Book: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A really great read which captures the same thing the main character is said to in his own stories: that element ever sought after by English-majors the world over we call irony. I had already seen the movie, which took the edge off of some of the terrible things the book depicts, although the book can not be described as graphically gruesome. The terror of life in Afghanistan is not the focus of the book and only serves as the backdrop for the development of the main character, Amir, in the third act of the story. He is someone we can all relate to, having regrets about the relationships of his past, including especially his pure-hearted best friend (and family servant) Hassan, and his own father. When he is presented with an opportunity to achieve atonement he faces the choice of addressing the weaknesses that he has spent his whole life trying to avoid. While the descriptions of life in Afghanistan during the Russian invasion, the Afghani community in America, and Taliban rule, are all engaging and well-written, the beautifully crafted story arc and realistic representations of family and friend relationships solidify this book's place as another modern classic.

Concert: David Gray - Live at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake

Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday, July 14, 2011

Sometimes music just washes over you. As you listen the music becomes a wall of sound and you find your thoughts pleasantly drifting. The music acts as a sort of narrator in your mind, setting the tone rather than being the main player. This is distinct from background music, mind you. If you'll pardon a moment of imaginative, ethereal exposition, it could be described as a sonically-induced brainstorm, purposeless, a moment of complete, directionless experience. Except directionless isn't exactly right. The only real lesson I remember from my high school choir teacher was that music is motion, it is always going somewhere. Last night at Kingsbury Hall David Gray suspended the motion for a moment with a breathtaking performance. Gray's stop in Salt Lake was the last of the Lost and Found Tour in support of his 2010 album Foundling. Most Graylings (as I have decided to dub his fans) would describe the night as magical.

I understand that not everyone likes David Gray. Some describe his music as slow or boring. If you feel that way you might not enjoy Foundling, a beautiful album reflecting a subtle progression of the classic Gray style. I would argue that the music is exciting, although the excitement is refined and gradual. It certainly is enhanced in its performance. As he played, switching from song to song between the piano and the acoustic guitar, the physical energy expressed itself most visibly through the constant side-to-side rocking of his head, a sort of trademark. The best description of the man himself, at least during his show, is charming. He speaks little and when he does he is grateful, self-aggrandizing, and humorous.

 

I came to this concert without a complete familiarity with his backlog of recordings. The albums I own complete are White Ladder (1999) and his latest, Foundling (2010), and I am also familiar with a majority of 2009's Draw the Line. That release's opening track "Fugitive" is his most recent semi-popular single. This concert inspired me to complete my David Gray collection, which means catching up on 6 1/2 albums or so. A couple of the tunes I was unfamiliar with, which are classic fan favorites to those who know, really made an impression on me. I speak of "Lately," a song that gradually crescendos into a raucous and joyous extended climax. I also speak of the emotionally evocative Debauchery, which I almost didn't notice until I realized everyone else was enthralled, pleased to hear what I gather is a rarely played piece from his 1993 debut album A Century Ends.

The one disappointment for the night was the absence of "Please Forgive Me," his other hit during the White Ladder era when "Babylon" brought Gray more attention than he's had before or since. This was the song that made me a David Gray fan when I saw him play it on Austin City Limits on PBS in 2001. I remember his drummer had a buoyant character about him. I looked all over the show's website and online for the performance but, unfortunately, it probably only exists deep in some archive. I will forgive him, though, despite that omission, for the superb performance he put on at Kingsbury Hall.

Set List: Foundling, Only the Wine, My Oh My, Lately, Kathleen, Fugitive, A New Day At Midnight, The One I Love, Draw The Line, Nemesis, Holding On, Falling Free (solo piano), Debauchery (solo guitar), Living Room, Flame Turns Blue, Alibi, White Ladder, Babylon
Encore: This Year's Love, Sail Away