The Rundown: Book It

In looking back over the numerous Rundown's we've shared together in the year and change I've been writing them and you've been reading them, I realized that I have skipped out on one major, major Rundown.

My Favourite Books.

See, I consider it major because reading is what turned me on to writing. I was always decent enough at it in school and once considered pursuing an English degree in University, but that never happened and entry into the working world involved shaking hands and settling disputes, not writing essays on the character interactions in King Lear or my views on abortion.

But that foray into the world of customer service did provide two important components that led to where we are today - a bunch of disposable income and fairly decent amounts of time off to lay around the house doing nothing.

In my case, nothing often meant playing PlayStation 2 and watching movies, but sometimes it meant reading.

One of the books I read during those years changed my life and started me down the path we're on together today. The gentlemen pictured above who looks like a Gap mannequin is to blame...

Top Five Books

5. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
I know it was partially fabricated and Oprah hates him, but I'm not a suburban housewife so I don't have to do everything that Oprah tells me. Outside of the controversy, this is an incredibly powerful work. The way it's written in disjointed sentences, more staccato than prose and the violent, vivid images that Frey creates for the readers hook you in to the point that you don't want to put the book down for a minute. The book about overcoming addiction becomes your addiction. At least it did for me.

4. Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley
The movie also made my Favourite Movie list a while back, so you had to know that I was a major fan of the source material. This one goes along with the longstanding belief that the book is always better than the movie. As outstanding as the film was - and don't kid yourself, it was outstanding - the book is even better in delivering more background on protagonist Nick Naylor, his insane boss B.R. and his relationships with his family, his friends and a back-stabbing bitch that never really showed up in the movie. This one got me through my stint at the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal.

3. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff
I actually read this book because I love the author's brother - Zach Braff, he of Scrubs and Garden State fame. Thankfully, incredible talent is a trait both Braff boys hold (as does their sister...) as Joshua crafts a beautiful tale of a young Jewish boy growing up with some truly unthinkable thoughts. As I write this, I'm eagerly awaiting Braff's next effort because if it's anything like Jacob Green, it'll be on the next incarnation of this list.

2. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
This is the fictional version of "That's me!" Hornby's Rob Fleming - later turned into Rob Gordon and dumped in Chicago by Cusack & Co for the outstanding film version - encompasses everything that I am and everything that I was at the time I read the book. He has no idea what to do with his life, I had no idea what to do with my life. He was a moron with women, I was a moron with women. In the end, it worked all worked out... for the both of us.

1. Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
This is the non-fiction version of "That's me!" Everything Klosterman put down into words in this collection hit on something I had thought at one point or another in my life. And we're not talking brilliant, Earth-shattering developments here either, we're talking shit like, "How are there so many naked housewives in the world?" and "Is the Sim version of me happier than the real me?" I own everything the man has ever written now, having gone back and read what I had missed and bought everything that has come after it, save for his crappy fictional effort...

So if you need to blame someone for getting me started down this path and making me think I could one day be a real, live writer, blame Chuck Klosterman.

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The Rundown: Yes, I Enjoy Reading

I find it incredible how many people think of reading as one of the most painful acts on the face of the Earth. To some people, if you gave them the option of sitting down and reading a 300 page book or having an anal probe, they would scoff at the notion of opening a book and bend over. To me, that just seems wrong.

All of this came to light again today as I sat in the bar at work, just hanging out, waiting to see if Juice (one of my managers) was going to need me to start. I had opened the bar as a "training exercise" and volunteered to sit tight in case we got busy. To occupy my time, I brought Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs.

Note: Not bad so far, especially when I only paid $4 for it at Chapters last week. Really, how bad would a book have to be to not be worth $4?

Of the collection of people in the restaurant at the time, one shared my love of books and Chapters, two were entirely non-committal and two were astounded that anyone would choose to open a book of their own free will, let alone make it through 56 pages in roughly an hour.

While I know my stance on this might be skewed by the fact that I intend to make my living (and hopefully a modest one at that) off people being interested in reading, the fact that reading makes some people's skin crawl is mind-blowing to me.

As the NBA taught me years ago through All-Star laden Public Service Announcements, Reading is Fun-damental!

Without reading, I never would have become a writer, because I never would have encountered the subjects of today's Rundown.

All-Time Top Five Books

5. Rebels of the Backlot by Sharon Waxman
As has been mentioned a time or two, I like movies. I also like books about movies or books that become movies, as you'll see shortly. This effort is a behind-the-scenes look into the careers of six of the biggest and brightest directors in Hollywood today - Tarantino, Sodderberg, David O. Russell, Spike Jonze and Paul Thomas Anderson. If you don't know these names, you (a) have missed some really good movies and (b) would absolutely hate this book. If you have any interest in Hollywood, the film industry or what it would be like to get into an argument with George Clooney while filming Three Kings, find this book and read it.

4. Everything Bad is Good for You by Stephen Johnson
As part of the video game, music video, Reality TV generation, I've been told countless times how all of today's technology and entertainment mediums and everything else in the world is making me dumber. Finding a book that actually proves that we're becoming smarter and more intellectually advanced as a result of all these things is outstanding. Seriously, this book is a well-researched middle finger to parents everywhere who told their kids that watching too much TV or playing too much Nintendo would rot their brains.

3. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Seeing the movie made me want to read the book. I loved the movie - it's #1 on the All-Time Top Five if you recall - and since the old standing truism is that the book is always better than the movie, I had to find out for myself. Since reading High Fidelity, I've read everything else Hornby has put out, except for his most recent effort Slam, since it's geared to teens and I'm painfully far removed from the teenage demographic. Anyway, the book was better than the movie, though not by much. Then again, it's my favourite movie ever, so being even a ounce better is pretty damn impressive.

2. Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley
Back-to-back book to movie adaptations near the top of the charts, where both hit the Top Five on my movie list too. While the movie rankings for these two efforts are reversed, Buckley's book has a lot more to offer that wasn't brought to the screen and therefore bests Hornby's best effort. Maybe having seen Aaron Eckhart play Nick Naylor so perfectly on screen influenced my enjoyment of the book. But if biases came into play, I would have hated the character Heather Holloway because Katie "Kate Cruise" Holmes brought her to life on camera and I downright loathe the former Joey Potter. That wasn't the case though. I loved everything about this book, including Ms. Holloway, dirty, scheming tramp that she is.

1. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
Imagine opening a book and finding everything you have ever thought of on the pages before you. That is what this book is to me. I've wondered about the suddenly enormous amounts of "Housewife Sluts" willing to pose nude since the rise in cultural relevance of the Internet. I too have known since I first saw Say Anything that every woman wants to be with a guy like Lloyd Dobbler and I would never quite make it to his level of excellence. Klosterman seemingly tapped into my brain - or that of every other Pop Culture Obsessive with the attention span of a gnat - when putting together this collection. Everything he has done has struck a chord with me, but this one was first and it will probably always remain that way.

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The Rundown: Dream Jobs

My favourite movie ever is High Fidelity.

I know it's not a masterpiece or a classic or a poignant period piece or anything like that, but it speaks to me and that is all that matters. It was through this flick that I discovered one of my favourite authors, Nick Hornby, rekindled my love of John Cusack and realized that there is nothing wrong with being the guy on the verge of 30 with an encyclopedic knowledge of random junk who is never satisfied with his station in life. In essence, I am Rob Gordon.

Why am I telling you all this today? Glad you asked...

There is a scene in the movie where Rob comes home and Laura, his ex, has returned to their apartment to collect some of her things and started to read a list he made up that is sitting on the kitchen table.

She reads aloud Rob's Top Five Dream Jobs and, aside from "architect" which requires seven years schooling and an ability to draw and design structures, none of them are too far fetched. I mean, sure, some of them are referenced to years gone based on what cool people he would have met, but it's not like he's written down President of the United States or All-Star Shortstop for the Yankees or anything. They're all jobs that he could actually obtain. Which brings us to today.

I'm currently job hunting. There is about five weeks or so before I pack up my gear and head back to Ontario. Waiting for me in London is a position at the Blockbuster around the corner from where we'll be living with Sarah's dad. While the security is nice, the thought of having to explain the difference between a late fee and a restocking fee for another summer has me checking the job boards like a poor man checking his lottery numbers.

With that in mind, there really isn't a better time to pull out today's High Fidelity inspired Rundown:

All-Time Top Five Dream Jobs

5. Freelance Writer
Yes, I know I already am a freelance writer. This actually is one of my dream jobs. I'd like it to be a little more lucrative and there be a few more outlets for my work on my plate, but all in all, I can't complain. There are a lot of days when I get to sit at home in the woobs (my adopted from Kevin Smith name for comfy, lounging clothes) and write about the things that I love like sports and movies and nonsense. Plus, Rob Gordon's #5 is Record Store Owner...

4. Pub Owner / Bartender
This one may seem a little weird, but here is the breakdown for you: I've always liked having a place to go that I feel 100% comfortable and would love to create that place for my friends and family. I could still do a ton of writing, further my love of cooking by dabbling in the kitchen and let's be honest, when all I need to do is open bottles and pour pints, I'm a pretty solid bartender.

3. Movie Critic
I don't want to be Ebert or Roeper or even Joel Siegel, but the notion of someone paying me to go watch movies and then voice my opinions on them is very appealing. I mean, we all tend to do that anyway right? We go see something, our friends and colleagues ask us how it was and we give them our critique. It's a natural occurrence. Getting paid for something I am going to do anyways is always appealing to me. Plus, I love popcorn.

2. Television Sports Anchor / Host
I have an insane amount of sports-based knowledge tucked away in this over-sized head of mine. Additionally, I'm not horrible looking and am mildly amusing. Combine those three and what do you have? A successful television sports anchor / reporter. Nothing is worse to me than the guys who try too hard to be funny. There are only so many times that "Evgeny is playing his Nabokov" is funny. D'you hear me Tim Micallef? I'm coming for your job!

1. Screenwriter
This one has been lingering for some time now and I think that is because I (a) watch a lot of movies, (b) often know even the non-cliched dialogue that is coming in advance and (c) seem to think I could do better than some of the drivel that is out there. As well everything thus far, I'm not looking to be an Oscar winner or anything like that; writing a couple good flicks that reach people is all I'm after. Additionally, there is a lot of downtime in a job like this and really, getting to lay around the house in the woobs, playing with the dogs and the brats (once they come) is what I'm looking forward to most.

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The Rundown: Hip List

When I picked Sarah up from school last night, she told me about a conversation she had with a mutual friend of our's named Dylan. He's the boyfriend of a girl in her class that we've hung out with a bunch over the past few months, and at some point or another I told him Kanye West is the greatest music artist on the face of the planet today. He disagreed.

"Tell Spencer I owe him an apology," he said to her yesterday. "After listening to the new Kanye West album (Graduation), I liked it so much I went out and bought the other two and they're outstanding as well."

My response... I told you so.

And it's with that in mind that I bring you today's Rundown.

The Top Five Things I Can Make You Hip To
(Yes, I'm tooting my own horn... deal with it!)

5. Better Magazines
There is more to the world than Maxim and FHM. Put those down for a minute and go pick up the latest Details or Esquire or GQ. Excellent writing, better suggestions on style, fashion, music, technology and all safely outside of the Fratboy "Look at her tits!" stance of the magazines you read when you were, well, a fratboy. We all have to grow up sometime...

Oh - do yourself a favour and pick up Passion Magazine next Tuesday too.

4. Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio
It doesn't matter if you're not a film geek like me, this show isn't just about movies. It's about listening to people speak passionately about their craft, where they came from and the decisions that put them where they are. Plus, finding out what people's favourite curse word is is always entertaining.

3. Nick Hornby
There shouldn't be a lot of people who aren't hip to one of the best writers of our generation, but there really are. His works are outstanding and whether you know it or not, you've enjoyed them too. High Fidelity, About A Boy, Fever Pitch - even though Hollywood bastardized the story - are all Nick Hornby. Johnny Depp even bought the movie rights to his second last release - Long Way Down - before the book was finished. Also falling into this category are Chuck Klosterman, Kevin Smith (yes, that Kevin Smith) and Cormac McCarthy.

2. The Hour
I can't stress this enough - you need to be watching this show. It mashes politics with pop culture and something about Strombo makes guest feel comfortable enough to be candid. If you're in the 20-30 demographic, this is the best show on television for you to watch. I know you love House (I do too) or maybe The Hills (ech!) but honestly, do yourself a favour and give it a shot...

1. Good Ass Music
Open your ears and experience things outside of your comfort zone, then thank me for it later. Buy an album by The Roots (My picks: Things Fall Apart or Phrenology) and hear what intelligent hip hop on top of an incredibly talented band sounds like. Download Stop Me by Mark Ronson (feat. Aussie Daniel Merriweather) and realize that North America missed the boat on an incredible track, not to mention his entire Version album. Get over your "he was in 'N Sync" bias and listen to the best album of the last year and a half, FutureSex/LoveSounds. Lily Allen is brilliant, so too are Wilco and The Shins. Rilo Kiley, Rilo Kiley, Rilo Kiley...

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