"What?"
Richard M. Nixon, 1973
In 2025, 27% of Americans reported in a YouGov poll that they read between one and four books during the year. That statistic dropped to 19% for over ten books, before plummeting into the single digits for the rest. As we know from numerous journalistic pieces, children and young adults are not reading. From demographic breakdowns of other time consumers, Men read the least. Some theorize that podcasts have become the new reading. Statista presents evidence that 34% of Americans listen to podcasts every week now. On average across the demographic spectrum, that averages to 8.3 podcasts per week consuming 9 hours and 24 minutes. Fortunately for podcasters and audiobooks, Marketing Charts corrals them both into the designation "spoken word" where those numbers have risen over 20% from ten years ago.
While it is merely inference, these changes in consumption landed just one Nonfiction title on the Top 10 best sellers list for 2025. Histories are some of the most enthralling books out there. Google Trends indicated that out of the three pillars of Nonfiction (Self-Help, Biographies, and History,) the latter consistently outperforms the other two in general searches. (Although, it is worth noting the single Nonfiction title in the Top 10: Mel Robbins's "The Let Them Theory.")
What is a history? Shakespeare's histories ("Richard III" and 'Henry IV" ) are some of his best plays. In addition, History even earns its own subgenre devoted to the mixture of fiction-based storytelling with documented/researched facts, events, and characters. Shine a light on a period in History via this method and bring it back to life. This is where Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski (referred to by his initials from here on out to mirror the style he employs in the book) either documented the downfall of the Ethiopian government under Haile Selassie and/or satirized the fall of his own government in 1981.
R.K. does not write like a journalist, he writes like a poet. In 1983's "The Emperor," there is a definite ebb and flow to these stories being told more as tales than hard news. One of the main reasons is likely his survival. There is not a lot of talk about death in "The Emperor," but the "expiration" of people hangs in the air almost everywhere. As R.K. develops this weird hierarchy of subjects around Selassie, the importance is always to Selassie - not to the nation. There are pillow carriers, those who lean in and listen to every whisper, those to physically take him (on a limited basis) to a sliver of the people. And then, there are those who serve.
The three principal factions in the Palace were the aristocrats, the bureaucrats, and the so-called "personal people." The aristocrats, made up of great landowners and conservative in the extreme, grouped themselves mostly in the Crown Council, and their leader was Prince Kassa, who has since been executed.
Those who reside in these posts continue to either prove their loyalty consistently or...we do not know. However, we do know. As R.K. describes the world around Selassie, we are provided with a vision of the economic food chain. Attending a massive dinner at the Old Palace where no expense was spared, we follow the stacked-high plates and antique silverware inside the festive repast outside to where the dishwasher throws the scraps to the growing underclass waiting outside barefoot.
R.K. was born in Pinsk, Poland (modern day Belarus) to a family of humble teachers. Before his schooling (and life) was interrupted by the invasion of the Red Army, they lived in abject poverty. Later, when the Polish Press Agency (and Poland under martial law) assigned him to cover nearly 50 different countries in Africa, R.K. described it as home because "food was scarce there too and everyone was also barefoot."
These parallels may/may not be the purpose of this book. R.K. is masquerading his work in an almost Machiavellian manner. As the author/reporter he writes, "I'll come right out and say it: The King of Kings preferred bad ministers." Then later in the same paragraph, the poet/writer returns to theorize on a leader surrounded by good ministers:
Instead of one sun, fifty would be shining, and everyone would pay homage to a privately chosen planet. No, my dear friend, you cannot expose the people to such disastrous freedom. There can only be one sun.
This is not written to be chilling, or completely loyal for that matter. It does seem to be written as an explanation that one would give for either sustaining loyalty - or violating it. It also hints at the demise of Selassie given the overflow of posts, their turnover, and the impossibility of access to one supreme leader. We as readers are searching for explanations, while being semi-enthralled by the poetic wonder of plans and descriptions.
Selassie was not even a rightful heir to the throne. R.K. paints this as him patiently waiting for his chance. History is literally on his side. Born into a noble family as Lij Tafari Makonnen (meaning "child of one that is respected and feared,") Selassie's first appointment is as a Dejazmatch. This count-like post title translates into "keeper of the door." In R.K.'s interview with A.M-M, the complex duty can be found in his simple introduction.
When His Most Exalted Majesty left the room, it was I who opened the door. It was an art to open the door at the right moment, the exact instant. To open the door too early would have been reprehensible, as if I were hurrying the Emperor out. If I opened it too late, on the other hand, His Sublime Highness would have to slow down, or perhaps even stop, which would detract from his lordly dignity, a dignity that meant getting around without collisions or obstacles.
Honestly, the history is here. You might be compelled to read up on the history of Ethiopia/Abyssinia (especially given the existence of the nation as a Christian society in the multicultural heart of Africa) and its leadership functioning over thousands of years as descendants of Solomon. However, R.K. is not covering anything up. You sense what this government and the one he truly cannot speak ill about have in common. Furthermore, his writing has power and captures power at the same time. It is obscured in beautiful prose to implore you to think - as Literature is charged to do.
NEW MUSIC THIS WEEK
JOJI - In The Wind [LP/CD](Palace Creek/Virgin)
George Miller has already done it all. A streaming-number busting online comedian. A streaming-number busting Trip-Hop/EDM breakout. So, why not take on all the music you like in one fell swoop. Joji circa 2026 is not afraid of Folk, Rock, Electronic, Hip-Hop, and even a little Industrial grind. This is not a statement of what he can do, but what he is. If Joji was synonymous with whispery love songs ("Glimpse of Us,") his fourth album is largely devoted to the aftermath. Yet he is not out to devastate ("PIXELATED KISSES") or even explain ("Love You Less,") he is out to ask questions of those around him before turning them on himself ("Last of a Dying Breed.")
PUSCIFER - Normal Isn't [ORANGE 2LP/CD](BMG Rights Mgmt)
Maynard James Keenan's other outside-Tool band Puscifer is largely a conduit for his darkest writing. With Carina Round and Mat Mitchell (plus some super session players including Tony Levin,) Puscifer is looking to be topical ("The Algorithm") and still more personal than most (the violent opener "Thrust") even as they explore quieter uneasy textures ("Bad Wolf.")
TBONES will hold a special screening of Puscifer's concert film with a special viewing party on Friday, February 7th at 7PM.
JOE BONAMASSA & FRIENDS - B.B. King's Blues Summit 100 [3LP/2CD](KTBA)
In place of a review, we should really just reel off the list of friends who help the electric guitarist celebrate his idol, B.B.King. Joined by Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, they pay tribute to B.B.'s bold, clear tone and ability to push any song vocally. With help from Bobby Rush, they illustrate how B.B. put the fire of Funk underneath the Blues at a crucial time on "Why I Sing The Blues." Then Bonamassa and legendary jazz guitarist/singer George Benson face off on one of B.B. 's smoldering Jazz-based slow blues jams on "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere." Elsewhere, it's Gary Clark Jr., Warren Haynes, Trombone Shorty, Keb' Mo', Larkin Poe, Ivan Neville, Paul Rodgers, Robben Ford, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and the list goes on.
DJO - The Crux Deluxe [LP/CD](Twenty20/The Orchard)
Joe Keery's music project continues to dominate his current direction. Where 2025's "The Crux" was a left-field hit combination of Cheap Trick and ELO, these twelve tracks that were left on the cutting room floor venture deeper into rock ("T.Rex Is Loud") and find a meditative state that he has not yet shown to the world.
JOHN CRAIGIE - I Swam Here [LP/CD](Zabriskie Point)
With his Nashville Skyline-high Dylanesque croon, John Craigie traveled to New Orleans to enlist a few Deslondes and singer/songwriter Anna Moss. Craigie has been waiting in the wings for his songwriting moment. The songs here are easy-going Americana cut in the vein of classic late 60s post-Laurel Canyon aided magnificently by sweet steel from Jonny Campos. "Edna Strange" in other hands would be either too downtrodden, or too Western. Craigie paints it as atmospheric and frames it like classic Fred Neil songs where the melodies are there to set your thoughts adrift.
YES - Tales From Topographic Oceans DLX [4LP](Rhino)
When we talk about Prog Rock, we tend to focus on everything that went right in its development. However, what about what went wrong? Like all the other stadium-fillers, they HAD to keep beating themselves which would have to lead to wretched excess. On 1972's classic of tension "Close To The Edge," songs grew long and packed with changes. Replacing Bill Bruford with the working man like drive of Alan White (honestly, very underrated,) it only makes sense that Yes expand their vision and find a more relaxed presentation for the wealth of ideas they were all gathering. "Topographic Oceans" is already following a tough act. Now the band is playing with four 10+ minute compositions (which Wakeman saw as "interchangeable" where they could offramp into something else as the audience responded.) Debate about the studios and some overindulgence (Ozzy Osbourne recounted visiting the studio and seeing they had purchased a "mechanical cow,") can finally be separated from the bloated final product in this massive package. With a new mix from Steven Wilson, some of the clarity issues (the underrated "The Ancient (Giants Under The Sun)") and inter-song sequences may actually make more sense. In addition, the added live performances and a single version of "Ritual" will likely elucidate what went right (and wrong, as Wakeman departed the band.)
DONNY HATHAWAY - Live [LP](Rhino)
Recorded in the steamy clubs of Los Angeles and New York City, Donny Hathaway's 1971 live album is a stellar monument to his magnificent voice and presence in Soul music. When he covers Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," it sounds spiritual but swings like a Jazz song. Then things get down and dirty on his seminal recording of the gritty "The Ghetto." By the time we land on John Lennon's pained but loving "Jealous Guy," Hathaway has mastered the art of release and given us all that experience as well.
BLUR - Leisure/Parklife/13 [2LP](Parlophone)
These three albums could not have less in common, other than they all emerged from the fervent mind of Damon Albarn and Blur. Their 1991 opening gambit remains their most timely (the Madchester "There's No Other Way") and commercial ("Come Together.") Nonetheless, the opener "She's So High" spills the seeds of BritPop to come. Skipping ahead to 1994 (and the magnificent "Modern Life is Rubbish,") Blur dealt their most British and most varied effort yet in the classic "Parklife." Less designed to fit in, "Parklife" still works today because it seeks to capture culture (the eternal Disco of "Girls & Boys" and the preening majesty of the title track) and how well they absorbed their disparate influences ("Tracy Jacks," "Bank Holiday," and "To The End.") A classic all the way 'round and one of BritPop's most exemplary albums. Then, we leap over a pair of truly brilliant albums (the Kinksian wonders of "The Great Escape" and the Electronic-infected American breakthrough "Blur") for the troubled masterpiece "13." Blur is either ending or ending the millenium. No one can really decide. The different influences of "Parklife" have taken their toll and Blur sounds angry and disjointed. "Beetlebum" is sorrowful but not a downer. "Tender" is a moment of honesty and uplift that hints at what comes next. "13" is a messy, wild guitar and squiggle album where you can almost feel Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon almost battling it out. The still astonishing "Coffee & TV" stands as testament to how they fit it together with the Albarn-ish wispy chorus and Coxon's muscular guitar outro. Yet, Albarn would have the last word on the stunning heartbreaker "No Distance Left To Run" that left us all wondering if that would be it.
SHAKING HAND - Shaking Hand [LP](Melodic UK)
We are but one month into 2026 and already a new experimental Rock band has emerged to shake up your expectations. Manchester's Shaking Hand looks on paper and sounds at first like a new generation of Post-Rock. "Sundance" opens the album with carefully measured beats and entwined guitar and bass lines. However, Shaking Hand has digested both Slint and Pavement on their way to make angular Post-Punk ("In For a...Pound!") and still stay melodic (the Yo La Tengo-esque "Up The Ante(lope.)" What is different about Shaking Hand is that they are unusually content to keep their grooves and melodies in an old Nineties Chicago-style drone pattern and develop tension through repetition with the smallest changes. The seven-minute opus "Mantras" could even double as a wispy Emo/quiet Shoegaze track given the right cuts around it. Nonetheless, Shaking Hand will stand out on your playlist and once you allow their songs to develop stay surprising and stuck in your head.
Mik Davis is the record store manager at T-Bones Records & Cafe in Hattiesburg.
