Or as I like to call it, The Asterisk with the Hat. My review of Stephen Adly Giurgis’s riotous Broadway play, starring Bobby Cannavale and Chris Rock, has been posted on CultureVulture.net. Check it out and let me know what you think.
And while you’re at it, check out the show’s website. I love the ad line “2 Hearts. 12 Steps. 1 Hat.” The splash page used to come with a deliciously exuberant voice-over by the unmistakeable Elaine Stritch. They’ve cut the soundtrack, but it’s been preserved on Vimeo here.
Theater review: THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT
April 21, 2011Quote of the day: DEATH
April 20, 2011DEATH
“End of Days”
Almost always with cats, the end
comes creeping over the two of you—
she stops eating, his back legs
no longer support him, she leans
to your hand and purrs but cannot
rise—sometimes a whimper of pain
although they are stoic. They see
death clearly though hooded eyes.
Then there is the long weepy
trip to the vet, the carrier no
longer necessary, the last time
in your lap. The injection is quick.
Simply they stop breathing
in your arms. You bring them
home to bury in the flower garden,
planting a bush over a deep grave.
That is how I would like to cease,
held in a lover’s arms and quickly
fading to black like an old-fashioned
movie embrace. I hate the white
silent scream of hospitals, the whine
of pain like air-conditioning’s hum.
I want to click the off switch.
And if I can no longer choose
I want someone who loves me
there, not a doctor with forty patients
and his morality to keep me sort
of, kind of alive or sort of undead.
Why are we more rational and kinder
to our pets than to ourselves or our
parents? Death is not the worst
thing; denying it can be.
— Marge Piercy
Quote of the day: PERSUASION
April 17, 2011PERSUASION
What other skills do peace activists need besides the ability to remain calm?
We need training in how to be persuasive and in understanding other people’s worldviews, because if you attack someone’s worldview, they are likely to react as if you are attacking them physically. It’s part of who they are…The difference between manipulation and persuasion is that manipulation uses fear, which clouds the mind. It’s difficult to think clearly when you’re afraid. Persuasion appeals to people’s reason, understanding, compassion, and conscience. If I’m trying to persuade you, I want you to be calm, rational. I want to give you all the evidence so that you can make the right decision.
— Paul Chappell, interviewed in The Sun
Concert: Gamelan Kusuma Laras in Oneonta, NY, Saturday April 23
April 17, 2011
Gamelan Kusuma Laras, the Javanese music group that I play with, will be giving a concert at Anderson Center for the Arts at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, next Saturday April 23. If you’re in that neck of the woods, or know someone who lives around there, feel free to come and spread the word. Tickets are cheap: $10.
Javanese gamelan is strange and lovely music. Laurie Anderson came to our concert in December and e-mailed me afterwards to say it was “beautiful — meditative but with a lot of detail.” Good description! For more information, contact Lynda Clark at 607-431-4800 or clarkl@hartwick.edu.
another eye opens 