March 12 is the birthday of Jean-Louis Kerouac, better known as Jack, who played football so well he was offered scholarships by a number of colleges, including Notre Dame. He chose Columbia instead.
A football field may be he last place you would expect to find the author of "On the Road" and the best known Beat of the Beat Generation, but there it is and there he was.
Jack Kerouac wrote several novels besides "On the Road," and while "Dharma Bums" and "The Subterraneans" are more famous, we like to remember "Dr. Sax," which is a childhood fantasy, and "Maggie Cassidy," a teenage romance full of sweetness and innocence.
He also appeared, partially wrote and partially improvised an underground film called "Pull My Daisy," in which, Dwight Macdonald wrote, he showed "an unexpected virtuosity at the great American art of kidding."
All of Kerouac's books are in print, which is good to know, but we think we'll observe his birthday by playing "Bop for Kerouac" by the San Francisco jazz singer Mark Murphy. On this recording Murphy sings lyrics to music of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Charles Mingus, and delivers inspired readings of passages from "On the Road" and "The Subterraneans." If you're going on the road, few better companions than Jack Kerouac and Mark Murphy.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Politically Incorrect
Jason Kenney has yet to comment on the image posted on his Twitter feed in which participants in a religious ceremony were described as victims of Islamic extremists. Neither has his office removed the clips from "Ben Hur" in which Charlton Heston and the galley slaves are said to be hostages aboard an iranian nuclear submarine.
Meanwhile, Primer Minister Stephen Harper has urged Canadians to enlist in a "Neighborhood Jihad Watch." Mr. Harper says he has been losing sleep over the mounting threat to Canadian security. "He may have been losing sleep," said Tom Mulcair, "but he hasn't been losing weight."
In Washington, DC there is controversy over the open letter sent to Iran's leadership by forty-seven Republican members of Congress. "We understand their wish to make their views known," said a spokesman for President Obama, "but we think they went too far when they sent Valentines."
More controversy continues to follow the issue of Hillary Clinton's e-mail. And while Mrs. Clinton has long been the presumed frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential election, there are many hoping Elizabeth Warren will enter the race.
This corner is pulling for Sarah Silverman.
Meanwhile, Primer Minister Stephen Harper has urged Canadians to enlist in a "Neighborhood Jihad Watch." Mr. Harper says he has been losing sleep over the mounting threat to Canadian security. "He may have been losing sleep," said Tom Mulcair, "but he hasn't been losing weight."
In Washington, DC there is controversy over the open letter sent to Iran's leadership by forty-seven Republican members of Congress. "We understand their wish to make their views known," said a spokesman for President Obama, "but we think they went too far when they sent Valentines."
More controversy continues to follow the issue of Hillary Clinton's e-mail. And while Mrs. Clinton has long been the presumed frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential election, there are many hoping Elizabeth Warren will enter the race.
This corner is pulling for Sarah Silverman.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Dear Bix
March 10 was the birthday of Bix Beiderbecke. He would have been 112 years old, if he hadn't died at 28.
Beiderbecke's legend has grown over the decades, but he is more often written or talked about than heard. A few recordings are available, including "Bix Beiderbecke - Singin' the Blues," which includes his most famous solos, and "Bix 'n' Bing," performances from the time both he and Crosby were members of Paul Whiteman's band.
Bix Beiderbecke played B-flat cornet, which might be thought of as the little brother of the trumpet. He also occasionally played piano, and his solo keyboard composition "In a Mist" is a small Impressionist gem that Ravel and Debussy might have admired.
More important in jazz history is that Beiderbecke was the first "cool" horn player--cool as distinct from the "hot" style played by Louis Armstrong, and most other jazz musicians. Neither style is superior to the other, but it's interesting to trace their lineage: Armstrong's descendants include Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie; Beiderbecke's include Chet Baker and Miles Davis.
Dorothy Baker's novel "Young Man with a Horn" and the resultant, misguided film are thought to be based on Beiderbecke's career, but the finest tribute, in its oblique way, may be Dave Frishberg's song "Dear Bix," in which the singer tells Bix he's "not just an ordinary B-flat guy."
Whitney Balliett, in his book "American Singers," wrote this:
"'Dear Bix' is addressed to the legendary cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, who died of alcoholism at twenty-eight in 1931. It is addressed to him as if he were still alive, and, cognizant of his problems with drink and of his various aesthetic frustrations, it wishes him well and cheers him on."
Here are the last lines in Frishberg's lyric:
"I wonder, Bix, old chum,
When you reminisce in years to come,
Will you ever hum that someday song
You've been looking so long to find?
So, do what you got to do--
'Cause you're one of the favored few,
Dear Bix, you're one of a kind."
Beiderbecke's legend has grown over the decades, but he is more often written or talked about than heard. A few recordings are available, including "Bix Beiderbecke - Singin' the Blues," which includes his most famous solos, and "Bix 'n' Bing," performances from the time both he and Crosby were members of Paul Whiteman's band.
Bix Beiderbecke played B-flat cornet, which might be thought of as the little brother of the trumpet. He also occasionally played piano, and his solo keyboard composition "In a Mist" is a small Impressionist gem that Ravel and Debussy might have admired.
More important in jazz history is that Beiderbecke was the first "cool" horn player--cool as distinct from the "hot" style played by Louis Armstrong, and most other jazz musicians. Neither style is superior to the other, but it's interesting to trace their lineage: Armstrong's descendants include Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie; Beiderbecke's include Chet Baker and Miles Davis.
Dorothy Baker's novel "Young Man with a Horn" and the resultant, misguided film are thought to be based on Beiderbecke's career, but the finest tribute, in its oblique way, may be Dave Frishberg's song "Dear Bix," in which the singer tells Bix he's "not just an ordinary B-flat guy."
Whitney Balliett, in his book "American Singers," wrote this:
"'Dear Bix' is addressed to the legendary cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, who died of alcoholism at twenty-eight in 1931. It is addressed to him as if he were still alive, and, cognizant of his problems with drink and of his various aesthetic frustrations, it wishes him well and cheers him on."
Here are the last lines in Frishberg's lyric:
"I wonder, Bix, old chum,
When you reminisce in years to come,
Will you ever hum that someday song
You've been looking so long to find?
So, do what you got to do--
'Cause you're one of the favored few,
Dear Bix, you're one of a kind."
Sunday, March 8, 2015
The Good, The Bad and the Early
We are talking about Daylight Saving Time, and the question is--what can you do with all that daylight you save? Go on vacation in the winter?
Yes, dear friends, the dreaded (for some of us) DST has returned. How can you tell? Watch cars going by with drivers dozing at the wheel, praying that the caffeine will soon kick in.
In recent years, energy conservation has been given as the rationale behind the time change. But we prefer the reason put forth when Daylight Saving Time was introduced--that it provides more hours for golf.
The practice of setting clocks one hour ahead has never been embraced by the largely agricultural province of Saskatchewan, because, as Mr. Berkley Bigler of Horizon astutely observed, "Cows don't play golf."
Trumpeter Ray Anthony's band used to play an old Maurice Chevalier song called "Moonlight Saving Time" ("There oughta be a Moonlight Saving Time/so I could love that girl of mine/until the birdies wake and chime/Good Morning") but the tune that springs to our mind and lips is "I Was Up With the Lark This Morning." At 2:30 a.m., we could hear morning DJs all across Canada cursing.
But enough of the bad stuff--consider the positive side of Daylight Saving Time: You get to Happy Hour a full sixty minutes sooner.
Yes, dear friends, the dreaded (for some of us) DST has returned. How can you tell? Watch cars going by with drivers dozing at the wheel, praying that the caffeine will soon kick in.
In recent years, energy conservation has been given as the rationale behind the time change. But we prefer the reason put forth when Daylight Saving Time was introduced--that it provides more hours for golf.
The practice of setting clocks one hour ahead has never been embraced by the largely agricultural province of Saskatchewan, because, as Mr. Berkley Bigler of Horizon astutely observed, "Cows don't play golf."
Trumpeter Ray Anthony's band used to play an old Maurice Chevalier song called "Moonlight Saving Time" ("There oughta be a Moonlight Saving Time/so I could love that girl of mine/until the birdies wake and chime/Good Morning") but the tune that springs to our mind and lips is "I Was Up With the Lark This Morning." At 2:30 a.m., we could hear morning DJs all across Canada cursing.
But enough of the bad stuff--consider the positive side of Daylight Saving Time: You get to Happy Hour a full sixty minutes sooner.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Bibi, Boehner and Baird
"No matter how much bagels and lox you eat, it won't make you Jewish" -- Gerry Altman.
Benjamin Netanyahu, "Bibi" to his buddies, was in Washington, DC to address a joint session of Congress. Not all members of Congress were present; some felt the invitation to the Prime Minister of Israel, extended without running it by President Obama, was a breach of protocol, or a huge display of chutzpah, and simply not kosher. Speaker of the House John Boehner said, "Fey--these guys should quit their kvetching" and privately dissed them as "a bunch of schlemiels."
But there were many in attendance to hear Mr. Netanyahu's speech, among them former Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, wearing a yarmulke borrowed from Stephen Harper. Israel's Ambassador to the US said, "John's a true mensch."
Mr. Baird, for his part, declared, "We agree with everything the Prime Minister says, and anyone who doesn't is plain meshuga."
Following the address, Speaker Boehner invited the Prime Minister to lunch, saying, "Care for a nosh, Bibi? Uh--is it okay to call you Bibi?"
Mr. Netanyahu: "No."
In the Congressional Dining Room, guests were served schmaltz herring, chicken soup with matzo balls, pastrami and latkes, and Mogen David wine. Mr. Netanyahu said, "I'll have Jack Daniel's and ribs. Make the Jack Daniel's a double."
President Obama did not attend the event. His press secretary explained that "Unfortunately, the President has been called away to attend an urgent pickup basketball game."
Benjamin Netanyahu, "Bibi" to his buddies, was in Washington, DC to address a joint session of Congress. Not all members of Congress were present; some felt the invitation to the Prime Minister of Israel, extended without running it by President Obama, was a breach of protocol, or a huge display of chutzpah, and simply not kosher. Speaker of the House John Boehner said, "Fey--these guys should quit their kvetching" and privately dissed them as "a bunch of schlemiels."
But there were many in attendance to hear Mr. Netanyahu's speech, among them former Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, wearing a yarmulke borrowed from Stephen Harper. Israel's Ambassador to the US said, "John's a true mensch."
Mr. Baird, for his part, declared, "We agree with everything the Prime Minister says, and anyone who doesn't is plain meshuga."
Following the address, Speaker Boehner invited the Prime Minister to lunch, saying, "Care for a nosh, Bibi? Uh--is it okay to call you Bibi?"
Mr. Netanyahu: "No."
In the Congressional Dining Room, guests were served schmaltz herring, chicken soup with matzo balls, pastrami and latkes, and Mogen David wine. Mr. Netanyahu said, "I'll have Jack Daniel's and ribs. Make the Jack Daniel's a double."
President Obama did not attend the event. His press secretary explained that "Unfortunately, the President has been called away to attend an urgent pickup basketball game."
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Filibustering
We were delighted to learn the other day that the NDP is considering the filibuster as part of its Parliamentary strategy.
The filibuster has long been a treasured tactic in US politics, but it seldom has been employed in Canada. A shame--we could have had John Diefenbaker fulminating nonstop for days.
The longest filibuster ever given in the US Senate was delivered by Strom Thurmond, a politician remembered for all the wrong reasons. The South Carolina senator spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in opposition to the Civil Rights Bill.
More recently, American senators have taken to filibustering in relay teams, which we believe should be disqualified. That's not a filibuster--it's a tag team talkathon.
The word "filibuster" is derived from the Spanish "filibustero," meaning "freebooter;" i.e., an adventurer engaged in some irregular military activity. How the word came to mean a long-winded speech is unknown. Well, unknown to us.
Most entertaining filibuster on record: the one delivered by Bob Hope in the 1941 film "Louisiana Purchase," which includes a scene where the near voiceless Hope draws portraits in colored chalk on the floor of the Senate.
Way better than Strom Thurmond.
Our advice to the NDP: take lots of material to read from and plenty of throat lozenges.
The filibuster has long been a treasured tactic in US politics, but it seldom has been employed in Canada. A shame--we could have had John Diefenbaker fulminating nonstop for days.
The longest filibuster ever given in the US Senate was delivered by Strom Thurmond, a politician remembered for all the wrong reasons. The South Carolina senator spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in opposition to the Civil Rights Bill.
More recently, American senators have taken to filibustering in relay teams, which we believe should be disqualified. That's not a filibuster--it's a tag team talkathon.
The word "filibuster" is derived from the Spanish "filibustero," meaning "freebooter;" i.e., an adventurer engaged in some irregular military activity. How the word came to mean a long-winded speech is unknown. Well, unknown to us.
Most entertaining filibuster on record: the one delivered by Bob Hope in the 1941 film "Louisiana Purchase," which includes a scene where the near voiceless Hope draws portraits in colored chalk on the floor of the Senate.
Way better than Strom Thurmond.
Our advice to the NDP: take lots of material to read from and plenty of throat lozenges.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Post Oscar Tristesse
February 22 was the first Sunday of Lent, but I don't believe this was mentioned by Neil Patrick Harris or in any of the acceptance speeches.
The eighty-seventh running of the Academy Awards celebration dragged along predictably, apart from a few happy surprises, one of which wasn''t seeing the host in his jockey shorts. Who, we wondered, wanted to see Neil Patrick Harris in his underwear? Answer: Probably a lot of people.
But it was fun to see Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, and Jack Black as Kanye West. And who knew Lady Gaga could sing like that? The morning after, as usual, brought fashion writers trashing the dresses, but how about the guys' wardrobe choices? The Vancouver Sun had a nice line about Jared Leto looking as though dressed for a 1978 high school prom, but we remember how people looked at 1978 high school proms, and not one was wearing white high-tops. As for David Oyelowo's three-piece maroon tuxedo, Manny Goodman of the Jazzmanian Devils suggested that he looked like the maitre d' at a Willy Wonka theme restaurant. And then there was Benedict Cumberbatch, channeling "Casablanca" in his white shawl lapel dinner jacket.
But on to the great moments.
Neil Patrick Harris's best line: Telling Eddie Redmayne that his job was, every five minutes, to wake up Robert Duvall.
Best acceptance speech: The guy who said. "I want to thank my dog, Larry."
Best pregnant pause: Sean Penn's, before revealing the winner of the best picture award.
Best bit of business: Benedict Cumberbatch pulling a silver flask from his dinner jacket, recalling a revered archbishop's advice on "the wisdom of always carrying your own flask."
Gotta say, some of us still missed Seth MacFarlane. But maybe not many of us.
And then there were some who skipped the show altogether, being tuned instead to the curling championships in Moose Jaw. Or better, catching a rerun of a Simpsons episode in which the family goes to a book fair, and is greeted by Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Amy Tan and John Updike, all speaking in their own voices.
A great moment for Updike. Maybe he didn't get the Nobel, but he did get a bit on "The Simpsons."
The eighty-seventh running of the Academy Awards celebration dragged along predictably, apart from a few happy surprises, one of which wasn''t seeing the host in his jockey shorts. Who, we wondered, wanted to see Neil Patrick Harris in his underwear? Answer: Probably a lot of people.
But it was fun to see Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, and Jack Black as Kanye West. And who knew Lady Gaga could sing like that? The morning after, as usual, brought fashion writers trashing the dresses, but how about the guys' wardrobe choices? The Vancouver Sun had a nice line about Jared Leto looking as though dressed for a 1978 high school prom, but we remember how people looked at 1978 high school proms, and not one was wearing white high-tops. As for David Oyelowo's three-piece maroon tuxedo, Manny Goodman of the Jazzmanian Devils suggested that he looked like the maitre d' at a Willy Wonka theme restaurant. And then there was Benedict Cumberbatch, channeling "Casablanca" in his white shawl lapel dinner jacket.
But on to the great moments.
Neil Patrick Harris's best line: Telling Eddie Redmayne that his job was, every five minutes, to wake up Robert Duvall.
Best acceptance speech: The guy who said. "I want to thank my dog, Larry."
Best pregnant pause: Sean Penn's, before revealing the winner of the best picture award.
Best bit of business: Benedict Cumberbatch pulling a silver flask from his dinner jacket, recalling a revered archbishop's advice on "the wisdom of always carrying your own flask."
Gotta say, some of us still missed Seth MacFarlane. But maybe not many of us.
And then there were some who skipped the show altogether, being tuned instead to the curling championships in Moose Jaw. Or better, catching a rerun of a Simpsons episode in which the family goes to a book fair, and is greeted by Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Amy Tan and John Updike, all speaking in their own voices.
A great moment for Updike. Maybe he didn't get the Nobel, but he did get a bit on "The Simpsons."
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