RECOMMENDED. <>Literature/illustrated history. Works by Rius or Eduardo Humberto del Río García. <>Music. “Music from Big Pink” by the Band.

Literature/illustrated history. Works by Eduardo Humberto del Río García a.k.a. Rius: Economics for Dummies, Philosophy for Beginners: From Plato up to a Little While Ago, Marx for Beginners, About Che Guevara, Cuba for Beginners etc etcetera. Also, another on Kama Sutra (ha!) “Kama Nostra.” 

       Before there was ever a “Chicken Soup…” by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, or “…for Dummies” by Dan Gookin, there was already Rius for Beginners. But, of course, you may argue timelines. As for me, I discovered Rius in 1970s; Chicken Soup/Dummies in the 1990s. 

       Born in 1934 (he passed away in 2017, age 83), Mexican native Rius was born in Zamora, Michoacán. Definitely, he is one of the most popular Mexican cartoonists; I rate him among the top 5 best political cartoonists, all-time. Name some: Martin Rowson, Thomas Nast, Homer Davenport, Charles Werner, Signe Wilkinson, Clint C. Wilson, Sr., Matt Wuerker, and so on and so forth. Rius is a marquee dude.

       His work is easy and accessible, even a 5th grader can navigate the political themes. And the drawings are humorous, witty, and detailed. Reading Marx, Plato, or Che Guevara seemed like “Calvin & Hobbes.” And more. 📚✍️📚

Music. “Music from Big Pink,” the debut studio album by the Band, released in 1968. The Band is my band, a fusion of genres that’s entirely their own: Country, rock, folk, Americana, classical, R&B, blues, and soul. Along with the obligatory guitars, drums, and keyboards, add fiddle, organ, accordion, saxophone, mandolin etc etcetera. 

       My dudes: Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm. Music that feels easy as moonshine in a barn with the street feel of Bleecker Street, bayou grit of Muscle Shoals, and sweet decadence of the French Quarter. 

       Though the album was recorded in studios in New York City and Los Angeles, as inferred, the songs were composed partly in "Big Pink," a house shared by Rick, Richard, and Garth in West Saugerties, upstate New York. This LP came after the band backed Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour. The relationship eventually produced the collaboration “The Basement Tapes,” released much later in 1975.

        What makes “Music from Big Pink” enthralling? The organic quality of the instrumentation, means no overdubbing. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice puts it so succinctly: “Country-soul feeling without imitating it…" and "…human roughness around the edges” although he altogether found the album boring. Could be in some ways. But The Band’s music requires (re)listening as we tend to with good-stuff literature. We flow into it. Other took note the absence or lack of energy, but what “energy” were they looking for? The Band isn’t Led Zeppelin, certainly. Need I explain?

       There have been several “reissues” of the album, remastered gold CD, DVD-audio etcetera with bonus tracks. I don’t pay attention to those marketing-savvy peripherals. I own the original vinyl. My most favorite cuts: "This Wheel's on Fire," “Long Black Veil,” "Tears of Rage," and of course, “The Weight.” The a-capella of Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released" is a no-brainer. 🎼🎹🎼