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August 4, 2002:

THE SIMONIZED SUNDAY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo. And do you know what? I do believe it, I do believe it’s true. Of course, I don’t really know if it’s true because I have only been to a zoo once in my entire life and that was when I was but a sprig of a twig of a lad of a youth. Why am I talking about the fershluganah zoo of all things on a Sunday morning? Well, you know me, strange things just pop into my head and that was what poppled into my head on thif fine Sunday morning. Has anyone noticed that I just wrote “poppled into my head on thif fine Sunday morning”? I didn’t mean to but my eyes have not quite focused yet and neither apparently have my fingers. I meant to type “popped” and “this” and yet I didn’t and then I was just too lazy to go back and fix it. Well, this is what happens when someone tells you it’s all happening at the zoo.

Well, other than being bleary-eyed on this fine Sunday morning, I’m actually feelin’ groovy. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I am feelin’ groovy, and I hope you are as well. What am I, Paul Simon all of a sudden? The whole of these here notes thus far feels Simonized to me. Next thing you know I’ll be saying, “So long, Frank Lloyd Wright” for no reason whatsoever. Oh, well maybe I should just go for a drive on a bridge over troubled water or maybe I should just go run barefoot in the park. “Barefoot in the park”? Oops, wrong Simon – that was Paul’s brother Neil. Perhaps the sound of silence would be good right about now.

Last night I watched a DVD of the musical entitled Barnum. I never saw the show on stage, and I’ve only seen this taped version once before. It’s not my favorite show or score ever written, but it is a lot of fun at times and it does move right along. This version was taped in London, and stars Michael Crawford as P.T. Barnum. I don’t really know when it became fashionable to knock Mr. Crawford, but he’s very good in this, as he is in most things I’ve seen him in (with the exception of the film of Hello, Dolly! in which he’s really awful, in my opinion (IMO, in Internet lingo). Anyway, the woman who plays his wife is adequate but not much more – I’ve never heard of her or seen her before. The sound is fairly dreadful in the dialogue sections, but the score sounds good and I must say the staging of Mr. Joe Layton is a lot of fun – he’s almost never mentioned anymore, and he was a very good director/choreographer. Mr. Coleman clearly loves doing these kinds of shows, what with this and The Will Rogers Follies. He’s got some very sprightly tunes in this, which have serviceable lyrics by Michael Stewart. The patchwork book is by Mark Bramble, who seems to specialize in patchwork books.

What am I, Ken Mandelbaum all of a sudden? Perhaps we should all click on the Unseemly Button below – do you know why I always say and do that? I do it for your love, that’s why. Click away, my pretties.

Well, here we are again, still crazy after all these years. Have I mentioned that someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo?

Don’t forget, there’s a brand spanking new radio show going up today, this one with our very own dear reader, Mr. Ron Pulliam. Do give it a listen, won’t you?

I listened to another one of those Varese Sarabande Club releases, this one the soundtrack to the Brian de Palma motion picture entitled The Fury, with music by Mr. John Williams. I like this score very much indeed, so it’s nice to finally have a CD of the original soundtrack, rather than the rerecording which served as its original soundtrack release lo those many years ago. But, the good news is, you get both with this release. Yes, Virginia, this is a two CD set. It is very interesting to listen to both CDs back to back. Did you know that when you put two CDs back to back that one of them doesn’t play? In any case, the original tracks are lean and mean and are, I believe, in film order (I haven’t read the booklet notes yet). The sound is a bit dry for my taste, but it’s excellent fidelity nonetheless. It’s a world apart from the rerecording, which was done with the London Symphony, and which has the score presented in quite a different manner. Having a symphony orchestra play the music, smooths the whole thing out, and while that is fine for classical music it takes away some of the bite of one of Williams’ most biting scores. In any case, as always the production of my friend Nick Redman is top-notch.

I went to Gelson’s yesterday and bought the stupidest array of foodstuffs to eat that you can possibly imagine. I was in an eclectic mood, appetite-wise, so here is what I bought and ate as my meal-o’-the-day yesterday. Some almond chicken salad, with which I made a sandwich on an onion roll. A side dish of stuffing (they make excellent stuffing there). Some rice pudding. And then a bit later I ate some shrimps with cocktail sauce. Now, that is a meal. Frankly, some of the food could have benefited from a bit of seasoning, say a pinch of parsley, or even perhaps some sage, rosemary or thyme.

Well, dear readers, it is time for me to take the day, to do the things I do. I promised someone I’d make a list of fifty ways to leave your lover. Then I must get into my automobile and drive hither and thither and perhaps yon, and after that I shall be homeward bound. Unless I stop at the zoo because, after all, someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day and I want to see some lively discussion going on here. Yesterday, we finally achieved 40 posts 40, but today we must do better than that. Those who don’t contribute will be forced to bounce a red rubber ball for eight hours straight. Hey, I’m just trying to keep the customer satisfied. I’ll be back later to join in on the lively and sparkling discussions. Post away, my pretties.

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