They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with James R. Tuck, who also writes as Levi Black and whose latest book, Arrow: Fatal Legacies, came out in January from Titan Books.
What does James love when he’s not working on his latest book? Spoiler alert: music that is honest and raw, a television show that brings everything full circle, experiencing food that’s really worth it, a “hardcore southern noir” comic series, and a tangible form of music. Curious? Read on to learn more!
Album
First an album that just rocked my world.
Suzanne Santo: Ruby Red: My goodness, this album . . . like, damn.
I like her band Honey, Honey and if you like them you should LOVE this solo project. There’s a lot of crossover, but this solo project has an element that puts it in its own class.
Ruby Red is an exercise in sultry darkness.
From the first song: “Handshake”
Oh I ain’t your friend babe
I don’t wanna handshake
I need a piece, I need a taste
Set it up and pour it straight
Don’t water down my whiskey babe
I have been in those relationships. The ones where you can only do two things: immerse yourself in the other person, sink yourself into them like they are the ocean, and you need to drown or stay as far away from them as humanly possible.
There is no middle ground. No compromise with them. They own you heart and soul and bone and blood.
And the rest of the album just follows the same theme.
I have listened to this album well over a hundred times since its release about a year ago. I put it on, let it play, and repeat. I have spent entire nights listening to this album through the midnight hour and even up til the dawn.
This album has the same darkness I find in Hozier‘s music and even in Nick Cave‘s work. (I love both of them too, by the way. In fact, I have Nick Cave’s portrait tattooed on my leg about 10 inches tall.)
You should listen to this. It’s touching and raw and poetic and, damn, is it honest.
Television
It’s a great day to be alive with the television choices. I have a few but I’m going to stick to two.
Justified: This is what may very well be a perfect television show. I love this series. Great writing, great characters, GREAT dialog. The acting is top notch, even from the smallest roles. The writing is aces, wrapping up six seasons in a lovely final episode that brings everything full circle (“We dug coal together.”). I have watched this series a dozen, maybe 15 times. I’ve seen the first episode closer to thirty, maybe more, because I am always trying to turn new people onto this show and everything that this show is can be found encapsulated in that first episode. If you don’t like it then do not bother with the rest. Hell, it might just be that season 5, Episode 5 might be playing as I write this.
Comic Book
The first thing I ever read was a comic book. I have always loved them. Each Wednesday I go to the comic book store (Dr. No’s in Marietta), pick up new comics, and go to Mexican food with friends. It’s a weekly highlight.
Southern Bastards: Whew. This comic I read in the graphic novel form. There are four of them now. In the first one we meet Coach Boss, small town crime lord, football coach, and all around utter bastard. You hate him at the end of the first graphic novel. Legitimately hate him.
By the end of the second one you have so much sympathy for him that you hurt for him, and that is some incredible writing.
This is a hardcore southern noir, and it is excellent.
The Last Thing
Vinyl.
I’ve been collecting records for over 10 years now. I love music, in any form it comes in. I’m not a Luddite. I have about 3 terabytes of digital music, a lot of which I ripped from my 3,000+ CD collection from the years before MP3s became a thing.
If you look at my Spotify, you will find loads of playlists, many of them made by me.
But for all of my enjoyment at the convenience of digital music, well, sometimes convenient just ain’t what I’m interested in.
There’s a thing about finding an excellent album on vinyl, either from a Salvation Army for a dime or, better, from a friend who gives them to you, that makes the music sweeter. The last batch given to me was from a lovely woman I dated briefly. It didn’t work out, but I did get some wonderful records, Billie Holiday most notably, and when I listen to them not only do I have good music, but I can also reminisce about the good times had with her and the fleeting nature of affection.
I like holding records that are older than me. I am almost a half a century old and some of my records go all the way back to the ’40s, even though most of them are ’60s-’80s. I love the crackle of a used record and the clarity of a new one. (You’d better believe I have Suzanne Santo’s Ruby Red on vinyl.) The artwork is excellent and big enough to enjoy. Some records are true art packages. You have liner notes and multiple panels of art and photos. Records smell great. Like old books great. And you can’t really just put a record on in the background like you can with Spotify or such. Records have less than 20 minutes of music on a side. You have to flip them and change them and interact with them. You have to get up and touch them. You have to pay attention to them.
One of the best things in the world is to put on a record and listen to it as you flip through the album with a nice drink, maybe a little cigar.
You should try it.
James R. Tuck writes novels, mostly as him but sometimes as Levi Black. Most notably: The Deacon Chalk Series, The Robin Hood: Demon’s Bane series (with Debbie Viguie), Arrow: Fatal Legacy, and The Mythos War trilogy (as Levi Black). He edits anthologies and writes for them. He is a tattoo artist in his day job, and his work has been published in national tattoo magazines. He used to throw people out of bars for money. You can find him at www.jamesrtuck.com
Author photo by James Croft
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