Well, dear readers, they say that falling in love is wonderful, it’s wonderful, so they say. I sometimes wonder how wonderful it is because it has been so many years since I’ve fallen in love that I probably wouldn’t know if it was wonderful or even happening at all. In fact, what the HELL is love anyway? What’s love got to do with it? I have always had an uneasy relationship with the word itself because if it means what it’s supposed to mean then how come we human beings can fall in and out of it at the drop of a hat. You know how it is – it is especially prevalent with idiot celebrities. You’ll read how so and so has found the love of his/her life – happy as clams doing the hully-gully. And six months later they’ll file for deevorce citing irreconcilable differences. What happened to the love of his/her life? What happened to love? Suddenly the person who they LOVED is now the person they don’t love? Because in six months or three months or two years, how can that happen? I dated one person who went directly to the love place – it made me uncomfortable, but I went along with it. Months went by. A year went by. Apparently I wasn’t moving as quickly as this person would have liked and suddenly this person was done – just like that, snap of a finger. That’s fine, of course, and frankly I was happy about it being done, but what happened to that love? Suddenly, and I was told this, the love had left. Really? Then it wasn’t love, baby, it was something else. Because if love means what it’s supposed to mean then it can’t be over with the snap of a fingers. And yet that happens every day. Go know. Can someone please explain to me why the HELL I’m going on about love? Where is love? Does it fall from skies above? Does love exist. Certainly the word does – one of the most abused words in the history of words. I love hot dogs. I love cashew nuts. I love that street lamp. I love my cell phone. I love these here notes. Blah, blah, blah. Love is sweeping the country. Our love is here to stay. Of course, I do know a few examples of people who are together and who truly are in love so that does give one hope.
I seem to have gone off on a tangent, a love tangent. The Love Tangent – that’s the title of my next novel, a steamy story of love and libido in Lima, Peru, where the sun is sweltering and the food is spicy. Okay, I really must write some notes now. And I, of course, will love them.
Yesterday was a day. I loved it. I had eight hours of sleep and then I moseyed on over to the book fair again to deliver the trade books and to hang out for an hour. I ended up with a couple more books, including a rather nifty book by Liberace called The Things I Love, signed by him with his piano caricature. This dealer was the only reasonably priced dealer in the whole jernt and I’d completely missed their booth the day before. Their books were downright cheap and I’m shocked that the other dealers hadn’t snapped them up – many signed celebrity books. I also got the first edition of I Was That Masked Man by Clayton Moore, signed on a special bookplate as one of fifty copies designated for his friends. The nearest copy I could find on the ABE was three hundred bucks – this was ten percent of that.
After that, I came home, and then it was time to mosey on over to the Hills of Beverly to see the helper in her starring role in a musical comedy. The helper, who stepped into the leading role with only six days to rehearse and open the show, did a really good job with really lousy material. I don’t even want to say the name of the show – needless to say it received love letter reviews from the people who give every show a love letter review no matter what it is. But it was just bad. Apparently this is only the second time it’s been performed and the first time was also at this theater. The songs were mediocre and all sounded alike, there was not one laugh that landed, and it was, for me, excruciating to sit through – and it was LONG. Note to authors: Musicals are hard. Musicals require craft. Musicals are not something you just whip up and then not work on. Musicals require care and feeding and nurturing to grow into successful adults. You don’t just write it and throw it up on a stage and think that’s all there is to it.
After that, I came back to the San Fernando Valley, then moseyed on over to the birthday party I had to attend. I planned on only staying about fifteen minutes, but I ended up staying over an hour because I was having fun chatting with our very own Mr. Nick Redman and his ever-lovin’ Julie Kirgo and several other film score folks. There was food, but the only thing I sampled was a very tasty corn casserole – I had a few bites of that.
I left the party and because I hadn’t eaten anything but the few bites of the corn casserole I went and had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and no fries or onion rings, after which I came home. Since it was already after nine, there was no time to watch a motion picture, so I just did stuff on the computer and ate some cherries.
Here is another short ditty that I wrote for the musical in Writer’s Block. This one is sung by my friend Barbara Deutsch. It’s short.
Wasn’t that piquant? Today, I shall be up at six to announce the new Kritzerland title, after which I may or may not go back to bed. And the new Kritzerland title is something I’ve wanted for Kritzerland from the beginning. One of the other labels got to it first, but they sold out of their edition instantly. It’s one of my very favorite films and one of my very favorite film scores.
Hopefully I’ll print out a LOT of orders. Then I’m meeting the helper and her mom at the Studio Café at nine-thirty for some breakfast. After that, I’ll come home and write some liner notes, and I still have three more songs to choose for the Kritzerland show. One of our guest stars from last year’s anniversary show is rejoining us – the wonderful Rita McKenzie. We may have one other guest star – just waiting to hear. Hopefully I’ll pick up some packages and I’ll do a jog. Then at some point in the afternoon I’ll be Skyping or Face Timing to watch a run through of the East Coast Singer’s Ira Gershwin show. I’ll take notes, give them, and give some ideas for lighting cues. After that, I go to Westlake Studios to hear the first pass of the mixes, which I’ll then finesse. We probably won’t finish everything in one session – so I’m sure we’ll do a second night of it this week.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals and liner notes and prepping more releases, and I’ll also figure out a show order and begin writing commentary. We haven’t even announced the show officially and we’re halfway to being sold out.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, announce a new title, have a breakfast, write, hopefully pick up packages, hopefully print out a LOT of orders, watch a rehearsal, and then finesse mixes. Today’s topic of discussion: I need three songs from albums I’ve produced or material I’ve done somewhere, but not my own. Three male songs. Can be from cast albums I’ve done, or vocalist albums or the concept albums. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall ponder the meaning of the word love whilst also pondering the meaning of the word phlegm.