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Nov. 11th, 2013 08:01 pmAges ago -- maybe even like years -- ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
agonistes recced me John Darnielle's 33 1/3 on Master of Reality.
BECCA: But I've never listened to Black Sabbath . . . ever . . ."
SWEENEY: Eh, you're fine.
BECCA: Also, how is it a novel, I don't understand, aren't these 33 1/3 things supposed to be music criticism? What's going on here? I'M CONFUSED.
SWEENEY: Becca, just read the damn book.
So finally I did just read the book, and then sat on this review for quite a while, because it was pretty amazing and I did not know how to write about it in a way that would express that.
Okay. So the first half of Master of Reality is the counselor-requested journal of a teen in a mental institution who would really just like to be allowed to listen to his Black Sabbath tapes, and is attempting to explain to his counselor why he loves this music, why he needs this music, why this thing that he loves is not going to hurt his mental state but is in fact a desperately-needed lifeline.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn't get it; the second half is set some ten years later, in an open letter to the same counselor that may or may not ever be read, attempting to explain exactly what the consequences were of the counselor epically not getting it. Attempting to make him get it.
And, I mean, look, if you've heard the Mountain Goats, you know about John Darnielle and his words. Everyone's got that Mountain Goats song that never fails to be a punch in the gut. (For me, it's Ama aka Spent Gladiator 1.) I still am not into Black Sabbath and I still haven't actually listened to Master of Reality. But for the length of this book -- I think maybe at least for the length of the book I got it.
agonistes recced me John Darnielle's 33 1/3 on Master of Reality.BECCA: But I've never listened to Black Sabbath . . . ever . . ."
SWEENEY: Eh, you're fine.
BECCA: Also, how is it a novel, I don't understand, aren't these 33 1/3 things supposed to be music criticism? What's going on here? I'M CONFUSED.
SWEENEY: Becca, just read the damn book.
So finally I did just read the book, and then sat on this review for quite a while, because it was pretty amazing and I did not know how to write about it in a way that would express that.
Okay. So the first half of Master of Reality is the counselor-requested journal of a teen in a mental institution who would really just like to be allowed to listen to his Black Sabbath tapes, and is attempting to explain to his counselor why he loves this music, why he needs this music, why this thing that he loves is not going to hurt his mental state but is in fact a desperately-needed lifeline.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn't get it; the second half is set some ten years later, in an open letter to the same counselor that may or may not ever be read, attempting to explain exactly what the consequences were of the counselor epically not getting it. Attempting to make him get it.
And, I mean, look, if you've heard the Mountain Goats, you know about John Darnielle and his words. Everyone's got that Mountain Goats song that never fails to be a punch in the gut. (For me, it's Ama aka Spent Gladiator 1.) I still am not into Black Sabbath and I still haven't actually listened to Master of Reality. But for the length of this book -- I think maybe at least for the length of the book I got it.
