MAGAZINE REVIEWS

Specialty fields plagued by controversies

by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., March 3, 1999) -- I decided to take a break from the usual-suspect periodicals this week and turn my attention to a number of specialty journals that just by coincidence have all made their way into my mailbox in the last few weeks. Even though I don't really give a hoot about some of the areas they report on, I was able to find something to think about in just about every issue of every magazine.

American Heritage

It's worth digging for the December 1998 issue of American Heritage, the one with the late Frank Sinatra on the cover, for the accompanying story, "Fly Me to the Moon: Reflections on the Rat Pack," by Max Rudin.

Rudin's essay recounts the rise of the so-called Rat Pack, the Hollywood/Las Vegas brotherhood of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. The group "is remembered for their style, their irreverent humor, their boozy and fleshy private lives, their leader's occasional thuggish arrogance," writes Rudin.

But more than its boys' club insouciance, suggests Rudin, the Rat Pack's real significance was the manner in which it represented the role of ethnicity in postwar America. Through their individual and group successes, their friendships and their good-natured teasing of each other, this mixed collection of ethnic Italians, Jews, blacks and WASPs played out on a public stage the new social arrangements that would -- at least until the Civil Rights movement propelled racial differences to the forefront -- define our society.

Rudin also follows the arc of the Rat Pack as they attached themselves to John Kennedy's star, only to do an Icarus when Kennedy's sun was ascendant and they were nothing more than an embarrassment to the new president.

Biblical Archaeology Review

I recently received a free sample issue of this truly remarkable magazine. Although the scope of the magazine was a bit beyond my normal field of view, the photographs of archaeological digs in the Holy Land, as well as several of the advertisements, kept my attention for more than just a cursory browse.

The March/April issue includes several articles about ongoing archeological digs that are provoking debate among archeologists and historians. In "Excavating Hazor: Solomon's City Rises from the Ashes," Amnon Ben-Tor argues the archeological evidence for a united Solomonic monarchy. "A Mickey Mouse Operation" pokes fun at Disney World, which was the location for the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion. Really.

But what truly caught my eye were the ads for the computer programs and CD-ROMS that offer Biblical references and commentary for use by clergymen to help them prepare their sermons ("Work Smarter. Teach and Preach Better!"). What would Cotton Mather have said? I also found myself coveting some of the incense prepared according to Biblical recipe, just like the stuff that wafted through the Holy Temple. And what about the genuine ancient coins of Roman vintage, still caked with dirt, for as low as $2 a piece?

WildBird

We enjoy watching birds come to our back-yard feeders as much as anyone, but who knew birding could be such a controversial pastime? Apparently the field is awash in disagreement, judging from just one issue of WildBird.

Consider the title of the April cover story: "Field Guides: Vital resource or unnecessary crutch?" Well, gee, I never thought of it like that. Honey, throw away the Peterson's!

In order to handle all the raging debates going on in the world of birding, WildBird debuts "Tough Choices," a new, monthly column devoted to "the increasing challenges to the way we view and participate in the sport." This month's hot topic of debate: "Are birding ethics in danger of being diluted by competitive birding events and/or increasing emphasis on list totals?"
Could you restate the question?

For those not interested in making a federal case out of birding, the magazine also includes lots of helpful tips and advice for amateur birders, fascinating trivia about our fine feathered friends, and, of course, dozens of gorgeous color photographs of the avian kind.

The Old-Time Herald

Subtitled "A magazine dedicated to old-time music," the Old-Time Herald is, in fitting with its topic, a low-key quarterly focused on grassroots, folk, bluegrass and acoustic music. The spring issue includes lots of news and information about festivals of this kind of music, including one that improbably takes place in Brooklyn, N.Y., every fall. There's also a profile of a record collector (remember records?) and lots of CD reviews.

Sure enough, there's even controversy ablaze in the quiet world of old-time music and dance. Down in Blacksburg, Va., there's a group that prides itself in "keeping things square" in the face of the rising popularity of contra-dancing, which has caught on big in the rest of the country, including right here in the Berkshires.

Once a month, the Blacksburg Old-Time Music and Dance Group gathers for "true mountain four-couple square dance." Says one square advocate of his group, "It's one of the last bastions around against the pervasive creep of contras." And this isn't even Nicaragua!

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on March 6, 1999. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1999. All rights reserved.]