Closing chords

N. recounts an interview that he has about life and the cartoon balloons. The interviewer asks very specific and personal questions, but N. remains very calm and intelligent throughout the whole process: "Q: Does it [Djband] fear that the balloons might overshadow the music or even that they already have?...A: Of course, I'm tempted to say, but Djband, as with so much else, is of more than one mind when it comes to the balloons" (148). It seems that the press is making a big deal out of Molimo m'Atet's business and the strange things that follow behind the band. In another letter to Angel of Dust, N. is expressing his self-revelation about the balloon's image, which Dredj roughly sketched before; now, N. wonders if someone could photograph the balloons. N. questions, "What if, soul inscribed balloons' body, spirit to the inscribed balloon's letter, the sketch were a pneumatic outline shadowing autoinscriptive hush?" (163). The balloons actually have a very googly appearance, as shown before, but N. cannot explain why that is.

To close the novel, N. inserts another after-the-fact lecture/libretto (see #3), except this one is titled "Unit Structure (Beach Variance)" (the previous one is called "Orphic Shore ('Nansic Breach)"). He starts writing with "'Mistakes have been made and more mistakes will be made.' So declared the Hotel Didgeridoo Resurrection Project's Commission of Inquiry" (169). The Commission's chair, Bl'under, and a leading critic, Djbot, debate about the maintainibility about the hotel, which doesn't seem to be doing very well. Their argument also encompasses music and literature as well. N. states, "So went Bl'under and Djbot's thought war, raging as evidently it always would, the Kingdom's two most formidable houngans locked in head-to-head combat" (180). It seems that in the end, Djbot exploding in frustration and shoveling the ground until he reaches "a truly new world...far away, far over" (183). Wherever he goes, I'm sure it will be wonderful. And with that, the novel is over.

~ Outside Reading #6

Mackey, Nathaniel. Bass Cathedral. Grand Rapids: New Directions Corporation, 2008.

Love's song

We see the return of Melanie (see #2) by a note that she mails to Lambert. She writes with a peaceful tone, though very specifically: "we went into a back room...we closed the door behind us...spent what seemed a good hour or so just kissing" (112). Melanie almost seems like a very manipulative woman, and although Lambert was not thoroughly swayed by the letter, he did write a new song, entitled "Book of Opening the Mouth", after receiving the note and having trouble with his new mouthpiece. During the rehearsal, more balloons appear, which catches everyone by surprise, especially Lambert. The band continues, and N. narrates about how Lambert's solo "had Melanie written all over it, beautifully, bewitchingly so" (117). N. also says how Lambert's new piece is not about the balloons, but this "book", which reveals to him the aspects of his life needed to revive his inner self. Yes, a very deep song, indeed.

The balloons become much more apparent, appearing many more times, both in real life or in someone's mind. As mentioned before, they rise from Lambert's new piece, "Book of Opening the Mouth", bearing the lyrics "I am he of the twice-touched eye, mouth, hand, my mouth is that of a newborn calf...Lips made, mouth slit, statuesque" (114). The balloons had essentially stolen the words from Lambert's mouth, and he's exasperated. Another balloon comes to N. in his dream, sneaking up on him. This one can be considered a unique example of the sort: "[it] crooned ever so seductively, 'Boo'... caressing the back of my ear like a lover's breath or a slowly blown kiss" (129). What kind of weird object would do such an action? There is definitely a huge unsolved mystery behind these balloons, and we have yet to discover why and what purpose, if any, they have in N. and his friends' lives.

~ Outside Reading #5

Mackey, Nathaniel. Bass Cathedral. Grand Rapids: New Directions Corporation, 2008.

New dynamics

As you may recall, N. wrote a new piece called an "after-the-fact lecture/libretto" (see #3). Not only are there stories about his bandmates, he also seems to have a fictional tale because of a few new names. One in particular is Dredj, who, actually, now writes some letters of his own to Angel of Dust. Dredj states, "The book spun my head with its implication of romance's nearness to but ultimate default on revolution" (85). Like N., Dredj seems to also possess an artistic and dramatic side of his personality. Next, in one of N.'s letters, he discusses Dredj by saying, "Please forgive "House of Dredj Revisited...Dredj's house of beauty" (109). Like many other characters, there are no definitive answers to who Dredj is or what he's doing. One possible inference is that Dredj is actually just an alter ego for N.; they both are very similar in character and address Angel of Dust the same way. Dredj may have a much larger role later in the story.

In regards to the central mysteries of Bass Cathedral, the strange cartoon balloons continue to appear spontaneously; however, not only are the balloons visible to N. and his bandmates, anybody can also see them, if they have Molimo m'Atet's album. Customers report, "balloons rise from the records surface, aalbeit there continues to be no pattern" (93). It almost sounds like these balloons are some kind of a threat to the band, for they constantly materialize from their discs. Another weird occurrence is the presence of the cowrie shells. Based on N.'s explanations, it seems that the shells sharply attack his body; he describes this strange and disturbing image: "unshattered, studding my forehead, visibly protruding...the usual feeling of impactedness was there" (86). N. also implicitly states that Dredj, whether him be someone different or N. himself, is also attacked by the cowrie shells. These odd things keep happening, but unfortunately, no one can explain why.

~ Outside Reading #4

Mackey, Nathaniel. Bass Cathedral. Grand Rapids: New Directions Corporation, 2008.