Slow mo ballet
A nice change of pace sent by a reader. Enjoy:
Continue reading →Category Archives: Arts
Rudolf Nureyev and the USSR
I’ll start by saying that Nureyev was not my favorite dancer, although I saw him perform in person many times and appreciated his blazing energy and the excitement he brought to the stage whenever he danced. He was Dionysian rather … Continue reading →
Get out…
…a big box of Kleenex if you’re going to watch this one: I like country music because I really like lyrics, and country music songs often have schmaltzy but really fine lyrics, resembling short and accessible old-fashioned poems. A few … Continue reading →
RIP Maya Angelou
The news that Maya Angelou has died at the age of 86 reminds me of how deeply impressed I was when I read her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings when it first came out in 1969. Those … Continue reading →
A song for Memorial Day
I’ve posted this song before, but I think it bears repeating, especially on Memorial Day weekend. It’s Tim McGraw’s extraordinarily moving song “If You’re Reading This:”
Continue reading →Clogging: then and now
Clogging fifty years ago (hat tip: “cornei”), from some baby boomers: And here’s a much more recent manifestation. There are some interesting stylistic changes—and of course, this is more formal and regimented, perhaps because it’s a competition: What do the … Continue reading →
More child singers channeling older ones
The other day I wrote about a child singer from Norway who invokes the memory of Billie Holiday. Here’s a British kid with a different old-fashioned style: The original: I’d never heard the full song in the original version before … Continue reading →
Newarks’ new mayor and the Newark old guard: what’s in a name?
This NY Times article is about the contest by which Newark, New Jersey elected its new mayor, Councilman Ras Baraka, who according to the Times is “the fiery scion of a militant poet.” The contest—between two black Democrats—was both expensive … Continue reading →
A child singer with a difference
We’ve become familiar with those “Fill-In-the-Blank-Country’s Got Talent” videos that feature an unlikely person—shy, young, fat, or weird, or sometimes several of those characteristics—belting out a song. The style is usually either diva-esque, operatic, or rock. The judges look stunned … Continue reading →
When I grow too old
Linda Ronstadt’s still alive and kicking. But at the age of 67 she can’t sing anymore due to Parkinson’s. But nothing can still her voice on YouTube. You can find tons of her appearances and recordings there, almost countless songs … Continue reading →
Baffled By the Lyrics
Surely you remember the Manfred Mann mid-70s hit “Blinded By the Light.” It’s a pretty nifty song, with an earworm-inducing hook. But the rest of the lyrics are unintelligible. It doesn’t really matter, because it’s so catchy. But no, that … Continue reading →
The boy she loves is a Romeo
Want a break from politics? Let’s take a look at that 1965 song “Back in My Arms Again,” one of my favorites by the Supremes. Note how subtle and classy the sexuality of their performance is compared to today’s pop … Continue reading →