July 2009 Archives

The young men and women who populate Anthony Powell's debut novel from 1931, "Afternoon Men," live their lives with such detached ennui it's a wonder that they are actually able to decide upon which restaurant to dine at...and what to order. Being privileged, educated and semi-talented can be so burdensome.

Essentially plotless but very funny, "Afternoon Men" takes a look at the young bohemians of London between the wars. The hero (if he can be called that) is William Atwater, begrudgingly employed in a very slack manner at a nameless museum; a job procured only because of his family connections. It's unclear what he does except daydream and kill time. Here's a snippet of his office life:
.

There aren't many contemporary performers that have had the sort of run Nick Cave has had; 14 studio records over a span of 25 years, with only a few clunkers in the bunch. That's not even counting his time spent with his seminal and highly influential

band The Birthday Party.He's also written two novels, written screenplays, acted in movies and has been an inspiration to countless hipsters, young and old. One wonders where he finds the time. When you look upon the span of his musical career, it is marked with several high water marks, where Cave and his band, the Bad Seeds, appear to be ridiculously at the top of their game.