You can shop there anytime, it’s
all very fine”
“Sweet Shine,” Sonic Youth
I don’t
pretend to understand what most Sonic Youth songs mean but enjoy their unique
style of Noise Rock. I just discovered I
owned Sonic Youth’s 1994 “Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star,” which includes
the classic “Bull on the Heather.” “Sweet
Shine,” contains the line, “you’re always
heavy in rotation.” The CD is now in
rotation with albums by Jackson Browne, Nicki French, The Weakerthans, and The
War on Drugs.
Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring"
In HBO’s
film vault was the delightful Scarlett Johansson historical drama “Girl with a
Pearl Earring” (2003). It’s about seventeenth-century Dutch artist Johannes
Vermeer’s infatuation with servant girl Griet (Johansson), the model for one of
his masterpieces. Vermeer’s patron lusts after her, but she fights him off, in
love with a butcher’s son. Johansson, 17 at the time of filming, has few lines
but, as an Entertainment Weekly review
noted, “the interplay on her face of
fear, ignorance, curiosity, and sex is intensely dramatic.” It was
based on a novel by Tracy Chevalier, who wrote this passage about this titillating
scene:
“Lick
your lips, Griet.”
I licked my lips.
“Leave your mouth open.”
I was so surprised by this request that my mouth remained open of its own will. I blinked back tears. Virtuous women did not open their mouths in paintings.
I licked my lips.
“Leave your mouth open.”
I was so surprised by this request that my mouth remained open of its own will. I blinked back tears. Virtuous women did not open their mouths in paintings.
When
Vermeer’s wife Catharina saw the finished product, she branded it obscene and
demanded that Griet’s employment be terminated. When Griet viewed it, she told
Vermeer, “You looked inside me.” She appreciated that his intentions
seemed pure rather than carnal. I
recommended “Girl
with a Pearl Earring” to
Alissa.
Barbara Mort, Dee Van Bebber, Kris Prohl, Jimbo; photo by Jackie Roberts
Dee Van Bebber and I finished third at Chesterton Y despite a low board
when I doubled Kris Prohl’s 5-Diamond bid, holding the Ace, King of trump and
two other kings. When her partner had no Diamonds, Kris turned to me and said, “I know why you doubled.”
Then she proceeded to take every trick but my two high Diamonds. Jackie Roberts, who’d interviewed Terry Bauer
for Steve McShane’s class, observed a couple rounds. Terry and partner Dottie Hart were amazed
that both Jackie and her husband were attending college despite having 6 kids.
They must be getting help from grandparents. When I told Jackie that Terry Bauer’s partner
Dottie Hart was one of my favorite people.
She replied: “She is awesome and
hilarious, definitely a breath of fresh air.”
Post-Trib reporter Craig
Lyons interviewed me for a feature on former mayor Richard Hatcher. I concentrated on the 1967 election and his
20 years in office but added information about his formative years in Michigan
City. When Lyons stated that Hatcher had a reputation for being rigid, I
replied that he would not compromise certain core principles but that he was adept
at adjusting to changing political climates.
He worked well in tandem, for instance, with Indianapolis mayor William
Hudnut. Richard Gordon Hatcher remained
his own man, true to his ideals, unbought and unbossed.
Phil
Arnold noted that the day I posted comments about playing Fats Domino’s “Blue
Monday” during my Munster talk, the New Orleans legend passed away. Elvis and
Fats got together when they were both playing in Las Vegas in 1969. Arnold’s
Elvis Blog contains these thoughts:
Let
me just say he was one of the greatest early rock and rollers, and I grew up
with his music. I bought his 45s and danced to his songs at parties and sock
hops at school. I have 53 Fats Domino songs on my playlist and will listen to
them while I write this blog post. I’m going to hear every one of those songs
today and appreciate again just how great he was.
The company I worked for held a huge
convention in one of the big New Orleans hotels in the late 80s. The last night
of the convention, there was a big party in the ballroom, and to everybody’s
delight, our entertainment for the night was Fats Domino and his band.
It was an awesome night, and there
are some things that still live in my memory all these years later. The band
had four, yes four, sax players. Their contribution to the music was much
greater in concert than on the records. They really wailed. The drummer was
either on drugs or drunk, or both, because he fell off his stool right in the
middle of a song. He was out cold, so a bald white guy sat in for the rest of
the show. I think he was Fats’ road manager or something, and he did a passable
job. The unannounced opening act was another New Orleans resident and performer,
Clarence “Frogman” Henry. If you are old enough you will remember his hits
“Ain’t Got No Home,” and “Troubles, Troubles.”
Playing the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints players and coaches wore a patch reading
“FATS.”
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