Our latest edition to the bookshop is convenient because it gives me a chance to answer the FAQ “Who is that guy in the picture?” You know, the bearded man in an unthreatening boxing stance, sporting a large wrist watch and a lazy smile while he watches you drink your coffee at Railroad. He is a not a mountain climber or alas, a close relation to myself. He is David Berman, a poet and ex-frontman of the Silver Jews, the band that he co-founded in the early 90’s and called an end to in 2008.
Actual Air, Berman’s first published collection of poems was released in 1999 by Open City. We now have it in our bookshop, and it’s about time. It’s a brilliant collection of Berman’s abstract thoughts and ideas concerning life in American suburbs, replica cities, and imagined bar room situations where eccentrics meet. A true staff recommendation.
Also on the walls at Railroad is Kate Cox’s exhibition ‘See you for Dust’. There are seven beautiful photographs of both the people and landscapes of the Californian desert scattered throughout the café. There are a mixture of black & white and colour prints (all are a series of 9 only). They have just gone up and will be up for the next two months.