Ring of Truth

The Ring of Truth: The Wisdom of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung by Roger Scruton, 308 pages

In this book, written near the end of his life, philosopher and aesthete (and occasional composer) Roger Scruton celebrates Richard Wagner's masterpiece, the four-opera stage festival The Ring of the Nibelung.  In the process, he describes how out of the bones of ancient (yet timeless) myths Wagner constructed his own modern (yet timeless) myth, itself set in a primordial time-before-time yet reenacted again and again within history. 

From the outset, Scruton acknowledges that the Ring cycle is greater than any attempt to explain it, and therefore a rebuke to any system which would make an attempt.  Instead, he presents the philosophical themes of the cycle as a synthesis of the most powerful thinkers of nineteenth century Germany - bringing together Hegel's political theory, Schopenhauer's tragic account of the will, and Feuerbach's attempt to explain the rise and decline of religions into a unity which is more than the sum of its parts.  Scruton does this without losing sight of Wagner's intention that the music not serve as a mere accompaniment of the drama, nor the drama as an excuse for musical virtuosity, but that the music carry the weight of the drama.  The result is both an excellent introduction to the nineteenth century's greatest tragedy - and it is significant that Wagner's epic story of a conquering self-made hero who smashes through every restraint is ultimately, inevitably, a tragedy - and a fitting capstone to Scruton's own life's work, reminding us once again that "everything we hold as precious, including both love and law, rests upon a thin crust above a seething magma of resentment."

Miles and Me

Miles and Me by Quincy Troupe   189 pages

I picked this nonfiction piece as my August selection to meet my 2018 New Year’s resolution. As I was pondering what titles to add the list in December 27, I grabbed this one off the shelf. I’ve like jazz music, but I have to admit that I’m extremely knowledgeable about it. I was aware that Miles Davis is one of the greatest of all time.

As I started to flip the pages, I landed on the title page, where lo and behold, was an inscription to me, personally, from the author. It was dated 10/7/06. I must have picked it up at a booksigning, probably at St. Louis’ best indie bookstore, Left Bank Books, but I have absolutely no recollection of the event. So I figured it was time to read this little gem.

The book is about Troupe and Davis and their collaboration on a book, “Miles: The Autobiography,” that was published in 1989.

In the first chapter of Troupe’s memoir, “Meeting Miles,” Troupe pulls no punches telling about their rocky start and how Davis was not an easy many to get along with. In fact, he as a snob, a jerk ad used the most awful language. With that kind of drivel spewing from his mouth, no wonder he hid behind dark sunglasses most of the time.

In the second chapter, “Up Close and Personal,” the two men become friends. Miles is hard to be friends with. He’s really just a jerk who can play the trumpet. I can’t say that I would even have like to have met the man after reading this book. I was struck about how much Davis hated how black he was and wondered if that didn’t contribute to his orneriness.

The third chapter is about the music. I won’t say I can recognize a Davis piece when I hear it, but Troupe’s musical criticism seems right on. Of course, I would have no real clue if Troupe was accurate or not. The final chapter is about the last few years of Davis’s life (he died on 1991) and his legacy.

“Miles and Me” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.