The Lord's Day to Rock!

A significant Sunday event: I was at work this morning in an unusually good mood. I guess the sugar from my hazlenut blackberry muffin and the caffeine from my Peet's coffee and my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and my sesame bagel and my poppyseed bagel and my peppermint tea (consumed over a several hour period) were sustaining me pretty well.

My young friend Ethan (six years of age) stopped by to visit. He brought me a picture he had drawn portraying "Jesus Christ Superstar," which he had recently seen at the Magic Theatre. Jesus looked a bit like a bowling pin with long hair and a beard. To the right of him was the cross where he would meet his fate, and to its right were three wretched, burned-black looking creatures—Judas and two other guys, Ethan wasn't sure who they were. He asked me if we had any books about this Jesus character.

I was thrilled beyond measure to receive this gift. I, like Ethan, was a Jewish boy who was smitten by "Jesus Christ Superstar." For me, it wasn't the stage show, but the Original Cast Recording with Ian Gillan from Deep Purple. I've never cared for the movie all that much. I enjoyed casting the songs in my mind more than seeing Ted Neely as Jesus...What can I tell you? I'm a pre MTV child.

Anyway, my point is that "Jesus Christ Superstar," with its excellent songs and excellent rock and roll torment of the Passion did more to evoke religious curiousity in me than any Christian or Jewish Bible study ever did. I guess my religion is Rock and Roll, dudes!

I'm taking a quick side trip from Chekhov and Pynchon: "Sound Bites" by Alex "Franz Ferdinand" Kapranos. Kapranos, a veteran of professional kitchens, wrote a series of brief essays for The Guardian about the food he's eaten while on tour with his band. They are now collected in convenient book form. Well-written, witty, and makes you want to run out, hop on a plane and get some Kluski Pasta in Minneapolis.