So. When I was growing up I used to sit in my room and play records. Sure what kid doesn't (ok these days its cds and mp3s but same dif.) But what I recall the most from those years is what kind of music was played in the house and what records I would play on that record player in my room. There was the current music of the era (yes.... disco and the early new wave and some nyc punk - we befreinded this great lady who owned Rainbow Records, she would loan us Laurie Anderson, Stray Cats and Ramones records which we would tape and give back) but really what I very much remember the most from when I was say a pre teen... was show tunes. Show tunes and Jazz. My favorite two records that I still have and will never ever part with were: You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (and kick ass for Amazon even listing it) and The Soundtrack to the Andy Williams Show. Seriously. No joke.
And sure I liked the popular music as I got a little older... give me Heart of Glass by Blondie and I will wax poetic about Skate City until I weep, but really, it comes down to... Ella Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Andy Williams and show tunes as my earliest musical memories.
And I am so grateful. I appreciate the fact that my Mom never said "boo" about what I listened to. Sure when I was older she would make fun of my choices...depeche mode anyone (bleh), but she never said anything against it. I love that I have my fondest memories of listening to "snoopy" singing about "suppertime" with Radar O'Rielly/Gary Burghoff as Charlie Brown and Ella Fitzgerald and ragtime and yes Andy Williams as my musical backdrop.
And because of that, I do believe.... I am sooooo undeniably loving Broadway on pbs this week. Sure Jazz: A film by Ken Burns was great and historical and monumental. But Broadway - The American Musical is just fantastic. Julie Andrews narrating in her perfect diction, producers, Ziegfield Follies girls talking about the dance line, going into the depth of the interracial romance in South Pacific.... priceless.
Its made me think about a couple of things very seriously though.
One of them is: I don't have a single friend here locally that I can honestly say has seen a touring production of a musical. This is going to sound incredibly crass and unbelievably snobby, but really, I am going to put it out there.... maybe this is why I am finding their friendships so unbelievably lacking. I think it definately is a part of the problem. They may not be Jewish and that is important, but they aren't very cultured. I don't think a single one of these girls that I have known for the past 10 years could tell me a single song title or even hum a bar from show tune, could tell me anything about any less than contemporary musician (from the past say 20 years....), would know anything about say the architecture (which is constantly changing here in Denver) of our City (and what architects by name are even currently responsible for those changes). And I find that so undeniably sad for them. This makes me realize that I haven't ventured very far into a play, a show, a gallery opening, art in general.... in a very long time unless someone in my family instigates going. There isn't anything wrong with that, and I am luckey as hell that my family is cultured and enjoys the arts, but I don't have a single friend that would go. I don't have a single friend that is interested in seeing The Quest for Immortality (Egyptian Antiquties) exhibit at the History Museum. No one is interested in learning and experiencing anything outside their day to day lives and that is so pathetic and sad to me. And it makes me realize that I am better of realizing this and cutting bait so I can move on.
Which brings me to....
The second is: I really want to find a guy that would go to the museum. A gentleman that would go and see a touring show. A dude that would be interested in the posibility of doing more than standing at a bar talking about the baseball games (ok I would love to see the Red Sox make it and the Astros, but that is me just gunning for the underdogs, plus it is Boston and we have family ties there). Sports are good and the fact that there is a lock out with hockey (which I can appreciate and watch until my eyes bleed) there has to be something, but sports isn't everything. Art... Nature.... Song. That is what I am looking for I decided.
Now that I have put my finger on what was lacking I may be able to actually find what I am looking for.
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