Oak-Mot

Rating:
Summary: Nazi ridden, bizarre, depraved, twisted, gothic, wonderful!!
Review: Adry is a simple, bizarre individual, adoringly twisted and possessed of perverse and loathsome passions. A blatantly screwed up tale of inverted desires, nazis, and spooks, told in a high victorian, disjointedly gothic prose. Not for the politically correct - savor Oak Mot and its macabre illustrations like a fine abisinthe.

Rating:
Summary: Eccentricity at its' finest...or worst...
Review: I wouldn't really classify Oak Mot as a book, but more of a labor of ludicrosity (I know, that's not a word, but it seems to fit). Composed by Hollywood uber-oddball Crispin Hellion Glover, who's probably most famous for his portrayal of the hopelessly nebbish George McFly in Back to the Future (1985), but has made less noticeable, but more satisfying appearances in films like River's Edge (1986), Rubin and Ed (1991), Bartleby (2001), and Willard (2003).

Oh sure, it was a book at one point, originally published back in the early 19th century, but, as he did with Rat Catching, Glover has taken a previously published work, and modified it extensively, adding drawings, photos, and his own writings to transform this fairly obscure book into something...something that defies description. Is it art? I dunno...but I like it.

I wish there was a picture posted of the book, as it's really nicely put together. The dimensions of the book are 7 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches. It's hard bound, with a dark green cover with gold/orange inlay on the cover and back cover. Both covers feature a black and white western-style print of a barely discernable man standing behind a large herd of sheep making their way through a smoky valley. The book contains just under 50 pages, and does not utilize the source material in its' entirety as original page numbers are present, but often indicate the absence of numerous pages. The pages themselves are of a thick and glossy nature, indicating a certain amount of expense in the production of the book. Also, the copy I have has what appears to be an original signature by Crispin Hellion Glover near the front, done in thick, silver marker.

As far as the actual content of the book...well, as I said before, it certainly doesn't conform to the normal definition of a book. One will notice what appears to be some of the original text, mixed in with scrawls, gothic writings, drawings, pictures, and various squiggles and what not, effectively confounding and confusing the unwary reader. While I, myself do not entirely `get it', I can certainly enjoy it, but I feel many people would probably dismiss this as the work of a nut, instead of artistic conceptualization. To get the full effect, if one is interested, you must take this in context with a CD Glover released back in 1989 titled Big Problem Does Not Equal the Solution. The Solution = Let It Be. Which contain selected readings from not only this book, but also Rat Catching, along with some really odd songs (check out his unique rendition of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made for Walking).

Is Mr. Glover a beatnik for the new generation, or just a looney loner with too much time on his hands? I'd probably say somewhere in-between...

Cookieman108

Rating:
Summary: Eccentricity at its' finest...or worst...
Review: I wouldn't really classify Oak Mot as a book, but more of a labor of ludicrosity (I know, that's not a word, but it seems to fit). Composed by Hollywood uber-oddball Crispin Hellion Glover, who's probably most famous for his portrayal of the hopelessly nebbish George McFly in Back to the Future (1985), but has made less noticeable, but more satisfying appearances in films like River's Edge (1986), Rubin and Ed (1991), Bartleby (2001), and Willard (2003).

Oh sure, it was a book at one point, originally published back in the early 19th century, but, as he did with Rat Catching, Glover has taken a previously published work, and modified it extensively, adding drawings, photos, and his own writings to transform this fairly obscure book into something...something that defies description. Is it art? I dunno...but I like it.

I wish there was a picture posted of the book, as it's really nicely put together. The dimensions of the book are 7 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches. It's hard bound, with a dark green cover with gold/orange inlay on the cover and back cover. Both covers feature a black and white western-style print of a barely discernable man standing behind a large herd of sheep making their way through a smoky valley. The book contains just under 50 pages, and does not utilize the source material in its' entirety as original page numbers are present, but often indicate the absence of numerous pages. The pages themselves are of a thick and glossy nature, indicating a certain amount of expense in the production of the book. Also, the copy I have has what appears to be an original signature by Crispin Hellion Glover near the front, done in thick, silver marker.

As far as the actual content of the book...well, as I said before, it certainly doesn't conform to the normal definition of a book. One will notice what appears to be some of the original text, mixed in with scrawls, gothic writings, drawings, pictures, and various squiggles and what not, effectively confounding and confusing the unwary reader. While I, myself do not entirely 'get it', I can certainly enjoy it, but I feel many people would probably dismiss this as the work of a nut, instead of artistic conceptualization. To get the full effect, if one is interested, you must take this in context with a CD Glover released back in 1989 titled Big Problem Does Not Equal the Solution. The Solution = Let It Be. Which contain selected readings from not only this book, but also Rat Catching, along with some really odd songs (check out his unique rendition of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made for Walking).

Is Mr. Glover a beatnik for the new generation, or just a looney loner with too much time on his hands? I'd probably say somewhere in-between...

Cookieman108

Rating:
Summary: More demented than Rat Catching.
Review: The title says it all. Where Rat Catching was more or less a series of obscure pictures and drawings with a little bit of a story, Oak-Mot is sheer brutality. I will always say this when regarding Mr. Glover's books: words can not do it justice. To describe the pictures and drawings in Oak-Mot would be like...I don't know. They're just so out there that I'm already going through the pages again after mentioning it just to admire them more.

As the title page reads: "Wherein all action takes place on the Virgin American Prairie around the year 1868, save for the end which takes place in the Deutchland around 1926. Oak-Mot is a story of epic proportions involving pride and prejudice.", and Crispin isn't kidding. If you don't already have his album, I demand you purchase it now before getting this book. It doesn't really explain the book for you, but he does put a few different pages together to help understand the story of pride and prejudice better. You see, Oak-Mot revolves around a young boy named Adry. He is delicate, beautiful, and innocent. And if it weren't for his clothing, you'd think he was a girl or a child. But a lot of things go on in Oak-Mot that set it apart from any other town now, or from that time period. I don't want to give too much away, but later on, it is revealed that pride does go a long way. When on the prarie, the majority of the characters have their rifles with them, and for one split second, Adry appears in the range of his uncle's rifle. After he is shot, the text reads as follows:

"The business is in hunting cows and horses of their brand- the pleasure being the killing of such unbranded of man, as they happen upon, although, as both are done on horseback and in the bright, beautiful air, both are pleasures beyond anything."

See what I mean? You'll just have to read Oak-Mot for yourself to get a better idea of everything that goes on. And the imagery...oh sweet Jesus is it beautiful. Most are older black and white photos of paintings and sketches, but there are a few very old photographs which add even more depressing tones to an already depressing book. Again, if you don't have Crispin's album, you really should get it. The way he reads everything makes the mood even better.

Really, if you like Crispin in the slightest bit, order this book now. It's made me admire him as a person and an author even more. If there's any one problem with Crispin that I have, it's that he hasn't published all of his books. I know for a fact he's written over 10, yet only 4 are published. And 2 of those 4 were limited to 1,000 copies each. It's a good thing I was able to find What It Is And How It Is Done not too long ago, because that one just barely outdoes Oak-Mot here. And if Amazon would list it, I'd review that sucker too. But buy Oak-Mot and support Crispin's work and Volcanic Eruptions. And if you call the number on the publisher's site, say "hi" to his mom while you're at it, and thank her for giving birth to such a genius.

Rating:
Summary: Crispin Hellion Glover is perhaps the Burroughs of the 90's.
Review: This book sometimes makes you wonder, am I really reading this or am I stuck in some bizarre dream. From "Back to the Future" to "Rubin and Ed" to "The big solution" to "Oak mot" Mr. Glover repeatedly proves to us his sub-genius standings.