Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Performing small clean air acts...plus: introducing Jerry Kann and remembering Irving Berlin
How bout that! A genuine good guy. They’re few and far between.
Posted by Harry on from 09/22 at 05:06 AMYou said it, Harry...Kann is a rarity.
(Btw, you commented so early that you missed my Irving Berlin addition at the end of the post.)
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 05:20 AMthere is a monty python tune called ‘decomposing composers.’ its on an album which i think has the best name of any album i have ever seen.
its on ‘Monty Pythons contractual obligation album’
Beethovens gone, but his music lives on,
And Mozart don’t go shopping no more,
You’ll never meet Liszt or Brahms again,
And Elgar doesn’t answer the door.Schubert and Chopin used to chuckle and laugh
Whilst composing a long symphony,
But one hundred and fifty years later,
There’s very little of them left to see.The decomposing composers,
There’s nothing much anyone can do,
You can still hear Beethoven,
But Beethoven cannot hear you.HÃndel and Haydn and Rachmaninow,
Enjoyed a nice drink with their meal,
But nowadays no one will serve them,
And the gravy is left to congeal.Verdi and Wagner delighted the crowds,
With a highly original sound,
The pianos they played are still working,
But they’re both six feet underground.The decomposing composers,
There’s less of them every year,
You can say what you like to Debussy,
But there’s not much of him left to hear.Claude Achile Debussy, died 1918
Christoph Willibald Gluck, died 1787
Carl Maria von Weber, not at all well, 1825. Died 1826
Giacomo Meyerbeer still alive 1863, not still alive 1864
Modest Mussorgsky 1880 going to parties, no fun anymore, 1881
Johann Nepomuk Hummel chattin’ away 19 and a dozen with his mates
down at the pub every evening 1836, 1837 - nothing.Posted by michael on from scotland 09/22 at 05:42 AMGood morning all....Gov. Bill Richardson, D - NM. said today on Democracy Now, that he still supports the policy of sanctions that killed 500,000 children in Iraq. Mickey, I am sure glad that found a good guy to talk about here today. There is a shortage of them in the Democratic party, and also the other Party. Everyone here at Mickey’s knows that, but the masses never will learn. I guess that I won’t either because when Richarson said that this morning, I was so surprised that I dropped my bowl of Cherrios. Now I have milk and those little donut things all over. It’s all Amy Goodman’s fault.
Posted by RMJ on from GUILLOTINE 09/22 at 08:23 AMI hate when that happens.
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/22 at 08:30 AMWell, Rosemarie, if I might use Michael’s post as a starting point, I’d say:
Cheer up, Rosemarie -
Sure, Life’s a Bowl of Shit,
But, You’ll get over it.
You’ve got to
Look On
The Brighter Side of Life
(Whistling Interlude)
Look On
The Brighter Side of Life…Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 09:11 AMAh, the old whistling interlude…
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 10:08 AMjust amazed no one picked up on the album title. they did another called “Monty Python’s Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album”
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/22 at 10:42 AMApologies, Michael. I got home and jotted off a quick comment with giving you credit for the Python song. I always wondered why some cynical rock band hasn’t named a song “First Hit of the Second CD” (with appropriate lyrics, of course).
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 10:45 AMi have seen it done the ironic way. like Black grape (who grew out of the happy mondays) recording an album called ‘it’s great when you are straight.
the album was recorded on a diet of guiness and skunk (and that was just for starters).
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/22 at 10:49 AMThere was a time in the 70s when it seemed like the Stones were releasing a “greatest hits” or live album every couple of years. Talk about “Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck.”
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 03:22 PMBest of luck with the noise/smell issue Mickey! More often than not, ‘neighbours from hell’ win unfortunately.
And I’d vote for Kann if I could - indeed I voted Green in the last Australian elections.
OT: Do you think GWB has taken to the ‘demon drink’ again?
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 09/22 at 03:34 PMI think they’ve got GWB on something stronger...if you watch closely you can see him move his lower jaw back and forth during pauses in his speeches. Kind of like a cocaine user...however, I am guessing he is on something else that has the same type of effect but is prescribed by his doctor or a psychiatrist.
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/22 at 03:45 PMAnd thanks for the Monty Python poem, Michael from Scotland!
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 09/22 at 03:46 PMCompletely off topic: I just got off the phone with my mom who lives outside Houston. The area is in a panic. Stores are barren, nobody can get gas, cars are stalling on the highway. Even with the lessons of Katrina, no one can get their act together. Never before has it been so obvious that no one has a clue.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 04:08 PMThe CEO cocktail has updated. They take Ambien and some meber of the Ritalin family. I would be surprised if Bush was on that.
Posted by Harry on from 09/22 at 04:12 PMHarry - that’s a sweet downer with a mild upper, producing? Mild, pleasant hyperactivity?
Mickey, what will your parents do? Are they leaving?
Hi JOS & Helga.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 04:17 PMPS - I heard last night that, a severe enough storm surge in Galveston, could create a wave which would travel as far as 75 miles, inland. That would reach Houston, or so they said…
Amazing. Terrifying but amazing.Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 04:20 PMMy sister and her husband work for Customs down there and live in a higher part of town. It’s likely my parents (and their two cats) will end up staying with my sister for a while. It’s just that someone undergoing chemo is very vulnerable and that’s the part that concerns me.
Ultimately, I think the area my family lives in is overreacting and will probably just have some minor power outtages (common down there). Trouble is, after Katrina, you never know.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 04:22 PMPeople are trying to evacuate from, say, Galveston or Corpus Christi and are sitting in horrendous traffic. After 12-13 hours, some are running out of gas...and there’s no gas to go around. I don’t often expect the government to get it right but after Katrina, I thought they’d do a little better than this.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 04:25 PMUnfortunately, the Reich may be “getting it right,” exactly right, with this response. After all, they have no real need to concern themselves with the possibility of being voted out of office. They control the voter roles, voting machines and “election-day security forces.” They’ve looted a “war chest” which should pay off the butt-boys and minions at the state and local levels for many years to come. The democrats offer no real opposition, in any case.
The Third-World-ization of the US can go forward, unimpeded by bleeding heart considerations of fairness and justice, compassion, or even basic human concern for our fellow men. It may be, frightening as it is, that this is just another phase in the corporatization of the population. Drain wealth and property from the peasants, turn it over to the Elites. If so, these terrible storms would just be “happy accidents,” for the Ruling Class.
( I hope I’m completely wrong. )
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 05:55 PMI see your point, Joe and I also hope you’re not right. I truly believe, in a society so dominated by spin and perception, the gov’t would prefer to efficiently handle such a natural disaster. It’s just good PR. It plays into the whole American myth of superiority. However, I must admit, once those in power get over blowing a good photo op, they probably aren’t crying too many tears for the poor saps who lost everything. If anything, their bumbling just gives them a chance to appear compassionate by sending Bush the Elder and his pal Bubba into the mix after the fact.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 06:07 PM“butt-boys?’
Joe, you’re on a roll tonight, and I do not think you are wrong.
When Rita got up to 175mph winds I was worried for some friends we have in Houston...it seems to be dying down a little now, but you never know. FOX was on a roll last night hyping this one up bigtime...but like I said, you never know.
My friends tried to drive to Dallas last night and ended up stuck in traffic for five hours and went home. They made the drive this morning and it took five hours.
Posted by JOS on from La Isla De Encanta 09/22 at 06:16 PMHow about those poor folks who were shipped to Houston from NOLA and now have to evacuate again?
Is this how they do hurricane preparations in Cuba?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 06:35 PMThanks, JOS. It’s all that Ambien & Ritalin.
I read the book “Isaac’s Storm,” a few years ago, about the hurricane that hit Galveston, in 1900. The descriptions were just mind-boggeling. Things were flying through the air at 200 mph, so that a pencil could kill, or a dinner-plate could decapitate someone. Meanwhile, the water was rising several inches every few minutes and it was raining so hard, “horizontally,” that it drowned people. I’d be afraid if such a monster was heading my way.
On the front page at MSNBC they link to a blog titled: “Trapped In Texas.” Such a thought frightens me for a great many reasons, in addition to the threat of a hurricane.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 06:48 PMCuba would have evacuated the entire Gulf Coastal area - the day before yesterday.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 06:50 PMI’m planning to post this tomorrow, re: Galveston 1900, Joe...but here’s a sneak prview: http://www.1900storm.com
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 06:58 PMVery, very grim photographs, Mickey.
As I viewed them, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this is America’s “Bright Vision” of the future for communities all over the globe. Destruction, devastation, death. With our money. In our name.Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 07:15 PMYou said it, Joe. Hurricane Sam (as in Uncle) has destroyed everything in its path.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 07:25 PMI’ve found myself worrying about your folks, over the last hour or so, Mickey. I guess your Dad must be a pretty “savvy” dude, so I’m sure they’ll be safe. Nevertheless, wish them well for us, OK? We’re “with” ya, to the extent that a bunch of bloggers can be of any comfort…
JOS, did you ever post that piece about the time line? After you asked if you might use it, I quipped about my goofy posts and about how “I’d never amount to anything but a puppy, leaving his droppings behind.”
Later, I thought about how rude it was of me to say such a thing. It put you in the position of being sort of “stupid” if you posted it…
If I came off that way, I’m awfully sorry. If my big brain was used as much as my big mouth, I’d be much better off.
Each morning I promise myself to be wise and thoughtful, and each evening I go to bed wondering what happened.Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/22 at 08:58 PMJoe, thanks for reminding me about that...I am looking for it now. It was only that I forgot, not that I would feel dumb posting it because of what you said. I didn’t even get that feeling from your comments...maybe I am a little slow!
Mick, Leiter really turned this “easy win” into a game, huh? good to see mussina come back and pitch well.
Posted by JOS on from The Island of Enchantment 09/22 at 09:08 PMYeah, JOS, I didn’t make it to the local meeting tonight (long story) and have ended up catching bits and pieces of the Yankee game. It’s 7-6 as I type this.
As for my folks, Joe, my Dad is not as “savvy” as he used to be so it’s good that my sister and her husband are there to help out. It’ll be nerve-racking if they lose phone power and I can’t get in touch...so I appreciate you asking.
Btw, this is the line of the day: Each morning I promise myself to be wise and thoughtful, and each evening I go to bed wondering what happened.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 09:14 PMyes, that is the line of the day.
Posted by JOS on from The Island of Enchantment 09/22 at 09:18 PMFirst place by a full game over the Sox. Where’s Mudge now?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/22 at 09:21 PMThank you both, guys. I admit that I, too, still love the Pinstripes. I don’t know why, though. They’re like a gang of hired mercenaries. However, they’re also the best, most legendary team in the history of American professional sports - in addition to being a gang of hired mercenaries.
Mickey, I’ve thought all day about your predicament with the neighbors. I just don’t know what advice to offer, besides sitting down to talk with them - which I assume you’ve already tried to do.
I guess ( he said, tongue in cheek ) I’ll have a smoke or two, and sleep on it.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/23 at 02:00 AMYeah, where IS Mudge?
He could be in trouble of some sort. Hope not.
He could be trying to decide between a dozen powdery butts…Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/23 at 02:04 AMloved the line of the day.
nearly all top level professional sportsmen are hired mercenaries these days. say goodbye to working class heroes, say hello to overpaid cocaine fuelled brats who couldn’t give a shit about the fans or the teams they play for.
its exactly the same in europe with football (i refuse to say soccer - for 2 reasons, 1. this type of football was first, so it gets the name and 2. in the american, or australian, which is different again, versions of football they use their hands the majority of the time, anyway...)
i still like to watch sport but it doesn’t matter to me now in the way it use to.
i also think that the old marx line could be altered. religion is no longer the opiate of the masses. it is now professional sport.
hope your parents r ok mickey
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/23 at 04:41 AMclick click goes the mossburg 500 bye bye goes the hookah’s in the window i can get nasty with lack of sleep and inhaling smoke all nite
Posted by mike conner on from haverstraw 09/23 at 05:17 AMLOVED the line of the day, Mickey! And I hope everything goes well with your family in Texas.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 09/23 at 05:00 PMThanks, Helga.
Hey Lexy: I just perused your blog. Very cool...and excellent images.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/23 at 05:02 PM
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