I’ve been thinking a lot about Meryl Streep lately, which has never happened before. She was one of the people featured in Rolling Stone’s latest 40th Anniversary Issue, and she just put our current interaction with art in a way that perfectly crystallized it to a point where I want to take as many steps possible to not continue down this path. When asked about the fact that we’re living in a time of big technological change, she said:

“It goes horizontal, it doesn’t go deep. When you have 10,000 songs on your iPod, do you have one that really sticks in your head for longer than two weeks? How about two years? I can remember the sequence of cuts on Rubber Soul. My kids don’t have that same sense of a whole, an album, so they don’t follow an artist’s career from the beginning and go back to the basement tapes. In fact the younger ones not only don’t listen to a whole album, they don’t listen to a whole song. They get to the riff. It’s like skipping to the sex scenes in a movie. It’s really weird.”

When asked if it’s wrong or destructive, she continues:

“It is what it is, and it’s going to make a different art, a different culture, a different society — just the fact that nobody sings the same songs. You get in a car and nobody knows the same songs.”

For about two weeks now, I often think about the fact that ‘it goes horizontal, it doesn’t go deep.’ And she totally nailed it.

If anyone asked me the most interesting album I got recently, I would probably say Radiohead’s “In Rainbows,” for which I think I paid one pound. If you then asked what’s my favorite song on it, favorite lyric… I’d be at a loss. I’ve played it through maybe twice.

Anytime I find things that make me part of ADD culture, I rebel, so Meryl has changed the way I’m going to interact with music again. I need to open myself up to the deeper layers of things, of letting less things in but letting them take root.

Otherwise, it’s just more distraction.

I have a love-hate relationship with my iPod.

Here’s the issue: Part of being a professional novelist is constantly being open and available to new things. You never know where the bits of conversation that inspire you will come from.

For my first novel, the seed came at the gym while weight training, and the guy next to me grunting out upsetting phrases under his breath (You’ll have to wait until the book is published for that anecdote, since I’ll be publishing that on Backstory around that time). Now, here’s the rub: if I were weight training today, I’d be listening to a podcast on my iPod.

In defense of the iPod, I listen to some fascinating things. iTunes just started a new “Meet The Author” series, and their interview with Alan Alda was so inspiring, I want to buy his book now. When he was in town a few weeks back, I was just like, eh, I like him, but…

I guess I want it both ways. I want to be a perfect receptor, but at the same time, I don’t know where the seeds for future projects will appear. You’d think pumping my head with interesting people saying introspective things, like Alda, would increase the ratio, except my current book was birthed by a grunting lat pulldown. I’m basically trying to manage serendipity.

The other day, a drunk guy got on the F-line streetcar. He was feeling no pain and couldn’t have been more pleased with himself. As you would expect, he started hitting on the 30-years-younger well put-together girl headed home from work. Instinctively, I paused my iPod in my pocket, leaving my headphones on (of course. Aside: Oftentimes, even when I’m not listening to my iPod in the city, I leave my headphones on. It lets you walk past all the pleading homeless and Scientologists easier).

So, I was ready not to miss whatever he said, and basically it was just drunk posturing and gibberish, until she finally moved to the front of the car, and he stopped bothering her. He started running down the list of sexual menu items she was turning down (and, I know it’s rude to judge this on sight, but I can’t imagine he’d do half of that stuff as well as he purported). Eventually, I just grew bored with it and hit play in my pocket again, starting up the podcast du jour.

But, what’s the balance? I realize there is no answer, but I do seriously question this stuff.

As an artist, it is my responsibility to be available to input from the outside world. Only boring, arrogant people think they know everything. The question is: am I shutting myself off from better input? And, if so, is said better input coming from the world around me or my iPod?

I’m just not sure.

I look at the pictures first, I’ll admit it.

After buying a new book today, I didn’t bother with the index or anything else. Certainly not the text. I’ll get there eventually, sure, but first, it’s about the visual elements.

It’s a weakness, but I never take in one photo for too long before I’m onto the next. And, far too soon, it’s over.

Let me describe the first picture. Just looking at it again and parts of my brain are already firing anew. I’m salivating.

Seven spicy tempeh nori rolls are arranged on a plate. All seven have the rice on the outside of the roll (and I know it’s wrong I forget the name for that. But, I’m being honest here. I could’ve Googled, come back and appeared smart, but I didn’t). Three of the rolls were rolled in black sesame seeds, the other four have some sort of orange-red powder on the outside (cayenne, perhaps?).

The second page is a Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing. And, after that, it just gets worse, with subsequent pages adding an inset photo on every page, so that the dominant Baked BBQ Tofu with Apricot Sauce gets less time before you shift to the top right to take in the Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh. And we haven’t even hit the seitan yet!

I’ll admit it. I’m into food porn. So far, I stick to the pro stuff: professionally-bound books purchased in stores, with plentiful pictures of mouth-watering dishes. I had some Borders gift cards today, and this is what happened to them. I almost got two books, since I did have another card left, but I stuck to my guns and only bought the one book.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m aware there is a lot of amateur food porn online, but flickr doesn’t really do it for me. If I want to see a bunch of limp porcinis on ugly stoneware in bad lighting, I know it’s available. But, honestly, keep it in your kitchen. I’m not that desperate.

Besides, professional food porn is aspirational. With a recipe, a digital camera, and a Flickr account, I could make my own amateur stuff now. The bar is way too low. And, let’s face it, a lot of stuff on the amateur circuit could never go pro if it tried. I’d rather strive.

Better to make my Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce three or four times until they look like the photo than just bang out my first attempt at Chickpea Cutlets and think it’s ready for a money shot. Yeah, and next you’ll probably think I’d use non-organic beans from a can, as if…

Now, I do realize that my prowess is more kitchen than camera. And the pros have separate people doing both the cooking and the photography. So, when I do make my Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream, I do take that into account. I won’t be using Photoshop to punch up the translucence of my quinoa.

But, that’s the point. This is about fantasy. I mean, sure, if I go to the French Laundry, it could be like that in real life every night. But Yountville is a total red-light district at this point, and I can’t afford to hire professionals every night.

No, I have to live in the real world most of the time. Some days, the food will taste perfect, but it might not photograph well. Other days, it might be photogenic but the spice balance is off. But, vegan comfort food is like a waiter’s tips at a gourmet restaurant, even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty darned good.

Soon enough, I’ll work my way into this book and try some of the moves myself. It’ll be a bit awkward at first, until I get to know them better. But, before long, it’ll find its own rhythm.

Of course, before I master it, there will be a new book, with new promises, perhaps a unifying theme, and the cycle will begin all over again.

—
(Recipe names taken from my new vegan cookbook, just purchased today, Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, authors of the amazing Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.)

Hmm… just got off the phone with Steve Corbett, who was the main opinion columnist back in the day when I was a newspaper reporter in Wilkes-Barre. He had a front seat for when I came out at work, fought those battles, and got my footing.

I just got an e-mail from the WILK Insider, a radio station back home, this afternoon mentioning that Bill O’Reilly is back on their lineup. O’Reilly got his start as a TV news anchor in my hometown, so the radio thing makes sense. I knew Corbett had some affiliation with the station from when I was last back home, but that has since morphed into a full-on four hour show.

But, he does his 4 hours following Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, and O’Reilly comes on after his show. So, my first thought was… what the hell happened to Steve? Usually, radio stations don’t counter-program, there are conservative stations and Air America, and that’s usually how it works.

As it happens, I was on their website while Steve was in the middle of his show, so I clicked the “Listen Live” button and checked him out. My concern were unfounded that living in Santa Maria and hanging out in the insanity of the Michael Jackson trial had made something snap, and he was now coming at things from the right. Or, being in California, he went so far left he went all the way around.

Instead, it seems like he sort of has this incongruous show in the middle of conservative land. He’s challenging the locals about immigration a day after Vincente Fox visited, in the region where illegal immigration is one more way to look out your window, instead of into your mirror, for problems.

He seemed to be in his element on the radio. It wasn’t an unfamiliar voice to me, however. I recognized it immediately from how he used to relish arguing with people who would call the newspaper to challenge his views.

On the WILK website, some of his writing is available. Now, it would be a lot better if there was some RSS link for his writing, and a podcast version of the show so I could check it out when it wasn’t live and on my own time, but nothing like that is there yet.

In any event, it was fun hearing his voice, so I decided to call in and we chatted on-air for a bit about me being in San Francisco, how often I get back home, election day stuff, etc. In any case, I’ll try and check it out every so often.

Finally made it to the gym today after being out of town and then sick. Was hoping I’d be able to get through the workout considering I actually worked up a sweat last week by walking slowly to the bus stop, sitting on a streetcar for a few blocks, walking into the shopping mall, and taking the elevator up to the movies.

Actually went OK, no profuse sweating. The sweat just started showing up about 7-8 minutes into the workout, as per usual. Not sure how the heart rate fared, as the machine wouldn’t give me a reading, but certainly didn’t feel like I was pushing anything.

So, that’s a good sign. Probably stick with cardio this week and start folding in some weight training next week (per body worlds post below).