Well, dear readers, the Malcolm Arnold fifth symphony is making a musical racket whilst I sit here like so much fish writing these here notes. It’s a fine symphony with a nice slow movement – all of his symphonies sound like film music, so that’s nice. And he has written some mighty fine film scores, including The Bridge on the River Kwai(for which he won the Oscar), The Lion, Nine Hours to Rama, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Trapeze, The Chalk Garden, Breaking the Sound Barrier, Suddenly Last Summer, Whistle Down the Wind, 1984 (1956 version), The Key, and many others. He was a most prolific composer of classical music, too, with nine symphonies, many and varied concertos, including a great harmonica concerto, his brilliant and hilarious A Grand, Grand Overture for symphony orchestra and vacuum cleaner solo, which has just begun playing. Search out one of the live performances on YouTube and you will laugh. But it’s also a gloriously tuneful piece and classic Arnold. Several ballets, too. It’s amazing considering he was frequently plagued by alcohol issues, mental issues, and depression. In the early 1980s he was given a year to live, but he confounded everyone by living another twenty-two years. But what a legacy he left behind. Otherwise, I did manage to watch a motion picture last night, entitled The Gift, from 2015, starring Jason Bateman, Joel Edgerton (who also wrote and directed), and Rebecca Hall. It’s a thriller sans thrills and I found it tiresome, with not an ounce of humor, which I think is imperative for a purported thriller. I read several rave reviews who seem to have been taken in by it, but I was ahead of it the entire time and I don’t think I’m especially good at being ahead of these things. The acting is very good across the board.
Yesterday was fine, I suppose, and I suppose yesterday was fine. I got nine hours of sleep, which was good, then once up I answered e-mails, then did a lot of work on episode ten – not writing but work at the piano on the two original songs, which may have become three, depending on how I feel today. I did write the opening of the episode and got us into the main sequence that will take up all but the final two minutes. Then I did some banking (thankfully, no lines), went to Gelson’s and got some rigatoni Bolognese from the hot food bar – according to them, it’s 140 calories per four ounces, so what I ate couldn’t have been more than 280. They also had something they’ve never had before – creamed corn – so, I took some of that, too, and it was decent but not great. I also got a small chicken Casesar for the early evening, which should have brought the calorie total up to 1000 calories or thereabouts. But most of the day and early evening was spent in songwriting. Then I watched the movie, and that was pretty much that.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven, then the Darling Daughter and her friend are coming to attempt to organize the garage, to which I say good luck. But if anyone can do it, she can. Then Marshall Harvey will come by and we’ll go have lunch. Then after that, he’ll go on his merry way and I’ll have a Zoom at four with David Wechter about the various and sundried notes we’ve gotten on our script, some of which irritate me completely and some of which are fine. After that, I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is our first Kritzerland rehearsal at three, which I’m looking forward to very much. Saturday can be a ME day, but I will definitely wrap up the writing of episode ten by then if I haven’t already. Sunday is our second rehearsal, this time at one, Monday I can rest, although I think we’ll start to at least ship some of the easy stuff by then. I’m sure it will take two or three weeks to finally get all that done, but we shall see. They STILL haven’t released the last of the funds – tomorrow they get an e-mail from me if it’s not here by then. Tuesday, we have our stumble-through, and then Wednesday it’s sound check and show. And then it’s right on to planning the big twelfth anniversary September show, as well as casting the web series and figuring out the filming schedule.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, the Darling Daughter and friend will do what they can with the garage, I’ll lunch with Marshall Harvey, then I’ll try to finish up episode ten or get close, then I’ll watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What, for you, are the most cleverly plotted thrillers and why do you think they work so well? Not just recent stuff, but from the Golden Age, too. And what do you think the most overrated thrillers are? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, tired of films advertised as thrillers that are sans thrills and ers.