The future is here, kids. A novel is no longer limited to printed words on paper. We have the technology! In addition to the old-fashioned book, a novel can include rock and roll music, film, and even a youtube playlist. Almost like a Sunday service at your local mega-church.
Jesús Ángel García’s transmedia novel is badbadbad (that’s the title). The idea of the transmedia novel infatuates me to no end. My review follows, but first:
Full disclosure: I normally sip tea while reading. Darjeeling or sometimes green tea for popular nonfiction. A stronger black tea for more scholarly works. For fiction, I like Earl Grey or occasionally a nice sweet chai latte, which is what I had in hand as I picked up badbadbad, García’s novel that I’m about to review below. It wasn’t long though, as I delved into the pulp-style novel, that I realized the tea perhaps wasn’t the appropriate beverage for the book in hand. True story: I put down the book 75 pages in, walked down to the corner and picked up a bottle of Kentucky’s finest, Jim Beam, a two liter of ginger ale as well. I’m not normally a bourbon drinker, but for this occasion it just seemed right.
Now, on with the review. But first:
Full disclosure #2: As you know, my readers, I’m a religion junkie. Any story that treats religious themes with openness and honesty, I’ll devour like a consecrated wafer at first communtion. So naturally, my opinion of badbadbad will be skewed to the positive due to it’s religious nature. Our hero of the book, JAG, sees himself as a messiah, a savior, a healer. By day, JAG is a faithful Sunday churchgoer and webmaster for the First Church of the Church Before Church. The pastor of the church is your everyday perfect hair and teeth charismatic religious-right type of pastor from the south. Jesús Ángel García portays him with such spot on reality that you can see the beads of sweat roll down his nose as he preaches, “you have to get naked to be clothed in the lord.”
By night, JAG hangs with the pastor’s disfellowshipped son, Cyrus, who bond over their shared passion for music. Neither have any real belief in the Judea-Christian-Muslim god. Their deity and savior comes in the form of notes, rhythms, melodies and lyrics. JAG calls it “A Love Supreme,” referencing the Coltrane masterpiece.
Cyrus introduces JAG to an online sexual fetish community called fallenangels. This is where JAG finds his calling. He was sent to be healer, a sexual healer.
I longed to be of service in whatever way I could. It was my calling to do unto others. I should note this impulse came from outside myself, from something bigger than me alone.
He eventually gets administrative privileges to the fetish website. That’s when he truly sees himself as God.
FD #3: Before I begin with the actual review I must disclose that I don’t condone pornography. This book is full of it, I tell you. Of course, I don’t condemn it either. JAG practices his sexual healing on a lot of girls, in explicit detail. But a lot of the sexy situations in badbadbad are not too sexy, so that makes it okay. There is cellulite, pubic stubble, and even possible STDs! I should mention that some of the sex is actually quite sexy. But when I read those parts I quickly shut the book and picked up the Bible.* Beware when you read the book. Have your KJV handy!
FD #4: As well as being a religion junky, I’m also a music junky. I’m the guy in my circle of friends ready to answer any question about any obscure band who ever existed. I’m also ready to give out can’t miss music recommendations for any mood or occasion. I’m willing to bet García is that guy too. The novel is full of excellent music references, subtle or otherwise. So, naturally I’d be drawn to give it a favorable review based on that fact alone. My favorite:
She came into view…bare shoulder, bra strap, choker, shy smile, wide raccoon eyes, tired and wary, hopeful, thick makeup, hair piled high on top of her head, eighties-style, the Bangles. She walked like an Egyptian.
FD#5: Back in college as a Media Studies major, I actually conceived the idea to write a book that included music and a film. Lacking inspiration or fortitude, I put the idea on hold. Now, I’m not saying Mr. García stole my idea, I’m just saying. Just throwin’ that out there.
Of course, he approaches the transmedia novel concept a bit differently than I would have. Truth be told, mine probably would have been bloated, pretentious and self indulgent (like this book review). With badbadbad, the book is front and center. It stands on its own quite well. The writing is top-notch, smart and carefully playful, transcending it’s pulp-fiction clothing. Any author that can write the line: “we embraced like lovers at the threshold of the void,” and have it sound like the perfect words at the perfect time, is doing something right.
Then there is an original soundtrack of songs taken from the narrative of the book, country-punk style and catchy as hell. “Bed o’ Cornbread Crumbs” will be embedded in my head for days.
The film is a five-part documentary that explores the book’s themes of fear,
hypocrisy, sexual morality, e-intimacy & self-destruction, done in a man-on-the-street interview style. I was able to watch 3 of the 5 parts of the film. Nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing, but surely engaging.
Rounding out the transmedia experience is the youtube playlist consisting of the songs or artists referenced in the book. It’s a great deal of fun going through the dozens of gems and a few duds, well-know and obscure songs from all genres.
It’s a lot of media to behold for one novel, but somehow it seems like García’s transmedia experience was almost too subtle. Like he could have gone further in some way, taken it to another level. The badbadbad project is a book with supplemental material. I wonder what badbadbad would have looked like if film, music, and literature were dependent on each other; each with equal ranks, not able to survive without the others.
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My apologies. I’ve run out of space for the book review. Visit the official badbadbad website for text, film, and audio excerpts, as well as links to actual reviews.
*This sentence is a lie.
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