It's very cute and funny and nicely observed, with images/observations like, "Then we were on the roof of the lake. These artists are suffering and I'd trade all the comfort of their music for them to have not been suffering. Avoided this for a long time because I assumed these were gussied up variations of David Berman's lyrics for The Silver Jews. Berman manages to drill to the core of life and fill you with all it’s glory, dredging up an understanding of the beauty in life that you didn’t realize you possessed, all written so seemingly effortlessly and engagingly accessible without sacrificing content, depth or style. Drag City has reprinted Actual Air, the acclaimed book of poetry from Silver Jews and Purple Mountains’ David Berman, who died last August.

These poems are like Berman's songs in most ways: some are killers, some are sleepers, some are neither here nor there.This was an absolutely wonderful and enriching read, and I implore everyone to spend some time with Berman's work. Though he thought music had a better chance at fighting against the establishment, the powerful, those causing injustice, this book is healing and heartbreaking.

The older brother, meantime, has gone on to thinking about other things, but prompted by his brother's queries, he elaborates on the story even more. David Berman reinvents the overlooked and seemingly ordinary details of everyday life--from the suitcase of a departing girlfriend to a baseboard electrical outlet. a lot of these poems made me smile and sometimes laugh, and wish that I could inhabit the little world of feelings they create. Often as I read his poetry, I was struck by the idea that Berman used one of those word/phrase generators that push out unexpected combinations of words.

First, the title itself evokes the concept of what “Cassette country” would be… it made me think of things like mix tapes, old radios, and the row of cassettes one would have on their own cassette shelf. I think Berman is quite evocative in that he places you somewhere, and things that evoke memories you have had (many of them being memories of music… others, of not quite being in the right place at the right time, or perhaps not even known what the right place is); but that’s different from being “about” something. There is a touch of James Tate and Charles Simic brewing in the poetry, and it is a shame that I came to this so later.

David Kirby of The New York Times likened the "whimsy" of Actual Air to the works of poets Mark Halliday and Campbell McGrath, but felt "In their poems, though, whimsy always leads to serious ideas and emotions that don't consistently materialize here. Or talking about signing his name on the lower corner of a window so the world becomes his art through his perception of it. It's also a good reminder to check in on those who always seem to understand and be a support, we can't forget they need support as well.My favorite poems: "Cassette County," "New York, New York," "Community College in the Rain," and the first four in the book. Actual Air by David Berman is a refreshing glass of reality, a chance to see the world like ‘ seeing rain / in it’s original uncut form. I came to this collection shamefully late, especially considering the more than a decade under the influence of his music in Silver Jews, of which David Berman is the frontman along with members of the band Pavement (including the always amazing Stephen Malkmus and on a few Bonnie 'Prince' Billy tracks).