ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Books

‘Unthinkable’ suspenseful Steinberg offers the tales behind ‘jokes’

By Molly Sprayregen nside Comedy’ by David Steinberg (Knopf) ‘I The legendary David Steinberg was one of the best-known comedians of the late ’60s and ’70s. His acclaimed stand-up career included 140 appear- ances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” four comedy albums and two Grammy nominations. He has directed episodes of “Friends,” “Mad About You,” “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and more. And if can think of a famous comedian, Steinberg has probably worked with them. His new book, “Inside Comedy,” takes readers through the decades he has spent working with dozens of icons, including Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and the late Robin Wil- liams. Through personal stories, Steinberg provides a back- stage pass to life in comedy. We are onstage with him and Williams. We are sitting beside him as he interviews Keegan- Michael Key and Jordan Peele. We are experiencing the rush of performing at Second City and inside comedy clubs Steinberg alongside him. Steinberg paints deep and intimate portraits of the comedians we know and love. He tells us their life stories, how they found comedy, and gives us insight into who they really are. In doing Dave Matthews, of Dave Matthews Band, performs on Tuesday, July 27, at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Ga. (AP) so, he also takes us through the development of com- edy over the past several decades. While they can sometimes go on a little long, the stories Steinberg tells are a true delight. He is funny, warm, and heartfelt as he recounts life in an industry Music it is clear he deeply loves. He speaks of his fellow co- medians with endless admiration and respect, making it impossible not to fall in love with each one of them. Lovers of comedy will surely adore this adventure be- hind the scenes. Wu-Tang Clan album sale pays off Shkreli’s debt ❑ ❑ ❑ “Unthinkable” by Brad Park (Thomas & Mercer) In the opening of “Unthinkable,” Brad Parks’s lat- Prince’s ‘America’ vault release stunning est thriller, lawyer turned house-husband Nate Love- joy awakens in an ornate bedroom hours after being LOS ANGELES, July 28, (AP): Any- this now is because of that. be fatal to people with the AIDS virus drugged and kidnapped. one who feared that Prince’s vault was ❑ ❑ ❑ or other immune-system disorders. He is then informed that he is the guest of Vanslow fi lled with nothing but Billy Joel cov- Shkreli’s purchase of the Wu-Tang DeGrange, leader of a secret society known as the ers, as the satirical website The Onion An unreleased Wu-Tang Clan al- Clan album came as group member Praesidium. It seems that DeGrange is able to catch This image released by Sony Music joked shortly after his death, need not bum forfeited by Martin Shkreli af- RZA said he wanted the album - pack- occasional glimpses of the future and has dedicated Entertainment shows ‘Welcome 2 ter his securities fraud conviction was America’ by Prince. (AP) worry. aged in a hand-crafted silver and nickel his life to using that power to prevent major disasters. “Welcome 2 America” is the fi rst sold Tuesday for an undisclosed sum, case which includes a 174-page book The latest threat DeGrange has detected is embod- complete, previously unreleased re- though prosecutors say it was enough wrapped in leather - to be viewed as a ied in the person of an ambitious yet idealistic attorney cord to come out since Prince died in to fully satisfy the rest of what he owed piece of contemporary art. who is suing a coal-fi red plant responsible for large 2016. And it’s a stunner. on a $7.4 million forfeiture order he At sentencing, Shkreli also claimed numbers of lung cancer cases. If she succeeds, power Incredibly, “Welcome 2 America” faced after his 2018 sentencing. to own an unreleased Lil Wayne al- companies around the world will turn to a new anti- manages to be as relevant, or maybe The entrepreneur known as “Pharma bum, “Tha Carter V.” pollution technology that will inadvertently trigger an even more relevant, today than when Bro” once boasted that he paid $2 mil- In its debut week in 2008, the rap- environmental catastrophe and kill a billion people. it was recorded, and promptly shelved, lion in 2015 at auction for “Once Upon per’s “Tha Carter III” sold more than The only way this can be averted, DeGrange has in 2010. Most of the songs have been a Time in Shaolin,” the 31-track dou- 1 million copies and helped launch Lil divined, is if Nate, and only Nate, shoots her to death. unheard until now. ble album the multiplatinum rap group Wayne to superstar status. The lawyer in question is Jenny Welker — Nate’s Confronting themes of racial jus- spent six years creating. In 2017, Shkreli was convicted of wife. tice, equality, big tech and just what “With today’s sale of this one-of- lying to investors and cheating them Initially, Nate suspects this is an elaborate plot by it means to be human, “Welcome 2 a-kind album, his payment of the for- out of millions of dollars in two failed the power company and demands that Lorton Rogers, America” feels like the soundtrack feiture is now complete,” Acting US hedge funds he operated. Brafman de- the man who kidnapped him, provide proof of De- 6ix9ine Jordison for the years since Prince’s untimely Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis in scribed Shkreli at sentencing as a mis- Grange’s powers. But when he gets it — in the form death. It’s almost as if Prince knew Brooklyn said in a release. understood eccentric who used uncon- of several accurate predictions including the precise “Welcome 2 America” would mean Authorities said the sales contract ventional means to make his defrauded time and date of a tornado — Nate is convinced. Variety more in 2021 than it might have when for the album contained a confi dential- investors even wealthier. So what will he do? Will he let a billion people die, fi rst recorded. ity provision that protects information or will he shoot the mother of his two children? From the fi rst song and title track, relating to the buyer and price. Also: Parks has taken a risk with this novel. It works only LOS ANGELES: James Blake DES MOINES, Iowa: Joey Jordison, which starts off with Prince bemoan- Release has an- if readers can suspend their disbelief enough to swal- a founding member of Slipknot, who ing the power of the iPhone and Goog- nounced his fi rst new full-length al- low its central premise. Rather than present DeGran- drummed for the infl uential metal band in le, the tone of “Welcome 2 America” In a civil case in Manhattan federal bum in three years and a tour this fall. ge’s power as paranormal, the author offers a pseu- its most popular period and helped write is made clear. court, lawyers wrote in an April docu- Blake says “Friends That Break do-scientifi c rational for it that may not satisfy some many of its best-known songs, has died “Land of the free/home of the ment that Shkreli had already reduced Your Heart” is due Sept. 10 and the readers. Those who can accept it are in for a treat. Monday at age 46, his family said. slave,” Prince determines, and we’re his forfeiture debt by about $5 million. album’s fi rst single is “Say What You The story is inventive, well written, fast-paced, and “We are heartbroken to share the news off. Shkreli’s lawyer, Brianne E. Mur- Will.” fi lled with twists. And chapters alternating between Na- that Joey Jordison, prolifi c drummer, musi- Oh, and it rocks too, in the genre-de- phy, said she spoke to Shkreli late Of the single, James notes: “The te’s and Jenny’s points of view add depth and tension. cian and artist passed away peacefully in fying way that defi ned Prince’s career. Tuesday and he said he is “pleased with song is about fi nding peace with who ❑ ❑ ❑ his sleep,” his family said in a statement. Just try not to get up and dance dur- the sale price and RIP ODB,” a refer- you are and where you’re at regardless “Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts ing “Hot Summer” or “1000 Light ence to Russell Tyrone Jones, known of how well other people seem to be “God Spare the Girls,” by Kelsey McKinney and feelings of indescribable sorrow.” (William Morrow) Years From Here.” There is one cover as Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a founding mem- doing. Comparison really is the thief No cause or place of death was pro- ber of the nine-man Clan who died of an In “God Spare the Girls,” Abigail and Caroline are vided. on the record, but it’s not from Billy of joy.” the daughters of celebrity evangelical pastor Luke No- Jordison grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, Joel. Instead, Prince taps fellow Min- accidental drug overdose in 2004. His 15-show tour will kick off Sept. lan. Always on display for the congregation, the pair the eldest of three children, and began neapolis musicians Soul Asylum, Shkreli, 38, is scheduled for release 16 in San Diego at The Observatory are expected to be pious, pure, and polite at all times. playing drums at age 8. He was already making their song “Stand Up and B in October 2022 after serving a seven- North Park, making stops at The Hol- While they aren’t always able to abide by scripture a veteran of the city’s metal scene when Strong” sound like a Prince original. year prison sentence. lywood Bowl in Los Angeles, New exactly, Abigail and Caroline more or less believe in he founded the band that would become But “Welcome 2 America” is also He was prosecuted after he gained York’s Radio City Music Hall and their religion and their father — until one revelation Slipknot in 1995, along with percussionist tinged with melancholy. As alive, fame in 2015 after he boosted by more before wrapping up in Atlanta’s changes everything. Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray. relevant and fresh as Prince sounds, 5,000% the price of Daraprim, a pre- Tabernacle on Oct. 15. Tickets go on- After they learn of a terrible sin committed by their The three talked plans and concepts there’s no escaping the fact that he’s viously cheap drug used to treat toxo- sale to the general public starting July father, Abigail and Caroline’s world is turned upside for the band in sessions at the gas station gone and the only reason we’re hearing plasmosis, a parasitic infection that can 30 at JamesBlakeMusic.com. down. Now, they must decide whether he is worth for- where Jordison worked. They would name giving and what faith really means. While they work the group after one of their early songs. The group would become known for its Wild West,” Manhattan District Attorney a gun, Vance said. The security team fl ed in the SUVs as an to fi gure it out, the sisters fl ee their parents’ home to rousing, epic live shows, with nine mem- the ranch their grandmother left them and live there Cyrus Vance Jr said in a written state- When 6ix9ine’s bodyguards fi nally unmarked police car drove up with lights bers wearing masks and sinister costumes ment announcing the indictments. confronted the man, boxing him in with fl ashing, Vance said. together. and creating a massive, sweeping sound Meanwhile, Abigail is planning a wedding to a man “As alleged, these highly-compensated their SUVs near the Apollo Theater, they Laperuta’s lawyer, Todd Cushner, said that, like other metal bands of the era, vigilantes caravanned through the streets knocked his cell phone out and stomped it, he was reviewing the charges against the she doesn’t love, and Caroline is dealing with a boy included elements of hip-hop. of Harlem with sirens fl ashing in order to Vance said. former detective. who fell too hard for her after they committed a sin Jordison often wore a white mask with “For the most part, they’re unfounded,” of their own. black paint drippings and a crown of track a man down and steal and break his As the man wrestled with one of the phone,” Vance said. bodyguards in an attempt to get the Cushner said. Author Kelsey McKinney is a strong and compel- thorns when he performed. Online court records didn’t list lawyers ling storyteller and has crafted a captivating small Buzz grew through touring, including The former NYPD detective, Daniel phone back, Laperuta approached with for the other members of Tekashi 6ix9ine’s town world full of gossip and intrigue. “God Spare the show-stealing appearances on the Ozzfest Laperuta, falsely claimed to police offi c- his hand on his holstered gun and another security team who were charged. Messages Girls” beautifully explores the challenges of young tour, and the band broke through to inter- ers and a 911 dispatcher that the man being bodyguard pointed a stun gun at the man, seeking comment were left with lawyers womanhood in the context of a religion that has its national popularity with its 1999 self-titled chased had threatened 6ix9ine’s team with Vance said. who’ve represented the rapper in the past. own very strict ideas about what it means to be a good album. That was followed by the even 6ix9ine, a Brooklyn native, rocketed to daughter, sister, and wife. more popular 2001 album “Iowa.” fame as a hip-hop artist after becoming a Above all else, “God Spare the Girls” is a touch- Slipknot would become one of the bands social media phenomenon with millions ing and powerful story of a bond between two sisters credited with keeping hard rock alive and of followers on Instagram. He had a navigating a world and life they never chose. It is a vital in the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiplatinum hit song, “Fefe,” with Nicki beautifully rendered spin on classic coming-of-age with grunge-era bands aging and fading. Minaj, which peaked at No. 3 on the pop tales, with the characters navigating intricate layers Jordison was dismissed from the band in charts in 2018, and “Stoopid,” featuring of relationships with themselves, with each other and 2013. He later said it was because he had the incarcerated rapper Bobby Shmurda. with their faith. transverse myelitis, a neurological condi- Since then, he’s been in and out of court tion that left him unable to play. - and prison. Also: His family said there will be a private Facing a mandatory minimum of 37 funeral. (AP) years in prison for gang crimes including NEW YORK: The next book by former New Jersey ❑ ❑ ❑ Governor Chris Christie is addressed to his fellow allegedly orchestrating a shooting that left Republicans. LOS ANGELES: Bodyguards for troubled an innocent bystander wounded, 6ix9ine “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine turned New York started cooperating with federal prosecu- Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous City into the Wild West last summer, tors and testifying against members of the Policies of Joe Biden” will be published Nov. 16, piling into SUVs and chasing a man for gang, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Threshold Editions announced Monday. Threshold, 20 blocks with lights fl ashing after he He also testifi ed that two men kidnapped a conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster, is call- attempted to record cellphone video of the him in July 2018, forcing him into a stolen ing the book “a timely and urgent guide to moving the recording star, prosecutors has said. car at gunpoint and stopping at times to party forward.” Five members of 6ix9ine’s security beat and taunt him before taking him to his Christie was among the fi rst prominent Republi- team, including a retired New York City Brooklyn home and stealing a bag full of cans to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2016 police detective accused of lying and jewelry. attempting to cover up the incident, were 6ix9ine’s cooperation earned him leni- and helped prepare him for last fall’s debates against ency from prosecutors and scorn from fel- Biden. But he has differed with Trump and many party indicted Monday on robbery, false imper- sonation and other charges stemming from low rappers, with Snoop Dogg calling him members over their false contentions that Trump won the pursuit last August in Harlem. Actress Penelope Cruz, left, and director Pedro Almodovar pose for photogra- a “snitch.” In December 2019, 6ix9ine was the election in 2020. He has even spoken in favor of Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose real name is phers at the photo call for the fi lm ‘Pain and Glory’ at the 72nd international fi lm sentenced to two years in federal prison. Trump’s impeachment for inciting the mob which Daniel Hernandez, was not charged. festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 18, 2019. The Venice Film Festival Just a few months later, a judge ordered stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6. “A celebrity entourage is not a police is kicking off its 78th edition on Sept. 1, 2021, on the Lido with the premiere of him released to home confi nement because department, and Manhattan is not the Almodóvar’s ‘Madres Paralelas,’ starring Cruz. (AP) — Details on Page 12 of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP)