Well, dear readers, I relaxed so much yesterday that I became tense from all the damn relaxing. But I was true to my word and did no work at all. And what I discovered is that I don’t necessarily enjoy doing nothing. I like when I’m busy, but one does need a day like yesterday every now and then. But by the evening I was ready to dance the Hora or the bugaloo or the pony or the horse. But instead I either sat on my couch like so much fish or sat at my computer like so much fish or listened to music like so much fish or watched a motion picture like so much fish. I suppose I can go into more detail, but first may I just say that yesterday was also a little bittersweet, as the wonderful lyricist Hal David passed away. It’s hard to be sad when someone has lived the life that he did and managed to get all the way to ninety-one years of age, but he gave such joy to so many people it’s just amazing. Just four short weeks ago we did our Bacharach and David Kritzerland show, and right up until the last minute he was supposed to be there, but just didn’t feel up to it. But what was clear that night to everyone was just how timeless Bacharach and David were, how wonderful and wise his lyrics were. For me, and I’m sure millions of others, I grew up with Bacharach and David and their songs were the soundtrack of my life. Funnily, the first Bacharach and David songs I ever heard, Hot Spell and The Blob weren’t by Hal, but were by his brother Mack. I guess my first conscious memory of a Burt and Hal song was Walk on By, which I went crazy for. I bought everything after that – every Dionne Warwick album, every single, anything by anyone as long as it was Bacharach and David. I had so many wacky versions of Walk on By from Brother Jack McDuff to Mongo Santamaria. Every song was instantly memorable and unique – no one wrote like them until everyone began to try and ape their style – none could, of course, because they were true originals. You couldn’t just listen once – all those Dionne Warwick albums were filled with Bacharach and David songs and each got hundreds of plays wherever I was living. I could write the next five pages just listing my favorites, but everyone knows the songs because they were everyone’s favorites. As if all that wasn’t amazing enough, then they took Broadway by storm with Promises, Promises. At that time, it was like a breath of fresh air – there had never been a Broadway show that sounded like Promises, and Hal’s lyrics were just wonderful. I found out much later that when the show was trying out the breakout hit, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, wasn’t in the show. They wrote it during one of the tryouts because they saw that Jill O’Hara could play the guitar and in a very specific way. They wrote it especially the way they did because of her ability, and the result was magic.
And then came Lost Horizon. And for whatever reasons, that huge critical and audience failure broke up one of the greatest pop songwriting teams in history. It was a sad, sad day. In hindsight, of course, the failure of Lost Horizon wasn’t really their fault – their songs are, for the most part, catchy and fun and the ballads are truly lovely. We did a medley from it in our Kritzerland show that went over wonderfully. And for such a flop, several of the songs got quite a bit of airplay, including the title song, and especially Living Together, Growing Together, which was a hit for The Fifth Dimension. But while the makers of hits ultimately pass, the beautiful thing is that their legacy remains, to touch, to delight, to be heard by every new generation. Hal’s words are timeless, as is Burt’s music – the songs come back again and again and again because they are as potent as any songs in the Great American Songbook. There was a time in the 1960s when it was not possible to turn on the radio without hearing a Bacharach and David song. And that continues to this day, whether with new versions or the golden oldies. So, Mr. David, thanks for the magic – we say a little prayer for you and the windows of the world are clearer for your beautiful words – you taught us what the world needs now is love sweet love and the way to San Jose, and what’s it all about, Alfie and what’s new, pussycat and that a house is not a home and that there’s one less bell to answer. Rest in peace.
I did manage to get nine hours of sleep and I only got up once during the night, so that was good. I felt pretty good in the morning, but as the day went along, I just was feeling logey and weird. Nothing wrong, really, but I just think it was all those days without enough sleep. I did a little housecleaning and organizing, then went to Mo’s and had a Chinese chicken salad for my meal o’ the day. I picked up no packages and then came back home. I listened to music for a couple of hours, then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a biblical motion picture entitled David and Bathsheba, starring Mr. Gregory Peck and Miss Susan Hayward, and the very stern Raymond Massey, along with a very young Jayne Meadows and a cast of a lot of people. It’s quite an odd little film – very earnest, but about a King who cheats on his wife (wives) with a gal named Bathsheba who is married. I do love my biblical motion pictures and I enjoyed this one very much. At one point, I did yell at Mr. Raymond Massey to “lighten up.” He was so stern. Of course, what elevates the film mightily is the mighty and beautiful score by Mr. Alfred Newman, one of his best, and right up there with The Robe. And you can bet your buttons that it’s coming very soon from Kritzerland, complete and in stereo, sounding absolutely amazing. You heard it here. The DVD transfer leaves a lot to be desired, like a better transfer.
After that, I finished watching the first OSS 117 movie. It’s a lot of fun. I noticed it was based on a book by Jean Bruce, so I looked that up on the Internet and was surprised to see that there were many books in the series, eighty-eight to be precise, that they weren’t comedy, and that there were quite a few OSS 117 movies in the 1960s with all kinds of people playing the spy, including Kerwin Matthews, Frederick Stafford, and John Gavin. I’d like to check out some of those. The import Blu-ray looked very good.
Then I just relaxed more and I was so relaxed that I wanted to kill a chipmunk just for a little change of pace. I took a shower and that was that. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get another good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I suppose I shall continue to relax, but I’ll also do one bit of liner notes writing that I need to do. I’ll think about doing a jog and if it feels like the thing to do, I shall do it. Then at five I’m being picked up and will first sup at the Hollywood Bowl restaurant and then see a film music concert.
Tomorrow is still part of the long Labor Day weekend, but I, BK, will be doing labor, as it’s our first Kritzerland rehearsal. We have our cast of five coming, plus three kids, plus Lindsay Ridgeway, who couldn’t come on Wednesday with the other Ruthless guest stars. So it’s probably a four-hour rehearsal, but I can’t imagine it will be anything but pleasurable and I’m very much looking forward to it. The rest of the week is mostly rehearsals all telescoped into one week. Then we have our sound check and show on Saturday. Somewhere in there I’ll try to see Teddy to get coifed.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the Hokey Pokey, because today is the birthday of dear reader Ron Pulliam. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader Ron Pulliam. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER RON PULLIAM!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, perhaps jog, relax, write a bit, and then sup and see a film music concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland with the wonderful words of Hal David floating in the windmills of my mind.