Gravity well
The Norman Lebrecht quote on Ilkka Talvi's latest post pretty much sums up what I'm trying to say about the maelstrom sucking the life out of the SSO.
Our great leader sits in his bunker making his demands, throwing his tantrums, blaming everything other than himself, denying there's anything wrong.
Issuing pompous bull about everything being all hunky-dory.
Pathetic.
With a capital PAH!
We were great weren't we?
A shining beacon?
An icon of goodness and light?
But it's too late.
A pity, a pity.
Too late, too late.
The plug has been pulled and we swirl ever downward.
The lever has been pushed and we rush headlong down the tubes and into the sewer.
Leaving naught but a black hole of emptiness.
Moral, ethical, artistic even constitutional emptiness.
Even the sun shuns us, sinking lower and lower in the sky.
What's to be done?
Our great leader sits in his bunker making his demands, throwing his tantrums, blaming everything other than himself, denying there's anything wrong.
Issuing pompous bull about everything being all hunky-dory.
Pathetic.
With a capital PAH!
We were great weren't we?
A shining beacon?
An icon of goodness and light?
But it's too late.
A pity, a pity.
Too late, too late.
The plug has been pulled and we swirl ever downward.
The lever has been pushed and we rush headlong down the tubes and into the sewer.
Leaving naught but a black hole of emptiness.
Moral, ethical, artistic even constitutional emptiness.
Even the sun shuns us, sinking lower and lower in the sky.
What's to be done?
Labels: Hunky-dory
posted by Lane Savant at 11:43 AM
11 Comments:
Norman Lebrecht wrote:
A winner for all time
The discreet charm of Arthur Rubinstein, discussed in my current column, provokes this memory from an audience member at his first international piano competition:
Emanuel Ax won and everyone got terribly pompous and aware of The Great Occasion, Rubi stood up and said to Ax something like: As the lucky winner you get a medal with my profile!
Just in case he forgets who's number one...
This was "his" 12/20 posting on his site, linked from yours. Where do I find Ilkka Talvi's latest post?
The free verse sounds like pure Palmer/Savant, but before I cut it and paste it on FEEL FREE TO READ, please enlighten me as to whether it is a steal, or the real deal.
Glenn
Okay, so Ilkka Talvi's blog is OF MUSIC AND MEN, and the Lebrecht quote is like:
As in every field, people involved in classical music come in a wide variety of character traits. Some are intelligent, knowledgable in other areas, too, but so many are uneducated and even illiterate. People skills are not necessarily their forte. I just received an eloquent email from one of my very favorite writers of music, Norman Lebrecht. With his permission I'm quoting a paragraph of it, in reference to a beloved European maestro:
"The best conductors never allow an ugly personnel situation to arise, always stepping in and dealing with issues personally and face-to-face. When human issues combust, I tend to suspect maestro failure. If you have the privilege of leadership, it carries with it certain responsibilities towards those who are led."
So now I will cut and paste the Palmer poetry, and get it hot and steaming to FFTR.
Glenn
Hey, Check out this hot new free verse by Lane Savant:
The Ballad of Hunky-Dory
Our great leader sits
in his bunker
making his demands,
throwing his tantrums,
blaming everything other
than himself,
denying there's anything wrong.
Issuing pompous bull
about everything being
all hunky-dory.
Pathetic.
With a capital PAH!
We were great weren't we?
A shining beacon?
An icon of goodness and light?
But it's too late.
A pity, a pity.
Too late, too late.
The plug has been pulled
and we swirl ever downward.
The lever has been pushed
and we rush headlong down
the tubes
and into the sewer.
Leaving naught but a black hole
of emptiness.
Moral, ethical, artistic
even constitutional
emptiness.
Even the sun shuns us,
sinking lower
and lower
in the sky.
What's to be done?
Not bad poetry, enit? It is now posted on FFTR.
Glenn
That's not poetry, it doesn't rhyme.
If that is what you in the @!st century call poetry, I didn't die soon enough.
..............Emily
Lane & Emily:
Chill out folks. Of course it is poetry. It is poetry because I say so, and of course I am a poet; sort of.
Emily don't be so prissy. Much as I enjoy your poetry, you would spin a rhyme out of the dust on the window panes. You wrote such incredible amounts of poetry, some of it got lost on scattered pieces of paper. Lane is still new to the art of interpreting his views and ideas into first humor, then satire, then symbol, then prose, then poetry. It can be done. I has been done. It shall continue.
If either of you want the simpering rhyme scheme kind of lines, then dig up Lord Byron. I mean it is of course impressive when one can twist their thoughts into as few words as possible, and perhaps fit them into haiku, or a irod clad metered line of traditional a,b,-a, b, kind of schlock --but please open your wonderful minds and hearts and let those words flow. Part of what is the poetry is the look of the line, the impact of where the break comes, the juxtaposition, the pathos, the bathos, the humor, the irony.
[Of course my righteous indignation is a put on, just like your disdain(s) is/are/were. This blog, after all is but a light hearted, sometimes darkly comedic, journey into the mind of Douglas Palmer and his alter ego Lane Savant. Levity is Lord, and we are but its jesters.]
Glenn
What a pity the SSO has blocked my e-mail.
It would be fun to send them the "poem"
Well put. Perhaps I should paste into one of my emails and send to them. How would that be? Then I too could be on the shit list, and the SSO gestapo could add me to the hit list; although I am certain that they pay some schmuck to keep tabs on you, which implies that they already know who I am, and how I stand on SSO issues.
Glenn
Have you read Alex's blog site today. She has a piece on it about her cats, lying in the tub, to escape the workmen, and the eagles. It is a nice bit of narrative, with her charming sense of humor coming through teasing all of the old men in her throngs of fans.
I finally got my copy of NOTES FROM THE KELP, and I listened to the first hour of it this morning. I need to hear it a bunch more before I start to know how I feel about it; 73.18 minutes of wonder, bliss, blues, jazz, and unique instrumentation.
I think I finally hit bottom, or broke even with my catch up ball posting things on FEEL FREE TO READ. With yours and Alex's stuff, the number of postings are like over 250. Man that is a bunch of "reading". Good luck all.
Glenn
I did not send out any Christmas cards this year; first time in decades and decades. Feels kind of odd receiving cards from friends that I have not stimulated with a card of my own, and a brief message of course; my one time to get back in touch with many of the old old friends.
After Thanksgiving, Melva just announced that this year she was not sending out Xmas cards. So I thought, well, to hell with it; neither will I. I remember those cards you used to send, Doug; hand-made, creative, unique, cheap, wonderful, crass, and sweetly sentimental; just like you.
Sharon M. emailed me today. First time I heard from her in like a year. Kristi is down to twice a year now. Sharon has remarried. Is this the fourth husband. She and Michael live on her acreage there in Battleground WA. I need to respond to her email. Perhaps tomorrow.
Anyway, Merry Christmas Dougie, Meredith, and Keth, and Anonomann and the LL, and lovely Alex; in case I get too busy watching movies to check the blog for the holidays.
Glenn
Hallo, Glenn!!
The LL and I thank you for your electronic "greeting card", and we wish you and yours a happy and (especially) HEALTHY 2008!!!
Tschüß,
Anonomann (+LL)
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