This section of the site features original and previously published articles by George Pelecanos.

Music

Southern Rock Opera, by Drive-By Truckers
The initial descriptions of this double cd from a few years back must have scared some listeners off, as an old fashioned (read: 70s) rock album was hardly a recipe for chart success in an era of rap, rap metal, Britney, Radiohead-style noodling, and boy bands. But to pigeonhole this as a simple tribute to the American Stones (that's Lynyrd Skynyrd, folks, not Aerosmith) is to miss out on the hidden riches to be found here. Yeah, DBT sound like the guys who cut "Simple Man," and they chronicle the rise and fall of a similarly fated band. But this is only retro if you think modern rock is not on a continuum, which it most certainly is. The three guitar attack and power chords could recall any number of bands (Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Crazy Horse, Rock and Roll Animal-era Lou, etc.), but what stands out most about this "opera" are the lyrics, which are insightful and political, despite the fact that the Truckers are trying extra hard to come off like plugged-in primitives. Which is to say that their takes on the Neil Young/Skynyrd feud, George Wallace, and "the southern thing" are thought-provoking when you want them to be, but can be mindless fun when you don't. Those who think this is too old-school should check out "Women Without Whiskey" which sounds like Farrar/Tweedy if they really came from the places they were signing about, and beats the entire alt-country crowd at their own game. Some have complained that a few of these songs have a sameness to them, but the ones that stand out do so in a big way. "Zip City" in particular is some kind of readymade classic, the kind of anthem that will remind you why you fell in love with rock and roll to begin with. Suitable for the car or that late night air guitar session in the living room. Plus, my college roommate, Frank Anastasi, who grew up in Alabama, gives this the hippie/redneck seal of approval. Piss off the neighbors and turn it up.

Yours, Mine, and Ours, by The Pernice Brothers
A gorgeous, hook-filled pop collection, and a perfect summer record. Rock writers have talked about the Beach Boys influence on this one (I guess it's the harmonies), but I hear Morrissey and The Cure more than I do Brian Wilson. In any case, this is another winner from Joe Pernice.

Sweet Soul Music: Voices from the Shadows
Named for the indispensable book by Peter Gurlanick (and co-produced by Guralnick), this is a first rate collection of songs and artists, rarely represented on other collections, from the 60's and 70s. Kicks of with the underrated Percy Sledge doing "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road," with contributions from O.V. Wright (the immortal "Nickel and a Nail"), Arthur Alexander ("Rainbow Road"), Eddie Giles ("Losing Boy"), The Enchanters, Solomon Burke, Don Covay, Judy Clay, and many others. This one is worth owning for "Separation Line," by Laura Lee, alone. If you like this sampler, move on to full-length players by Otis Redding, James Carr, Wright, Wilson Pickett, Johnnie Taylor, and all the other shining stars of the deep soul canon. (Note: the limited release "soundtrack" to Hard Revolution is in the works. Details to come on this site.)

Pinkerton, by Weezer
Readers of this website know I'm into Weezer, but it took me awhile to get around to their "lost" second record, which some had unfairly described as a disappointment. I don't know what those people were listening to, as this is lyrically complex, with challenging structures, time changes, and melodies that emerge like small miracles after repeated plays. I'm still surprised by something every time I put his on. And, yep, these boys can lay it down. Standout tracks: "Pink Triangle" ("Everyone's a little queer/Why can't she be a little straight?") and the transcendent "Across the Sea." If you're only judging these guys by "Buddy Holly," you are missing out on a good thing.

Books

No Heroes, by Chris Offutt
A few years ago, Chris Offutt, an accomplished novelist and short story writer, returned to his Eastern Kentucky roots after a long stint out in the world, and took a job as a teacher at the local college, hoping to give something back to the Appalachian community in which he was raised. No Heroes is the resulting memoir. Offutt intersperses his own homecoming experience with the horrific, nakedly honest Holocaust memories of his in-laws and locates some hard truths, finding a way to use the past to examine his life in the here and now. The book is moving, insightful, and compulsively readable. Try his earlier memoir, The Same River Twice, as well, and discover why other writers think of Offutt as one of the brightest talents working today.

Every Secret Thing, By Laura Lippman
Lippman takes a risk here by moving away from her Tess Monaghan series with this stand-alone, and scores in every possible way. I won't reveal the plot, but rest assured, this is a major leap forward for a writer I have always admired. In many ways, the book reminded me of Val McDermid's A Place Of Execution (one of the best crime novels written in the last ten years.) Kudos to Lippman for swinging for the bleachers and knocking the cover right off the ball.

Deadwood, by Pete Dexter
A classic American western set in the Dakota badlands, detailing the violent, hilarious, sexually charged lives of Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Charley Utter, and many others, straightly written by the brilliant Mr. Dexter. Put this on the shelf next Jack Schaefer, Ron Hansen, and James Carlos Blake-it's that good. And if you like it, try God's Pocket, Dexter's masterpiece.

Fatal Light, by Richard Currey
One of the best Vietnam novels I have ever read, a wrenching, poetic, profoundly human addition to the body of literature that has come out of the war.

Video

Car Wash, directed by Michael Schultz
The black American Graffiti. Or, a Robert Altman film that everyday people can appreciate. When this movie came out in 1976, I was working as a stereo and small appliance salesman at Landover Mall in Prince George's County. One day, my fellow employees and I wrote a song to the tune of the title track, talking about that proletariat revolution, substituting the names of our bosses into the lyrics. At the time, I bet working stiffs were doing this same thing all over the country, as Car Wash had hit some kind of collective nerve. Great characters, a hot, Norman Whitfield-produced soundtrack (performed by Rose Royce), and a subtle comment on race and class relations that is still relevant today. Don't let the video box fool you-this is not a starring vehicle for Richard Pryor, who appears only in cameo (as do George Carlin, Professor Irwin Corey, and the Pointer Sisters). Instead, an ensemble cast of fine actors (Ivan Dixon, Antonio Fargas, Bill Duke, and many others) enrich this tale of a day in the life of a group of car wash employees. Best of all is the brilliant Franklyn Ajaye as T.C. (sporting a huge Afro), who imagines himself to be comic-book character called The Fly. The scene where he enters a diner and mouths the words to "I Wanna Get Next to You" as he makes eye-love to Mona, the waitress of his dreams, is among the most romantic ever committed to film. And I have yet to see a film that so perfectly captures the 70s in all its street-level glory--the music, the style, the dress, and those badass cars. To quote the Isley Brothers, from 3+3, "If you were there, you'd know." If you were not, this will give you a pretty good idea of what the party was all about. Put this in the time capsule. Snobs need not apply.

Jesus' Son, directed by Alison Maclean
The film adaptation of Denis Johnson's acclaimed short story collection is smart, funny, inventive, and respectful of the source material. Plus, it gets better with each viewing. Billy Crudup and Samantha Morton (both superb) head the cast, with great extended cameos from Denis Leary, Will Patton, Jack Black, Dennis Hopper, and Holly Hunter (Holly, you dish…who knew?). A movie about addicts and addiction was destined to fail at the box office, and it did. But so what? They made art.

High and Low, directed by Akira Kurosawa
I saw this in widescreen at the AFI in Silver Spring, Maryland, but it is available in a restored Criterion DVD edition, and well worth the price. Kurosawa's 1963 kidnapping yarn, morality tale, and police procedural hits all the visual, thematic, narrative, and emotional marks. Toshiro Mifune plays an executive in a shoe manufacturing business who throws away his fortune to ransom the abducted son of his driver but finds a curious kind of peace and self-respect in the process. There are actually three films here: the first takes place on a single set and is composed in the manner of a stage play; the second, shot on a bullet train, moves like a thriller and is a virtual textbook of visceral cinema; the third puts the audience into the heads of the cops as they close in on the perp. Both the capture of the kidnapper and the final scene, set on death row, pay homage to Psycho. On the flip side, Spielberg has been referencing High and Low his entire career. Scorcese wants to remake it. Many consider this to be Mifune's most intense performance and some go so far as to proclaim this Kurosawa's greatest film. See it. Based on the novel, King's Ransom, by Ed McBain.