I ♥ Richard Thompson
I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again—I love this guy. Been to about ten concerts, which is ten more than I’ve gone to for almost every other singer, even ones I like. You can get a taste … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Harris Wofford: the second time around
Democratic bigwig and former US senator Harris Wofford, 90, is engaged to be married for the second time. To a man. A man who is 50 years younger than Wofford. It’s that last part that’s probably the shock to most … Continue reading →
Those baby ballerinas
Here’s a piece of ballet history that isn’t all that well-known anymore—the so-called “baby ballerinas” of the 1930s. I love these old clips. They’re blurry and short, but you get an idea of how much ballet has changed since then. … Continue reading →
Glenn Gould and the Goldberg Variations
Let’s go to something timeless: classical music. Although “timing” has a lot to do with it. To wit, pianist Glenn Gould and the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach. For a while during the mid-80s Gould was a fascination of … Continue reading →
Van Gogh on his life’s mission
From one of Van Gogh’s letters to his beloved brother Theo: What am I in the eyes of most people – a nonentity, an eccentric or an unpleasant person – somebody who has no position in society and never will … Continue reading →
RIP Prince
I can’t say I know much about Prince’s music except that he was mega-famous and a tremendous number of people loved his work. I know the song “Purple Rain” and very little else. However, the reports about his cause of … Continue reading →
Comparing throws in “Dances at a Gathering”
I’ve written about the 1969 ballet “Dances At a Gathering” several times, and mentioned that I find today’s dancers, for all their fabulous technique, lacking the musicality and artistry of the past. A part of the ballet features certain lifts/throws … Continue reading →
“Fictionalized” version of the Thomas-Hill case on HBO
Bias, anyone? I uniformly hate these “fictionalized looks” at history.
Continue reading →Edward Villella: on “a guy” called Stravinsky
In my relative youth, Edward Villella was one of my favorite dancers—and to tell you the truth I was more than a little bit in love with him. Here he talks—with his usual modesty—about what it’s like to be in … Continue reading →
The Wainwright divorce chronicles
It isn’t so often that you get two singer-songwriters who marry and then divorce, and who both write songs about it. Two offerings in this genre are from Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, who were married for a few … Continue reading →
Last leaves
I don’t usually write about my dreams, but last night I had one that was so vivid I feel the need to do so. And no, it wasn’t about politics. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve either dreamed less or remembered … Continue reading →
RIP Patty Duke
Patty Duke has died at the age of 69. A star actress even as a child, she had in some ways a difficult road, with mental illness (manic-depression) that eventually got under control, which enabled a long marriage and apparently … Continue reading →