AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

We here at Three Lokos blog appreciate birthdays. As such, I have taken it upon myself to wish the one and only Benjamin Arturo Kerns (his middle name is not Arturo) a happy, happy, incredibly happy 18th birthday. He is an integral part of Three Lokos, and an integral part of our lives. May you all honor his excellence and hold him in the highest of esteem.

"The Magic Barrel" by Bernard Malamud

Bernard Malamud's The Magic Barrel, a collection of thirteen short stories about the lives of Jewish immigrants in America following World War II, is a humorous and poignant take on the human relationships. Though the stories can stand alone and be read in any order, it is best to read them as they appear, beginning with The First Seven Years and ending with The Magic Barrel. Reading in this fashion allows one to see the transition of Malamud's overarching theme; the stories toward the beginning of the book end somewhat ambiguously, with the characters teetering between sadness and loneliness, and redemption and fulfillment. The stories toward the back of the book end ironically, full of existential angst and despair, as the characters experience a catharsis that may or may not be pointless. Ultimately, the book's view can be summed up by a line from one of the book's longer stories, The Lady of the Lake: "...Freeman feared this moment, partly because of all he hungered for from life, and partly because of the uncountable obstacles existing between strangers, may the word forever perish."

Though ultimately the stories end in a downtrodden fashion, it is not to say they are not funny. The stories abound with what can only be called "Jewish humor"...the dialogue reads like something Woody Allen might have written and published in The New Yorker. To some the characters may seem more like caricatures, but the epiphanic moment each one experiences at the end gives them a human quality, as they realize they are alone and no longer want to be, or that they are pushing people away unknowingly. That all of the main characters are Jewish, an insulated group of people if there ever was one, helps Malamud's theme sink in.

The book was purchased used at Mojo's Books and Music for a staggering $2.99. It's a travesty that a book as great as this is reduced to wallowing in the bargain bin, and I suggest you all go out and buy it immediately.

Best Stories: All are fantastic, but the ones that stand out the most are Angel Levine, Behold the Key, Take Pity, The Prison, The Last Mohican, The Loan, and The Magic Barrel.

Best Concerto Ever.

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Major is by far my favorite concerto ever composed.
I personally like guitar more than piano on most things, but on this piece, it's just beyond stunning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsvPMbC55A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsvPMbC55A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsvPMbC55A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsvPMbC55A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsvPMbC55A
Watch and listen to this 12 million times, I promise, you won't regret it.

Charlie Hunter-Baboon Strength

Charlie Hunter is a new-found love of mine, and I mean that wholeheartedly. For those familiar with him, this album isn't too far from the jazzy progressions and gospel-esque solos that define Hunter's signature sound. With melodies as catchy as ever, however, this CD is easy listening at it's best. I mean, how can you argue with this?

Exactly. That's why you all should go buy his stuff.

The Aquabats - Radio Down EP

I have waited for this forever, and I think that I can be correct in saying that most other Aquabats fans have too. It doesn't disappoint. Three tracks of mind numbing cool delivered straight to your ears. Synthesizer driven punk, pop whatnot that is absolutely excellent. These guys haven't lost their edge, or maybe they haven't gained one, whatever it is, this is just as good as Charge!!! (which was great). Even if they are lacking the horns of the old days, they still know how to have a good time, which not many bands seem to do anymore. Listen to this album if you're a fan of having fun, because that's everything that this album is about. It even has a guest appearance by Biz Markie.

-Ben

Who Does What?

We realize there might be some confusion amongst all zero of our followers as to who does what exactly on the blog, so we'll clear it up now. David and Ben handle most of the music reviews, though every now and again Chase will recommend a song he really likes by posting a Youtube link to the video. Ben also will occasionally contribute some of the comic book reviews when he gets a chance. Chase will handle book and movie reviews, and since new books/movies in the theater are so expensive, they'll all probably be really old, and therefore cheap, so all zero of our followers can go pick the book/movie up as soon as they have a small amount of money.

Chase also likes writing, reading, and baseball. Talk to him about any of these things, he really appreciates it!

Ben is an actor and would love it if you came to see him in the many productions he participates in. He hopes to one day be a philosophy professor.

David is an avid guitarist and shares a kindred love of philosophy with Ben. Talk to both of them about philosophy, they have great conversations.

Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You In the End"

So, I heard this song on the penultimate episode of the 6th season of Weeds, and it's absolutely beautiful. You all should check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ucN4DActxA