Art - Contemporary Treats against downright Huh?

The Good: Some art is meant to move people, some is designed to instill an emotion. However, art can also be used in certain cases just to play with the mind. Salvadore Dali's Paranoiac Visage can be seen only as a group of people sitting in front of a hut, but look at it from its side and it can leave the room deathly quiet as people gaze in wonder at how they didn't see the hidden image. The mystery element is haunting, yet it can have have people staring at it for hours.

In terms of actual painting, the picture is not the best in the world, yet the point of the image isn't to exemplify the skills of Dali. Instead, the painting is trying to interact with the viewer. Looking at Paranoiac Visage is more of an adventure. While staring at it, it's easy to wonder as to why an artist like Dali would create such a mundane image. But once the painting becomes clear what it's supposed to be, there's no denying that Dali is a 20^th century master. Experience it yourself, find a copy, observe it, try to see what the painting is telling you. And once you can't stand looking at it anymore, flip it clockwise and gaze in awe at such a beautiful work of art.

The Bad: Art can leave that 'wtf' feeling in your head, especially when there is nothing there to look at. There are not many other paintings that hurt the brain as much as The Square by Josef Albers. Just as the title says, there is a void of shapes other than squares. There's a green square, upon another green square, upon another one. And the painting isn't even a perfect square, measuring 47 inches by 48 inches.

It's painful to see where art is going when this can be passed for as art. There couldn't have been much of a thought process implemented to place squares on top of each other. The painting could have been created by anyone reading this article, only using a bucket of paint and a yard stick. The Square might be trying to convey the feeling of looking through a window by layering the colors in such a way to give the painting atmospheric perspective. Albers starts with a very deep, dark color as the base and finishes the smallest inner square with a much lighter tone. Unfortunately to come to a conclusion like that would require the viewer to think long and hard about three squares on a page. Contemporary art might be for some people, but squares on a page are ironically, square and boring.

Black Dogs - Good Time and a Music Revival

Imagine a stereotypical heist and playing it over the radio like a 1930s serial show. That's the feel of Jason Buhrmester's debut book Black Dogs. It's a string of hilarious quirky events that never seem to end.

It starts by stating the facts of an actual mysterious heist, where in 1973, $203,000 was stolen from Led Zeppelin before the final show in a three part concert series at Madison Square Garden in New York. Buhrmester creates a possibility as to how and why the money was stolen. Through the perspective of the main character Patrick, Buhrmester generates a world with a small time posse that goes after the big haul on one of Rock's greatest legends.

Once the premise is laid out, the real fun begins. The plans go southward very fast as Patrick and his group find themselves messing up at every corner possible. They have a bad run-in with Backwoods Billy, the psycho leader of the Holy Ghosts Christian biker gang, get tied up with a drugged out funk band called the New York Giants, then inevitably have to recruit the help of the Misty Mountain Hoppers Led Zeppelin Fan Club.

Along the way you learn more about the squad, falling in love with their unique personalities. Patrick escaped to New York City to avoid his home town of Baltimore. Alex probably should have found new friends since he arguably did time for one of Patrick's earlier crimes. Frenchy, an idiosyncratic guitarist who lives in a basement and finally Keith, the dopey petty thief whose only talent is installing and removing car stereos. It's no wonder why these characters find themselves escaping from wacky positions as it becomes more apparent just how boneheaded this quartet is.

Black Dogs is an enjoyable adventure. It's a very short fast paced read. Buhrmester condenses storyline to include as many different predicaments as possible. While there is not too much in depth look at the characters psyche, there's no real need for it. The ridiculousness of where the characters end up is enough of driving force to ask 'Why are these kids still going through with this crazy plot?' Every time they do something it lands them worse off than they were before.

Black Dogs however, is not just a typical robbery genre book. It's also a reflection of Rock & Roll as a whole. You learn about the likes and dislikes of the characters, as well as some insightful mentions of how music developed. There are constant references to how Led Zeppelin was heavily influenced by prior groups. The characters themselves talk about bands, analyzing why they like or dislike music. Patrick was even daring enough to call Led Zeppelin "fucking con artists."

However, the book though is not only about Zeppelin. Other musical artists are included as well like Bette Midler, Muddy Waters, and a constant reference to Black Sabbath. Even non-Rock singers, like Jim Nabors, have a place through the storyline. Black Dogs is an excellent source of musical names to research and possibly find a lost form of music to acclimate into your repertoire. Buhrmester has a firm grasp on why music developed the way it did and to any music lover, you will find the material engaging to think about.

As well as the music itself, there is also an undertone of bringing back the heyday of the classic rock era back to the forefront. Tough biker gangs, drugs, parties and good music. Black Dogs glorifies a time period where things were happening, where change in the world was abounding, and to people who were engaged at the time; the music really mattered. Not having to worry about long greasy hair, or being able to drink beer carelessly because social norms neither allowed nor disallowed it. Buhrmester sounds like he's lamenting about a past that he wishes would never end.

Overall, Black Dogs satisfies the palette as a great afternoon read. The speed makes it perfect for anyone who does not want to commit a lengthy period of time. The action hits hard and often, with every chapter bringing in some new element of adventure that the boys have to overcome. There's so much more going on here than just the posse and their theft of money though. Black Dogs recaptures a period that some may say was golden age of music, and what it was like to live free in a world with so much adversary.