Monday, October 20, 2008

Insurance salesmen

Today is (or was, actually) Charles Ives' birthday.

I couldn't find any other composers with the same birthday in my encyclopedia so I am unable to expand on that.

I took my own advice about checking out the archIVES (ha ha) for May and June for the Arizona pictures.
Because of the Antelope canyon pics displayed at the UW's Meany theater yesterday.

I used to be a lot funnier.

The site used to be anyway, what with all those imaginary people commenting.

But in a way, we are all imaginary.

What is a human being anyway but a great ape with an overactive imagination?

Descartes said that, I think, or something like.

It was Popeye who said "I yam what I yam"

So apparently he thought he was an orange potato.

To each his own, I guess.

Our new furniture arrived today, a big fluffy couch and a matching chair.
The room is all rearranged and looking very comfy.
We are not expecting the Spanish Inquisition.
But Si es atal, es atal.

Is the economy stimulated yet?

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13 Comments:

Blogger Glenn Buttkus said...

New, new, new--what the hell happened to formerly-owned and used slightly? I know that while you drove Lea over 300,000 miles you were denying the economy much extra revenue, but then you popped for a Prius, and that costs more than ten bucks, enit?

Anonomann really got wound up on the comments section for the last post. Good on you, sir. As an expatriate, sort of, I didn't know you would still be forced into jury duty back here in AmericatheFree. Perhaps it is something you enjoy.

GOP, the Great Oil Party, oh yeah. I am still giggling over that one. Now the media is all a titter over the fact that Obama raised 150 million bucks in September for his campaign; that he broke a campaign promise to use "public funds". I wonder if Hillary ever repaid the 8 million she still had in or on her chest when she pulled out of the race?

Nice that you checked out your own archives, but why not post another pic of Antelope Canyon? Meredith snapped a dozen or so, right?

For the dummies amongst us, with me at the lead:

Charles Edward Ives (October 20, 1874 – May 19, 1954) was an American composer of modernist classical music. He is widely regarded as one of the first American classical composers of international significance. Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives would come to be regarded as an "American Original"; Ives combined the American popular and church-music traditions of his youth with European art music, and was among the first composers to engage in a systematic program of experimental music, with musical techniques including polytonality, polyrhythm, tone clusters, aleatoric elements, and quarter tones, thus foreshadowing virtually every major musical innovation of the 20th century. Sources of Charles Ives’ tonal imagery are hymn tunes and traditional songs, the town band at holiday parade, the fiddlers at Saturday night dances, patriotic songs, sentimental parlor ballads, and the melodies of Stephen Foster.

Are you turning into a Woody Allen clone? Were you older posts a lot funnier? Is humor a depletable resource? God help us if that is true. While you were at Lake Quinault, the funny comments abounded, and the imaginary folks did several terrific rants; some even at Anonomann, but most at or about you, sir. So get over it, whatever is tugging you down. Humor follows you around like halotosis and dandruff. It is part of who you are. But like your mentor, Woody, you are so self-deprecating, it it hard to laugh at you seriously.

Human beings are the greatest of apes, but stupidly we are eating too many green bananas and chopping down our own trees and habitat. Apes do not do well in a concrete environment, or so they say.

Wimpy said,"I will gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today."

Butch said,"I would rather owe it to you than cheat you out of it."

Glenn

6:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dude, all that new stuff really classes up your life. I am enjoying your new couch too, even though you sat on my lap the other day and did not acknowledge me.

......Eddy Emerald

6:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Check out Glenn's latest attempt at poetry on FFTR, something he called HALLOWED SON--another response to a terrific Rick Mobbs painting. It is a bit precious for the Butcherboy, but as a poem written for an almost nine year old, it has a certain charm.

.........Emily

6:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glenn stole my "Raven" for his latest Halloween opus. That just is not right! And hey, isn't it about time for you to reprint the cartoon you drew of the two crows. Perhaps that can be an annual Halloween tradition, or just something you do on my birthday.

.......Eddie Allen Pooo

6:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The reason Charles Ives' music was largely unheard and unpublished during his life was that he was an early beatnik weirdo. His music made me ill every time I heard it.

.......Lawrenz Wellk

6:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I read where Ives was a closet queen, and wanted to be a priest, but got tossed out of the seminary for taking a dare; and that's why he got so hung up on doing tangential church music/jazz/military trash.

........Truemann Cappotte

6:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You tell 'em, True! You go, girl.

.......Elton's John

6:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just can't wait, dudes, for Anonomann to jump on your lame asses for trashing Ives!

......Eddy Emerald

6:15 AM  
Blogger Glenn Buttkus said...

Of course, Doug knew that Ives had a "day job" before WWI, as an insurance salesman. Sometimes his posting titles are so esoteric, it is hard to fathom them--but in this case, it is logic as Northwest weather, enit:

Ives is not without his critics. Some find his music bombastic and pompous. Others find it, strangely enough, timid in that the fundamental sound of European traditional music is still present in his works. His onetime supporter Elliott Carter has called his work incomplete, but has since revised his stance. Despite the persistence of such views, Ives is generally recognized as one of the greatest composers of the first part of the 20th century.

Glenn

6:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Remember folks, it was I who in 1951 had the NY Philharmonic play some Ives for the radio broadcast. His family heard it on the radio and were surprised at the warm reception it received.

.......Lennie Bernstein

6:22 AM  
Blogger Jannie Funster said...

Thak God you've toned down the humor, my crow's feet don't need much more defining, you Kindred Wonderful Weirdo

10:54 AM  
Blogger Lane Savant said...

The humor comes and goes, Jannie.

3:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hallo, Lane!
To learn which composers (and other musicians of note) were born on a specific date: Consult the Musikkalender on the wall next to the only doorI use to the room you let me have at your (and Meredith's)place.
Tschuess,
npnomann

12:44 PM  

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