Love, Peace and Soul

Those of us growing up in the Chicago area have fond memories of the Saturday TV dance program, Soul Train.  It's creator, Don Cornelius, died today.

NPR reporter Sami Yenigun remembers Cornelius and reminds us how influential this series was in many of our lives.  Listen to his tribute here and find links to more NPR coverage.

The Urbana Free Library owns the complete DVD set The Best of Soul Train. Check it out and dance along with Don , the kids, and the many guests who were showcased every week. Can't wait for your turn? Here's a taste of the fun.



 Peace, Love, and Soul!

The Incomparable Lena Horne

Lena Horne
Singer, actress, dancer
June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010
Biography.com obituary



More about Lena Horne at The Urbana Free Library....
Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne
by James Gavin (Atria Books, 2009)

We'll Be Together Again
Lena Horne (sound recording, Blue Note, 1994)

Man Up: Malcolm McLaren, 1946-2010

Malcolm McLaren, perhaps best known as the manager of the infamous Sex Pistols, passed away yesterday at the age of 64.

While opinions about McLaren run both hot and cold, former SP frontman John Lydon commented, "For me Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you."

During punk's heyday, McLaren was married to designer Vivienne Westwood and the couple operated the shop Sex, which was responsible for both creating and disseminating many of the culture's iconic looks.

Always seeking new opportunities, particularly in music, McLaren once approached the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the mid-1980s and wanted to overhaul the band:

After hearing a short, live set, McLaren was "clearly unimpressed"--according to Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis. He then proposed to reinvent the group and have them play really stripped-down, basic punk rock, with all of the emphasis on the frontman, Kiedis.

Although Kiedis was flattered to be considered, he, along with the rest of the bandmates rejected the offer. Kiedis recalled the event, saying, "It was like the Wizard of Oz had spoken, and what he had said was too ludicrous to take seriously," as his proposition was very different to the band's musical style.

As for more recent projects, McLaren co-produced the documentary Fast Food Nation, based on Eric Schlosser's book.

His obit in the NYT closes with the following:

Mr. McLaren spent much of the last 30 years trying to explain punk. "I never thought the Sex Pistols would be any good," he told The Times of London last year. "But it didn’t matter if they were bad."

Remember Them By Reading

Every one of us who reads for enjoyment has discovered that perfect author--the one whose every book we'll devour. Whose next book we'll crave, bemoaning the time it takes before we can clasp it happily in our hands. And then the unthinkable happens--the author dies in real life. No more new stories. (Usually, anyway.)

This week we've lost two prominent and popular authors--Erich Segal of Love Story fame ("Love means never having to say you're sorry") and Robert B. Parker, creator of the notable characters Spenser and police chief Jesse Stone. Their characters will all live on, especially since movies and television shows have featured their exploits.

Below are just a few of the authors, editors & screenwriters the literary world lost in 2009. Reread an old favorite or discover a new author to appreciate and remember. They have not died as long as their words are read.

The Urbana Free Library owns books by all the authors listed below.

AUTHORS WHO DIED IN 2009

Vasili Aksenov
J. G. Ballard
Jay Bennett
Eric Blau
Pat Booth
Charles N. Brown
Gordon Burn
Hortense Calisher
David Carradine
Jim Carroll
Jacques Chessex
Arthur C. Clarke
Louise Cooper
Michael Cox
Walter Cronkite
Lionel Davidson
Tom Deitz
David Herbert Donald
Maurice Druon
Dominick Dunne
David Eddings
Amos Elon
Philip José Farmer
Horton Foote
John Hope Franklin
Celia Fremlin
Marilyn French
H. B. Gilmour
Phyllis Gotlieb
Leila Hadley
Lyn Hamilton
Donald Harington
E. Lynn Harris
Paul Harvey
Paul Hemphill
Christopher Hibbert
Jane Aiken Hodge
Robert Holdstock
Bill Holm
Hans Holzer
Stuart M. Kaminsky
Millard Kaufman
John A. Keel
Elmer Kelton
Karla Kuskin
Edith Layton
Blair Lent
John Leonard
James Lord
Sheila Lukins
Malcolm MacPherson
John Maddox
Norma Fox Mazer
Frank McCourt
Ellen Miller
Stanley Middleton
John Mortimer
Christopher Nolan
Harold Norse
Robert D. Novak
Barbara Parker
Milorad Pavic
James Purdy
Ken Rand
William Safire
Tayeb Salih
Budd Schulberg
Edwin Shrake
W. D. Snodgrass
William G. Tapply
John Updike
Edward Upward
Sheila Walsh
Keith Waterhouse
Paul O. Williams
Sidney Zion

--Thanks to Cindy Orr, editor of the Readers Advisor Online blog
http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/blog/index.php/2010/01/04/authors-who-died-in-2009/

Remember Patrick Swayze with us....

The movie world lost Patrick Swayze yesterday.
A brave man. A wonderful dancer.

Rediscover Dirty Dancing and Ghost. See the young Swayze with other future male stars in The Outsiders. DVDs featuring Patrick Swayze are available at The Urbana Free Library. Which is your favorite?

11:14
City of Joy (DVD coming; this is the VHS)
Dirty Dancing
Donnie Darko
Ghost
Keeping Mum
Powder Blue
Red Dawn
The Outsiders
To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar


Movie checked out? Contact us to reserve a copy of one of the films for you. In the meantime, remember Swayze by watching his last interview with Barbara Walters. All 5 parts are available on YouTube. Part 1 is here:

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For further reference information, here's the New York Times obituary.

E. Lynn Harris, June 20, 1955 – July 23, 2009

We were saddened to learn that popular African American author E. Lynn Harris passed away on Wednesday.

Harris, openly gay, wrote novels that introduced us to the lives of gay African American men. He was one of the first to write about this community, and his characters were often strong, worthy role models, with very human faults and complex lives. Just like us. And the novels often featured love stories.

Here's E. Lynn Harris talking about his novel Just Too Good To Be True

Video Interview with E. Lynn Harris


Harris self-published his first novel, Invisible Life, and marketed to traditional outlets in the black neighborhoods, such as beauty parlors and barbershops. He developed a strong following among African American women. Characters from Invisible Life are revisited in other Harris titles: Just As I Am and Abide With Me.

In 2003 Harris published his memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, which detailed the heartbreak in his life and how he became an author.



Celebrate E. Lynn Harris's life--Read or listen to one his books!