Well, dear readers, I have taken a nice hot shower and am now sitting here like so much fish, listening to the symphonies of Benjamin Frankel, a fine composer of both classical and film music. His symphonies are “modern” meaning twelve-tone but with some melody and a whole lot of atmosphere and very much like film music. He’s much more accessible than Humphrey Searle, for example – Searle is another serial composer who also wrote film music (The Haunting). Earlier, I watched almost all of a French film from France, Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows. I’ve never been able to actually get through it, but last night I almost finished it and will finish it today. It was Malle’s first film and it was groundbreaking in its day even though you’d never know why today, since it paved the way for the French New Wave films. It is beautifully photographed by a favorite of mine, Henri Decae, and the actors are all very good. The script is a little annoying, but is of its time, and the score, which was improvised by Miles Davis, really works well, atmosphere-wise. Malle would, of course, go on to make some wonderful films. If you love late 1950s completely nihilistic movies, you’ll enjoy this one.
Yesterday was another weird day and another day of only four and a half hours of sleep. It’s not that I got to bed that late, in fact it was earlier than usual, it’s the fact that I wake up at six-thirty in the morning and can’t get back to sleep. So, since I was up, I went to Ralph’s at seven-thirty and got the stuff for faux chicken stroganoff and then came home. The same ingredients at Gelson’s would have cost more than double what I paid at Ralph’s. I came home, did stuff on the computer, answered e-mails, had some telephonic conversations, then made the faux chicken stroganoff over rice and that was very good and about 1000 calories or thereabouts, and that’s all I ate.
I’m going through all the Sami episodes one last time, to do nitpicks mostly to do with sound levels and ambience and I have to say I enjoy the episodes every time I see them. They’re not abrasive like today’s supposed comedy TV shows. They’re not loud and obnoxious, there’s no put-down humor, the characters are really likable, and the episodes are paced very well. I really can’t wait until everyone can see it. Here’s the final key art.
After that, I prepared our next CD release. I was trying to do two but had to settle for one, so that will announce at some point, but by Thursday at the latest. Then I took a three-hour nap, then watched most of the movie.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, then we’re having us a celebratory dinner with Marshall Harvey, who deserves a great meal for all his hard and wonderful work. If Sami works, he’s a lot of the reason why. We’re going to our favorite haunt and I’ll have a full report for you, of course, and maybe even some photographs. Once home, I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is choosing songs for the March Kritzerland show, although I already know what most of them are, but I also have to find a pianist for the show. We’ll announce a new CD and I’m not sure what the weekend will bring.
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 celebratory dinner, 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, where I shall hopefully have a nice sleep for this sleepy head, after which I’ll get up and greet the day and the day will greet me.