Thanks, Doug. Do like a few of their songs, (though usually more after having a bad day at work, and having had to repress wanting to shout f**k the bourgeoisie at the boss!) but, have to agree with your to the point review of their aesthetic akin the the worst of the 30's proletarian novels. (Cf. Rahv and Phillips, "Recent Problems of Revolutionary Literature, " in the Int'l. Publishers anthology of Proletarian Lit.; James T. Farrell, "A Note on Literary Criticism, "republished with a preface by Alan Wald by Columbia Univ. Press as was Walter Rideout, "The Radical Novel in the U.S." Book by Barbara Foley, "Radical Representations, " (who shouted down Jeanne Kirkpatrick, and got the "left fascist" tag thrown at her by Jeanne, some DSA youth section members joined in too, what a united front by Foley's INCAR/PLP and DSA, what a riot..) more focused on women, proletarian writers haven't read, here is a final recommendation that I have read, good autobiographical account by Stanley Aronowitz of Popular Front culture in, " Roll over Beethoven: The Return of Cultural Strife."
All this bibliomania, to underscore that relation of culture to politics is never easy. For theorists/critics just ask Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, the Frankfurters, Lukacs, Brecht, just for starters.
And on the Magnetic Fields, Like the one CD I have in my collection, have the "69 Love Songs" just released on my list, ? to Doug, think chamber music/depresso singer/songwriter, Roy Montgomery, is related to the Magnetic Fields. Me I can't decide between putting on the 13th Floor Elevators, The Fall, Palace Brothers, Elmore James, The Flaming Lips, or The Flamin' Groovies or Jon Langford solo (from the Mekons) on the CD player next. Oh well, listen to "Oar" again, the ultra weird folk-rock album from one of the Moby Grape guys, that makes Syd Barrett, after all that acid sound like the Mormon Tabernacle.
Michael Pugliese, Kicking Out The Jams (thanks, MC5)