DON'T GIVE UP...DON'T EVER GIVE UP
I'm real tired everyone - the school year is winding down and lots going on
with the kids as well so I'll be very very very very brief. So remember when I wrote in one of my first blogs about the fact that only one man has ever died in a major league baseball game due to being hit by a pitch? I also wondered why there wasn't any more info on this subject and wouldn't you know it. This weeks Sports Illustrated has an in depth feature article on the history of players being injured or killed by baseballs in the century. This article covers it all - little league right up to majors. Thank me later for tipping you off Sports Illustrated.
Oh - since my son will play major league baseball someday I'll start updating you on his season stats - after 8 games: Batting Average - .467, On Base - .651. Starting centerfielder - doing very well.
MOVIE TIME
Screw the movies this week - it's not a good day - oh wait - I may go see the new Jamie Fox movie opening night : The Soloist. It's a fascinating true story and we out here in LA were able to follow this story in the LA Times as it was happening a few years ago. I'm certain this will be a very good film.
MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC
My brother the Sociology Professor has published what I consider to be one of the all time definitive articles on the importance of music in a child's education. This is far beyond the Mozart tests, tests on rats, etc. This is a serious study that takes into account so many factors and proves that participation in music increases a students reading and math scores. For those of you that know me, just e-mail me for a copy but be ready to be bombarded with statistical charts and lots of big sociologist jargon. It's a great paper. For those that don't know me - just send me a comment and give me your e-mail address.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
The guy in Starbucks who was talking loud to his friend right next to me yet kept looking at me hoping to get me involved in his conversation. Dude - it was too early - I don't even like talking to people that I know so I sure as hell ain't talking to you and listening to your goofy stories when I've just woken up. Go away.
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Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
LIFE IN GENERAL
THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG
So this is the sports part but ya know what? I've been working every minute of the day - I feel like I have almost nothing to offer all you loyal fans. Look at me - 10:36 at night and just turning on ESPN - I have no freaking clue what has been going on in sports all day - I feel completely lost. Do you think that's strange. I go through my days wondering what I missing in the sports world and I feel I've been ripped off when I get home this late and have no clue. Did I miss a no hitter? Did I miss a 4 home run game? Ooohh...lookie - someone hit for the cycle. Ya know what the cycle is all you non-sports fans? It is when a player gets a single, double, triple and home run all in the same game. The average batter only bats 4 times per game so this is quite a quirky feat. Anyway - I hope you now know more than you knew before you started reading this blog.....now, on to the next part.....
TAXI DRIVER
Listen - if you even like Dinero a little bit, rent Taxi Driver and enjoy a very young Robert Dinero at the start of his career. Sort of dark intense movie but what I found particularly humorous as I watched it on cable the other night was the soundtrack - very goofy 1970's style cop drama music. It wasn't even like a movie soundtrack...it was truly the soundtrack of the time. I felt like I was watching 1970's episode of Magnum PI (wait - that was the 80's I think)...ok Baretta?????
LENNY B.
I was conducting a little Bernstein today and I will simply say screw all of you that believe he is in someway a second rate composer. Berstein draws his inspiration from music of his country. That is jazz and music imported from other cultures, especially latin cultures. Why is Mozart's music any more important? Mozart drew on simple dance styles and popular music of his time just as Bernstein does. But wait - we are American's and classical music is a high brow European Art Form. How dare we walk on the sacred ground of the European giants. Well I got news for ya. Almost everyone in any audience I've ever been part of, loves the music of Bernstein just as much as they love Gershwin or Copland. Bernstein picked up right where Gerhswin left off but no one will give him credit for that as a composer. It will happen. It may take another 50 years but it will happen. Lenny, you were one of the great music educators of all time and certainly one of the most inspirational conductors. You will get your due as a composer because there is no other composer that sounds quite like you do.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My gripe of the day concern the guy that is standing next to you in public having a loud conversation with a friend but continuously looking at you to try to get you involved in the conversation. So, to the guy in Starbucks this morning - I'm sure that your life is highly entertaining and to be honest, you're story sounded remotely interesting but I really don't want to talk to you first thing in the morning. As a matter of fact, I don't want to talk to anyone first thing in the morning so stop looking at me. Ok - look once, and if I seem to be ignoring you or disinterested stop peaking at me to try to get me wrapped up in your world. No thanks.
So this is the sports part but ya know what? I've been working every minute of the day - I feel like I have almost nothing to offer all you loyal fans. Look at me - 10:36 at night and just turning on ESPN - I have no freaking clue what has been going on in sports all day - I feel completely lost. Do you think that's strange. I go through my days wondering what I missing in the sports world and I feel I've been ripped off when I get home this late and have no clue. Did I miss a no hitter? Did I miss a 4 home run game? Ooohh...lookie - someone hit for the cycle. Ya know what the cycle is all you non-sports fans? It is when a player gets a single, double, triple and home run all in the same game. The average batter only bats 4 times per game so this is quite a quirky feat. Anyway - I hope you now know more than you knew before you started reading this blog.....now, on to the next part.....
TAXI DRIVER
Listen - if you even like Dinero a little bit, rent Taxi Driver and enjoy a very young Robert Dinero at the start of his career. Sort of dark intense movie but what I found particularly humorous as I watched it on cable the other night was the soundtrack - very goofy 1970's style cop drama music. It wasn't even like a movie soundtrack...it was truly the soundtrack of the time. I felt like I was watching 1970's episode of Magnum PI (wait - that was the 80's I think)...ok Baretta?????
LENNY B.
I was conducting a little Bernstein today and I will simply say screw all of you that believe he is in someway a second rate composer. Berstein draws his inspiration from music of his country. That is jazz and music imported from other cultures, especially latin cultures. Why is Mozart's music any more important? Mozart drew on simple dance styles and popular music of his time just as Bernstein does. But wait - we are American's and classical music is a high brow European Art Form. How dare we walk on the sacred ground of the European giants. Well I got news for ya. Almost everyone in any audience I've ever been part of, loves the music of Bernstein just as much as they love Gershwin or Copland. Bernstein picked up right where Gerhswin left off but no one will give him credit for that as a composer. It will happen. It may take another 50 years but it will happen. Lenny, you were one of the great music educators of all time and certainly one of the most inspirational conductors. You will get your due as a composer because there is no other composer that sounds quite like you do.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My gripe of the day concern the guy that is standing next to you in public having a loud conversation with a friend but continuously looking at you to try to get you involved in the conversation. So, to the guy in Starbucks this morning - I'm sure that your life is highly entertaining and to be honest, you're story sounded remotely interesting but I really don't want to talk to you first thing in the morning. As a matter of fact, I don't want to talk to anyone first thing in the morning so stop looking at me. Ok - look once, and if I seem to be ignoring you or disinterested stop peaking at me to try to get me wrapped up in your world. No thanks.
Monday, April 13, 2009
THE BIRD, THE BIRDS, BIRDSONG, FOR THE BIRDS
OOPS...I DID IT AGAIN
That's it. This is the one and only time I quote the most untalented female pop star of all time, Miss Brittany Spears. Sorry...just an adequate voice, can't dance, can't do much of anything. But enough about that. This is the sports section. I remember gathering around the TV with my whole family when I was little and watching Mark "The Bird" Fidrych pitch for the Detroit Tigers. Why? Because he talked to the baseball, he smoothed out the mound dirt with his bare hands, he looked like Big Bird. But most of all he was spectacular for one year and one year only. He was a rarity in sports - the absolute best - for one year only, until an injury forced him into early retirement. The bird died unexpectedly........yet another sad happening that made me reflect about happy childhood times.
OH, AND I QUOTE BRITTANY.....
I really have done it again - I've been able to get my whole blog to relate to birds...and so for the movie part . . . what else? See Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". These days it's almost humorous to watch, but I have to say, it still has an undercurrent of freakish scariness. Hitchcock is great at building tension through dialogue or silence and well, what can I say...work with me here.....it's all about Birds today......so go see it!!!
Birdsong.....not Byrdsong damn it.....
Come on...everyone knows that Ricky Byrdsong was the former University of Arizona basketball coach and University of Detroit Coach who was murdered in a Detroit area hate crime by white supremicists in the middle of an evening jog with his 8 and 10 year old daughters. That makes me sick to my stomach and I only just now thought about that because I was planning on writing about Birdsong. This is freestyle blogging and it just flows right along. Oliver Messiaen is his name and he is simply one of the most unique an outstanding composers of art music in the 20th century. I will write much about Messiaen in the future as he is one of my favorites but for now I will simply refer you to the fantastic, intimate and fascinating "Quartet for the End of Time". I will admit that one must become familiar with Messians work and compositional style before attempting to digest such a masterwork. Oh...but the Birdsong.......Messiaen perfected the art of transcribing true birdsong into motives that could be used in art music and this is only a small part of his uniqueness. Oh, and equally unique was Ricky Byrdsong. I watched him coach when I was an undergrad. I hope his daughters have been able to live a normal life. There father was a great guy and I can't begin to imagine what that night must have been like for them.
THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS:
....that any classical musician would simply reject a piece of music based on it's sound or whether they initially "like" the piece or not. This is how non-educated musicians judge music...on immediate impact, tunefulness, danceability, pure emotion, etc......but we do this as our profession. We're in the world of art and to be in that world means to use more than just pure emotion when evaluating music. There is more to creation and the understanding of creative works than simple emotional impact. Many things are involved and we must be open to the possibility of not understanding something initially and trying to perhaps question ourselves as to why something doesn't appeal to us. It is at this time that we may be able to question our own thought process and value system in terms of judging art.
Wow - that was a bit heavy today.
That's it. This is the one and only time I quote the most untalented female pop star of all time, Miss Brittany Spears. Sorry...just an adequate voice, can't dance, can't do much of anything. But enough about that. This is the sports section. I remember gathering around the TV with my whole family when I was little and watching Mark "The Bird" Fidrych pitch for the Detroit Tigers. Why? Because he talked to the baseball, he smoothed out the mound dirt with his bare hands, he looked like Big Bird. But most of all he was spectacular for one year and one year only. He was a rarity in sports - the absolute best - for one year only, until an injury forced him into early retirement. The bird died unexpectedly........yet another sad happening that made me reflect about happy childhood times.
OH, AND I QUOTE BRITTANY.....
I really have done it again - I've been able to get my whole blog to relate to birds...and so for the movie part . . . what else? See Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". These days it's almost humorous to watch, but I have to say, it still has an undercurrent of freakish scariness. Hitchcock is great at building tension through dialogue or silence and well, what can I say...work with me here.....it's all about Birds today......so go see it!!!
Birdsong.....not Byrdsong damn it.....
Come on...everyone knows that Ricky Byrdsong was the former University of Arizona basketball coach and University of Detroit Coach who was murdered in a Detroit area hate crime by white supremicists in the middle of an evening jog with his 8 and 10 year old daughters. That makes me sick to my stomach and I only just now thought about that because I was planning on writing about Birdsong. This is freestyle blogging and it just flows right along. Oliver Messiaen is his name and he is simply one of the most unique an outstanding composers of art music in the 20th century. I will write much about Messiaen in the future as he is one of my favorites but for now I will simply refer you to the fantastic, intimate and fascinating "Quartet for the End of Time". I will admit that one must become familiar with Messians work and compositional style before attempting to digest such a masterwork. Oh...but the Birdsong.......Messiaen perfected the art of transcribing true birdsong into motives that could be used in art music and this is only a small part of his uniqueness. Oh, and equally unique was Ricky Byrdsong. I watched him coach when I was an undergrad. I hope his daughters have been able to live a normal life. There father was a great guy and I can't begin to imagine what that night must have been like for them.
THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS:
....that any classical musician would simply reject a piece of music based on it's sound or whether they initially "like" the piece or not. This is how non-educated musicians judge music...on immediate impact, tunefulness, danceability, pure emotion, etc......but we do this as our profession. We're in the world of art and to be in that world means to use more than just pure emotion when evaluating music. There is more to creation and the understanding of creative works than simple emotional impact. Many things are involved and we must be open to the possibility of not understanding something initially and trying to perhaps question ourselves as to why something doesn't appeal to us. It is at this time that we may be able to question our own thought process and value system in terms of judging art.
Wow - that was a bit heavy today.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN
SWISHER
Main part of my blog very short today so my gripe can take up most of the space. Sports: Yankees, Nice Swisher: this team simply needed a crazy lunatic on the bench or playing. This guy is nuts. Talk about relaxing the team atmosphere. All hail Cap'n Nick.
ME AND MARLEY
I hate Jennifer Aniston. Don't even like Owen Wilson that much. But never in a film have I seen the life and death of a pet handled so nicely. Yes, my daughter cried her eyes about but the movie gave me a chance to explain that this is the way pets need to go sometimes and it is not painful for them. I put the dog dying seen right up there with Ricky Schroeder crying his eyes out at the end of "The Champ".
MUSIC
I'm not reviewing music today. This is in support of my comment on my facebook page that says "I don't want to talk about music...I do it every day for a living". Don't worry. I'll get back to it but since I have to spend Easter Sunday studying orchestral scores I don't want to talk about now, so there.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
This will be part of a 10 part series on problems with Higher Education. I'm in higher ed and have a job in higher ed. I am thankful for my job. That does not excuse the American university system from handing out oodles and oodles of doctorates when there are simply no jobs to be had in the profession. For every one university conducting position that openings, over 100 application are received. There are about 3-4 openings per year. 25-50 percent of the individuals applying have or are in the process of completing a doctorate. This is simply insanity. I will go as far as calling it the GREAT AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION SCAM. I don't know if these graduate dollars are needed to support faculty salaries or undergrad programs. Quite frankly, I think it is the fact that universities became so competitive with each other over the past 40 years - always trying to offer more and more....always trying to one up the next guy. Now your typical student graduating with a doctorate in oh....say music.....can struggle with a few community college gigs for 5-10 years..maybe teach privately on the side...probably even hold a part time job outside of music. I have numerous friends with doctorates in the arts and very, very few with full time steady jobs that include benefits. It's really a shame. I will go so far as to say that any university offering a doctorate in music should not have more than one doctoral student at a time in each major area. Someday someone is going to explain to me why the all powerful University of Indiana Conducting program has as many as 8 master's students in conducting and multiple doctoral students in conducting. Really? I mean, really? Are they all going to get a conducting job one day? I challenge that university to personally mail me the names of their past 30 graduates and the conducting positions that actually hold. Guarantee not more than 3 have a steady conducting job. I call on American Universities to stop handing out doctorates and even master's degrees like candy on Trick or Treat night. Too many take conducting and classical music performance as "fun". We are a cultural museum. We must conduct, perform and transmit works at the highest level and those that choose to do this must be egoless servants of composers and their great works. It's turned into a fucking circus and it only diminishes the value of those who are at the top of their game.
Main part of my blog very short today so my gripe can take up most of the space. Sports: Yankees, Nice Swisher: this team simply needed a crazy lunatic on the bench or playing. This guy is nuts. Talk about relaxing the team atmosphere. All hail Cap'n Nick.
ME AND MARLEY
I hate Jennifer Aniston. Don't even like Owen Wilson that much. But never in a film have I seen the life and death of a pet handled so nicely. Yes, my daughter cried her eyes about but the movie gave me a chance to explain that this is the way pets need to go sometimes and it is not painful for them. I put the dog dying seen right up there with Ricky Schroeder crying his eyes out at the end of "The Champ".
MUSIC
I'm not reviewing music today. This is in support of my comment on my facebook page that says "I don't want to talk about music...I do it every day for a living". Don't worry. I'll get back to it but since I have to spend Easter Sunday studying orchestral scores I don't want to talk about now, so there.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
This will be part of a 10 part series on problems with Higher Education. I'm in higher ed and have a job in higher ed. I am thankful for my job. That does not excuse the American university system from handing out oodles and oodles of doctorates when there are simply no jobs to be had in the profession. For every one university conducting position that openings, over 100 application are received. There are about 3-4 openings per year. 25-50 percent of the individuals applying have or are in the process of completing a doctorate. This is simply insanity. I will go as far as calling it the GREAT AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION SCAM. I don't know if these graduate dollars are needed to support faculty salaries or undergrad programs. Quite frankly, I think it is the fact that universities became so competitive with each other over the past 40 years - always trying to offer more and more....always trying to one up the next guy. Now your typical student graduating with a doctorate in oh....say music.....can struggle with a few community college gigs for 5-10 years..maybe teach privately on the side...probably even hold a part time job outside of music. I have numerous friends with doctorates in the arts and very, very few with full time steady jobs that include benefits. It's really a shame. I will go so far as to say that any university offering a doctorate in music should not have more than one doctoral student at a time in each major area. Someday someone is going to explain to me why the all powerful University of Indiana Conducting program has as many as 8 master's students in conducting and multiple doctoral students in conducting. Really? I mean, really? Are they all going to get a conducting job one day? I challenge that university to personally mail me the names of their past 30 graduates and the conducting positions that actually hold. Guarantee not more than 3 have a steady conducting job. I call on American Universities to stop handing out doctorates and even master's degrees like candy on Trick or Treat night. Too many take conducting and classical music performance as "fun". We are a cultural museum. We must conduct, perform and transmit works at the highest level and those that choose to do this must be egoless servants of composers and their great works. It's turned into a fucking circus and it only diminishes the value of those who are at the top of their game.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
DEATH, JOE AND GLASS
DEATH AND BASEBALL
I'm glued to the sports tube all day. So it's tough when I hear that a baseball player suddenly dies. And what is equally as sad is the fact that 2 other people died along with the major league player. It's really amazing. It happened in one split second of life. Their car had to be at the exact intersection that a drunk driver just happened to be speeding through last night. It seems totally random. The timing has to be perfect. 2 seconds would have made a difference and that what makes it particularly scary. Two seconds before or two seconds later and those cars would have not collided. He was 22. I'm double that age. I don't know why I get to be so lucky. I assume there may be some purpose but I'm not really sure.
SHOELESS JOE
So watch Field of Dreams if you wish. It's a great family movie starring Kevin Costner and young Ray Liotta and James Earl Jones. But before you do...do me a favor. Read all about "Shoeless Joe Jackson". I really believe that there is a time in life that we might considering re-visiting the facts. We certainly do that in big court cases.....old murder cases...what have you. This country has a long history of a faulty court decisions, crooked lawyers, politicians seeking fame and those trying to make a name of themselves. Joe Jackson deserves another hearing and I think it's about time we give it to him.
ARE YOU KIDDING ARE YOU KIDDING ARE YOU KIDDING ARE YOU KIDDING?
I will be conducting a symphony in May. It is by an American composer. A very famous composer. His name is Philip Glass and he is one of the most prolific American composers of the 20th century. I repeated my title above because Mr. Glass basis much of his music on additive repetition. But here is the cool moment of the week. I received an e-mail from one of his "people" telling me that I may in fact be conducting the first ever west coast performance of this work. How is that possible? Maybe there is still some purpose for me to be around and doing this whole conducting thing. You never know, do ya?
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My new neighbor. Whoever it is has a dog. The dog has barked for 2 hours straight the past 10 days. I filed my second complaint today after the dog decided to bark from 5:40 a.m. to 6;30 a.m. Thank you for the wake up call. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I may be moving soon and I won't be happy about it.
I'm glued to the sports tube all day. So it's tough when I hear that a baseball player suddenly dies. And what is equally as sad is the fact that 2 other people died along with the major league player. It's really amazing. It happened in one split second of life. Their car had to be at the exact intersection that a drunk driver just happened to be speeding through last night. It seems totally random. The timing has to be perfect. 2 seconds would have made a difference and that what makes it particularly scary. Two seconds before or two seconds later and those cars would have not collided. He was 22. I'm double that age. I don't know why I get to be so lucky. I assume there may be some purpose but I'm not really sure.
SHOELESS JOE
So watch Field of Dreams if you wish. It's a great family movie starring Kevin Costner and young Ray Liotta and James Earl Jones. But before you do...do me a favor. Read all about "Shoeless Joe Jackson". I really believe that there is a time in life that we might considering re-visiting the facts. We certainly do that in big court cases.....old murder cases...what have you. This country has a long history of a faulty court decisions, crooked lawyers, politicians seeking fame and those trying to make a name of themselves. Joe Jackson deserves another hearing and I think it's about time we give it to him.
ARE YOU KIDDING ARE YOU KIDDING ARE YOU KIDDING ARE YOU KIDDING?
I will be conducting a symphony in May. It is by an American composer. A very famous composer. His name is Philip Glass and he is one of the most prolific American composers of the 20th century. I repeated my title above because Mr. Glass basis much of his music on additive repetition. But here is the cool moment of the week. I received an e-mail from one of his "people" telling me that I may in fact be conducting the first ever west coast performance of this work. How is that possible? Maybe there is still some purpose for me to be around and doing this whole conducting thing. You never know, do ya?
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My new neighbor. Whoever it is has a dog. The dog has barked for 2 hours straight the past 10 days. I filed my second complaint today after the dog decided to bark from 5:40 a.m. to 6;30 a.m. Thank you for the wake up call. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I may be moving soon and I won't be happy about it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
ALL ABOUT DOCTORS
DR. PUNCH
I don't think it's fair that Dr. Jerry Punch gets to be a sports broadcaster after spending years in the medical profession. I want to know how to make the switch. Jerry had an unfair advantage - he worked in the medical side of things - I believe for Nascar and somehow transitioned into a broadcasting role. No fair. How can I parlay my talents performing and conducting into a career in baseball statistics. I still don't think it's too late but I'm still trying to figure out how and when to make the move.
DR. DOOLITTLE
Listen - forget the Eddie Murphey movie. Go back to the original - the one starring Rex Harrison. Great movie for kids and if you want to free yourself up for a few hours...or even spend it watching with the kids, this is a great movie. And can you believe the movie is 2 1/2 hours long???? What happened over the past 10 years that kids movies needed to be reduced to an hour and 15 minutes max? I don't think the attention span of kids is as short as we adults seem to think. Just right a good freakin movie for once and the kids will be glued to hit for hours.
DR. JOHN
No not me you bone head. There really is a Dr. John...use to see him perform on SNL with the great Leon Redbone. I have no idea why I'm writing about him. He just popped into my head. I was going to write my own name Dr. R..... but instead typed Dr. John and wouldn't you know it, I have a whole new topic. I'm sure you can find Dr. John on youtube.....great guy....blusey, jazzy, rock n' roll. Lot's of fun. But I'm a classical guy so let me give you a "must listent to" for the day. Let's see, I'm thinking of a classical composer whose name begins with John....wait.....wait....ok, go buy the soundtrack to the "Red Violin". It won the Oscar a few years ago. John Corigliano is one of the most important composers currently working in the U.S. and his music is well worth giving a listen.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My Doctor. I will not disclose any personal information on my doctor's visit this week except to say that I went in for what I would consider to be a fairly serious issue. At one point my Doctor said...."ok, well it doesn't look like you're having any blah blah blah blah and so we'll run tests. I really don't think it's anything, so we'll get the tests done to check for sure". BUT WAIT....TIME OUT!!! That comment stuck in my head "I don't think it's anything". Well I've got word for you. It's something....otherwise I would not have wasted by Tuesday morning to come see you. Trust me....it's something....maybe it's not big...maybe it's not dangerous, but it is certainly not nothing.
I don't think it's fair that Dr. Jerry Punch gets to be a sports broadcaster after spending years in the medical profession. I want to know how to make the switch. Jerry had an unfair advantage - he worked in the medical side of things - I believe for Nascar and somehow transitioned into a broadcasting role. No fair. How can I parlay my talents performing and conducting into a career in baseball statistics. I still don't think it's too late but I'm still trying to figure out how and when to make the move.
DR. DOOLITTLE
Listen - forget the Eddie Murphey movie. Go back to the original - the one starring Rex Harrison. Great movie for kids and if you want to free yourself up for a few hours...or even spend it watching with the kids, this is a great movie. And can you believe the movie is 2 1/2 hours long???? What happened over the past 10 years that kids movies needed to be reduced to an hour and 15 minutes max? I don't think the attention span of kids is as short as we adults seem to think. Just right a good freakin movie for once and the kids will be glued to hit for hours.
DR. JOHN
No not me you bone head. There really is a Dr. John...use to see him perform on SNL with the great Leon Redbone. I have no idea why I'm writing about him. He just popped into my head. I was going to write my own name Dr. R..... but instead typed Dr. John and wouldn't you know it, I have a whole new topic. I'm sure you can find Dr. John on youtube.....great guy....blusey, jazzy, rock n' roll. Lot's of fun. But I'm a classical guy so let me give you a "must listent to" for the day. Let's see, I'm thinking of a classical composer whose name begins with John....wait.....wait....ok, go buy the soundtrack to the "Red Violin". It won the Oscar a few years ago. John Corigliano is one of the most important composers currently working in the U.S. and his music is well worth giving a listen.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My Doctor. I will not disclose any personal information on my doctor's visit this week except to say that I went in for what I would consider to be a fairly serious issue. At one point my Doctor said...."ok, well it doesn't look like you're having any blah blah blah blah and so we'll run tests. I really don't think it's anything, so we'll get the tests done to check for sure". BUT WAIT....TIME OUT!!! That comment stuck in my head "I don't think it's anything". Well I've got word for you. It's something....otherwise I would not have wasted by Tuesday morning to come see you. Trust me....it's something....maybe it's not big...maybe it's not dangerous, but it is certainly not nothing.
Monday, April 6, 2009
BACK TO REALITY ooooops THERE GOES GRAVITY
WHAT A SPORTS DAY
Ok - I'm very excited after a long weekend of work that I get to sit around watching Major League Baseball Opening Day plus the National Championship Basketball game tonight between Michigan State and North Carolina. I have my buddy to watch the games with - my 13 year old son, who is the only other person I know at this time that understands my world of classical music and is a complete sports nut like me. This sports viewing is so different from what I did all weekend.....high pressure world of classical music performance in front of a packed house in an international competition. No wonder why my personality is either way up or way down....my job and hobbies seem to dictate my intensity, relaxation and overall mood.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Oh - I don't know. I just got back into town....must I review a movie? I know, I know...I'm always complaining about the movie part of the blog. How about Eve's Bayou. Yeah - GREAT movie. Not for the kids but a great film. No more to say...moving on for right now.
CHOPIN TOPS RACH
I'm one person who always said that a Chopin Concerto could not beat a Rachmaninoff Concerto in a competition - especially an international competition. It happened this weekend. From the first rehearsal I felt this could happen. I very much in tune with the sound coming out of a piano. I could tell two years ago, the second that the 12 year old Colton Peltier touched the keys that there was something special about the sound. I felt the same this weekend. The Rachmaninoff is a demanding technical showpiece but it is the lyrical quality and beauty of tone that may have ultimately separated the two pianists. I'm not sure what the judges discussed but there was something special about the winners tone production, phrasing of every single note and understanding of the piece. It was something extraordinary and this is what put her on top. It was a special performance and if not for the orchestra being very in touch with the pianists touch and tone production I'm not sure she would have carried it off. My orchestra members were very aware of what was happening and their adjustments in volume and color during the performance made that 30 minutes on Sunday very special. I thank the pianists and orchestra members for a memorable afternoon.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
When I buy my groceries must I really answer the questions "Would you like to donate to the disabled"....or "Would you like to donate to Easter Seals"? Here is my problem. I want to buy groceries. If I have money to donate to charities, I will find the charity and donate...or you can send me a letter in the mail requesting a donation. Why must I be made to feel like an asshole for saying "no thanks". I know it's not the fault of the clerk...it's their job. Why don't these multi GODZILLION dollar food chains donate a few million and stop trying to nickel and dime you and me? From now on I'm going to choose my shopping locations based on who lets me shop and leave without asking me if I want to donate....or if I want to have a credit card for the store...or if I'd like fries with that.
Ok - I'm very excited after a long weekend of work that I get to sit around watching Major League Baseball Opening Day plus the National Championship Basketball game tonight between Michigan State and North Carolina. I have my buddy to watch the games with - my 13 year old son, who is the only other person I know at this time that understands my world of classical music and is a complete sports nut like me. This sports viewing is so different from what I did all weekend.....high pressure world of classical music performance in front of a packed house in an international competition. No wonder why my personality is either way up or way down....my job and hobbies seem to dictate my intensity, relaxation and overall mood.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Oh - I don't know. I just got back into town....must I review a movie? I know, I know...I'm always complaining about the movie part of the blog. How about Eve's Bayou. Yeah - GREAT movie. Not for the kids but a great film. No more to say...moving on for right now.
CHOPIN TOPS RACH
I'm one person who always said that a Chopin Concerto could not beat a Rachmaninoff Concerto in a competition - especially an international competition. It happened this weekend. From the first rehearsal I felt this could happen. I very much in tune with the sound coming out of a piano. I could tell two years ago, the second that the 12 year old Colton Peltier touched the keys that there was something special about the sound. I felt the same this weekend. The Rachmaninoff is a demanding technical showpiece but it is the lyrical quality and beauty of tone that may have ultimately separated the two pianists. I'm not sure what the judges discussed but there was something special about the winners tone production, phrasing of every single note and understanding of the piece. It was something extraordinary and this is what put her on top. It was a special performance and if not for the orchestra being very in touch with the pianists touch and tone production I'm not sure she would have carried it off. My orchestra members were very aware of what was happening and their adjustments in volume and color during the performance made that 30 minutes on Sunday very special. I thank the pianists and orchestra members for a memorable afternoon.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
When I buy my groceries must I really answer the questions "Would you like to donate to the disabled"....or "Would you like to donate to Easter Seals"? Here is my problem. I want to buy groceries. If I have money to donate to charities, I will find the charity and donate...or you can send me a letter in the mail requesting a donation. Why must I be made to feel like an asshole for saying "no thanks". I know it's not the fault of the clerk...it's their job. Why don't these multi GODZILLION dollar food chains donate a few million and stop trying to nickel and dime you and me? From now on I'm going to choose my shopping locations based on who lets me shop and leave without asking me if I want to donate....or if I want to have a credit card for the store...or if I'd like fries with that.
Friday, April 3, 2009
I'M GLAD THE SEATS ARE BIGGER
GO YANKEES - WAY TO BUILD THAT STADIUM
I'm happy to report, in keeping up with the times and catering to the
larger citizens of the United States of American and keeping in mind
that US citizens are on average the heaviest people in the world, the New
Yankee Stadium's seats are 2 inches wider than in the old stadium. This
should make everyone very comfy, and figuring that they'll continue to
sell Yankee Franks and Beer at an alarming rate, there should be another
seat expansion in 50 years when they build another new stadium. By the way,
the increase in seat size and slight reconfiguration of the stadium has left us with
nearly 5,000.....yes, 5,000 LESS seats in the new stadium. I guess that's not
a bad thing. Most people can't afford the tickets any more anyway.
MOVIE STAFF ON VACATION
I'm sorry to report that the movie staff has gone on vacation and so all I can do for you today is to recommend a movie and state that the reason I am recommending it is
because it's just good. And here it is: "The Apostle". Written and directed by Robert Duvall and if that weren't enough he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Sorry to say this Robert - you're an absolute freak of nature. You transform yourself so perfect into every role that it is freakish at the highest level. You're a scary person Robert Duvall. You're also the best there is.
MUSIC STAFF GONE FISHING
The music staff is in Palm Springs fishing. Wait...was that a dust storm outside my hotel that just blew sand into my mouth and into my eyes? OK - the finalists are Chopin Concerto No. 2, Schumann Concerto, Rachmaninoff 3. Most people would think the Rachmaninoff must be an automatic winner in an international competition but I might with these soloist today and I will tell you this. It's a complete toss up. I'm glad I just conduct the orchestra and I don't have to judge. What fabulous talents. I was just thinking.....at 8 a.m. this morning I had never met any of these three people, and on Sunday I'll be on stage helping each one of them try to attain the top price in an international competition. Is that cool or what?
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Nothing, absolutely nothing. I have nothing bad to say about anything today. Oh wait, there is one thing. I'm tired of the cash register person at Office Depot, Home Depot and most other places I go asking me for my phone number and zip code. I'm trying to get the balls to just say "I don't give those out". But I feel obligated since they've helped me by offering a service or an item that I want. I just don't want to answer any more. I don't want to chat. I just want to buy my stuff and go home.
I'm happy to report, in keeping up with the times and catering to the
larger citizens of the United States of American and keeping in mind
that US citizens are on average the heaviest people in the world, the New
Yankee Stadium's seats are 2 inches wider than in the old stadium. This
should make everyone very comfy, and figuring that they'll continue to
sell Yankee Franks and Beer at an alarming rate, there should be another
seat expansion in 50 years when they build another new stadium. By the way,
the increase in seat size and slight reconfiguration of the stadium has left us with
nearly 5,000.....yes, 5,000 LESS seats in the new stadium. I guess that's not
a bad thing. Most people can't afford the tickets any more anyway.
MOVIE STAFF ON VACATION
I'm sorry to report that the movie staff has gone on vacation and so all I can do for you today is to recommend a movie and state that the reason I am recommending it is
because it's just good. And here it is: "The Apostle". Written and directed by Robert Duvall and if that weren't enough he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Sorry to say this Robert - you're an absolute freak of nature. You transform yourself so perfect into every role that it is freakish at the highest level. You're a scary person Robert Duvall. You're also the best there is.
MUSIC STAFF GONE FISHING
The music staff is in Palm Springs fishing. Wait...was that a dust storm outside my hotel that just blew sand into my mouth and into my eyes? OK - the finalists are Chopin Concerto No. 2, Schumann Concerto, Rachmaninoff 3. Most people would think the Rachmaninoff must be an automatic winner in an international competition but I might with these soloist today and I will tell you this. It's a complete toss up. I'm glad I just conduct the orchestra and I don't have to judge. What fabulous talents. I was just thinking.....at 8 a.m. this morning I had never met any of these three people, and on Sunday I'll be on stage helping each one of them try to attain the top price in an international competition. Is that cool or what?
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Nothing, absolutely nothing. I have nothing bad to say about anything today. Oh wait, there is one thing. I'm tired of the cash register person at Office Depot, Home Depot and most other places I go asking me for my phone number and zip code. I'm trying to get the balls to just say "I don't give those out". But I feel obligated since they've helped me by offering a service or an item that I want. I just don't want to answer any more. I don't want to chat. I just want to buy my stuff and go home.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
THIS TIME I'LL BE REAL BRIEF
TIGER
A quick blurb about Tiger Woods - and I'm sorry for my briefness, but I have a short trip coming up so
I'll do my best since some of ya keep coming back. I'm not sure there is any athlete alive today that
dominates a sport like Tiger Woods. As a matter of fact, I'd be fairly confident to say that other than
Babe Ruth and Michael Jordon, no other athlete has completely taken over a sport and brought the sport
to the masses like Tiger Woods has. I never gave a crap about golf. I'd watch once in a while. But you better
believe that if he is anywhere on the leader board on Master's Sunday in a few weeks I'll be watching. OK,
maybe golf isn't quite as physically challenging as most sports but to hold such mental dominance ...and physical
dominance over your computers for a sustained amount of time is extraordinary.
LIONS
I'm dreading losing people's visits by typing as fast as I can and getting on with my work day so since Tiger
dominated part one I'll give "The Lion King" as movie section of the day. There, I did it. Lion King - one of the
best animated films ever.....great music.....the acting is quite ambitious and the costume design is
delicious. Come on people....I'm trying to get my catchy heading to relate. Cut me some slack...I'm under
serious performance pressure this week.
BEARS....oh MY
So yes, Haydn wrote symphonies and many have catchy titles....the Drum Roll Symphony, the Farewell Symphony, but did you know there was a "Bear Symphony". This is Symphony No. 82 by Haydn. Haydn intimates the tonality of bagpipes or a low sustained drone in the last movement and thus the symphony received it's nickname. Evidently a piano arrangement with dne in the early 19th century titled "Dance of the Bears" using music from Haydn's movement. Never seen this arrangement but that's the story.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Republicans who have hammered away at Obama since day one as if having another Republican in office like George Bush would have somehow miraculously fixed the never ending cesspool of shit that he left for the next guy. Come on people - it was a no win situation from the beginning and your man got us there....so go ahead and bash the new guy while he tries new things.....you put us there...you can go ahead and complain that you don't like what the next guy is doing to try to fix it. Must sometimes be nice to be blessed with lack of short term memory.
A quick blurb about Tiger Woods - and I'm sorry for my briefness, but I have a short trip coming up so
I'll do my best since some of ya keep coming back. I'm not sure there is any athlete alive today that
dominates a sport like Tiger Woods. As a matter of fact, I'd be fairly confident to say that other than
Babe Ruth and Michael Jordon, no other athlete has completely taken over a sport and brought the sport
to the masses like Tiger Woods has. I never gave a crap about golf. I'd watch once in a while. But you better
believe that if he is anywhere on the leader board on Master's Sunday in a few weeks I'll be watching. OK,
maybe golf isn't quite as physically challenging as most sports but to hold such mental dominance ...and physical
dominance over your computers for a sustained amount of time is extraordinary.
LIONS
I'm dreading losing people's visits by typing as fast as I can and getting on with my work day so since Tiger
dominated part one I'll give "The Lion King" as movie section of the day. There, I did it. Lion King - one of the
best animated films ever.....great music.....the acting is quite ambitious and the costume design is
delicious. Come on people....I'm trying to get my catchy heading to relate. Cut me some slack...I'm under
serious performance pressure this week.
BEARS....oh MY
So yes, Haydn wrote symphonies and many have catchy titles....the Drum Roll Symphony, the Farewell Symphony, but did you know there was a "Bear Symphony". This is Symphony No. 82 by Haydn. Haydn intimates the tonality of bagpipes or a low sustained drone in the last movement and thus the symphony received it's nickname. Evidently a piano arrangement with dne in the early 19th century titled "Dance of the Bears" using music from Haydn's movement. Never seen this arrangement but that's the story.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Republicans who have hammered away at Obama since day one as if having another Republican in office like George Bush would have somehow miraculously fixed the never ending cesspool of shit that he left for the next guy. Come on people - it was a no win situation from the beginning and your man got us there....so go ahead and bash the new guy while he tries new things.....you put us there...you can go ahead and complain that you don't like what the next guy is doing to try to fix it. Must sometimes be nice to be blessed with lack of short term memory.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
KILLING DOGS, DOG DAY, WOLF DOGS, HOT DOGS
HE'S BACK
GREAT!!!! Michael Vick.....fresh off of serving jail time for being involved in organized dog fighting rings is likely to be picked up by an NFL team. I love the people who say "hey...he's paid his dues....I hope he can be successful and still lead a productive life". OK...I'll give you this - he's paid his dues and I hope he lives a productive life. As for being successful who the hell cares. Let him sign his first 5-10 million dollar contract and fail miserably. He still deserves that much. I hope he signs for enough to live for a few years until he can get real job but I dread seeing him have an ounce of success on an NFL field. That's just me. I can have an opinion, right?
YOU CAN CALL ME AL
Three words: Dog Day Afternoon. Al Pacino and John Casale - great acting...a true over the top 1970's crime drama with twists and turns at every corner. Pacino puts every fiber of his being into this role. He is young, brash, and you know from the moment the movie starts that this guy just may have a career. BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE. John Casale....yes that's his name John Casale - no not Pacino......Fredo from the Godfather. Here is your trivia for the day - did you know that John Casale who played alongside Pacino in Dog Day and also played Fredo in the Godfather movies was in 5 films in his short life. EVERY film was nominated for a Academy Award for Best Film. Casale died very young from cancer and I'm thrilled to see that a film about his life premiered at this year's Sundance Festival. HIGHLY recommend Dog Day Afternoon.
WOLFEY
Listen people...Peter and the Wolf is not just a cute little children's piece with a good moral at the end of the story. This is a major orchestra composition. I've frequently used excerpts from this work as part of my audition process for orchestras. So next time you listen, don't just listen to the story. Listen and appreciate the very creative orchestration and technical demands placed on individual members of the orchestra. I think I've blogged about Peter already, so suffice to it to say that you should buy a copy for your kids and listen along with them.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
I'm griping about a great travesty that occurred as I grew up as a kid. It was the travesty of the hot dog. One day, someone decided to tell everyone that hot dogs had rat hairs in them and other gross stuff. So hot dogs got a bad rap. Even today it seems that the delicious wiener cannot escape the death grip that was cast upon it in the 1970's and 80's. I'm here to say that Hot Dogs are fabulous. In addition, there are money great hot dog places......not always easy to find, but they're around. So lay off the freakin hot dogs already....if I want to eat 4-5-6 on a weekend while watching sports, that's life. And by the way - only hot mustard please....not of that bright yellow crap.
GREAT!!!! Michael Vick.....fresh off of serving jail time for being involved in organized dog fighting rings is likely to be picked up by an NFL team. I love the people who say "hey...he's paid his dues....I hope he can be successful and still lead a productive life". OK...I'll give you this - he's paid his dues and I hope he lives a productive life. As for being successful who the hell cares. Let him sign his first 5-10 million dollar contract and fail miserably. He still deserves that much. I hope he signs for enough to live for a few years until he can get real job but I dread seeing him have an ounce of success on an NFL field. That's just me. I can have an opinion, right?
YOU CAN CALL ME AL
Three words: Dog Day Afternoon. Al Pacino and John Casale - great acting...a true over the top 1970's crime drama with twists and turns at every corner. Pacino puts every fiber of his being into this role. He is young, brash, and you know from the moment the movie starts that this guy just may have a career. BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE. John Casale....yes that's his name John Casale - no not Pacino......Fredo from the Godfather. Here is your trivia for the day - did you know that John Casale who played alongside Pacino in Dog Day and also played Fredo in the Godfather movies was in 5 films in his short life. EVERY film was nominated for a Academy Award for Best Film. Casale died very young from cancer and I'm thrilled to see that a film about his life premiered at this year's Sundance Festival. HIGHLY recommend Dog Day Afternoon.
WOLFEY
Listen people...Peter and the Wolf is not just a cute little children's piece with a good moral at the end of the story. This is a major orchestra composition. I've frequently used excerpts from this work as part of my audition process for orchestras. So next time you listen, don't just listen to the story. Listen and appreciate the very creative orchestration and technical demands placed on individual members of the orchestra. I think I've blogged about Peter already, so suffice to it to say that you should buy a copy for your kids and listen along with them.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
I'm griping about a great travesty that occurred as I grew up as a kid. It was the travesty of the hot dog. One day, someone decided to tell everyone that hot dogs had rat hairs in them and other gross stuff. So hot dogs got a bad rap. Even today it seems that the delicious wiener cannot escape the death grip that was cast upon it in the 1970's and 80's. I'm here to say that Hot Dogs are fabulous. In addition, there are money great hot dog places......not always easy to find, but they're around. So lay off the freakin hot dogs already....if I want to eat 4-5-6 on a weekend while watching sports, that's life. And by the way - only hot mustard please....not of that bright yellow crap.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
BAILOUT, SEX, MURDER, MCDONALDS and COCA COLA
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT
So they say if you have a catchy title on your blog - maybe some good keywords - it will get you more hits on your site. OK - so my title has nothing to do with my blog - it's just to get more hits. So for sports today I'll simply complain that most of the very top seeds made it through March madness and now we'll likely get the pleasure of watching North Carolina in another championship game. Wip-dee-freakin doo da day! So I'm not in the mood to yammer about sports today so I'll give you a little tip in case you want to smile and enjoy a day out in the sun. Find the local Little League field and go watch the 5 year olds play tee-ball. That's what life is all about. Pure relaxation, fun, and guaranteed mayhem. There is nothing like watching a ball hit off a tee and then watching 10 or so kids on the other team pile on top of each other fighting for the ball or watching the kid in center field playing with blades of grass oblivious to the fact that a hit ball just rolled right by him. FUN IN THE SUN!!!!!
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
OK, I'm going Independent Film again and I know this will by no means be everyone's cup of TV and probably not recommended for the kiddies. It's a little movie called Chuck and Buck. Trust me on this one - if you like creative film making, good acting and a very interesting albeit off the wall story rent this one. Mike White wrote and directed the film and also plays the lead role of an adult still lost in a child's world. As usual I prefer not to give much away about specifics of the story but I will tell you that you won't be able to take yourself away from the screen. The acting is relaxed and brilliant and I'm thankful that we have writers like White that will put some taboo subject matter onto the big screen.
ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK
So I'm now conducting the Prelude to the Opera "Hansel and Gretel" by the Austrian composer Englebert Humperdinck. But I do realize that most of you know Mr. "Dink" as the guy who sings the power ballad "After the Lovin". Well I decided to youtube Mr. "Dink" and he did quite a rendition in Vegas in the 80's. He has quite an amazing voice and while I don't normally recommend pop singers on the music part of my blog he is well worth listening to. Particularly amazing is his "opera lesson" on youtube where he sings parts of Puccini's "La Boheme". The guy has quite a range. Oh - and while you're at it - the opera "Hansel and Gretel" by the other "Mr. Dink" is both colorful and beautiful and cannot be recommended more highly. Try to see and hear it in live performance if you get a chance. Who would thought it - two Engelbert Humperdinck's that are both one hit wonders. How odd.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
That I can't just fly where I want whenever I want. This is a gripe that I must do something about. I must find another job as if I'm not busy enough already but I'm just tired of not being able to hop on a plane for a weekend. So for all of you that think college professors are well off and have comfortable lives.....hahahahahah, think again my friends. Cash, checks and money orders accepted.
So they say if you have a catchy title on your blog - maybe some good keywords - it will get you more hits on your site. OK - so my title has nothing to do with my blog - it's just to get more hits. So for sports today I'll simply complain that most of the very top seeds made it through March madness and now we'll likely get the pleasure of watching North Carolina in another championship game. Wip-dee-freakin doo da day! So I'm not in the mood to yammer about sports today so I'll give you a little tip in case you want to smile and enjoy a day out in the sun. Find the local Little League field and go watch the 5 year olds play tee-ball. That's what life is all about. Pure relaxation, fun, and guaranteed mayhem. There is nothing like watching a ball hit off a tee and then watching 10 or so kids on the other team pile on top of each other fighting for the ball or watching the kid in center field playing with blades of grass oblivious to the fact that a hit ball just rolled right by him. FUN IN THE SUN!!!!!
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
OK, I'm going Independent Film again and I know this will by no means be everyone's cup of TV and probably not recommended for the kiddies. It's a little movie called Chuck and Buck. Trust me on this one - if you like creative film making, good acting and a very interesting albeit off the wall story rent this one. Mike White wrote and directed the film and also plays the lead role of an adult still lost in a child's world. As usual I prefer not to give much away about specifics of the story but I will tell you that you won't be able to take yourself away from the screen. The acting is relaxed and brilliant and I'm thankful that we have writers like White that will put some taboo subject matter onto the big screen.
ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK
So I'm now conducting the Prelude to the Opera "Hansel and Gretel" by the Austrian composer Englebert Humperdinck. But I do realize that most of you know Mr. "Dink" as the guy who sings the power ballad "After the Lovin". Well I decided to youtube Mr. "Dink" and he did quite a rendition in Vegas in the 80's. He has quite an amazing voice and while I don't normally recommend pop singers on the music part of my blog he is well worth listening to. Particularly amazing is his "opera lesson" on youtube where he sings parts of Puccini's "La Boheme". The guy has quite a range. Oh - and while you're at it - the opera "Hansel and Gretel" by the other "Mr. Dink" is both colorful and beautiful and cannot be recommended more highly. Try to see and hear it in live performance if you get a chance. Who would thought it - two Engelbert Humperdinck's that are both one hit wonders. How odd.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
That I can't just fly where I want whenever I want. This is a gripe that I must do something about. I must find another job as if I'm not busy enough already but I'm just tired of not being able to hop on a plane for a weekend. So for all of you that think college professors are well off and have comfortable lives.....hahahahahah, think again my friends. Cash, checks and money orders accepted.
LATE NIGHT BLOGGIN
IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT YET.....
This is a 3 part blog - 1st sports, then movies, then music. All your infotainment in one tightly wrapped package. It's late and today's blog will be a bit brief. (I know - that's what I always say) So for my sport of the day I've chosen Poker. Ok - it's not a sport...whatever...it's a game. I'll only address the people that wonder why and how people could get so attached to it. It's as simple as this - it's a rare game that combines advanced mathematical skills, psychology and completely unpredictable chance. Now once you get the first two mastered you set yourself up to have a better chance once you hit those moments of chance. It's as simple as that...you can think it through but there are simply not that many games out there that combine a high skill level with what some would consider total luck.
SPELLBOUND
Spellbound was a documentary that followed a number of very intelligent little kids in their pursuit to win the Scripts National Spelling Bee. I can sum this one up easily: The exciting thing about the movie was the simple fact that these kids came from so many different walks or life, locations, and unbringings. It shows that the most talented kid can come from anywhere and what makes this kid talented is not easily predictable. I would even recommend this one for those of you with kids. All the kids in the movie are wonderful, and whether you think their parents are pushy and drive them or not, all the parents deeply love their kids and you can see that in the movie.
CHOPIN
I guess my mom missed me once I left for college and thoughout her last years. She died just prior to a full week of dress rehearsals and performances I had for an opera I was conducting. I flew to the funeral and left the next day to get back for my performance. It was difficult to do this as I had to leave my brother and sister in NY and not even help clean out my mom's apartment. However, after the funeral we went back to her place and I found a stack of CD's - all Chopin piano music. It seemed that almost all I played growing up was Chopin. She loved it and I know how much she missed my playing. She even sold my piano within a year of when I moved out to help me out with money for college. I wonder how she felt the day the piano was moved out. I'll never know now. One thing I do know - everyone needs to own a few Chopin recordings. I would highly recommend the Ballads and the Scherzos as these are some of his greatest solo works.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
The complete asshole coach who pulled his son (the catcher) out of the baseball game today in the middle of an inning after the kid made 3 errors. I was coaching for the opposite team. That was simply the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Asshole, asshole, asshole. How in the hell could this possibly be a good lesson for a 14 year old? A pitcher having problems on the mound is one thing but to pull a position player out of a game in the middle of an inning has got to be one of the most humiliating things you can ever do to a player. Not only that, but this guy actually rags on his son from the first base coaching box while the kid is trying to hit: "oh....that's a great swing....just great"........"keep doing that, that will work". Oh - I'm sorry - let me be more clear: Chatsworth Junior Baseball League Junior Giants. Asshole.
This is a 3 part blog - 1st sports, then movies, then music. All your infotainment in one tightly wrapped package. It's late and today's blog will be a bit brief. (I know - that's what I always say) So for my sport of the day I've chosen Poker. Ok - it's not a sport...whatever...it's a game. I'll only address the people that wonder why and how people could get so attached to it. It's as simple as this - it's a rare game that combines advanced mathematical skills, psychology and completely unpredictable chance. Now once you get the first two mastered you set yourself up to have a better chance once you hit those moments of chance. It's as simple as that...you can think it through but there are simply not that many games out there that combine a high skill level with what some would consider total luck.
SPELLBOUND
Spellbound was a documentary that followed a number of very intelligent little kids in their pursuit to win the Scripts National Spelling Bee. I can sum this one up easily: The exciting thing about the movie was the simple fact that these kids came from so many different walks or life, locations, and unbringings. It shows that the most talented kid can come from anywhere and what makes this kid talented is not easily predictable. I would even recommend this one for those of you with kids. All the kids in the movie are wonderful, and whether you think their parents are pushy and drive them or not, all the parents deeply love their kids and you can see that in the movie.
CHOPIN
I guess my mom missed me once I left for college and thoughout her last years. She died just prior to a full week of dress rehearsals and performances I had for an opera I was conducting. I flew to the funeral and left the next day to get back for my performance. It was difficult to do this as I had to leave my brother and sister in NY and not even help clean out my mom's apartment. However, after the funeral we went back to her place and I found a stack of CD's - all Chopin piano music. It seemed that almost all I played growing up was Chopin. She loved it and I know how much she missed my playing. She even sold my piano within a year of when I moved out to help me out with money for college. I wonder how she felt the day the piano was moved out. I'll never know now. One thing I do know - everyone needs to own a few Chopin recordings. I would highly recommend the Ballads and the Scherzos as these are some of his greatest solo works.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
The complete asshole coach who pulled his son (the catcher) out of the baseball game today in the middle of an inning after the kid made 3 errors. I was coaching for the opposite team. That was simply the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Asshole, asshole, asshole. How in the hell could this possibly be a good lesson for a 14 year old? A pitcher having problems on the mound is one thing but to pull a position player out of a game in the middle of an inning has got to be one of the most humiliating things you can ever do to a player. Not only that, but this guy actually rags on his son from the first base coaching box while the kid is trying to hit: "oh....that's a great swing....just great"........"keep doing that, that will work". Oh - I'm sorry - let me be more clear: Chatsworth Junior Baseball League Junior Giants. Asshole.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE???
HOW TO TREAT THE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Ya know - if I knew who was logging onto this site...whether there were more sports fans, movies fans, music fans...I would make the needed adjustments and give the public what they want. But I don't, so I get to keep doing what I want. So I was just thinking how sad I feel when an NCAA basketball player makes it to the final four and his family members are unable to get the money together to see him perform in the finals live because he is an inner city kid and his family has no money. I always felt that the university should pay for the family to be there; after all, the university makes millions on these events. So I just changed my mind. No university would ever pay for my parents to come see me perform at a major international venue as a musician just because my family didn't have the money to attend. I say treat the athlete like any other college student. You're probably getting your tuition paid....oh, and by the way, in addition to getting your tuition paid, you get to go play ball for 4-5 hours a day.....oh, and wait....sometimes you can get a counselor or tutor to actually take tests for you. Oh, and your parents can watch the game on TV very much unlike my performances as a musician. I think that's plenty, thank you.
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
In case you missed this one a few years ago, the Motorcycle Diaries is a nice independent film touching on episodes in the life of Che Guevara. I just heard that there is a 2 part epic out in theaters that really goes into more detail on Che's life and I plan on seeing it. Che led quite a fascinating life and was a true independent spirit and this film focuses on more of his early life....teenage through early adult years. It's a beautiful film and it is highly recommended.
APPALACHIAN SPRING
Last night a new work...a ballet by Martha Graham with music by American Aaron Copland was premiered. It is called "Appalachian Spring" and every second of it
exquisitely captures all things American from the vastness of our land and beauty of our nature to the vitality of rural life and the personality of its people. Copland once again supplies us with open harmony - 5ths, 4ths....stacked on top of one another, which at times obscures key center but also give the music a feeling of openness and anticipation. Copland's ability to write music that craves the partner of human movement undoubtedly puts him in line with the greatest of ballet composer, from Lully to Tchaikovsky to Stravinsky. However, like all great composers, it is the sound that sets one apart. Copland has his own. It is in his orchestration, it is in his harmony, it is in his underlying optimism and feelings towards the nature of this country that have allowed him to rise above many others. In 100 years when someone asks.....What is America? Who are the people that have defined America? Some may say Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and others but in the art world their may be no match to the name Aaron Copland.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
This is a gripe gone reverse. I use to complain that Wal-mart was trying to be all things to all people and putting others out of business. Then I couldn't understand why McDonald's needed to sell Starbucks style coffee to try to take people away from Starbucks. Then I complained that Starbucks added breakfast sandwiches to try to get back at McDonalds. (not sure of the order of when each of these occurred but I did find it humerous) So I'm not griping any more. I live in L.A. .....we drive a lot. From now on, I'm interested in one stop only in the morning. I want my mocha and the food of my choice and I'm happy that both Starbucks and McDonalds can satisfy me. However, I did need black shoe polish on the way into work the other day and wonder if Starbucks and McDonalds wouldn't consider a little area called "things that people might need on the way to work because they forgot" as part of their marketing and sales strategy....you know, show polish, one a day vitamins, mouthwash, deodorant, sun glasses, umbrellas, floss, eye liner for the ladies, crossword puzzle books for the kids. How about it?
Ya know - if I knew who was logging onto this site...whether there were more sports fans, movies fans, music fans...I would make the needed adjustments and give the public what they want. But I don't, so I get to keep doing what I want. So I was just thinking how sad I feel when an NCAA basketball player makes it to the final four and his family members are unable to get the money together to see him perform in the finals live because he is an inner city kid and his family has no money. I always felt that the university should pay for the family to be there; after all, the university makes millions on these events. So I just changed my mind. No university would ever pay for my parents to come see me perform at a major international venue as a musician just because my family didn't have the money to attend. I say treat the athlete like any other college student. You're probably getting your tuition paid....oh, and by the way, in addition to getting your tuition paid, you get to go play ball for 4-5 hours a day.....oh, and wait....sometimes you can get a counselor or tutor to actually take tests for you. Oh, and your parents can watch the game on TV very much unlike my performances as a musician. I think that's plenty, thank you.
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
In case you missed this one a few years ago, the Motorcycle Diaries is a nice independent film touching on episodes in the life of Che Guevara. I just heard that there is a 2 part epic out in theaters that really goes into more detail on Che's life and I plan on seeing it. Che led quite a fascinating life and was a true independent spirit and this film focuses on more of his early life....teenage through early adult years. It's a beautiful film and it is highly recommended.
APPALACHIAN SPRING
Last night a new work...a ballet by Martha Graham with music by American Aaron Copland was premiered. It is called "Appalachian Spring" and every second of it
exquisitely captures all things American from the vastness of our land and beauty of our nature to the vitality of rural life and the personality of its people. Copland once again supplies us with open harmony - 5ths, 4ths....stacked on top of one another, which at times obscures key center but also give the music a feeling of openness and anticipation. Copland's ability to write music that craves the partner of human movement undoubtedly puts him in line with the greatest of ballet composer, from Lully to Tchaikovsky to Stravinsky. However, like all great composers, it is the sound that sets one apart. Copland has his own. It is in his orchestration, it is in his harmony, it is in his underlying optimism and feelings towards the nature of this country that have allowed him to rise above many others. In 100 years when someone asks.....What is America? Who are the people that have defined America? Some may say Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and others but in the art world their may be no match to the name Aaron Copland.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
This is a gripe gone reverse. I use to complain that Wal-mart was trying to be all things to all people and putting others out of business. Then I couldn't understand why McDonald's needed to sell Starbucks style coffee to try to take people away from Starbucks. Then I complained that Starbucks added breakfast sandwiches to try to get back at McDonalds. (not sure of the order of when each of these occurred but I did find it humerous) So I'm not griping any more. I live in L.A. .....we drive a lot. From now on, I'm interested in one stop only in the morning. I want my mocha and the food of my choice and I'm happy that both Starbucks and McDonalds can satisfy me. However, I did need black shoe polish on the way into work the other day and wonder if Starbucks and McDonalds wouldn't consider a little area called "things that people might need on the way to work because they forgot" as part of their marketing and sales strategy....you know, show polish, one a day vitamins, mouthwash, deodorant, sun glasses, umbrellas, floss, eye liner for the ladies, crossword puzzle books for the kids. How about it?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
METAPHORS OR LACK THEREOF
BASEBALL
Baseball is a great metaphor for life. We work to attain a certain level of excellence as individuals in various facets of life but eventually most of us become part of a team....could be a family team or work team. We still work to achieve individual goals but often we must sacrifice for the greater good. And that brings me to my main man, Ichiro Suzuki. This guy had more hits in one season than anyone in the history of baseball. Yes, the other night, in a critical moment of the game, he laid down what was to be a sacrifice bunt. This play allows the runner on 2nd in this case, to move to 3rd and usually the bunter is thrown out. In effect, the player gives himself up for the good of the team and to move the runner up. In this case however, Ichiro was simply too fast and even made it to 1st safely himself. This is why I think baseball is the greatest sport. I've racked my brain today and can't think of another team sport where a player has to truly sacrifice themselves and make an out in order to help the team. You can say passing up a shot in basketball is similar but you're really no giving yourself up. Luckily, baseball realized early on that a player should not be penalized due to such a sacrifice and the player is not even given an official at-bat in the box score. I love the sacrifice in baseball.....it is the ultimate in respect for team and group goals and seems to mirror much of what we encounter everyday at work and at home.
MOVIES AS METAPHOR FOR PILES OF CRAP
I understand that I look at things from an artist's perspective. So when I see what I consider heaping piles of dog shit thrown up on the movie screen on a weekly basis and watch millions and millions of people pay millions and millions of dollars to see this stuff I understand why it is a never ending cycle. To me movies are theater. I want to see people who are at the highest level in their profession, who really now how to act, who don't just look good but can get inside a character's mind and bring that character to us. I also like costume design, music, sounds effects and all that stuff. So when I see an odd cut in a movie...something I'd consider bad editing...I think to myself "are you fucking kidding me?"....."this is the same as an NBA player - someone who shoots baskets all day long - only able to hit 50 percent of his free throws". Please people....are we just going to keep turning out the crap as fast as we can forever? Are any of these idiot editors and idiot screenwriters ever going to be held accountable? Well, I guess as long as you can hit just 50 percent at the free throw line you're good enough to make 10 million a year. In the NBA it's called height. In Hollywood it's called "who ya know".
97.1 AS A METAPHOR FOR ARMAGEDDON
97.1 was my favorite talk radio station. They had Adam Carrola in the morning, Tom Leykis in the afternoon and a bunch of other rather funny and entertaining shows on all day long. It made driving in L.A. tolerable. But now hang on people - all those talk personalities are too expensive....so they fire everyone and start a non-stop music format. The billboards all around LA now have "The New 97.1" and lucky for us - pictures of Brittney Spears all over the place. I'm at a complete loss, I really am. This is what is important in America. Brittney Spears. She must be marketed over and over and over. This is what we want our children to behold as the good in life. This is what we want them to aspire to. This is good art. This is good entertainment. Thank you CBS. Thank you 97.1 for clarifying. OH, I know it's a money issue like everything else but why don't you take your money and just buy yourselves a nice place on the Ivory Coast or something. Why must you keep force feeding our culture such complete shit?
GRIPE OF THE DAY
HUH? Must I really grip? I've done that already. OK - maybe I'll try a "Props of the Day" today. Um...let me think. OK - props to every music student at my university who double or triples their practice time on weekends while everyone else is out playing in the sun. You are the ones that will have the jobs in the future and then you'll get your time in the sun, while the others are stuck in 60 hour a week jobs.
Baseball is a great metaphor for life. We work to attain a certain level of excellence as individuals in various facets of life but eventually most of us become part of a team....could be a family team or work team. We still work to achieve individual goals but often we must sacrifice for the greater good. And that brings me to my main man, Ichiro Suzuki. This guy had more hits in one season than anyone in the history of baseball. Yes, the other night, in a critical moment of the game, he laid down what was to be a sacrifice bunt. This play allows the runner on 2nd in this case, to move to 3rd and usually the bunter is thrown out. In effect, the player gives himself up for the good of the team and to move the runner up. In this case however, Ichiro was simply too fast and even made it to 1st safely himself. This is why I think baseball is the greatest sport. I've racked my brain today and can't think of another team sport where a player has to truly sacrifice themselves and make an out in order to help the team. You can say passing up a shot in basketball is similar but you're really no giving yourself up. Luckily, baseball realized early on that a player should not be penalized due to such a sacrifice and the player is not even given an official at-bat in the box score. I love the sacrifice in baseball.....it is the ultimate in respect for team and group goals and seems to mirror much of what we encounter everyday at work and at home.
MOVIES AS METAPHOR FOR PILES OF CRAP
I understand that I look at things from an artist's perspective. So when I see what I consider heaping piles of dog shit thrown up on the movie screen on a weekly basis and watch millions and millions of people pay millions and millions of dollars to see this stuff I understand why it is a never ending cycle. To me movies are theater. I want to see people who are at the highest level in their profession, who really now how to act, who don't just look good but can get inside a character's mind and bring that character to us. I also like costume design, music, sounds effects and all that stuff. So when I see an odd cut in a movie...something I'd consider bad editing...I think to myself "are you fucking kidding me?"....."this is the same as an NBA player - someone who shoots baskets all day long - only able to hit 50 percent of his free throws". Please people....are we just going to keep turning out the crap as fast as we can forever? Are any of these idiot editors and idiot screenwriters ever going to be held accountable? Well, I guess as long as you can hit just 50 percent at the free throw line you're good enough to make 10 million a year. In the NBA it's called height. In Hollywood it's called "who ya know".
97.1 AS A METAPHOR FOR ARMAGEDDON
97.1 was my favorite talk radio station. They had Adam Carrola in the morning, Tom Leykis in the afternoon and a bunch of other rather funny and entertaining shows on all day long. It made driving in L.A. tolerable. But now hang on people - all those talk personalities are too expensive....so they fire everyone and start a non-stop music format. The billboards all around LA now have "The New 97.1" and lucky for us - pictures of Brittney Spears all over the place. I'm at a complete loss, I really am. This is what is important in America. Brittney Spears. She must be marketed over and over and over. This is what we want our children to behold as the good in life. This is what we want them to aspire to. This is good art. This is good entertainment. Thank you CBS. Thank you 97.1 for clarifying. OH, I know it's a money issue like everything else but why don't you take your money and just buy yourselves a nice place on the Ivory Coast or something. Why must you keep force feeding our culture such complete shit?
GRIPE OF THE DAY
HUH? Must I really grip? I've done that already. OK - maybe I'll try a "Props of the Day" today. Um...let me think. OK - props to every music student at my university who double or triples their practice time on weekends while everyone else is out playing in the sun. You are the ones that will have the jobs in the future and then you'll get your time in the sun, while the others are stuck in 60 hour a week jobs.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I GOTTA BE HONEST.......
I'M WORN DOWN
You'll never here this from me again. I'm so tired after a long day that I'm even having trouble turning on sports center right now. I have no idea what happened today in the world of sports. That is completely insane. I should never be put into such a positions. There must be a way to reserve 4-6 hours out of every day for the remainder of my life in order that I can enjoy my greatest hobby....sports viewing. I feel like I'm letting town those 10's or thousands who log onto this thought provoking blog every day in order to take just one sip of the wealth of sports trivia that houses itself in my brain (just to the left of the part that remember my first sentence in Spanish class: "Esta Susana en Casa?". Sorry. Sports will return tomorrow.
I'M REALLY WORN DOWN
Don't know why, but a movie always pops into my head. I never log onto this blog with a particularly movie in mind. I start typing (clocked at 90 WPM last check, thank you very much), and out comes Dustin Hoffman being "worn down" in the Academy Award winning Kramer vs. Kramer. What a great movie. Yeah, there's something no name actress named Meryl Streep in there. She's ok and all, but once you get over her it really does turn out to be a classic. Oh, come on Meryl...you know I love ya. As a matter of fact I just may make next week Meryl Streep week on my movie blog.
DAMN I'M TIRED
Six piano concerti is a lot of music for an orchestra to have to learn. And the amount of stress it can cause a conductor is quite noteworthy. And so it is without further delay that I hereby shun all piano concerti and recommend the spectacular, gorgeous and outright odd Harmonica Concerto of Hector Villa Lobos. Yes, the harmonica concerto. OK - it may be impossible to find and even harder to find someone to play it but you know, it's really quite amazing what a virtuoso can do on that instrument. Wow....I'm exhausted to the point of writing about harmonica concerti. What next, the famous Johann Sebastion Hinkelmeister's "Hurdy Gurdy, Zither, and Dulimer Triple Concerto". I'm tired.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
People that don't like the fact that other people are perfectionists. "oooh...he's such a perfectionist"......"yeah, he's nice and all, but what a pain...he's such a perfectionist". Hate to announce this on my blog. But if not for perfectionists we wouldn't have some of the great art works, musical works and literary works that we have today. Not many of the works were conceived and executed by average people doing and average job. So you go ahead and keep being average. I suppose that's the way to live a more comfortable life. Sometimes perfectionism is not a choice. It is often an inborn trait...a part of our personality, possibly even our genetic makeup. I'm sure perfectionism can lead to bad things from time to time but I'm pretty certain it cannot lead to as many bad things as being a no-standards, non-motivated lazy ass. Good night.
You'll never here this from me again. I'm so tired after a long day that I'm even having trouble turning on sports center right now. I have no idea what happened today in the world of sports. That is completely insane. I should never be put into such a positions. There must be a way to reserve 4-6 hours out of every day for the remainder of my life in order that I can enjoy my greatest hobby....sports viewing. I feel like I'm letting town those 10's or thousands who log onto this thought provoking blog every day in order to take just one sip of the wealth of sports trivia that houses itself in my brain (just to the left of the part that remember my first sentence in Spanish class: "Esta Susana en Casa?". Sorry. Sports will return tomorrow.
I'M REALLY WORN DOWN
Don't know why, but a movie always pops into my head. I never log onto this blog with a particularly movie in mind. I start typing (clocked at 90 WPM last check, thank you very much), and out comes Dustin Hoffman being "worn down" in the Academy Award winning Kramer vs. Kramer. What a great movie. Yeah, there's something no name actress named Meryl Streep in there. She's ok and all, but once you get over her it really does turn out to be a classic. Oh, come on Meryl...you know I love ya. As a matter of fact I just may make next week Meryl Streep week on my movie blog.
DAMN I'M TIRED
Six piano concerti is a lot of music for an orchestra to have to learn. And the amount of stress it can cause a conductor is quite noteworthy. And so it is without further delay that I hereby shun all piano concerti and recommend the spectacular, gorgeous and outright odd Harmonica Concerto of Hector Villa Lobos. Yes, the harmonica concerto. OK - it may be impossible to find and even harder to find someone to play it but you know, it's really quite amazing what a virtuoso can do on that instrument. Wow....I'm exhausted to the point of writing about harmonica concerti. What next, the famous Johann Sebastion Hinkelmeister's "Hurdy Gurdy, Zither, and Dulimer Triple Concerto". I'm tired.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
People that don't like the fact that other people are perfectionists. "oooh...he's such a perfectionist"......"yeah, he's nice and all, but what a pain...he's such a perfectionist". Hate to announce this on my blog. But if not for perfectionists we wouldn't have some of the great art works, musical works and literary works that we have today. Not many of the works were conceived and executed by average people doing and average job. So you go ahead and keep being average. I suppose that's the way to live a more comfortable life. Sometimes perfectionism is not a choice. It is often an inborn trait...a part of our personality, possibly even our genetic makeup. I'm sure perfectionism can lead to bad things from time to time but I'm pretty certain it cannot lead to as many bad things as being a no-standards, non-motivated lazy ass. Good night.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
THANK GOD.............
it was Korean and Japan in the World Baseball Classic Championship last night. Thank God it wasn't the lazy ass "we don't want to send our best players" Americans. I'm going to tell you why the Americans won't send their best players. Because they will get their ass handed to them on a silver platter and won't be able to boast that we are truly the baseball mecca. Screw that. Japan is the greatest baseball power in the world and Korea is second. I'm not sure the U.S. even cracks the top 5 but.....we'll ok - I'll give the 4th for now. There is no way on earth, even with our best players that we would be those teams. THEY ARE TEAMS AND NOT INDIVIDUALS. I watched the game starting in inning 3 with the score 1-0 last night. It was a baseball lovers dream. High intensity, strategy on every pitch, electrified crowd. I've never seen this sport before but I hope it comes to this country soon.
PROPS TO THE JAPANESE
I'm going all Asian today - Memoirs of a Geisha is the film and I highly recommend it. Like Slumdog Millionaire we are not bombarded with big name actors and at times get very nice performances turned in by children as well. What really struck me was the pure beauty of the film shooting, the wardrobe and the music. The film is sensual form beginning to end and you can't help but not get wrapped up in it. I remember being completely shocked the John Williams wrote the score. I hear no John Williams in that score. I moved him up a few notches on my composer ladder to the stars.
TAKEMITSU
I like him because he only sound like him. That's the true mark of a great composer. Mozart only sounds like Mozart. Debussy only sounds like Debussy. Takemitsu only sounds like Takemitsu......well wait....OK - maybe he sounds like a weird mix of Debussy and Messiaen with a touch of Lutslawski and a few others but all in all he sounds like him. How does a composer achieve a distinctive sound? It's all about melody, harmony and tone color....rhythm is important but I find that the distinction can primarily be drawn from their approach to melodic and harmonic ideas and their use of color and shading. So thank you Japanese for baseball, movies and music. My blog for the day is complete.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
I don't yell at umpires - I think it's immature and I think they do the best they can. But when my son made a spectacular diving catch in right center last night and the ump was not in a position to seem him officially catch the ball he ruled no catch. So HEY UMP ------ YOU SUCK!!!! BTW - that same kid with the no catch hit the game tying triple and scored the winning run in the bottom of the 6th.
it was Korean and Japan in the World Baseball Classic Championship last night. Thank God it wasn't the lazy ass "we don't want to send our best players" Americans. I'm going to tell you why the Americans won't send their best players. Because they will get their ass handed to them on a silver platter and won't be able to boast that we are truly the baseball mecca. Screw that. Japan is the greatest baseball power in the world and Korea is second. I'm not sure the U.S. even cracks the top 5 but.....we'll ok - I'll give the 4th for now. There is no way on earth, even with our best players that we would be those teams. THEY ARE TEAMS AND NOT INDIVIDUALS. I watched the game starting in inning 3 with the score 1-0 last night. It was a baseball lovers dream. High intensity, strategy on every pitch, electrified crowd. I've never seen this sport before but I hope it comes to this country soon.
PROPS TO THE JAPANESE
I'm going all Asian today - Memoirs of a Geisha is the film and I highly recommend it. Like Slumdog Millionaire we are not bombarded with big name actors and at times get very nice performances turned in by children as well. What really struck me was the pure beauty of the film shooting, the wardrobe and the music. The film is sensual form beginning to end and you can't help but not get wrapped up in it. I remember being completely shocked the John Williams wrote the score. I hear no John Williams in that score. I moved him up a few notches on my composer ladder to the stars.
TAKEMITSU
I like him because he only sound like him. That's the true mark of a great composer. Mozart only sounds like Mozart. Debussy only sounds like Debussy. Takemitsu only sounds like Takemitsu......well wait....OK - maybe he sounds like a weird mix of Debussy and Messiaen with a touch of Lutslawski and a few others but all in all he sounds like him. How does a composer achieve a distinctive sound? It's all about melody, harmony and tone color....rhythm is important but I find that the distinction can primarily be drawn from their approach to melodic and harmonic ideas and their use of color and shading. So thank you Japanese for baseball, movies and music. My blog for the day is complete.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
I don't yell at umpires - I think it's immature and I think they do the best they can. But when my son made a spectacular diving catch in right center last night and the ump was not in a position to seem him officially catch the ball he ruled no catch. So HEY UMP ------ YOU SUCK!!!! BTW - that same kid with the no catch hit the game tying triple and scored the winning run in the bottom of the 6th.
Monday, March 23, 2009
I TOLD YOU SO
I told you the United States would get beat and eliminated from the World Baseball Classic and I was right. It's the two teams that play the game correctly: Korea and Japan. It will be psychological warfare tonight. Should be very exciting and intense. Oh - and I'm doing pretty damn good in my NCAA brackets as well.....look out for Missouri to upset Memphis. I'm now worried about the Arizona / Louisville game. I picked Louisville to win it all but Arizona is my alma mater? What is one to do? After yesterday, I can't wait to have a place with 3 or 4 large flat screens.......to many good sporting events on at the same time. I need a sports room....a major sports room. It will happen....I don't know when, but it will happen.
MOVIES
Who has time to discuss movies today with all this sports stuff going on. OK.....let me rack my brain a second. OK - Mary Poppins - that's it. My daughter watched it this weekend and I kept going into the room to sneak peaks....yes, Julie Andrews is great but Dick Van Dyke can do it all. What a wonderful person...actor, dancer, singer.......by the way - whatever happened to the actor/dancer/singer......do those people exist any more? OK - Hugh Jackman on the Academy Awards......I admit...he surprised me. It's nice to see people with that much talent make it. There are so many others with NO talent that make it and I never understand how and why.
MUSIC
I'm preparing a ton of piano concerti - so today I'm just giving props to Artur Rubenstein and Martha Argerich. Artur for his incredibly musical Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 which can be seen on youtube. It is effortless...it is gorgeous, it is stylistically difficult to duplicate. It all looks so easy and each phrase is so perfect. Argerich gets props for her almost unhuman technical dexterity in everything she plays.....and once again - effortless. Yes, she is very musical but I think it is her speed and power, in addition to her knowledge of so much repertoire that makes her.....dare I say a freak of nature. She is amazing as is he.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Nascar? Yes - here is the problem. There is an overtime system....when there is a caution flag with under 5 laps left they add a few laps to the end of the race. Here is the problem. They add two laps whether it is a 2 1/2 mile monster track or a 1/2 mile small oval. How about 2 laps for the big tracks, 4 laps for the medium tracks and 6-8 for the small tracks. Are ya hearing me NASCAR?????? That 2 lap overtime yesterday took about 45 seconds......that ain't no overtime y'all.
MOVIES
Who has time to discuss movies today with all this sports stuff going on. OK.....let me rack my brain a second. OK - Mary Poppins - that's it. My daughter watched it this weekend and I kept going into the room to sneak peaks....yes, Julie Andrews is great but Dick Van Dyke can do it all. What a wonderful person...actor, dancer, singer.......by the way - whatever happened to the actor/dancer/singer......do those people exist any more? OK - Hugh Jackman on the Academy Awards......I admit...he surprised me. It's nice to see people with that much talent make it. There are so many others with NO talent that make it and I never understand how and why.
MUSIC
I'm preparing a ton of piano concerti - so today I'm just giving props to Artur Rubenstein and Martha Argerich. Artur for his incredibly musical Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 which can be seen on youtube. It is effortless...it is gorgeous, it is stylistically difficult to duplicate. It all looks so easy and each phrase is so perfect. Argerich gets props for her almost unhuman technical dexterity in everything she plays.....and once again - effortless. Yes, she is very musical but I think it is her speed and power, in addition to her knowledge of so much repertoire that makes her.....dare I say a freak of nature. She is amazing as is he.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Nascar? Yes - here is the problem. There is an overtime system....when there is a caution flag with under 5 laps left they add a few laps to the end of the race. Here is the problem. They add two laps whether it is a 2 1/2 mile monster track or a 1/2 mile small oval. How about 2 laps for the big tracks, 4 laps for the medium tracks and 6-8 for the small tracks. Are ya hearing me NASCAR?????? That 2 lap overtime yesterday took about 45 seconds......that ain't no overtime y'all.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
WATCHA GONNA DO BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS
BAD ROLE MODELS
Here is a bad role model: A Little League Coach who is a former all-star major league baseball player who insists on yelling at a little league umpire loudly for ball and strike calls. That's good. Way to teach the kiddies how to respect adults in charge. Way to show off that great sportsmanship. OK - I know the umpire sucked but at least he sucked for both sides. You know, it is possible to approach and umpire between innings....ask what the strike zone is and go tell your team that the umpire is going to have a rather odd sized strike zone. Can't wait till he's ejected from a game this year. I'll be reporting back.
BAD ROLE MODELS IN THE MOVIES
Freddy Krueger, Jason, those Texas Chainsaw dudes....ok, those are the only ones I remember - I don't go to those types of movies any more. I guess they serve a purpose but to be honest I just don't get those movies any more. Yeah, I guess it's fun to be scared but best if you're a high school kid just trying to get your girlfriend to grab you in utter horror during the movie.
BAD ROLE MODELS IN CLASSICAL MUSIC
HUH? Is this possible? Sacred ground?.... the world of classical music?..... bad role models? OK - here's who I've come up with any the reasons why:
Conductor James Levine: I always here stories about him and young boys - enough said
Conductor Herbert Von Karajan: I believe he was an egotistical bastard, I've not yet heard or read anything to contradict this in anyway
Many late 20th century American composers - they're all copycats - very few new voices, everyone sounds the same much of the time - nothing new
Many late 20th century European composers - still living in the early 20th century trying to sound the same as all their great role models. That makes them bad role models.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
The workers at Starbucks that shout at me from across the place as I'm the 12th person in line - WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE SIR??? Do we really need to shout our orders across the damn place at 8 in the morning. I'm really ok if you just wait for me to get to the front. I really prefer not to yell my order. Not my thing.
Here is a bad role model: A Little League Coach who is a former all-star major league baseball player who insists on yelling at a little league umpire loudly for ball and strike calls. That's good. Way to teach the kiddies how to respect adults in charge. Way to show off that great sportsmanship. OK - I know the umpire sucked but at least he sucked for both sides. You know, it is possible to approach and umpire between innings....ask what the strike zone is and go tell your team that the umpire is going to have a rather odd sized strike zone. Can't wait till he's ejected from a game this year. I'll be reporting back.
BAD ROLE MODELS IN THE MOVIES
Freddy Krueger, Jason, those Texas Chainsaw dudes....ok, those are the only ones I remember - I don't go to those types of movies any more. I guess they serve a purpose but to be honest I just don't get those movies any more. Yeah, I guess it's fun to be scared but best if you're a high school kid just trying to get your girlfriend to grab you in utter horror during the movie.
BAD ROLE MODELS IN CLASSICAL MUSIC
HUH? Is this possible? Sacred ground?.... the world of classical music?..... bad role models? OK - here's who I've come up with any the reasons why:
Conductor James Levine: I always here stories about him and young boys - enough said
Conductor Herbert Von Karajan: I believe he was an egotistical bastard, I've not yet heard or read anything to contradict this in anyway
Many late 20th century American composers - they're all copycats - very few new voices, everyone sounds the same much of the time - nothing new
Many late 20th century European composers - still living in the early 20th century trying to sound the same as all their great role models. That makes them bad role models.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
The workers at Starbucks that shout at me from across the place as I'm the 12th person in line - WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE SIR??? Do we really need to shout our orders across the damn place at 8 in the morning. I'm really ok if you just wait for me to get to the front. I really prefer not to yell my order. Not my thing.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
WHY IS THAT?
WHY US GUYS LIKE SPORTS
It boils down to this - we like returning to childhood. We like talking to our friends about sports and giving our buddies a hard time that their team didn't advance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. We like betting....we like feeling smarter than our buddies. Oh...yeah...we like competition and we like talking about how good we were at doing that stuff when we were kids. But let's get real. It's about childhood. We all want to play all the time. No one really wants to go to work. Come on....I don't care how much you love your job...if someone said "let's go out and shoot some hoops instead", or "let's go play some home run derby at the local little league field", or "let's go hit golf balls as far as we can"...............it's all about escape. We just wanna play.
BIZZZZARRRO WORLD
My top movies that will make you incredibly uncomfortable and on edge from beginning to end because you're never really sure what the hell is going on:
The Ice Storm (MUST SEE - Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Toby Maguire, Christina Ricci)
Happiness
Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
These aren't just movies that make you uncomfortable. They are all outstanding films that have drawn critical praise from nearly all critics.
SCHUMANN
I feel for Robert Schumann. I felt more than ever last week. We read the finale of his 2nd symphony with my youth orchestra. It is beyond exuberant. It is uplifting; it is joy; if is love of life; it is all things positive. But I felt a shot through my gut while running through this piece as I remembered that Schumann had already contemplated suicide by this time and was extremely depressed and sick much of the time. It's like looking at works of Van Gogh. It can bring one to chills knowing that such beautiful art could be created by such tortured individuals. Thank God we had them both. One lived to age 46 and the other to the age of 37. It shows the value of human life even when cut tragically short.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Jay Leno. That's all. That's all I can think of. He's not really all that funny....he is one of the worse interviewers, frequently turning to conversation and interview into ramblings about his own life, and he has always been just a very average comedian. I'll be glad to see him leave the tonight show but it doesn't really matter because I never watched him anyway. Bye Bye Jay!!!!!
It boils down to this - we like returning to childhood. We like talking to our friends about sports and giving our buddies a hard time that their team didn't advance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. We like betting....we like feeling smarter than our buddies. Oh...yeah...we like competition and we like talking about how good we were at doing that stuff when we were kids. But let's get real. It's about childhood. We all want to play all the time. No one really wants to go to work. Come on....I don't care how much you love your job...if someone said "let's go out and shoot some hoops instead", or "let's go play some home run derby at the local little league field", or "let's go hit golf balls as far as we can"...............it's all about escape. We just wanna play.
BIZZZZARRRO WORLD
My top movies that will make you incredibly uncomfortable and on edge from beginning to end because you're never really sure what the hell is going on:
The Ice Storm (MUST SEE - Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Toby Maguire, Christina Ricci)
Happiness
Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
These aren't just movies that make you uncomfortable. They are all outstanding films that have drawn critical praise from nearly all critics.
SCHUMANN
I feel for Robert Schumann. I felt more than ever last week. We read the finale of his 2nd symphony with my youth orchestra. It is beyond exuberant. It is uplifting; it is joy; if is love of life; it is all things positive. But I felt a shot through my gut while running through this piece as I remembered that Schumann had already contemplated suicide by this time and was extremely depressed and sick much of the time. It's like looking at works of Van Gogh. It can bring one to chills knowing that such beautiful art could be created by such tortured individuals. Thank God we had them both. One lived to age 46 and the other to the age of 37. It shows the value of human life even when cut tragically short.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Jay Leno. That's all. That's all I can think of. He's not really all that funny....he is one of the worse interviewers, frequently turning to conversation and interview into ramblings about his own life, and he has always been just a very average comedian. I'll be glad to see him leave the tonight show but it doesn't really matter because I never watched him anyway. Bye Bye Jay!!!!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
JUST CHECKING
HAVE YOU BEEN PAYING ATTENTION?
I'm still going to get around to the "Guy Sleeping on the Highway" story when I finally have time but this is not the time. I must quickly announce that Louisville will win the NCAA Basketball Championship this year. There - that's my bracket - are you happy now? Ok people - I get it...no one is voting for the sports section of my blog as the favorite. I gotta get it out of my system, what can I say. I did after grow up wanting to be a baseball statistician. So yes, it's time for you internet sports papers to look at a guy with plenty of education, enthusiasm and sports knowledge as a new writer on your staff. I got about another 30 good years in me. Bring it on.
DO THE RIGHT THING
I promise to stop plugging Spike Lee movies very soon.....I really do promise. However, "Do the Right Thing" is a great study in racial stereo typing and racism in general shot and interesting and unique ways. Lee's decision to have people utter racial slurs right at the camera makes it hard to understand why individuals would stoop to levels in which they would use these words on a regular basis. Perhaps what I enjoy most about this movie is that Spike himself plays a main role opposite Danny Aielo. And I'll admit - it may just be a NY thing but I grew up going to those pizzarias in the city and I have fond memories of life in the city. This movie is quite creative and way ahead of it's time and was Spike Lee's first huge commercial success.
AND SPEAKING OF RACISM
How about some Wagner people? Oh....sorry ......for issues regarding Wagner and racism or lack thereof you'll have to do your own research. For now I'll just go on record as saying that any orchestra work...prelude or other from the opera "Lohengrin" is absolutely stunning in its melodic beauty, carefully woven chromatic harmony and lush orchestration. Still can't quite figure out for the life of me how someone with such minimal musical training at a young age could turn into such a monster in the musical world (and I use the word monster in multiple ways).
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Bars that don't have food after 10 p.m. but want you to hang out and drink there until closing at 2 a.m. Really people, how about just a little bowl of pretzels or something.....a few chips.....maybe some peanuts. Really ain't gonna break you I promise. So I went out for a drink tonight and it was 10:05. Kitchen closed. Hell yeah I complained. The bartender asked me if I wanted a glass of olives. Hell yeah I want a glass of olives!!!! So there you have it. Sometimes when you pitch a hissy fit you wind up with your favorite food in the world right in front of you. Gee - that's wasn't much of a grip after all. Wow - not profanity in today's blog.
What the ......?
I'm still going to get around to the "Guy Sleeping on the Highway" story when I finally have time but this is not the time. I must quickly announce that Louisville will win the NCAA Basketball Championship this year. There - that's my bracket - are you happy now? Ok people - I get it...no one is voting for the sports section of my blog as the favorite. I gotta get it out of my system, what can I say. I did after grow up wanting to be a baseball statistician. So yes, it's time for you internet sports papers to look at a guy with plenty of education, enthusiasm and sports knowledge as a new writer on your staff. I got about another 30 good years in me. Bring it on.
DO THE RIGHT THING
I promise to stop plugging Spike Lee movies very soon.....I really do promise. However, "Do the Right Thing" is a great study in racial stereo typing and racism in general shot and interesting and unique ways. Lee's decision to have people utter racial slurs right at the camera makes it hard to understand why individuals would stoop to levels in which they would use these words on a regular basis. Perhaps what I enjoy most about this movie is that Spike himself plays a main role opposite Danny Aielo. And I'll admit - it may just be a NY thing but I grew up going to those pizzarias in the city and I have fond memories of life in the city. This movie is quite creative and way ahead of it's time and was Spike Lee's first huge commercial success.
AND SPEAKING OF RACISM
How about some Wagner people? Oh....sorry ......for issues regarding Wagner and racism or lack thereof you'll have to do your own research. For now I'll just go on record as saying that any orchestra work...prelude or other from the opera "Lohengrin" is absolutely stunning in its melodic beauty, carefully woven chromatic harmony and lush orchestration. Still can't quite figure out for the life of me how someone with such minimal musical training at a young age could turn into such a monster in the musical world (and I use the word monster in multiple ways).
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Bars that don't have food after 10 p.m. but want you to hang out and drink there until closing at 2 a.m. Really people, how about just a little bowl of pretzels or something.....a few chips.....maybe some peanuts. Really ain't gonna break you I promise. So I went out for a drink tonight and it was 10:05. Kitchen closed. Hell yeah I complained. The bartender asked me if I wanted a glass of olives. Hell yeah I want a glass of olives!!!! So there you have it. Sometimes when you pitch a hissy fit you wind up with your favorite food in the world right in front of you. Gee - that's wasn't much of a grip after all. Wow - not profanity in today's blog.
What the ......?
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