Monday, February 17, 2014

“Tide Turning” now available



“Tide Turning,” the second novel featuring detective Langley Calhoun, has just been published by Mainly Murder Press. The advance word is already out:

“Mention New Hampshire and its small towns, and the image quickly comes to mind of peace, quiet, and years of undisturbed history, surrounded by a town common and white-peaked churches. But author Lars Trodson knows better, and in “Tide Turning,” he rips off the façade and reveals the murky truth of what can happen in a small town, with years of betrayal, hidden and deadly secrets, and one man who’s determined to do what’s right, no matter the odds, no matter the chances. Very well done!” — Brendan DuBois, author of "Fatal Harbor," two-time Shamus Award winner and three-time Edgar Award finalist.

“Welcome to Lars Trodson's ‘Tide Turning’ — a world in which environmental activism, covered bridges, stewardship, and living with illness and loss come together in a way that feels immediately familiar. In the novel, Trodson's second, it is the characters that first and lastingly pull us in — even those making brief appearances — the wanna-be rock star, the live-hard, play-hard boss, a father's late-in-life girl friend. And they pull us in because of Trodson's unique ability to make them seem not only credible, but kindred. This is intelligent fiction that addresses the major ‘stuff’ of our public and private lives. In ‘Tide Turning,’ Trodson has beautifully choreographed this waltz of life — and the work it takes to meet our civic and social responsibilities, even as we cope with the deep losses and ongoing challenges of our own lives. — Lisa Starr, former Poet Laureate of Rhode Island, author “Mad With Yellow” (2009), “This Place Here” (2001), and “Days of Dogs and Driftwood” (1993).

Look for details on readings throughout New England in March. If you’d like me to attend your book club, please reach me at larstrodson@gmail.com

Thank you all!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

How Alfred E. Neuman Stopped Worrying And Won The War




Fifty Years of Dr. Strangelove


By Lars Trodson

The secret is in the full title: “Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb.”

Alfred E. Neuman’s motto from Mad Magazine? “What, me worry?”

That’s why we know that a little, ad-less, satirical and slightly creepy comic magazine transformed both the movies and American culture. Without Mad Magazine, there is no “Strangelove,” no “The Loved One,” no “Bonnie and Clyde, no “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Mad Magazine exposed the fragility and the absurdities of the movie cliche — Mad made you love them in all their ridiculousness and run from them at the same time.

More specifically, this is the legacy of a feature that was prominent in the magazine for 10 years prior to the Jan. 29, 1964 release of “Dr. Stangelove” — the magazine’s movie parodies.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Bob Dylan, Chrysler And The Value Of Your Art

To everybody pissing and moaning about Bob Dylan's Chrysler ad: if you like an artist, respect his right to make money. It's the only way he or she is going to be able to create their art. The idea that Dylan or any other artist for that matter is so pure as to not be "commercial" is absurd, and utterly impractical, and Dylan can certainly do whatever he wants. By saying that Dylan shouldn't be doing TV spots is saying to every artist that their art is somehow above commerce, that they are doing something that does not create a thing of value. This attitude continues to feed the idea that works of art are there to be appreciated just for existing rather than for something for you to buy. It's why too many artists have their hats in their hands. Dylan is talking about craftsmanship in that ad, he's talking about creating something of real worth, and that should apply to a car as well as a painting or a song, and if you don't support that then you're contributing to an atmosphere that makes it so difficult for people to pursue their dreams. — Lars Trodson