of Haynes's specific brand of weird to rejoice over in Me and Mr. Cigar, but readers will also find the heart and earnestness of a devoted father and mentor. And his (?) dog-loving bonafides are evident on nearly every page. What's to lose? Take the trip.
Listen to Zach Galifianakis reading an early version of Me and Mr. Cigar
"It takes a book as hilarious, bizarre, profane, and heartfelt as Me & Mr. Cigar to truly convey the surreality of coming of age as a teenage boy. This book hit this former teenage boy and new dog owner right in the heart, by way of the gut."
- Jeff Zentner, Morris Award-winning author of 
The Serpent King and Goodbye Days
"In the book world we call it 'magical realism.' In the music world they call it 'psychedelic rock.' Gibby Haynes is very good at both, which he proves with his brilliant first novel Me and Mr. Cigar. This novel has it all: glimpses into Haynes's Texas childhood and teen years, a touch of his distinctive surrealism, and a heartfelt story which makes it a very good read."
- Blake Nelson, author of Girl and Recovery Road

"I felt like I was diving into a YA written by Thomas Pynchon. It was a dang blast!"
- Geoff Herbach, bestselling author of Stupid Fast

Monday, February 26, 2018

Blonde Oprah

Mrs. Which, I Presume...
Oprah Winfrey
She's back and she's blonde, get used to it. That's correct peeps Oprah Winfrey is giving you blonde ambition in her latest opus A Wrinkle in Time. She plays a character named Mrs. Which, is she a good one, or a bad one? We will find out on March 9th, unless you have read the novel, well then I assume you already know the answer.

For those of us unfamiliar like me here is the storyline:

"Following the discovery of a new form of space travel as well as Meg's father's disappearance, she, her brother, and her friend must join three magical beings - Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which - to travel across the universe to rescue him from a terrible evil"

Sounds pretty standard, but here is the ahem, wrinkle that makes this guy want to go see it:

"The movie, is about what it means to be a source of light in a world in which darkness seems only to proliferate. It also makes the case for thinking independently when conformity is the norm." 

Yes the perfect antidote to the times we live in.

Oprah is quoted, saying:  

“I felt like we were making the new Wizard of Oz for another generation.”

Color me very intrigued...Blonde Oprah on a Blue Monday indeed!

A Wrinkle in Time on the WWW:

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Darlene Love: 20 Feet From Stardom

Darlene Love
"Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea these singers are or what lives they lead, until now" -
So goes the IMDB synopsis for the Documentary "20 Feet From Stardom" starring one of my favorite people Darlene Love, who jumped those "20 Feet" and became a star and legend that was recently inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall Of Fame.
Love has been called the "world's most famous backup singer," but has also appeared on Broadway and in films — most notably as Trish Murtaugh in all four "Lethal Weapon" films. " She hosts a Christmas special in New York City every year, and Harper Collins released her new novel, "My Name is Love," on June 4. She's currently performing in an Australian production of "FAME" as the musical's lead performer.
"People in the biz always give you a lot of lip service about what you should do, but when it comes time to put the bucks down on the table everybody disappears" - Darlene Love
This is an excerpt from and interview I did with Ms. Love about her upcoming (and out now) CD "Concert of Love"- you can read it here:
The movie has received glowing reviews and I for one can not wait to go this week with some comp tickets I got courtesy of Deep Dish!
check out the one and only Darlene Love at: http://darleneloveworld.com/
Find out where "20 Feet From Stardom" is playing near you at: