On The Anthology of American Literature, writer Neil Pollack, the sultan of satire, informs you that he is the greatest scribe of his time. To back up his proclamation, Pollack summons the stellar musicianship of Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan, and Sally Timms, under the umbrella of Pine Valley Cosmonauts, to embellish the spoken-word diatribes that detail sex, politics, race, and, of course, Pollack himself . Abetted by scratchy sound samples that give the aural impression of old dusty vinyl records, Pollack lectures through soulful swatches of mountain music, Afro-Cuban jazz, Cajun, folk, bluegrass, and avant-garde. Lambasting a myriad of journalistic and literary practices while observing his own inhumane condition, Pollack’s role as pundit, prophet, punk, and poet goes uncontested. And it’s very funny too. – Tom Semioli
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