underground –The Tokyo gas attack & the Japanese psyche

The subway Sarin incident 

On the 20th of March 1995, 5 members of the Aum shinri kyo cult entered the Tokyo subway system and upon boarding the trains released a lethal gas.The method used was a chemical agent in liquid form, called Sarin, they each carried two packets or about 900mls ( a pinhead sized drop can kill an adult and their families), which were dropped on the train floors then pierced with sharpened umbrella tips. The 5 members then left their individual trains to meet with their accomplices and were driven off.
This act, by the Aum shinri kyo was,and to this date is still, the most serious terrorist attack in Japanese history. In a society that had been considered virtually crime free, this attack caused widespread fear and disruption on a scale that simply overwhelmed all concerned.
The perpetrators of this attack, were members of the Aum shinri kyo cult founded by Shoko Asahara. Its name translates into English as  The Supreme Truth. This Japanese religious group was obsessed with the apocalypse, in fact, Asahara published a book in which he declared himself Christ , outlining a doomsday prophecy culminating in nuclear Armageddon


  Haruki Murakami both shocked and fascinated by the media’s response to the attack, wrote the nonfiction account “Underground”.He says in the preface that his reasoning was that the Japanese media failed to cover their own publics perspective, choosing to concentrate on the Aum and demonizing all involved with the cult. Murakami wrote the book originally  as a series of interviews with the victims of the attack, trying to find out what it felt like to be there at the time, what have they thought since and what answers ( if any) they have they arrived at. In allowing the individuals free reign to express themselves, with not more than a brief introduction/description from the author we get to hear the accounts from a cross reference of Japanese society and we come to some basic understanding of what it meant to be there.
But this being Murakami, he  returned to the subject by interviewing the lesser cult members. In trying to gain perspective of the Aum we start to realise  that there are striking similarities between the victims (everyday salary men) and the cultist. Both show an extreme and perverse stoicism, to carry on regardless of the harm to self, both show a blinkered herd instinct to follow their chosen path, whether this was  their position at work or enlightenment.There were examples of victims, blinded, nauseous, unable to breathe crawling to their place of employment, or to maintain their planned routine. Aum followers, drugged, tortured (physically and mentally) by their fellow seekers, betrayed by their heirarchy, are still in the Aum.
This ties in with the subtitle of the book “The Tokyo gas attack and the Japanese psyche”, here Murakami reveals a people lonely and alienated, trapped in a society enthralled by industrialisation and modernity. A people lost from their traditions, spirituality and the family ties of its past. In writing this book he questions his  culture? Did its total acceptance of narrow conformity lead to the Aum’s  renunciation of society and its obsession with armegeddon, are the Aum a reaction to a culture so led by consumerism, that the individual is permanently buried under a perpetual mountain of product? Some of these questions are answered, but most lead to more questions that his society and; ours  will need to find answers. For that reason this series of accounts acts as a moral compass, in a society in search of one.


This book gives an insight into a culture, that most of us will never penetrate. It allows a brief glimpse into a society that appears locked down to any outsider. I’m not that sure I understand all its nuances and; I may need to read it again, but that wouldn’t be a hardship, despite the seriousness of the subject matter it was a compelling book to read.

For fans of Haruki Murakami this is a good place for information
http://www.exorcising-ghosts.co.uk/

I haven't dreamed of flying for a while. By Taichi Yamada

At it's core this is a love story & as in the experience of love/passion itself, you live in a heightened reality that follows it's own logic, sitting outside everyday mundanity.

In this beautiful tale, we have Taura, a 48 year old deputy director in a company that builds pre-fab houses and Mutsuko, a 67 year old grandmother. Both appear to be cast adrift from their own lives. They meet in a hospital & after a series of awkward moments they have a spoken sexual encounter whilst separated by a screen. The next morning a nurse moves the screen and Taura sees this wizened grey old lady.

After leaving the hospital, Taura again encounters Mutsuko, she is now physically younger by about 20 years, they then, consumed by passion, embark upon an affair. A sense of dread slowly pervades this relationship as Mutsuko each time they meet is physically younger, although remaining a 67 year old grandmother. As I'm reading this. I start to worry that we are heading into Nabokov territory, as Mutsuko appears as a beautiful teenager.

"I pulled a blanket over her naked shoulder & felt like a father fixing the blanket of his child - even though only a moment before, had been inside her"

Taura, as well as myself, are left wondering what will happen, "will she next be a child & after that?"

This novel by Taichi Yamada is the 2nd book I've read by him and as with the first, (Strangers), there is an interstitial tear between the characters and the real world they would normally inhabit. This device, this heightened magic realism, drives the story forward relying on the conflict between reality and unreality, allowing us to focus on Taura and Mutsuko's tale.

It treads the borderline between the supernatural & reality, never really answering your questions such as, why is this happening to Mutsuko, is it caused by Taura or their relationship & what will happen?

Like Taura, we watch it slip away never really understanding, though still haunted.

THE READING APE: Reading and the Gender Gap, Part II: Book Blogging

THE READING APE: Reading and the Gender Gap, Part II: Book Blogging

ARDBEG supernova 2010

   

A new expression of Ardbeg's supernova is due for release on the 31'st of may here in the U.K.

The blurb on it is that its stronger (60.1% abv), deeper, earthier which translate as peatier, which is measured in P.P.M (parts per million) & last years version was in the 100 ppm range, which doubles the standard 17 yr old, all tho there's nothing standard about it.So so far so good, as usual with Ardbeg its non-chillfiltered & according to the tasting notes" its aroma is big & powerful with peaty, earthy & deep herbal notes, taste-wise it challenges the palate with a smoke & salt explosion with chili & chocolate.The finish being long, deep & powerful remaining warm before drying with tarry peat cocoa & chili". As its not out at the moment I haven't tasted it YET, but based on the information floating  in cyberspace(?), its going to be Ardbeg but more so, more peat, strength ,bite,
more of everything that makes Ardbeg the whisky I love & there
may be a risk that they've over done it, but I'm more than willing
to risk it with my hard earned.

Music,Books & good Malt Whisky

This is a big hello to anyone who came here looking for "Music,Books & good Malt Whisky",you are in the right place i've just changed the name to" The Parrish Lantern". the obsessions are the same,the name change just makes things easier as it now matches the address http://www.parrishlantern.blogspot.com/ & also matches my email. The name is a colloquialism for the moon(my surname) as it was the only light source for rural places back in the mists of time,the only lantern to light a path through the dark paths & byways.I came across the name & stole it from dean koontz as it was the name of a character in "By the light of the moon" quite liked the individual ,loved the name & its meaning so i sneaked it of the page & started using it as my own confession over hope you'll recover from the shock of my misdemeanor & still visit this blog . If you like join & feel free to post

THE RATTLE BAG-an Anthology ( edited by Ted Hughes & Seamus Heaney

The Rattle Bag: An Anthology of Poetry by Ted Hughes



If you want a book you can dip into, that you can use to explore different poets from around the world. That can be a reference point to start your voyage into the alleys, paths & highways of poetry, this is a good book to start with.The poets covered, some are known, some famous, but theres obscure poems, anonymous poems, poets whose lines you see within these pages that  will set you off on the road to other works/writers.
This book is a key, a door, a path its up to you what you do with it.

View all my reviews >>

The SAVAGE DETECTIVES - Roberto Bolano ( trans- Natasha Wimmer)

"The most spiritual human beings, assuming they are the most courageous, also experience by far the most painful tragedies: but it is precisely for this reason that they honour life, because it brings them against its most formidable weapons". Nietzche (T.O.T.I)






" The Visceral Realists are meteorites, streaking through the sky,radiating impending doom".
Gustavo .E. Raynal.

This novel tells the tale of the two leaders (Ulises Lima & Aturo Belano) of a group of poets called   "The Visceral Realists" & their search for the poet Cesarea Tinajero, the mother of visceral realism, whose existence is almost mythical & open to question. Having left little if any works of poetry Cesarea Tinajero only appears to exist in the stories & praise of those who claim to know her.

     "Night was falling over Mexico City & Cesarea was laughing like

      a ghost". R.B.

It is told in 3 sections, the first "Mexicans lost in Mexico" centres around the diary of Juan Garcia Madero, a 17 year old aspiring poet who is invited to join the Visceral Realists.Although he is uncertain of the movement, Juan becomes  increasingly involved with them & he drops out of university to spend his time wandering the streets & bars of Mexico City with various members of the group.

Part 2 " The Savage Detectives" does not actually start until page 125. It consists of a series of interviews covering around 400 pages, by a cast of poets, painters & thieves, the dregs & individuals living on the periphery of Latin American society, who have come into contact with our heroes (?).

Through this technique we learn what happens to Ulises & Aturo on their quest, which takes them through  North America, Europe & the Middle East.

For the 3rd part " The Deserts of Sonaro" we are back with Juan Garcia Madero as he tells of himself, the two Visceral Realists & a prostitute named Lupe, whom they are trying to save from her pimp, whilst closing in on the quest for Cesarea Tinajero.

"To you, the bold venturers & adventurers, & who-ever has embarked with cunning sails upon dreadful seas, to you who are intoxicated with riddles,who take pleasure in twilight, whose soul is lured with flutes to every treacherous abyss - for you do not desire to feel for a rope with a cowardly hand; and where you can guess to hate to calculate...". Nietzche (E.H.)

This novel spans a couple of decades, crosses continents & dives deep below the underbelly of Latin American society. Its cast of poets, some are thieves - all are victims whether by choice or not - explode across the page to die seconds later, some hang by their fingernails for a while longer before being left in some dingy dive wittering to themselves that they have more to offer. But the tale, as with 
                                life, has left them & moved on.


For an interesting article on Robero Bolano- www.nybooks.com/articles/22171/
                             

How to make enemies with Scotch whisky

  Taste is a sensation, a perception, an experience.Its a subjective impression of an objective reality, its purposeful:The means by which we sample our food, our judgement of it.

Phillip Hill uses this as a starting point for his book Appreciating Whisky ( which he wanted to call " how to make enemies with Scotch whisky").He delves into the  how & why scent plays a large part, for example the tongue has 9 thousand taste buds but the nose has between 50-100 million sense receptors.The way we use language & how our vocabulary mirrors our experience i.e the Inuit have dozens of words for snow where we have one, they make distinctions  which we do not see but for them are life & death.

Within this book he discusses,

• Why whisky taste as it does.Chemistry- If we add 1 oxygen atom to methane we get not a gas but a liquid=Methyl alcohol
• Why whisky taste as it does.The 5 materials- barley, water, yeast, peat & wood.
• Why whisky taste as it does. The 5 processes-malting, mashing, brewing, distilling & maturing.
• Why whisky taste as it does. Culture-which are broken down into 3 distinct areas, the culture of origin, corporate culture & the culture of consumption.

Appreciating Whisky covers areas not usually addressed within the literature of whisky. It does this with amazing whit & with a depth of knowledge on all matters concerning malt whisky. That makes this book the only course work you need, choose a bottle & pick up this book. Its your primer, your professor & your class clown.

WILD BEASTS-TWO DANCERS a soundtrack for A Clockwork Orange

In August 2009, a British indie band released their 2'nd album Two Dancers on Domino records (UK).

The first single off the album was a track called "Hooting & Howling", this is now being re-released.

Which gives me enough of an excuse to review the album.

But first a brief history of the band, originally formed as a duo in 2002 under the name Fauve,

french for wild beast (also a 20C art movement lead by Henri Matisse & Andre Derain), by 2004

they had adopted the English version & in 2007 signed to Domino records. In 2008 they released

"Limbo Panto" their debut album noted for its vaudeville & cabaret influence, with tracks such as

"Brave bulging buoyant clairvoyants" with the lead singer Hayden Thorpe's falsetto voice signalling

them as a band to watch.

In 2009 they released their 2'nd album to almost universal acclaim, the Sunday times gave it their album

of the week & one of 2009's masterpieces, with practically all the other music journalists following suit.

Two Dancers is a fantastically original album from the very 1'st track "The fun powder plot" through

"Hooting & Howling" with its clockwork orange theme of violence & language ("A crude art, a

Bovver boot ballet equally elegant & ugly") & the sheer decadent A.S.B.O. challenging joy of

"We still got the taste dancing on our tongues" with the singers voice lulling you into total

agreement with his point of view. All the way to the final track "Empty nest" with its chiming

guitars & that weary voice telling you "it's gone, gone," this is an album that doesn't put

a foot wrong. This album has a musical & lyrical ingenuity that is beautiful with lines such

as "we're all quiffed & cropped, this is our lot, we hold each other up heavy with hop" &

"any rival who goes for our girls will be left thumb sucking in terror & bereft of all coffin

bearers" the language is violent, bawdy, funny, sexy & beautiful. If they haven't made

a musical version of "A Clockwork Orange" this is a suggestion for the songs for it.

"When we pucker up our lips are bee stung we still got the taste dancing on our tongues ".

This album was released in late summer 09 & it's still dancing.