Well, dear readers, documentaries are fascinating. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, documentaries are fascinating. Why, you might ask, and I might tell you, because why should I withhold such information from dear readers such as yourselves. I happened to watch one last night entitled We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks. Certainly it’s very well made by director Alex Gibney, who has made other well-respected documentaries. One tends to watch a documentary and just assume one is watching something factual, that has been researched carefully, and does not contain misleading information or downright lies. One assumes and yet it is never good to assume. I watched We Steal Secrets last night and felt it had a certain, shall we say, point of view about its subject and especially the man who started Wikileaks, Julian Assange. So, after watching it, I did a little Internet searching and the night before the film opened, Wikileaks published an annotated transcript of the film and I spent an hour reading its calling out the misleading things, the lies, the selective quoting for effect, editing designed to present things in a certain way. While the film doesn’t have to substantiate anything – it’s a movie and exists as a movie – the annotations are all linked to relevant articles and citations, which somehow is a lot more credible, at least to me. It starts with the title of the film, which is a misnomer, and continues from there. While Wikileaks obviously have their own fish to fry in this fight, the use of citations and links makes their statements easy to check. Mr. Gibney, upon reading the annotations, took umbrage at everything, flailing away and saying that the annotated transcript was done from an audio only source, which, of course, is as false as many of the things he posits in the film – the annotated transcript contains all the visual references from the film and text-only stuff that appears on screen. Obviously whoever did it was not just listening to it but watching it. If the subject interests you, I recommend watching it (on Netflix) and then going to this link to read the annotations: http://wikileaks.org/IMG/html/gibney-transcript.html
We, of course, here at haineshisway.com are always happy to sell secrets. Our secrets cost $2.98 each. Here is a sample of a $2.98 secret you will get: Running water never travels up. We have other fabulous secrets so order now.
We Sell Fabulous Secrets
PO Box 22222222
Hollywood 28, California USA
Remember when those kinds of ads appeared in all the magazines. Those who’ve read Benjamin Kritzer know that I would order anything from anyone – just the free stuff, though. I think the 28, the precursor to the zip code, was called a zone? Am I remembering that right? I used to get such interesting things and I always had the most mail, which irked my parents quite a bit. What the HELL am I talking about? Don’t I have notes to write?
Yesterday was a reasonably nice day. For some absurd reason I didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning. I got up around ten-fifteen after not quite enough sleep. I then had some telephonic calls, I answered e-mails, and we made some corrections to the packaging of our next release, after which I sent it in for approval. I finished signing the sheet music copies, then went and had a quick meal – a patty melt (haven’t had one in months) and no fries or onion rings. I then came home and after a little while, Richard Sherman arrived and signed the sheet music. We chatted a lot as he did the 100 copies, and it’s always a treat to be with him. He then left, and I did some more work on the computer before sitting on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture made for television somewhere in the world, but I can’t really talk about it since it could end up as an upcoming project for Kritzerland. And then I watched We Steal Secrets, which was quite long for a documentary, like two hours. After that, I just relaxed and played on the computer. Oh, and I also did the event page for Sandy Bainum’s upcoming Ira Gershwin show. Here’s the card for it.
Today, I will choose songs, gather music, eat, and have a meeting in the afternoon. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, too, and then I’ll just relax and watch more motion pictures.
Tomorrow is more of the same, Friday night I’m seeing a play that Doug Haverty wrote called The Ghost of Gershwin, and Saturday I’m going to my favorite place – Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. I’m drooling already.
And I found this on eBay – which has to do with yesterday’s topic of discussion – I talk about getting this item in Kritzerland, when I joined the Columbia Record Club. This was my very first personal stereophonic record player and oh how I loved it. I had the measles when it arrived, so I was home in bed and I could sit up and put it on my lap, open the speakers and listen to stereophonic records and what a thrill it was. I had the Ben-Hur soundtrack and I had several Columbia cast albums, but my favorite was a United Artists LP of Ferrante and Teicher playing Exodus and other themes. That was thrilling in stereophonic sound. Anyway, here is a photo from eBay – it’s beat up but you get the idea.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, choose songs, gather music, eat, hopefully pick up packages, ship sheet music and have a meeting. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall dream secrets that I shall then sell for $2.98.