Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to weird Japanese classical music that sounds like weird Japanese film music, but it’s suiting my weird Japanese mood right now. Did you know, for example, that the first thing I ever purchased on eBay, way back in 1998, I think, was a little Buddha? I still have it somewhere, but not in the cabinet that has my weird stuff in it. I wonder where that little Buddha has got to? Probably in some box in the garage would be my guess. I am pooped from not enough sleep, but feeling okay and probably getting my second wind, after the first wind had gone missing. Okay, this weird Japanese classical music that sounds like weird Japanese film music has turned from moody to fierce, rather like a psycho killer on a rampage in Reseda. I have no idea what the HELL I’m talking about, but when has that ever stopped me. Now the music sounds like the psycho has calmed down and is eating some ants. Let’s see who the composer is – ah, Masao Ohki, who’s Ohki by me. I found Mr. Ohki on the Tube of You whilst searching another Japanese composer. And interestingly, iTunes-wise, as soon as this selection is over another Japanese classical composer who’s written tons of Japanses film music comes up – the marvelous Masaru Satoh, composer of both Kurosawa and Godzilla films – in fact, he composed the score for my favorite Kurosawa film, High and Low. He also wrote such classics as Lost World of Sinbad, The H-Man, Gigantis, The Fire Monster, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla and many other G movies, Goyokin (one of his greatest scores), Yojimbo, Sanjuro, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, The Bad Sleep Well, Red Beard – all Kurosawa – quite a resume, if you ask me, which you didn’t but I told you anyway. And would you like to know who follows Masaru Satoh in my iTunes? The marvelously marvelous Mason Williams, that’s who. I’m wondering if there’s a point to any of this. We started with weird Japanese classical music that sounds like weird Japanese film music, jumped to my eBay Buddah, which is MIA, and then we went off on many tangents, all of them tangential to the tangents, or, as I like to put it, tangential tangents. This weird Japanese classical music by Masao Ohki is his Symphony No. 5, which is entitled “Hiroshima.” Now that you are armed with all this vital information, what will you do with it? Meanwhile, you know what I’ll be doing – obsessing about where my eBay Buddha is – my very first eBay purchase – I believe it cost about five bucks.
Yesterday, I only got about six hours of sleep, if that, maybe closer to five. Once up, I answered a lot of e-mails, began forwarding the orders that had come in so I wouldn’t get behind, ordered a chicken breast and chicken pasta salad from the California Chicken Café, which arrived in only twenty minutes. It was the best breast I’ve had from there – perfectly cooked and quite yummilicious, as was the chicken pasta salad. Once I was finished with that, I ascertained that there was a package at the mail place but I didn’t have enough time to go get it. I shaved and got ready for the Zoom rehearsals.
I began with one performer who had time constraints, and we went over his music and he sang through all his parts. I haven’t worked with this gentleman since around 1997 or so – he was in a show called Little by Little by Brad Ross, which I recorded. I’ve always liked him so it’s a treat that he’s doing this and I’m sure we’ll bring him back to do a solo, too. Then we did the rest of the group, talking through each page of the music and making sure everyone knew what they were singing, and then I explained in detail all the technical stuff. It went forty minutes, and because I haven’t upgraded to pro Zoom, it just stopped the meeting, but we were basically through anyway.
After that, I went to work on project one, which was very slow going as it involved music and lyrics and I was struggling to get it right – I finished it and I’ll see how I feel today – I’m sure I’ll futz and finesse, oh, yes, I’m sure I’ll futz and finesse. I sat on my couch like so much fish, not to watch a movie, because it was already too late, but to read some more of the humungous Grant Geissman tome, The History of EC Comics. I toasted a little hamburger bun for my snack – with butter, of course – and also had a little tortilla with cheese, as I was about 300 calories shy of 1000. So, the snacks should have put me right about where I wanted to be.
Then I did some more work on project one and moved on to the next bit, and then I had a telephonic conversation, and then it was time to write these here notes, which is JUST when the weird Japanese classical music that sounds like weird Japanese film music began playing – a thirty-nine minute symphony that is finishing just as I’m finishing these here notes.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll have a little phone work session for the Kritzerland show and then I should get all the remaining tracks (three – with two more to do next week), I’ll hopefully pick up some packages and mail, I’ll eat something fun – thinking about tacos from Casa Vega, actually – calorie friendly and a favorite – then I’ll work on project one and try to get further along. And then, at some point, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, and then I have to set the Zoom rehearsals for the rest of the cast – thinking about the weekend for that. Hoping I can have a ME day over the weekend. I don’t think I shared the flyer for the November show, so here it is.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, have a little phone work session, get the rest of the tracks to the singers, hopefully pick up packages and mail, eat, work on project one, and then watch, listen, and relax. 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, wondering why I spent half the notes talking about weird Japanese things.