Robb Skidmore

New Book Release!!! My latest book, LIFE AND DEATH IN SUBURBIA, is now available on Amazon. It’s a short story collection of stories I previously published mixed with stories I wrote to unify the collection. BookLife made it an Editor’s Pick and described it as “An insightful, poignant look at American life… explores deep themes of alienation, self-discovery and self-preservation in a complex social and economic landscape.” From the back cover: “In seven penetrating and vivid stories, LIFE AND DEATH IN SUBURBIA takes you back to places and times that promised much. Beneath the conformity and optimism of the American suburbs of the 1970s through the 1990s simmered a clash of generations, of economic classes, of childhood and adulthood. These emotionally resonant and keenly crafted stories will powerfully pull you into the dreams and desperation of the souls who inhabit these places: a nine-year-old struggles with a severe speech impediment, an unbalanced mom and dad in Vietnam; a teen takes a job as a stereo speaker con artist to buy cancer drugs for his father; a lonely artist endeavors to find success and fend off eviction; a spiritual nonconformist tries to find enlightenment in unconventional ways. 

With lyrical and insightful prose, Robb Skidmore delivers a vision which will linger in your heart and mind. LIFE AND DEATH IN SUBURBIA plunges into and exposes the social and cultural constraints within these subdivisions and apartments and reveals their devastating truth.”   I think of this book as a companion piece to THE PURSUIT OF COOL because it covers childhood during the 1970s and young adulthood in the 1990s, bookending the 1980s of Pursuit. (Amazon links in the comments)

Now I have seen it all. There is truly a flag for every cause.

Hemingway had a macho persona but he was actually a very sensitive and giving person. He had tens of friends he supported on a monthly payroll. He was incredibly loyal to friends, and even when they crossed him he never fully expelled them from his circle. He was encouraging and patient with all aspiring writers who approached him. He found great joy in teaching things to others, and did so frequently.

I’m reading Atomic Habits currently to root out some bad habits (there are many!) (not really) (ok, yeah some) and to promote some good habits. It says some interesting things such as: the dopamine rush from anticipating something is bigger than actually getting it.

It’s impossible to take a man completely seriously while he is wearing shorts.

One of the weirder facets of being a GenX is seeing the icons get old. Sometimes it’s ok, as in, hey so and so has aged pretty well. But increasingly there is something uneasy, something threatening about certain agers, as if their geezerly decline is a final blow to my own youthful longings… Like this situation with David Lee Roth. (In no way am I throwing shade on Diamond Dave. The man is a legend and he’s aging as best he can.)

I am sentimental about all things, even while they are happening.

I come to praise the compact disc, the highest audio achievement of the 20th century. Compact, durable and they pack a 16 bit digital depth of listening pleasure. I sense some tut tutting, eye rolling and turntable clutching from my vinyl collecting friends. @batcountry1980 @Tendraftsdeep Vinyl has its soulful qualities and righteous cover art, true, but the damn records scratch so easily, occasionally break and they lack the audio depth of the CD.

Oh Joyce. You’ve gone there. Unfortunately, you could not be more wrong about Wild At Heart. Nick Cage in his rattlesnake skin jacket and Laura Dern, Lynch’s fave actress… it’s a Lynchian Southern Gothic surreal masterpiece with an all-star cast. It absolutely holds up. I don’t think David Lynch movies are for you.

Compact discs are so back. They are flying off the shelves. I had a feeling if I stuck with them long enough they would come back into fashion.

Oh come on Werner, just because a guy wants to talk about meditation and world peace doesn’t mean he’s in a cult. He was David friggin Lynch and he could be as weird as he wanted to be. It was the source of his power.

I have a theory about Hemingway’s famous short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.” A revelation in PAPA HEMINGWAY explains the origin of the story. In the story, a hunter on an African big game safari displays cowardice while hunting a lion and his wife, horrified at his cowardice, sleeps with the hunting guide the night after. In PAPA, Hemingway relays a story about an English hunter whose young wife shows up at his room one night…and sleeps with Hemingway.

Increasingly, I’m horrified by couples in restaurants who scroll on their phones, heads down, for their entire meal. I want today to say to them: You’re wasting your lives. Look at each other. Share something meaningful. Your lives are limited. Instagram doesn’t matter—your spouse does. Your souls are slowly leeching out of your bodies and your hearts are curling up into dried leather as you swipe and scroll.

At one time in my life I took Rush lyrics very seriously. To me Neil Peart was a genius drummer and a lyricist philosopher fellow who had brilliant insights into the human condition. No song was more loaded with meaning than “Tom Sawyer.” Such heady lyrics—the individualism and societal critique is powerful. And mixed with a driving kickass song. My teen self reacted and said: no fucking way will my mind be for rent! His reserve being a quiet defense, that sounded good. Always hopeful yet discontent—this was the approach of a true sage. And is that a nod to the Space Invaders video game? Peart throws in some Zen Buddhism as well—no changes are permanent, but change is. Rush was remarkable—they were all top notch musicians who carved out a unique hard rock niche, and with literate lyrics. They read Ayn Rand. Their songs are always about something coherent. “The Trees,” “Subdivisions,” “The Spirit of the Radio,” they all make you think.

Ernest Hemingway loved the circus, particularly interacting with zoo animals, which he believed to be more intelligent than wild animals due to their exposure to humans. He once won the affection of a gorilla.

The Blue Velvet soundtrack is perfect for any occasion: easy listening, entertaining guests or the contemplative solo listen. Angelo Badalamenti’s original score is a treasure. David Lynch listened to Shostakovich's 15th Symphony heavily when writing the screenplay and asked Badalamenti to give the score that atmosphere. Ketty Lester’s “Love Letters” and Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” set a retro noir tone. David Lynch and Badalamenti wrote the title song “Mysteries of Love” together, Lynch writing the lyrics. Julee Cruise’s vocals are perfect.

At what point does rereading the same novel over and over constitute obsessiveness or unhealthiness? When does it cross over? I’ve read THE GREAT GATSBY at least 4 times. THE SHELTERING SKY and THE CATCHER IN THE RYE probably 3. THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy I’ve read 3 times. A novella by Paul Theroux, THE GREENEST ISLAND, I’ve read at least 5 times. In general rereads are positive, I feel, because they allow greater depth and enjoyment. But in the 10 to 20 rereads then maybe things are getting out of hand.