Products

Father’s Day 2014

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Jun 08, 2014
Category: Beyond Classification

I loved last year’s gift from the young person — a card with a pen glued to it and a note: “This is the pen I used to write this card.” My wife put it in a glass box. It hangs on my office wall, my very own Magritte.

I see no signs of Father’s Day activity yet. My dark fear: The young person will take a copy of HeadButler.com: The 100 Essentials from the shelf and inscribe it to me — my own book, dedicated in part to her.

Purchasing a gift for me? That doesn’t happen; I’m impossible to shop for. Maybe you have a father who actually likes physical expressions of your affection. In that case, consider…

BOOKS

The Stories of John Cheever
If Dad likes “Mad Men,” he’s the ideal reader of John Cheever’s stories. Westchester, Connecticut, Nantucket, Beekman Place. Game nights at home, dinners at the club. Adultery. Thwarted dreams. The men wore hats. Everybody drank. Cheever wrote many of these stories in the storage room of his New York apartment. In the morning, he’d dress as if he were going to an office, then ride the elevator to the basement, where he’d hang up his suit pants and start writing. And then, at night, he too would drink.

A Sport and a Pastime
For me, James Salter is the most elegant writer in America. Surgical and swift, he can do more in a sentence than most of us can do in a paragraph. In 1967, he wrote an erotic 192-page novel set in France. It’s about a rich young American and a French shop girl, and you can smell the wood smoke and see the expensive sports car as it turns off the leaf-strewn road into the small French town….

Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra
Dad worships Sinatra? Speaks warmly of The Rat Pack? I’m guessing he’s never heard of the memoirs of George Jacobs, Sinatra’s live-in valet from 1953 to 1968. Bit I’d bet he’d go nuts for a book that starts like this: Summer 1968. The only man in America who was less interested than me in sleeping with Mia Farrow was her husband and my boss, Frank Sinatra.

Churchill
This short book is not about not Churchill the God, but Churchill the extremely interesting man. Yes, Churchill drank whiskey or brandy all day — “heavily diluted with water or soda.” Yes, he stayed in bed as much as possible, for as he told Paul Johnson (who interviewed him at the tender age of 17), the secret of life is “conservation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.”

Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans
In the early 1960s, Henry Ford II decided to build Ford’s market outside of the United States by kicking ass in European competition. His idea: buy Ferrari. And he had a deal — almost. When it fell apart, he had a rival and a mission: beat Ferrari at Le Mans. The odds against Ford were ridiculous. An American-built car had not won a major European race since 1921. Ford would have to build the most technologically advanced racing car in history. You don’t have to care about cars to love this story of crazy courage and over-the-top commitment.

A Village Lost and Found
Brian May — lead guitarist of Queen — went on to earn a PhD. from Imperial College, London. He wrote some learned books, and then he took a lifelong interest in stereoscopic photography and produced a picture-and-text book that is at once a historical chronicle and a work of art. (The book comes in a slipcase; in a separate folder, you get a 3-D viewer.) The pictures are of small English village in a magical, soon-to-vanish 1800s moment. The book has about 80 scenes, some in color. Intelligently, the left hand page offers a large single image. On the right, you’ll find two panels of that image. Slip the page into the 3-D viewer, let your eyes relax — and enter a world that’s 150 years old.

The Tender Bar
J.R. Moehringer’s father, a noted disc jockey, was out of his mother’s life before J.R. was old enough to remember that he was ever around. (“My father was a man of many talents, but his one true genius was disappearing.”) His mother, suddenly poor, moves into her family’s house in Manhasset, Long Island. In that house: J.R.’s mother, grandmother, aunt and five female cousins. Also in that house: Uncle Charlie, a bartender at Dickens, a Manhasset establishment beloved by locals who appreciate liquor in quantity— “every third drink free” — and strong opinions, served with a twist. A boy needs a father. If he doesn’t have one, he needs some kind of man in his life. Or men, because it can indeed take a village…

The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Forty years ago, a lawyer for the U.S. Attorney in Boston published a 182-page novel that re-invented crime fiction. A reader has suggested that George V. Higgins got his inspiration by listening to hundreds of hours of wiretaps. Very savvy. The book — which is 90% dialogue — gives us a picture of small-time hoods that reads like sad, sick truth.

Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson’s new book takes you through his greatest games as a player and a coach, but “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success” is not a book about basketball. It’s about leadership. This is a book about vision. First, having one. Then, selling it. In Jackson’s case, it’s not an easy sell, for he’s telling stars to forget about stardom and play as a team of equals — a team of brothers.

Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible
At last: a picture-and-text book that chronicles the career of Dieter Rams, the German designer whose work for Braun is clearly the inspiration for just about all of Apple’s products. He designed coffee grinders, toasters, pocket calculators, radios and hi-fi equipment on the same principle: “Weniger, aber besser” (translation: “Less, but better”). More than half a century later, Apple designer Jony Ive acknowledges that Rams is The Man.

Truth
Peter Temple’s novels are intricate puzzles with violent crimes as the problem to be solved and cops as the characters who must solve them. His people are complex, his world smudged; his books are entirely credible. In “Truth,” a young prostitute is found murdered in a super-luxury high rise that boasts the ultimate in technology — though on the night of the murder, of course, none of it works.

Levels of the Game
Many believe that John McPhee’s account of a single match between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner in the semifinals at the U.S. Open in Forest Hills is the best book ever written about tennis. It certainly has drama. Ashe was not the Jackie Robinson of tennis; when he emerged in the 1960s, he was the only African-American player of note in America. Graebner was a dentist’s son and a ringer for Clark Kent. In 146 pages, you’re inside the game and inside the player’s heads at the same time as you get a revelatory portrait of a sport — and a nation — in transition. How great is that?

Epictetus
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) studied at the feet of Epictetus (55-135 AD). One man was an emperor, the other a former slave who lived simply and wrote not a word. The value of Epictetus is that he is, literally, a practical philosopher — his concerns are the here and now: reality, life, death. In this short, compelling little book, he has a blunt message that, at its essence, needs just two words: Man up.

Defending Jacob
Ben Rifkin is killed on his way to school. It’s a high-profile case, so Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney, keeps it for himself. He does this because he’s the highest-ranking ADA, not because his son Jacob was in Ben’s class. But Jacob becomes a suspect. Andy is taken off the case. And then, when Jacob is arrested for the murder, Andy’s placed on leave. Soon enough, Andy’s working for Jacob’s son’s defense lawyer, desperate to prove his son’s innocence — just what any father who’s a lawyer would do.

Johnny U: The Life and Times of John Unitas
In Johnny Unitas, we are talking about a genuine hero — and not just because he is regarded, almost universally, as the greatest football player of the first half of the twentieth century. Unitas is thrilling to read about, and to think about, because his struggle took place in the open, in real time, with the outcome uncertain and physical pain guaranteed. Unitas never complained. He never made apologies. He had a job to do, and it was his responsibility to get it done.

The Garden of Eden
Brawny Ernest Hemingway wrote a mess of a novel about a writer on his honeymoon whose wife turns gay. Editors pasted together a short, hot, surprising book that even Hemingway fans don’t know about.

VIDEO

The Unit
A team of warriors who are better trained than any soldiers on the planet. Coordination so slick they seem to be reading each other’s minds. Brutal efficiency with every kind of weapon. And when the killing’s done? Poof. They vanish. No medals. Not even any identifying marks on their uniform.

THINGS

Timex Easy Read Watch
This is the official watch of Head Butler’s editor. In a list of “best watches for Spring,” Esquire rates the Timex #1: “It works just as well from the workday to the weekend. Not to mention the simple retro face looks cooler than some watches that cost six times as much.” The cost: $28.

“Maybe You Touched Your Genitals” Hand Soap
On a long shelf in a Vegas gift shop were liquid hand soaps and sanitizers. They had “fresh meadow scent.” They were “fortified with Aloe Vera.” Mostly, they had terrific labels. I was especially taken with “Maybe You Touched Your Genitals” Hand Soap, which features an attractive woman in a crisp white blouse and a neighborly smile shaking hands with a man in a suit. But you might consider “Bitch Slap Those Germs” Hand Sanitizer.

Pencils
Choices! If he draws, composes, writes in longhand, you want the Blackwing Palominos — the legend revived. If he collects beautiful objects that just happen to be useful, consider the Perfetto.

Mental Clarity
I’m reluctant to be writing about anything you put in your mouth that isn’t food. Herbal supplements aren’t regulated, and high standards depend on the conscience of the people who own those companies. If you’re the sort of person who buys these supplements and doesn’t read up on the possible side effects, you could damage your health. So this may just be me: I’ve been unusually calm. I’m dealing with situations with less of the hysteria and desperation that used to afflict me when I didn’t get my way. And the main thing: The idea factory is working overtime.

The Bentley Flying Spur
The 6 litre W12 engine can take the Flying Spur from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds and achieve a top speed of 200 mph. Inside it’s calm, thanks to the specially-designed soundproofing installed in the floor and the doors. Think of a limousine. Think of a sports car. Think of a Flying Spur. Think of $200,500.

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug
Hot stays hot. Cold stays cold. What is astonishing about the Zojirushi is how long hot stays hot and how long cold stays cold. Fill it with 16 ounces of steaming coffee in the morning, and six hours later, you can still burn your lips. Put ice cubes in a cold drink, and, six hours later, there’s still ice. Stylish? It’s a sleek 9.5 inches.

Yamaha Micro Component System
Reader review: “The Yamaha system is the best I’ve ever heard, and easy for a low-tech person such as myself to install. When my high-tech brother visited and said ‘What’s this?’ and popped his iPhone in to test it, his only comment was ‘Wow!’ Great system, great price for a boatload of features. Had to thank you!”

MUSIC

Vivaldi: Sacred Music
Vivaldi had only female voices to work with, and he showed them off. Bass parts were taken up an octave; sopranos were pitched to the heavens. Excess is stripped away. Vivaldi takes traditional themes — he’d been trained as a priest — and weaves them into beauty.

J.J. Cale
Cale was pleased by Eric Clapton’s recording of “After Midnight.” His pal, producer Audie Ashworth, phoned Cale and said, ‘It might be time for you to make your move. Do an album. So get your songs together.’ He said, ‘I’ll do a single.’ I said, ‘It’s an album market.’ He said, ‘I don’t have that many songs,’ so I said, ‘Write some.’ Three or four months later he called me. He said, ‘I got the songs.’ He drove in. He was driving a Volkswagen this time. He came in with his dog. He played me all those songs.” And every one is funky but laid-back Oklahoma magic.

Smod
Is Dad cool? If so, he’ll be all over this. Not so cool? This is the crash course. Kids from Mali, singing in French, produced by Manu Chao. Optimistic, jaunty, outright fun — Dad will strut.

Bombino
This protein-rich music is great for parties (you will come to be bored by friends asking “What is that?”), a lifesaver on rainy mornings when you don’t want to get out of bed, a good candidate for serious listening, a caffeine hit for long sessions of work when your friends are getting buzzed on Adderall, and, so far from least, an essential ingredient for ecstatic couplings at midnight. What’s so great? First the writing: it’s all hooks. Hooks upon hooks until you are locked in a groove. But it’s mostly Omara “Bombino” Moctar’s guitar. It slithers. It buzzes. It’s round like Knopfler, spacy like Hendrix, concise like Ali Farka Toure.

Lou Doillon
She’s the daughter of Jane Birkin (yes, the inspiration for the Birkin bag). She started acting at 5, and has appeared in 80 movies. Tall, stick thin, she is the face and muse of Givenchy. And, last year, at 30, she launched a music career with a CD called “Places,” which astonished its creator and the French audience alike when she was named best female performer of the year at Les Victoires de la Musique, the French equivalent of the Grammys. Great French pop music? Hey, it happened.

Beth Hart
In past CDs, Beth Hart has channeled Joplin, Aretha, Etta, Billie Holiday, Otis Redding. On this one, in her notes, she also acknowledges “the great Amy Winehouse.” Not doomed Amy, but the Amy who, in her music, hoped love would redeem her. And so, on “Bang Bang,” her songs sometimes even touch on… happiness. But really, the words don’t matter much. The performance is. Innovation? Not her thing. Passion is. Rage. Abject, on her knees, devotion. Think: If Janis Joplin could sing on key…