[lit-ideas] Re: Father Geary's Tongue
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:34:57 -0500
JL:
>>My mother only taught me little nursery rhymes, like "Mary Had A Little
>>Lamb", etc. -- What's worse, she PLAYED that long-playing record to me, as
>>she would go out.<<
Which long-playing record was that? "The Ring Cycle"? Explains a lot.
Jorge Bernardo Pshaw one said: "Opera is when a tenor and soprano want to make
love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone."
* * * * * *
Donal inquires after my reaction to "Cross The Green Mountain" by Bob Dylan.
Not sure I want to see the movie "Gods And Generals", but as to Dylan and his
song, well, of course, Dylan is my Pavarotti -- except that Pavarotti can sing
better than God -- or could, I guess that's why God killed him. But Dylan
doesn't have to sing, he can just be and I'm pleased as punch with that. "Love
and Theft" is still my favorite album of his -- I think. Hard to choose. His
voice has attained a kind of 'forgiving resignation' tone to it. I remember
how my mother always hated it when I would play his music -- until she read an
article in Ramparts Magazine (an old slick cover leftist magazine back in the
early 60's to mid 70's) praising Dylan's "awful voice", claiming that Dylan
resonated with the young people because they were sick of all the pretty voices
that lied to them. Dylan spoke the truth in truth's ugly voice (sorry, Walter)
the article proclaimed. She suddenly loved Dylan. She was such an anarchist,
my mother. And a such a doctrinaire leftist. How I loved her. My Commie
Mommy. I loved Dylan back then because, I think, everyone I liked loved Dylan
-- but that whole era of the 60's was plethoric with talent. Recall: Beach
Boys, Aretha Franklin, Credence Clearwater Rival, Jimmy Hendrix, Beatles, The
Band, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Velvet Underground, Ray Charles, Tina
Turner, Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Patty Smith, The Who, The
Kinks, Roy Orbison, and, of course, the King. There are several hundreds
more, some one hit wonders, some who ploughed new ground for three decades, but
for me the one who rose to the top and stayed afloat was Dylan because he was
the only singer I've known who made me really listen to what his songs were
saying -- and not just because I couldn't understand what the hell he was
saying, but also because I felt certain that he was saying something important
-- like maybe some hidden message about the Revolution? -- even I'm not that
lost, I believed he was saying something I should know about life. Now I don't
care so much about what he's saying, I just like the way he sounds when he says
it. And now, when I sing "Maggie's Farm" to my grandchildren, I think of Dylan
and realize that, hell, he's always just reminded me of me. : )
Mike Geary
Memphis
once the home of William Dolphin and family. I wish them well. They'll be
sorry to hear that it was 98 degrees today and as humid as a shower stall. And
they'll no doubt regret having missed the wind storm last Friday, named
Hurricane Lisa-Marie. It left 131,000 houses without power, several thousand
still don't have power. I watched it from my verandah, saw a huge limb crash
to the ground, but I just yawned, I lived through Hurricane Elvis in July 2003,
that was a doozie. Left over 300,000 houses without power in the middle of
summer. I didn't lose power either time. Jesus love me, this I know for my
electricity tells me so. Too bad, William, that you and yours couldn't have
been here for the rare excitement that Memphis provides, but then you would
probably just want to stay here and go into air conditioning work. Glad you're
gone! And since you're gone and not going into competition, I wish you and
yours well and may you prosper in your new domicile. It's not even officially
summer yet but business has picked up quite a bit. Thank you, Mr. President.
Keep the heat on the Republicans going full blast. I need all the work I can
get.
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