The Plague of Doves, by Louise Erdrich
 |
| HarperCollins, 320 pp., April 29 |
Louise Erdrich’s new novel, The Plague of Doves, depicts the rise and fall of Pluto, N.D., a speck of a town near an Ojibwe reservation. We enter Pluto’s history through the eyes of young Evelina Harp, just as her grandfather decides she’s old enough to hear about the 1911 lynching of three men falsely accused of slaughtering a white family. Erdrich then shows generations of families in Pluto, who are either related to the mob, or know the true killer. Half the fun is learning who’s related, and how, and whether or not they know.
Erdrich sifts the complexity of these families’ lives to offer tender and terrible truths about what it means to be stuck every day facing such brutal history. Each character reveals secrets about the town’s past — from a kidnapping plot to a religious cult — and no one’s immune. As one character says, "[What] is the difference between the influence of instinct upon a wolf and history upon a man? In both cases, justice is prey to unknown dreams." Using a shifting perspective and multiple points of view, she delves into the minds of men and women, American Indian and white, giving each a distinct voice. They all ring so true individually that it’s amazing just one author created them all.
Whether describing pioneers curled together under buffalo skins during a blizzard, or the soulful power of violin music, or the way clouds stack before a thunderstorm, Erdrich’s lyricism propels the story. In rich and powerful language, she gives a beautifully honest account of the townspeople’s lust and mysticism, pain and bleak humor.
Reading this story yields more wisdom and poetic entertainment than classics twice its size. And on top of that, Erdrich tells who the real killer is, too.
Flight of the Conchords, May 5, Tower Theatre
 |
| Photo | Drew Lazor |
"Why do you guys do that?" a deadpan Bret McKenzie asked the sold-out Tower Theatre crowd when a guy screamed what is inevitably screamed at any concert hushed enough to allow for audience contribution:
"FREEBIRD!"
Surely, McKenzie and partner Jemaine Clement — better known as Flight of the Conchords, "New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk parody duo" and stars of the tremendously popular TV series of the same name — have heard a douchebag express ironic lust for the Skynyrd standard at a show before. In fact, it probably happens every time they take the stage. But in many ways, a politely conveyed unfamiliarity with American life is the third member of the band — they crack us up because they act like they don’t "get it." But as soon as Clement busted into what he called his "American Idol version" of the tune — complete with pained finger-in-the-ear vocal runs — it was clear they "get it" more than we’ll ever know.
 |
| Photo | Drew Lazor |
After a nice bit of prop-driven stand-up from opener (and occasional Conchords guest star) Eugene Mirman, the pair sauntered onstage and right into "Inner City Pressure," a synthtastic ode to urban living that Clement spiced up with the predictable but appreciated addition of a line from the Fresh Prince theme song. McKenzie apologized for the slight delay in start time, claiming they were sitting around backstage and had no idea they were supposed to be on until they heard cheering. The crowd promptly roared. Saying sorry isn’t supposed to be funny. But then that’s the key to their appeal — the Conchords’ bumbling back-and-forth with the audience is crafted so meticulously that it doesn’t seem even remotely meticulous.
The pair performed a slew of songs recognizable to fans of the series, many of which began as live standards pre-HBO/Sub Pop — "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenocerous," "Business Time," "Albi the Racist Dragon," the robot anthem "Humans Are Dead" and the bizarre mistaken-identity piece "Jenny" among them. They also tested out some new songs, including one about Clement’s ex-girlfriends that came off like an ass-backwards version of Paul Simon’s "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" ("Britney hit me … Mona, you told me you were in a coma … Bruce, you didn’t tell me you were a man").
The duo was even so bold as to launch into post-song banter lifted directly from their small-screen scripts, save for a few geographical personalizations. (After the amazing "Bret, You Got It Going On," which devolves into Clement admitting to McKenzie that he once put a wig on him while he slept to curb touring loneliness, Clement insisted that "I put a wig on you" is established Philly street slang.) On paper, it sounds lazy, like a comedian rehashing gags from his television special during a club date. But it worked. Everyone anticipated the punchlines, but you could tell that the laughs ran much deeper than the fleeting gratification that goes along with, say, reacting to a popular catchphrase. It was almost like people were relieved that Clement and McKenzie are the same in real life as they are on TV (which you’re meant to believe is the same way they are in real life).
Of course, the Conchords run the risk of wearing out their self-deprecating, loveable losers schtick — jokes about crappy motels and playing to crowds of one tend to dry up when two dudes on acoustic guitars are able to sell out mammoth ampitheaters on a multi-city tour. But judging by the group’s surprisingly varied fan base — seats were filled with everyone from underdeveloped packs of high school freshmen to fathers and sons to distinguished-looking touch-of-gray older couples — that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Grand Theft Auto IV, Playstation 3
 |
 |
I don’t think I approve of this game," my father said as I slaughtered an entire hospital wing with a shotgun simply because I could.
Grand Theft Auto IV dropped for the PS3 and Xbox 360 recently, and it’s scenarios like this one that sum up what you might have been wondering about the game. Yes, it’s violent. Yes, you can make poor life decisions on a whim. And yes, it’s pretty awesome.
Players take on the role of Niko Bellic, a Serbian veteran of the Bosnian War. Filled with anger and regret after being betrayed by a fellow officer in the conflict, Bellic tracks the traitor to America — home to good ol’ Liberty City. After meeting up with his cousin, Roman, Niko proceeds to make several acquaintances — and a few enemies — in the game. Who he befriends and kills is entirely up to you, the player, as the storyline is much more open to alteration than previous GTA games.
Compared to the hyper-anal
cops of GTA: Vice City and the ridiculous character details of
GTA: San Andreas, IV seems modest in both regards,
making it the true sequel to breakthrough installment GTA III. Enemies are easier to combat — some can be felled in a mere two punches — while the character’s
customizability isn’t so ridiculously in-depth that one has to watch
when he eats and sleeps. Other than switching up his clothes for dates
(homey gets laid a lot), Niko is a rock-solid kind of guy.
GTA IV has been in development for almost four years, and the detail shows. The maps, based off of the New York City boroughs, are expansive but, thanks to Niko’s GPS, not as overwhelming as in previous Rockstar efforts. While the game’s in-story is interesting, simply riding around in a yacht through the game’s lushly crafted oceans is a gorgeous experience. Plus, you can hop from boat to boat capping rich people.
But despite the hype and positive reviews, GTA IV is not a perfect game. Glitches abound. Some
are small, like the when the GPS messes up your position or when you
end up inside a building/vehicle without meaning to do so. Then there
are the mid-level ones. If you’re sharing the game with other players, you’re
going to be frustrated when the auto-save feature keeps trying to erase your buddy’s file instead of picking a new slot. And then there’s the
granddaddy of all console faux pas — the screen freeze. Just like Rockstar’s
Bully re-release from earlier this year, GTA IV will freeze
from time to time. And it will suck every time.
Get past this discouraging glitch, though, and there’s a good game in store. While the GTA formula isn’t close to trailblazing at this point, it’s still an awfully fun one. Especially after you get your first gun. Oh my word does it get sweet then.
Useless Lost Recap: Something Nice Back Home
 |