"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

My nanny and best friend when I was a tiny feller was a Collie. Saved my arm getting torn off in a wringer washer when I was a preschool too. They had to put her outside if the wanted to spank me.

Good for the dog and glad it all worked out for dog and kid.
 
orca8589 said:
Dwight Yoakam?! Are you serious? That never occurred to me. Or I'm old & just forgot.

Dang, for a singer turned actor, he sure did a good job as a villain.

~Chris
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We just watched a movie titled "all the pretty horses" . It took me a bit to recognize one of the actors. Lucas Black, he played Frank Wheatly in Sling Blade. I think some of the traditional folks may enjoy the movie All the pretty horses.
 
I like Dwight. He reminds me of Buck Owens (God rest his soul). Ironic, Buck had a hit called "Act Naturally". Seems Dwight was listening.

[youtube]fOpgL4mqEis[/youtube]
 
ken erickson said:
We just watched a movie titled "all the pretty horses" . It took me a bit to recognize one of the actors. Lucas Black, he played Frank Wheatly in Sling Blade. I think some of the traditional folks may enjoy the movie All the pretty horses.
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The "Border Trilogy" (three books including the above title) by Cormac McCarthy is a very fine and worthwhile read and represents some of the best American writing in the past 25 years or so.

Highly recommended.
 
Blues said:
The "Border Trilogy" (three books including the above title) by Cormac McCarthy is a very fine and worthwhile read and represents some of the best American writing in the past 25 years or so.

Highly recommended.
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Yup - there's even knife content (of the violent type) in that series. I won't reveal any spoilers, though. Ya'll that haven't yet, need to read the series for yourselves.

Anything by Cormac McCarthy is good. :thumbup:

~Chris
 
orca8589 said:
Yup - there's even knife content (of the violent type) in that series. I won't reveal any spoilers, though. Ya'll that haven't yet, need to read the series for yourselves.

Anything by Cormac McCarthy is good. :thumbup:

~Chris
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I think I've read everything by McCarthy but maybe one or two of his earliest works. Blood Meridian remains a favorite and one I think would also appeal to our forum members.

In a survey by the New York Times Book Review a few years back, the Border Trilogy and Blood Meridian were both selected as "runners up" in the list of best American novels of the past 25 years.
I'd have to agree.
 
texasflyfisher said:
I like Dwight. He reminds me of Buck Owens (God rest his soul). Ironic, Buck had a hit called "Act Naturally". Seems Dwight was listening.
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Buck Owens was Dwight's idol and who he patterned his style after. They got to be friends as I recall and played together. Watch the video for "Streets of Bakersfield" and you can see they are having fun together. I think Dwight introduced a new generation to Buck Owens.
 
I've got quite a few cd's by Dwight Yoakam. I really like his style. (Though I haven't kept up with his most recent releases.)
 
Blues said:
I think I've read everything by McCarthy but maybe one or two of his earliest works. Blood Meridian remains a favorite and one I think would also appeal to our forum members.

In a survey by the New York Times Book Review a few years back, the Border Trilogy and Blood Meridian were both selected as "runners up" in the list of best American novels of the past 25 years.
I'd have to agree.
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I'm working through Blood Meridian now. It's my second Cormac McCarthy book, the first was The Road. McCarthy is a gifted writer and storyteller, but I can only read his work in small doses. His stuff is just so dark, I can't take too much of it in one sitting. I think I've been reading Blood Meridian for three months now.
 
kamagong said:
I'm working through Blood Meridian now. It's my second Cormac McCarthy book, the first was The Road. McCarthy is a gifted writer and storyteller, but I can only read his work in small doses. His stuff is just so dark, I can't take too much of it in one sitting. I think I've been reading Blood Meridian for three months now.
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That's a long time to put into one book, Christian. I agree that McCarthy explores some dark themes in his work but there are lots of good insights (and even touching moments) as well.
Well worth the effort imho though I think I'd have difficulty maintaining the continuity of a novel over a protracted period of time.
 
It's not the only book I've been reading. Since I started Blood Meridian I've polished off A River Runs Through It, Theodore Rex, and Swiss Family Robinson. (All good books BTW, I recommend them) But you're right, it is a long time to read a book.

- Christian
 
ken erickson said:
We just watched a movie titled "all the pretty horses" . It took me a bit to recognize one of the actors. Lucas Black, he played Frank Wheatly in Sling Blade. I think some of the traditional folks may enjoy the movie All the pretty horses.
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I didn't recognize Lucas Black in "All the Pretty Horses", but did spot him in "Get Low"- a pretty good movie starring Robert Duval and Bill Murray. I kept thinking, "What have I seen him in?" Then it dawned on me that he was the boy in "Slingblade".

Blues said:
I agree that McCarthy explores some dark themes in his work but there are lots of good insights (and even touching moments) as well.
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For some reason, the scene from "The Road" where they find a can of Coke and the man gives it to the son, really hit me harder than anything I'd read in a long time. Very touching.

I love everything I've read by Cormac McCarthy. If there's a better living American writer, I don't know who it is. I tore through "The Road" - almost couldn't put it down for meals and sleep. "Blood Meridian" is an absolutely great book. The best, most powerful western I've ever read. I heard somewhere that it's being made into a movie.

"No Country for Old Men" and "The Border Trilogy" were also great. Although he does touch on dark subjects, he has a writing style that is very pleasing to me. I wish I spoke Spanish, as I had to skip over parts of these books. I never lost the track of the story, but wish I could understand every word. I like the fact that he doesn't interpret the Spanish dialogue. He also uses very sparing punctuation, never uses quotation marks, and often doesn't give his characters names. Nothing is present that isn't essential to the story.

I recently watched "The Sunset Limited" by Cormac McCarthy on HBO. It's a pretty good play/movie if you're interested in trivial matters such as the meaning of life, the existence of God, and stuff like that. No guns, horses or knives, just two men with opposing views in a room talking.

I just realized how much I had written. I'm no literary critic, but if you haven't read any of his stuff, you're missing out on pure gold.
 
All this talk about literature. Shameless self promotion here; I am a fiction writer. Some of my stories are on my blog along with some nonfiction and a link to some old folky music and new rocky music my friend and I record for fun. Some of which has been featured here thanks to Ash.

unemployedimagination.blogspot.com

I put up a very eclectic group of stories, so if you hate one, you might like another, give it a go. Based on my (potentially incorrect) assumptions, I'm guessing the following stories would go over well with this crowd:

Liar - a funny piece
Hidden - a war story
Trim it Out - a story based on things my Paupa told me about his experiences in WWII
Fishing - fishing as metaphor for life
Dinner with the Mercers - response to a Harold Brodkey story and the first story I had published

That would be a good way to start...some of the others are more abstract. I'd appreciate it if you gave it a look, and especially if you leave a comment or sign up to follow the blog. -End Shameless Self Promotion-

(At least I put it in the right spot this time, Elliot) ;)

Cheers.
 
In light of the earlier discussion of "Westerns"...the book Deadwood by Pete Dexter is well worth a read.

A well written historical novel with some very wry humor. and pathos (as well as a number of highly recognizable characters).
 
Nearly everything: Classical, Jazz, Christian, Fusion and Rock . . . just not country & western.

Although I can appreciate some of the talent in that genre, it's just not for me.
 
coniferwoodsman said:
What do you Traditional Guys listen to?
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I go in for all sorts of music: Old jazz, like hard bop and bebop, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, John Coltrane, that sort of thing as well as Louis Armstrong, Ellington and the like. But then there's all the 80's and 90's punk and alt rock that I grew up with. Stuff like the Pixies, Warsaw, Dead Kennedys etc.. All that, plus a ton of Jamaican rocksteady and ska from the 60's on up, and then there's the classics: Black Sabbath, Zep, Doors, Hendrix.

Does that fit your concept of what a traditional dude listens to?
 
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