Scott F. Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Widely considered the paragon of the ‘Great American Novel,’ the story is set during the roaring 1920’s in New York, and follows Nick Carraway’s interactions with the mysterious Jay Gatsby, his millionaire neighbor, who throws regular and elaborate parties, much to the speculation of his guests, most of whom turn up uninvited with little knowledge but much speculation about Gatsby and his fortune.
Despite receiving positive reviews on its initial publication, The Great Gatsby never saw commercial success during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, and it wasn’t until the 1960’s that its reputation was established.
justjos asked: Also the blunt rolled at Chronophonium by the river on top of Bleak House by Charles Dickens would have made for some excellent photos!
YES. I dunno if we took photos or not though…plus I haven’t read the book :S
Post it as a submission? Hahaa
justjos asked: Holy fuck you have House of Leaves, I want to read it so badly! Guess who =P
Deeeewwwwwwd, it’s pretty effin’ wild
Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
Listen: Blood Bank
Featuring a few recordings made during his time in the woods where he recorded his debut award-winning album, For Emma, Forever Ago. Bon Iver recently won a Grammy for ‘Best New Artist,’ for his self titled follow up.
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
House of Leaves, the debut novel by Mark Z. Danielewski is a love it or leave it type of affair, with a careful and well constructed plot that turns conventional storytelling on its head.
As a horror/love/(potentially)satire novel, the book follows Johnny Truant, who, while searching for a new place to live, finds the apartment of the recently deceased Zampano, a eccentric, blind old man who had been writing a novel before he died, called ‘The House of Leaves,’ a fictional record which details a set of investigations by a world renowned photojournalist (Will Navidson) and his family into the strange occurrences in their new home, eventually culminating in the appearance of a door in their living room that leads to hallways that stretch far beyond the size of the house itself. Johnny Truant, who finds the book, works to give more background to the story while trying to find clues as to Zampano’s motives, and begins to resonate with the madness of Zampano himself, locking himself away as an attempt to hold back his invisible pursuer.
The actual book itself relies heavily on multiple narrators, copious footnotes, disorienting and bizarre type layout, among other things, which can leave many feeling that the book is no more than some pretentious literary fuckery, but if you can get past that, the book is actually worth a read, if only to experience.
Can - Tago Mago
Listen: Can - Oh Yeah
The third album by German rock band Can, second of their albums to feature Damo Suzuki as the vocalist. An incredible undertaking, this album has frequently been hailed as an album like no other, from critics and artists alike, favoring persistent beats (a la Krautrock) jams, and studio magic.
Rolled this one in the car, on the way to a park my mates and I frequent.
William S. Burroughs - Junky
William S Burroughs’ first published novel, Junky, is a (semi)autobiographical account of his time as a heroin addict living in New York (and later, Mexico) in the early 1950’s. The work deals with addiction, drugs, the law and what it means to be an addict. The majority of drug slang we still use today originated from the ‘hipster’ slang of the time - with words like high, cold turkey, score, weed, pot, grass, etc.
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
The second studio album from the remains of Joy Division, this album features heavier use of electronic instruments, dance rhythms and overall epicness. The title of the album is not actually visible, except on the spine - the title (and artist) is actually represented as a color code in the top right hand corner, with an included decoder on the back. Go figure.
Not much weed today, rolling a spliff instead. So for this post, treat the blog as though it says “Things I Roll (Spliffs) On.”
Blueberry papes.
Pixies - Doolittle
The Pixies’ second and (arguably) greatest album, which, at the time of release, had a massive impact on the soon to emerge Alternative Rock movement.
Some marijuana if you got some, gouge away
Gorillaz - Demon Days
The second studio album by the guy from Blur, Demon Days was successful at the time of release, helped along modestly by the hit Feel Good Inc. I rolled this one up at a friend’s flat, so there wasn’t time to make a .gif
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