Facing Future

33⅓ Main Series #70

by Dan Kois

Even at four in the morning, the strip clubs and watering holes surrounding the downtown Honolulu studio were still hopping. The recording engineer heard a car pull into the lot, and soon the biggest man he had ever seen walked through the door. Six foot three, 500 pounds, the guy looked like a house carrying an 'ukulele. When he stepped into the studio, the floated floor shifted unnervingly beneath the engineer's feet. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole engulfed the engineer's hand in his and said, "Hi, bruddah."

The product of that impromptu late-night recording session, a delicate medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World," has driven sales of 1993's Facing Future to nearly two million copies. Each time the medley is licensed to appear in advertisements, in movies, even on American Idol, Mainlanders embrace it anew as a touch of the unfamiliar in their otherwise staid record collections. But in Hawai'i, a state struggling like no other with the responsibility of its native heritage, Facing Future is much more. Gaining unprecedented access to Israel's family, friends, bandmates, lawyer, and label, Dan Kois tells the remarkable story of Bruddah Iz and the album that changed his life--and his death.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

188 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jason Fagone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tiny book about a 1993 album by an enormous Hawaiian musician I’d never heard of, Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole. The book is so small it almost fits in a pocket, but it accomplishes a lot in 168 pages. It vividly brings Iz to life and makes you care about him; it uses the complex afterlife of Iz as a means to explore timeless questions about art, commerce, and colonialism, in a metaphor that’s organic to the material; it tells a credible anecdote about Iz beating the crap out of Jimmy Buffett in a urinal. And the prose is beautiful. An obvious labor of love.

[Kathleen (itpdx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued when this showed up on a news feed. As I looked over the list, I saw this book with the note "The best guide to an entire region and culture (Hawai’i)". I had never heard of the artist, Iz Kamakawiwo'ole or this album, although it turns out I had heard his version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Always interested in Hawaiiana, I was delighted to find that my outstanding library system had both a copy of the book and the CD.
Listening to the CD, I was taken in by the beauty of Iz's voice. The book tells the story of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's life and the making of the Facing Future album. The author, Dan Kois, mostly writes in a good journalistic style based on interviews of many who knew Iz and were involved in making the album. It is a compelling and tragic story. It is also a window into modern Hawaiian history and music. Kois gives the background of each of the songs on the album, including the identity of the mysterious composer of one of the songs. He also explains the somewhat eclectic choice of songs included. He explores the tension between the protection and exploitation of Hawaiian culture.
I was startled by the book cover which shows the album cover. I thought that the picture of Iz had been distorted somewhere in the process of the printing the cover. No, he really was that large.

[Joshua Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reading material during my trip to Hawaii. A good primer on Bruddah IZ, Hawaiian music in general, and even Hawaiian culture as a whole.

[Alohatiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for $2 in Maui on my last visit. I didn't really know much about Iz but found the book very interesting since I have a collection of Hawaiian music. Since then I have listen to this record a ton and pulled out my Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau as well.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I am in the minority on "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World," at least according to Kois. I hated that song from the the first time I heard it. Every time it came on the radio I would scramble to change the station. When I was a teenager, I hated cover songs, and I had no patience for twee vocalists.

But then I did as many do and took a honeymoon in Hawaii. I don't recall if I heard Iz's music while there, but I do know that visiting Hawaii softened my attitude towards what I had considered America's Other Tourist State (I grew up in Florida). And that softening extended to Hawaiian music as well.

So, now I can listen to the song without gritting my teeth. Hooray for personal growth! Eventually, a few idle Googlings later and I learned that Iz was a genuinely gifted musician and to this day is very important to Hawaiians.

But

You guys

What is it that *I* can't stop thinking about?

Stupid, small, tooth-picking, yawning me?

"Why is this man so fat?"

I am fat too, and so when I see people who look like Iz did, I look at myself and fret that there isn't much between him and me. Will I, too, die young, crushed under the weight of my own body? Only, unlike Iz, I won't have left anything behind except for dumb reviews of books.

And so, Google books led me to believe I could find an answer in this discussion of Facing Future, Iz's breakthrough solo album. More than half the book is straight biography, and an interesting one at that. I didn't have much interest in the music commentary and I even told myself I would skip it, but I'm glad I didn't because there were more stories about Iz in them.

I got the answer to my question, but I also got a fascinating glimpse into a time and a place I knew nothing about. So, I don't know. Maybe it's true that there's no such thing as a stupid question.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known about Bruddah Iz since about 2005 when his "Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World" dominated commercials, TV shows, and seemingly every movie released around that time (it provides a poignant moment in the movie Fifty First Dates, for example).

I just got back from Hawaii a few days ago and bought this book in a bookstore out there. As a 33 1/3 enthusiast (and knowing about Iz and his music, his weight, and his premature death a little), I was intrigued to hear what Dan Kois would write about this album.

I am happy to report that this book is fascinating. I want to give serious praise to Kois as a writer. He does a great job not only talking about the album, but also painting a picture of Israel as an artist and as a man. Some of the book is haunting, hearing about Iz's struggles. It's also enlightening for me as a mainlander to read; how Iz has been elevated to almost mythic status there in the islands. It also covers other potentially thorny issues, like the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and commercialism. Kois is also not afraid to go up to bat against Jon Di Mello, the producer of Iz's album and curator of his legacy. I found the material by and about Di Mello to be some of the most interesting parts of the book.

In short, the book was phenomenal. It only took me two days to read, but even that time span was longer than expected because I kept having to stop reading so I could go down Hawaiian rabbit holes--looking up the island of Ni'ihau or YouTube videos of Iz's music, for example.

[Kevin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this is one of the best books in the 33 1/3 series, but then I realized that I've read far too few of them. This book is notable as the only book in the long-running series to focus on Hawaiian music, which puts it at an interesting cultural intersection. It takes a few chapters to get to the meat of the book, which is the Facing Future album itself, but that's only because there is so much important context (biographical, geographical, cultural, political) that needs to be understood for the album to be understood.

Kois does a great job of framing the narrative and painting a vivid portrait of the artist. The story is well-researched and structured. It's packed with interesting anecdotes collected from a wide range of people who knew Kamakawiwo'ole in different contexts and phases of his life.

However, it's far from rambling, as I feel like all the information pays off later in the analysis of the album. Plus, I don't know if a book aimed at obsessive music fans can be accused of being too detailed.

Kois wears his heart on his sleeve when discussing native Hawaiian political issues, but delivers one of the most nuanced think pieces I've read on the concept of "selling out," as the universal appeal of the song simultaneously raises awareness of Hawaiian culture and music while also enabling its appropriation.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved it. Didn't know anything about Iz or his life, or his charisma, knew only a little about island history, and had no concept of his over all impact in Hawaiian culture. Great combination of everything in this book...

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son often listens to this record to fall asleep, but I knew nothing about it. I really learned a lot from this book.

[Marilla Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read most of it for a class, and then I read the rest of it for the sake of saying I finished a book. Interesting.  Not groundbreaking.  A little repetitive.

[Jake Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at an album and a culture and a movement. Brought me back to when I lived in Hawai‘i.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while vacationing in Hawaii because I have listened to IZ with my family since I was a wee boy. It's an informative 33 1/3 book with backstory on IZ, him leaving Makaha Sons of Niihau and recording his seminal album. I would have liked for the book to have taken more time to talk about his death and the initial reaction from important Hawaiians and anybody else who realized this monumental loss. IZ's popularity was magnified when his cover of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World" was synched in some commercials and movies and only then, after his death, did he reach a huge popularity out of Hawaii...but how big before that? (No pun intended on the BIG thing...)

Anywhoo, read this book if you're an IZ fan or have a plan to head to the Islands. Superquick read and easy.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very satisfying read. This works not just as an account of the album but also as a short bio of Israel. The good and bad of Israel himself mirror the good and bad of the album's success. It's a complicated story and I'm happy to have read it. This book even brought me to tears at one point.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole by a co-worker at Borders before "Over the Rainbow" became a hit. I know little of the Hawaiian native struggles and I'm grateful for the overview. I will continue to use this album as a gateway drug to world music. Now I can pass this book along to my fellow Iz fans.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much a review as a meditation on how the album came to be, Kois' book examines the life of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and his breakthrough album "Facing Future," starting with a recording session at four in morning in 1998 and ending up with the final product in 1994. Along the way, Kois introduces us to Bruddah Iz, his family, his appetites and monsters, and his love of Hawai'i.

Fantastic read for anyone who has heard "Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World."

[Bill Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Dan Kois had stopped his book on "Facing Future" about 30 or 40 pages earlier, it would be easier to recommend. This is one of the longest books in the 33 1/3 series, and it feels like it, even with numerous pictures to break up the lengthy chapters. Kois writes well, but is too indulgent too frequently. It's obvious he loves the subject matter, but it would have been OK to leave several sections out to make for a stronger overall book.

[Matt Lohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book I've read so far in this great series. Kois hits all the bases I want in these books with a near-perfect of biography, social history, music analysis, and music-biz inside dope. A true pleasure, and one that'll make you want to revisit the album...or discover it for the first time.

[Ben Ricketts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never listened to this album before I read this book. I had only heard Iz’ cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which—honestly—I’m not a huge fan of. But this book paints a beautiful portrait of a proud Hawaiian, a troubled artist, and his genre-jumping love letter to Hawaiian music (both traditional and contemporary).

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this from the beginning, I expected to find myself bored of it all, but the tragedy behind the beauty sucked me into this one for sure. I found myself wanting to go read more about the life and times of Iz. Probably one of the more directly enjoyable reads in the series.

[Laurie Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short but insightful and well-written book contextualizing Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's crossover album Facing Future - his brief life, the songs on the album, how it was made and marketed, and its lasting effect on Hawaiian music.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of how Iz's most famous album was assembled and the life of the artist. Highly recommended

[Kristine Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes,it was written by our cousin- AKA Daniel...

[Jamison Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look at how a Hawaiian musician hit mainstream success and the tensions around that back home.

[IGR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way better than it had to be. I plan to read more in the 33 1/3 series.