Tosh Berman: Writer & Publisher Blog: The World of Tosh Berman, Thursday, June 17, 2021 (The Ventures in Japan)

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Tosh Berman on The Ventures in Japan. Enka, sadness, and the electric guitar.

Favorite Books at the Moment

“Another Ventriloquist” by Adam Penn Gilders (J &L Books)
“Curl” by T.O.Bobe (Wakefield Press)
“Death Valley Superstars: Occasionally Fatal Adventues in Filmland” by Duke Haney
“Ennio Morricone: In His Own Words” by Morricone and Alessandro De Rosa (Oxford University Press)
“Head-to-Toe Portrait of Suzanne” by Roland Topor (Atlas Press)
“I’ve Seen the Future and I’m Not Going: The Art Scene and Downtown New York in the 1980s” by Peter McGough (Pantheon Books)
“In Black and White” by Junichiro Tanizaki (Columbia University Press)
“Intelligence for Dummies: Essays and Other Collected Writings” by Glenn O’Brien (ZE Books)
“Life for Sale” by Yukio Mishima (Penguin Classics)
“Mac’s Problem” by Enrique Vila-Matas (New Directions)
“Nada” by Jean-Patrick Manchette (NYRB)
“Punk Rock is Cool for the End of the World” by Ed Smith
“Rebel Rebel” & “Ashes to Ashes” by Chris O’Leary
“The Alley of Fireflies and Other Stories” by Raymond Roussel (Song Cave)
“The Artificial Silk Girl” by Irmgard Deun (Penguin Classics)
“The Man Without Talent” by Yoshiharu Tsuge (NYRB)
“The Orchid Stories” by Kenward Elmslie (Song Cave)
“The Sundays of Jean Dézert” by Jean de La Ville de Mirmont (Wakefield Press)
“Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish: Essays” by Tom McCarthy (NYRB)
“When I Was a Wolf: Outlaw Takes on Fables and Fairy Tales” by Shuji Terayama (Kurodahan Press)
“Year of the Monkey” by Patti Smith (Knopf)

Tosh's favorite recordings while working in its office

Annette Peacock - “I’m The One” (Future Days Recordings) Reissue, 2016
Daevid Allen - “Banana Moon” (Get Back) Reissue, 1999
David Bowie - “Mercury Demos” (Parlophone) 2019
Extended Organ - “Vibe” (Important Records) 2019
Giles, Giles and Fripp - “The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp” (Cherry Red) Reissue, 2013
Henry Cowell - “The Piano Music of Henry Cowell” (Folkways Records) 1963
Jean-Pierre Melville - “Bandes Originales 1956-1963” (Jeanne Dielman) 2018
Kenny Graham and his Satellites - “Moondog and Suncat (Trunk Records) 2010
Lesley Gore - “Boys, Boys, Boys” (Mercury) 1964
Manfred Mann - “Soul of Mann (Instrumentals) - (Umbrella)
Mark Hollis - “Mark Hollis” (Universal) 2011
Matthew Edwards and The Unfortunates - “The Birmingham Poets” (December Square) 2019
Mortimer - “Mortimer” (Philips) 1968
Sparks - “Gratuitous Sax & Seseless Violins” (BMG) 2019
Talk Talk - “Spirit of Eden” (Parlophone)
The Graham Bond Organization - “The Sound of 65” b/w “There’s A Bond Between Us” (Edsel Records)
The Soft Machine “Jet-Propelled Photographs” (Replay) Reissue, 2018
Twice as Much - “Own Up” (Outline Records) 1982

Thursday, June 17, 2021