Pop Culture Roundup

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I've been reading Dark Night of the Soul. Like, actually reading it! For real, you guys! I must say that the language is quite a lot to wade through, and the points he tries to make seem to blend into each other. I don't know if I'd do better with this book in a few years or what. Anyway, I have been getting a lot out of St. John of the Cross' basic points about purgation of sensual religion in order to gain a deeper trust in and love for God. This is a lifelong journey, I would think, as what pleases and comforts the senses can so easily be returned to as something familiar and safe. My point about this book, I suppose, is that for me trying to read too much of it in one sitting tended to cause my eyes to glaze over, but I do like the ideas at its heart.

We went to see Pirates: Band of Misfits the other week as a family outing. We meet Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant), who has for years wanted to win Pirate of the Year. Rivals such as Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) make fun of him for it, as he's never been an especially successful pirate. After meeting Charles Darwin, Pirate Captain concocts a plan to enter a science competition to show off his pet dodo bird in hopes of winning great treasure and gaining respect in the pirate community. Queen Victoria, who hates pirates, gets involved, and hijinks ensue. The film is done by the same people who do Wallace and Gromit, so they get points just based on that. The movie certainly doesn't take itself too seriously, and the soundtrack is filled with classic punk songs. Coffeeson didn't especially like it, but I found it amusing.

A new show debuts on HBO in late June called The Newsroom. I plan on tuning in:



Also, have I mentioned that I really like Abney Park? Because I really like Abney Park. They're a band deemed "steampunk," which means they really like the alternative fictional late-1800s reality with airships and goggles and steam-powered things with lots of gears. Think Jules Verne, or the type of technology in Wild Wild West with Will Smith. The music itself is industrial/folk/goth/a bunch of stuff.

Here's "End of Days," off their album of same name:

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Wonder and Whiskey is Available for Pre-Order

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Friends, things are getting close.

They're so close, in fact, that I can share that Wonder and Whiskey is available for pre-order and will officially release on August 19th!

This book certainly has been a different kind of experience. First off, as I've mentioned before, I didn't even expect that I'd get to write it. I thought the idea was dead not too long after I pitched it. So I'm amazed and thankful that I was wrong about that.

But now I'm a few months away from holding a book in my hands that I wrote, based on the music of one of my all-time favorite bands. It's incredible, and I hope I did both the art and theology justice.

At this point I get to sit back and wait.

Except, hold on, I have work to do on a third book already.

But more about that some other time.

Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band is coming from Wipf and Stock on August 19th.

(Woohoo!)
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Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band

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Now available through Wipf and Stock!

Dave Matthews likes Jesus, but not dogmatic beliefs about him. He openly wonders about God’s existence while singing of showing love to each other as life’s highest ideal. His songs celebrate making the most of each day’s pleasures because we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, but also caution against overindulgence. His music wrestles with deep questions about identity and mortality, while proposing that upholding others’ worth is one of the most important roles we can fulfill. Wonder and Whiskey is an exploration of the lyrics of Dave Matthews Band as a multilayered call to be present in the moment, both for oneself and others, as well as how these ideas intersect with the highest aspirations of a lived Christian spirituality.

Order at these retailers:
Amazon
Wipf and Stock

This book is for...

...fans of Dave Matthews Band interested in an analysis of music from across their catalogue...

...general music fans wanting to learn more about the band's bac…
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