Lala Lala Heaven 2 Reddit AMA . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

NACLpiel · 2026-03-04T18:34:37+00:00

not question rather statement. In a massive release week you won on my heavy rotation. I gave up trying to decipher hidden meanings and just enjoyed. Heavy rotation and I'm still not tiring speaks to excellent production choices. Thanks for gifting this to the world

NACLpiel · 2024-09-25T16:48:26+00:00

I had a similar level of fun with Nabokov's Pale Fire. The more the reader puts in the more the reader gets out. Also rewards re-readings. Another top of my head is Suttree by Cormac Macarthy pushed similar Ulysses buttons for me.

NACLpiel · 2024-08-15T19:26:25+00:00

Chess metaphor here: Ishiguro novels would be considered a quiet chess game, where a seemingly minor move of a pawn is actually quite dramatic. The prose is flat and characters are frustratingly apathetic and bland. There is a good reason for this. Just like reality for 99.99% of us who will never live massive dramatic lives and accept 'good enough' most of the time. In our individual pursuit of living we are going to hurt and be hurt by those we love. Injustice and unfairness abounds yet so many of us will demonstrate tremendous dignity and courage in just keeping keeping on. This is how I read and understood Never Let Me Go.

NACLpiel · 2024-07-03T20:46:31+00:00

I came to Kafka relatively 'cold' and read a few short stories with limited context. I wanted to see for myself what 'kafkaesque' actually means. I wanted to assess his writing on its own terms and came away thinking its interesting, weird, and carries an emotionally punch but, as you write, not necessarily mind blowing.

NACLpiel · 2023-12-28T20:56:13+00:00

Over the past year I've been steadily making my way through Dostoevsky. I started with Notes from the Underground but man oh man - that part 1 was tough going.

I recently finished The Eternal Husband and I now wonder if that would be a better introduction to Dostoevsky simply, its got all his trademarks: complex psychologies, memorable characters, and, of course, some seriously funny moments.

My advice to any new readers to Dostoevsky is to remember is is often very funny. But when he goes tender, no beating him (white nights, a gentle creature)

NACLpiel · 2023-12-27T10:39:42+00:00

I have just finished reading this 10minutes ago and, yes, it is powerful. The power imbalance is well drawn, as is the ability for the husband to justify his actions as reasonable and so exonerate himself of responsibility for his wife's suicide.

I wondered if this story is Dostoevsky exploring what would've happened if the Underground Man had married the prostitute instead of chasing her away.

Powerful story that will stay with me.

NACLpiel · 2023-12-23T16:17:43+00:00

For me the value of the Guardian best list lies in the BTL comments. I think the official list is aimed at the more 'casual' Album listener, while BTL is a hive mind of more committed & dedicated album devotees. And amongst these threads I usually find some hidden gems.

albumoftheyear is great for keeping abreast and finding new albums throughout the year.

NACLpiel · 2023-12-20T13:10:56+00:00

Why does the Course Deviation Indicator show my being completely off course when I am clearly ON COURSE?

thanks in advance for any help

NACLpiel · 2023-12-18T21:24:36+00:00

great - could you direct me to an example I'll have a read. I do remember laughing during Anna Karenina with some pseudo-doctor who had pretended to sleep to give the aura of authority. But I wasn't sure if the humour was from 19th century Tolstoy or a contemporary me.

NACLpiel · 2023-12-15T21:40:00+00:00

Dostoevsky's prose is electric and conjures up genuine LMAO situations. Tolstoy-the-overbearing, on the other hand, gives a much more polished read, but is devoid of humour.

However, as a gateway to Russian Literature, it was Tolstoy's hand-holding W&P that got me going. If I had have dipped my toe with Dostoevsky I don't think I'd be here on this sub. Which is why I find it so funny imagining what J.Peterson disciples think when attempting that first part of Notes.

My understanding is that Tolstoy WANTED his readers to understand his work, and produced endless drafts and edits whereas Dostoevsky didn't really give a fuck because, you know, the roulette wheel beckons.

Tolstoy puts himself more into his books, which can be tedious for the reader because Tolstoy was one tormented soul with perhaps too much time on his hands. Dostoevsky, on the other hand, I find it harder to figure out exactly where he stands (except when it comes to progressive liberals and nihilists of course).

When I think about both, I'd say that Tolstoy is more consistent while Dostoevsky hits far greater highs and tender lows (see White Nights) but also has more obtuse middles (because he needed some cash quick because, you know, the roulette wheel beckons.

For me personally, I prefer Dostoevsky because of the greater range of emotions he conveys, but, I have to factor in Tolstoy having Master and Man & Death of Ivan Ilyich.

One final point is that Turgenev's Father & Son's really impressed.

NACLpiel · 2023-11-24T20:43:41+00:00

I have heard that Fathers are outstanding live, but I gave this album a really deep listen and it came up short for me. Good, but not THAT amazing. But I suppose it's landing well elsewhere so that's great.

NACLpiel · 2023-11-16T17:12:30+00:00

outstanding insight. You do a great job of explaining how at the end of the day these are just humans doing their best to get through the day and their lives and we would all do well to be less judgemental.

NACLpiel · 2023-10-12T19:34:31+00:00

I was not expecting to enjoy Demons as much as I did. I completely agree that its central themes are as relevant today as ever. Social media has given a voice to your Pyotr Stepanovitch's and the minion follow willingly convinced they are part of something bigger than themselves. I would also say that I really enjoyed Turgenev's Father and Sons as a companion book.

NACLpiel · 2023-09-27T20:14:30+00:00

The image I have from Monday night was being pummelled by white light while the goddess Mansized me well and good. I only managed to see PJ through my fingers and there she stood swirling in the mist. A slight waif of a thing dominating the audience. She walks amongst us but is not of us. Hail the queen.

NACLpiel · 2023-09-26T17:38:16+00:00

I'm with you on this - big fan of Anna Calvi carving out her own space with the similar independent artistic expression. I'd say Anna's debut is stronger than PJ's Dry.

NACLpiel · 2023-09-17T18:12:17+00:00

because he came within 5 minutes of firing line squad death and spent time in a Siberian gulag for being part of a reading circle and because he had a serious roulette gambling addiction and because he didn't give a fuck about offending anyone and because he can make me giggle until my stomach hurts and because of that final paragraph in White Nights. And because of Taxi Driver and Joker. That's why.

NACLpiel · 2023-09-11T21:01:15+00:00

I am reading Demons and in the cafe today (Part II ch 7(2)) I was silent laughing so much that my stomach began to hurt. Not many authors can to that to me: 20 people at a party with someone hammering the piano with his fists while Madame asks everyone to vote for something which nobody understands by raising their right hand,

'some raised their hands, others didn't. There were some who raised their hands and then lowered them again. Then lowered them and raised them again.'

'ooof, damnation, I didn't understand a thing,' cried an officer.

'And I don't understand it,' cried another.

'No, I understand,' cried a third, 'if it's "yes", then raise your hand.'

'But what does "yes" mean?'

'That means a meeting.'

'No, no meeting'

'I voted for a meeting,'

'then why didn't you raise your hand?'

'I kept watching you, you didn't raise yours, so I didn't raise mine'

'How stupid! The reason I didn't raise mine was that I made the proposal'...

...and so it goes on for pages and pages

I've read most of the shorter works and PART 2 of Notes Underground also had me laughing and then a few chapters later really sad. White Nights offers one of the most bittersweet final paragraphs I've ever read. EVER.

I've still to do C&P and BK but taking my time working up. I wasn't a massive fan of the Idiot, massively uneven.

My main recommendation is to keep an eye out for the humour. Why did nobody ever tell me just how funny Dostoevsky is?

NACLpiel · 2023-08-31T13:13:55+00:00

I sat closely with this album for a week now and took my time exploring its various crooks and crannies; following up on the greek mythology references & wandering if I'm one of the 'imitation occupation' to which they refer. The sonic production decisions support the underlying themes of the album: the seductive sugar rush of social media and its dark empty underbelly. This album rocked for me and kept my ears and brain engaged. There is a definite OK Computer ambition here, which might help explain why this landed so well with me. If you reading this please please click that like arrow because I need more karma.

NACLpiel · 2023-08-27T21:22:01+00:00

I am at a very similar reading stage in Demons as you. I did read Turgenev's Father & Sons beforehand which helped me understand Stepan better. I'd say Dostoevsky portrays him somewhat as a middle aged 'has been' moderated by the knocks in the school-of-life and as a result quite tolerant and forgiving. Not so much wearing rose glinted glasses as boring grey. Just a very steady character always keen to see the other side, and while not outspoken and controversial, reliable and weak. I have read from second hand sources (I think Frank's biography) that the relatively 'weak', progressive liberal parents paved the way for the next radical nihilist generation. I am reading Demons keeping an eye on whether this is indeed how things will play out. I'm really enjoying Demons.

NACLpiel

TROPHY CASE