Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
All about the glimpses.
Today’s Desert Island Disc conversation is with my friend Stephanie. We've known Stephanie for more than 20 years and she luckily is NOT yet another in the long line of Bronx High School of Science grads that we know (that makes her so much more interesting.) Stephanie is one of the few people I know that understands the maxim that cooking is alchemy but baking is a science. She takes her baking very seriously (and gets very good results.)
As I mentioned previously, Stephanie and her very lovely husband, Michael were very sympathetic ears for us during a very difficult time in our lives and we will always be very grateful to them.
Stephanie is currently enjoying her children (I can make no statement at this time about her enjoyment of her husband) and re-evaluating her profession career, (that's her story and she's sticking with it.)
Music: (in no particular order)
1.) Mozart Requiem Mass in D Minor (or, if I can't have the whole thing the Introitus and Kyrie)
I am humbled and made small by this music. It is the embodiment of a direct conversation between man and god. I'm not a religious person, other than thinking that something must have created the universe and then I stop thinking because my brain begins to hurt, but this piece makes me fall to my knees intellectually and emotionally. Since I am a Jew, this music won't be played at my funeral but I wish it could be. Keep that in mind when my desiccated remains are removed from the island.
2.) Schubert Quintet in A Major (Trout Quintet)
Maybe it's something about the instrumentation (piano plus strings) since I don't love string pieces but I love this music. Along with the pure enjoyment, I like this work because it makes me think my way through the piece. Small ensembles let you follow the individual voices. Somehow this became an important piece of music for me while we were going through infertility treatment. I listened to it in the bath the night before one of those little exploratory surgeries. On the island, this would keep me in touch with my classical side.
3.) These Are Days 10,000 Maniacs
A happy song that seems to express the hopes and dreams of your youth and the sheer joy the memories bring. I love to sing along. In harmony.
4.) Express Yourself Madonna
I love my girl Madonna. Total girl power in this song. I'll be dancing under the island palm trees and remembering a great video.
5. ) I Don't Want To Be Gavin DeGraw
I wish every teenager could swallow and live this one. It's just a great anthem to be yourself. Singing this one out loud.
6.) Beautiful Christina Aguilera
One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, IMHO. If I had one of those genie wishes it would be to be able to sing like Christina on this recording. Again, another anthem to loving yourself. I will need the support while I am alone on the island.
7.) Accidentally in Love Counting Crows
Favorite line, "baby I surrender to the strawberry ice cream never ever end of all this love." I mean so silly but it captures all the over the top happy feelings love brings. Singing this one out loud too.
8.) Into the Mystic Van Morrison
When I am sick or tired and need a little lullaby this tune will be there to comfort me. It had a special place in my life in college. It was hard to choose which Van Morrison to pick but he had to be represented.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?:
Sad that I had to leave out Warren Zevon but choosing one was completely impossible and the one that kept coming to mind was Knocking on Heaven's Door from his last album. It is too emotionally raw but that's how I think of Zevon now. Too much mortality for my island life.
Have your musical tastes changed over the years?:
Music has never been like candy for me but more like a gourmet treat. Funny, though, because I think my family is more of the candy type. They will wear out songs. I think in many ways this is why REM didn't make my list -- Michael played the songs to death. (Editor's note: No REM song made Michael's list.)
Growing up, my dad would pretty much blast Classical music whenever he played it. He was a salesman for electronics equipment so the way you can tell what you've got is good is cranking it up, right? Saturdays were blast the Met Opera days. I found little to like and still struggle to like any complicated opera. I'm all about the hit arias and all the overtures when no one is singing. Being a classical musician for all of my formative years, I just naturally sought out listening to music and then studying it when I had the chance. I had to play a ton of French Romantic and Modern music on the flute as I got more advanced in my studies and grew to absolutely hate it. I love being part of an orchestra so I like orchestral music and those few moments when you get a bright glimpse of a flute passage.
I find that I am much less likely to listen to Classical music than I used to be even though I am now playing the flute again in an ensemble. The blame will rest completely on my former dentist in the City. He played WQXR nonstop and I have had a lot of tooth problems so, in a quite Pavlovian way, I have come to associate Classical music with discomfort, especially Baroque music. Other than that, I don't think much has changed. From my late teens on I have always preferred alternative but was always appreciate of pop, blues, jazz, even some country. Wait! I forgot! I am a bigger fan than I used to be of Broadway show tunes. Drives the family crazy! I drive the minivan sometimes just because it's got Sirius XM and the Broadway channel. (I used to think people apologized about their classical music choices. Nope, it's their secret love of show tunes.)
What Book would you take with you?:
I struggled much more with my book selection. My favorite novel, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, would make me cry too often and that would be a bit dangerous on a lonely desert island. I've re-read House of Mirth and like so many other things in life, it has became a more nuanced for me. Rather than my original view of Lily Bart's fate was all a result of the lack of freedom and rights for women, I saw how trapped everyone really was by social convention.
So, I am selecting a bit of garbage! No, not Fifty Shades of Grey. I choose Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It is the first book of a seven part series, a blend of historical fiction, romance, and time travel. So, a little something to chew on while I am alone. Other than House of Mirth, it's probably the only novel I have ever read twice.
What one luxury item would you bring with you?:
I originally wrote champagne but then I got to thinking. Despite the fact it is my favorite beverage and goes so well with EVERYTHING, including all the fresh seafood I will be consuming on the island, when push comes to shove nothing beats a wonderfully soft bed furnished with luxury bedding (Frette linens) including down pillows. But a Westin Heavenly Bed is fine with me.
I need a good night's sleep more than anything else in the entire world. Ask Michael.
As I mentioned previously, Stephanie and her very lovely husband, Michael were very sympathetic ears for us during a very difficult time in our lives and we will always be very grateful to them.
Stephanie is currently enjoying her children (I can make no statement at this time about her enjoyment of her husband) and re-evaluating her profession career, (that's her story and she's sticking with it.)
Music: (in no particular order)
1.) Mozart Requiem Mass in D Minor (or, if I can't have the whole thing the Introitus and Kyrie)
I am humbled and made small by this music. It is the embodiment of a direct conversation between man and god. I'm not a religious person, other than thinking that something must have created the universe and then I stop thinking because my brain begins to hurt, but this piece makes me fall to my knees intellectually and emotionally. Since I am a Jew, this music won't be played at my funeral but I wish it could be. Keep that in mind when my desiccated remains are removed from the island.
2.) Schubert Quintet in A Major (Trout Quintet)
Maybe it's something about the instrumentation (piano plus strings) since I don't love string pieces but I love this music. Along with the pure enjoyment, I like this work because it makes me think my way through the piece. Small ensembles let you follow the individual voices. Somehow this became an important piece of music for me while we were going through infertility treatment. I listened to it in the bath the night before one of those little exploratory surgeries. On the island, this would keep me in touch with my classical side.
3.) These Are Days 10,000 Maniacs
A happy song that seems to express the hopes and dreams of your youth and the sheer joy the memories bring. I love to sing along. In harmony.
4.) Express Yourself Madonna
I love my girl Madonna. Total girl power in this song. I'll be dancing under the island palm trees and remembering a great video.
5. ) I Don't Want To Be Gavin DeGraw
I wish every teenager could swallow and live this one. It's just a great anthem to be yourself. Singing this one out loud.
6.) Beautiful Christina Aguilera
One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, IMHO. If I had one of those genie wishes it would be to be able to sing like Christina on this recording. Again, another anthem to loving yourself. I will need the support while I am alone on the island.
7.) Accidentally in Love Counting Crows
Favorite line, "baby I surrender to the strawberry ice cream never ever end of all this love." I mean so silly but it captures all the over the top happy feelings love brings. Singing this one out loud too.
8.) Into the Mystic Van Morrison
When I am sick or tired and need a little lullaby this tune will be there to comfort me. It had a special place in my life in college. It was hard to choose which Van Morrison to pick but he had to be represented.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?:
Sad that I had to leave out Warren Zevon but choosing one was completely impossible and the one that kept coming to mind was Knocking on Heaven's Door from his last album. It is too emotionally raw but that's how I think of Zevon now. Too much mortality for my island life.
Have your musical tastes changed over the years?:
Music has never been like candy for me but more like a gourmet treat. Funny, though, because I think my family is more of the candy type. They will wear out songs. I think in many ways this is why REM didn't make my list -- Michael played the songs to death. (Editor's note: No REM song made Michael's list.)
Growing up, my dad would pretty much blast Classical music whenever he played it. He was a salesman for electronics equipment so the way you can tell what you've got is good is cranking it up, right? Saturdays were blast the Met Opera days. I found little to like and still struggle to like any complicated opera. I'm all about the hit arias and all the overtures when no one is singing. Being a classical musician for all of my formative years, I just naturally sought out listening to music and then studying it when I had the chance. I had to play a ton of French Romantic and Modern music on the flute as I got more advanced in my studies and grew to absolutely hate it. I love being part of an orchestra so I like orchestral music and those few moments when you get a bright glimpse of a flute passage.
I find that I am much less likely to listen to Classical music than I used to be even though I am now playing the flute again in an ensemble. The blame will rest completely on my former dentist in the City. He played WQXR nonstop and I have had a lot of tooth problems so, in a quite Pavlovian way, I have come to associate Classical music with discomfort, especially Baroque music. Other than that, I don't think much has changed. From my late teens on I have always preferred alternative but was always appreciate of pop, blues, jazz, even some country. Wait! I forgot! I am a bigger fan than I used to be of Broadway show tunes. Drives the family crazy! I drive the minivan sometimes just because it's got Sirius XM and the Broadway channel. (I used to think people apologized about their classical music choices. Nope, it's their secret love of show tunes.)
What Book would you take with you?:
I struggled much more with my book selection. My favorite novel, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, would make me cry too often and that would be a bit dangerous on a lonely desert island. I've re-read House of Mirth and like so many other things in life, it has became a more nuanced for me. Rather than my original view of Lily Bart's fate was all a result of the lack of freedom and rights for women, I saw how trapped everyone really was by social convention.
So, I am selecting a bit of garbage! No, not Fifty Shades of Grey. I choose Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It is the first book of a seven part series, a blend of historical fiction, romance, and time travel. So, a little something to chew on while I am alone. Other than House of Mirth, it's probably the only novel I have ever read twice.
What one luxury item would you bring with you?:
I originally wrote champagne but then I got to thinking. Despite the fact it is my favorite beverage and goes so well with EVERYTHING, including all the fresh seafood I will be consuming on the island, when push comes to shove nothing beats a wonderfully soft bed furnished with luxury bedding (Frette linens) including down pillows. But a Westin Heavenly Bed is fine with me.
I need a good night's sleep more than anything else in the entire world. Ask Michael.
Monday, September 3, 2012
The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit.
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," explained Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Mr. Gompers elaborated further: "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day. . . is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
And yet, despite Mr. Gompers's assertions, Labor Day is not a Seinfeldian holiday about nothing. It is, according to Department of Labor, "dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."
Workers being whom, exactly?
Whenever someone talks about Labor with an audible capital L, I picture a bunch of sweaty, grease-stained steelworkers, or guys in blue overalls and goggles with soldering irons. Their contribution is the oft-cited "sweat of their brows." Union regulations being what they are, though, they seem to be pretty well compensated for that sweat.
The term "Workers" has to include more than steelworkers and welders—otherwise we could just call it "Steelworkers and Welders Day." After all, a worker is just "one who works." I'm a worker (yes sporadically I consider myself a worker). Almost everyone I know is or was a worker.
The difference seems to be unions. If you belong to a union, you're a Worker or a Laborer (I'm not sure if they have different unions). If you don't belong to a union, you're a lousy lazy-ass—an exploiting bourgeois bastard.
Think what this means: Clint Eastwood, Kathy Lee Gifford, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh are Workers. Your friends who work awful hours at lousy jobs in wretched offices — they're bourgeois scum.
But let's take a step back and see how we got a Labor Day holiday.
Grover Cleveland was a very unpopular man back in 1896. He was one of the fattest Presidents in US history, (Chris Christie would put up a good fight, if he ran in 2016.) No one really likes a fat man - weighing over 300lbs, his nieces and nephews called him Uncle Jumbo to his face; only William Howard Taft was fatter, weighing in at a ginormous 335lbs, but I digress.
Two years earlier, Cleveland had broken up the Pullman Car strike using United States Marshals and some 2,000 United States Army troops, on the premise that the strike interfered with the delivery of U.S. Mail. During the course of the strike, 13 strikers were killed and 57 were wounded. It didn't win him any friends with the fledgling labor movement in America.
In order to throw a bone to Labor, Cleveland supported a holiday honoring workers on the first Monday in September, hoping it would help Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. May 1st was initially proposed but was then rejected because government leaders believed that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the Chicago Haymarket riots which had occurred in early May of 1886.
Cleveland was proven wrong and the Democratic party suffered their worse defeat ever.
So remember the cynical origins of the holiday while you are BBQ'ing this afternoon.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Please don't take my sunshine away
Today’s Desert Island Disc conversation is with my friend Michael. Michael is yet another in the long line of Bronx High School of Science grads that we know (I actually know people who didn't go to BHSS.) Michael and I also went to Columbia U. together for two years and are fraternity brothers. Oh the hijinks from our youth (this is code - I'm not sure the statute of limitations has run out on some of the things that transpired - I'll leave it at that.)
Michael and his very lovely wife, Stephanie were very sympathetic ears for us during a very difficult time in our lives and we will always be very grateful to them.
Michael is currently an Ass't General Counsel for a great Metropolitan Advertising firm.
Michael's Desert Island List
Music (in no particular order)
1. Beethoven’s 7th symphony- Second Movement "Allegretto" Opus. 92" –
The piece gives me goosebumps. And had has such long-lasting flavor. I pressed Michael about his choice and he insisted that he enjoys the Beethoven piece because it gives him literal goosebumps and he believes he needs to seek medical attention.
2. You are My Sunshine - Ray Charles.
He’s just so damn good (almost as good as Margie Hendricks' vocals on this track). And a reminder that there’s limitless number of ways to present a song.
3. Abbey Road medley (side 2 of the Abbey Road LP) – The Beatles.
Counts as one! (since the rules are capricious and arbitrary - we'll let you go on this one.) What can I say? Been listening for 40 years without tiring of it (Michael's note to self: use as metaphor for marriage at some appropriate time). Prefer slightly imperfect LP version over CD. We'll remember to send Michael to the island with a portable phonograph (for those of you old enough to remember phonographs.)
4. Party Rock – LMFAO.
So I can spend time learning those groovy dance moves. I asked Michael if his musical taste have been affected his kids taste. My musical tastes are driven largely by my emotional reaction to the music - things either move me for the good or bad.
5. Naïve Melody (This Must Be the Place) – Miles Fisher.
I find the video a bit disturbing but very funny. The music is catchy and I find it an interesting counterpoint to my next choice. I appreciated the fact that this song (and the next) suceeded as two different musical genres.
6. PS 22 chorus cover of Naïve Melody.
These kids are just so damn passionate about this nonsensical song – except the girl @ 00:35, shrugging while singing “Born with a weak heart – guess I must be having fun”! Lovely solo @ 2:41. These two songs are really like two different songs. But both are fun, soulful, thoughtful and of course, I find the lyrics completely gibberish.
7. Land Down Under - Men at Work.
I'll never tire of the lines: "I said, "Do you speak my language? He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich." And no, I've never had a Vegemite Sandwich, but I'm game. And after that, I'm on to Haggis.
8. China Cat Sunflower / I Know You Rider from Europe '72 - Grateful Dead .
The joy of youth, freedom and unintelligible lyrics. If you have to ask ... on a hot day nothing quite refreshs like an ice cream cone to the forehead.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?:
I would have taken the Aimee Mann Catalog (cheeky monkey to ask to take an entire catalog) I love her work and it has the added benefit of keeping my wife and children at bay (the management has no comment.) I find there's a great deal of passion in her music
Have your musical tastes changed over the years?:
There's a great deal of fun and energy in some of what my kids like to listen to today. I'm not partial to C & W but I do enjoy a lot of Bluegrass and 'old timey music' like Doc Watson. I absolutely do not like whining or effusive declarations of love in music (yet I do like a lot of the Blues). I think I've had a modest amount of influence on my children's musical tastes (and isn't that how it should be?) They seem to like The Beatles (one of them even likes The White Album). My boys like The Clash - I think I had the only 6 yeat old whose favorite song of all time was White Riot. They also like Green Day (thanks to me!) My daughter and I like a lot of the same Show Tunes.
What Book would you take with you?:
The book I'd take would be Robert Caro’s The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. The tale of the building of modern New York rendered in numerous true-life dramas as exciting as fiction, with the hero and villain built into one. Besides, I need something to contrast the violence and dissipation in the two works (The Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare) that are proffered by our host, Ricardo Montalban.
What one luxury item would you bring with you?:
I’ll take a pen (with some paper if you’re in a giving mood). I figure that they’ll come for me, Gilligan and the gang eventually, so it will be interesting to have recorded (or to have left behind) my experience. Wait - that sounds really dull - "Day 198, I had a coconut and listened to Land Down Under" - um, I'll take an acoustic guitar - yeah, I'll teach myself guitar. (I'll ask our friend David for a recommendation.)
Definitely that. Or, a Vegemite Sandwich.
Michael and his very lovely wife, Stephanie were very sympathetic ears for us during a very difficult time in our lives and we will always be very grateful to them.
Michael is currently an Ass't General Counsel for a great Metropolitan Advertising firm.
Michael's Desert Island List
Music (in no particular order)
1. Beethoven’s 7th symphony- Second Movement "Allegretto" Opus. 92" –
The piece gives me goosebumps. And had has such long-lasting flavor. I pressed Michael about his choice and he insisted that he enjoys the Beethoven piece because it gives him literal goosebumps and he believes he needs to seek medical attention.
2. You are My Sunshine - Ray Charles.
He’s just so damn good (almost as good as Margie Hendricks' vocals on this track). And a reminder that there’s limitless number of ways to present a song.
3. Abbey Road medley (side 2 of the Abbey Road LP) – The Beatles.
Counts as one! (since the rules are capricious and arbitrary - we'll let you go on this one.) What can I say? Been listening for 40 years without tiring of it (Michael's note to self: use as metaphor for marriage at some appropriate time). Prefer slightly imperfect LP version over CD. We'll remember to send Michael to the island with a portable phonograph (for those of you old enough to remember phonographs.)
4. Party Rock – LMFAO.
So I can spend time learning those groovy dance moves. I asked Michael if his musical taste have been affected his kids taste. My musical tastes are driven largely by my emotional reaction to the music - things either move me for the good or bad.
5. Naïve Melody (This Must Be the Place) – Miles Fisher.
I find the video a bit disturbing but very funny. The music is catchy and I find it an interesting counterpoint to my next choice. I appreciated the fact that this song (and the next) suceeded as two different musical genres.
6. PS 22 chorus cover of Naïve Melody.
These kids are just so damn passionate about this nonsensical song – except the girl @ 00:35, shrugging while singing “Born with a weak heart – guess I must be having fun”! Lovely solo @ 2:41. These two songs are really like two different songs. But both are fun, soulful, thoughtful and of course, I find the lyrics completely gibberish.
7. Land Down Under - Men at Work.
I'll never tire of the lines: "I said, "Do you speak my language? He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich." And no, I've never had a Vegemite Sandwich, but I'm game. And after that, I'm on to Haggis.
8. China Cat Sunflower / I Know You Rider from Europe '72 - Grateful Dead .
The joy of youth, freedom and unintelligible lyrics. If you have to ask ... on a hot day nothing quite refreshs like an ice cream cone to the forehead.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?:
I would have taken the Aimee Mann Catalog (cheeky monkey to ask to take an entire catalog) I love her work and it has the added benefit of keeping my wife and children at bay (the management has no comment.) I find there's a great deal of passion in her music
Have your musical tastes changed over the years?:
There's a great deal of fun and energy in some of what my kids like to listen to today. I'm not partial to C & W but I do enjoy a lot of Bluegrass and 'old timey music' like Doc Watson. I absolutely do not like whining or effusive declarations of love in music (yet I do like a lot of the Blues). I think I've had a modest amount of influence on my children's musical tastes (and isn't that how it should be?) They seem to like The Beatles (one of them even likes The White Album). My boys like The Clash - I think I had the only 6 yeat old whose favorite song of all time was White Riot. They also like Green Day (thanks to me!) My daughter and I like a lot of the same Show Tunes.
What Book would you take with you?:
The book I'd take would be Robert Caro’s The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. The tale of the building of modern New York rendered in numerous true-life dramas as exciting as fiction, with the hero and villain built into one. Besides, I need something to contrast the violence and dissipation in the two works (The Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare) that are proffered by our host, Ricardo Montalban.
What one luxury item would you bring with you?:
I’ll take a pen (with some paper if you’re in a giving mood). I figure that they’ll come for me, Gilligan and the gang eventually, so it will be interesting to have recorded (or to have left behind) my experience. Wait - that sounds really dull - "Day 198, I had a coconut and listened to Land Down Under" - um, I'll take an acoustic guitar - yeah, I'll teach myself guitar. (I'll ask our friend David for a recommendation.)
Definitely that. Or, a Vegemite Sandwich.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Nicely passin' out the whisky
Today’s Desert Island Disc conversation is with my friend Joan G. Joan is another in a string of Bronx Science graduates that Mary and I know. I’ve known Joan for about 30 years (she is a very close friend of our family) and she still one of the bravest (she’s traveled to Russia, China and Africa) and smartest persons I know (who doesn’t seem to know that she’s the smartest person in any room she enters.) I’ve had some very great adventures with Joan, among them were; the first porno movie I ever saw in a movie theatre (I’ll just leave that dangling there,) and ordering Peking duck in Beijing with Joan and friends.
I went on one of the most Romantic (non) dates with Joan in Los Angeles. We both had to work in L.A. and I was able to wangle a limo to pick her up to grab dinner. It was a very Chandleresque evening: it was a warm, foggy evening and the local landmarks floated vaguely ominously in the night sky.
Among Joan’s many accomplishments is that she is the the Senior Writer & Producer for the Fred Friendly Seminars.
Joan's Desert Island List
Music:
In no particular order:
1. Stubby Kaye, Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat, from Guys & Dolls.
Guys & Dolls is my favorite musical. I've never gotten tired of it. And Stubby Kaye's “I've Got the Horse Right Here,” and especially “Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat” are my two favorite songs in it. Much as I love all of Guys & Dolls, when I watch it now part of me is just waiting for that show-stopper.
2. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – London Symphony Orchestra
Here's where I reveal my utterly plebeian tastes. With all the classical music I've been exposed to in my life, I don't really have something I've become powerfully attached to. But, like everyone else on earth, I like this. If I have to listen to the same eight pieces of music over & over, one of them should be complex enough that over time I'd come to understand more and more about it. This should qualify. Yes, it's the most popular piece of classical music of all time, but there's probably a reason for that.
3. Frank Sinatra, I Get a Kick Out of You.
I'm killing two birds with one stone here: I love Sinatra and I love Cole Porter. When the kids were babies I'd sing along to Rat Pack and Cole Porter tunes endlessly while trying to get them to sleep.
4. Talking Heads, Life During Wartime.
If I remember correctly, I got a hold of Talking Heads 77 my junior year in college, didn't know what to think of it at first, then found myself playing it over and over and over. I was hooked. If I had to pick my favorite band over the course of my life, I think I'd have to pick Talking Heads.
When I was clerking at the Supreme Court, and still young enough to feel “waking up in the morning and going to work five days a week” to be a bit of a hardship, I played Life During Wartime every single workday morning, to get me in the mood to get shit done.
5. Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side
I have no story to go with this. I have always loved Lou Reed. For some reason, the darker his songs, the more they make me smile. (In fact, for ages I tried to track down a “phantom” Lou Reed song, a fantastic version of Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend that makes it sound like the most cynical thing you've ever heard. I only heard it once, but years later I would still, every so often, try to find it. Turns out it's by T. Bone Burnett – but other people have noticed the resemblance.)
6. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody
Hey, why not? I like shaking my head to it.
7. Pet Shop Boys, Being Boring.
They do wistful very well. I'll probably be spending a lot of time on that island engaged in wistfulness.
8. They Might Be Giants, Birdhouse in Your Soul.
I said above that, if I had to pick a band as my favorite “over the course of my life,” I'd have to say Talking Heads. But if we split my 53 years down the middle, I'd give the first half to Talking Heads, and the second half to They Might Be Giants. I went to a TMBG concert, I think at the Puck Building, with a friend, having never heard them before; this, I think, was when I was at Davis Polk, around 1987-90. Just seeing the name of one of their songs on some paper while we waited for the concert to start – Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head – tickled my brain. By the time the concert was over I was in love.
Their stuff for kids is also great – and a perfectly timed development as far as I'm concerned – but my heart belongs to their grown-up stuff. “Birdhouse” is not my favorite of all their songs. I don't have a single favorite; I like too many of them too much. But I had to pick one for this list (not wanting to include any artist more than once), and this seemed like a good example.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?:
I'm sure if I were asked this a year from now, several songs on the list would change, just because I had forgotten about them before. While some picks are definite, Pet Shop Boys or Queen could be replaced, and I might go with a different Sinatra or Cole Porter song. But, taking the list as it is, if I could add one more, for the moment I'll say the song Now That We're Men, sung by SpongeBob and Patrick in the SpongeBob Movie.
Have your muscial tastes changed over the years?:
Not much. I think only one big change occurred. When I was in high school, my favorite artists were Elton John, Billy Joel and Jethro Tull (all conveniently located under J in the record store). After Talking Heads, I think all my favorite contemporary stuff falls into a general nerdy/geeky sort of rock, with clever (and usually dark) lyrics that you can make out easily. If I had a much longer playlist, Violent Fems and the B52s would be in there too, and one or two from REM. I once saw a humor piece that predicted people's other interests based on their musical preferences, and it nailed me exactly: The TMBG fan who loves Monty Python and MST 3000.
What Book would you take with you?:
I'm assuming that some sort of “How to Survive and Escape from a Desert Island” book either won't be necessary or won't do any good. So: Do I bring a book I've already read, and figure is dense enough to engage me multiple times, or do I use this opportunity to finally finish Gravity's Rainbow? (I've given up on ever finishing Ulysses – Stately, plump Buck Mulligan will be holding that bowl of lather forever.) This is a very tough call. I think I'll go with Brothers Karamazov. But I was also thinking about going with some gigantic tome on the Chinese language. Maybe I'm taking this “stranded on a desert island” thing too literally, but I'm afraid that I'd be bored out of my mind, and would need things to accomplish to keep from going nuts. So perhaps I could work on my Chinese.
What one luxury item would you bring with you?:
Once again, I'm assuming that somehow my survival is being taken care of, and I'm already getting enough to eat and at least a sleeping bag or something. I would definitely want unlimited paper and pencils. If I could have something else, it would be something on which I could see all my photographs of all my family and friends. And if I could have a third luxury item, it would be an Xbox and Grand Theft Auto.
I went on one of the most Romantic (non) dates with Joan in Los Angeles. We both had to work in L.A. and I was able to wangle a limo to pick her up to grab dinner. It was a very Chandleresque evening: it was a warm, foggy evening and the local landmarks floated vaguely ominously in the night sky.
Among Joan’s many accomplishments is that she is the the Senior Writer & Producer for the Fred Friendly Seminars.
Joan's Desert Island List
Music:
In no particular order:
1. Stubby Kaye, Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat, from Guys & Dolls.
Guys & Dolls is my favorite musical. I've never gotten tired of it. And Stubby Kaye's “I've Got the Horse Right Here,” and especially “Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat” are my two favorite songs in it. Much as I love all of Guys & Dolls, when I watch it now part of me is just waiting for that show-stopper.
2. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – London Symphony Orchestra
Here's where I reveal my utterly plebeian tastes. With all the classical music I've been exposed to in my life, I don't really have something I've become powerfully attached to. But, like everyone else on earth, I like this. If I have to listen to the same eight pieces of music over & over, one of them should be complex enough that over time I'd come to understand more and more about it. This should qualify. Yes, it's the most popular piece of classical music of all time, but there's probably a reason for that.
3. Frank Sinatra, I Get a Kick Out of You.
I'm killing two birds with one stone here: I love Sinatra and I love Cole Porter. When the kids were babies I'd sing along to Rat Pack and Cole Porter tunes endlessly while trying to get them to sleep.
4. Talking Heads, Life During Wartime.
If I remember correctly, I got a hold of Talking Heads 77 my junior year in college, didn't know what to think of it at first, then found myself playing it over and over and over. I was hooked. If I had to pick my favorite band over the course of my life, I think I'd have to pick Talking Heads.
When I was clerking at the Supreme Court, and still young enough to feel “waking up in the morning and going to work five days a week” to be a bit of a hardship, I played Life During Wartime every single workday morning, to get me in the mood to get shit done.
5. Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side
I have no story to go with this. I have always loved Lou Reed. For some reason, the darker his songs, the more they make me smile. (In fact, for ages I tried to track down a “phantom” Lou Reed song, a fantastic version of Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend that makes it sound like the most cynical thing you've ever heard. I only heard it once, but years later I would still, every so often, try to find it. Turns out it's by T. Bone Burnett – but other people have noticed the resemblance.)
6. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody
Hey, why not? I like shaking my head to it.
7. Pet Shop Boys, Being Boring.
They do wistful very well. I'll probably be spending a lot of time on that island engaged in wistfulness.
8. They Might Be Giants, Birdhouse in Your Soul.
I said above that, if I had to pick a band as my favorite “over the course of my life,” I'd have to say Talking Heads. But if we split my 53 years down the middle, I'd give the first half to Talking Heads, and the second half to They Might Be Giants. I went to a TMBG concert, I think at the Puck Building, with a friend, having never heard them before; this, I think, was when I was at Davis Polk, around 1987-90. Just seeing the name of one of their songs on some paper while we waited for the concert to start – Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head – tickled my brain. By the time the concert was over I was in love.
Their stuff for kids is also great – and a perfectly timed development as far as I'm concerned – but my heart belongs to their grown-up stuff. “Birdhouse” is not my favorite of all their songs. I don't have a single favorite; I like too many of them too much. But I had to pick one for this list (not wanting to include any artist more than once), and this seemed like a good example.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?:
I'm sure if I were asked this a year from now, several songs on the list would change, just because I had forgotten about them before. While some picks are definite, Pet Shop Boys or Queen could be replaced, and I might go with a different Sinatra or Cole Porter song. But, taking the list as it is, if I could add one more, for the moment I'll say the song Now That We're Men, sung by SpongeBob and Patrick in the SpongeBob Movie.
Have your muscial tastes changed over the years?:
Not much. I think only one big change occurred. When I was in high school, my favorite artists were Elton John, Billy Joel and Jethro Tull (all conveniently located under J in the record store). After Talking Heads, I think all my favorite contemporary stuff falls into a general nerdy/geeky sort of rock, with clever (and usually dark) lyrics that you can make out easily. If I had a much longer playlist, Violent Fems and the B52s would be in there too, and one or two from REM. I once saw a humor piece that predicted people's other interests based on their musical preferences, and it nailed me exactly: The TMBG fan who loves Monty Python and MST 3000.
What Book would you take with you?:
I'm assuming that some sort of “How to Survive and Escape from a Desert Island” book either won't be necessary or won't do any good. So: Do I bring a book I've already read, and figure is dense enough to engage me multiple times, or do I use this opportunity to finally finish Gravity's Rainbow? (I've given up on ever finishing Ulysses – Stately, plump Buck Mulligan will be holding that bowl of lather forever.) This is a very tough call. I think I'll go with Brothers Karamazov. But I was also thinking about going with some gigantic tome on the Chinese language. Maybe I'm taking this “stranded on a desert island” thing too literally, but I'm afraid that I'd be bored out of my mind, and would need things to accomplish to keep from going nuts. So perhaps I could work on my Chinese.
What one luxury item would you bring with you?:
Once again, I'm assuming that somehow my survival is being taken care of, and I'm already getting enough to eat and at least a sleeping bag or something. I would definitely want unlimited paper and pencils. If I could have something else, it would be something on which I could see all my photographs of all my family and friends. And if I could have a third luxury item, it would be an Xbox and Grand Theft Auto.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
... How that music used to make me smile.
I've been puttering around on this blog and the other so that the sum total will help my daughters get to know me as a real person and not just their father. And important element of me is my friends, so I've come up with a way to take a 'snapshot' of them, as real people.
I'm letting each person, for the most part, speak for themselves (since I get to make up the arbitrary and capricious rules: I will remove certain proper names and situations to preserve people’s privacy.)
And so first up, MB's Desert Island List
Today’s Desert Island Disc conversation is with my friend MB. MB is going to be one in a long line of Bronx High School of Science grads that we know. MB is Mary’s oldest friend and I’ve known her since she was just 16, (gallantry prevents me for saying just how long I’ve know her.) We’ve gone to a lot of great concerts back in the day.
MB comes from a large family and we have spent many a happy evening ensconced in their warm embrace. MB’s family enjoys the holidays and much like Dicken’s Fezziwig - they knew how make merry of Christmas. Lord and Taylor’s holiday windows have nothing on MB’s home during the holidays.
MB is currently the owner of Creative Waves, a Qualitative Research firm.
Music
I choose each of my songs because of the memories they evoke and clearly not because they are great pieces of music. (Everyone has been so apologetic about their choices.)
1. Moon River, Frank Sinatra
My parents made my sisters and I memorize this song and sing it for company while my oldest sister played it on the piano. It makes me think of giggling with my sisters and watching my parents entertain and have a good time. It takes me back to simpler times for me and story telling from my dad and grandfather.
2. American Pie, Don McClean
[This was the] first album that I ever owned. My Dad got it for me - he loves music and used to buy records all the time. Last year my kids were playing Rock Band and I asked to play this song with them and they were laughing so hard because apparently, I've been singing the wrong words all these decades. LOL.
3. Bat Out of Hell, Meatloaf
4. Piano Man, Billy Joel
these two songs are all about the high school years and senior summer for me. One of the best times in my life and you, Mary and John were all apart of that. I went to my first Billy Joel concert at Carnegie Hall with Mary (when we were sophomores.) I love the piano runs in the Piano Man album and the song Piano Man always struck a chord with me. I could clearly envision everyone he talked about in the song.
5. Vacation, Go-Go's
[I'm almost embarrassed that] I picked the Go Gos. But, when my kids were younger, we would play this song in the car and all sing to it. It was a necessity for a road trip or driving to Ocean City, MD for vacation. We all got into it and it was a song that energized us. I equate it with happy stuff. Every time I hear it, I want to get up and dance!
6. Someone to Watch Over Me, Linda Ronstadt
I've always loved strong female voices - Jane Oliver, Adele, Edith Piaf, for example. This was my wedding song. It is the one piece of music that bridges the type of music my parents listened to and grew to love and, my marriage. I loved that we had this song as our wedding dance song -- although I remember the surprise look on David's face when he finally heard all the words to it on the dance floor.
7. Something, The Beatles
David played The Beatles for the kids all the time and brainwashed them. Now my eldest son is a Beatles fan, loves John Lennon and Paul Mccartney. It's the one music we can easily agree to in the car....not bad for 3 teens and 2 parents.
8. London Calling, The Clash
I'd have to pick this because it symbolizes David for me; he'd probably pick a totally different song to symbolize his taste in music. It was his ring tone for awhile and although he is a Grateful Dead fan, I don't think I want to listen to that on a desert island, I rather listen to the Clash for a little variety in my own music world.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?
Did I leave off anyone? Absolutely: White Christmas by Bing Crosby ... for all the obvious reasons, I've always loved Christmas; Carol King (almost anything from the Tapestry album); Robert Goulet singing on the original broadway cast of Camelot; Carly Simon on her Hotcakes album; Johnny Mathis singing Gina; My Way by Frank Sinatra; songs from Wicked; Katy Perry makes me smile; Like a Prayer by Madonna; I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, I'm on the Top of the World by the Carpenters - I'm going to stop her here or well have dozens more.
I've added a question not in the original Desert Island Disc, Have your muscial tastes changed over the years?
No, I don't think so; I've always loved "pop" music. However, what I get to listen to has totally changed. My eldest son loves Nirvana, Aerosmith, John Lennon and Rap. My daughter loves Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and others. David loves anything that isn't mainstream. So I rarely listen to "my music" which is why when I think about music that makes me smile, I think about music from previous years.
What Book would you take with you?:
One book to take? not sure about that one. i'll have to get back to you. I've enjoyed many books
(esp now that I'm in a book club) but I can't say there's one I'd read over and over again.
Luxury Item:
MB didn't pick a luxury item. (silly girl)
I'm letting each person, for the most part, speak for themselves (since I get to make up the arbitrary and capricious rules: I will remove certain proper names and situations to preserve people’s privacy.)
And so first up, MB's Desert Island List
Today’s Desert Island Disc conversation is with my friend MB. MB is going to be one in a long line of Bronx High School of Science grads that we know. MB is Mary’s oldest friend and I’ve known her since she was just 16, (gallantry prevents me for saying just how long I’ve know her.) We’ve gone to a lot of great concerts back in the day.
MB comes from a large family and we have spent many a happy evening ensconced in their warm embrace. MB’s family enjoys the holidays and much like Dicken’s Fezziwig - they knew how make merry of Christmas. Lord and Taylor’s holiday windows have nothing on MB’s home during the holidays.
MB is currently the owner of Creative Waves, a Qualitative Research firm.
Music
I choose each of my songs because of the memories they evoke and clearly not because they are great pieces of music. (Everyone has been so apologetic about their choices.)
1. Moon River, Frank Sinatra
My parents made my sisters and I memorize this song and sing it for company while my oldest sister played it on the piano. It makes me think of giggling with my sisters and watching my parents entertain and have a good time. It takes me back to simpler times for me and story telling from my dad and grandfather.
2. American Pie, Don McClean
[This was the] first album that I ever owned. My Dad got it for me - he loves music and used to buy records all the time. Last year my kids were playing Rock Band and I asked to play this song with them and they were laughing so hard because apparently, I've been singing the wrong words all these decades. LOL.
3. Bat Out of Hell, Meatloaf
4. Piano Man, Billy Joel
these two songs are all about the high school years and senior summer for me. One of the best times in my life and you, Mary and John were all apart of that. I went to my first Billy Joel concert at Carnegie Hall with Mary (when we were sophomores.) I love the piano runs in the Piano Man album and the song Piano Man always struck a chord with me. I could clearly envision everyone he talked about in the song.
5. Vacation, Go-Go's
[I'm almost embarrassed that] I picked the Go Gos. But, when my kids were younger, we would play this song in the car and all sing to it. It was a necessity for a road trip or driving to Ocean City, MD for vacation. We all got into it and it was a song that energized us. I equate it with happy stuff. Every time I hear it, I want to get up and dance!
6. Someone to Watch Over Me, Linda Ronstadt
I've always loved strong female voices - Jane Oliver, Adele, Edith Piaf, for example. This was my wedding song. It is the one piece of music that bridges the type of music my parents listened to and grew to love and, my marriage. I loved that we had this song as our wedding dance song -- although I remember the surprise look on David's face when he finally heard all the words to it on the dance floor.
7. Something, The Beatles
David played The Beatles for the kids all the time and brainwashed them. Now my eldest son is a Beatles fan, loves John Lennon and Paul Mccartney. It's the one music we can easily agree to in the car....not bad for 3 teens and 2 parents.
8. London Calling, The Clash
I'd have to pick this because it symbolizes David for me; he'd probably pick a totally different song to symbolize his taste in music. It was his ring tone for awhile and although he is a Grateful Dead fan, I don't think I want to listen to that on a desert island, I rather listen to the Clash for a little variety in my own music world.
What was one piece of music did you not get to pick?
Did I leave off anyone? Absolutely: White Christmas by Bing Crosby ... for all the obvious reasons, I've always loved Christmas; Carol King (almost anything from the Tapestry album); Robert Goulet singing on the original broadway cast of Camelot; Carly Simon on her Hotcakes album; Johnny Mathis singing Gina; My Way by Frank Sinatra; songs from Wicked; Katy Perry makes me smile; Like a Prayer by Madonna; I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, I'm on the Top of the World by the Carpenters - I'm going to stop her here or well have dozens more.
I've added a question not in the original Desert Island Disc, Have your muscial tastes changed over the years?
No, I don't think so; I've always loved "pop" music. However, what I get to listen to has totally changed. My eldest son loves Nirvana, Aerosmith, John Lennon and Rap. My daughter loves Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and others. David loves anything that isn't mainstream. So I rarely listen to "my music" which is why when I think about music that makes me smile, I think about music from previous years.
What Book would you take with you?:
One book to take? not sure about that one. i'll have to get back to you. I've enjoyed many books
(esp now that I'm in a book club) but I can't say there's one I'd read over and over again.
Luxury Item:
MB didn't pick a luxury item. (silly girl)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Sometimes we might want to get back the Emperor
Joshua Norton was a businessman in San Francisco in the 1800's. In the 1840's, just before the Gold Rush, he tried to corner the market on rice and failed. He went from being very wealthy to being destitute overnight and the experience completely shattered his reason. A couple of months after this event, he put on a formal admiral's uniform, complete with gold braid and epaulets and strode in to the office of the newspaper. He handed the editor a large, official looking proclamation which stated in quite formal language that, due to popular demand, he hereby declared himself Emperor Norton I of San Francisco, California, and Mexico, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. He bade all his subjects show him loyalty and the other courtesies due a person of such eminent stature.
The editor, with a rich sense of humor, decided to publish the proclamation on the front page of the newspaper, in all seriousness. The citizens of San Francisco, being what they are, immediately decided that this sounded like a good idea and, by unanimous acclamation, accepted Norton as their Emperor. It is undoubtedly the only time in history they ever had an unanimous vote on anything.
(From the pictures of Emperor Norton, it is immediately apparent that this guy has gone around the bend and ain't coming back. His eyes pointed in different directions, and neither one quite caught straight ahead. His uniform was formal to the point of almost gaudy and, at the same time, it was quite apparent that he and soap were not of regular acquaintance.)
He reigned for about forty years. During that time he ate in all of the finest restaurants and slept in the finest hotels for free -- because he was the Emperor. He had three seats permanently reserved in the front row of the San Francisco opera house -- one for him, and one each for his two dogs. Twice a year he would review the police and fire departments as they paraded by, and then he would make a grand speech to the assembled crowds. He printed his own money, which was accepted in business establishments around San Francisco as legal tender. When bicycles first came out, they got him a bicycle, too, and he looked all the more daft because of it. When one of his dogs died, 10,000 people turned out for the funeral to console their grief-stricken emperor. When the Civil War rolled around, he graciously offered his alliance and military support to Abraham Lincoln, who politely declined.
Make no mistake about it, the Emperor Norton was as good a loony as you have ever run across and I can't help feeling that a man who was that intelligent must have had some idea of just how completely nuts he really was.
Now here's the problem. During his reign as Emperor, Norton came up with three major ideas:
1) He called upon the other leaders of the world to join him in forming a League of Nations where disputes between nations could be resolved peacefully.
2) He suggested that parts of San Francisco Bay be filled in to make more room to build.
3) He proposed that a suspension-span bridge be built across the spot where the Golden Gate stands now. He even laid out a complete design that looks remarkably close to the bridge that was built sixty years after he died. He correctly predicted that only a suspension span bridge would have the strength to span such a large stretch, and the flexibility to stand up under the extreme stress which would be placed on such a structure. He did this at a time when the only suspension bridges ever built were rope bridges in remote parts of Africa.
Of course, when he proposed these ideas, the response was long and uproarious laughter -- the Emperor was up to his old tricks again. In time, all of his ideas became reality.
At the time, no one believed him.
The editor, with a rich sense of humor, decided to publish the proclamation on the front page of the newspaper, in all seriousness. The citizens of San Francisco, being what they are, immediately decided that this sounded like a good idea and, by unanimous acclamation, accepted Norton as their Emperor. It is undoubtedly the only time in history they ever had an unanimous vote on anything.
(From the pictures of Emperor Norton, it is immediately apparent that this guy has gone around the bend and ain't coming back. His eyes pointed in different directions, and neither one quite caught straight ahead. His uniform was formal to the point of almost gaudy and, at the same time, it was quite apparent that he and soap were not of regular acquaintance.)
He reigned for about forty years. During that time he ate in all of the finest restaurants and slept in the finest hotels for free -- because he was the Emperor. He had three seats permanently reserved in the front row of the San Francisco opera house -- one for him, and one each for his two dogs. Twice a year he would review the police and fire departments as they paraded by, and then he would make a grand speech to the assembled crowds. He printed his own money, which was accepted in business establishments around San Francisco as legal tender. When bicycles first came out, they got him a bicycle, too, and he looked all the more daft because of it. When one of his dogs died, 10,000 people turned out for the funeral to console their grief-stricken emperor. When the Civil War rolled around, he graciously offered his alliance and military support to Abraham Lincoln, who politely declined.
Make no mistake about it, the Emperor Norton was as good a loony as you have ever run across and I can't help feeling that a man who was that intelligent must have had some idea of just how completely nuts he really was.
Now here's the problem. During his reign as Emperor, Norton came up with three major ideas:
1) He called upon the other leaders of the world to join him in forming a League of Nations where disputes between nations could be resolved peacefully.
2) He suggested that parts of San Francisco Bay be filled in to make more room to build.
3) He proposed that a suspension-span bridge be built across the spot where the Golden Gate stands now. He even laid out a complete design that looks remarkably close to the bridge that was built sixty years after he died. He correctly predicted that only a suspension span bridge would have the strength to span such a large stretch, and the flexibility to stand up under the extreme stress which would be placed on such a structure. He did this at a time when the only suspension bridges ever built were rope bridges in remote parts of Africa.
Of course, when he proposed these ideas, the response was long and uproarious laughter -- the Emperor was up to his old tricks again. In time, all of his ideas became reality.
At the time, no one believed him.
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