"Subourbon" Hell

"No, now things are colder and more cruel and more vicious. There isn't any unity. I mean people aren't living and hoping for the same things. Now it's all keyed to one idea. I've got to get mine before the roof falls in. People want sensation. They want money only because then they can buy more expensive sensations. I guess we're upper-middle-class."  

While I like all the Travis McGee novels, I’m an even bigger fan of MacDonald’s earlier novels from the 50s. Most of them are crime novels, but there are a few science fiction and otherwise thrown in. Clemmie is more a novel of manners than crime or noir. It’s a look at suburban life in the late 1950s, complete with backyard barbecues, cocktail parties, fights, secretaries, suicides, alcohol, husbands, wives, jobs, suburban malaise and adultery.

Fawcett Gold Medal

Our hero, Craig Fitz, is a 39 year old married father of two. He’s got a job at a local plant where he oversees the factory production of a variety of products. His wife, Maura, has taken their two daughters for a summer trip to visit Maura’s parents in England. Craig is left home alone with the long stretch of a dull hot summer ahead of him. Craig tried to pass the time by visiting friends and neighbors, by knuckling down on his job, doing things around the house, but things just aren't clicking for him. He’s got that middle-aged angst that haunts him in the quiet night after a few too many highballs alone. He’s bored, discontented and horny. His job is uninspiring and he has a new boss with a reputation of sweeping the staff out to cut costs. One night, Craig accepts an offer from another coworker to go out for a night of bachelor shenanigans. Before the night is through, Craig’s buddy is arrested for D and D and hauled off to the slammer, leaving Craig alone in a dark neighborhood lit by neon and whisky. While walking home, Craig passes a gin-joint and hears a fight taking place in the parking lot. One shadow is beating the hell out of another, accompanied by a girl screaming for them to stop. Half drunk, and half cocked, Craig plays the hero and breaks up the fight. The girl at the center of the fight is Clemmie. 

Clemmie is one of those dangerous girls that draw men like moths to a flame. One of those sexual vampires that can take a jerk and juice him dry and cast him aside, leaving him a ruined shell of his former glory. And Clemmie has a new guy in Craig to latch onto. One of those straight, righteous, dependable, earnest fellows that would make Daddy proud. With barely a twitch of her ass, she’s got Craig by the balls, leading him home to her warehouse apartment by the river. Ever the gentlemen, Craig tells Clemmie that he’s married. As if Clemmie gives a hot damn! After a night of wild, mindblowng sex, Clemmie makes Craig an offer the next morning.

“I think you’re good for me. I think I’m good for you. So while your Maura is in England, I offer you a summer affair. I’ll play it your way. No tricks or sly gimmicks. I shall be your available Clemmie, your summer love, and when it’s time for it to be over, we’ll shake hands, shed one tear and part forever. Will that suit your lordship?”

Right! If only it were so easy. You know, I know, Clemmie knows, and Craig knows that this is a bad deal. But Craig’s just been drained of his summertime blahs by this hot bitch in heels and there is no way he’s going to do the right thing by Maura, and himself. And so the fun begins...

This could have gone a number of ways, but MacDonald plays it straight. He lets the characters work the plot out for themselves, which is something I've always liked about MacDonald’s novels. Yes, there are the editorial intrusions here and there, when characters make long speeches against the societal ills of the world that MacDonald is known for. Nothing happens that doesn't end in a seamy melodrama. Everything is tainted by sin in this novel. Sometime it’s too much. But the pull of the story is still right there as you watch Craig’s life go inexorably down that spiral of mid-life hell.   

Pipe Down! War Ain't for Sissies!

The Day After Tomorrow by Robert A. Heinlein is only the second novel I've read in full by the "Dean of Space-Age Fiction." Originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1941 as "The Sixth Column" and loosely based on a story by Astounding's editor, John W. Campbell, it's a future novel of America after falling to an attack by an alliance between Japan and China.

Signet Books - paperback

I'm not exactly the biggest Heinlein fan around. I know he was hugely popular for many years and I remember seeing plenty of people with their noses in paperback editions of his novels, but I could never get into his stuff. One thing that always annoyed me was the dialog of his characters. To me they always came off sounding like the same person speaking, a sort of smart-alecky version of Heinlein himself. Maybe my mistake was trying to read the wrong stuff, like The Number of the Beast. Or maybe my taste wasn't sophisticated enough to get it, I don't know. It's not like I haven't given his work enough attempts. There have been the handful of short stories by Heinlein that I've liked, but mostly his stuff is a miss for me.

I picked up this novel because I liked the cover, simple as that. And it wasn't a novel that I immediately recognized by him. For the price, what the hell, if I didn't like it at least it will look nice with some of the other vintage sci-fi paperbacks I own.

I'm happy to say that I mostly enjoyed The Day After Tomorrow. I had some issues with it, but for a brisk pulp era science fiction novel I got a kick out of it. Basically, it's the story of 7 survivors after the fall of America to the PanAsians who've taken shelter underground in the mountains of Colorado. Together they plan a revolt against the rule of the evil empire of PanAsians by utilizing a gizmo that operates on what they refer to as The Ledbetter Effect. There is some explanation early on how the Ledbetter Effect works, but it all went right over my head. Essentially, it's not much different from Green Lantern's power ring. And like GL's power ring doesn't work on anything colored yellow, The Ledbetter Effect is designed to not work on anything white, meaning Caucasians. To expedite matters, they decide to create a religion by which they can communicate and recruit the surviving Americans, train them in using the Ledbetter Effect and overthrow the evil PanAsians. The plot gives room for Heinlein to comment on religion, war, politics and race. The problem is that the novel teeters on that uncomfortable edge of racism in doing so. Also, much of the action, (battles and massacres, etc) occur offstage. There is enough action to keep the pace moving quickly, but I like a little more "wetwork" in my war/spy novels. Also, there isn't a single female character of importance in the story. To me, that's something of a missed opportunity. Then again, maybe it's better that sexism was left out here.

So, if you appreciate golden age science fiction, then this might be one you'll enjoy, keeping in mind the time and place it was written.

Sunday Morning Vinyl - Martin Denny - Exotic Percussion

I'm a big time sucker for vintage album cover art, and this cover is one of my favorites. The music inside is also irresistible.

Liberty Records, cover design Pete/Francis & Associates

The theme of this 1961 LP is a sort of East meets West vibe with the use of "exotic instruments" to play western melodies. The instruments in question include Burmese gongs, wood chimes, steel chimes, a three-stringed Japanese lute, a magna harp, wind chimes, a Hawaiian gourd, piccolo xylophones and bamboo percussion heads, and as always, the piano played by Martin Denny.

In addition to Martin Denny, the players are: August Colon, Julius Wechter, Harvey Ragsdale and Frank Kim.

As for the cover, I don't think this is Sandy Warner, who is on many of Denny's exotica LP's at the time. She looks a lot like her though.

This is great music to accompany that cocktail party featuring those sweet tasting drinks that sneak up on you about the third one in. Next thing you know you're the big kahuna swaying to the music and making a fool of yourself for the cute babe in the corner next to the black velvet painting. Or maybe she's got a special little dance of her own to lay on you instead...

Last Waltz on Wild Horse - T.T. Flynn

I have to put out a thanks to James Reasoner for introducing me to the works of T.T. Flynn through his blog, Rough Edges. I've only recently (in the last two years) started reading more westerns, so I have a lot of writers yet to discover.

Dime Western, October 1, 1934

I recently found a collection of four T.T. Flynn stories from the pulps in the Leisure paperback, Last Waltz on Wild Horse, published by Dorchester Publishing in 2010. The collection includes "Showdown in Blood" (Dime Western, May 1948), "Spawn of the Gun Pack" (Western Story, April 1941), "Last of the Fighting O'Days" (pictured above) and "Last Waltz on Wild Horse" from Zane Grey's Western, February 1953.

I found each of these stories to be terrific entertainment. All of them feature the classic Western tropes with stories pitting brother against brother, family against family, bounty hunters, a sheriff reflecting on his final days, saloons, card cheats, outlaws, shootouts, bar fights and even a dosed bottle of hooch for added fun. Flynn's heroes are solid men of action and character, willing to sacrifice their livelihood and lives for justice and order. Fans of classic movie westerns may recognized Flynn's name as the author of The Man From Laramie starring James Stewart.

I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for other books by T.T. Flynn. With more than 100 stories to his credit in a variety of Western pulps, I have a lot more to look forward to.

Lawrence Block - The Naked and the Deadly

So far I've enjoyed everything I've read by Lawrence Block, so when I saw his collection One Night Stands and Lost Weekends at the bookstore several years ago there was no hesitation on my part for slapping my money down. I've always been a big fan of mid-century crime fiction, but had yet to read Block's short stories from that period. Stories that originally appeared in magazines like Manhunt. Manhunt is one of those magazines that had to have been a real treat for crime fiction fans. I never seem to find old copies of it in the used stores, the way one can with Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, or Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. I've got only one issue of Manhunt in my possession, and I found it in a library book sale of all places.

"The Naked and the Deadly" is a novelette featuring private eye Ed London. The case is one of those where the gorgeous doll walks into the P.I.'s office (in this case, Ed London's apartment) and offers him a job that seems way too sketchy for a wise man to get caught up in. In this case, London is hired to pay off a blackmailer whose been putting the screws to our mysterious babe, Rhona Blake. Ms. Blake insists that one payoff to the blackmailer will be sufficient. To sweeten the deal, she pays London two grand, and a roll in the hay. It must be stories like this that had all kinds of book geeks signing up for criminology correspondence courses back in the day. London is a smooth operator. He drinks cognac and smokes a pipe. He can also smell bullshit, even when it's handed to him smothered in expensive perfume. He takes the job, shows up at the agreed upon payoff joint, and takes a ride with the blackmailer into a shootout. Barely escaping with his life, London returns home to his apartment, with the payoff loot, his retainer, and a whole lot of questions for his client, Ms. Rhona Blake. The next morning, London gets a visit from a sleazy lawyer offering him 10 grand to find a client's wayward daughter. The lawyer shows London a picture of the daughter, Rhona Blake, as if you didn't already know that was coming. When London refuses to take the job, the lawyer leaves him with one of those thinly veiled threats that suggests more trouble for London.

"The Naked and the Deadly" first appeared in the October 1962 issue of Man's Magazine. I liked reading it, even though I sort of knew where it was going, having read tons of crime stories with sketchy babes who fall way too easily into the detectives's beds. But that doesn't make these stories any less fun.

I was able find a picture of the the October '62 issue of Man's Magazine online. It's got a cool cover depicting John Glenn as a fighter pilot. Also it features a story about wife swapping. Hmmm...I didn't think that really took off until the 70's, but what the hell do I know anyway. It's kind of sad, knowing that I can't swing down to the nearest drugstore and find magazines like this anymore on the racks.

Amazing Stories - May 1950

This issue Amazing Stories contains the short novel "Slaves of the Crystal Brain", by William Carter Sawtelle. I'm pretty certain that Sawtelle is a pseudonym, but don't ask me why. In addition, there are 8 other stories giving a whole lot of bang for your quarter back in 1950.

Amazing Stories, May 1950 - cover by Arnold Kohn

This is just the sort of cover that would have hooked me had I been perusing the news-stands in 1950. That and the title, "Slaves of the Crystal Brain" which is a grabber. The story is a decent one that moves at a fairly rapid clip, about a demonic crystal brain hidden under the streets of Chicago in the year 1972. It controls a horde of slaves, in fact normal citizens who've been kidnapped and given "treatment" that saps their identity. Agent Joe January of Federal Security Bureau uncovers the plot of the Crystal Brain during one of his routine security checks on scientist William Atkinson. Seems a couple of renowned scientists have disappeared without a trace, resulting in the security checks of all remaining scientists of note. While visiting Dr. Atkinson's lab, January is told by Atkinson that he knows what's behind the odd disappearances of other scientists. Before he can divulge much further, a black orb appears in the lab and descends upon the unfortunate Dr. Atkinson, erasing him from existence. This black orb is impervious to bullets and any other weapon that January can hurl at it. Also, it seems to have the uncanny ability to eavesdrop on January's intentions. Meanwhile across the city, plucky (well she's described as "wren like" and wearing a dress that needs no extra padding!) Nancy Howard is eavesdropping on her boss, Mr. Lorton, as he converses with someone, or something, behind his fortress-like office on the top floor of his skyscraper. Lorton is one of those almighty bigshots who manages to control most of the city through his wealth and influence. Nancy Howard is convinced that Lorton is behind the disappearance of her brother, one of the missing scientists. Too bad for her, she's right. Lorton discovers her spying on him, and sends her to the Crystal Brain for treatment. You can bet that January and Lorton's paths will cross, in addition to lots of black orbs doing their nasty business at the control of the Crystal Brain. And you can bet that January and Nancy Howard will meet, and when they do, sparks will fly!

This is one of those stories that has way more escapism than any science in it. It's non-stop action, with plenty of cliffhanger chapters to keep the reader hooked. Also, there is just a touch of blood and gore, in addition to titillation, to place the whole thing firmly in the pulp camp.

This issue of Amazing Stories was edited by Howard Browne, which leads me to believe that Sawtelle (whoever he is) was also behind a couple other stories in the magazine. Robert Bloch turns up here for a pithy short story "Tooth or Consequences" about a vampire taking a trip to the dentist. "If This be Utopia" by Kris Neville is one of those claustrophobic stories of a society run amok with security for the health and safety of its citizens.

All in all, some fun stuff, old school style.

Dreams Die First - Harold Robbins

"I have a contagious fungus," I said. "Sort of vaginitus of the hands."

Having gotten my Christmas duties done for the holidays, I found I had the whole day yesterday to do nothing but read another trashy bestseller from the typewriter of Harold Robbins. Dreams Die First, was the third book I started in the past week, and the first one finished. I don't know if that says more about my reading skills, my tastes, or just my state of mind for the holiday season, that I was able to knock this 408 page novel down in less than two days.

Pocket Books, September 1978

What I can say is that this is one of the more off the wall "bestsellers" that I've had the joy of reading. I've never read a mainstream commercial work of fiction before that has as many uses of the C-word in it for describing the anatomy of a woman's body. That and a plot that falls down all over itself with randomness and silliness; more so than the previous novels Harold Robbins novels I've read. Once again, this book must have had a place in a lot of bookshelves in the late 70's if the sales figures for Robbins's novels are to be believed. My question is, who exactly was reading them? Men, women, or horny teenagers?

The plot concerns an ex-Green Beret who decides, through the "help" of his shady uncle, to get into the publishing business. We meet our hero, Gareth Brendan, as he wakes up in his apartment next to a naked young man, with no memory of the night before. Gareth is unemployed and out of prospects. He tells us he's a Vietnam veteran who was forced to pull an extra year in the military to keep from bad mouthing the war, or something like that. Gareth's bio is sort of made up along the way, as if Robbins wasn't exactly sure himself. Gareth gets a ride from his loan-shark, referred to as "the Collector" to the unemployment office where he flirts with pretty clerk named Verita. Outside, Gareth gives his last unemployment check to The Collector, and is offered the possibility of a job by the Collector's boss, Lonergan. With no other means of support forthcoming, Gareth agrees to meet Lonergan personally after midnight that night. Until midnight, he'll spend the evening in Verita's bed giving her multiple orgasms.

Lonergan's offer to Gareth involves taking over an underground street rag named Hollywood Express that's fallen on hard times. Lonergan figures that he'll use the Hollywood Express for a money laundering operation. Gareth decides that he might as well turn the Hollywood Express  into a porno rag and make a lot of money. Oh yeah, and it turns out the Lonergan is Gareth's uncle. Oh yeah, and Verita is a CPA, but can't work as an accountant because "Chicanas" can't get work as Accountants. Oh, and Verita also has a law degree, but that isn't needed until later on in the plot. Also, Gareth is the son of rich mother living in Bel Air. Anyway, all that comes in handy as Gareth turns the Hollywood Express into a successful weekly porn magazine, with the help of some shady characters connected to a group "back east." Also, it turns out the boy Gareth woke up next to on page one of the novel is the son of a Christian guru type celebrity named Reverend Gannon, who is okay with all the hedonistic life-styles practiced by his son Bobby (who is gay) and his youth group, as long as they're cool with Christ in the meantime. The whole plot is a "seat of the pant's" ride with the distinct feeling that Robbins was literally making shit up as he typed. There is the insider's look at the business of publishing porno, a sex cult, tons of pure coke inhaled, Mexican drug lords, a gay "terrorist" organization, a Latino gang run by Verita's cousin, who also happened to serve with Gareth in Vietnam, and some shootouts, lots of sex, sex therapy, a couple of karate chops, some gay torture, and yes, by the end of the novel, true love overcoming all.

All the characters display the compulsion and self control of your average teenager, only with lots of money and  freedom with which to pursue their whims. Everyone falls in love instantly and has explosive orgasms throughout.

Now that I think about it, maybe all those readers back in the 70's were teenagers between Stephen King novels...who knows. As for me, will I read anymore Harold Robbins? Yeah, you can probably bet on it.