Polaroids from the Dead

Skeleton fairy tales. Deadheads. Youths who hang around cemetaries. Marilyn Monroe. Fires. All these crop up in Douglas Coupland's atmospheric collection of essays and short stories, "Polaroids From the Dead," topped by the picture of a curiously blank-faced Sharon Tate.Coupland populates "Polaroids" with people who contemplate the past, and how it fringes on the present: mothers telling their children parables, an older woman revelling in a Dead concert, a younger group observing aging hippies. And he himself is in quite a bit of it. There are essays on Brentwood (the site of Marilyn Monroe's mysterious death), a trip to Germany post-Berlin Wall, a letter to late rocker Kurt Cobain, descriptions of Palo Alto, and musings on the human preoccupations with crime, celebrities, fame, aging, death, and dead celebrities."Polaroids From The Dead" seems like an apt title for this book. Each short story isn't really a story. There's no true beginning and no end. It's just a snippet that shows the outlook and some of the life of the people in it, and their thoughts. While this type of writing is very vivid while you're actually reading it, it makes the characters difficult to remember later. Likewise, the essays show one of the facets of Coupland's outlook. It's pensive, a little sad at times, and at other times just provokes your thoughts and makes you wonder.Likewise, the black-and-white photographs sprinkled through the book are curiously intimate; some of them (like a burning stick of dynamite) don't make sense until you're partway through the story. OJ and Nicole, models of T-Rexes, the Vietnam monument, flowers and skeletons turn up in the photographs. They don't add a great deal, except perhaps to underline the words Coupland writes."Polaroids From The Dead" is a collection of snapshots of all kinds -- photos, experiences, and stories. Meditative, melancholy and atmospheric.

Every time I pick up a Coupland book I am always pleasantly surprised. Polaroids is a quick and easy read. The sections are split up into 5-10 page short stories. These small pieces are set in three parts. The first being short observations of the many different people you would find at a greatful dead concert. Coupland delves into the reasons each person comes to the concert and their daily lives outside of it. He compares the opinions of true hippies to wanna-be hippies. There is a charming tale near the end of this section that is told by a mother to her children as they wait for their father to finish watching the show. The second part is a variety of observations that range from the majestic beauty of the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, Canada to postacards from friends and a painting of an F-111 that speaks to the author on a spiritual level. The Last section brings us to Brentwood, California. This section shows us many different ways of looking at Brentwood. Coupland lists advertising displays, answers the question: what sort of person lives in Brentwood, The relationship between Brentwood and O.J.Simpson, the colors that are predominant in Brentwood, etc..etc.. This amusing book makes one take a harder look at people and their surroundings. It asks you the questions no one else bothers to ask: "Who are these people around me and why do they do the things they do?" I was quite pleased with this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading social commentary.Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez

I enjoyed this book. It's not as strong as Generation-X or Shampoo Planet, but the prose style is in the same vent. The letter to Kurt Cobain here is the most interesting, especially for those of us who miss him and love his music.But Coupland's FUN "expose" of Bay Area culture, especially DeadHead culture, is right on. Anyone who has walked down Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley will smile upon reading the opening paragraphs here. And anyone who has seen (or been around) any of the Deadhead carnivals around the Greek Theater in Berkeley will also laugh and smile knowingly....This is a groovy book, baby.

... and I took it to Bermuda. It was one of the least enjoyable things I did on the trip (heh-heh), but I liked having a Coupland book to read at the beach and in the early morning. This book is more like a sociology text concerning subcultural groups, yet a compelling sociology book. Coupland explores these groups of folks well, I particularly liked his comment on the innate fear of the smell of fecal matter. It was kind of like reading a Coupland travel journal, and I enjoyed it for being that. The thing that caught my attention immediately was, of course, the cover. Poor Sharon Tate. Alas, I knew her not

Coupland writes several beautiful tales that give true insight to the phenomena of following the Dead.He also writes from the heart his feelings on the death of Kurt Cobain and explains his emotional and spirtual ties to his homeland of Vancouver.From Charles Manson to O.J. Simpson, this book has something for everyone.Coupland really makes every item interesting.My favorite piece, "Lions Gate Bridge" is reminescent of his best book, Life After God