Introduction
It been a hell of a decade for…stuff. Look, we covered movies in one issue, TV the next, music after that, and now we’re at the last of our decade retrospective series, the everything else. In this issues we’re gonna look at theatre, literature, videogames, basically the stuff that’s not popular enough to carry an issue on it’s own, I’m sad to say.
Theatre has continued struggling, with high ticket prices and a bad economy, plus overall lack of interest in theatre, delivering a crippling blow. A year that saw the loss of fabulous playwrights Harold Pinter, George Furth, Ira Levin, and Arthur Miller also saw the near death of plays themselves, as box office for non-musical theatre almost became non-existent. Unless a play had a celebrity of a tap dance this decade, they were usually limited engagements, and not always by choice. Spalding Grey, Natasha Richardson and Jerry Orbach also took their final bows this year.
Let’s move on, though, from the subject of the death of the spoken word to the death of the written one. There were some stellar novels that came out this decade. Unfortunately, most people were two busy reading The Secret, The Da Vinci Code and Twilight to bother with them. Literature’s largest blow was not any author’s death so much as the minimal caring the general public had for it. When Brando or Michael Jackson died, the public mourned (Hell, they’re still mourning Jackson. A year later). But when you look at the losses the literary world suffered, be it those who never got their full appreciation in their lifetime (Jim Carroll, Roberto Bolaño, Steig Larsson), those who etched their names into literary history forever (Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Norman Mailer, John Updike, J.D. Salinger, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Ken Kesey, Douglas Adams, Saul Bellow, Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard, Betty Friedan, Susan Sontag, Frank McCourt) or those who left us far too soon, with unfinished wok in their wake (Robert Jordan, Michael Crichton and two of my literary heroes, Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace); when you look at these many names I’ve listed, ask yourself, did the news ever even mention these names? What does it say for society when literary giants can pass into the mystic without a whimper, but Charlie Sheen assaults a porn star, and the media coverage is massive.
However, from the ashes of these two fading art forms, a new storytelling art took shape. Videogames became a new way to explore worlds of fantasy and new looks at reality, creating a fully immersive, totally interactive story in which players became the protagonist, faced their ups and downs, struggled with their struggles and so on.
We do have a great issue for you this week, with lists of the top 20 video games, theatre, and literature of the decade, our conclusion of our Subversive Pop Songs series, and a new Bobby the Pink comic.
Theatre has continued struggling, with high ticket prices and a bad economy, plus overall lack of interest in theatre, delivering a crippling blow. A year that saw the loss of fabulous playwrights Harold Pinter, George Furth, Ira Levin, and Arthur Miller also saw the near death of plays themselves, as box office for non-musical theatre almost became non-existent. Unless a play had a celebrity of a tap dance this decade, they were usually limited engagements, and not always by choice. Spalding Grey, Natasha Richardson and Jerry Orbach also took their final bows this year.
Let’s move on, though, from the subject of the death of the spoken word to the death of the written one. There were some stellar novels that came out this decade. Unfortunately, most people were two busy reading The Secret, The Da Vinci Code and Twilight to bother with them. Literature’s largest blow was not any author’s death so much as the minimal caring the general public had for it. When Brando or Michael Jackson died, the public mourned (Hell, they’re still mourning Jackson. A year later). But when you look at the losses the literary world suffered, be it those who never got their full appreciation in their lifetime (Jim Carroll, Roberto Bolaño, Steig Larsson), those who etched their names into literary history forever (Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Norman Mailer, John Updike, J.D. Salinger, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Ken Kesey, Douglas Adams, Saul Bellow, Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard, Betty Friedan, Susan Sontag, Frank McCourt) or those who left us far too soon, with unfinished wok in their wake (Robert Jordan, Michael Crichton and two of my literary heroes, Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace); when you look at these many names I’ve listed, ask yourself, did the news ever even mention these names? What does it say for society when literary giants can pass into the mystic without a whimper, but Charlie Sheen assaults a porn star, and the media coverage is massive.
However, from the ashes of these two fading art forms, a new storytelling art took shape. Videogames became a new way to explore worlds of fantasy and new looks at reality, creating a fully immersive, totally interactive story in which players became the protagonist, faced their ups and downs, struggled with their struggles and so on.
We do have a great issue for you this week, with lists of the top 20 video games, theatre, and literature of the decade, our conclusion of our Subversive Pop Songs series, and a new Bobby the Pink comic.
The 20 Best Video Games of the Decade
1) Rockstar Games (1998- )2) Call of Duty series (2003- )3) Madden series (1988- )4) Mass Effect series (2007- )5) World of Warcraft (2004- )6) Halo series (2001- )7) The Orange Box (2007)8) Bioshock (2008)9) Fallout 3 (2008)10) God of War series (2005-)11. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)12. Guitar Hero/Rock Band (2005- )13. Gears of War Series (2006- )14. Kingdom Hearts Series (2002- )15. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots (2008)16. Uncharted 2 (2009)17. Resident Evil 4 (2005)18. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)19. Left 4 Dead Series (2008)20. Dead Space (2008)
Honorable Mentions:
-SOCOM: US Navy Seals
-Dead Rising
-Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
-Gran Turismo
-Super Smash Bros
The 20 Best Books of the Decade
1) The Corrections by Jonathon Franzen (2001)
When Franzen, after years of absence, released his newest novel Freedom, it sparked a sense of nostalgia in the minds of the literary community, taking us back to 2001, fresh off of Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius, waiting for the next literary wunderkind. Well, when Franzen’s tome of the trials and tribulations of the Lambert family hit shelves, we knew we‘d found him. “The Correction, when it finally came, was not an overnight bursting of a bubble but a much more gentle let-down, a year-long leakage of value from key financial markets…”states Franzen, in reference to the economic decline facing the country after the economic boom of the 90’s, a fact that looms over the Lamberts like a dark cloud over the town of St. Jude. Franzen’s novel encapsulates a decade before that decade was even truly underway, and proves to be one of the best literary works in recent memory.
2) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)
This post-apocalyptic Pulitzer Prize winner about a father and son journey has been lauded as one of the greatest novels of our age, and the critical tongue bath is entirely deserved. McCarthy masterpiece is endlessly engrossing, and does what great literature should: it sparks different interpretations, from my own deeming of it as a statement on the collapse of a patriarchy within a man’s head to George Monbiot saying it “…could be the most important environmental book ever”.
3) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (2005)
Originally at #9 on my list, after careful consideration, the first (and by a landslide best) of the late Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy lands at #3 for several reasons. The primary being it’s introduction of the best female figure in recent literature, Lisbeth Salander, but also it’s fascinating stand alone mystery story, and being the best written of the “must read” books this decade, a title typically bestowed on the likes of Dan Brown or Stephanie Meyers.
4) Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)
To describe Atonement as a novel about people during wartime is to miss the whole point. In fact, to describe Atonement at all is a crime. A rich novel as much on the nature of writing as on the fickle nature of humanity and guilt, it needs to be read to be appreciated. McEwan is at the top of his game, from his word choice to his creation of the heartbreakingly relatable Briony Tallis.
5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (2007)
The conclusion to the game changing Harry Potter series is also the best. Rowling’s books chart the growth of a young boy from the onset of puberty (oh, and his entrance into Hogwarts. That too) to the inevitable entrance into and acceptance of manhood, and it is that maturity that shines the most in the final novel, with drama so strong and engrossing, Rowling herself outgrows the title of “great children’s author” to simply “great author”.
6) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)
The wunderkind who brought us The Virgin Suicides (which would become a huge success cinematically for director Sophia Coppola) returned in 2002 with a triumphant novel of identity and Greek-American culture, penning a protagonist, Cal Stephanides, so engaging that some critics have called for dubbing Middlesex the Great American Novel. As you can tell by our list, we didn’t go that far, but we will admit it’s an absolute modern classic, and well worth the read.
7) The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich (2009)
The basis for The Social Network. 'Nuff said.
8) The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy by Bill Simons (2009)
Where to start with Bill Simmons gargantuan basketball book? Well, certainly a lot of books about sports came out this decade. But Simmons doesn’t just spit out facts. He corrects mistakes he perceives, he laces the book with humor and insight, and at 736 pages, gives you all the info all but the most devout hoops fanatics would ever need. What shines through most in Simmons books, unlike so many sports books, is his sheer passion for the sport.
9) Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nifisi (2003)
Azar Nafisi’s stirring memoir strikes at the heart. Here in America, one is a social pariah for owning Nabokov’s infamous novel of pedophilic fantasy. Imagine for a moment being part of a far more oppressive society an trying to read it. Though the memoir doesn’t just discuss Nabokov, no, far from it. Instead, we enter the lives of a women’s reading group in Tehran, and discover it’s just like Oprah’s book club, except with the ever impending fear of oppression.
10) Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin (2005)
In a decade where autism finally got the attention and nation-wide concern it deserved, Temple Grandin and her 2005 book Animals in Translation stood tall as a testament to overcoming adversity, as a way to help people connect to loved ones with autism, and indeed as a reminder of how much we knew and how much more we had to learn.
And the rest...
11.) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001)
12.) Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (2001)
13.) 2666 by Roberto Bolano (2004)
14.) Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)
15.) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon (2003)
16.) The Lovely Bones by Alice Seibold (2002)
17.) The Kindly Ones by Jonahton Littell (2009)
18.) Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (2005)
19.) The Universe in a Nutshell by Prof. Stephen Hawking (2002)
20.) I Hope The Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max (2006)
Honorable Mention:
-The Dark Tower’s Completion
-Augusten Burroughs, Chuck Klosterman, and Chuck Palahnuik’s careers.
-Stephanie Meyer’s skill at watering down Buffy and making young girls’ virginity anxieties into something bankable.
- Dan Brown’s ability to write predictable, bland books that sell like hotcakes. Bland, bland hotcakes.
12.) Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (2001)
13.) 2666 by Roberto Bolano (2004)
14.) Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)
15.) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon (2003)
16.) The Lovely Bones by Alice Seibold (2002)
17.) The Kindly Ones by Jonahton Littell (2009)
18.) Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (2005)
19.) The Universe in a Nutshell by Prof. Stephen Hawking (2002)
20.) I Hope The Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max (2006)
Honorable Mention:
-The Dark Tower’s Completion
-Augusten Burroughs, Chuck Klosterman, and Chuck Palahnuik’s careers.
-Stephanie Meyer’s skill at watering down Buffy and making young girls’ virginity anxieties into something bankable.
- Dan Brown’s ability to write predictable, bland books that sell like hotcakes. Bland, bland hotcakes.
The 20 Best Plays/Musicals of the Decade
Editor's Note: In retrospect, I completely underestimated the brilliance of The Producers, having been soured by the dreadful film adaptation. If I could go back, I would perhaps have that top the list. Eh well.
1) Spring Awakening- Duncan Sheik/Steven Slater (2006)
Duncan Sheik’s brain-baby was deemed “the next Rent” by theatre critics, and indeed developed the biggest Broadway geek following I’d seen since Elphaba defied gravity. Spring Awakening is a rock opera re-imagining of an 1800’s German play about sexual repression in teenagers leading to pregnancy, abortion, gay teen suicide, and lots and lots of masturbation. I mean lots. There’s a whole song about it. But it’s the shows construct, and not just the sex (though it did allow me to see Glee’s Lea Michelle topless), that really changes the game. In an effort to conquer the problem of characters just randomly bursting into song, Sheik uses tracks like “Left Behind”, “Whispering” and the show-stopping unprintable title “Totally F****d” to act as the interior monologues for the tormented characters. Just look at “And Then There Were None” has Hamlet’s soliloquy set to a six-string. Oh, and fun fact: If you haven’t seen the show, it’s coming to Tilles this Spring (Ed. Note: Obviously, it came and went). Just saying.
2) The History Boys- Alan Bennett (2006)
Without a doubt, the best pro-male-on-male-student-teacher-sex play ever brought to the Broadway stage. Alan Bennett’s Tony award winning play is an emotionally engaging meditation on education, sexuality, and the grey area in between. With a cast including Richard Griffiths and Dominic Cooper, who both appeared in the brilliant film adaptation, The History Boys is a once in a lifetime play, and one I’m certainly proud came in my lifetime.
3) The Last Five Years- Jason Robert Brown (2003)
Stephen Sondheim, undoubtedly the most innovative musical composer of the 20th century, unveiled his last great show, Passions, in 1994. Grabbing the baton of innovation from him was Jason Robert Brown, who’s 1995 Songs From A New World showed signs of potential, potential that fully paid off in 2002, with The Last Five Years. Telling the story in both chronological and reverse chronological order, JRB crafts his answer to Sondhem’s Company, and revitalized creative stage storytelling.
4) Doubt: A Parable- John Patrick Shanley (2005)
While the only play higher up than Doubt is about child molestation in schools, this play tackles very different subject matter: possible child molestation in church. A striking example of tackling a contemporary issue and revealing the underlying eternal themes: jealousy, the struggle of tradition against progress, the venomous nature of rumor, and of course, the power of doubt. See it as our generation’s Crucible, if you like, but I prefer to see Sister Aloysius as our new Nurse Ratchett.
5) Wicked- Stephen Schwartz/Winnie Holzman (2003)
How…many…times…did some girl in high school audition with “Defying Gravity”? How many times did you hear the cutesy “Popular” screeched out by barely pubescent voices? The first musical to cash in on the incredible disposable income of tween girls and their parents, Wicked proved to be a fantastic stage spectacle from the mind that brought us Godspell and Pippin, and a touching story of friendship one would be soulless to describe as “girly”.
6) Next to Normal- Brian Yorkey/Tom Kitt (2009)
A musical following the life of a mother with bi-polar disorder as her condition gradually worsens and takes it’s toll on her family. A feel good night at the theatre this ain’t, but powerful? You aren’t gonna find anything more moving on the stage today. No superheroes fly around on strings, but from the opening notes of “Superboy and the Invisible Girl”, as Natalie sings about how her mother ignores her and continues to do things for Natalie’s brother, who has been dead 16 years, you realize this is a once in a lifetime show.
7)The Producers- Mel Brooks/Thomas Meehan (2001)
The record holder for most Tony awards for a single show, Mel Brooks’ first Broadway foray turned out to be a bigger success than the show within a show, Springtime for Hitler. Based off of Brooks’ supremely funny film of the same title, with an original cast including Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, every muttered joke and over-the-top production number sells this show as the staple of Broadway we all hope it becomes.
8) Red- John Logan
John Logan takes what could probably be a simple story (famous painter Marc Rothko paints a red canvas for a hotel commission), and turns it into a gripping drama of old v. young, as Rothko’s assistant Ken dissects him throughout the play, tearing at everything any fan of Rothko’s work (myself included) ever believed in. On top of that, the play contains what is undoubtedly the greatest single line in theatre this decade. “There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend... One day the black will swallow the red.”
9) Avenue Q- Robert Lopez/Jeff Marx/Jeff Whitty (2003)
Foul mouthed puppets. Come on. Need I say more?
10) I Am My Own Wife- Doug Wright (2003)
Can I admit something? One man shows typically suck. They’re usually bawdy, self-indulgent, overly long crap pieces. So when I purchased my ticket to see Doug Wright’s one man show based on the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite who survived Nazi Germany, I had low expectations. Yet even if I had expected an instant classic, I would not have been prepared for the beauty, humor, and humanity I experienced.
And the rest...
11.) August: Osage County- Tracy Letts (2007)
12.) Urinetown- Mark Hollman/Greg Kotis (2001)
13.) The Pillowman- Martin McDonough (2003)
14.) God of Carnage- Yasmina Reza (2006)
15.) The Drowsy Chaperone- Bob Martin/Don McKellar (2006)
16.) In the Heights- Lin-Manuel Miranda/Quiara Alegría Hudes (2008)
17.) Take Me Out- Richard Greenberg (2003)
18.) The Goat: or, Who Is Sylvia?- Edward Albee (2002)
19.) The Coast of Utopia- Tom Stoppard (2002)
20.) Hairspray- Marc Shaiman/ Scott Wittman (2002)
Honorable Mention:
- Tony Kushner for following up his masterful modern classic, 1991’s Angels in America, with the dreadfully slow drudgery of Caroline, or Change (2004).
- Stephen Sondheim for despite releasing three blah shows this decade (one of which was just a re-titling of another), reclaiming his crown as the king of musical theatre by…releasing a book of old lyrics, as a big krup you to the world.
12.) Urinetown- Mark Hollman/Greg Kotis (2001)
13.) The Pillowman- Martin McDonough (2003)
14.) God of Carnage- Yasmina Reza (2006)
15.) The Drowsy Chaperone- Bob Martin/Don McKellar (2006)
16.) In the Heights- Lin-Manuel Miranda/Quiara Alegría Hudes (2008)
17.) Take Me Out- Richard Greenberg (2003)
18.) The Goat: or, Who Is Sylvia?- Edward Albee (2002)
19.) The Coast of Utopia- Tom Stoppard (2002)
20.) Hairspray- Marc Shaiman/ Scott Wittman (2002)
Honorable Mention:
- Tony Kushner for following up his masterful modern classic, 1991’s Angels in America, with the dreadfully slow drudgery of Caroline, or Change (2004).
- Stephen Sondheim for despite releasing three blah shows this decade (one of which was just a re-titling of another), reclaiming his crown as the king of musical theatre by…releasing a book of old lyrics, as a big krup you to the world.
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