Tag: 200806

The Art Roundup 20/08/06

• Audio art tours: Great American Downtown, a nonprofit organization that promotes activities and businesses in downtown Nashua, has partnered with other community and arts organizations, including Freedom’s Way Heritage National Park, City Arts Nashua, Nashua International Sculpture Symposium and Positive Street Art, to create the city’s first self-guided audio tour of the public art in downtown, according to a Great American Downtown press release. The audio tour, available in English and Spanish, is offered through the Distrx app for free and is accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Using Bluetooth iBeacon technology, the app automatically displays photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. There are two types of tours — sculptures and murals — with 10 to 15 stops on each. “We are thrilled to provide this free and fascinating tour of Nashua’s incredible art scene, to locals and visitors to Nashua,” said Paul Shea, executive director of Great American Downtown. “With the current challenges of finding fun things to do while maintaining social distancing, we think this at-your-pace walking tour is a perfect opportunity for folks to get outside and enjoy some time in Downtown Nashua.” Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

• Back to the movies: Cinemagic Theaters (1226 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 644-4629; 11 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, 423-0240; 2454 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 319-8788; cinemagicmovies.com) will reopen on Friday, Aug. 21, according to a press release. Social distancing will be in effect, and masks will be required throughout the facility except while seated in the theater.

• Art in the garden: The Eastern Ballet Institute of Concord will begin holding its classes at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord) in the fall, according to a press release. To raise funds for the installation of a new dance floor and mirrors, the Institute will host a Summer Garden Masquerade at the School on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. The evening will feature an outdoor print exhibition of art inspired by dance and a pack-your-own picnic with a short performance by the dancers. Tickets cost $15. Visit kimballjenkins.com.

• Craftsmen’s Fair goes virtual: The 87th annual Craftsmen’s Fair, hosted virtually by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, continues on the League’s website through Sunday, Aug. 9. The virtual fair has links to the online shops of more than 140 League members working in a variety of contemporary and traditional crafts, such as baskets, blacksmithing, hand-blown glass, functional and decorative ceramics, framed original prints, metal sculptures, vibrant folk art, modern and traditional furniture, elaborate quilts, wearable art and jewelry. Additionally, there is a virtual exhibition tour and exclusive video content including demonstrations by the artisans, musical performances and guided craft projects for all ages. “We’ve tried to create an environment of engagement and excitement — not just another website — that mirrors the live event, where you can shop, learn about crafts and talk to the artists,” League executive director Miriam Carter told the Hippo last month. “The only thing that’s different this year is that, instead of being on the mountain, we’ll be on your monitor.” Check out these live virtual demonstrations, workshops and tours happening this week:

Thursday, Aug. 6

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Hanga printing demo and talk with Matt Brown (Zoom) – noon to 1 p.m.

• Throwing on the potter’s wheel with Steve Zoldak and Maureen Mills (YouTube) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Learn about looms with weaver Dena Moses (YouTube) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin (Facebook Live) – 2 to 2:30 p.m.

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 2 to 5 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 6 to 7 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

• Concert with Caroline Cotter (Facebook Live) – 7 to 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 7

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 10 a.m. to noon

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2 to 5 p.m.

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Aaron Slater (Facebook Live) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin and Diane Louise Paul (Facebook Live) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Art talk with Matt Brown: “The Energy Theory of Color” (Zoom) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Glazing a face jug with Paul Haigh (Facebook Live) – 2 to 4 p.m.

• Favorite Things Friday with Molly Harper of Soul Pine Pottery (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Woodturning with Claude Dupuis (Zoom) – 3 to 4 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 8

• Wood turning with Claude Dupuis (Zoom) – 10 to 11 a.m.

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2 to 5 p.m.

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Glassblowing demo with Hethre Larivee (YouTube) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin (Facebook Live) – 11 to 11:30 am

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Hanga printing demo and talk with Matt Brown (Zoom) – noon to 1 p.m.

• Throwing on the potter’s wheel with Steve Zoldak and Maureen Mills (YouTube) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Flameworking demo with Jocelyn Brown (Facebook Live) – 1 to 3 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Aaron Slater (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 6 to 7 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

• Concert with Dave Richardson (Facebook Live) – 7 to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 9

• Studio tour and pottery demo with Lori Rollason (Instagram Live) – 10 a.m. to noon

• Studio visit with Barbara Smith McLaughlin (Facebook Live) – 10 to 10:30 am

• Open demonstrations of turned wood tools for sewing and fiber arts with Cynthia Ellis (Zoom) – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2 to 5 p.m.

• Basketmaking demo with Peggy Thrasher (Facebook Live) – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Jewelry demos, talks and a gallery tour with Lucy Golden (Facebook Live) – 10 to 11 a.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Hethre Larivee (YouTube) – 11 a.m. to noon

• Work along with potter Erin Moran (Zoom) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Woodturning with Claude Dupuis (Zoom) – 1 to 2 p.m.

• Glassblowing demo with Aaron Slater (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Glazing a face jug reveal with Paul Haigh (Facebook Live) – 2 to 3 p.m.

• Colored clay pottery demo with Naomi Lindenfeld (Zoom) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Building monumental pots with Stephen Procter (Instagram Live) – 4 to 5 p.m.

• Dan Dustin Spoon Tales (Facebook Live) – 6 to 6:30 p.m.

Visit nhcrafts.org/virtual-craftsmens-fair.

Featured Photo: Nashua public art, “Bird Dreaming” by Jocelyn Pratt. Courtesy photo.

Laugh out loud

Town Hall Theatre hosts Silent Film Comedy Week

The Town Hall Theatre in Wilton restarted its silent film series in July, featuring live music by accompanist (and Hippo co-founder and associate publisher) Jeff Rapsis. After attracting more of a crowd than its first-run movies had, theater owner and operator Dennis Markaverich decided to forgo new movies until the fall and host a Silent Film Comedy Week at the theater from Aug. 10 through Aug. 14. Rapsis talked about the event and what viewers can expect.

How did this week of silent films come about?

It was an invention born of necessity. … Dennis … programmed [first-run films], but nobody was coming to them. … He was sitting there some nights with only one person in his two theaters. … I’ve done two silent film screenings there since the theater reopened, and we were surprised that the silent films actually attracted the largest audiences since reopening. … We thought … why not take some of the great comedies from the 1920s, which are always crowd-pleasers, and run them instead of first-run films?

Why do you think the silent film screenings are so popular?

There are people who really love this art form and come from far and wide to see these films. … We’ve been running silent films with live music at the Town Hall Theatre regularly every month for 13 years … so we’ve sort of developed a loyal audience for it, and a momentum.

Why comedies?

Comedies are really special because during the silent film era a comedy was not about telling jokes or stories; there was no sound, so the humor was all visual, not verbal … and an accident of that type of humor is that it still holds up really well today. If [comedians] were doing standup in the 1920s … we wouldn’t understand any of the jokes today … but visual humor is timeless … and works in different cultural contexts. … Anyone, no matter where they were in the world, could follow the story and enjoy it.

When and how did you start doing this?

I’ve been doing it regularly since about 2007. … The Palace Theatre in Manchester didn’t have anything planned for Halloween, so I volunteered to do the music for a screening of the silent film Phantom of the Opera. … I really enjoyed doing it and kept doing it … and now I do about 100 shows a year, generally two shows a week in New Hampshire or Boston. Sometimes, I travel across the country … and I’ve played in London a couple times. It’s been interesting … to go around the world, trying to bring silent films from a century ago to life for today’s audience.

How does the live musical accompaniment work?

I use a keyboard. It’s a digital synthesizer, so it’s not just piano. … One of the stereotypes about silent films is that they had some kind of rinky-dink piano accompaniment on an out-of-tune piano, but that isn’t how it was for these films. Nobody would have accepted that at the time, because the music was always such an important part of the experience. … With the synthesizer, I can create a score with everything from strings and woodwinds to bass drums, cymbals and percussion. It can recreate the texture of a full orchestra remarkably well.

How does live music enhance the experience?

Music plays quite a different role between [silent] films and contemporary film. In contemporary film, the music is all written out [by] one person. … For [silent] films, there was no official score. Most of the films were released by the studios to local theaters, and it was up to local musicians to come up with the right music for their audience. … In most cases, [the musician] would improvise the score on the spot. It was a skill that you can develop, which I have done, to create music in real time that responds not just to the film but to the audience’s reaction to the film, so every screening is a unique experience.

Why go?

It’s a great chance for people to experience something that they can’t get anywhere else. You can watch these films at home on video, but it’s not the same, because the nature of [silent films] is the idea of showing them in a theater with an audience and live music, and [the screenings] really recreate those conditions that these films were intended to be shown in. … I encourage people to give it a try. It’s unlike anything you may have experienced at a theater before.

Silent Film Comedy Week
Where: Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton
Schedule:
Monday, Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m. – The General (1926), starring Buster Keaton
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. – Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926), starring Harry Langdon
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m. – The Kid (1921), starring Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan
Thursday, Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m. – Grandma’s Boy (1922), starring Harold Lloyd
Friday, Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m. – Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), starring Buster Keaton and Ernest Torrence
Cost: $10 per person|
More info: Call 654-3456 or visit wiltontownhalltheatre.com

Signs of Life 20/08/06

All quotes are from Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning, by Leslie Odom Jr., born Aug. 6, 1981.

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) There is a freeing power of an honest no. It’s the yang to yes’s yin. … Do not let your fear, or anyone else’s, rob you of the power of your yes and your no. Own them both and use either as you see fit.Yes? No!

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) Don’t sell yourself short. You will meet people along the way who will be lining up to place limits on you. You don’t need to beat them to the punch. Those people have nothing better to do, but you do.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) You either fine-tune and keep making it better until they rip the pencil from your hand, or, once you intuit that you’ve finished and that you’ve conveyed what you intended to convey in your work, you put your own pencil down, step back … and triple-check. And then go get a sandwich.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) Hamilton the Broadway musical was a hard habit to kick. Binge responsibly.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) Gabe, my coach, is part Jedi, part yogi. My favorite repeated refrain from Gabe comes whenever I’m in bad form or when some fundamental he’s repeatedly shown me isn’t clicking once again. Gabe reminds me, ‘Les, relax your shoulders.’ Nine times out of ten, it is all I need to hear to get me back on track. Do it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) When you take steps to better yourself it is never in vain. A step is a step.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) I love questions that begin with how. They activate the listener. Ask how.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) I didn’t want to be in show business. I wanted to be in Rent. I was sixteen years old and I had never been to see a Broadway show, but I wanted to be in Rent on Broadway more than anything. Stay in touch with what inspires you.

Aries (March 21 – April 19) I didn’t know anyone in show business. And for a long time, I don’t think it even registered for me that these were jobs you could seek out. You can make it work.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Star or roadie, usher or ensemble member — I didn’t know what the capacity would be. But I believed that there could be, in or around the thing that I loved, a place with my name on it. You can work your way up.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) The next day, I went to the record store to sample the [Rent] cast album. I’d meant to only listen to a song or two. Ninety minutes later I was still standing there. Frozen. I was at the cash register five minutes after that ponying up the $19.99 for my very own copy of the double-disk recording — more than I’d ever spent on a single piece of art. An art experience may be better than expected.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) You hear a lot about the Big Break from successful people. But I would challenge you to think of your Big Break as an inside job instead of something that you’ll find externally. Opportunities are made.

The Music Roundup 20/08/06

• Celtic cousins: A free downtown show stars Rebel Collective, who blend traditional Irish songs with modern rock. The band has a central core of three cousins, Michael Green, Brian Waldron and Ross Ketchum, along with bass player Connor Veazy and drummer Pete Provencher. They’ve opened for Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys, and appeared at the Highlands Games Festival. Thursday, Aug. 6, 7 p.m., 1 Eagle Square, Concord, facebook.com/rebelcollectivemusic.

• Gather together: An Arts in the Park concert, Songwriter in the Round offers Greenhouse Recording Studio performers playing originals. Dakota Smart is an Alton-based keyboard player and singer; he took top solo artist honors at February’s Young Performers Club contest at Boston’s Hard Rock. Senie Hunt is a percussive guitarist and Kimayo is a gifted singer-songwriter. Friday, Aug 7, 6 p.m., Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St. East, Laconia, facebook.com/events/283664642742368.

• Roots rockers: Enjoy a reggae festival with Jah Spirit; led by singer Michael Wolfe, the band’s been playing music with a message of peace, freedom and universality since the early 1980s. Their motto is “Together we aspire, together we achieve.” They can also deliver joyful remakes, like the Motown gem “My Girl,” which appeared on their Ceasefire CD. Saturday, Aug. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 9, 11 a.m., NASWA Resort, 1086 Weirs Blvd., Laconia, naswa.com.

• Park ’n’ laugh: Roll up, park the car and revel in the comedy of Bob Marley, as the latest entry in drive-in entertainment bows. Marley was performing outdoors long before social distancing made it mandatory, building a following at New England summer campgrounds, even telling jokes from a few boat docks. Sunday, Aug. 9, at 6 and 8:30 p.m., Northfield Drive-In, 981 Northfield Road, Hinsdale, tickets $34.50 per person (two per car minimum) at eventbrite.com.

• Gazebo groove: Led by Moultonborough Postmaster Rick Clogston, Red Hat Band performs classic hits and other favorites to close out a summer concert series. Bring a blanket, lawn chairs and a picnic dinner for the free show, sponsored by the local Lions Club. The band covers Van Morrison, John Denver, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dire Straits, among others. Wednesday, Aug. 12, 6:30 p.m., Function Hall Gazebo, 139 Old Route 109, Moultonborough, moultonboroughnh.gov.

The Rental (R)

Film Reviews by Amy Diaz

Two couples on a weekend away have extremely bad luck with their beach house in The Rental, a horror movie that will make you scared of Airbnb-like vacation house rentals and, even more so, two-couple vacations.

Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Mina (Sheila Vand) are partners in some kind of business venture, I don’t recall if they say what, except that they both seem kinda terrible so I’m sure their company does something awful, like “disrupting the ice cream experience” or something. Mina is dating Charlie’s brother, Josh (Jeremy Allen White), an Uber-type driver, who has some insecurities about his financial situation. Charlie is married to Michelle, who pretends like she’s cool with how close Charlie and Mina are.

For reasons unknown, Charlie and Mina think it would be a great idea for all four of them to go to a fancy beach house for the weekend. It’s a few hours’ drive to get there and by the time they arrive the property manager, Taylor (Toby Huss), is peeved that they’re late. Mina pre-hates Taylor because she’s pretty sure he’s racist, as he had turned down her request for the house (because, she thinks, of her Middle Eastern last name) but then approved Charlie’s. Perhaps that’s why she kicks off their acquaintance by making a snarky-sounding, classist remark. Later, Taylor makes a joke about Michelle being a peeping Tom (why else, he says, would someone own a telescope in the city) and Mina is miffed that he can just waltz into the house whenever to bring the telescope he offers to lend them.

Fun weekend!

The awkwardness continues as everyone but Michelle, who says she needs sleep for all the fun she seems to think they’re going to have, takes ecstasy and Charlie and Mina end up alone and high in the hot tub. What could go wrong?

The next day, Charlie bails on Michelle’s hiking excursion that she’s so excited about and Mina forgets to take care of Josh’s dog (which they technically weren’t supposed to bring to this pet-free house anyway) and, while we get the occasional creeper POV shot, I was starting to wonder, watching this foursome who all seemed to land somewhere on the “ugh, this guy” scale, if the big reveal would be that nobody was menacing them and that their own guilt and suspicion and insecurity would actually drive them mad. Horror is other people! Of course, I’m mentioning it, so it’s not the big reveal and that was kind of a disappointment.

The movie is really at its best in the first 40 minutes or so, before it nails down what’s actually happening. The “what’s actually happening” felt like a letdown, with diminishing returns right up to the very rushed end. The movie did a decent job of setting up entertainingly unlikeable characters. Had the plot been built on these people and their flaws I feel like that would have been more interesting than just having a story randomly happen to them. In its first half, The Rental had some fun with its clueless rich people and maybe the movie reached B- levels of entertainment. But the off-the-shelf horror it turned into was solidly C- at most. So C?

Rated R for violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexuality by the MPA, according to filmratings.com. Directed by Dave Franco with a screenplay by Dave Franco and Joe Swanberg, The Rental is an hour and 28 minutes long and distributed by IFC Films. It is available for rent.

Book Review 20/08/06

Make Russia Great Again, by Christopher Buckley (Simon & Schuster, 274 pages)

When word got out that Christopher Buckley had a new book, this one about the Trump administration, Buckley fans didn’t just salivate; they drooled.

Buckley, the son of conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr., made his own name writing satire, most notably 1994’s Thank You for Smoking, the story of three lobbyists who called themselves merchants of death because they represented tobacco, alcohol and firearms. It was later made into a movie; the book was 50 times better.

Now Buckley is back with a fictional memoir of the Trump years, told by his seventh chief of staff, now enjoying the amenities of federal prison. Herb K. Nutterman had retired after 27 years as the food-and-beverage manager at an assortment of Trump properties when the president summoned him to the White House. Despite the howling of his wife, Hetta, Nutterman reluctantly returned to his former boss’s employ, where he soon became part of a Russia scandal that may sound familiar, but not familiar enough to get Buckley sued for libel or defamation.

In this scandal, America has interfered in Russia’s election, inadvertently.

A computer program designed to retalilate automatically if a U.S. election has been hacked and the president is incapacitated goes into action, causing a communist trailing Vladimir Putin by 50 points to come in first, forcing a runoff election.

Meanwhile, a Russian oligarch known for manufacturing a chemical that is mysteriously involved in the deaths of people who run afoul of Putin and his cronies has surfaced and wants a favor from Trump.

It’s Nutterman’s job to solve these problems, quickly and quietly, before Putin finds out about America’s involvement and decides to retaliate by releasing some odious secret he is keeping about Trump.

Nutterman, ever loyal, is determined not to let that happen, but as he works to avert disaster, the scandals keep accumulating, somewhat as in real life.

As he reflects, “One minute you’re on the golf course minding your own business, thinking, Gosh, what a nice day. The next, the earth has gone out from under you and you’re in a conference room being deposed with three lawyers in attendance at a thousand dollars an hour each.”

Some real people in the real world have speculated that Putin, elected Russia’s president in 2000, has incriminating information on Trump that he withholds in exchange for presidential favor. In Buckley’s version of things, the purported blackmail has something to do with the Miss Universe Pageant, which was held in Moscow in 2013, and Trump’s enthusiasm for beautiful women.

If it’s hard to keep up with what is real and what is fiction, multiply that by 274 pages. As he has done in the past, Buckley combines actual people and events with fictionalized ones, although he puts as much effort into disguising them as a person who dresses for Halloween by putting on a hat.

Take, for example, the character of Seamus Colonnity, “Fox News’ number-one personality,” and a Trump confidante, who “truly enjoyed fawning over Mr. Trump, whereas others fawned out of fear.” Colonnity, of course, is Buckley’s version of Sean Hannity; I don’t know enough about Fox News to know who Corky Fartmartin is supposed to be. But you get the gist.

Buckley also thinly disguises a certain blond adviser to the president as Katie Borgia-O’Reilly, who is “sexy in a — I don’t want to say ‘creepy’ — certain kind of way, as if you might discover after sleeping with her that she was in fact an android or an Albanian assassin sent to murder your grandmother for no clear reason.”

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is clearly Sen. Squigg Lee Biskitt, whose “folksy rhetoric earned him titles like ‘Li’l Cicero’ and ‘Tiny Titan of the Senate’.” Ivanka becomes Ivunka; Jared, Jored. And so on.

I suppose there’s a certain logic to this, imposed by those thousand-dollar-an-hour lawyers with which Buckley is seemingly familiar, but the juxtaposition of the real and satirized gets baffling after a while. Why, for example, are Newt Gingrich and his wife transformed into Mr. and Mrs. Neuderscreech while George Will and George Soros get to play themselves?

The bigger problem with Make Russia Great Again, at least for a general audience, is that it’s too much insider baseball. If you can laugh uproariously at something being described as “eerily Rumsfeldian,” or at least remember who Donald Rumsfeld is, you’ll find the book at least mildly amusing. If not, read Thank You for Smoking instead. Make Russia Great Again is a book-length stand-up act, with plenty of punchlines, the sort best served with cheap beer.

As someone raised on Firing Line, it pains me to say this; I want everything associated with the Buckley name to be accompanied by the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. More fitting for this book is the Faber College Theme Song. (Then again, this is old material for Buckley. He first envisioned a Trump presidency in 1999, when he wrote an inaugural address for President Trump when the idea was simply a joke. In the last line, the president says he’s ordered the Treasury Department to issue “a couple billion extra in $100 chips.”

“Enjoy yourselves,” the fictional President Trump says. “It’s the dawn of a very great era.” Half the country still believes that. The other half waits impatiently for Christopher Buckley to be great again. B-

BOOK NOTES
Christopher Buckley (reviewed above) is a past winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, given annually in honor of James Thurber, the celebrated humorist and New Yorker cartoonist who died in 1961.
Buckley won in 2004 for No Way to Treat a First Lady.
Four months into a pandemic, we all could use some merriment, and there’s not a lot of humor to be had this month, in book form anyway. So here’s a look at the funniest books of the past decade, according to Thurber Prize judges.
All are available in paperback; your local bookseller would appreciate your business.

Hits and Misses, short stories by Simon Rich (Little, Brown & Co.)
Look Alive Out There (runner up), essays by Sloane Crosley (Picador)
Priestdaddy, memoir by Patricia Lockwood (Riverhead)
Born a Crime, memoir by Trevor Noah (One World)
The World’s Largest Man, memoir by by Harrison Scott Key (Harper Perennial)
Dear Committee Members, novel by Julie Schumacher (Anchor)
Truth in Advertising, novel by John Kenney (Touchstone)
Dan Gets a Minivan, memoir by Dan Zevin (Scribner)
Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin, collected works by Calvin Trillin (Random House)
Half Empty, essays by David Rakoff (Anchor)
The 2020 winner will be announced, pandemic willing, sometime in the fall.

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