The Times - UK (2021-12-18)

12 saturday review Saturday December 18 2021 | the times

family chronicle, is genius on so many

levels — dramatically, comically,

musically, emotionally, historically —

that it’s hard to surpass. At the other end

of the spectrum (or maybe not so far

apart) would be Jonathan Larson’s Rent,

which changed theatre for ever and for

the better. I saw it three times during its

Broadway run. I still listen to the

soundtrack.

The box set that I’m hooked on

I’m getting ready to fully dive into

season three of Succession. It’s such an

obvious answer that I’ll just move on

without going into detail.

My favourite TV series

How can someone pick just one? All in

the Family, Lost, Breaking Bad, The

Sopranos, Fargo, Hill Street Blues, St

Elsewhere, Absolutely Fabulous, Seinfeld,

The Simpsons and, maybe most of all

because it influenced my work the most,

The Twilight Zone. The only reason The

Twilight Zone isn’t my final answer is

because when you are that experimental,

you are also wildly inconsistent. Some

episodes are masterpieces; others are

barely watchable.

My favourite piece of music

The Born to Run album by Bruce

Springsteen. It is one of the great short

story collections of the second half of the

20th century. A rock’n’roll symphony as

well, it’s a glorious fusion of lyrics and

energy, imagery and passion. We see the

focus on Bruce’s art, the bloodletting

sacrifice, the single-minded dedication

that raises the merely great into the

realm of the legendary and unforgettable.

If I have to pick one track, Jungleland at

nearly ten minutes is an operatic and

majestic beast. I have been lucky enough

to hear it live on several occasions, and

while I’m not a religious man, this is the

closest I get to that feeling of euphoria

I see in mega-church crowds.

If I could own one painting it

would be...

Edward Hopper’s The

Sheridan Theatre — except

I love its quiet placement

in the Newark Museum

and would feel

tremendous guilt (and

shame) if I were to keep

it in my home and deny

the rest of the world the

chance to experience it.

In short, I would love to

own it, but I would not

move it from its present

abode in the city of

my birth.

The concert I’m

looking forward to

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

are talking about returning to the stage

in 2022, and if so, I will be on the floor

making a fool of myself as I have for

decades. Even though I am an enormous

Elton John fan — Elton’s music, like

Bruce’s, has been a big part of my life for

almost 50 years — I’ve never seen him

in concert. I’m hoping to score tickets

during his farewell tour, so if someone

reading this can help a fellow out...

Stay Close, based on Harlan Coben’s

book, is released on Netflix on

December 31. His latest novel, Win,

is out now in paperback (Arrow)

make anyone feel ashamed? Who are

you trying to impress? Read what you

want and can.

My favourite film

Another answer that changes frequently,

but whenever I list my top five films,

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest always

seems to be floating near the top. I loved

the Ken Kesey novel, but this is one

instance where the film

surpasses the book.

The performances by

all, especially Jack

Nicholson and Louise

Fletcher, are as good as

any on celluloid. I’ve

recently realised that

almost all of my favourite

films come from the

1970s — The Deer Hunter,

The Godfather,

Chinatown, Deliverance,

Being There... I could list

1970s films all day.

My favourite play

Part of this answer is based on timing,

but the first time I saw Harvey Fierstein

in Torch Song Trilogy in 1983 I was

totally blown away. The play’s impact, in

an era when an openly gay production

was very rare, was enormous. I still feel

grateful for having seen it and how it

opened my eyes at a fairly young age.

I’ve never met Fierstein, but if I did, I

would probably thank him, even now,

almost 40 years later.

My favourite musical

Fiddler on the Roof, which my

grandmother said was pretty much our

a majestic beast Bruce

Springsteen in the 1970s.

Below: Rosalind Harris,

Michele Marsh and Neva

Small in the 1971 film of

Fiddler on the Roof

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LYNN GOLDSMITH/CORBIS/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES

My favourite author or book

American Pastoral by Philip Roth, with
the caveat that this answer may change
tomorrow. I recently reread the book —
I almost never reread because there are
too many great books I haven’t gotten
around to — and it is the most complete
and close-to-perfect novel
I’ve read. On top of being a
moving, beautifully written
story, it doubles as a history
lesson about my birth city of
Newark, New Jersey.

The book I wish I had
written

This one is easy if not glib
— none other than my own.

my culture fix

The novelist lets us into his cultural life

Harlan Coben

I give this answer for several reasons.

First, if I love a book this much, I also

loved the unforgettable and wondrous

experience of reading it. If I wrote it, I

would be denied that joy and journey.

Second, you are meant to write what

you write, not what someone else writes.

Books are that individual experience.

Third, well, it’s just bad karma to wish

you’d written something that someone

else wrote. Love the book, admire it, let

it inspire you — but don’t covet it.

The book I couldn’t finish

I estimate that I don’t finish somewhere

between 60 and 70 per cent of the books

I start. Life is too short. One

of the most important aspects

of reading is the author’s voice

— I usually know within ten

pages if an author has one

that appeals to me.

The book I’m ashamed

I haven’t read

Countless, I guess. Why would

not reading a certain book

— p t T I n