Sunday, December 02, 2007

New Reasons to Love THE STAR MACHINE

I keep finding new reasons to love the book THE STAR MACHINE by Jeanine Basinger. I'm not reading it cover to cover, just dipping in and leafing through, and each page falls open to a gem. For instance, remember when I told you that Bing Crosby was a precursor to Marlon Brando? And you thought I was crazy? Oh yes you did! You did, too! Well, Basinger does not mention Brando in this passage, but I believe she is picking up on the same "vibe" when she writes, "He [Bing Crosby] easily tosses off amusing asides as if they're ad libs, and these remarks often have a tinge of cruelty to them. There's meanness in Crosby, and audiences liked him for it. There are demons floating behind his cow eyes." Ah, there is no warmer feeling than having your crackpot theories marginally corroborated.