An Enemy of the People by Tosh Berman

 

An Enemy of the People

The Important Albums and Singles from 1984 for Tosh

 

Finishing up the Twenties and going into being 30-years old in 1984. And living the bachelor life in Hollywood, both West, and Central. The number one album for me at that time was David Sylvian's (of Japan) first solo album "Brilliant Trees." I remember feeling excited about the possibility of the release of this album. In my mind, this album is going to be a masterpiece. And to this day, I feel it is an important work from a pop star turning into a more serious sort of music artist. Embracing world music, and surrounding himself with very forward-thinking musicians this is an album that didn't disappoint me. Also, my real introduction to Scott Walker took place with the release of "Climate of the Hunter," which I wrote about earlier. I also bought my first Prince album "Purple Rain," and clearly this is an extraordinary talent that seems to have a hold on the entire music world at the time. I was working at the record store, and everyone there loved Prince and this album. The dicey area now approaches with Malcolm McClaren's "Fans," his aural approach of mixing opera with pop. Not bad for a total non-musician such as Malcolm. One can argue about the quality of this album, but there is something brilliant in its concept, plus having Jeff Beck on the record as well. Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy" struck me at the time as a very beautiful and moving song about being on the outside of the social world - - meaning if you are Gay on a very hostile planet. "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood was a fave of mine, just due to the obvious hype and presentation. Also, another version of Gay culture came upon my world due to this song and Bronski Beat. The other 'gay' presence is The Smiths. I have always preferred the Smiths compilations to the actual album releases. "Hatful of Hollow" is a fantastic collection of b-sides and single releases of this once remarkable band. - Tosh Berman

June 8, 2014

June 8, 2014

In the 1970s, I lived in the Fallingwater residence that was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  The one thing that was impressive was that one could not avoid the great man’s personality while living there.  It was a structure that was the property of nature, but only symbolically so.  The thing with nature, and why I do not love the natural world, is that it always wins in the end, especially when the human element tries to control it.  The only music that I find that fits the personality of the structure is music by Edmundo Rivero, whose tango ballads fits the temperament of the place.  After awhile the beauty of the location and the building, itself got to me.  It made me feel depressed and anxious at the same time.  A bad cocktail for me. 

Wright I imagine, thought he was contributing to nature, but wasn’t he trying to control or stamp his individuality over the environment?  I can understand the urges of the Kaufman family in owning the property and having a structure over a waterfall, or to be honest, on top of the waterfall.  Even that strikes me as offensive, to be on top of a magnificent imagery of wildness and power.  The flow of water is so powerful, yet to have a structure over it, says one, that yes we have control over nature.  On top of that, living here I not only have to be under the influence of Wright, but also the Kaufman family who has their own concerns regarding the room size of their three bedrooms as well as kitchen space.  And what does one do with human waste that goes through this structure to somewhere else in the natural world. 

The only book I brought with me on this stay was a copy of George Orwell’s “1984,” because I haven’t read it yet, and I feel that since I was going to be stuck in this part of the world and this specific structure, I needed a book that somewhat expresses the way the world was heading towards.  As a writer I’m obsessed with how language is utilized in the mainstream media, and both the Orwell book and Marshall McLuhan’s “Understanding Media” expresses the anxiety of how language becomes a tool of sorts.  As I sat on a chair designed by Wright, looking outside a window designed by Wright, I sometimes wonder if Wright himself didn’t design the landscape outside the window as well. 

In the late 1990s I read about Christopher McCandless, and I was impressed that he sort of took nature as not as a partner, but that it was a world that could not be reproduced in a human sensibility.  The fact that he went into the wilderness without a map, appears to me to be the only way to wander into another world.  Compared to Wright’s attention and relationship to nature, I can clearly understand McCarndless’ desire to be part of, and eventually be blotted out by the natural world.  Also the fact that he stripped all his belongs and even identity (took the name Alexander Supertramp), to be in a sense a forgotten man, but not even forgotten, a presence that wasn’t there.  Or perhaps he wanted to be part of nature, similar to Wright, but refused to be equal to the magnificent yet horrifying world of nature.