A Spy Like Me – Kim Sherwood
The second installment in Sherwood’s planned 007 trilogy, it continues to tread ground that is very unlike anything ever written for the Bond franchise. James Bond himself remains absent (mostly), as the rest of the Double-Os attempt to unravel a network that finances terror attacks before it can strike again. They’re also searching for clues for Bond’s status and whereabouts. And seem to be getting killed off at a fairly concerning rate. Oh, and is there a double agent in their midst?
What sets Sherwood’s Bond work apart is how she plants them firmly in the modern age, beyond even where the Daniel Craig era pulled the movie franchise. I’m sure a lot of geezers get annoyed by all the wokeness – “How can there be gay spies?!?!” – but her characters fit our age, so those old fogies can piss off.
I still struggle with Sherwood’s writing style. It is also far different than the many other authors who have carried the series since Ian Fleming’s death. I keep arguing with myself on whether a Bond novel should have a certain core style, or if it is ok to break free of those restraints. Maybe the combination of her writing with a more edgy, modern flair and the very modern characters is too much for me? Maybe I’m an old fogey?!?!
I didn’t love this. But I’ll stick with Sherwood for one more book to see how her arc turns out. And maybe at the end it will all make sense to me.
A Christmas Story – Jean Shepherd
The 17th straight December I’ve sat down for a few hours to revist this classic. Still makes me laugh.
Brothers – Alex Van Halen
I got this after reading the New York Times article about it I linked to a few weeks back. I was intrigued by Alex’s seeming willingness to share more than the standard, aging-rocker bits about his life, career, and relationship with his late brother Eddie. This book was certainly frank, but I wouldn’t describe it as surprising.
Alex runs through the Van Halen brothers’ lives, from early childhood in Holland to moving to the US to discovering rock music and launching their band. He marches through Van Halen’s history up to when David Lee Roth left the band in 1985. Then he stops, jumping ahead to describe his life as a 70-year-old and his continued grief at the loss of his younger brother in 2020. There are lots of good tidbits from each section but, again, I think if you’ve read about the band or watched shows about them, you either know some of the stories or could guess at them.
I guess my point is the book is not gossipy at all. When he shares details that might shock people, they are often via quotes from already published works. So, again, a fan would be familiar with them. He talks about how he and Eddie fought constantly, but they also loved each other more than anyone else and always had each other’s backs. How he felt that his brother crumpled under the pressure of being labeled a “guitar genius.” How the entire band took things too far to the extremes at times. How DLR drove them all nuts nearly from the beginning. How disappointed he was when that initial incarnation of the band ended. There’s nothing super controversial in his words, though. He often defends DLR, saying his wackiness was the perfect counter to the VH brothers’ musical talent. That you need someone who loves the public eye and is ambitious if you want to be successful.
However, he barely mentions Michael Anthony. He does drop Sammy Hagar’s name a couple times, but only in the context of how the Red Rocker once opened for Van Halen and how, before they signed their first recording contract, their manager wanted to boot DLR for Hagar. There’s not a word about the Van Hagar years. Nor what came after that. Perhaps because his brother wasn’t as happy in these years, or Alex’s partying got out of hand and he eventually had to get sober to stay healthy and able to play.
As I said, much of the book is Alex’s reaction to quotes from others. He pulls lengthy passages from books by DLR, producer Ted Templeman, manager Noel Monk, and many interviews with Eddie and then shares his reaction to them. Sometimes he provides context, sometimes he argues, sometimes he supports. I found that manufactured dialog fun to read. Often when he disagreed with someone, Alex pointed out that he understood where the other person was coming from. I expected the book to be more combative, for some reason. Maybe Alex has mellowed as he aged. Or perhaps I’ve had the wrong view of him for 40-some years. I like this mature Alex, though. He’s old enough to know a lot of the things we fight about are kind of silly and there’s nothing productive by remaining upset about them years later.
Because of all those quotes/reactions, the book can come across as a little light. I still really enjoyed it. My biggest takeaway is how much Alex loved, and continues to love, his brother and how proud he is of what they created. And that Alex is probably a pretty good dude to hang out with.