Courtesy of Vagrant Records, Bloomsbury USA
Good news for fans of alcohol! It turns out this might be the summer when drinking finally stops being something you do alone at your kitchen table and starts being cool. We were a little worried the other week, when The New Yorker published a sad, sad piece reminding us how terrible hangovers are and warning us that science (science!) may never find a cure. The article used a quotation from Kingsley Amis to vividly illustrate "the metaphysical hangover" — "that ineffable compound of depression, sadness (these two are not the same), anxiety, self-hatred, sense of failure and fear for the future" that afflicts one after drinking too much.
But as his fans know, Kingsley Amis wasn't as down on drinking as that quote suggests.
That's made clear by the Times' review of Bloomsbury's new omnibus edition of Amis's writing on alcohol, Everyday Drinking — even though it uses the exact same quote! Luckily, Dwight Garner's review is also packed with plenty of other Amis bons mots on the drinking life. Our favorite — and the most summery — on the benefits of sangria: "You can drink a lot of it without falling down." Finally, we need no longer feel ashamed of our love of warm-weather girl drinks!
Between Everyday Drinking and the release of the new Hold Steady album, Stay Positive — as filled with beery anthems as every previous Hold Steady album — we're getting pretty excited about drinking our way through the summer! Maybe it's time for Craig Finn and company to dump John Berryman and start reading some Kingsley Amis. It seems like they have a lot in common.
Toasting the Joys of Imbibing Properly [NYT]
A Few Too Many [NYer]
Earlier: Livers, Prepare for Impact: New Hold Steady Album Leaks
Best friends?Photos: Getty Images
