he did it all for love...

one of my favorite films of all time is the creature from the black lagoon. it always amused and intrigued me from the first time i saw it as a kid. on the news today that the composer of the film's score, herman stein, died over the weekend at the age of 91, i just had to post this video of the trailer and one of the most famous scenes from the movie - the swimming sequence. it was also one on the first films in 3d. what a blast!

stein was not only known for setting the tone for science fiction movie music but also wrote for such tv shows as gunsmoke, lost in space and daniel boone. boy, am i dating myself...

and talk about beefcake...

trailer


swim sequence


do you think this may be where they came up with the idea for synchronized swimming?

J'habite seul avec maman...

Dans un très vieil appartement rue Sarasate
J'ai pour me tenir compagnie
Une tortue deux canaris et une chatte.
comme ils disent


i live alone with my mother
in a very old apartment on Rue Sarasate
for company i have
a turtle, two canaries and a cat.

this is a beautiful song by charles aznavour. i've had the pleasure of seeing him perform it in person a couple of times.

it is a very sad song but one that is filled with hope. it tells of a man who lives on the fringe but is part of the mainstream of boring existence. he is a drag queen.

he speaks of his life as both person and illusion. he deals with the drudgery and the commonness of lives. his lone bits of excitement are on stage when he is someone else and in his dreams -

I ask myself what I have got
Of what I am and what I'm not
What have I given
The answers come from those who make
The rules that some of us must break
Just to keep living
I know my life is not a crime
I'm just a victim of my time
I stand defenceless
Nobody has the right to be
The judge of what is right for me
Tell me if you can
What makes a man a man

i wonder if each of us may be drag queens/kings most of the time...?

click on the post's title to jump to the complete lyrics.

what good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret.

i couldn't find a video of liza minelli singing her signature song, liza with a z, but it might be better not to use it. she is probably better known for many others, especially from the movie cabaret. in cabaret there is really too much from which to choose. she was really great in all of the music in the movie.

but, finally, i would be remiss if i didn't post the title song, and finale in the movie, from cabaret. last week was liza's 60th birthday. she was born four days after i was.

happy birthday, liza...



and my favorite part of the lyric -

I used to have a girlfriend
known as Elsie
With whom I shared
Four sordid rooms in Chelsea

She wasn't what you'd call
A blushing flower...
As a matter of fact
She rented by the hour.

The day she died the neighbors
came to snicker:
"Well, thats what comes
from to much pills and liquor."

But when I saw her laid out like a Queen
She was the happiest...corpse...
I'd ever seen.

extremes...

a little voyage into what a lot of people may refer to as extremes in opera -

the first video is "Lascia Ch'io Pianga" an aria from handel's opera "rinaldo". it was first perfromed on 24 february 1711. It is noteworthy for being the first opera that handel composed for his extended stay in london. it was extremely popular at the time and was made even more notable as it starred two of the world's greatest castrati. yes, that is the italian for castrated. it was still pretty well unacceptable for women to perform on the stage or in operas. the castrati filled the bill. they were young boys, often bought from their parents for their beautiful soprano voices, castrated and then trained to sing the operas of the day.

This barbarism is no longer legal anywhere in the world as far as i know. this video features philippe jaroussky, a french countertenor. countertenors are the equivalent of the castrati of yesterday. the voice is very pleasant but does unnerve many people. i have had the great pleasure of hearing both david daniels and bejun mehta, the two leading countertenors perfroming today. it is a very haunting sound and extremely beautiful. you should recognize the aria once you hear it. it is probably one of the most memorable of handel's work.



now, to the extreme.

philip glass is considered one of the most famous and prolific postmodern composers of the 20th century. many people have heard his work and are not aware of it. he has done the scores for a number of recent movies. the hours is probably the most famous of them.

his work is quite different to many people. it is minimalist to say the least and most do not find it lyrical. his most famous work is probably the metamorphosis series - all piano works originally.

i remember a production of "satyagraha" that lyric opera of chicago did where you could see the conductor counting for the orchestra rather than conducting as we generally consider it.

the piece below is from glass' opera "einstein on the beach." it is not an actual opera performance but, rather, a performance piece and video by a german. after listening to the handel, it is really very different but, if you listen closely, you realize that it is very lyrical.



though i love all opera, i have a special affinity towards 20th century opera. the standard repertoire of verdi, puccini, donizetti, et al has its significant place, but it is important to me for people to move forward and expand just as the repertoire must. it has always amazed me that the limited number of musical notes that exist provide infinite combinations of sound...

your eyes tell me how you love me...

Can feel it in your heart beat
I know you like what you see
Hold me, I'll give that you need
Wrap your love around me
You're so excited, I can feel you
Getting hotter, oh baby
I'll take you down, I'll take you down
Where no one's ever gone before
And if you want more, if you want more
More, more, more

over the years, i've seen the pointer sisters a few times live. they were always a great show. this past week I spent a week on a cruise through atlantis that was a charter for the lgbt community. it was a ball. there were many t-dances, parties, shows, etc. each with a theme.

the most memorable was the classic disco t-dance. it was also the most popular. it was really interesting that all of the younger crowd instantly were dancing and having a ball.

people have put disco down for a long time. rock fans were at the heart of the movement against it. sadly, it all started right here in chicago with a buffoon radio jock by the name of steve dahl & his infamous "disco demolition" event in 1979 at white sox park. they burnt thousands of disco records and caused a near riot. but disco is still the dance music that gets 'em moving. and steve dahl is a two-bit, second rate radio has-been...

jump was the signature song of the t-dance on the cruise. comedienne shann carr literally choreographed all these guys by the pool and did an esther williams' calvacade getting them to jump into the pool on cue and in formation. it was hilarious. you've never seen 1800 people go absolutely nuts all at once having a good time.

i pray you'll be our eyes...

And help us to be wise in times when we dont know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where well be safe la luce che tu hai
I pray well find your light
Nel cuore rest
And hold it in our hearts.
A ricordarci che
When stars go out each night,
Eterna stella sei

at work yesterday the conversation got around to american idol. i don't think i've ever watched the program. i've seen clips from the show on websites though.

the conversation wasn't about simon cowell. people were remarking that basically none of the winners have made it big after winning, but runners-up have. jennifer hudson being the #1 right now.

seems that the same thing happens with australian idol. the singer above, anthony callea, was a runner-up down-under and he has become one of the hottest performers there. his verstion of the prayer, seen above, was at #1 for weeks and he already has two cd's out.

great voice and i love hearing different versions of the same song. each performer has a unique interpretation. i like his.

he also was in the news yesterday for a very different reason. read about it here: the daily telegraph. people's private lives should belong to them even if they are in the spotlight by choice.

There's a party goin' on right here...

A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now

Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time

what are we celebrating?

my last day at work!

i'm retiring today...

long awaited darkness falls...

Casting shadows on the walls
In the twilight hour I am alone
Sitting near the fireplace, dying embers warm my face
In this peaceful solitude
All the outside world subdued
Everything comes back to me again
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room

Nina Hagen Like A Angel...

ever feel this way?

there are people who love to be alone. my life doesn't have that luxury very often. i have spent my days with 700+ kids and 70 staff members all wanting a piece of my time. when i get home at night i just totally crash. for amusement i spend time on the internet catching up on the news and what's going on in the world. i'm looking forward to quality time with myself - it begins tomorrow! it's my last day at work after 38 years. seems hard to fathom at this point.

the video is a little strange but the song is my favorite by the group abba. i could not find a version with abba performing. nina hagen can be a little strange at times but i like her a lot and her rendition of this song is earthy.

well I'll be damned...

Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full

and today is a full moon. imagine that...

there has been a controversy about carly simon's song you're so vain and just who she is singing about. the most accepted theory is that it refers to warren beatty. no one really knows. she never has said.

diamonds and rust, on the other hand, not only leaves little to the imagination, but joan baez said to whom the song refers - bob dylan. she had a relationship with him and there are some subtle and some not-so-subtle references in the lyrics.

the above version is from a live performance in 1975. i previewed more recent ones but they all seem filled with the wisdom of having age. i like this one because it comes across more to joan baez's possible state of mind at the time.

It's all come back
too clearly
Yes I loved you dearly
And if you're
offering me diamonds and rust
I've already paid