[Powderworks] Willie's Bar & Grill
Virgil Thomas Alexander Morant
vmorant@wcoil.com
Mon, 6 Oct 2003 20:22:53 -0400
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Wankers of the World,
So, what's the consensus on Willie's Bar & Grill? From what I've seen, =
it seems to be fairly positive here. Not to start another big, bad, ole =
controversy, but I was a bit disappointed. I'll make two observations.
There's no index. I realize that this is just a travel diary, not a =
scholarly work. This style, though, made it sometimes difficult to get =
through some of the discourses and observations that Hirst had, and it =
also made me feel lost at sea with respect to certain specific Midnight =
Oil matters. For instance, at the beginning of the chapter "The night =
they drove old Dixie down" Hirst puts an epitaph from Kosciuszcko, which =
seems fitting for a chapter that seems to be about life south of the =
Mason-Dixon. I would guess, though, that very few outside of Australia =
have any idea what this song is all about. Indeed it was a mystery to =
me for several years. It would have been nice if Hirst had written at =
least a couple of paragraphs on the song and the relevance to what he =
saw in the American South.
Of course, again, this is a travel journal of observations and =
reflections, but that's the sort of omission that left me disappointed. =
Midnight Oil has connected with its American audience for a number of =
reasons, and one of them is the words in their songs, even those that =
those of us here in the Land of the Free don't always understand. I =
wish he would have devoted a bit more time to connecting the music and =
the lyrics to the touring experience and the connection between the band =
and the audience in the United States.
My other observation can best be summarized by a quote from the book: =
"This [Cleveland] is a town only a mother could love, what coastal =
Americans dismiss as 'fly-over country'" (122). Now, aside from the =
fact that that bugs me as a native Clevelander (which is an obvious =
enough fact--and perhaps indeed I am a sort of mother, to use his =
language, since this is my birthplace and I love and contribute to my =
hometown), this is also reflective of something else, and it pertains to =
what I said about the shortcomings of a travel journal. Not just there, =
but in several places in the book, I got the impression that Hirst was =
just pontificating about American society and culture, based on his =
touring experiences and whatever he has read about our country, but =
there was no depth to it. I am sure from the chapter on Cleveland that =
he has very little comprehension of what Cleveland is all about, and I =
get the feeling that the same applies in different degrees to the rest =
of the book.
It's not a scholarly work, but why didn't he write more about the band, =
their music, their concerts, and other things that are within his =
purview? I don't think that Rob Hirst has a good grasp of the life of =
the cities that he and his bandmates have toured through in the United =
States.
Some of the anecdotes were amusing, some were interesting, but a lot of =
it was . . . well, I was disappointed with the book. Glad I bought it. =
Not a hard or very time-consuming read. Would have wanted something =
better, though.
--Virgil.
Virgil T. Morant
Former Manager of Hall & Oates & Morant, LLC
The Most Soulful Limited Liability Company in History
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<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Wankers of the World,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">So, what's the consensus on =
<EM>Willie's Bar=20
& Grill</EM>? From what I've seen, it seems to be fairly =
positive=20
here. Not to start another big, bad, ole controversy, but I was a =
bit=20
disappointed. I'll make two observations.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">There's no index. I realize =
that this is=20
just a travel diary, not a scholarly work. This style, though, =
made it=20
sometimes difficult to get through some of the discourses and =
observations that=20
Hirst had, and it also made me feel lost at sea with respect to certain =
specific=20
Midnight Oil matters. For instance, at the beginning of the =
chapter "The=20
night they drove old Dixie down" Hirst puts an epitaph from=20
<EM>Kosciuszcko</EM>, which seems fitting for a chapter that seems to be =
about=20
life south of the Mason-Dixon. I would guess, though, that very =
few=20
outside of Australia have any idea what this song is all about. =
Indeed it=20
was a mystery to me for several years. It would have been nice if =
Hirst=20
had written at least a couple of paragraphs on the song and the =
relevance=20
to what he saw in the American South.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Of course, again, this is a travel =
journal of=20
observations and reflections, but that's the sort of omission that left =
me=20
disappointed. Midnight Oil has connected with its American =
audience for a=20
number of reasons, and one of them is the words in their songs, even =
those that=20
those of us here in the Land of the Free don't always understand. =
I wish=20
he would have devoted a bit more time to connecting the music and the =
lyrics to=20
the touring experience and the connection between the band and the =
audience in=20
the United States.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">My other observation can best be =
summarized by=20
a quote from the book: "This [Cleveland] is a town only a mother could =
love,=20
what coastal Americans dismiss as 'fly-over country'" (122). Now, =
aside=20
from the fact that that bugs me as a native Clevelander (which is an =
obvious=20
enough fact--and perhaps indeed I am a sort of mother, to use his =
language,=20
since this is my birthplace and I love and contribute to my hometown), =
this is=20
also reflective of something else, and it pertains to what I said about =
the=20
shortcomings of a travel journal. Not just there, but in several =
places in=20
the book, I got the impression that Hirst was just pontificating about =
American=20
society and culture, based on his touring experiences and whatever he =
has read=20
about our country, but there was no depth to it. I am sure from =
the=20
chapter on Cleveland that he has very little comprehension of what =
Cleveland is=20
all about, and I get the feeling that the same applies in different =
degrees to=20
the rest of the book.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">It's not a scholarly work, but why =
didn't he=20
write more about the band, their music, their concerts, and other things =
that=20
are within his purview? I don't think that Rob Hirst has a good =
grasp of=20
the life of the cities that he and his bandmates have toured through in =
the=20
United States.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Some of the anecdotes were amusing, =
some were=20
interesting, but a lot of it was . . . well, I was disappointed with the =
book. Glad I bought it. Not a hard or very time-consuming=20
read. Would have wanted something better, though.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">--Virgil.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Virgil T. Morant<BR>Former Manager =
of Hall=20
& Oates & Morant, LLC<BR>The Most Soulful Limited Liability =
Company in=20
History</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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