#new kevin cummins book

[ostensiblynone]

A riveting visual evolution of Oasis captured by Kevin Cummins and featuring Noel Gallagher in his own words.

How does a band come into being? What are the myriad forces that shape the sound, look, and identity of an emerging band? Oasis The Masterplan tells the story of how Oasis cemented their identity. At the center of this enterprise was Kevin Cummins, who was well aware of the intersection between the visual and the sonic and was brought on board to help the band find a look that fitted their sound. Drawing on the first six months of 1994, we follow Cummins as he photographs the band in various locations such as London, Manchester, and the Netherlands. Using many unseen images as well as more well-known iconic shots, Cummins guides us through the ways a band can be shaped and designed, such as the famous photographs of the Gallagher brothers in Manchester City shirts - emblazoned with the Brother logo (a Japanese electronics company) which helped provoke worldwide interest in the band. With input from Noel Gallagher, we see how they played with fashion, were taught how to pose, and present themselves as they approached the summer of that year when their first album, Definitely Maybe was released on August 29th. The story from that moment on is well-known and this book reveals just how effective the masterplan was to get them to that point.

[thatrickmcginnis]

LINTON KWESI JOHNSON Toronto 1990

Toronto has had a big Caribbean diaspora for decades, so I grew up hearing calypso, soca and reggae on the streets and reggae on the radio, which is where I probably heard British dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson for the first time. Not long after I started at Nerve magazine my editor Dave handed me an advance cassette of LKJ's In Concert with the Dub Band record, which became one of my favorite records that year. So a few years later when I was assigned by NOW magazine to photograph Jamaican dub poet Jean "Binta" Breeze (1956-2021) live at the BamBoo club on Queen West, I noticed that her backing band was Dennis Bovell's Dub Band and that LKJ was also on the bill. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

I had been shooting at gigs for years by this point and knew that if I showed up early and made my case to the promoter or road manager, I might be able to get a few minutes for a quick portrait session. The variable was always light and backgrounds, but I knew the BamBoo well enough to guess that there would be a blank wall somewhere upstairs. Light, of course, was a wild card. I got my little slot of time with Linton Kwesi Johnson before the show, and planned on taking a serious, faintly literary kind of portrait, but when I scanned the backstage area I saw that while I had enough clean white wall, there was only one spot that had just enough light for a portrait.

I had first read about Linton Kwesi Johnson in the British music press - weeklies like the New Musical Express and Melody Maker - so it was inevitable that I'd have those publications and their whole post-punk style in my head when I photographed LKJ: photographers like Bleddyn Butcher, Chalkie Davies, Kevin Cummins and especially Anton Corbijn. I loaded my Nikon F3 with Kodak's T-Max 3200 film, a film designed for pushing several stops (with a corresponding bloom of very textural grain). For his part LKJ was a more than accomodating subject, starting the roll with a few wistful poses before I began nudging him in the direction of the kind of austere head shot I had in mind. The roll finished, I thinked him for his time and hung around to do my job and photograph the night's show.

Since a portrait of LKJ wasn't what the paper assigned me to take, these shots didn't have a home. I remember printing one for my portfolio but taking it out after a few months; I kept having to explain who LKJ was and worried it was taking away from the impact of my book. Another way I was always second-guessing myself as a young photographer; I should have had more conviction. In any case these shots didn't see the light of day until I posted them on my old blog about a decade ago. Linton Kwesi Johnson continues to perform and teach, and has received countless awards and honorary degrees. Time Come, a collection of his poetry, was published last year.

[ulkaralakbarova]

The eccentric new manager of a UHF television channel tries to save the station from financial ruin with an odd array of programming. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: George Newman: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic R.J. Fletcher: Kevin McCarthy Stanley Spadowski: Michael Richards Bob: David Bowe Harvey Bilchik: Stanley Brock Philo: Anthony Geary Raul Hernandez: Trinidad Silva Kuni: Gedde Watanabe Noodles MacIntosh: Billy Barty Richard Fletcher: John Paragon Pamela Finklestein: Fran Drescher Esther Bilchik: Sue Ane Langdon Head Thug: David Proval Killer Thug: Grant James Teri: Victoria Jackson Joe Earley: Emo Philips Gandhi: Jay Levey Cameraman: Lou B. Washington Bum: Vance Colvig FCC Man: Nik Hagler Bartender: Robert K. Weiss Spatula Husband: Eldon G. Hallum Spatula Wife: Sherry Engstrom Spatula Neighbor: Sara Allen Sy Greenblum: Bob Hungerford Crazy Ernie: John Cadenhead Blind Man: Francis M. Carlson Earl Ramsey: Ivan Green Joel Miller: Adam Maras Billy: Travis Knight Little Weasel: Joseph Witt Teri’s Father: Tony Frank Teri’s Mother: Billie Lee Thrash Fletcher Cronie #1: Barry Friedman Fletcher Cronie #2: Kevin Roden Phyllis Weaver: Lisa R. Stefanic Big Edna: Nancy Johnson Betty: Debbie Mathieu Little Old Lady: Wilma Jeanne Cummins Animal Deliveyman: Cliff Stephens Band: Guitar: Jim West Band: Bass Guitar: Steve Jay Band: Drums: Jon Schwartz Band: Keyboards: Kim Bullard Whipped Cream Eater: Barry Hansen Thug #3: Bob Maras Thug #4: George Fisher Guide #1: Tony Salome Guide #2: Joe Restivo Yodeler: Charles Marsh Mud Wrestler: Belinda Bauer Satan: Patrick Thomas O’Brien Conan the Librarian: Roger Callard Timid Man: Robert Frank Boy with Books: Jeff Maynard Promo Announcer (voice): M.G. Kelly Promo Announcer (voice): Jay Gardner Promo Announcer (voice): John Harlan Promo Announcer (voice): Jim Rose Film Crew: Production Manager: Gray Frederickson Original Music Composer: John Du Prez Editor: Dennis M. O’Connor Producer: Gene Kirkwood Producer: John W. Hyde Writer: Jay Levey Director of Photography: David Lewis Production Design: Ward Preston Set Decoration: Robert L. Zilliox Costume Design: Tom McKinley Makeup Effects: Allan A. Apone Special Effects Makeup Artist: Douglas J. White Sound Recordist: Ara Ashjian Sound Editor: Christopher Assells Sound Editor: Charles R. Beith Jr. Sound Recordist: Gregory Cheever Sound Editor: Clayton Collins Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Andy D’Addario Sound Editor: Dino DiMuro Sound Editor: G. Michael Graham Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Jeffrey J. Haboush Sound Mixer: Bo Harwood Sound Editor: Dan Hegeman Sound Editor: A. David Marshall Sound Editor: Diane Marshall Supervising Sound Editor: Dave McMoyler Sound Recordist: Art Schiro Sound Editor: Scott A. Tinsley Visual Effects Producer: John Coats Visual Effects Supervisor: William Mesa Visual Effects Art Director: Richard Kilroy Visual Effects Art Director: Ron Yates Post Production Supervisor: Susan Zwerman Production Supervisor: Bill Carroll Stunt Coordinator: George Fisher Stunts: Bob Maras Stunts: Brent Stice Stunts: T. Alan Kelly Stunts: J. Granville Moulder Stunts: Michael Steven Howl Stunts: Richard Drown Executive In Charge Of Production: Kate Morris Associate Producer: Becki Cross Trujillo Associate Producer: Joe M. Aguilar First Assistant Director: John R. Woodward Second Assistant Director: Benita Allen Casting Assistant: Gregory Raich Casting Assistant: Sandi Black Local Casting: Barbara Brinkley Henry Local Casting: Laurey Lummus Key Hair Stylist: Lynne K. Eagan Makeup & Hair: Roseanne McIlvane Wardrobe Supervisor: Ainslee Colt de Wolf Wardrobe Assistant: Phil O’Nan Boom Operator: Joel Racheff First Assistant Camera: Ed Giovanni Second Assistant Camera: Tiffanie Winton Second Assistant Camera: Brett Reynolds Second Assistant Camera: Cindi Pusheck Production Coordinator: Bonnie Macker Script Supervisor: Carol Stewart Second Second Assistant Director: Lorene M. Duran Third Assistant Director: Pam Whorton Additional Editing: Steve Polivka Assistant Editor: Lewis Schoenbrun Supervising ADR Editor: Karla Caldwell Music Supervisor:...

[all-rock-and-roll-is-homosexual]

Brett Anderson shot by Kevin Cummins - scanned from While We Were Getting High

[damonalbarn]

Ella is all of us :-))))

Kevin Cummins in his new photography book “While We Were Getting High: Britpop and the '90s”

[tiesandtea]

Justine Frischmann and Donna Matthews of Elastica in NYC, May 1995. Photographed by Kevin Cummins. Published by GQ magazine in an article about his new Britpop-themed book While We Were Getting High.

Cummins shot singer Justine Frischmann of Elastica in a hotel room in New York City on 30 May 1995. In the background is guitarist Donna Matthews. “I think we’re representative of 20-something women in Britain,” Frischmann told NME a month later. “I can imagine women in bands in America have to put up with seriously ignorant, sexist people.”

(very hi-res)

[romancandlemagazine]

An Interview with Al Baker

I first came across Al Baker’s photography whilst looking through an old copy of a magazine called Flux I’d snaffled from Manchester’s world-famous second-hand wonderland, Empire Exchange.

Hidden in the magazine’s pages, between an interview with Mark E Smith and a review of a newly-released sci-fi film called The Matrix, were two black-and-white photos, snapped from the window of an ice-cream van, showing kids lined up for a bit of frozen respite from the summer heat. Reading the fairly minimal bit of text below, it turned out the photos were part of a series called ‘Ice Cream You Scream’. 

I’d missed the exhibition by approximately 20 years, but thanks to the high-speed time-machine known as the internet, I managed to track him down. Here’s an interview about his fine photos, his time living in Hulme Crescents and the benefits of carrying cameras in a Kwik Save bag...

Classic ‘start of an interview’ question here, but when did you get into photography? Was there something in particular that set you off?

Like a lot of young people, I knew that I was creative but hadn’t quite found my place. I didn’t know whether I wanted to be a writer or in a band. I used to doodle, copy Picasso’s in biro, so off I went to art college and tried my hand at different things. All it really taught me was that I had neither the patience, technique or talent to become a painter. Photography seemed a much easier way to make images, a more instant result. Of course, the more you get into it you realise that whether you’re any good or not does rely upon patience, technique and talent after all.

Was ‘being a photographer’ something that people did in Manchester in the early 90s? Who did you look up to back then?

Not really. It was very rare to see another person wandering around with a camera back then. Even years later when I began photographing the club scene in Manchester no-one else seemed to be doing the same thing. Not at the night clubs I went to anyway. 

Now it’s very different. These days you see people with cameras everywhere. Club nights almost always have a photographer. People are far more image-conscious due to social media. Today most people are busy documenting their own nights out with their phones. Look at footage from any major gig these days and half the room is filming it. Back in the 90s no-one seemed to care about documenting anything like that. You were very unlikely to see the photos that someone might be taking the next day or, in fact, ever. People often used to ask ‘What are you taking photos for?’ with genuine surprise or distain.  

In terms of photographers whom I looked up to there are so many! There are great image masters like Cartier-Bresson or Elliott Erwitt. Photographers of war and social upheaval like Don McCullin and Phillip Jones-Griffiths. I liked Alexander Rodchenko and Andre Kertez, how they broke the conventions of their day with wit and invention. 

I loved the dark and dirty images of Bill Brandt, and his inspiring nude studies too. I loved the city at night recorded by Brassai. Paris in the 1930s definitely seemed to be the place to be. Diane Arbus, Jane Bown and Shirley Baker. American street photographer Gary Winogrand was a huge influence on me, as was Nick Waplington’s book ‘Living Room’.  

I was also quite lucky to be living in Manchester at that time. Daniel Meadows and Martin Parr had both attended Manchester Polytechnic. Denis Thorpe had worked for the Guardian in Manchester. I saw Kevin Cummins iconic Joy Division images, Ian Tilton documenting The Stone Roses. Both were regularly in among the inky pages of the NME. 

I also saw an exhibition of Clement Cooper’s photographs of the Robin Hood pub in Moss Side, which was another big influence. I was also very lucky in that my very first photography tutor was Mark Warner, who produced very beautiful images, did a lot of work for Factory Records. He shot The Durutti Column’s (1989) Vini Reilly album sleeve. He was probably the first person who ever really encouraged me.

I really like that series of photos you took from inside an ice-cream van in the late 90s. What was the story behind that? 

The initial idea for that project came from my friend Steve Hillman, who is an actor. At the time he was ‘between jobs’, which is an actor’s euphemism for being unemployed, so he was working an ice-cream round to help to pay the rent. I was at his flat one night, thinking aloud about where I might go next with my camera. I’d spent quite a long time following graffiti artists work around Hulme, and had my first exhibition based around that. But it only seemed to lead to offers of more work with graffiti artists, and I wanted to do something else.  

I’d done a 2nd exhibition based around portraits of my friends in Hulme. I’d flirted with some one-day projects, like Belle Vue dog track, Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Anyway, while I was talking, not really knowing what I was going to do next, Steve simply stated ‘You should come out on the ice-cream round with me. No-one ever comes to the van without a smile on their face.’ And it just struck me as a beautiful & simple idea. So, one day we just set off. 4 or 5 rolls of film and all the free ice-cream I could eat, which I discovered wasn’t very much!

What was the logistical side of those photos? Were they taken from the same van? 

They were all shot on the same day, the same van, all around Salford. It was good fun, but actually very hard work. Trying to constantly find new angles, different framing and working on a hot August day in such a small confined space. By the end of the day I felt that I had enough strong images for my next exhibition. They were much jollier images than ones I’d made before. As a result, because it had more universal appeal, I got quite a lot of good publicity out of it, and Walls gave us hundreds of free Magnum ice-creams to give away on the opening night!

These days I could think of more than a few reasons why you probably shouldn’t drive around Salford photographing other people’s children without permission haha (in fact, I’m surprised that I wasn’t hung from the nearest lamppost!) but I was much younger and far more naive back then. Besides, that was something that I’d learned from living in Hulme. You don’t ask for permission. Someone will only say ‘No’. Just crack on and do it anyway.

You also documented the last years of the Hulme Crescents. A lot of people talk about that time and place in Manchester, even now—but what was the reality of it? What was a normal weekend there like?

It was quite unlike anywhere that I’d ever lived before. It looked like a fascist dystopian nightmare, only one peopled by Rastas and anarchists. Bleak concrete interconnecting walkways. No through roads whatsoever. A fortress feel to the place. The entire estate was earmarked for demolition before I arrived. Everyone else seemed to be busy moving out. But I was already spending a lot of time there, post-Hacienda, parties, friends, lost weekends.  

There were lots of young people living there. Families had mainly moved out as the heating didn’t work properly, flats were cold & damp, often infested with cockroaches. There were traces of old Irish families, the Windrush generation, interwoven with punks and drop-outs. 

There was a cultural & artistic flowering among the ruins. A Certain Ratio, Dub Sex, A Guy Called Gerald, Edward Barton, Ian Brown, Dave Haslam, Mick Hucknall, Lemn Sissay, all lived there at one time. It was the original home of Factory, where all the post-punk bands played. In turn that led to Factory Records, New Order, and the Hacienda. The PSV club later hosted raves and notorious Jungle nights. It was a good time to be young.

You lived there as well as shooting it. Do you think it’s important to be a part of the thing you’re photographing, rather than just an outsider with a camera?

I don’t know that it’s important to be a part of the thing you’re photographing, ‘embedded’ is what the war photographers call it, but you definitely capture different images. Certain things that might have been shocking to an outsider were commonplace, normal & every day to me. Boring even. On the other hand, I was much less likely to be robbed walking around. That meant I could take my camera places that other people couldn’t, or maybe shouldn’t!

I used to wear my camera beneath my coat so it couldn’t be seen, and I carried my film and lenses in a Kwik Save shopping bag so as not to attract unwanted attention. I got into the habit of handing that bag over the bar at the pubs I went in. I would collect it the next day if I could remember where I’d been the night before. Bless you, saintly barmaids of old Hulme.

If you look at my images of Hulme people they’re usually reacting to me and not the camera. Either that or they’re not reacting at all. They’re ignoring the fact that I’m taking a picture. That’s what gives them that ‘fly-on-the-wall’ feeling.

This is something that I put to greater effect later when I was photographing in night clubs, skulking stage side or hiding in a DJ booth. When DJs & MCs see you week in week out at the club doing the same thing they stop posing for the camera and just get used to you being there. You become part of the furniture. And when people stop being conscious of the camera, when they ignore that you’re even present, you can step in much closer. Put simply, you get better pictures. They’re much less performative and far more honest. It’s not often people can say they like it when they’re being ignored, but for photographers it’s a gift.

Do you think somewhere the Crescents could exist now, or was it just a case of the perfect accidental recipe for that kind of creative, DIY activity?

No, I don’t think anywhere like Hulme will ever happen again. I think the city council learned that lesson a long time ago. It was a dystopian utopia for us, but it grew out of failure. When I 1st went to university they warned us never to set foot there. I said, ‘But what if you live there already?’ and there was an embarrassed silence. They really hadn’t expected a poor boy from Hulme to be in the room. Now they own half of it and it’s all student Halls of Residence.  

The city centre has been regenerated, redeveloped & gentrified. We can’t afford to live there anymore, and people like me are pushed out. Hulme was a failed social housing experiment, an eyesore & an embarrassment to the people who had commissioned it. People like me moved in & we made it our own. They’re never going to allow anything like that to happen again. Every quaint old fashioned pub that closes becomes a block of flats. The footprint is too valuable to property developers. One day all we will have will be faded photographs to bear witness to a very different way of living.

Was it through the Crescents that you started shooting graffiti? 

When I first arrived in Hulme I’d just spent 3 years living with mates in a couple of houses elsewhere in the city. It suddenly struck me that that part of my life was over and I had very few photographs of that time. I’d been too busy learning photography, taking the kind of photos that every art student takes: Broken windows; abandoned buildings, and bits of burnt wood. I vowed I wouldn’t do that again. I began documenting the life that was around me.

I started with the architecture, as it was quite unlike any other place I’d ever seen. It had a desperate, faded beauty even then. The whole estate had been condemned for demolition before I arrived, but the city council had given up on the place long before that.  

I started to notice graffiti pieces going up, seeing the same names repeated. It was obvious that there was a small group of writers trying out their styles on a large canvas for the 1st time. Wanting to claim this derelict space as their own Hall Of Fame. I started to document them as they sprang up. Then I noted that context was crucial, and so I began to include the soon-to-be-derelict buildings in the images also. The shapes & colours of the graffiti looked positively psychedelic beside the drab monochrome of the setting.

With your graffiti shots, you show a lot more than just the pieces. Was it an intentional thing to show the act behind it a bit?

Because it was Hulme and no-one cared, these guys weren’t working in the dead of night like most graffiti writers do in the train yards and what-have-you. They were working during the day, right out in the open. So, documenting their work, it wasn’t long before I ran into Kelzo. He really didn’t trust me at first, but I kept coming back. So, I got to know them. They started to let me know where they were going to be painting next.

In 1995 Kelzo organised the 1st SMEAR JAM event (named after a young aspiring writer who used to come down to Hulme to learn, and had died suddenly from a nut allergy). That was such good fun that another event arrived the following year, another & another. Graf writers came from London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield, and as far afield as Spain. The local community came out to support and, as usual, it turned into a party that lasted all weekend.  

I got into the habit of taking 2 cameras. One loaded with B&W film to capture the event itself, and another with colour transparency to document the finished artwork.

Graffiti… hip-hop… kids getting ice cream… I suppose there’s a few different subjects there, but was there an underlying thing or theme you wanted to show with your photos? Maybe getting a bit philosophical, but they’re all quite free acts—is it about enjoying what’s there?

It was more about documenting the life I saw around me. Moving to Hulme was what led to me capturing graffiti, and graffiti led to hip-hop events. Once Hulme was demolished I moved my camera into the city centre and began photographing club nights. House and hip-hop turned into Drum’n’Bass, and then dubstep. Residents and warm-up acts have now become headliners in their own right. Manchester has always been a great city for music, and it kept me busy throughout the naughty Noughties. I’ve pretty much retired from all of that now. I’d had enough after over 15 years of it. I no longer feel compelled to document something as ephemeral as a club night anymore when half of the audience are doing it themselves anyway. Then coronavirus came & properly killed it all off. I don’t know what it’s going to be like now going forward, but it’ll be someone else’s turn to document whatever that is.  

What do you think makes a good photograph? 

You need to have a good eye. You need to notice & be aware of the world around you. You always see an image before you create one. You don’t require expensive equipment. Mine never was. And you don’t need to be trained. It’s one of those areas where you really can educate yourself. A certain amount of technique and technical understanding goes a long way but, again, you can pick those things up as you go along.  

There are different kinds of photography, of course, but for me it was always about capturing a moment. The Decisive Moment, as Cartier-Bresson so eloquently put it. It’s something that the camera has over the canvas. For me the camera has always been a time machine. Like an evocative love song on the radio, it can transport you back immediately to a time & place long gone. It also acts as a witness for those people who were not there. Images tell stories. And we all like to hear and tell stories.

A couple of years ago I was invited to talk at the University of Lancaster for a symposium on documentary photography, which is a tradition that I had always considered my photographs sat within. But oddly, as I gave my slide-show presentation, images that I have seen and shown many times before, and thought I knew very well, I suddenly saw in a brand-new light. I could see myself in every image. Almost like a self-portrait from which I was absent but my own shadow cast large. I realised that I haven’t been documenting anything other than my own life. 25 year old images suddenly had something new to say, something new to tell me.  

Do you still take photos today? What kind of things are you into shooting these days?  

I don’t really do a lot of photography these days. I teach and facilitate as part of my job now. I still do the odd event but night club photography is a much younger man’s game. I really don’t have the levels of commitment, energy or enthusiasm I once did. I feel like I’ve taken enough images. If I never took another photograph ever again, that’s OK. Maybe, perhaps, I’ll get into a different kind of image making in my twilight years … but for now I’m trying to reassess the images I made 25 years ago. People are far more interested in them now than they ever were at the time. Now they have become documents of a time and place which has gone. The graffiti and the walls that they were written on have disappeared. Many of those night clubs have closed. Time moves on. The images and the memories are all that is left.  

Over all those years, how has the art of photography changed for you?

Back when I started taking photographs, where I lived in Hulme, the kind of music that I was into, the magic of a night club moment, there were very few people I knew of who were doing the same thing. Now I am aware of others who were. Almost everyone is their own photographer now. Mobile phones & social media have given a platform for anyone to make & share images of their individual lives, whether it be their friends & families, holidays, public events or more private & intimate moments. Anyone can document their own lives now, so I no longer feel that I have to. I do still love photography, it’s still my favourite form of art, but I don’t feel compelled to capture it all anymore.

I suppose I’ve pestered you with questions for a while now. Have you got any wise words to wind this up with?

If you want to become a photographer you must learn your craft. Keep doing it, and you will get better. But you must remember to always be honest. Make honest images. Listen to the voice of your own integrity. Don’t worry too much if no-one sees any value in what you do. If you’re any good people will eventually see it. It may take years, it did for me, but images of the ordinary & everyday will one day become historical, meaningful & extraordinary.  

We live in a world today mediated by images, a Society of the Spectacle, but we still need photographers: People who have a good eye, an innate feel for the decisive moment; what to point the camera at and when to press the shutter. The images that you make today will be the memories of the future.  

See more of Al’s photos here.

[fuckyeahthebookofmormon]

The musical, which will open in Manchester in June, will be led by Kevin Clay as Elder Price and Conner Peirson as Elder Cunningham, who both played their respective roles in the Broadway and US touring productions of the musical.

Joining them will be Nicole-Lily Baisden as Nabulungi, William Hawksworth as Elder McKinley, Ewen Cummins as Mafala Hatimbi, Johnathan Tweedie as Joseph Smith and Thomas Vernal as the General.

Congratulations to all!

[ilovefrancefan]

The music scene's heady days are chronicled in a new book by former NME photographer Kevin Cummins.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-54238279

[lazaroschamberger20]

Little Fires Everywhere Audiobook

[Book] Little Fires Everywhere Audiobook by Celeste Ng

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

The runaway New York Times bestseller!

Named a Best Book of the Year by:  People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more!   'I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting.' –Jodi Picoult

“To say I love this book is an understatement. It’s a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” - Reese Witherspoon

“I am loving Little Fires Everywhere. Maybe my favorite novel I've read this year.”—John Green

'Witty, wise, and tender. It's a marvel.' – Paula Hawkins

From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.  Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more.

Read Little Fires Everywhere Audiobook by (Celeste Ng)

Duration: 11 hours, 28 minutes

Writer: Celeste Ng

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Narrators: Jennifer Lim

Genres: Jennifer Lim

Rating: 4.17

Narrator Rating: 5

Publication: Friday, 01 September 2017

Little Fires Everywhere Audiobook Reviews

Day D

Little’s fires is an amazing and important piece of literature. It tackles varying themes that are controversial and explores many sides of each situation. It made me really ponder the importance or race relations; what is racism and blindness; equally as damaging. The idealized scenery of Shaker Heights was reminiscent of the neighbour hood I grew up in, Lawrence Park, Toronto Ontario; garbage in back, garage in back, no rubbishy out front; picturesque to the eye, but what about in deep? Thank you Celeste Ng for the amazing g story, I just really want to follow up with Izzy, Mia, Pearl, and B.B. and the rest of the cast of characters!

Rating: 5

Mark W.

Omg could this book drag on any longer I’m sorry I wasted a credit

Rating: 2

Pia T.

Loved the book. I want to know what happens next!

Rating: 5

Dr Barbara B

One of the few books, I have listened to in one day. Narrator did a beautiful job, giving each character a believable, distinctive voice. The story was good,

Rating: 4

Maria E

I enjoyed this book but felt it dragged in parts.

Rating: 3

Jael R

Loved it. Amazing book. Such an easy listen. Read it as a book and listened to it.

Rating: 5

Anonymous

Great read!

Rating: 5

Tara M.

One of the best books I have (read) heard in a very long time. I am a bit wary of watching the series on Hulu since I loved the book so much!!

Rating: 5

Betsy R.

my favorite character was the girl who burnt the house down

Rating: 1

Anonymous

An interesting story. A little too much high school drama for me to give a 5 star, but an interesting twist at the end. I think it will be a cross-generational favorite.

Rating: 4

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Original Author: Tayari Jones

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel

Original Author: Gail Honeyman

Help

Original Author: Kathryn Stockett

Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

Original Author: Margaret Atwood

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel

Original Author: Anthony Doerr

Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel

Original Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

To Kill a Mockingbird

Original Author: Harper Lee

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel

Original Author: Annie Barrows,Mary Ann Shaffer

Storyteller

Original Author: Jodi Picoult

Big Little Lies

Original Author: Liane Moriarty

American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

Original Author: Jeanine Cummins

Lone Wolf

Original Author: Jodi Picoult

Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel

Original Author: Amor Towles

All We Ever Wanted: A Novel

Original Author: Emily Giffin

My Sister's Keeper: A Novel

Original Author: Jodi Picoult

Dutch House: A Novel

Original Author: Ann Patchett

Anonymous Girl: A Novel

Original Author: Greer Hendricks,Sarah Pekkanen

Crazy Rich Asians

Original Author: Kevin Kwan

[kylegoodmanuca-blog]

In this book by English performance poet John Cooper Clarke, 12 poems accompany photographs by Kevin Cummins, Tom Sheehan and Paul Slattery. Clarke opened for major punk and new wave acts, including the Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Elvis Costello.

[cold-oolong]

Spoke to this totally out-there geezer at work today who’s been following New Order around on tour with his mate since the 80s! He was picking up a Kevin Cummins book but I reckon the photos his mate took are almost as good! Hope he stops by again; totally made my day 🤓

[allaccessmoodboard]

ALLACCESS-MOODBOARD EMILY BEAVER MORRISSEY, 1985. PHOTO © CHRISTINA BIRRER I can’t overstate the huge influence Morrissey has had on me, both with his music and visuals. And in a big way with his choice to use photos by Jürgen Vollmer for the album art of The Smiths “The World Won’t Listen”. Depicting rocker gangs of the early 60s, hanging out on the streets of Paris. After seeing those shots for the first time, and hearing that music, I was in deep and loyally devoted to Moz for ever more. In addition, I became a huge fan of Jürgen Vollmer’s photography, particular his “Rock ‘n’ Roll Times” series. The Smiths record sleeves and cover stars completely hooked me in, as did Morrissey’s own image. Particularly on his early solo material with his new band, made up of rockabilly ruffians. I love Linder Sterling’s candid photographs of Morrissey and his band around this time, which are collected together in her book, “Morrissey Shot”. Also Kevin Cummins’ book, “The Smiths and Beyond”, was an important photo book to me and one of the few I brought with me when I moved to the US many years later. Too hard to pick one favourite image but I’ll go with this timeless shot of Morrissey by Christina Birrer, a Swiss photographer who also collaborated artistically with Linder Sterling.

[miguelpellitero]

New Order. Untitled. US Tour 89. Large 4to (12 x 16 in.) Softcover [40pp.], loose leaves in a glossy wrapper, London, Peter Saville Associates, 1989.

[torentialtribute]

Andy Flower on why he’s not bitter about England’s collapse

Andy Flower thinks about how one of the largest of all English teams fell apart spectacularly, amid bitterness and bitterness after scaling the heights like a few others.

& # 39; It is important to remember the good times, but our performance is undoubtedly diminished by the way it all ended up & # 39 ;, says the most successful coach in the history of [[crem England . ] & # 39; I regret that it has negatively impacted the lives of important people & # 39 ;, Flower says. & # 39; People I respect. Kevin Pietersen himself, Alastair Cook, Paul Downton and myself had quite a hard time in the beginning of 2014. I hope this film will be part of the healing process.

& # 39; This film & # 39; is the Edge, a beautiful.

Central to it is Bloem (19459002)

Central to the state of Bloem, who were the coach of early 2009 friend Peter Moores took over and joined A

The Edge celebrates that team, but it is far from a simple chronicle of the achievements that brought them three Ashes successes under Flower, including the legendary triumph in Australia in 2010- 11 with Strauss and a World Twenty20 title in Barbados.

This is a lot to look at the huge demands placed on athletes and the human sacrifices they have to make to reach and

It is crucial that it focuses on mental health problems d can be the very real consequences of success, with particular emphasis on the problems of Jonathan Trott.

<img id = "i-27370c92d6484a97" src = "https://ift.tt/2St4mk0. jpg "height =" 465 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-27370c92d6484a97" src = "https://ift.tt/2LBBh5o -7270331-image-a-30_1563734749870.jpg "height =" 465 "width =" 634 "alt =" Flower shakes hands with Andrew Strauss (right) after winning the series in Australia in 2011 Andrew Strauss (right) after winning the series in Australia in 2011 "

Flower shakes hands with Andrew Strauss (right) after winning the series in Australia in 2011

& # 39; I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a group in those five years & # 39 ;, Flower now tells Sportsmail.

& # 39; We started on a low basis when Peter lost a lot of time, but I worked with many other good captains, employees and players, his job as a coach and KP lost the lead r That was a difficult time. But it was also a good thing to come in and start over, even though there was still luggage in the dressing room. And beaten up in Jamaica, acted as a catalyst because it enabled us to draw a line under the past and say, "Good, it's not going well at the camp. What are we going to do about it"

& # 39; I have watched the film with my two youngest children, aged 16 and 18, and they are really into sports. They were very skeptical after the first five minutes, but at the end they had enjoyed the story, the humor and the personal struggles that it emphasized.

& # 39; I think I saw the film like that. It has clearly evoked strong memories and emotions for me. It certainly caused a tear in my eyes. "

The sporting tragedy of the Strauss, Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott team and that is what they are now remembered for, the flower says their performance was reduced by the 5-0 Ashes – defeat in 2013-14 that led to the resignation of the coach and the elimination of Pietersen.

<img id = "i-dddf0674325c5fa8" src = "https: / /i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/19/16317284-7270331-image-a-32_1563735437107.jpg "height =" 435 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i -dddf0674325c5fa8 "src =" https://ift.tt/2SttTJU "height =" 435 "width =" 634 " alt = "The England team sprays champagne while celebrating that they have won the ashes at the oval in 2013 Ash in the Oval in 2013

The England team sprays champagne while celebrating ashes have won at the oval in 2013

Flower is now a Lions coach and supervises the next generation of England.

& # 39; Of course I regret the way it ended up & # 39 ;, Flower says. & # 39; No one is perfect and I am certainly no different. I made mistakes. I'm not sure how clearly I saw things after the fatigue of the back-to-back Ashes series. That is why my influence was not as healthy as it should have been. The whole situation should have been handled better and I accept responsibility for my share in it.

& # 39; But time can heal. I have had certain things in my work and private life that feel devastating and happy, and after a while the pain fades away.

Flower praises the director of the film, Barney Douglas, who at that time had the dressing room access as the ECB's digital editor. & # 39; Barney Douglas tells a good story and he tells it in a positive and humane way. He was friends with a number of players and staff members and has insight into the group and an empathy with the situation that most people don't have. "

Most of the controversy, of course, concerned Pietersen and his tense relationship with teammates such as Cook, Prior, Swann and Stuart Broad.

Pietersen is expected to continue his criticism in an upcoming documentary about his career on Sky.

<img id = "i-fe71c0ba47fd8f66" src = "https://ift.tt/2UINeHc /2019/07/21/19/16316870-7270331-image-a-33_1563735455751.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-fe71c0ba47fd8f66" src = "https: // i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/19/16316870-7270331-image-a-33_1563735455751.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Flower and his coaching staff look defeated out after their 5-0 series defeat in Australia "class =" blkBorder img-share "flower and his coaching staff look dejected after their 5-0 series defeat in Australia

Flower and his coaching staff look dejected t after their 5-0 series defeat in Australia

Strauss, the subject of the texts sent by Pietersen to South African opponents who led him to be suspended in 2012, said last week that he had planned a round of golf with his predecessor as captain to try and solve the situation. Now Flower is just as generous.

& # 39; The fallout at the end of that was, mainly around Kevin and his book, was tough for the people involved, but I wish him all the best. I hope that Kevin and his family are happy and that his future career is successful.

& # 39; I have always been very open to shake hands with Kevin and have a drink with him. It is Kevin's choice whether he wants to move in the same way. I would like to see the whole team come together again. Life is too precious and short to carry bitterness around. I feel a lot of respect for all the people I have interacted with at the time. "

The words of Flower are at odds with his reputation as a disciplinary and hard teacher. In The Edge, several players talk about their concerns when Flower & # 39; s name flashed on their phone. And Steven Finn says: & # 39; When Andy looks into your eyes, he looks into your soul & # 39;

Flower bug with the image.

& # 39; When I heard reflections, I giggled a little bit, but it's obvious I want people, & he says. & # 39; A leader doesn't have to draw a line or hold on to the respect of the people around them, but I didn't want it respect changed to fear.

<img id = "i-4dfb03746139c7e4" src = "https://ift.tt/2Lysh10 /16317276-7270331-image-a-35_1563735487445.jpg "height =" 416 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-4dfb03746139c7e4" src = "https://ift.tt/2NyDsEw 1s / 2019/07/21/19 / 16317276-7270331-image-a-35_156 3735487445.jpg "height =" 416 "width =" 634 "alt =" The bulk of the controversy concerned Kevin Pietersen and his relationship with teammates Kevin Pietersen and his relationship with teammates "

The largest part of the controversy concerned Kevin Pietersen and his relationship with team-

& # 39; Those bunch of cricket players are really great young men and we have shared some fantastic experiences together. Some are too, so we also have a lot of fun and professional and personal satisfaction. & # 39;

Is he also misunderstood? & # 39; Possibly & # 39 ;, Flower says. & # 39; That might be the case, certainly image-wise. But in high-profile positions you have to take the rough with the flexible side.

& # 39; There are elements of truth in the image that we are super-controlled and well-drilled.

& # 39; I wanted the players to enjoy how happy they were to travel the world, share experiences with their friends, play against the best in the world, push their limits and push their test capacities and really enjoy them. "

Flower has greatly enjoyed how the new England won the world championship." It was an amazing day. We've had a Lions group lucky enough to see the climax in the Canterbury locker room, share a drink and shout, scream and shiver like normal English cricket fans.

I think this will be the catalyst for increased energy generation in the game. I can't see how it might not be. It was such a flagship for the game worldwide, but especially in England. Sky was not only generous to share with free-to-air television, but also showed great foresight and wisdom. They have been excellent partners for English cricket.

<img id = "i-edbe830cf7f84311" src = "https://ift.tt/2SAkjoM image-a-36_1563735521671.jpg "height =" 468 "width =" 634 "alt =" England Lion & # 39; s coach Bloem looks on before their match against Australia

England Lion coach Bloem looks ahead of their match against Australia A last week

& # 39; And it was wonderful to see how the coaching and scientific staff enjoy the festivities at Lord & # 39 ; s shared.

Flower's legacy, as much as anything, is the dominance of England in the Ashes series at home and next week they will begin their attempt to & # 39;

& # 39; Australia has a few excellent batsmen, but it is the bowling that really stands out for me. ”Mitchell Starc is a competition winner, then Josh Hazl. ewood, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon all excellent operators. If the ball is somewhat dominant, it can make a fascinating cricket.

& # 39; It will also be fascinating to view Jason Roy, if selected, at the top of the order. If you can show the same kind of defense balance and combine it with the timing and power it showed in the Edgbaston semi-final, then it's a fantastic cricket to see. & # 39;

Flower feels the good times will continue to come & # 39; A lot of talent comes through because we have so many resources in this country. .

I'm a little bit of a crossroads that wonders how my working life should go, "he reveals. & # 39; I need to pay more attention to that.

& # 39; I am 51 years old and I am not entirely sure in which direction my life will go in the coming years. We will see. "

In those years, this hugely important figure in English cricket did not always have the praise that the world of England was falling apart. But the Edge has a happy ending and so the England of Flower must be remembered.

l The Edge is now in cinemas and is available on DVD and digital download

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[itsworn]

Duck X Productions Sweet 16—Final Qualifying

Racers put it all on the line in final qualifying to create the two craziest fields in outlaw drag racing.

In just two days, the Radial vs. The World and X275 categories set the record book on fire and crushed any sense of reality by locking in the top 16 racers to the quickest and tightest fields in the history of street-legal drag racing. With $101,000-to-win in Radial vs. The World and a stack of cash that totals $50,000 for the X275 victor, the racers turned their cars on kill and the South Georgia Motorsports Park track staff groomed a drag strip capable of handling the barrage of horsepower insanity.

As the tire smoke cleared the final qualifying statistics left the most veteran competitors and media personalities with a look of shock and disbelief. Daniel Pharris pushed his 2017 Mustang Shelby GT350 Pro Modified racecar to the top of the heap with a record-setting 3.578 at 214.11 mph. The run narrowly edged out Kevin Rivenbark, who stopped the clocks in just 3.582 seconds at 215.79 mph. The run didn’t come without consequences, however, as Pharris and his racing partner Alex Alepa had to swap out their Pro Line Racing HEMI engine for a spare. Rivenbark wasn’t without his troubles, though mechanically the car was flawless his crew chief, Pro Line Racing’s Steve Petty, struggled to keep the ProCharger-blown ride making consistent laps as they tried their best to knock-off Pharris from the top rung of the ladder but were met with tire spin each time.

Sitting third is Marcus Birt in one of the most astonishing storylines of the event. Following last month’s Lights Out X event many felt the nitrous-enhanced combinations were at a severe disadvantage to the boosted camp. Birt hired the outspoken and very-capable tuner/driver Stevie “Fast” Jackson to make changes for the Sweet 16 competition. Sporting a brand-new Pat Musi Racing 959ci engine with five stages of nitrous, a newly installed Holley EFI Dominator engine management system, and several drivetrain upgrades, Birt slipped into the third qualified position with a record setting—for a nitrous-powered vehicle—3.604 at 204.76 mph. The team tried to shoot for the 3.50s, but a nasty engine pop on the starting line forced them to acquire a new engine overnight to be ready for eliminations.

To qualify for the Sweet 16, a Radial vs. The World racer needed to go sub-3.70s and Tom Blincoe did just that with his 1963 Chevy Corvette Pro Modified, which sports a 598ci big-block Chevy engine with a ProCharger F-3R-143mm supercharger. Armed with Patrick Barnhill as the team’s crew chief, the Kentucky businessman squeaked into the field with a 3.694 at 201.31 mph. The top 16 comprised of an eclectic mix of combinations and here is the breakdown—the turbocharger world is represented by five players, nitrous engines powered four competitors, two used centrifugal superchargers, two entries relied on Roots superchargers, and the rest of the field was made up of Twin-screw blown combinations.

The top 16 cars in X275 were equally impressive and experienced several records in its ranks with the biggest mark being a 4.237 at 169.40 mph, turned in by Rob Goss. His 2009 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak features a new BES Racing Gen III HEMI that now displaces 478ci, thanks to a new Gen 3 Performance billet engine block and ported OEM cylinder heads. The boost maker attached to the crankshaft is a ProCharger F-3D-102. The team recently picked the car up from Southern Speed Racing, which performed several chassis updates over the winter.

Goss wasn’t lonely at the top, the Bruder Brothers slid into the second position with a 4.268 at 163.29 mph. Two-time NMRA champion Manny Buginga ran 4.270 at 167.53 mph in the opening day of competition and tried to better that mark during the final qualifying session under optimal track and weather conditions. The Garrett turbocharger made a little too much boost and sent the front-end of the 2003 Mustang Cobra straight in the air, ending his chances to take a shot at Goss’ top effort. In fact, the next three cars were all under the previous X275 record that was set late last year. Dean Marinis pushed his Mustang to fourth with a 4.279 at 166.50 mph and Brian Brooks snatched up a 4.286 at 163.43 mph time slip.

The fifth car to run sub-4.30s was the most unique one on the property as it is powered by a diesel engine! Ryan Milliken outfitted his 1966 Chevy Nova with a Cummins diesel powerplant, stuck a Precision 88mm turbocharger on it, and the rules allow him to run a little bit of a hit of nitrous to help motivate it. He was only one of two cars to eclipse 170 mph with a high speed of 170.88 mph. The other car to run over that speed also features a rare combination in X275—Gary White drove the Titan Motorsports 1994 Toyota Supra, with a 2JZ six cylinder, into the sixth spot on the ladder with an impressive 4.307 and set top speed with a 174.55 mph blast. White relies on a Liberty five-speed transmission and utilizes a clutch instead of a torque converter to transfer power to the Mickey Thompson ET Street Pro 275 radial tires. It is a rare and impressive accomplishment since radial tires and that driveline choice usually don’t mix well.

In our opinion the most impressive statistic was the 4.340 needed to qualify for the top 16, held by Kenny Hubbard. The bump spot mark is quicker than the number one qualifier from last month’s Lights Out X event. The competition got that much tighter and faster in just one month—a $50,000 winning prize is a great motivator. Hubbard saved his best run for last with his flawless 1969 Chevy Nova and its small-block Chevy/ProCharger combination and slid into the field during the final qualifying session.

Boasting two insanely competitive fields vying for the biggest payday of the year, Duck X Productions didn’t forget about the rest of the competitors who showed up. They quickly announced a Second Chance race for all non-qualifiers. The Radial vs. The World class will dole out $10,000 to the last person standing while the X275 racer left after six rounds of eliminations will pocket $15,000.

Anything can happen in heads-up racing and with the amount of carnage through two days of intense qualifying, the elimination rounds are guaranteed to offer drama and excitement. Check in tomorrow to read about the final conclusion to the Sweet 16 competition.

The post Duck X Productions Sweet 16—Final Qualifying appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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