Detailing life in tiny, artsy, anything-goes Key West—where Broadway composers and bestselling authors live on the same funky blocks as housekeepers, bartenders, and tour guides—this updated collection of essays and columns about island life features pieces that first appeared in the Miami Herald. Profiles of colorful characters such as an Italian heiress who waits tables, a dishwasher with a PhD, and a taxi-driving opera singer provide a kaleidoscopic portrait of residents living, working, and playing in a caste-free, rowdy paradise.
Every day before dawn they saddle their horses, coil their lariats and whips, and ride out to work the herds. They are Florida Cowboys living legacies of the longest history of ranching in America. They are also the guardians of the landscape they share with endangered wildlife and irreplaceable wetlands. Drive a few miles down the road from Disney World and you ll cross a ranch with more cattle than any other in North America. Carlton Ward s stunning images reveal a world at the heart of Florida that few tourists or residents ever see. These postcards will take your breath away with their raw beauty and grit."
Over the past four decades, rap and hip hop culture have taken a central place in popular music both in the United States and around the world. Listening to Rap: An Introduction enables students to understand the historical context, cultural impact, and unique musical characteristics of this essential genre. Each chapter explores a key topic in the study of rap music from the 1970s to today, covering themes such as race, gender, commercialization, politics, and authenticity. Synthesizing the approaches of scholars from a variety of disciplines—including music, cultural studies, African-American studies, gender studies, literary criticism, and philosophy—Listening to Rap tracks the evolution of rap and hip hop while illustrating its vast cultural significance. The text features more than 60 detailed listening guides that analyze the musical elements of songs by a wide array of artists, from Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash to Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and more. A companion website showcases playlists of the music discussed in each chapter. Rooted in the understanding that cultural context, music, and lyrics combine to shape rap’s meaning, the text assumes no prior knowledge. For students of all backgrounds, Listening to Rap offers a clear and accessible introduction to this vital and influential music.
A short shot of brilliant storytelling one of the most celebrated modern Australian short stories is now available to read by itself, wherever you are. A young woman from Melbourne visits her parents, and Auntie Lorna, in Surfers Paradise. As she stays with them, and writes postcard after postcard home, she thinks back on relationships that have shaped her. Helen Garner's collection Postcards from Surfers heralded a new generation of Australian writing, and her beautifully detailed, honest and evocative prose is on perfect display in this the title story.
** THE NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLING CULT CLASSIC NOVEL ** ** In a new edition introduced by Stephen Fry ** ‘I don’t think you can even call this a drug. This is just a response to the conditions we live in.’ Suzanne Vale, formerly acclaimed actress, is in rehab, feeling like ‘something on the bottom of someone’s shoe, and not even someone interesting’. Immersed in the sometimes harrowing, often hilarious goings-on of the drug hospital and wondering how she’ll cope – and find work – back on the outside, she meets new patient Alex. Ambitious, good-looking in a Heathcliffish way and in the grip of a monumental addiction, he makes Suzanne realize that, however eccentric her life might seem, there’s always someone who’s even closer to the edge of reason. Carrie Fisher’s bestselling debut novel is an uproarious commentary on Hollywood – the home of success, sex and insecurity – and has become a beloved cult classic. ‘This novel, with its energy, bounce and generous delivery of a loud laugh on almost every page, stands as a declaration of war on two fronts: on normal and on unhappy’ STEPHEN FRY ‘A single woman’s answer to Nora Ephron’s Heartburn . . . the smart successor to Joan Didion’s Play It as It Lays’ Los Angeles Times ‘A cult classic . . . A wonderfully funny, brash and biting novel’ Washington Post 'A wickedly shrewd black-humor riff on the horrors of rehab and the hollows of Hollywood life' People 'Searingly funny' Vogue
Explores the construction, performance and technique of drum set grooves. Includes discussion and many examples and exercises. The CD contains more than 200 MP3 files of grooves and exercises.
A unique insight into the friendship between the members of the Beatles through postcards sent to Ringo from John, Paul and George. Sensationally presented, this book features 53 postcards sent by John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney to Ringo Starr. The superb facsimile reproductions of the cards, complete with the occasional drawing, depict both the spontaneous wit and art of the Beatles. The reproduction of the postcards is supplemented by revealing text from Ringo explaining the meaning behind the cards and documenting the corresponding moments in his life. This visually stunning and intriguing book is, quite simply, a must-have for anyone interested in the story of the Beatles phenomenon.
Tahiti evokes visions of white beaches and beautiful women. This imagined paradise, created by Euro-American romanticism, endures today as the bedrock of Tahiti's tourism industry, while quite a different place is inhabited and experienced by ta'ata ma'ohi, as Tahitians refer to themselves. This book brings into dialogue the perspectives on place of both Tahitians and Europeans. Miriam Kahn is professor of anthropology at the University of Washington and author of Always Hungry, Never Greedy.
