#asked My mom if I could write to an incarcerated person after contemplating the conversation for days

[equalperson]

AVOIDANT PERSONALITY FAIL: thing you apprehensively told one person about suddenly becomes a family meeting.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Patrick Shiroishi

Patrick Shiroishi is a Japanese-American musician who lives and works in Los Angeles. He plays woodwinds, effects and keyboards, and his work has spanned ultra-complex prog rock with Upsilon Acrilux, cutting-edge jazz with musicians such as Alex Cline and Vinny Golia, and harder-to-situate improvisational efforts, which include a pair of cassettes by different trios on Astral Spirits. Early in 2020 Thin Wrist records released Descension, a harrowing contemplation of America’s heritage of ethnically antagonistic incarceration. Bill Meyer wrote of that effort, “it wants you to know something, and think about what you know.” Accordingly, Shiroishi’s list promulgates both musical and broader cultural knowledge.

Here are 10 books that are important/stayed with me over the years: 5 on music and 5 fiction.

Free Jazz in Japan: A Personal History by Teruto Soejima

I thought I had a pretty good understanding of the free jazz scene in Japan, but boy did this book open my eyes. Tons of great information in detail and I discovered a lot of albums I had no idea about. Highly recommended.

Steve Lacy: Conversations by Jason Weiss

35 interviews taking place from 1959-2004 presented in chronological order, I admired Steve before reading this and gained a whole new level of respect for him after. A true trailblazer.

A Wailing of a Town by Craig Ibarra

San Pedro birthed two of the most important punk bands ever (The Minutemen and Saccharine Trust). Reading about the scene in the late 70s and early 80s, the tours that both bands went on, to shows with Black Flag and Descendents, this book is just fuckin fun.

Confronting Silence by Toru Takemitsu

I absolutely love Takemitsu’s work but had no idea this book existed until Alex Cline told me about it. Collected are his writings on nature, music, art & composing... a brief but insightful look into Takemitsu’s mind.

Songs of the Unsung by Horace Tapscott

Horace is a legend and to me, still does not get all the love that he deserves. Not only did he write the Dark Tree and formed the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, but he did so much for the city of Los Angeles. An inspiration and hero.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

My favorite book by my favorite author. Murakami has a way of pulling you into his world within the first couple of pages whether it be the dystopia of 1Q84 or the cyberpunk Hardboiled Wonderland. This one just had some sort of charm that has stuck with me even to this day (one of my duos is named after one of the protagonists). KFC’s Colonel Sanders even makes an appearance, what more could you ask for?

Learning by Andrew Choate

A beautiful piece of work written by a dear friend, I practically read the entire thing in one sitting. Alternating between narratives of events leading up to and following his father’s death and original poetry, I felt for Andrew, laughed out loud and reflected on my own life. Seek this out!

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

This was (sadly) one of the few books outside of reading assignments I read during my high school career...it was during a summer where my family went fishing in the mountains. My mom couldn’t believe I was reading instead of playing on my Gameboy. I know there’s films and a manga with the same story, but I implore you to start here.

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut is truly hilarious and someone I wish I could have hung out with even for a day. His recurring themes such as free will & man’s relation to technology appear here in addition to the threat of nuclear destruction which I’m sure was on everyone’s minds in 1963 when he was writing this. I also took inspiration from this book and named a group after the Bokonoist term for sun, “Borasisi.”

Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore

I’ve been into Swamp Thing ever since the cartoon was on TV when I was in elementary school. This is the story line written by Moore and he brings out the best of the characters in every way possible. One of my favorite comics hands down.