Listening to Jill and the Clash and other scattered things

Yesterday I spent a nice evening out listening to my old vocal teacher Jill Walsh sing at the Rockwood (nice little red brick place down in the east village area 1st Ave and Allen street – even has a piano so we might want to use it someday) The scary thing was that the best I could remember I had last heard her sing maybe 8-9 years ago - at least. Maybe more. It’s becoming a scary part of my life that – thinking about things that happened ago and realizing with a bit of a start that they happened decades ago.

Like the release of London Calling – it came out in 1979 just as the punk wave was, in retrospect starting to crest and New Wave (punk with out the scary stuff) was slipping in there. That’s hindsight – what I remembered was when I got the album – a double which was pretty pricy in those days – and heard it, I though it was going to change everything. I mean it. I was blown away by the album – from the first cut to the very end – it gave me the sense of hope, of promise, of commitment of change for the better or how you could see how rotten things where for working stiffs and that should be better – Watergate had radicalized me – and I was ready for change. I got change but it was Reagan. Not quite what I expected. I’ve often thought the Regan Revolution was really not much more that a whole sale escape by American into Denial but I ‘m probably reading too much of my own family history into that.

Still the damn album just kicks – one silly note – while it was mistake – they recorded it after the cover and the labels were printed so “Train in Vain” was listed – and it just worked – this song rising up out of the album like the memory of a broken heart just as you’re dropping off to sleep – and it haunting sad and just perfect. Ahhhh. Seeing the song title takes a bit o the mystery away bit.

Anyway – in addition to getting to hear my old vocal teacher – I also got the privilege of hearing the Enemy Below’s “Robots took my Man” a song written specially for the musical – the first of a few. We need the opening song – (working title “just another Friday”) and one more (which I won’t say the title of cause it’s the joke you see). We want to hear a woman sing this but that might have to wait a bit – or maybe not maybe somebody at the Waltz will be foolish enough to barge in.

Once we get this whole song cycle set we’re going to do the book – or actually the Enemy Below’s going to do the book since he has the expericne and ability – I lose focus from time to time on – look shiny thing! – What was I talking about? At any rate he’s going to have the thankless task of taking our silly ideas and my suggestions for snarky comments and putting them into some kind of form that actors will be able to say.

The auditions could be interesting –
“So have you ever played a sheep before?”
“No but I did summer stock as Toad of Toad hall”
“Good enough”

I note that the more people say that we should not increase the number of troops in Iraq, the more desperately wedded to that course W and his minions become. It seems like some object lesson in human perversity where W took the least popular course and decides on that – almost because it is the most unpopular. Congress is talking about a non-biding resolution condemning the increase which while not nothing, is not something that will really influence these mad men. Their thinking is they are going to plant these extra troops in Iraq even if they don’t have the money to keep them there and then dare the House to cut off funds. We are not yet on the shores of the Rubicon but when the wind is right you can smell the river and hear the lapping of the water.

Watching more Godzilla movies this weekend – it was raining and damp what would you do – and I was continually struck by one constant – Godzilla, although immensely powerful and utterly fearless is simply not the sharpest knife in the drawer In movie after movie he delivers what looks like a near killing blow to his adversary and then he will stand there head moving from side to side – and sure as shooting the other monster will rise up and either clock Godzilla a good one, or will stab him or some other unpleasant for Godzilla result (fire ice explosions what have you). You would think that Godzilla might remember all those times before but nooooooo. There he stands low growl, sometimes picking a wound that he’d gotten earlier and bang.

The Insect Girl is reading about Jack the Ripper – oddly enough this does not make the Enemy Below nervous in any way.

Gonna get my hands on Barbara Tuchman’s The march of folly – cause if she were still alive – she’d be making notes to add Iraq to a new edition of the book.

Peace, Love, and Train in Vain
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