Book gives glimpse into mind of former critic Pauline Kael
Ryan Bornheimer
Senior Pulse Reporter
Book review
Pauline Kael is arguably the most
studied and celebrated film critic of
all time, praised by many as one of
the few writers to elevate the act of
criticism to an art form.
Kael was film critic for The New
Yorker throughout the 1970s and
1980s. Since her retirement in
1991, many have wondered what
she’d think of the current state of
filmmaking. Sporadic interviews
have offered some insights, but
since her death from Parkinson’s
disease in 2000, many believed we’d
never get another analysis from Kael
herself. But one last glimpse of the
brilliance of her observations is of
fered in the book “Afterglow: A Last
Conversation with Pauline Kael by
Francis Davis.”
During her tenure at The New
Yorker, Kael became as much a part
of the 1970s film scene as the film
makers themselves. She showed an
uncanny ability to recognize those
directors who would become some
of the premiere voices of the era, in
cluding Steven Spielberg, Robert Alt
man and Martin Scorsese. In the
days before opening weekend gross
es defined success, a glowing review
from Kael could rocket a film to a
higher level.
Davis’ book is a short and sweet
collection of conversations with
Kael recorded in 2000. It should be
noted that this book does not offer a
comprehensive examination of
movies, but is instead just what the
title implies. Though the book offers
Kael’s thoughts on current filmmak
ers such as Quentin Tarantino and
Paul Thomas Anderson, it is more
or less a final glimpse into the mind
that created some of the most inci
sive film essays ever written.
Though the book contains the last
published thoughts of the writer, it
actually emerges as a good introduc
tion to Kael as a person. We learn
that Kael was a woman far ahead of
her time. For instance, we find that
the father of Kael’s daughter, Gina,
was not one of her three husbands,
but a gay friend and poet named
Janies Broughton. This was in the
1950s, long before David Crosby
and Melissa Etheridge made head
lines for a similar arrangement.
It’s obvious from certain passages
that movies eventually took a back
seat to the full-time job of fighting
her illness. In terms of films,
though, Davis reveals that Kael
thought American Beauty was over
rated and Three Kings was unjustly
overlooked by critics. Some of her
recent favorites also included High
Fidelity, Magnolia and The Matrix.
Though the book’s style is easy
going and enjoyable, it’s a little
frustrating how much time Davis
gives to Kael’s thoughts on current
television shows, instead of push
ing for more thoughts on movies.
Regardless, the work is a must for
Kael fans and first-timers alike.
For the best examples of Kael’s
film essays, check out “For Keeps”
and “5001 Nights at the Movies.”
Contact the senior Pulse reporter
atryanbornheimer@dailyemerald.com.
A f t 5? G t o, w :
; <' P<i i L/?s, fy fp;. ■
S’KAV* 15s
Luaka Bop continues to ‘expand the mind’ with world music
Music review
Aaron Shakra
Pulse Reporter
You can never quite pin down
what New York’s Luaka Bop
Records is going to release next.
However, diversity, in the best pos
sible sense of the word, still reigns.
The label’s history goes back to
the late 1980s, David Byrne and
his former band, the Talking
Heads. Byrne had long been re
leasing side projects complement
ing Talking Heads albums, but
when he signed a solo contract
with Warner Brothers Records,
one stipulation was the creation of
his own label. Luaka Bop was
the result.
For the past decade or so, Lua
ka Bop has signed a cadre of
unique recording artists from all
corners of the world — from the
“hick-hop” folk sounds of the
Florida-based artist Jim White to
the Brazilian, tropicalia-infused
pop of Tom Z6. The label has also
released a steady stream of com
plications of hitherto unknown
forms of music — from Brazil,
Africa, Cuba, Brooklyn, Peru
and India.
Luaka Bop releases approach
music as a form of art capable of
inspiring the listener’s mind and
body. If it weren’t for the label’s
existence, it’s unlikely some of this
music would ever be heard by a
wide audience. The label has been
incredibly successful in giving lis
teners a context for the music’s
political, historical and cultural
roots. This is especially notable in
the compilations. In “I Hate World
Music,” a 1999 article Byrne wrote
for The New York Times (also
available at the Luaka Bop Web
site, www.luakabop.eom), Byrne
said: “The term is a catchall that
commonly refers to non-Western
music of any and all sorts ... It’s a
marketing as well as a pseudomu
sical term.”
In the late 1980s and early
1990s, Byrne himself put together
Luaka Bop’s first compilations,
and only recently has returned to
this occupation again. He com
piled Luaka Bop’s two most recent
releases, “Cuisine Non-Stop” and
“The Only Blip Hop Record You
Will Ever Need, Vol. 1.”
“Cuisine Non-Stop” is subtitled
as an “Introduction to the French
Nouvelle Generation.” The genre is
steeped in the traditions of
afrobeat, funk and musette music.
The artists are contemporary, but
an awareness of history contributes
to their identity and music. Some
tracks are sung in multiple lan
guages; some of the tongues are
Luaka Bop releases
approach music as a
form of art capable of
inspiring the listener's
mind and body.
hardly spoken anymore. The no
table tracks are “Naive Derviche” by
Arthur H, which is a seven-plus
minute musical movement brim
ming with horns and strings and
Louise Attaque’s “De Nord Au Sud,”
a song that flirts and saunters with
the fleeting, beautiful immediacy of
life in just a few short minutes.
“The Only Blip Hop Record You
Will Ever Need, Vol. 1,” is diametri
cally opposed to “Cuisine,” but no
less creative. The album is filled with
electronic music of the strangest or
der. This doesn’t equate to typical
repetitive, techno-house beat fare,
but rather, samples, mixed and
matched with odd rhythms and the
occasional human voice.
“Blip Hop” is a joint effort with the
International Center for Compara
tive Sound, which, according to its
Web site at www.compara
tivesound.com, “exists in order to
catalog, classify, quantify and com
pare all varieties of recorded sound.”
The great thing about these com
plications is that they act as a
launching point to explore any of
the artists. Each track has the po
tential to lead the listener to dis
cover hordes of new and different
musicians.
Although Luaka Bop is an inde
pendent label, its music is distrib
uted by Virgin Records. This means
these releases should be easy to find
at most record stores.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
Our prices rock!
1 bye8#V
\ textbook
/superstore
www.half.com/textbooks
Intro to Economics
Intro to Psychology
Intro to Literature
College Writing Skills
Principles of Marketing
Retail
Price
$190:50
$77:50
$55.00
$49:60
$89.33
Price on
Half.com
$40.00
$7.60
$5.40
$19.00
$47.00
*
‘15 off
$50 purchase*
Enter promo code
"TEXT2003"
in your shopping cart
Coupon Expires 2/15/03
Copyright 2003 Half.com, Inc. Half.com and the Half.com logo are service marks of Half.com, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. All prices are as of 11/25/02 and are subject to change.
Quantities, pricing and availability are not guaranteed and will vary due to supply and demand. * First-time buyers only. Limited time offer; excludes shipping and handling; offer subject to change or terminate without prior notice.