I saw Gaetano Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor at the Cincinnati Opera on Saturday night. Lucie is the 1839 French version of Donizetti's original Lucia di Lammermoor which came out four years earlier in Italian. I'm not sure why they made two versions. The Italian version is supposedly more popular than the version I saw, but I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the opera in French. Ah, who am I kidding? I don't speak Italian or French, so it's all the same to me. I'm helpless without the surtitles.
Here's the story: Henri wants his sister Lucie to marry a political ally named Arthur. He thinks that this arranged marriage will put him in good with the new king. Unfortunately for him, Lucie isn't the slightest bit interested in Arthur. She's in love with a man named Edgar, who just happens to be Henri's sworn enemy. We don't need to go into much more detail than that. Let's just say that things don't work out for Henri...or for anyone else in the opera, for that matter. Let's cut right to the death count.
- Arthur - stabbed to death by Lucie on their wedding night
- Lucie - goes insane and slits her wrists
- Edgar - dies of self-inflicted stab wound to the stomach
Henri lives, but he might as well be dead. Everybody's blood is on his hands and getting Arthur killed is probably not the best way to impress the king. The moral of the story is this: Don't try to arrange other people's marriages for them. Let them marry whomever they want. When it comes down to it, it's really none of your business. Stay out of it; you're just going to get everybody killed.
Lucie de Lammermoor was one of the best operas I've seen in the last year or two. I was impressed by the performances of all four main cast members. Gaétan Laperrière as Henri was my favorite. He brought a wonderful cockiness to the role. Strangely enough, I thought Sarah Coburn's Lucie was actually the weakest of the four. She got the biggest ovation at the end, so what do I know? I'm probably just comparing her to Natalie Dessay who sang the role on the CD version I listened to so much during the last couple weeks. I'll be honest...I have a bit of an opera crush on Natalie Dessay.
I've been looking for an excuse to post about Gene Clark for a couple months now. I wanted to write about how he was a founding member of the Byrds and how he wrote "Eight Miles High" and how he left the group because he was afraid to fly (and because Roger McGuinn is a jerk) and how he made some beautiful, underappreciated music with the Gosdin Brothers and Doug Dillard and then spent the 70s releasing album after album of music that topped most everything Gram Parson's overrated ass ever thought about recording and how Bob Dylan said he wished he'd written "For a Spanish Guitar" and how nobody cared and how Gene Clark drank too much and how he bought drugs with the royalties he received when Tom Petty covered "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" and how Yo La Tengo covered his "Tried So Hard" on Fakebook and how he eventually died in 1991 of a bleeding ulcer.
I'm not going to write any of that, though. Instead, I'm just going to say that the cover of Re-Arrange Us by Mates of State looks an awful lot like a combination of the covers of Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers and the Gene Clark compilation Flying High. The guy from Mates of State even looks a bit like Gene Clark.
Thanks to Homebody for giving me an excuse to write about one of my favorites. I swiped the Mates of State cover art from her.
Although I can only find eleven ticket stubs, I'm pretty sure that last night's James Taylor concert was my 17th. I haven't missed any of his local appearances since 1992. If James Taylor's in Cincinnati, I go see him; it's just something I do. The downside of seeing a musician that many times--even if he's a favorite--is that things can get a bit repetitive after awhile. Really, do I need to hear "Fire and Rain" or "Something in the Way She Moves" again? They're lovely songs, but over a dozen live performances is enough for me.
That's why I was happy to hear that James and his band had recorded an album of covers (release date TBD) and that his versions of other people's songs would feature heavily in this summer's set. It's a good idea. Although James Taylor is an accomplished songwriter in his own right, many of his most famous songs were actually covers. He usually does a good job interpreting other people's songs. I was interested in hearing the new covers he'd chosen and how his versions held up against the originals.
The majority of the songs in the Riverbend show were covers. JT's got to keep the rubes up on the lawn happy, though, so he threw in some hits as well. It was a pretty good mix. Some of the covers were songs already associated with James Taylor like "You've Got a Friend" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)". Most of them were versions of songs I'd never heard him perform before like "Why Baby Why" and "It's Growing".
The highlight of the covers was "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" from the musical Oklahoma. It sounds like a terrible idea on paper, but it worked surprisingly well. If he hadn't announced that the song was from the musical, I probably would've taken it for a new original. The lowpoint of the night was James Taylor's version of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman". First of all, a lot of the audience laughed when James announced that the song was made famous by Glen Campbell. What?! Why are you laughing at Glen Campbell? Glen Campbell is awesome. That got me all grumpy. Getting me even more grumpy was Lou Marini's flute-work on "Wichita Lineman". It was far too loud and interfered with James Taylor's singing. He ruined the song. Lower your volume or wait to play your flute until James is finished singing, please. You're dealing with the lyrics of Jimmy Webb here; they deserve to be heard. Thank you.
Here's the setlist for the show. In the case of the covers, I have included the composer or the musician who originally recorded the song.
First Set: It's Growing (the Temptations)/Get a Job (the Silhouettes)/Country Road/Whiskey Before Breakfast (traditional instrumental)/(I've Got to) Stop Thinkin' 'Bout That/Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb)/Why Baby Why (George Jones)/Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' (Rodgers & Hammerstein)/Everyday (Buddy Holly)/You've Got a Friend (Carole King)/Mexico/Shed a Little Light
Second Set: Instrumental intro-->Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton)/Only One/Walking Man/(I'm a) Road Runner (Junior Walker)/Sweet Baby James/Some Days You Gotta Dance (the Dixie Chicks)/On Broadway (the Drifters)/Steamroller/Carolina in My Mind/Your Smiling Face/Shower the People
Encore: In the Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett/Steve Cropper)-->Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd/Steve Cropper)/How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)(Holland-Dozier-Holland) -->goofy outro
Looking back, I'd say this was my favorite James Taylor concert since at least the mid-90s. I've never seen him put on a bad show, but all the fresh material this time out really added to my enjoyment. A newcomer to James Taylor might have preferred a more traditional JT setlist, but the covers-heavy set he's performing this summer was just what I needed. I look forward to the release of his new record.
My uncle recently decided it was time to part with his collection of vinyl. It saddened me to hear this, as there's nothing I hate more than seeing a collection scattered to the wind...especially a collection that I'd long admired. (It also saddened me when I remembered that I gave him an Italian picture disc of Black Sabbath's Vol. 4 for Christmas last year. I guess I should've gone with the CD.)
He gave the records to his son to put up on eBay. As soon as his copy of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here showed up, I checked my PayPal account to see how high I could bid. I spent the week in anticipation. With 45 seconds left in the auction, my shaky hands typed in my bid and I took the prize. You might not think this is a big deal, but this was no ordinary copy of Wish You Were Here. This was the limited edition on blue vinyl that came out of Holland in 1977. I've had my jealous little eyes on it for years.
Here's something you might not know about me: If I had to make a list of my favorite things, I would put blue vinyl in about the #7 spot. I don't especially care for red vinyl or orange vinyl or green vinyl, but blue vinyl makes my heart flutter with happiness. I can stare at blue vinyl for hours. I can hypnotize myself with it.
If you're looking for me during the next week or so, I'll be on my front porch staring at the sun through a copy of Wish You Were Here. Feel free to stop by for a chat.
I think I've just about run out of post material...or maybe I'm no longer inspired to write about the mundane events that make up my life. I'm not sure. A man with sleeve tattoos and a pair of hoop earrings approached me before class yesterday and tried to convince me that Jean Claude Van Damme was a great actor. I probably could've turned that into a decent post, but I didn't even feel like writing about it. Oh well, I guess I could write a bit about my reading and concert-going plans for the summer.
Summer Reading List
Last Sunday was June 1st. On my personal calender, that's the official beginning of summer. To celebrate, I decided to start in on my Summer Reading List. My list consists of one book, and one book only: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. My brother tried to read Tristram Shandy a couple years ago, but he could only make it through two of the nine volumes. When I finish Tristram Shandy in its entirety, it will prove, once and for all, that I am the superior reader. I know that's a shallow reason to read a book, but I don't care. He thinks his books read list is more impressive than mine just because it includes Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Our mom has read Infinite Jest; it's not that big of a deal.
Tristram Shandy is made up of 312 chapters. I have decided to read five chapters a day until I've finished the book. According to my desk calculator, I'll finish it on August 1st. Take that, S-----n!
Summer Concert List
Below you'll find the concerts I'm thinking about seeing this summer. Before any of you hipsters out there mock my concert list, just know that nobody "cool" comes anywhere near Cincinnati during the summer. It's all Jimmy Buffett and Toby Keith around here.
- James Taylor @ Riverbend Music Center (6/11)
I'm going to see James Taylor next Wednesday. It'll be my 17th time seeing him. I still like him, but at this point, I'm really just going because I'm afraid he'll die if I skip one of his local appearances. I've gone to every one of them since 1992.
- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ Riverbend Music Center (7/8)
I also have plans to see Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on July 8th. Everyone in my family likes them, so we're going to go as a group. It'll be our first family concert since Chris Isaak in 2005.
- the Eagles @ the Garden (7/28)
My dad is also trying to arrange a trip to Boston to see the Eagles at the end of July. I've seen them before and don't really care to see them again, but I'll fly anywhere if someone's willing to pay for my plane ticket. By the way, I refuse to call any venue the TD Banknorth Garden.
- Huey Lewis & the News @ Mini Riverbend (8/11)
I'm thinking about going to this concert just so I can write a review afterwards. I'm sure that would get a lot of hits.
- Neil Diamond @ the Schottenstein Center (8/25)
I was planning on going to see Neil Diamond in Columbus at the end of August, but by then the gas for a trip that distance will cost about $327. I'm still planning on going, but only if Star Trek's transporter technology is perfected in the next three months.
Here are my synopses and comments on the second half of The Uncollected Works of J.D. Salinger. The post concerning the other eleven stories can be found here. I spoil the endings of quite a few of them, so tread lightly if you think you're going to track the stories down and read them.
Soft Boiled Sergeant (Saturday Evening Post, April, 1944)
In this story, a former soldier reminisces about the friendship he had with a staff sergeant named Burke. He looks back on his first days in the military and how Burke's kindness helped ease his transition into the Army. Salinger's main character speaks in an annoying, sloppy English ("pitchers" for "pictures", for example), but the story as a whole is a good one.
The Hang of It (Colliers, July, 1941)
This story is very similar to the one the author published the following year called "Personal Notes of an Infantryman". Both stories feature a twist at the end where we learn the actual relationship between the characters. Neither of these stories did much for me and I'd say they're the least of Salinger's works.
The Heart of a Broken Story (Esquire, September, 1941)
"The Heart of a Broken Story" starts out as your typical boy-meets-girl story, but the author interrupts things a few paragraphs in and addresses the reader directly.
The world needs boy-meets-girl stories. But to write one, unfortunately, the writer must go about the business of having the boy meet the girl. I couldn't do it with this one. Not and have it make sense.
Then he explains all the reasons why the story would never work. He offers some potential ways to get the boy to meet the girl, but dismisses them all as foolish or unrealistic. The boy doesn't chat her up on the bus. He doesn't steal the girl's purse in a desperate attempt to meet her. He doesn't get sent to jail where he strikes up a relationship with the girl based on letters. He doesn't get shot in the back trying to escape. None of this happens. They never meet. The end.
The Inverted Forest (Cosmopolitan, December, 1947)
This story is about a girl named Corinne von Nordhoffen who invites a boy named Ray Ford to her 11th birthday party. The boy doesn't show up, so Corinne and her father's secretary go looking for him. They find the boy and his mother unexpectedly moving out of town.
Nineteen years go by. Corinne now works at a magazine; Ray is a famous poet. Corinne calls Ray on the telephone and the couple start to see a lot of each other. Things are going well until one of Ray's female admirers arrives in town with an endless supply of lies and charm. The girl's name is Bunny, so you know there's going to be trouble.
Most of the uncollected stories are 3-5 pages in length; "The Inverted Forest" is over 25. It's definitely worth tracking down.
The Long Debut of Lois Taggett (Story, September-October, 1942)
Lois Taggett has a coming-out party. She then gets a job as a receptionist but leaves after eleven days to go on a cruise to Rio. She marries a handsome man who turns out to be demented. They get a divorce and Lois marries a man who always wears white socks. They have a baby. It dies.
The Stranger (Colliers, December, 1945)
"The Stranger" is another good one. It features Babe Gladwaller and his sister Matilda, the characters from "A Boy in France" and "Last Day of the Last Furlough". In the latter of those stories, Babe and his friend Vincent Caulfield are about to ship overseas. In "The Stranger", Babe is out of the service and Vincent is dead. Babe and Mattie stop by Vincent's ex-girlfriend's apartment to tell her the circumstances surrounding his death in combat.
"The Stranger" features one of my favorite lines from the uncollected stories:
There was never a way, even back in the beginning, that a man could condition himself against the lethal size and shape and melody of beauty by chance.
The Varioni Brothers (Saturday Evening Post, July, 1943)
The Varioni brothers are a songwriting team along the lines of George and Ira Gershwin. Sonny Varioni writes the music; Joe Varioni writes the lyrics. Before he became a lyricist, Joe was a promising novelist. The songwriting kept him from realizing his potential in that field. Years after Joe's death, Sonny finds the pieces of his brother's novel and vows to put it together and have it published.
The Young Folks (Story, March-April, 1940)
This was J.D. Salinger's first published story. It's about young people interacting at a party.
This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise (Esquire, October, 1945)
This is another story featuring Vincent Caulfield. In this one, he sits inside a military transport truck waiting to go to a dance with a large group of soldiers. There are four too many soldiers, and it's up to Vincent to get the extras out of the truck. He talks with the soldiers and tries to solve his personnel problem, but his mind is really on his younger brother Holden who is missing-in-action.
Blue Melody (Cosmopolitan, September, 1948)
As it says at the beginning of the story, this one's about a singer named Lida Louise, "who sang the blues as they have never been sung before or since."
Hapworth 16, 1924 (The New Yorker, June, 1965)
"Hapworth 16, 1924" was Salinger's last published work. It takes the form of a long letter written by the absurdly precocious seven-year-old Seymour Glass. He's away at summer camp with his younger brother Buddy. The letter reveals that Seymour can predict the future, shut off his body's pain receptors, and remember specifics from his previous lives. It's also noteworthy in that it features the list of reading materials Seymour would like sent to camp (including the complete works of Tolstoy, Proust, and any volumes dealing with "human whirling or spinning"). He's a strange boy, that Seymour.
"Hapworth 16, 1924" is the missing piece in Salinger's Glass family saga and worth searching out for those interested in the complete picture of one of literature's most enchanting families. I doubt it would be of any interest to readers unfamiliar with Salinger's two Glass books and the Glass-related tales from Nine Stories.
