This Top-5 list came to me as I drove around after work. Actually, I’m more interested in what biblical books others would say are their favorites, or what books have affected them or are affecting them the most and why. Here are mine, in really no particular order. Your answers don’t have to be as long as these.

A strong opening line to a piece of fiction cannot be over-valued. Sure there are some great opening lines to mediocre or bad novels. Charles Dickens wrote one of the most famous opening lines ever in his novel A Tale of Two Cities [1] and yet I despise that novel with a searing hatred usually reserved for the Los Angeles Lakers or broccoli. Then there are completely forgettable opening lines to brilliant works. Anyone remember the opening lines to Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment [2] or Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird [3]? Didn’t think so, but the rest of those novels haunt the reader for a long time. Sometimes the strength of the opening line can only be appreciated after reading the whole work and going back to the beginning as is the case of the seemingly innocuous opening to Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay [4].

If an author can begin with something that immediately piques the your interest and draws you into the subsequent sentences, then he or she has immediately gained the high ground. Below are my top-5 favorite opening lines to novels. This is a tough one to narrow down and I decided to limit the list to novels I’ve read. And since I haven’t read every novel written I’m sure I’m missing some excellent examples. Please tell me your favorites.

As I recollect last night’s concert and the opening act, Mates of State, I started thinking that opening acts at concerts would make a good top-5 post. So, without further ado, here it goes. My top-5 favorite opening acts of concerts I’ve attended and the artist for whom they opened the show.

1. Paul Simon for Bob Dylan (Arco Arena, 1999). Okay, so technically both Dylan and Simon shared top-billing on the tour, but Simon came on stage first at this show. That counts as opening up for the other artist—Dylan would open other shows on the tour. Simon gave a wonderful performance only to be overshadowed by Dylan later. The two came out between their sets and sang three duets: “Sound of Silence,” “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” and “I Walk the Line/Blue Moon Of Kentucky.” Amazing.


2. McCoy Tyner and The Dave Brubeck Quartet for Ramsey Lewis (Hollywood Bowl, 2004). Another example of cheating since all three shared the bill as the “Piano Masters.” I was excited to see Brubeck who delivered and then some. Tyner, whom I had never heard or heard of was simply amazing. It was a great evening of jazz. Lewis was also good, but both Tyner and Brubeck had set the bar so high as well as taken most of the audience’s energy that Lewis just didn’t have the oomph needed to close out the show. Not his fault, however. Seriously, Brubeck at 84 gave one of the best performances I’ve seen and worked the crowd like an old, stately Bono in a white tuxedo.


3. The Blind Boys of Alabama for Peter Gabriel (Staples Center, 2002). The gospel quartet was simply awesome as their harmonies filled the arena. They easily stole the show that evening, and it was a good show on Gabriel’s part. Though I was a bit worried when one of the Blind Boys walked around the stage unaided and came close to the edge.


4. Black Eyed Sceva for Poor Old Lu (Shadrach’s, 1996). Along with Dime Store Prophets—who I liked live, but never cared for their albums—this show was one of the most consistent bills I’ve ever seen from top to bottom. For those who don’t know, Black Eyed Sceva sounded like a harder Toad the Wet Sprocket and later changed its name to Model Engine.


5. Spiritualized for Radiohead (Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 1998). Spiritualized complimented Radiohead perfectly and set up a sonic atmosphere that readied the audience to have their minds blown away by the headliner. Perhaps the perfect example of an opener—didn’t draw too much attention to themselves, but drew the audience in and prepared them for a great night of music.

In case you’re wondering, some of my least favorite opening acts include No Doubt for U2 (Oakland Arena, 2001), DC Talk for Michael W. Smith (Selland Arena, 1993)—a bad show all-around—and Fight for Anthrax (Wilson Theater, 1994). That last show was near the end of my metal days and I plead whatever Ammendment it is that grants you immunity for some of your musical tastes when you were fifteen.

For my first official Top-5 List post, I’ve decided to tackle superhero movies. They seem to be pretty ubiquitous during the summer months and there have been some that transcend the genre into simply being good or great films, while there is a slew of mediocre fare and some ugly gunk that shouldn’t even be on the bottom of your shoe.

Anyway, here are my top-5 superhero movies.

1. The Incredibles, (d. Bird, 2004)


2. Batman Begins, (d. Nolan, 2005)


3. X2: X-Men United, (d. Singer, 2003)


4. Spider-Man 2, (d. Raimi, 2004)


5. Batman, (d. Burton, 1989)

All of these films have something in common: they focus on characters rather than on the super powers of the heroes. These are fallible heroes faced with choices and limitations. Also, each of these films have strong lead actors with whom we empathize perhaps more than we dream of being them. Most of the films have been made within the last decade, because before Burton’s stylized, but dark Batman, superhero films were rather campy. Even Donner’s Superman (1978) is a bit too cornball to make my list, though I enjoy that film greatly. Except for the “Can you read my mind?” sequence. And the turning back time sequence. An honorable mention goes to Unbreakable, (d. Shyamalan, 2000).

I’ve created a new category: Top-5 Lists. Top-5 what, you ask. Whatever I feel like ranking, I answer. Could be my five favorite US Presidents, my five favorite idiosynchreses of Davis, California, or my five favorite rank lists. Why five, you ask. Because thinking of a top-10 for everything could get tedious, I answer. Actually five is an arbitrary number that seems manageable. If I’m doing a list that I think merits more than five choices, I’ll add them. What authority do you have to make these lists, you ask. None, I answer. It’s my blog and this is just a whimsical exercise, I suppose. Feel more than free to disagree with me. I find most lists are silly or pretentious if they assume any air of authority. On the other hand, if they exist in order to spur conversation, then they have some worth.