The Sound of Music*

With all the hubbub since Thanksgiving Day--hitting the deer and the aftermath (BOO!), finishing school (YEA!), starting on fixing up the house (YEA), job hunting (hurry up and wait), I really haven't had time to take in any cultural stuff.  I did watch Carrie Underwood in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music the other night.  I now know how Siskel and Ebert felt when they had to sit through and review movies they didn't like with actors and directors they loathed/detested/despised. 

I'm going to give several  

First, to Carrie Underwood and her fans, friends and family: There is a place for people to cut their teeth acting. It's a place where mistakes are made and forgiven, where friendships are forged.  It's a place where you might even live next door to or be related to the director, and the people in the media who review the productions you're in may indeed be friends, coworkers or family.  There's nearly always a place for everybody. It's called community theater.  As one rises through ranks, the demands on one's talent become more stringent, the safety net of friends and family less helpful.  If one rises to the level of regional theater (Actors Equity) or (hushed whisper) Broadway, all bets are off.  You either make it or you don't.  Yes, Ms. Underwood took the risk of putting herself out there on live TV--but artists also need to learn not to expect universal adulation or even a parade in their honor every time they create.

Second, to NBC: With all of the outstanding live Olympic coverage you folks do (insert sarcastic snort here), you definitely could have been more on the ball with regard to the technical aspects of the show.  Overall, the sound was harsh, too loud, and unbalanced, and the singers were miked too closely.  In reading the numerous posts to social media, a comment I heard over and over was "Austrian soap opera". The sets in general were not properly lighted.

Third, to the creative team: Who made the decision not to use a live orchestra?  Using one would have probably solved more than a few problems the production had with regard to balance with the singers.  On the other hand, I LOVED hearing the songs from the show that didn't make the movie--which meant I didn't have to sit and squirm through "I Have Confidence", a song that is quite literally traveling music for Maria as she makes her way from the abbey to the von Trapp mansion and doesn't add anything to the story.

Fourth, to the vocal coach/coaches:  You are the sorriest bunch of schmoes I've ever witnessed.  EVERYBODY sounded strained, from Carrie and Audra on down.  I haven't witnessed so much forced singing since my days in Sunday School.

Fifth, to people complaining about an African-American woman playing an Austrian mother superior in a play set in the 1930's: Mother Theresa was born Albanian, trained in Ireland, and worked most of her life in India. Multi racial casting is here to stay.  Get over it.

Sixth, to Audra McDonald:  The next time you play this role, it would be good to remember a couple things.  First, just like nuns (religious women) live in community, TSOM is an ensemble show, and Mother Superior is a supporting role (although depending on who's playing it, the Tonys might bump it to a "featured" category).  A given religious community might refer to it as "first among equals". Dial the pipes back a couple notches, please. What has impressed me about the religious women I've known is their strength tempered by modesty, humility, and wisdom--far from being religious doormats, they are models for every woman to emulate.

Finally, just because I didn't mention the kids or the other adult roles doesn't mean I don't have things to say about them--but I would like to make some casting suggestions for the adult roles if someone decides to do this again in the near future.  Again, not that the roles below SHOULD be recast, just that it would be interesting seeing someone else's portrayal:

Captain vonTrapp: Hugh Jackman
Baroness Schrader: Marin Mazzie
Max Detweiler: Nathan Lane
Herr Zeller: Mel Brooks


*--Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, 1959.

Crazy*

Now that I've had 24 hours to cool off and take stock of what happened, I've narrowed my anger down to the incompetent boob at the claims center who suggested that I put my family and I in a taxi for the 50+ mile ride from Denver PA to Norristown PA.  What made it more maddening was that the next morning, everything moved with clock-like precision. Why should a federal holiday keep me from getting a rental car under my policy?

The mind reels. Onward. 

*--Willie Nelson for Patsy Cline, 1961.

Everybody Must Get Stoned (actual title "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35)*

And this has NOTHING to do with marijuana, trust me (and neither did the song--more about that later).

I'm reading Facebook posts during some down time in the library this morning and I come across a post by what's become one of my favorites--"Chicks on the Right"--which, as the name implies, involves a couple of women holding forth on things political, social, cultural, etc. Today's post particularly hit home with me.  I'm very close to graduating library school and actually getting to call myself a librarian, and one thing I love to do is read book reviews. 

That said, I read this review for a book entitled Three Hens and a Peacock, a fish-out-of-water tale (forgive the analogy) about barnyard critters getting a taste of another bird's travails and vice versa.  Perfectly harmless, you'd think; a charming children's story, right?

Not according to two young reviewers giving their PC vocabulary lists a workout.  Some of the terms used in reviewing this children's book included the following:

Anthropomorphic
Sexist
covert bigotry
inferential level of comprehension .

in a review of a children's book.  Really?

Two quotes:
"Of course, the more aggressive of the apologists state here that nature - by its very nature! - is sexist. True, of course, but what they have either purposefully forgotten or blissfully, ignorantly never known is that when an author chooses to anthropomorphize animal characters; the story melds the laws of nature with the very essence of what it means to be human."

and the winner of the "pot calling the kettle black award" goes to this synopsis of the story--

"Drab, petty, jealous hens (italics mine) (females who don't know their place) are taught by the dog & farmer (wise in-charge males) to get back to laying eggs after they temporarily replace a peacock ("p" is for "phallus" - paging Dr. Freud, Dr. Sigmund Freud) who has fallen off a truck and instantly made the farm a success by drawing in the crowds (and the stuff that makes the world go 'round - $$$.) No thanks!"

It would be laughable if the given address of this contributor wasn't Ann Arbor Michigan--home of the University of Michigan, my undergraduate alma mater.  Even my Che Guavara-loving, Com-simp history professor Norman Owens had to be cringing about this and saying, "no, really, they go to Washtenaw Community College!" the "p" in "peacock" stands for phallus? Really?

And to top it off, the first reviewer listed her occupation as "kindergarten teacher". Really? In what parallel universe's seventh circle of hell is this happening, and whose children are the unfortunate victims (especially the boys) of her venom, hate and wrath?  I especially love that she chose to include the phrase, "as a teacher".  I always tried to avoid that phrase when expressing my opinion, lest it became meaningless or, worse yet, to give the impression that I spoke for all teachers.

Note to precious young things (male and female) majoring in education (God help you) out there:  Promise me that you will never, EVER, use that phrase ("As a teacher,...") at the beginning of an expression of your opinion.  To wit:

"As a teacher, I'll order the meatloaf"
"As a teacher, I think that all of my students will win the Nobel Peace Prize after 11 days on whatever job they're doing"
"As a teacher, I speak for the entire educational community when I say that testing is an evil foisted upon us by the conservative establishment., in spite of the fact that we haven't had a Republican president since January 2009--oh wait, can I still blame things on the last guy? Better ask my union rep"

And THEN--especially this part--

Don't act all surprised when people disagree with you.  The "getting stoned" Bob Dylan refers to in the song meant taking criticism--verbal, physical, emotional, spiritual--and coming up with a way to deal with brickbats thrown your way, and not toking till your mind is blown.

Ladies, your profession is already under a lot of scrutiny.  Don't make a dicey situation worse by babbling like idiots.

Onward.  40 days till graduation.  Back to work, damnit.

*--Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, 1966.

I Walk the Line*

"The title Icarus comes from the Greek myth involving an ambitious young man whose father, Daedalus, gives him a pair of

wings made of wax, wood and feathers. With this gift came the stern admonition from Daedalus not to venture too close to the sun, or the wax would melt and Icarus would fall. And of course, ignoring his father's warning, Icarus does indeed fly too high and comes crashing down.

"I saw the appropriateness of this myth as a metaphor for our time in America – particularly in the last 8 to 10 years. The striking resemblance between the behavior of Daedalus and Icarus to George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush is ironic, if not tragic.

"The story of Icarus also acts as a metaphor for the current state of American culture and its economy. The age-old myth warns all civilizations of arrogance and ignorance and most of all, the sometimes lethal combination of the two together."

– Richard Danielpour, 2009

The above is from program notes for a musical selection performed by The Western Winds, an ensemble of faculty and students of the Western Michigan University School of Music.  This was the opening to a concert that featured the same composer's An American Requiem,  which was dedicated to the victims of the events of September 11, 2001, performed by the WMU Symphony Orchestra and Grand Chorus. 

I scarcely know where to begin.

In the movie Amadeus, Emperor Joseph II warns young Mozart of the dangers of raising the ire of the establishment. I'm not denying Mr. Danielpour his free speech rights, no matter how misguided his statement are; rather, I question the wisdom of the WMU School of Music simply reprinting Mr. Danielpour's words and not coming up with original program notes.  I'm not certain how that works; perhaps permission to perform those works comes with the caveat of control over what is said about them.  For example, Irving Berlin (and later, his estate) was very particular about arrangements of his works, down to the typeface size on the cover. I could see if the work was a premiere, then the composer's words would literally be the last word (and the first).  But to leave them, unadorned, smacks of laziness.

When I was a music educator, one activity that gave me and endless source of bemusement was reading the descriptions of music for concert band in the JW Pepper catalog.  I think their writers must have received a bonus for using the phrase "exceptionally nice", but more to the point, people who are mass-producing band music have gotten into the habit of not only adding gimmicky sound effects into their music but then also explaining in great detail their symbolic significance.  To wit:  the "helicopter" in Robert W. Smith's "Inchon".  I had to constantly be on guard to not let my audience talks extend beyond the duration of the music being described, never mind the audience's tolerance for such talks.  One parent (and assume that there are thousands more) even saw fit to write to Instrumentalist Magazine about "the piece".  Pre-2000 music educators, especially band directors, will know what I mean.  The letter caused a ruckus, and alarmingly on both sides of the issue.  (In case you were wondering, I'm on the side of letting the music speak for itself).

But the fact that the WMU program notes passed muster seemingly without comment gives me pause. I'm not going to go so far as to call for a boycott; the School of Music did serve me well for a year and 9 months of my life when I earned my first master's degree. I will respectfully ask however, that people responsible for programming, especially those with terminal degrees, actually take the time to

WRITE YOUR OWN DAMN PROGRAM NOTES.

Onward.

*--Johnny Cash, 1956.

So Much To Say*

My brother married in 1988--five years before me.  I was an usher, along with one of his co-workers and a college friend of his, and it's something that college friend said that resonates even more strongly today.  We had been at the wedding rehearsal earlier that evening, and the Episcopal priest had been unflinching in his demand to do things a certain way, in spite of my soon-to-be sister-in-law's protests.  It had to do with the recessional, some picayune point, and the answer he gave smacked of "because I said so", as though we were children.

Later, while we were having a beer at a local watering hole, Tom held forth on what he thought of clergy, saying something to the effect of "people who don't get what they want in life become clergy so that people HAVE to listen to them", no matter how petty or fatuous their demands, no matter how self-serving their prayers and sermons. I have to confess that he made a lot of sense, and it applies to using social media responsibly.

I've seen people spout forth on topics across the spectrum--people who should know better--and exposing their intolerance of opinions veering more than a degree or two from theirs. I think I find that more aggravating than any puerile, ignorant rantings they might be spewing at a given point in time. 

1) I try not to say anything here I wouldn't say in person.
2) I try not to bash on individuals or groups without cause.
3) I generally don't name names, unless they're a public figure.
4) I don't get dramatic unless it's called for.  I'm not a fan of purple prose, but I AM a fan of Norman Maclean ("shorter by half").
5) People have the right to strenuously disagree with me.
6) I have the right to disagree in return.
7) Disagreement doesn't make the other party evil (I don't use the term "hater")--just different (with certain exceptions).
8)  By nature I am not a sound bite kind of person.  Weblogs are perfect for working out issues. 
9) I do wish more people would respond to my posts, and I think I've done my best to get the message out there, but I don't obsess over it.  It makes new responses all the more special.
10) As long as there are unbending old farts (or young ones) who give me a hard time in customer service, unjust situations in the world, or kids on my lawn, there will be fodder for this blog. Heh, heh...

51 days till graduation.  Onward.
Cheers.

*--Cedric Dent and Mervyn Warren for Take 6, So Much to Say, 1990

She's So Unusual*

Think back to your high school days--math class to be precise. There was one in my Algebra II class, and if you think hard enough you'll remember that person in your class too.  No offense to the feminine gender, but she was a girl.  Does this sound familiar?

1) "doesn't get the teacher's instructions"
2) asks 1000 seemingly vacuous questions, and repeats as many as possible.
3) bats her eyelashes at the teacher and any male student within her field of vision
4) asks male students for help
5) still doesn't get it
6) test day--outscores us all, freely making use of all the help we gave her.

Sound familiar, does it?

Well, she's still out there. She always will be.  And, my good fellow fellows, we will be like so many lambs to the slaughter and help her the next time she "doesn't get it". I'm kind of torn between being a teacher and assistant by upbringing and instinct, and putting up the "closed for business" sign, the next time she asks.

On the other hand, if you see yourself in this description, shame on you.

Cheers.  Onward.

*--Cyndi Lauper, 1989.

the way it is...*

I participated in our twice-annually professional development yesterday.  Out of 120 registered, it's safe to say that 80% of them were white, young or middle-aged women. Maybe10-12 women of color (mostly Asian), and the rest guys like me. Hardly what you'd call a diverse group, at least by the standards of conventional wisdom--but that's not why I'm posting today.

One of the sessions had to do with how a library employee treats patrons who are known to be or appear to be mentally disabled. As I've written here on several occasions, I am being treated for bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease--not a pleasant combination by any stretch of the imagination.  I decided to sit and listen to what the Chester County crisis management team had to say.  I'm glad I did.

About 5 minutes before the presentation started,  one of the visiting librarians started to sit with her friends.  One of the two already seated said to the one joining, "guess what the topic is here?"

Pause...

"mental illness"

The woman stopped still, rolled her eyes, and repacked her things, with the remark,

"I work with those people all day",

in such a disparaging tone that there was no question about her opinion on the subject. She then (presumably) walked out of the room to attend another session, maybe a subject on which she wasn't an authority. As she was leaving, I asked her, out loud, which people she was referring to--twice.  She didn't hear me (or pretended not to) but I know her friends did; one turned towards me after I said it.

Now I didn't mention before that she was African American, working in a town (Coatesville, Pennsylvania)that had recently had a fiasco at the highest administrative level of their school district regarding racist texting that resulted in the superintendent and the high school athletic director no longer being employed by the school district.  I think it's fair to say, based on my own experience and observation, that if I'd made a major mistake like that in speaking of African Americans (referring to them as "those people"), she would have been on my case like flies on roadkill, and that I would not have a job.

Ever the gentleman I try to be, I sucked it up and listened, upset, through the presentation, listening to people basically admit that all their professional training didn't amount to a damn when it came to mentally disabled patrons. I contributed here and there but I stopped short of telling the assemblage about my condition. There's a lot of stupid people out there with antiquated, foolish ideas about mental illness.  What do I do to change hearts and minds?

I've got enough material for two additional posts in me right now, but classwork beckons, so I will close my post with this.

Coatesville Public Library staff, SHAME ON YOU.



*--Bruce  Hornsby and the Range, The Way It Is, 1986.