Category Archives: Music
Estelle Bennett, 1942-2009
Estelle Bennett, Ronnie Spector and Nedra Talley-Ross Estelle Bennett, a Singer for the Ronettes, Is Dead at 67, NY Times
Also posted in Female performers, Obituaries Tagged Female performers, Music, Obituaries, Ronettes Leave a comment
“Patti Lupone, she gonna beat you”
I’ve been meaning to write about the incredible experience of being in the audience at the performance of Gypsy in which Patti Lupone battered the fourth wall into tiny, tiny, tiny pieces, but I haven’t had the time to collect my thoughts—or really, to recover. I do hope to detail the extraordinary command performance, but [...]
Also posted in Female performers Tagged Female performers, Gypsy, Music, Patti Lupone, Rose's Turn, the fourth wall 1 Comment
The old school and the new school are on the dance floor
Wyclef Jean and the cast of The Electric Company sing “Electric City.” The Los Angeles Times reports that “beat-boxing, it turns out, is a surprisingly effective tool for repeating consonant and vowel sounds.” There’s much more at the new school Electric Company headquarters and here’s an old school lesson from Easy Reader.
Also posted in Literary Tagged childhood, Electric Company, literacy, Literary, Morgan Freeman, Music, online video 1 Comment
It’s about time
Justin Bond has a blog. A taste: Actually my make-up was wind-swept and tear-stained already after being WHIPPED FROM PILLAR TO POST (OMG -What do you think that aphorism is referencing?) by that asshole Jack Frost when I was walking home from my shrink appointment, but DON’T EXPECT COMPLETE TRUTH in this blog and if [...]
Also posted in Art, Female performers, Literary, Motion Pictures, NYC, Wildlife Tagged Art, blogs, Female performers, Literary, Motion Pictures, Music, NYC, queer life, Wildlife Leave a comment
“Who’ll bring any moose to its knees”
“I Can See Russia from Alaska (When I Look in Your Eyes)” Matthew Brookshire
“Miss Lachrymose”
In her very first stage appearance Doris Day wet herself. It was in her hometown of Cincinnati in 1927. She was five years old and not yet Doris Day. She was still Doris Kappelhoff and the red satin pants that her mother, Alma, had sewn for the kindergarten pageant were quick to betray her. The [...]
Also posted in Female performers, Motion Pictures Tagged biography, Doris Day, Female performers, Motion Pictures, Music Leave a comment
Isaac Hayes, 1942-2008
Hayes performing at Wattstax music festival in 1972, introduced by Jesse Jackson. Hayes wanted to be a doctor, but got redirected when he won a talent contest in ninth grade by singing Nat King Cole’s “Looking Back.” –Associated Press Isaac Hayes, 65, a Creator of ’70s Soul Style, Dies
Mincing Up the Morning
New favorite internet discovery: Douglas Wolk’s Mincing Up the Morning, which he describes as “a daily blog where I post a couple of videos by musicians whose birthday is that day.” The duet between David Bowie and Cher is indescribable–must be seen to be believed. (Thanks, Anne.)
Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman
Here’s a link to my review of Caryl Flinn’s biography of Ethel Merman in Newsday. [pdf version here] Ethel Merman on “The Love Boat,” with Ann Miller, Carol Channing, and Della Reese. Click through for Merman and the Muppets.
Johnny Staccato