Positively Puzzled

On Twitter it's not about who you know, but who blocks you...

2012-01-31T23:03:00.001-08:00

It's getting harder and harder to remember all the notable people who have blocked me (@puxxled) on Twitter. Most are understandable, people I've disagreed with stridently, but hopefully with intelligence and some humor. Others are people whose work and ideas I enjoy, and wish to engage and share ideas with for the fun of it. The frustrating thing is, one doesn't usually get an explanation when someone decides to block you with one blip of the block button; getting rid of you like a gnat on an elbow. In most cases, the exact issue that triggered it isn't clear. Often you don't find out till weeks later. I'm kind of sensitive to being blocked, it can bum me out for days. Okay, oversensitive.

But in a way, it's kind of intriguing wondering why they did. I decided the best way to keep track of this rarefied group was to corral them all into a blog post, so here goes.

You always remember your first. Mine was Joe Scarborough, a former Florida Republican Congressman (he beat out Democrat Vinnie Whibbs in 1994 (who all remembers Vinnie Whibbs nowadays? Pensacolans, that's who!) who hosts a conservative talk show on MSNBC called "Morning Joe". I've never actually watched his show (you see, I've never wanted to purchase cable TV, ) but he was in the political mix of people I followed on Twitter. I didn't tweet him often, but apparently, as I learned later, it doesn't take much to get him to block you. (There's a veritable club of folks blocked by Joe on Twitter.) I have no idea what I might have tweeted to tick him off, but it was no doubt some principled progressive snarky thing, threatening only in the sophistication of its wit (People soon learn that I'm my own biggest Twitter fan).

Getting blocked doesn't mean you can't read their tweets, though it makes it slightly less convenient to do so. It means they don't have to see the tweets you direct to them specifically.

I'm not sure who the second person was to block me. It might have been author Jennifer Weiner. I never heard of her until she wrote an article criticizing the favoritism fellow novelist Jonathan Franzen seemed to be getting for his book Freedom at the expense of female writers of equal stature (Franzen actually agreed with her, to some degree). I don't remember exactly what I tweeted, but I defended Franzen against something Weiner had written about him. I didn't have any further interaction and only found out she had blocked me when I decided to compile a Twitter list of the Time's 140 Top Tweeters, as a service to other people on Twitter who might be interested. I couldn't add her to my list, because she had blocked me. (And she only made the Time's list because doesn't have a Twitter account, ha, ha.)

Standup comedian Paul F. Tompkins was another person I liked on Twitter. He and Chris Hardwick (@nerdist), on the latter's podcast*, turned me on to the BBC 4 radio series In Our Time, for which I will always be grateful. I began listening to Tompkins' podcast (the Pod F. Tompkast) from its inception, and gave him feedback and gleefully promoted it on Twitter.

But I also overdid it with the twitter response, I realize. In fact, I asked him repeatedly how one goes about accessing In Our Time until I got an exasperated response in which he hinted at the file-sharing site option, while berating me for not knowing how to use the Internet. Ultimately that was helpful, and I continue to enjoy the treasure trove of Melvyn Bragg's erudite series.

One time on Tompkins' podcast he played a clip from a standup performance in which he told the story of a fan who had emailed his dissatisfaction with one of his live shows. It is a very funny story, beautifully drawn-out, that ends with a rather intense tirade against the fan that, while brilliant, made me uneasy. After thinking about it for a few days, I realize I identified with the fan, and wondered out loud (on Twitter, that is,) if I would find much enjoyment listening to his podcast the next time. Well, there it was. He blocked me from his main account and his podcast account (@Pod_F_Tompkast). Well, at least in this case I know exactly why, and the exact offending tweet.

Right now I feel a little practical schadenfreude that Tompkins didn't make Time's 140 list (as well he might have) because, otherwise, my Twitter list would be short two instead of one.

My biggest blow came when I discovered that John Cusack had blocked me. I'm a genuine fan of his movies, but also appreciated his playful free-spirited twitter presence. He would go on long late night riffs, sometimes they didn't make a lot of sense, and were replete with misspellings. Occasionally I would respond, naturally inclined to match his tone of expression...silly, spontaneous, nothing I can recall now a couple of years later. I have no idea why he blocked me. Maybe because he just found my tweets obnoxious. Or he misunderstood me entirely.

Cindy McCain was an interesting case. I admired her for contributing to the campaign against violence directed at the gay and lesbian community and opposing California's Proposition 8, but then was astounded when she came out in support of her husband Senator John McCain's vehement opposition to the repeal of DADT.

She seemed to handle the views I expressed to her on that issue, and subsequently responded with interest about a controversial Arizona issue she hadn't heard about (I forget which one, now, there have been so many). I think what got me blocked was that I made an admittedly tactless comment about an unflattering photo she was using on her Twitter profile that showed her with the NO H8 duct tape over her mouth. My tweet was worded badly, bluntly, probably reflecting my anger about the DADT hypocrisy, and prompted a brief little flurry of backlash from her supporters on Twitter (i.e., 4 or 5, which is a lot for me). Anyway, I regret that tweet, and at this moment I would like to apologize to Cindy McCain for it. It was terribly rude.

I don't remember saying anything over the top with Dana Perino, former White House Press Secretary to GWB. Clearly our politics are on opposite ends of the spectrum. But she made a lot of simplistic comments parroting GOP talking points, and I'm sure I made some snide replies. She also posted some cute pictures of her dog, and I made what I thought was a positive comment. Who knows. Maybe she simply objected to the liberal political content of many of my tweets. Anyway, I'd rather someone tell me what they think than simply block me.

Most recently I discovered that illustrator Dyna Moe blocked me. I first discovered her from watching Mad Men. She did beautiful illustrations of characters and scenes from the series. A special feature on one of the DVD collections was an interview with her that revealed her wry sense of humor and keen perception. I then discovered that her tweets are also full of humor and an artful, sometimes sardonic way of seeing the world, particularly the things that happened to her, the people she encountered, day to day.

At one point, though, she made it clear that my enthusiasm for her tweets bugged her, and in no uncertain terms she told me to back off. I thought I had done so. Once in a while I would recommend her, along with others, as a fun person to follow. Occasionally I would retweet something funny or interesting she had tweeted, whether it be a comment or one of her illustrations. But it wasn't that often, really, these past few months. That's why I was surprised to discover just yesterday that she had blocked me. Maybe she just was tired of seeing the tweets I directed to her. Simple as that. It's not her fault, there's no reason she should pay me any heed, but it makes me sad.

I have a feeling I have forgotten someone, and of course there must be a few notables whose blocking I have yet to discover. There's no announcement to that effect unless one goes looking. Likewise, the chances of becoming unblocked are practically nil, because, as far as I know, there's no way for people to see who they've blocked, even if they happened to decide they wanted to reconsider.

Friends have tweeted John Cusack on my behalf, to know avail. That's the one that really pains me, but at this point it's become kind of a running joke. He's made some great movies, that's for sure. That should be good enough.

It's funny that I feel compelled to blog about the notable people who have blocked me, but there are many, many more who have taken the time to respond, and as aggravatingly isolating and time-wasting a place as Twitter can be, it's pretty cool that we average unnotable folks have a convenient means to make contact with the people who touch our lives in the news, the arts, the media, even history.

Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC)
Jennifer Weiner (@jenniferweiner)
John Cusack (@JohnCusack)
Paul F. Tompkins (@pftompkins)
Cindy McCain (@CindyhM1)
Dana Perino (@DanaPerino)
Dyna Moe (@DynaMoe)

*The Nerdist Podcast offers wonderful informal, intimate, and often ribald conversations with comedians and actors, and other folks as well, but I remember the comedians and actors best. I highly recommend giving it a listen, but only if you find people interesting and the occasional dick joke well within the realm of perfectly acceptable humor. Chris Hardwick is one of the most affable and funny hosts you'll find anywhere these days.

The Great Morgani, Santa Cruz, CA, September.3.2011

2011-09-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

A genius with his extraordinarily imaginative and creative costume designs and affable accordion playing, a Santa Cruz Busker Treasure. His face is always concealed. (short clip)

Dwight D. Eisenhower just called...

2011-07-31T12:14:00.001-07:00

Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks from the past in support of core progressive programs under attack in his day by fringe elements of obscure parties, which are now being seriously challenged by powerful, effective, and determined members of his own party today.

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid." ─President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952

The image comes via @TheRiverWanders on Twitter.

Refudiate, Propulgate, Malaprop, Portmanteau, Art, Life

2011-07-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

I realize I make this connection very, very late in the game, but it occurred to me this afternoon just how uncanny it is that Aaron Sorkin*, in The West Wing, prefigured Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's portmanteau malaprop "refudiate".

In the episode titled "Disaster Relief", fictional Vice President "Bingo Bob" Russell uses the word "propulgate" at a conference at the White House in the Roosevelt Room.

Gary Cole as VP Bob Russell in The West Wing

From the West Wing script:

VP Russell (played by Gary Cole): Excuse me, Toby, if I may. You're right, Congressman. If we lower cap gains taxes, we reward the small business owners who took a risk for the economy and I'd be the first in line to pat 'em on the back, but the thing is, the Speaker is trying to "propulgate" a tax bill onto and appropriations package. We start allowing that, we're never going to get budgets passed.
[Leo, Toby, and Will look confused at the VP's word choice.
* * *
CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY
Leo and Will are walking through the hallway.]
LEO [con.] (played by John Spencer): ... although I'm pretty sure there's no such word as "propulgate". Maybe he meant "propagate", or "promulgate".

--The West Wing, from the episode titled Disaster Relief

John Spencer, Gary Cole, and Richard Schiff

The fact that the two neologisms rhyme is icing on the cake.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

*Credit for the prophetic malaprop perhaps should go to Alexa Junge, author of the teleplay.

45 movies I sat still for

2011-06-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I really have been neglecting my film-viewing roster, haven't I? Time to clear the slate. I've added stills for films that particularly impressed me, for various reasons.

Bruce Almighty (2003)
Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Yes Man (2008)

The Collector (1965)
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
Licence to Kill (1989)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1948)
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
The Wild One (1953)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Social Network (2010)
City of Ember (2008)
Transformers (2007)
Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Say Anything (1989)
Inception (2010)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Microcosmos (1996)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
50 First Dates (2004)
Evan Almighty (2007)
Malcolm X (1992)
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
I Am Legend (2007)

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966)

The Amazing Adventure (1936)

Modern Problems (1981)
Ship of Fools (1965)

Papillon (1973)
Aliens in the Attic (2009)

Topical Limericks

2011-03-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

There are beasts on some Iowan farms
Which have suffered unspeakable harms,
Though we might like to eat them,
It is wrong to mistreat them,
Let's not bust those who sound the alarms.

Story: Agriculture Industry Pushes To Make Undercover
Filming Of Farm Animal Abuse Illegal
3/15/2011

Plastic forks now restored to the scene,
Some House members at lunchtime convene,
Their crowing erupts,
Toasting Styrofoam cups,
"Cafeterias aren't meant to be green!"

Story: Fight Waged With Forks Is Rejoined in Congress
3/16/2011

3

Were it up to the Haitians to choose,
Aristide at the polls could not lose
But with some trepidation
He returns to his nation
With a woeful aversion to coups.

Story: Plane carrying Aristide takes off for Haiti from South Africa
3/17/2011

4

On war doctrine presidents vary
Some are rash to attack, some are wary,
But without full reliance
On a robust alliance
Things can quickly become very hairy.

Story: The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on Libya. What happens next?
3/18/2011

5

Although there is plenty of precedent
Kucinich and others are reticent;
Nay, it makes their blood boil
To attack sovereign soil
With only a nod from the President.

6

U.S. law unequivocally states,
As per Article I, Section 8
In a pesky proviso:
Launching war or reprisal
Is for Congress alone to mandate.

Story: Kucinich calls Obama’s attack on Libya ‘an impeachable offense’
March 21, 2011

7

South Dakota has passed legislation
That kicks in at the point of gestation.
To assist with your choice
The state's pro-life voice
Has three days to deter termination.

Source: South Dakota Requires Visit to Pregnancy Center Before Abortion
3/22/2011

8

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
Knew that one day her poor heart would fail her,
With the close of the curtain
She may join Richard Burton
While her fans worldwide bewail her.

Story: Elizabeth Taylor, Lifelong Screen Star, Dies at 79
3/23/2011

When the news of the world gets to be too distressing, sometimes it's helpful to write limericks. I know that to be true, but I cannot prove it. This post is likely to grow new limericks. As you see, right now there are only eight.

Bonus

There once was a woman from Libya
Who fractured her leg in Namibia.
A turn for the worse
For the end of this verse
That the bone that she broke was her femur.

March 24, 2011

Endangered Crystal, the Art of the Glass Armonica

2011-02-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

Last night Meera, the boys, and I had the pleasure of hearing a glass armonica concert titled "Endangered Crystal" featuring William Zeitler, kicking off the 2011 season of The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Endangered Musics. Ethereal and enchanting.

Previously I had only ever seen and heard glass armonica in the form of wine glasses filled with water. I'd seen photos of Ben Franklin's design, glass bowls lined up concentrically on a rotating cylinder, and was inclined to think perhaps it wasn't practical as far as resonance and amplitude. This concert demonstrated that to be a false assumption. Now I suspect wine glasses are just easier to acquire. The advantage of the Franklin design is that once the glass bells are made, no further tuning is required. Wine glasses with water must be kept in tune by keeping the water levels just so.

Water is required to invoke the tone, and Mr. Zeitler claims that Arrowhead bottled water for some reason produces the best results. He also noted that distilled water doesn't work well at all.

Here he is performing Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". He played an unaccompanied version of this at last night's concert, the only item on the program that wasn't composed specifically for the glass armonica. We heard chamber and solo music by Mozart, Beethoven, and lesser known composers of the late 18th Century, K.L. Roellig and J.A. Schmittbauer, as well as works by William Zeitler himself.

Here is the wine glass Glass Armonica, the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J. S. Bach, performed by Robert Tiso:

20 more movies under my belt.

2011-01-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Valmont (1989)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Pane e tulipani (2000) (Bread and Tulips)
Top Hat (1936)
Post Grad (2009)
Over Her Dead Body (2008)
Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
First Men in the Moon (1964)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
The Bells of St. Mary (1945)
The Temptress (1926) (silent)
The Mysterious Lady (1928) (silent)
The Search for Santa Paws (2010)
Holiday Affair (1949)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Everything is Illuminated (2005)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

After the death of Tony Curtis, many cited Some Like It Hot and Sweet Smell of Success as his greatest films. Longtime fan of the former, I had never seen the latter. This week I got my chance, and what a tremendous film. Powerful performances make for a powerfully well-told story.

First Men in the Moon, based on the H.G. Wells novel, was a favorite from my childhood. Netflix said it would be difficult to get it to us, but they did. Both silly and imaginative, it was a great delight to see it again after some 40 years. Included on the DVD is an hour long documentary on special effects and stop-motion artist Ray Harryhausen.

I enjoyed the romantic comedy Holiday Affair. Time was taken to develop the romance, the dialogue was allowed to play out at a natural pace. I admire quick and witty dialogue, but it was a nice change to see characters take their time to develop their own thoughts about a confusing situation. Nudged along by fateful repeat encounters, Mitchum becomes the cool yet determined wooer, while Janet Leigh, jarred from her moderately comfortable but unstimulating relationship, is flustered by the sudden dilemma put before her, and demonstrates considerable exertion to make her decision.

Even though I'd never seen or even heard of it before, It Happened on Fifth Avenue felt like a classic old holiday favorite that families watch every year. Character actor Victor Moore carries a lead role in this quirky non-conformist comedy.

I haven't had a lot of opportunities to see silent films, but I got my hands on a collection of Garbo films and found them thoroughly enjoyable. The plots were engaging, the cinematography amazing, and Greta Garbo irresistible. Duh, no wonder she's a Hollywood legend.

Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis in Sweet Smell of Success

The Chico Hamilton Quintet, including Paul Horn on flute, add authenticity to the night life depicted in Sweet Smell of Success

Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum in Holiday Affair

Victor Moore in It Happened on Fifth Avenue

Gretta Garbo and Gustav von Seyffertitz (what an amazing name!) in The Mysterious Lady (silent)

Greta Garbo and Antonio Moreno in The Temptress (silent)

Special Effects by Ray Harryhausen for First Men in the Moon

Lionel Jefferies delightful as the peace-loving scientist in First Men in the Moon

I'm a Liberal, by Neal Gladstone

2011-01-10T16:59:00.001-08:00

Seemed like a good time to revive this one. This catchy ditty always cheers me up. Sing a long with Neal!

The last 20 movies I happened to see

2010-11-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

A View to a Kill (1985)
Day of the Jackal (1973)
The Living Daylights (1987)
21 Grams (2003)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
The Libertine (2004)
Little Children (2006)
The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964)
The Mikado (1939)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Flesh and the Devil (1926) (silent)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1974)
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Freshman (1990)
The Prince of Tides (1991)
Happy Go Lovely (1951)
State of Grace (1990)

Marlon Brando, Penelope Ann Miller, Bruce Kirby, Matthew Broderick in The Freshman

Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Grayson Russell in Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Martyn Green as Ko-Ko in The Mikado (filmed in color)

Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in Flesh and the Devil (silent)

Edward Fox and Cyril Cusack in Day of the Jackal

Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Donald Meeks, Edward Arnold, Spring Byington, Lillian Yarbo, Ann Miller, Mischa Auer, Samuel S. Hinds in You Can't Take It with You

Former GWB State Dept Legal Advisor Decries Waterboarding as Torture

2010-11-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

William Taft IV, Chief Legal Adviser to the State Department
in the Bush Administration, and, incidentally, great-grandson of
President William Howard Taft

As George W. Bush admitted to the world unabashedly that he had signed off on waterboarding suspected high-value Al Qaeda operatives, adding that he'd do it again, William Taft IV, former Chief Legal Adviser to the State Department under Colin Powell, spoke frankly on the subject of waterboarding and torture last Friday on BBC 4's afternoon radio program, "The World at One", condemning it unequivocally:

I think it was most unfortunate, both in terms of the reputation of the United States for adhering to the Geneva Conventions, which it had always done and been a strong supporter of them. It put our soldiers at risk of not being treated consistent with them, and it was a breach of our responsibilities to the individual terrorists who, dreadful as they may be, are human beings and should be treated humanely.

Waterboarding to my mind is pretty clearly torture. In fact, the United States prosecuted people in the Second World War in the Japanese military for using waterboarding and there really had been precedent for determining that it is torture. The technique was wrong, there’s no question about that.

The Convention on Torture was negotiated very carefully, and the conclusion that was reached by the parties to the convention, which include, obviously, the United Kingdom and the United States, was that there is no valid exercise of torture, use of torture, under any circumstances whatsoever, and the Convention couldn’t be clearer that we have made that decision in signing up to the Convention against Torture, that we will not do this, and there is absolutely no room there, or daylight, for saying, “Well, it’s very important,” or, “It’s a different situation than we anticipated.”

Thank you to Harry Shearer for the audio clip aired on his radio program Le Show, Sunday, November 14, 2010.

10 end of summer movies I saw

2010-09-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Comedian (2002)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2008)
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
A Single Man (2009)
Octopussy (1983)
The Blind Side (2009)
Bee Movie (2007)
The Reader (2008)
The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996)
The Purchase Price (1932)

Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny

Colin Firth in A Single Man

Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent in The Purchase Price

My movie-watching log is the only thing I seem to be able to keep up with these days, and even that's cursory. Hi ho, Technorrhetic Age!.

Not pleased with the redesign of the IMDB pages.

Comedian, Bee Movie, and My Cousin Vinny are the only films I'd seen before.

10 movies I watched in the past 3 weeks.

2010-08-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Since Meera signed up for Netflix, I find my film-watching frequency has increased...the watch-it-or-lose it effect.

Grant Withers and Joan Blondell in Other Men's Women

Pete Scherer in Pornography

Anne Hathaway and Rosemarie DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married

Nobody told me just how bad Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes was, but I probably would have watched it anyway.

As clumsy as the pacing and tone of Other Men's Women, the kiss, a pivotal scene in the film, was done with passion, power, and sensitivity. From the Forbidden Hollywood DVD series of TCM, which I highly recommend.

Miller's Crossing, an old favorite when I hadn't seen since it came out, still the stunning film I remembered.

Pornography is the impressive directorial debut of our friend David Kittredge. Remember that name.

The last 10 movies I watched, June and July

2010-07-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

Fran Drescher's brief appearance with John Travolta in
Saturday Night Fever

David Strathairn and Mary McDonnell in Passion Fish

Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in Road to Bali

The last 10 movies I happened to watch

2010-06-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Blondell in Night Nurse (1931)

Robert Shaw and Paul Scofield in Man for All Seasons (1966)

Alison Drake in Female (1933)

Special Edition of BLUNT: Dear BP... (video)

2010-06-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

VIDEO- Special BLUNT: Dear BP…

Thank you to GottaLaff of The Political Carnival for creating the space and bringing together the expressions of citizens compelled to rage against the crimes of British Petroleum and its leadership. You'll find me in this artfully edited montage of rants; I'm identified by my Twitter name puxxled.

My brother, Jamie (jamieharbor), also participated. It's pretty remarkable that we each independently made the same point in reference to BP CEO Tony Hayward having blithely remarked that he wanted to get his "life" back.

I just saw "Das Boot". Now, doesn't the actor playing the Chief look A LOT like Jon Hamm?

2010-05-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Klaus Wennemann (left) with Jürgen Prochnow in Das Boot (1981):

Jon Hamm in the role of Don Draper in Mad Men:

And while I'm here, Das Boot completes the latest batch of 10 movies I've watched in 2010

Three On a Match (1932)
Up (2009)
I Love You Again (1940)
The Spy Who Loved M e (1977)
Avatar (2009)
Run Lola Run (1998)
Love Crazy (1941)
Made for Each Other (1939)
State of Play (2009)
The Boat (Das Boot) (1981)

happiness.

2010-04-12T11:17:00.001-07:00

happiness., originally uploaded by marielllyyy.

I'm suffering so I want others to suffer, too.

Santa Clausification of Dr. King

2010-03-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

And we think of Dr. King—Dr. [Cornel] West, in this special, Amy, uses this phrase that only West could use it—I call it, it’s Westian to the core—but he talks, Amy, about the Santa Clausification, the Santa Clausification of Dr. King. I’ll let him unpack that Wednesday night. What he means by that, though, is that we have tamed and defanged and manicured and deodorized Dr. King so much that we’ve reduced him to a dreamer, in many ways the same things—the same thing that’s being done to Mandela now in South Africa, as if these men, Mandela and King, were not freedom fighters who were willing to pay a cost—indeed, in Martin’s case, the price of death, for standing in his truth. But to have that kind of pushback for being a truth teller and then to tell to your daddy, your co-pastor, that on Sunday morning you’re going to preach a sermon, with all the hell you’re catching still, entitled “Why America May”—emphasize the word “may”—“Go to Hell,” speaks again to how powerful Martin’s work and witness was. And I think, as Americans, some of us have lost sight of that in the age and the era of Obama. And some of us have never really wanted to wrestle with who Martin King really was. ─Tavis Smiley

Democracy Now, March 29, 2010 As Obama Visits Afghanistan, Tavis Smiley on Rev. Martin Luther King and His Opposition to the Vietnam War

Second batch of ten films I happened to watch in 2010

2010-03-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
La cité des enfants perdus (The City of Lost Children) (1995)
A Free Soul (1931)
The Moon-Spinners (1964)
Duel (1972)
Double Wedding (1937)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Silk Stockings (1957)

3 Women and a Lambchop (photo)

2010-03-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

Well worth $10,000, originally uploaded by The Rachel Maddow Show.

Well worth $10,000

First 10 Movies I watched in 2010

2010-01-30T01:45:00.000-08:00

Julie and Julia (2009)
Home for the Holidays (1995)
All Mine to Give (1957)
The Nazis: A Warning from History (1998)
Evelyn Prentice (1934)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Live and Let Die (1973)
Le genou de Claire (Claire's Knee) (1970)
Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

Jack Lemmon and Romy Schneider in Good Neighbor Sam

Myrna Loy and Una Merkel in Evelyn Prentice

Jean-Claude Brialy and Béatrice Romand in Le genou de Claire

The ten last movies I watched in 2009

2010-01-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah (1929)
Coraline (2009)
Familia (2005)
Boys Town (1938)
Men of Boys Town (1941)
Miracle on 34th Street (1949)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Huozhe (To Live) (1994)
Home Alone (1990)
Madadayo (1993)

I tried to locate a "To Live" still of Ge You in the role of Fugui. His is the principle character, after all. I was thwarted, I guess, by the tyranny of Li Gong's beauty.

Play (photo)

2009-12-07T08:58:00.001-08:00

Play, originally uploaded by Julia Skobeleva.

Ten More Movie Viewings Under My Belt

2009-11-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Thunderball (1965)

You Only Live Twice (1967)

A Cock and Bull Story (Tristram Shandy) (2005)

The Mikado (1982)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Karakter (1997)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Two scenes from Karakter (Dutch 1997)

Publicity shot for Manhattan Melodrama (1934):

This last batch resulted in an update to my Vintage Shorts Index.

Vintage Shorts (Medieval Underwear)

Liberace and Edward R. Murrow

2009-10-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

Tacit defense of gay marriage, notice how very deftly Liberace chooses his words:

Edward R. Murrow:

Have you given much thought to getting married and eventually settling down?

Liberace:

Well, actually I have. Ed. I've given a lot of thought to marriage, but I don't believe in getting married just for the sake of getting married. I want to someday find the perfect mate and settle down to what I hope will be a marriage that will be blessed by faith and will be a lasting union. In fact, I was reading about lovely young Princess Margaret, and she's looking for her dream man, too. I hope she finds him some day.

Liberace on Edward R. Murrow's television show
Person to Person January 6, 1956

Later in the interview Liberace makes some flirty comments about the young, pretty, and single Princess Margaret, implying that he might want to marry her. Royal glam and glitter enough to make him switch teams?

This DVD set is a remarkable 3-disc collection of historic 1950s material. Although staged and somewhat contrived, the conversations are at times remarkably intimate. Murrow interviews them in their own homes and introduces us to spouses and children. I was particularly moved by Oscar Hammerstein's heartfelt thoughts on the dangers of parents teaching hatred to their children. Murrow's approach is very dry and unintrusive, letting the guests talk about whatever's on their mind.

Meera, not as familiar with the celebrities of the era, took delight in supplementing the experience by consulting Wikipedia, finding juicy details along the way about the future fates of these people, their careers and marriages.

Ten Movies I've Seen Since the Last List

2009-10-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Cat Returns (2002)
Look Back in Anger (1958)
Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August (Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto) (1974)
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Phffft (1954)
Wall Street (1987)
Ponyo (2008)
Goldfinger (1964)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Dr. No (1962)

Sandy Dennis, Cher, and Karen Black in Robert Altman's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

And for good measure, a book I actually finished reading...

Sams Teach Yourself Visual Basic 2008 in 24 Hours, James Foxall

Very useful.

Local 9-Year Old Performs with Green Day

2009-09-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, when Julian told me his best friend JJ (Jason) got to meet Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, I thought that was pretty cool. But what I didn't know was that JJ actually got invited up on stage with Green Day and led the crowd in a synchronized wave! And it's on YouTube! Check it out.

Green Day - HP Pavilion San Jose, CA 18/08/2009

10 films recently viddied by me

2009-08-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

The Thin Man (1934)

Diary of a Lost Girl (Tagebuch einer Verlorenen) (1929, silent)

About Schmidt (2002)

Venus (2006)

The Terminator (1984)

Withnail and I (1987)

Mata Hari (1931)

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

What's Up, Doc? (1972)

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

Scene from Diary of a Lost Girl

By Popular Demand, My Kenyan Birth Certificate

2009-08-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

250 mercer (photo)

2009-07-29T07:47:00.001-07:00

250 mercer, originally uploaded by kelco.

Ten Movies I Watched Recently

2009-07-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

A scene from Jacques Tati's amazing Play Time (1967)

About a Boy (2002)
Driving Lessons (2006)
Rififi (Du rififi chez les hommes) (1955)
The Lady Eve (1941)
On the Riviera (1951)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Bottle Shock (2008)
Play Time (1967)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
O Lucky Man! (1973)

Jules Dassin's remarkable "Du Rififi chez les hommes" (1955)

the edge of the abyss

2009-07-12T16:57:00.001-07:00

the edge of the abyss, originally uploaded by lemurdillo.

lemurdillo writes:

There's a finger of the monterey submarine canyon that sticks into Carmel Bay, and you can reach it on a shore dive .... but I never had until yesterday.

B & I swam out to the "edge of the finger of kelp" like we did a few months ago, but I had neglected to take into account that the kelp had probably grown a bit since then. I was expecting to drop down into about 50' of water, but when we got to around 60' with no bottom in sight, I realized we were probably a bit too far out...

We swam back to towards end of the kelp bed and hit the empty sand at about 75' deep. To one side, the kelp forest towering above us... to the other, a gentle slope of sand which then suddenly dropped off, maybe 50 feet away from us. "Dude! it's the trench!!!" B signaled that we really ought to go over and take a look over the side. So we did :) We even went about 30' down over the edge, to 110' or so. We had about 60-70' of visibility at this point, and we couldn't see any sort of leveling off. It's a long ways down, folks.

This shot was taken as we approached the edge of the trench, natural light, white-balanced on the sand (which is actually slightly yellower than what this photo shows). An attempt to photograph the unphotographable, really, but hopefully it gives a little bit of an idea of what it looked like...

Onion Faces (A Flickr Group)

2009-07-10T23:13:00.001-07:00

Say hello to my little friends, originally uploaded by Jordan Kiley.

Group Description: Slices and cross-sections of onions that resemble faces. Only minimal image manipulation please. Manipulated onions are just fine.

How's that for an esoteric topic?

Auto

2009-06-20T09:03:00.001-07:00

Auto
Originally uploaded by Inferis

home movie minimalism

10 movies I watched recently...

2009-06-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Italian

Musica della sera ─ BWV Boogie

2009-06-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to enjoy on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available until Thursday, June 18, 2009 (Get it while it lasts!)

It was an (almost) all-Bach program, as sometimes happens. I start with Bach, and then just can't pull myself away. Must be those sunglasses.

J.S. Bach in shades, artist unknown.

Bach did not specify the instrumentation for the Art of the Fugue. The show begins with an arrangement for harpsichord, four hands, Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot sharing the bench. The last of the four selections is the famous unfinished fugue, played as it often is,in its uncompleted form, the voices dropping out one by one, until the last one stops in the middle...eerie. Evidently Bach became too ill to finish it and died some months later. It was the only piece where he used the musical letters of his name as a theme. (In German notation, B-flat A C B-natural is rendered as B A C H)

This tidbit from wikipedia:

The autograph carries a note in the handwriting of Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach saying “Über dieser Fuge, wo der Nahme B A C H im Contrasubject angebracht worden, ist der Verfasser gestorben.” (“At the point where the composer introduces the name BACH in the countersubject to this fugue, the composer died.”) However, modern scholarship disputes this version, in particular because the musical notes are indisputably in Bach's own hand, written in a time before his deteriorating vision led to erratic handwriting, probably 1748–1749

Continuing our series, we heard No.3 of the 4 Orchestral Suites as arranged and performed by the Brazilian Guitar Quartet. Listen for the famous air on a G string. Next week Meera will feature the fourth and final orchestral suite in this marvelous transcription.

Next we heard a suite for recorder and harpsichord, Heiko ter Schegget and Zvi Meniker performing, followed by three organ chorales performed by Michael Murray at two historic baroque organs of the Netherlands, the Schnitger at St. Michael's, Zwolle, and the organ at St. Bavo's Church, Haarlem. (On the show I think I may have mistakenly referred to them as German instruments.)

Zwolle - Grote Kerk, Schnitger organ (1721) Photo by pietbron.

J.S. Bach featured the trumpet in many of his cantatas, often in jubilant settings punctuated with timpani, but he wrote no concertos for the instrument. As a lover of Bach and the baroque trumpet concerto, Alison Balsom's album Bach Music for Trumpet, was an instant hit with me. None of the music was originally scored for trumpet, but all sound like they could have been.

Alison Balsom, classical trumpeter

I brought Ton Koopman back, this time at the organ, with a bench all to himself, for the Trio Sonata in C, a lively contrast to the somber organ chorales heard earlier on the show.

Two jubilant choral works bookended the trio sonata, the Grand Motet, Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (Sing to the Lord a New Song) and Bach's mighty Magnificat, Diego Fasolis conducting Solisti e Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano; Ensemble Vanitas, in a magnificent live performance.

Sandro Botticelli's Madonna of the Magnificat (Madonna del Magnificat) - 1480-1481

I ended the show with one more from trumpeter Alison Balsom, from her albumCaprice. Not a work by J.S. Bach, this time. Instead, I chose as my bridge to the jazz show a nocturne from a trumpet concerto by Henri Tomasi (1901-1971), a French composer of Corsican ancestry.

* * *

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 6/11/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted. Listen at your convenience:

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Musical Migrations─Music of India, priceless gems from KUSP's LP archives

2009-06-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague Gypsy Flores asked me to fill in for her on Saturday to do her world music radio show Musical Migrations, KUSP FM, Santa Cruz. Gypsy is leaving the area, and we wish her well. She and her great show will be greatly missed.

The playlist for Saturday's show is here, and can currently be heard on demand via The KUSP Music Show Player in the Global category. It will only be available till next Saturday (June 13, 2009).

I started with a duet between Ry Cooder, playing bottleneck guitar, and V.M. Bhatt on vina, a plucked string instrument of India, from an album called A Meeting by the River.

This led me to mine KUSP's dusty LP archives in search of my old classical Indian favorites from when I hosted the world music shows, Ringing True and Sound in Time in the early 80s.

Hariprasad Chaurasia, classical bamboo flute master

In fact, Hariprasad Chaurasia's performance of "Raga Madhuvanti" was something of an epiphany for me. It was playing on the radio (KUSP, of course) once while I was sleeping and the serene heavenly sounds entered my dreams: that was the beginning of my deep appreciation of non-Western music.

I followed Raga Madhuvanti with an ethereal duet by vocalists Lakshmi Shankar and Nirmala Devi.

Lakshmi Shankar and Nirmala Devi

I found a teeny-tiny image
of their album on Odeon
titled "Sawan Beeta Jaye"

A few minutes into the song, a persistent mondegreen in the Hindi text takes shape in my brain as "I've got a gold chain." Listen for it!

More Indian flute follows, this time played by Himangshu Biswas, in duet (jugalbandhi) with Dulal Roy playing jaltrang, literally "waves of water", an instrument comprised of tuned water bowls hit with wooden sticks.

Milind Tulankar demonstrates the Jaltrang

I wanted to present Indian music on a wide variety of instruments, and I soon realized I could easily fill the whole two hours this way. My next selection was another jugalbandhi, this time for violin, played by Professor V.G. Jog, and shehnai, played by its foremost exponent, Bismillah Khan. The shehnai is a reed instrument with a sound very similar to the renaissance shawm.

Next, Pandit Kamalesh Maitra performs Raag Deen Todi on the tabla tarang, several tuned drums arranged in a circle like the jaltarang.

Pandit Kamalesh Maitra playing tabla tarang,

tuned and arranged in a rag scale.

Himangshu Biswas, whom we heard earlier playing the bamboo flute, performs an untitled dhun on the santoor, distant ancestor of the hammered dulcimer, produces a shimmering sound.

Santoor players, with stand or without

Next, South Indian saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath delivers a vigorous rendtion of "Anathudanu Ganu─Raga─Singla".

I ended the show with a few vocal selections from the 4-disc An Anthology of South Indian Classical Music, including to brief invocations to Lord Ganesha and the Goddess Saraswati.

LP's sporting the Odeon label and the Nipper the Dog logo of His Master's Voice provided much of the material for the show . Bulky and dusty, it is sad to see vinyl treasures suffer neglect and destruction these days, so kudos to KUSP to hanging on to much of its LP collection. There are many rewards for those who take the time to dig through them.

After 1945, Direct EMI—His Master's Voice exports to the USA,
where the HMV label was owned by RCA Victor Records,
bore pasted-over Odeon stickers.

His Master's Voice is a famous trademark in the music business,
and for many years was the name of a large record label.
The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting
of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone.
In the original painting, the dog was listening to a cylinder phonograph.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Musica della sera ─ 2 Pachelbels and 3 Bachs

2009-05-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to enjoy on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available until Thursday, June 4, 2009 (Get it while it lasts!)

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)

The program focused on the music of Johann Pachelbel, beginning with a delicate clavichord performance by E. Power Biggs of the chorale partita: “Werde Munter, Mein Gemüte” (00:00 on the KUSP Music Player counter).

Next, a vibrant recording of J.S. Bach's first orchestral suite, arranged for four guitars and performed by Quarteto Brasileiro de Violões (09:00), a name I did not try to pronounce on the air, going instead with Brazilian Guitar Quartet, as it was billed on the CD. I'll feature the other three suites on future shows.

Quarteto Brasileiro de Violões (Brazilian Guitar Quartet)
Their arrangement of Bach's Orchestral Suites is fantastic.
Find it on Delos.

I returned to Pachelbel with several organ compositions (32:55), played on various organs by various keyboard artists: Wolfgang Rübsam, Gustav Leonhardt, and E. Power Biggs.

Wolfgang Rübsam, German keyboardist,
who has an excellent series of Pachelbel organ recordings,
not to mention creative facial hair.

It was at this point that I learned that Johann Pachelbel had a composer son, Charles Theodore Pachelbel (baptised Carl Theodorus). The Anglicized given names reflect the fact that he was one of the first European composers to take up residence in the American colonies*, and was the most famous musical figure in early Charleston, South Carolina.

The only C.T. Pachelbel work at hand was his festive Magnificat, originally for double choir, but heard here in a performance of the Canadian Brass (60:18), followed by a brass arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's only real hit, the Canon in D (68:00).

Special thanks to the producers of Pachelbel Greatest Hits and Pachelbel: Organ Works Vol.1 without which the 2 Pachelbels portion of the show would not have been possible.

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)

Comprising the latter half of the show,a charming sinfonia by Portuguese composer Carlos Seixas (80:10), a cantata, Nun Danket alle Gott (Now thank we all our God) (111:10), by J.S. Bach's idol, Danish composer Dietrich Buxtehude, and two concertos by Bach's sons, Johann Christian's Harpsichord Concerto in B Flat Major (91:55) and a particularly vigorous performance by Peter Bruns, cello and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin of Carl Philipp Emanuel's Concerto for Violoncello, Strings, and Basso Continuo in A Minor (125:00).

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)

sitting for a portrait with a portrait of his rarely performed father, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

*I have been unable to confirm rumors that Carl Theodorus Pachelbel fled Germany to escape his father's infamous Canon in D.

* * *

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 5/28/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted. Listen at your convenience:

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Musica della sera ─ Early English Composers

2009-05-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to enjoy on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available until Thursday, May 21, 2009 (Get it while it lasts!)

In my mother's day they called the kind of music I play on the show "funeral music". Well, in this case, it's literally true. A good chunk of the program was devoted to, quoting the liner notes:

The complete music for Queen Mary's funeral, newly assembled and edited, and performed in Westminster Abbey by the Abbey Choir for the first time since 1695.

Comprised of compositions by Henry Purcell, Thomas Tollet, John Paisible, Thomas Morley, Purcell's contribution is best known; his funeral march provided the theme, in a synthesized treatment by Wendy Carlos, for Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. I'm also very fond of the trumpet canzona he wrote for the occasion. Alas, Purcell himself was to die the year following the queen's funeral. Though he was only 36, his contribution to music was great.

William Byrd and Thomas Tallis also made great contributions to music. They had considerably more time to work on it, living to the ripe old ages of 86 and 80, respectively. Judging from these portraits they look as if maybe they were one and the same person.

I also played two lute pieces by Anonymous, though no one can be sure if they were one and the same Anonymous. I could find no definitive portrait of either one. Notable is the piece "My Lady Carey's Dompe", so charming I could not resist playing it twice, to bookend the lute set. The lutenist, Paul O'Dette, and I highly recommend this particular album of his, The Royal Lewters

The program ends with Thomas Tallis' sublime Lamentations of Jeremiah in a tight vocal arrangement sung by six choral scholars who go by the name The King's Singers.

* * *

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 5/14/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted. Listen at your convenience:

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Ten more movies under my belt...

2009-05-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Darjeeling Limited (2007)
The Front (1976)
Sleeper (1973)
Bananas (1971)
Casino Royale (2006)
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
Nausicaa (1984)
The Divorcee (1930)
One Night with the King (2006)
Kilomètre zéro (2005)

Also, a rare event, I finished reading two whole books...

The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism, Ron Suskind
Moab is My Washpot: An Autobiography, Stephen Fry

Both books I highly recommend for entirely different reasons.

Ron Suskind, by describing the lives of various people, offers a positive approach to solving the world's most daunting and difficult problems associated with the so-called "War on Terror", and basically, his conclusion, with guarded optimism, comes down to humanity and understanding.

Stephen Fry writes with candor and wit about his early life and education, when he grappled with sexuality, infatuation, and obsession, and fell into misadventures of petty theft that led to felonious credit card fraud.

As for the movies, Norma Shearer in The Divorcée is an utter delight, part of the Forbidden Hollywood DVD series from Turner Classic Movies, highlighting some of the best films made after the silent era ended in the late 1920s and the censorship of the Hays Code began to be strictly enforced in 1934.

I never thought much of the James Bond films, but I found the 2006 Casino Royale to be utterly compelling, engaging, exciting, enjoyable.

I had never see The Front before, either. Well worth seeing.

Nausicaa is also wonderful. I hadn't realized it was such an old movie...pre-Totoro. The brilliant imagination and vivid animation of Miyazaki is breathtaking.

Musica Della Sera: Gurdjieff, Sibelius, Pärt

2009-05-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to enjoy on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available until Thursday, May 7, 2009 (Get it while it lasts!)

After creating a baroque diversion with two keyboard works by Bach (played on 20th Century pianos), the show took a distinctly modern turn, beginning with the tuneful Starry Night for flute, harp, and xylophone, by Alan Hovhaness.

Next, a performance by Tashi and friends of Toru Takemitsu's Water-Ways, a captivating atonal combination of timbral textures scored for clarinet, two harps, piano, violin and two vibraphones.

Next, the Sibelius String Quartet in D Minor, Op.56, completed in 1909 and subtitled by him "Voces Intimae", a wonderful new discovery for me...my thought was, hey, why didn't anyone tell me Sibelius wrote a wonderful string quartet? He wrote much chamber music in youth, but most of it was never published. This is the only string quartet he deemed worthy to share with the world, which makes me wonder what gems he may have deprived us of.

There then followed several short piano works composed by Greek-Armenian mystic, spiritual teacher, and author of Meetings with Remarkable Men and Beelzebub's Tales to Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson. These pieces were written in the 1920s in collaboration with Russian composer Thomas de Hartmann, and reflect the religious hymns of Central Asia and Russian liturgical music.

This led nicely, I thought, to "Cecilia, vergine romana" (2002), by Arvo Pärt, an Estonian composer also strongly influenced by Slavonic liturgical traditions.

The harp made its third appearance on the show in Debussy's "Danses sacree et profane pour harpe et orchestre", composed in 1904.

I concluded the show with a string trio dating from 1959 by Rudolf Escher (1912-1980), a Dutch composer much influenced by Debussy and Ravel.

* * *

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 4/30/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted. Listen at your convenience:

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Bruce Springsteen's Tribute on Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday

2009-05-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Pete Seeger on Democracy Now! Amy Goodman devoted today's show (May 4, 2009) to Pete Seeger and the 90th birthday tribute at Madison Square Gardens yesterday. Bruce Springsteen's opening comments were eloquent and moving. This is the transcript, but you can watch the video by clicking the link above.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: As Pete and I traveled to Washington for President Obama’s inaugural celebration, he told me the—he told me the entire story of “We Shall Overcome,” how it moved from a labor movement song and, with Pete’s inspiration, had been adopted by the civil rights movement.

And that day, as we sang “This Land Is Your Land,” I looked at Pete. The first black president of the United States was seated to his right. And I thought of—I thought of the incredible journey that Pete had taken. You know, my own growing up in the ’60s, a town scarred by race rioting, made that moment nearly unbelievable. And Pete had thirty extra years of struggle and real activism on his belt. He was so happy that day. It was like, Pete, you outlasted the bastards, man. You just outlasted them. It was so nice. It was so nice.

At rehearsals the day before, it was freezing. It was like fifteen degrees. And Pete was there, he had his flannel shirt on. I said, “Man, you better wear something besides that flannel shirt!” He says, “Yeah, I’ve got my long johns on under this thing.” I said—and I asked him, I said, “How do you want to approach ‘This Land Is Your Land’?” as it’d be near the end of the show. And all he said was, “Well, I know I want to sing all the verses. You know, I want to sing all the ones that Woody wrote, especially the two that get left out, you know, about private property and the relief office.” And I thought, of course, you know, that’s what Pete’s done his whole life: he sings all the verses all the time, especially the ones that we’d like to leave out of our history as a people, you know?

At some point—at some point, Pete Seeger decided he’d be a walking, singing reminder of all of America’s history. He’d be living archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along, to push American events towards more humane and justified ends. He would have the audacity and the courage to sing in the voice of the people.

Now, despite Pete’s somewhat benign grandfatherly appearance, you know, he is a creature of a stubborn, defiant and nasty optimism. He carries—inside him, he carries a steely toughness that belies that grandfatherly facade, and it won’t let him take a step back from the things he believes in.

At ninety, he remains a stealth dagger through the heart of our country’s illusions about itself. Pete Seeger still sings all the verses all the time, and he reminds us of our immense failures, as well as shining a light towards our better angels in the horizon, where the country we’ve imagined and hold dear, we hope, awaits us. And on top of it, he never wears it on his sleeve. He’s become comfortable and casual in this immense role. He’s funny and very eccentric.

The song that—I’m going to bring Tommy out. And the song Tommy Morello and I are about to sing, I wrote it in the mid-’90s, and it started as a conversation I was having with myself. It was an attempt to regain my own moorings. And its last verse is the beautiful speech that Tom Joad whispers to his mother at the end of The Grapes of Wrath. It says, “Wherever there’s a cop beating a guy, wherever a hungry newborn baby cries, wherever there’s a fight against the blood and the hatred in the air, look for me, Mom. I’ll be there.” Well, Pete has always been there.

In his interview with Amy Goodman in 2004, Pete Seeger provided a compelling image to describe the long-term change that can be brought about by the collective grassroots efforts we all can make.

PETE SEEGER: I honestly believe that the future is going to be millions of little things saving us. I imagine a big seesaw, and at one end of this seesaw is on the ground with a basket half-full of big rocks in it. The other end of the seesaw is up in the air. It’s got a basket one-quarter full of sand. And some of us got teaspoons, and we’re trying to fill up sand. A lot of people are laughing at us, and they say, “Ah, people like you have been trying to do that for thousands of years, and it’s leaking out as fast as you’re putting it in.” But we’re saying, “We’re getting more people with teaspoons all the time.” And we think, “One of these years, you’ll see that whole seesaw go zooop in the other direction.” And people will say, “Gee, how did it happen so suddenly?” Us and all our little teaspoons. Now granted, we’ve got to keep putting it in, because if we don’t keep putting teaspoons in, it will leak out, and the rocks will go back again. Who knows?

The election of Obama four years later seems to me to be just such a zooop.

Also on the program, sharing their thoughts about Pete Seeger, were Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Ani DiFranco, Dar Williams, Billy Bragg, Tim Robbins, Hip-hop artist Michael Franti, Sweet Honey in the Rock founder Bernice Johnson Reagon, and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

Vintage Shorts Updated

2009-04-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Vintage Shorts Index on this blog gets updated occasionally. I just added a bunch of entries from the wonderful box set: Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection, an invaluable addition to any DVD collection, full of extra features, numerous documentaries, a music CD, posters, etc., but the pure multifaceted artistry and genius of these two entertainers is priceless. I didn't pay much attention to musicals when growing up, so these classics are new to me. I'm truly awestruck, and I fall in love with Ginger Rogers every time.

Oh, and the vintage shorts are fun, too. Unique and quirky at times, they give a fascinating glimpse of the times.

Vintage Shorts (Medieval Underwear)

Musica della sera...Meera's Christmas Show

2009-04-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

(These are program notes for an old show...I'm updating my playlist page to include links, but this one, posted on Facebook, never made it to my blog site.)

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week Meera hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Check out the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

This being the last show for Meera before Christmas, she presents a wide range of holiday music, medieval to modern. Local artists Barry Phillips and Lars Johannesson are featured, from their album Colonial Christmas. Check out the playlist (originally broadcast 12/18/2008).

You can also stream the station live of course.

Next week's show is on Christmas night, and I look forward to playing some of my very favorite music for Christmas, including a recent performance of Giselle Wyer's setting of "Ave Maria". Thank you for listening!

Musica della sera...Xmas Night (radio show)

2009-04-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

(These are program notes for an old show...I'm updating my playlist page to include links, but this one, posted on Facebook, never made it to my blog site.)

The show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link.

This was my chance to play some of my favorite Christmas music. I'm very pleased with the show, but there are some spectacular technical snafus* in the first ten minutes of the program...listen for them, it's fun! (suspenseful dead air, colliding medieval choirs, oh my! not to mention the host's tryptophanically torpid tongue...I had just come from Christmas dinner at my folks' house.)

ATTN: friends of Giselle Wyers, you can hear two of her compositions, "Ave Maria" and "Come, Come, Whoever You Are", about 1 hour and 36 minutes into the stream.

Listen to the show while there's still some residual Christmas in the air!

You can see what was played by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 12/25/2008).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

*a pox on the runagate knave who, prior to my show, switched off one of the CD player controls on the board! Such a dirty trick, on a day of peace and goodwill!

Musica della sera...James Joyce and Music

2009-04-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

(These are program notes for an old show...I'm updating my playlist page to include links, but this one, posted on Facebook, never made it to my blog site.)

On New Year's Night it was Meera's turn to do the show, and it's now on-line and ready for your ears! (See below for how to link to it.)

She played the Double Violin Concerto of Mark O'Connor, a lively piece, as the movement markings indicate: Swing, Midnight on the Dance Room Floor, and Dixieland.

My favorite offering was Vladimir Godár's piece "Ecce Puer" (1997), a setting of James Joyce's poem, starting about an hour and 19 minutes into the audio stream, and we'd like to dedicate this to Christopher Vandendriessche, Sarah, and the birth of their son Leo, a name James Joyce would certainly have approved of. Congratulations!

Ecce Puer

Of the dark past
A child is born;
With joy and grief
My heart is torn.

Calm in his cradle
The living lies.
May love and mercy
Unclose his eyes!

Young life is breathed
On the glass;
The world that was not
Comes to pass.

A child is sleeping:
An old man gone.
O, father forsaken,
Forgive your son!

You can see what was played by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 1/1/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week Meera hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Musica della sera: Well, I'll be a son of a Bach (Radio Show)

2009-04-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

(These are program notes for an old show...I'm updating my playlist page to include links, but this one, posted on Facebook, never made it to my blog site.)

The latest show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link.

This show featured sundry compositions by two of Bach's sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Christian. I particularly enjoyed soprano Emma Kirkby's performance of J.C.'s "Salve Regina".

Also featured, three Schubert songs, two Mozart violin sonatas, and a Fasch quadro sonata for 2 oboes, bassoon, and basso continuo. Most of the music was unfamiliar to me, gems I happily discovered hiding in the KUSP library.

As if Schubert's songs couldn't be sweeter, he wrote lovely obbligato French horn and clarinet parts, respectively, for "Auf dem Strom" (Streamside) and "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" (Shepherd Abiding on the Rock) .

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 1/08/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Ten movies I watched recently.

2009-04-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Musica della sera: Gregorian and Renaissance

2009-04-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to enjoy on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available until Thursday, April 23, 2009

This show features Gregorian chant sung by the Monks of Solesmes. They wrote the book on Gregorian Chant, literally! The Liber Usualis, a compendium of standard Gregorian Chant was prepared at the Abbey of St. Peter, Solesmes. The chant set concludes with the ringing of the Angelus bell, and the chirping of the monastery birds.

On the show, a favorite old LP of the music of Dufay performed by the Early Music Consort, conducted by the late David Munrow (He sadly died much too young.) Various settings, including a full mass, based on the lovely tune "Se la Pale Face" (If my face is pale, the cause is love.)

Listen for a shout-out to my friend Randy who was listening to the show live from his digs in Oregon.

There's also a Gregorian tie-in with a virtuoso 20th Century French horn piece by Eugene Bozzo.

Oh, and the medieval music from Denmark is very cool...just a hint of polyphony.

The show concludes with a composition and performance of bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi of Argentina, in concert with the Rosamunde Quartett

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 4/16/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted. Listen at your convenience:

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Musica della sera, this week East European Composers

2009-04-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to enjoy on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available until Thursday, April 9, 2009

I can't remember the last time this happened, but I managed to do a whole show without going baroque. And yet, Bach figures into it anyhow. Listen to find out how.

Liszt, Chopin, Dvorak figure prominently. (Ask me about the terrible pun I decided not to make at this time.) I was delighted to find, hidden on the shelves of the radio station's music library, a CD of Liszt's music for violin and piano; it had only been played once before, years ago. A beautiful performance by violinist Rachel Barton.

Also featured, a brief horn recital, John Cerminaro playing works of Franz Strauss (Richard's dad!), Beethoven, and Fauré.

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 4/2/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted. Listen at your convenience:

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Musica della sera...Glenn Gould x 3

2009-03-20T18:14:00.001-07:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available on demand until Thursday, March 26, 2009

First of all, we at KUSP want to thank the many who pledged during the program. It was a remarkably robust show of support for Musica della sera, KUSP, and community radio. Frankly, with the economic situation what it is, we weren't expecting a big response, so it was very heartening. Thank you.

Along with the snappy husband-and-wife banter and rousing encouragement of supporting community radio, there was some pretty enjoyable music.

I lugged in my massive 80-disc Glenn Gould Columbia collection, a request last week by Patrick, our affable phone answerer. Drawing from 3 centuries of keyboard repertoire, I played selected Two- and Three-part inventions by Bach, a relatively brisk performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Hindemith's 2nd piano sonata. And yes, the recordings are replete with the late artist's controversial humming.

A string quartet by Shostakovich, a tone poem by Sibelius, and a rarely heard Italian baroque guitar sonata were also featured. And the show began with what has become for me the "Pledge Drive Concerto", Alessandro Marcello's very catchy concerto for oboe which I like to think puts people in the mood to respond to our appeals.

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 3/19/2009).

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week Nicholas hosted. Listen on demand...

KUSP's brand new web feature: The KUSP Music Show Player, Classical, Jazz, Global, Eclectic, and Late Late, listen on demand, check it out, peruse the list and click the one for Musica della sera to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Vitamin B6 in yer dreams

2009-03-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

FWIW Department

B6 active component Pyridoxal phosphate (PSP)

I was recently prescribed Vitamin B₅, pantothenic acid, as a remedy to alleviate impacted sinuses. But I grabbed a bottle of B₆ (active component: pyridoxal phosphate) by mistake. Meera looked up what benefits I might get from this accidental purchase, and came across this interesting item in Wikipedia:

At least one preliminary study has found that this vitamin may increase dream vividness or the ability to recall dreams. It is thought that this effect may be due to the role this vitamin plays in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

I have long noticed that my dreams tend to be particularly vivid if I take vitamin B complex before going to bed, but this is the first time I have ever seen such a correlation cited elsewhere. Maybe there is something to the B₆ component.

I did have an unusually elaborate and vivid dream last night after taking B complex, along with an extra 100 mg of B₆.

Spaghetti sauces and pizza sauces also seem to stimulate vivid dreams for me, but no one I've mentioned that to has reported similar experiences.

Musica della sera...feeling fluty.

2009-03-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available on demand until Thursday, March 12, 2009

Flute pieces, solo and accompanied, by Händel, Telemann, and C.P.E. Bach. Also much in evidence, works for guitar, piano, French horns, and sackbuts (but not all at once).

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 3/5/2009).

The Flute Player, oil painting by Hendrik Terbrugghen, 1621

Hangin in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Kassel, Germany

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week Nicholas hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

and when they leave i do this (photo)

2009-03-03T22:14:00.001-08:00

and when they leave i do this, originally uploaded by yell saccani.

"thank u all!
i do cleaning for a living in a small hotel so i wont talk to people and ask its everything ok sir?if i have to ask this custion again i will die i prefer to clean with headphones 8 hours than talk to a custemer for one sec!!!!!!!!!
as a photographer in israel i can only dream about working in that.....in israel there is no art .art here is stupid pics of war graffitti that sucks not even good ones just stupid sentence like free who ever the arabs took this time and sunsets.i have no place in this country!!!!
thank again guys!!!!!!!!! "

Interesting photography I follow on Flickr. I was intrigued by the snapshot of expression in her comment.

Musica della sera...an all-Handel show, and with no puns!

2009-02-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link. This program will be available on demand until Thursday, February 26, 2009

Devoted to the music of George Frideric Händel (1685-1759), it includes violin sonatas, a harpsichord suite, concerti grossi, an organ concerto, and the Dixit Dominus (1707), a youthful choral work that shows off Handel's dazzling genius and mastery of musical forms.

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 2/19/2009).

George Frideric Handel, by Mercier, ca. 1720

Obama's Speech in Springfield, Honoring Lincoln's Bicentennial.

2009-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama delivered this speech in Springfield, Illinois, February 12, 2009.

If you missed it, I recommend you check it out. Skillful, eloquent, moving, unifying. Obama at his best.

Here is the video link courtesy MSNBC and Keith Olbermann.

Here is an excerpt:

I cannot know if I am right. But I suspect that his devotion to union came not from a belief that government always had the answer. It came not from a failure to understand our individual rights and responsibilities. This rugged rail-splitter, born in a log cabin of pioneer stock; who cleared a path through the woods as a boy; who lost a mother and a sister to the rigors of frontier life; who taught himself all he knew – this man, our first Republican President, knew, better than anyone, what it meant to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. He understood that strain of personal liberty and self-reliance at the heart of the American experience.

But he also understood something else. He recognized that while each of us must do our part, work as hard as we can, and be as responsible as we can – in the end, there are certain things we cannot do on our own. There are certain things we can only do together. There are certain things only a union can do.

Only a union could harness the courage of our pioneers to settle the American west, which is why he passed a Homestead Act giving a tract of land to anyone seeking a stake in our growing economy.

Only a union could foster the ingenuity of our farmers, which is why he set up land-grant colleges that taught them how to make the most of their land while giving their children an education that let them dream the American dream.

Only a union could speed our expansion and connect our coasts with a transcontinental railroad, and so, even in the midst of civil war, he built one. He fueled new enterprises with a national currency, spurred innovation, and ignited America’s imagination with a national academy of sciences, believing we must, as he put it, add "the fuel of interest to the fire of genius in the discovery…of new and useful things." And on this day, that is also the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth, let us renew that commitment to science and innovation once more

Only a union could serve the hopes of every citizen – to knock down the barriers to opportunity and give each and every person the chance to pursue the American dream. Lincoln understood what Washington understood when he led farmers, craftsmen, and shopkeepers to rise up against an empire. What Roosevelt understood when he lifted us from Depression, built an arsenal of democracy, and created the largest middle-class in history with the GI Bill. It’s what Kennedy understood when he sent us to the moon.

All these presidents recognized that America is – and always has been – more than a band of thirteen colonies, more than a bunch of Yankees and Confederates, more than a collection of Red States and Blue States. We are the United States of America and there isn’t any dream beyond our reach, any obstacle that can stand in our way, when we recognize that our individual liberty is served, not negated, by a recognition of the common good.

The full transcript of the prepared speech is here. (But you'll miss the ad libs, particularly one allusion to the Commerce Secretary fiasco.)

This photo is adapted from one I found on Flickr: Obama Springfield Lincoln 3, posted by Inside Obama 08.

Music Traditions in Places of Political Unrest

2009-02-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

Hosting Musical Migration, 2-7-2009 (radio show)

My friend and colleague Gypsy Flores asked me to fill in for her on Saturday to do her world music radio show Musical Migrations. The show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link. It will only be available till next Saturday.

I found myself playing music from countries where there's a lot of political unrest and violence, e.g. Madagascar, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, India. The wonderful music from those areas is a poignant contrast. I had a little trouble finding CDs I wanted to play, because that section of the station library has moved around quite a bit since I last did a world music show. Some curious segues resulted.

You can see exactly what was played by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 2/7/2009).

Player of Valiha, Malagasy Art

Gypsy Flores is the regular host of Musical Migrations on Saturday afternoons, 3-5 (PT).

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musical Migrations Saturday afternoon to hear this show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Pianoforte della sera (radio show)

2009-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

The latest Musica della sera show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link.

This show was dedicated to the solo piano works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff.

Artwork by Paul Brent

And what is piano music without pianists? You'll hear Glenn Gould, John O'Conor, Alfred Brendel, Albert Ferber, Andras Schiff, Evgeny Kissin, and even scratchy recordings of Sergei Rachmaninoff himself, and his famous HOUS! (Hands of Unusual Size).

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 2/5/2009).

Hands of Russian Piano Virtuoso Sergei Rachmaninoff, with Wedding Ring on Right Hand

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Here he is! (photo)

2009-02-01T23:22:00.001-08:00

unawares selfie, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled.

The guy who rarely writes substantive things in his own blog.

Register this: he's a hell of a lot less full of dread since Obama took office.

I prefer Superb Owl Sunday (photo)

2009-01-31T15:10:00.001-08:00

Snowy Owl, originally uploaded by Laura Erickson.

Winter sunlight 9 (photo)

2009-01-28T21:24:00.001-08:00

Winter sunlight 9, originally uploaded by Julia Skobeleva.

10 movies I watched recently...

2009-01-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

Half are Fred and Ginger movies...we love 'em!

more stills

Goldberg on Guitar (radio show)

2009-01-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Musica della sera for January 22, 2009

The latest show is now up on the Internet to listen to on demand; see below for locating the link.

The main work on the program is Kurt Rodarmer's guitar transcription and performance of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations. His approach to the work is remarkable and interesting, which he describes extensively in the liner notes. A few highlights:

Glenn Gould's second and last release of the Goldberg Variations on piano was for me a landmark event. He attempted to connect each of the variations on the basis of rhythmic relationships rather than considering each as simply a variation upon the theme. The work is based upon the opening Aria, which originally appeared in the Klavierbüchen of Anna Magdalena Bach from 1725 as a Sarabande... The thirty variations which follow are based loosely upon the bass or harmonic progression rather than on any melodic theme.

When I first evaluated the possibility of transcribing the work, it became clear to me that conventional methods would not work well. My goal was to produce a musical offering as valid on guitar as it was on keyboard, not altering the composition to accommodate the instrument. Additionally, my arrangement would have to maintain the homogeneous nature of solo performance.

I have recorded the complete Goldberg Variations on two to four guitars, recording each part separately and later mixing them down. The recording is roughly 75 minutes in length, direct to digital with custom strings and instruments made just for the Goldberg.

Against my better judgment, I began to look for ways around the guitar's natural limitations. I considered commissioning a guitar with a broader range, but the interval distances ere still too great to play with only one hand. It was clear that I needed not only another octave, but also another hand.

You can see exactly what was played and who performed it by referring to the playlist (originally broadcast 1/22/2009).

Custom-made guitars commissioned for the performance of the Goldberg transcriptions. Rodarmer writes, "I approached the renowned American guitar maker Richard Schneider, who was intrigued with the project. The goals were demanding. I needed a guitar with a bass register extending down into the ranges of cello and double bass. The musical quality had to be consistently excellent throughout the extended range."

My wife, Meera Collier-Mitchell, and I take turns hosting the classical radio program Musica della sera on Thursday evenings, 7-9:30 (PT). This week I hosted.

KUSP Radio is now offering On Demand downloads of its music programs. Peruse the calendar listing, with audio links, of The Shows Available. Click the one for Musica della sera Thursday night to hear our show.

Each broadcast is available for download until it is replaced by the subsequent week's program.

You can also stream KUSP live of course.

Guitarist and Arranger Kurt Rodarmer

Vintage Shorts Index (DVD special features)

2009-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the vintage short subjects, cartoons, blooper reels (Warner Bros. called them Breakdowns) , etc., that appear as part of the special features for movies in our DVD collection. I decided to compile a list, because I can never remember where to find them. Some are real gems, others are just interesting historically. The old blooper reels are fascinating. This is just a start. I'll be continuously updating this list...unless I get to be too lazy or it becomes too tedious.

Jack Benny in the droll 1930 short The Rounder.

Sorted by Main Feature title:

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938): Breakdowns of 1938 (1938) (Blooper Reel (Warner Brothers)); Cavalcade of Archery (1946) (documentary); Cruise of the Zaca (1952) (documentary); Freddie Rich and His Orchestra (1938) (musical); Glorious Technicolor (1998) (documentary); Katnip Kollege (1938) (cartoon); Rabbit Hood (1949) (cartoon); Robin Hood Daffy (1958) (cartoon): Cavalcade of Archery (1946) (documentary)
The Barkleys of Broadway (1949): Annie Was a Wonder (drama/comedy)(1949); Wags to Riches (with Droopy) (cartoon)
Carefree (1938): Public Jitterbug No.1 (1939) (musical) (with Betty Hutton); September in the Rain (1937) (cartoon)
Flying Down to Rio (1933): Beer and Pretzels (1933) (comedy); I Like Mountain Music (1933) (cartoon)
Follow the Fleet (1936): Melody Master: Jimmie Lunceford and His Dance Orchestra (musical) (1936); Let It Be Me (cartoon) (1936)
The Gay Divorcee (1934): Show Kids (1935) (musical); Shake Your Powder Puff (1934) (cartoon); Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove (1934) (musical)
*Hallelujah (1929): Pie, Pie Blackbird (1932) (musical)(with Eubie Blake and Nina Mae McKinney); The Black Network (1936) (musical) (with Nina Mae McKinney and the Nicholas Brothers)
Manhattan Melodrama (1934): Goofy Movies #2 (newsreel spoof); The Old Pioneer (1934) (cartoon)
Roberta (1935): Starlit Days at the Lido (1935) (musical); The Calico Dragon (1935) (cartoon)
Shall We Dance (1937): Sheik to Sheik (1936) (musical); Toy Town Hall (1936) (cartoon)
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939): Happily Buried (1939) (musical comedy); Puss Gets the Boot (1940) (cartoon)
Swing Time (1936): Hotel a la Swing (1937) (musical) ; Bingo Crosbyana (1937) (cartoon)
To Be or Not To Be (1942): The Rounder (1930) (comedy); Buy Savings Bonds! A Patriotic Drama (WWII promo)
Top Hat (1939): Watch the Birdie (1935) (comedy); Page Miss Glory (1935) (cartoon)

Ted Healy and the His Stooges in Beer and Pretzels (1933)

Sorted by short subject title:

Annie Was a Wonder (drama/comedy)(1949) Appearing with The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
Beer and Pretzels (1933) (comedy) Appearing with Flying Down to Rio (1933)
Bingo Crosbyana (1937) Appearing with Swing Time (1936)
*The Black Network (1936) (musical) (with Nina Mae McKinney and the Nicholas Brothers) Appearing with Hallelujah (1929)
Breakdowns of 1938 (1938) (Blooper Reel (Warner Brothers)) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Buy Savings Bonds! A Patriotic Drama (WWII promo) Appearing with To Be or Not To Be (1942)
The Calico Dragon (1935) (cartoon) Appearing with Roberta (1935)
Cavalcade of Archery (1946) (documentary) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Cruise of the Zaca (1952) (documentary) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Freddie Rich and His Orchestra (1938) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Glorious Technicolor (1998) (documentary) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Goofy Movies #2 (newsreel spoof) Appearing with Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
Happily Buried (1939) (musical comedy) Appearing with The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
Hotel a la Swing (1937) Appearing with Swing Time (1936)
I Like Mountain Music (1933) (cartoon) Appearing with Flying Down to Rio (1933)
Jimmie Lunceford and His Dance Orchestra (1936) Appearing with Follow the Fleet (1936)
Katnip Kollege (1938) (cartoon) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Let It Be Me (1936) Appearing with Follow the Fleet (1936)
The Old Pioneer (1934) (cartoon) Appearing with Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
Page Miss Glory (1935) (cartoon) Appearing with Top Hat (1939)
*Pie, Pie Blackbird (1932) (musical)(with Eubie Blake and Nina Mae McKinney) Appearing with Hallelujah (1929)
Public Jitterbug No.1 (1939) (musical) (with Betty Hutton) Appearing in Carefree (1938)
Puss Gets the Boot (1940) (cartoon) Appearing with The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
Rabbit Hood (1949) (cartoon) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Robin Hood Daffy (1958) (cartoon) Appearing with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Rounder (1930) (comedy) (I loved this! Jack Benny doing vaudeville at a leisurely pace.) Appearing with To Be or Not To Be (1942)
September in the Rain (1937) (cartoon) Appearing in Carefree (1938)
Shake Your Powder Puff (1934) (cartoon) Appearing with The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Sheik to Sheik (1936) (musical) Appearing with Shall We Dance (1937)
Show Kids (1935) (musical) Appearing with The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove (1934) (musical) Appearing with The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Starlit Days at the Lido (1935) (musical) Appearing with Roberta (1935)
Toy Town Hall (1936) (cartoon) Appearing with Shall We Dance (1937)
Wags to Riches (with Droopy) (cartoon) Appearing with The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
Watch the Birdie (1935) (comedy) Appearing with Top Hat (1939)

*Not in my collection

Vintage Shorts (Medieval Underwear)

20 movies I watched recently

2009-01-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Seems we watched twice as many movies during the holiday season.

Roman Holiday (1953)
A Star Is Born (1937)
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Bambi (1942)
Niagara (1953)
A Christmas Carol (1938)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002)
To Be or Not To Be (1942)
Boy's Town (1938)
The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
Atonement (2007)
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
Bitter Moon (1992)
Elf (2003)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Carefree (1938)
Star Wars (1977)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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I'm doing the no-alcohol-in-January thing...care to join me?

2009-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

As someone who appreciates the joys of alcohol, but also recognizes its sundry deleterious effects, I have found it useful to take a break from consuming it. Santa Cruz columnist Bruce Bratton proposed this idea of a booze-free January decades ago, and most Januarys I like to observe it. It gives me a chance to reflect on whether the joys of imbibing outweigh the negatives. The jury always seems to be perpetually out on this.

If you're a moderate to immoderate drinker, I hope you will consider this proposal. It's always nice to know others are doing this with me. I should have posted this earlier...if you start a few days late, just finish a few day's later.

Those of you who have quit alcohol for good, I very much honor your success.

gingerbread me (photo)

2008-12-18T12:36:00.001-08:00

gingerbread me, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled.

Meera's talented cookiecraft.
December 2007

Dressed in Fir (photo)

2008-12-15T17:05:00.001-08:00

dressed in fir, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled.

We took our traditional trip to the Christmas tree farm, Crest Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains, yesterday. Gabriel was cold and wrapped himself in the boughs of a tall fir tree.

10 movies I watched recently...

2008-12-12T18:15:00.001-08:00

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Doodletown no. 4 (photo)

2008-12-09T15:36:00.001-08:00

Doodletown no. 4, originally uploaded by Elephi Pelephi.

The Hudson Valley

It's been a while since I posted a single photo. This one just blew me away. A masterpiece, Patty!

Again, with the movies I watched recently...

2008-11-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

Nothing else going on in the world, I guess.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Unstrung Heroes (1995)
The Story of Adelle H (1975)
Red-Headed Woman (1932)
Waterloo Bridge (1931)

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10 movies I watched recently...

2008-11-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

Titanic (1997)
A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
Follow the Fleet (1936)
La Vie en Rose (2007)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Biloxi Blues (1988)
Nim's Island (2008)
Fanny and Alexander (1980)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Treasure Island (1934)

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And one book I finished reading recently...

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson

Sailing on Lake Garda (photo)

2008-10-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Sailing on Lake Garda, originally uploaded by John Cuddihy.

The Eternal Idol, Dancing Sculpture (video)

2008-10-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here it is! Exquisite, graceful, and sensuous sculpture and music inform this extraordinary ballet performance from the Michael Smuin Ballet.

I remember seeing this on the ARTS channel (Classic Arts Showcase) years ago...based on Rodin's sculpture, "The Eternal Idol", a ballet sequence set to the larghetto movement of Chopin's 2nd Piano Concerto by Michael Smuin. Beautiful and sensual.

Dancers: Marjorie Grundvig and Lee Bell.

YouTube video by eogmi24.

Dancing Sailors About to Get Bashed

2008-10-04T02:45:00.001-07:00

Dancing Sailors About to Get Bashed
Originally uploaded by Positively Puzzled

1936 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Follow the Fleet

In this scene, Astaire's character is teaching fellow sailors how to dance. Half are selected to lead. Those selected to follow oblige only after mild chagrin. Superior officers arrive to witness what looks like a gay dance party and then proceed to beat up the dancing sailors. Wah-wah-wah.

This movie is just about as old as John McCain.

Another weird part of the movie for me was a song in which the exceptionally dark biblical phrase "Get thee behind me, Satan" precedes a dilemma about giving in to sexual desires for an obvious cad. I've never heard of this song. It's Irving Berlin, so I suspect I'm just out of touch, but it really was weirdly incongruous.

That said, it's a charming movie. The dance numbers in the latter half of the film are particularly good. One of Fred's pulsating syncopated tap routines, on the slatted deck of a ship, is mesmerizing.

Ginger is at once cute and sexy. Her dancing to "Let's Face the Music and Dance", while wearing a translucent 35-pound beaded dress, weighted at the hem for added flair for the spins, is, of course, fabulously versatile, graceful, beautiful.

Ten movies I watched in September

2008-10-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

RV (2005)
Click (2006)
Honeydripper (2007)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
October Sky (1999)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
National Treasure (2004)
Matilda (1996)

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Thomas Jefferson Weighs In From 1802?

2008-09-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802) 3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

The quote, however, appears to be apocryphal, according to the annotations included in the quote's entry in The Jefferson Encyclopedia.

McCain Obstructing Justice in Alaska with Rovian Tactics

2008-09-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Camille Conti (CC) host of "The Cutting Edge" KUDO 1080, Alaska Progressive Radio, and State Senator Bill Wielechowski appeared on The Thom Hartmann Show, Thursday September 18, 2008. They tell an astounding story. I haven't been able to find any pertinent links, so here's a transcript of Thom's interview with CC:

Thom Hartmann: The Republicans are sending lawyers to Alaska to shut down the Troopergate investigation. What's the latest on this?

Camille Conti: You know, Thom? I have to tell you, I so appreciate this opportunity, because, really, Alaska needs America right now. What is happening in my city could happen in anybody's city. It is so much bigger than you can ever imagine. The McCain campaign has basically high-jacked our government and they have infiltrated our Department of Law. I have never seen anything like this in my entire life.

This anti-terrorism prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York City Ed O'Callaghan has come into our state. They're calling it the Palin Truth Squad. We're calling it The Palin Smear Squad. They have held press conferences every day absolutely attacking and vilifying anybody who in any way, shape, or form questions or attacks the Governor in any capacity, they are just filleting people, throwing them under the bus. He is now advising and instructing our own Department of Law. Phone calls that are going to state offices are being rerouted to the McCain campaign!

TH: Wait a minute, a political campaign has taken over a law enforcement agency?

CC: This is what we have come to understand as of yesterday. Senator Wielechowski, who called my show, gave us these two earthquake pieces of information. I mean, this story has got to stay out in the mainstream media, because our own media is under McCain suppression.

TH: You know the Hatch Act specifically says that government personnel and government property cannot be used, or government personnel cannot be using government property, or using the tools of government, whether it's, you know, a telephone, or whether it's an office, or whatever it may be, for partisan political purposes. And it sounds to me like this has gone way beyond that.

CC: Well, and the problem is we have no one to help us, because everybody in our own government that would be advocating for the people is now in alignment with the McCain tactics. Our governor is out of state, our lieutenant governor is out of state. I mean, for anybody to think that this is a Democratic smear is completely out of touch with the reality. This legislative council is stacked with 8 Republicans and 4 Democrats, who had a unanimous vote.

TH: Now, hang on, just a second─for our listeners who don't have any idea what you're talking about─the Legislative Council is kind of like a subcommittee of the legislature of Alaska that is investigating Troopergate, that is investigating the possibility that Sarah Palin abused her power as governor.

CC: Correct. 8 Repulicans, 4 Democrats.

TH: So, now what's happened is the McCain group has sent lawyers in, and this one guy in particular, to shut down this investigation.

CC: Correct. But here's the thing, the Legislative Council is still committed. I mean, I spoke with Senator Lyda Green, who is from Wasilla, Governor Palin's hometown, okay? She's a Republican. They are committed to moving this forward. They're having a meeting tomorrow, but the Department of Law─this is where it gets intensely interesting, because, this gentleman, Barnhill, he was the attorney for the Department of Law, he was representing this group of individuals in the Palin Administration, okay? He came forward the other day and said, look, we need to agree on this one stipulation in order to move forward. The Legislative Council said, okay, we agree on your interpretation of this one thing, let's go forward. So, they started to schedule the depositions. That was Monday. The next thing we know, this guy Barnhill gets pulled off the case, and this guy Ed O'Callaghan arrives on the scene.

TH: So, a Republican who wants to look into corruption gets moved out of the way, and an out-of-state political operative, who's actually a federal employee, comes in?

CC: This guy Mike Barnhill, he's an attorney. He was pulled in by the Department of Law to be the attorney for this group of individuals working for the Governor that have been subpoenaed to testify. And so he created this kumbaya moment, so to speak, that allowed everything to move forward as of Monday. That was the day this guy O'Callaghan was brought in on the scene. They removed Barnhill from the Department of Law. They put O'Callaghan in its place, and then, the Attorney General reneged the deal that was on paper and signed by Barnhill and the Department of Law with this Legislative Council. I mean, this thing is unbelievable.

TH: This sounds like something out of a, you know, Sinclair Lewis novel about a small town in the South in the thirties.

CC: It is just the most...it is the scariest most breath-taking thing I have ever seen. It's one thing to spend the last eight years reading about these kind of Rove tactics in the paper. It's another thing to have it come into your town and go after people that you know. I mean, you know, this guy Stephen Branchflower, he's a 25-year veteran in the world of prosecution. Not too long ago he actually wrote a scathing report as it relates to his work with Walt Monegan. He's completely independent. Anybody who thinks this is a Democratic smear, they need to understand that this is a Republican stacked legislature.

TH: Right, it's Republicans investigating corruption, and Republicans who actually want to investigate, Alaskan Republicans who want to investigate Alaskan corruption.
I mean, apparently the Republican Party in Alaska's had enough of the corruption already, and part of the corruption that they want to investigate is the corruption of the Palin administration, and her husband's involvement with it as well. And so, now Republicans from out of state are coming in, we rather like the corrupt Republicans in Alaska, and the Republicans who want to stop the corruption, we're going to stop them. Is that, uh...?

CC: Yeah, and now what's happening, is now there's a split within the government party, and a group of five Republicans filed their own suit against Branchflower and the Legislative Council where their own colleagues reside, they, these five Republicans, filed suit to get this thing stopped.

TH: So you've got now the pro-corruption Republicans are starting to come out of the woodwork to try the anti-corruption Republicans, and the Democrats are just standing back going, hey, you know, out of the twelve people on the committee, we're only four of them. We've got nothing going here, we're just watching the show.

CC: Exactly.

TH: CC, what can our listeners all across the United States do? I mean, you said, you know, this is great that you're on a national show talking about this. What can our listeners do to help?

CC: Well, I want to be honest and tell them that one thing they can do is they stream our radio station, because we are the only ones in the media here in our state that's really getting this other side out, and it's just been unbelievably sad
to see our local media actually oppressed and suppressed by the McCain campaign. The other thing they can do is they can read some of these blogs that are coming out of the state as well.

TH: Right, and people can do that at KUDO1080.com. And, CC, Eastern Time, translate this into Eastern Time, because everyone can kind of translate against that. What time is your show on, Easter Time?

My show's on at 3:00 o'clock. We are four hours behind the East Coast, so it would be 7:00 o'clock on the East Coast.

TH: 7:00 PM on the East Coast, and every place in between, you can just go to KUDO1080.com and listen in, if you want to hear some real interesting...the real inside skinny on what's going on in Alaskan politics.

CC: And, you know, Thom, if people are asking themselves, well, how does this all relate? I want to just quickly show how this all relates. This ticket, this McCain-Palin ticket, is riding on Sarah Palin. We all know that they have done everything in their power to control and manipulate this woman's image to the country. If this thing gets out, their ticket is going to sink.

TH: Yeah, well, I think it already is sinking. I think the bloom is off the rose, as they say. The novelty factor has worn off.

Gallery Imitates Art (Photo)

2008-09-10T16:58:00.001-07:00

Rothko Hangs, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled.

Rothko painting on display
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
September 7, 2008

The kids had a good time at the museum, though the crowds there to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit presented a challenge.

splash dash (photo)

2008-09-05T12:19:00.001-07:00

splash dash, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled.

Movies I Watched Recently

2008-08-23T00:54:00.000-07:00

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
The 11th Hour (2007)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
The Kite Runner (2007)
Rhapsody in August (1991)
The Producers (2005)
The Producers (1968)

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Thomas Miles McFarlane (1947-2008)

2008-08-18T11:45:00.001-07:00

Tom McFarlane-Jordi & Edgar 07
Originally uploaded by Positively Puzzled

Sadly, one of my very favorite Flickr photographers has passed on.

Jordi & Edgar 07

Please take a look at his impressive portfolio (principally nudes).

His website: Thomas McFarlane Photography

self-assurance (photo)

2008-08-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

self-assurance, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled.

Piper's pawful ablutions .