Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan: The Making of a PresidentTexas A&M University Press, 1997 - 374 pages Termed a "Southern gothic musical," Ghost Brothers of Darkland County was scripted by novelist Stephen King with the music coming from maverick heartland rocker John Mellencamp, a collaboration a bit left-field for both artists. This set includes Mellencamp's songs interspersed with key dialogue from King's libretto, and while the story might be too complex -- essentially, it's the tale of two brothers involved in a murder/suicide whose ghosts haunt an isolated cabin and whose tragic deeds and consequent fate seems about to be repeated by their living nephews -- to be truly appreciated in single-disc form like this, so it's Mellencamp's songs, sung by the likes of Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Sheryl Crow, Dave and Phil Alvin (real-life brothers whose estrangement with each other ended while working on this project), Taj Mahal, Ryan Bingham, Clyde Mulroney, Rosanne Cash, and Kris Kristofferson (Mellencamp only sings on one song here, the summing-it-up last track "Truth") that are really left to carry things. They certainly work as songs, and may well be among the best Mellencamp has ever written, while the overall sound of the whole musical suite, crafted by T-Bone Burnett, is kind of like a sparse and shined-up version of a late-period Tom Waits album, due in part to the presence of multi-instrumentalist Marc Ribot on most of the tracks, and the tight, spare rhythm section of Jay Bellerose on drums and David Piltch on bass. The performances? Elvis Costello sounds gleeful and sinful on "That's Me" (identity and fulfillment are key themes of Ghost Brothers of Darkland Country, that and history's tendency to repeat itself), Neko Case is sassy and sure on "That's Who I Am," Kris Kristofferson sounds old, wise, and weary on "How Many Days," Taj Mahal rages through "Tear This Cabin Down," and Sheryl Crow is confident and cocky on "Jukin'," while Rosanne Cash turns in a delicately worn and wise reading of "You Don't Know Me," and for a story that spans decades and generations, it's obvious that everyone is singing about who they are, who they ought to be, and who they ended up becoming. It's difficult to say how good this musical is just from the songs and pieces of dialogue presented here, but the songs have a weary, inevitable flow to them, as if fate forced them into a dark room with little light or air or chance of redemption. Redemption comes with acceptance of who one is, the songs and story here seem to say, and only then can the real truth about what has happened to anyone really be revealed. It's a ghost story, after all. ~ Steve Leggett |
From inside the book
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Page 56
... Tampa to Cuba was less than from other comparable American harbors . Moreover , the city's docks were at the inner end of Tampa Bay's thirty - mile channel to the Gulf of Mexico . Vessels in Port Tampa were presumed to be safe from ...
... Tampa to Cuba was less than from other comparable American harbors . Moreover , the city's docks were at the inner end of Tampa Bay's thirty - mile channel to the Gulf of Mexico . Vessels in Port Tampa were presumed to be safe from ...
Page 63
... Tampa . A Fifth Avenue Boy's wife entered with Edith Roosevelt , elic- iting more complaints about favoritism . No action was taken.34 His Moment Was Close The Tampa encampment was comprised of nearly thirty thousand regulars and ...
... Tampa . A Fifth Avenue Boy's wife entered with Edith Roosevelt , elic- iting more complaints about favoritism . No action was taken.34 His Moment Was Close The Tampa encampment was comprised of nearly thirty thousand regulars and ...
Page 65
... Tampa , June 4 , Roosevelt drilled the Rough Riders on foot because the horses were tired . The second day he held mounted drill , although the performance was ... Tampa . They regarded the entrepreneurial Rough Riders as a 65 TRIP TO TAMPA.
... Tampa , June 4 , Roosevelt drilled the Rough Riders on foot because the horses were tired . The second day he held mounted drill , although the performance was ... Tampa . They regarded the entrepreneurial Rough Riders as a 65 TRIP TO TAMPA.
Other editions - View all
Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan: The Making of a President Peggy Samuels,Harold Samuels Limited preview - 1997 |
Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan: The Making of a President Peggy Samuels,Harold Samuels No preview available - 1997 |
Common terms and phrases
advance ahead Alger ambush American Arizona Rough Riders army assault attack battle blockhouse Brigade camp Campaign of Santiago Caney Capron Captain carbines cavalrymen charge Charles Scribner's Sons City Colonel command Company correspondents cowboy Cuban Daiquiri Despite E. E. Morison El Caney enemy Fifth Avenue Boys fire front Fun and Fighting Guasimas guns Hagedorn Hall Hero horses Ibid infantry infantrymen June jungle Kettle Hill knew LaMotte Las Guasimas Lawton Leonard Wood Letters of TR lieutenant Linares Mauser bullets McClernand McKinley miles military morning mules Navy officers Poso Press regiment regulars Report of Commission Richard Harding Davis Rough Riders San Juan Hill Santiago Campaign Santiago de Cuba secretary Shafter Siboney soldiers Spain Spaniards Spanish Spanish-American Spanish-American War Stephen Crane Story Sumner Tampa Teddy Texas Theodore Roosevelt told trail transports troopers troops valley Virgil Carrington Jones volunteers Wheeler Wood and Roosevelt Wood's wounded York Herald Young Yucatan
References to this book
Bullets and Bacilli: The Spanish-American War and Military Medicine Vincent J. Cirillo Limited preview - 2004 |