New Generation X novel
examines life without God
Douglas Coupland
“Life After God”
Pocket Books
Grade: B
Douglas Coupland’s latest effort, “Life
After God” poses this question: What will
happen to the first generation raised without
religion? •- .
What happens when you have drugs, Dr.
Seuss and swimming pools but no God?
Yes, this is the same author who brought
us “Generation X.” And yes, this novel is
about a bunch of confused, angst-ridden X
ers. But don’t turn off or tune out, because
it’s actually pretty good.
The book, which has just become avail
-• able in paperback, is divided into eight parts,
and each part is told by a different
twentysomething. To suit your “Sesame
Street”-MTV short attention span,
Coupland’s stories are short and sweet and
accompanied by simplistic drawings. A Gen
X picture book, so to speak.
Coupland’s narrators were raised in good
homes in good neighborhoods. Some are
married, a few have children. But none of
them have any answers.
i nai s wnat religion is, really—answers.
His narrators have all the right questions:
Why am I here? Where am I going and who
will be there to meet me? And of course,
what is love?
They try to find answers in their careers,
in their lovers and in small yellow pills, but
they don’t find peace. As Coupland’s most
eloquent and interesting narrator reveals:
“My secret is that I need God—that I am
sick and can no longer make it alone. I need
God to help me give because I no longer
seem capable of giving; to help me be kind,
as I no longer seem capable of kindness; to
help me love, as I seem beyond being able to
love.”
One section especially taps deep into the
Generation-X psyche. “The Dead Speak”
relates several narrators’ memories, fanta
sies and nightmares about nuclear war.
Coupland’s style is natural and sincere.
He shifts freely between his narrators, and
each narrator has a distinct voice. He writes
in easily digestible scenes. Reading “Life
After God” is almost as easy as watching
television.
— Rainbow Rowell
Various Artists
“Smooth Grooves: A Sensual Col
lection”
Rhino Records
Grade: A
Tum down the lights.
Yeah.
Kickback, relax, close your eyes.
That’s right... relax.
Now pop in some “Smooth
Grooves.” Oh yeah.
If this four-volume set of love
songs can’t put you and your honey
bunny in a romantic mood, you’re
looking for love in all the wrong
places. Say goodbye, pack up the
station wagon and move on. Only a
big piece of granite could resist
softening up after listening to a few
tunes from this compilation of slow
moving R&B hits.
The albums feature all original
recordings from artists such as
Aretha Franklin, the Stylistics, the
Isley Brothers, Force MDs and the
Average White Band.
This is not a greatest-hits collec
tion. It includes many gems never
released as singles. And the songs
weren’t chosen on the basis of their
original popularity. They seem to
have been lovingly selected and
placed in just the right spot to en
hance each volume’s mood.
And nothing disturbs the mood.
Well, almost nothing. There’s a
fine line between romantic and
cheesy. Sometimes the corny lyrics
and the drippy faucet guitars just
get to be too much. For example,
the Floaters kick off Volume 3 with
“Float On,” which opens with all
the members saying their names
and astrological signs in their best
Barry White voices. You can’t help
but giggle.
And when you’re giggling, it’s
hard to smooch.
, u-i f! nf.nr^fiwbm RaweJL
Cake
“Motorcade of Generosity”
Capricorn Records
Grade: A
I’m stumped by this one. I know
I like it, but I’m not sure why.
The only things I’m sure of are
that it’s called “Motorcade of Gen
erosity,” it’s by a Sacramento band
called Cake, and it’s good.
It’s a cross between bossa nova
and Caribbean music. No, maybe
its low-fidelity guitar music. But
then again, one or two of the songs
have a country-western sound. I
just can’t decide.
But this I know: “Motorcade of
Generosity” is, without a doubt,
one ofthe best albums I’ve heard in
a long time and by far the best I’ve
heard this year.
The opening song, “Comanche,”
is so instantly absorbing that I had
a hard time bringing myself to get
past it — I didn’t want to find out
that this was another one of “those”
albums. You know, those albums
that start off 'great, but by some
unknown force, the talent grinds to
a halt immediately following track
No. 1.
After a few minutes of recycling
“Comanche,” I forged ahead, brav
ing fits of anticipated disappoint
ment. But the last thing I ended up
being was disappointed.
Track two, “Ruby Sees All,” was
great. Track three, “Up So Close,”
was even better. And on and on
until I reached the end and found a
13 -trdck'&lbum that hardly ever dis
appointed and most often elated.
Singer/guitarist John McCrea
croons like a reformed Las Vegas
lounge singer, letting his smooth
words flow into the music in a seem
ingly effortless motion.
McCrea doesn’t sing about the
bitter angst of his generation or the
terrors of past relationships.
“Comanche” is a self-improvement
lesson put to music. “Pentagram” is
a country-western tale of a guy and
his Satan-worshipping girlfriend.
These songs defy concrete inter
pretations and avoid categorization
into the typical. In other words, this
is great music.
The rest of the band comple
ments the lyrics with a style all their
own, jumping back and forth and
in-between musical genres. Cake
has developed its own genre, and
it’s one that I hope to hear a lot
more of in the near future.
—Jeff Randall
^__
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