haines his way

03/27/2002:
"THE PASSOVER PLOTZ"

Well, dear readers, as of sundown tonight it will be Passover for our Jewish dear readers. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, as of sundown tonight it will be Passover. We must all celebrate by wearing our yarmulkes and setting a place at the table for Elijah, although I'm telling you right now the guy never shows up. After the service and the meal then we shall dance the Hora and tell amusing stories of eating borscht. Sadly, our Jewish friends will not be able to partake of ham chunks on this holiday, because ham chunks are made from the workings of a pig and pigs do not loom large as a culinary option in the Jewish religion. Around eight tonight, all Jewish people will let out a collective, "Oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" and then they will, as the wise men say, plotz. Interestingly, plotzing is something that cannot be learned, it is inborn and comes naturally to those who plotz. In fact, UCLA once tried a course called Beginning Plotzing, taught by the preeminent plotzer, Menashem Shmutz, and it was a disaster. He simply could not teach anyone to plotz who couldn't already plotz. Oh, the class tried, they did everything they were taught, but to no avail, plotz-wise. In any case, tonight those who plotz, will.
I haven't been invited anywhere for Passover this year. I shall have to celebrate all by myself. I shall have to eat my matzoh ball soup, chopped liver, bitter herbs, cheroses, and the rest by myself. I shall have to plotz by myself. I shall have to cast out plagues by myself. Oh, well, maybe Elijah will show up.
Last night I had a handy-dandy massage from my handy-dandy masseusse, Marina from Russia. I was so overtired from having been awakened by the phone call from The Beeper the night before, that I really needed to relax and the best way I know is to have a handy-dandy massage from Marina from Russia. After it was over, I sat and watched the end of a movie I was in the middle of (of which more later) and then I hit the sack at eleven, fell asleep and was awakened by a phone call this morning at 8:45. In other words, I went out like a light and stayed out. Why it was necessary to hit a sack before going to bed is a question for the sages amongst us. However, that said, I always find it helps me to sleep if I hit a sack before going to bed.
Does anyone reading these here notes thus far feel I had too much sleep last night? I feel these here notes feel they are being written by someone who had too much sleep last night, but I could be wrong in that assessment, so I invite other assessers to assess. Right now, why don't we all just click on that Unseemly Button below.
Yesterday I watched a new DVD of Mr. Ray Harryhausen's charming film, First Men on the Moon. Very sweet, very innocent, and even Martha Hyer, who is not my favorite, is charming and adorable. Edward Judd is, well, Edward Judd and Lionel Jeffries is, well, Lionel Jeffries. Mr. Harryhausen's work here is subdued for him, but still lots of fun. The enhanced widescreen transfer (2:35:1 for those who care) looks fantastic, and the 4.0 sound is great, really showing off Laurie Johnson's terrific score. Now, give us Mysterious Island please. I love Mr. Harryhausen's work, and my favorite is still The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, which never ceases to entertain and enthrall me.
Other DVDs that I picked up but haven't watched yet are, All In The Family, the entire first season, The Watcher in the Woods, a film Disney had very little faith in, that had a very turmoil-filled birth, and Watership Down, which I've never seen and am looking forward to. I'll have a full report of course, after I've seen them.
As March comes to an end, I'm happy to report that traffic on this here website has been at an all-time high, and on a daily basis, too. Even the weekend traffic is up. Isn't that exciting? So, keep spreading the word, the more the merrier say I. I talked to my pal, Miss Cindy Williams, last night and do you know she's in the midst of doing a primetime special for Laverne and Shirley? Yes, Virginia, they are doing a brand-spanking new primetime special for Laverne and Shirley. And do you know what? She told me there is an excellent possibility that the special will include a clip in which I appear. Isn't that exciting?
Yesterday I got in the mail a classic transistor radio, the Sony TR 63, which was, in fact, Sony's first transistor radio to be sold in the U.S. and the first mainstream seller in transistor radios. I wanted one (they are very hard to find) because a Sony TR 63 plays an important part in my very own novel. The most amazing thing about this particular Sony TR 63 is that it still works. Yes, Virginia, this Sony TR 63 still works some forty-five years later (it came out in 1957). More interesting is that the electronics company in Tokyo that made the Sony line of transistor radios was not named Sony at all - it was named Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, Ltd. But because the Sony model of transistor radio was so wildly successful in the U.S. they renamed their company Sony and the rest is history. The ephemera here is rather thick sometimes, don't you think?
Well, I must go take an aspirin or two because when I sleep over eight hours I always wake up with a headache. Today's topic of discussion: What are your favorite Schmidt and Jones songs? Now, let me just say here and now and also now and here, that I love Schmidt and Jones and have recorded many of both their well-known songs and their obscure songs. Compiling favorites of theirs, for me at least, is an impossible affair - I adore their work, plain and simple, and there is just something in Harvey Schmidt's musical language that just speaks to me. But here are some of my favorites: Literally every note of The Fantasticks, Evening Star, Just Fine and Sweet River (all cut from 110 in the Shade), My Cup Runneth Over, Orphan in the Storm, What Is A Woman?, I'm Glad To See You've Got What You Want, Roadside, Something has Happened and Is It Really Me?. Your turn.

Replies: 13 Unseemly Comments

Well, Bruce, it seems that the Plotz Thickens. I have found a wonderful invention that may help in your search to teach non-plotzers to plotz. They could just go out and get a Plotz Machine
http://www.plotzmachine.com/body_index.html
It is truly a remarkable machine. Why Plotz yourself when this fabulous machine does it for you? Unfortunatly it will not hatch plotz, so you will have to hatch them all by yourself.
Posted by Mattso @ 03/27/2002 10:22 AM PST

Tonight, for Passover.. it is customary for the 4 questions to be asked and answered. Coincidently, it is also Ask Bruce Wednesday... which I guess he forgot.... So maybe today IS different from all other days :)
Anyway.. I am rather fond of My Cup Runneth Over, Well Known Fact, I Love My Wife and also Much More, Soon Its Gonna Rain and They Were You.
And if Mr. K is so inclined to have Ask BK Wednesday, my question is thus:
When and will you be selling copies of your novel on this site... will they be signed.. and if so.. will such signed books be a web exclusive?
Posted by Craig @ 03/27/2002 10:30 AM PST

My questions are:
When did you write your first musical? What was it about? Was it any good?
My favorite H&S songs are: The Fantasticks score and I'm Glad to See You've Got What You Want.
Posted by Lolita @ 03/27/2002 12:32 PM PST

Passover has got me all discombobulated and even a little discomgeorgeulated. Of course it's Ask Bruce Wednesday, so ask your questions and I shall answer them tomorrow. Oh, yes, I will answer them tomorrow come hell or high water. I'll even answer them come hell or low water.
Posted by bk @ 03/27/2002 12:55 PM PST

Love Don't Turn Away, Simple Little Things. Sweet River and Soon It's Gonna Rain are my favourites. I would love to see 110 In The Shade produced but no-one down under ever seems interested. The closest I've been to seeing the show is watching the Tuesay Weld version of The Rainmaker and then playing the OCR of 110.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 03/27/2002 01:04 PM PST

Question for bk..which I hope he doesn't pass over.
Are you contemplating getting involved in starting your own New company again or are your plans tied up in "The Story" that has not been completed.The Novel is finished but The Story is still on hold.
We need more bk produced product.
Posted by Arnold M. Brockman @ 03/27/2002 01:20 PM PST

For Schmidt & Jones, I have to add "Flaming Agnes" and "A Well-Known Fact" to "Evening Star", "Try to Remember", and both of the Rain Songs, "When the..." and "Soon It's Gonna... "
And Bruce, remember, it's PRET-TY, not PURDY. :-)
My question is an experience rather than a question. We have some next-door neighbors whom we thought we had befriended when we both bought our houses three years ago. Since then, we have discovered that they are, to put it delicately, lying, cheating, thieving, greedy, insensitive bastards. But very pretentious. Especially the lady, if I may use that word.
On bright, warm days such as today, they are often out gardening, and your close personal friend Emily Skinner has been a source of pleasure and comfort to us.
We open all the windows, crank up the stereo, and play "My Simple Christmas Wish" on repeat at full volume. Today, we serenaded them with two full hours of "She was a BITCH!" It warms our hearts.
Thank you Emily. Thank you, Bruce. Thank you, David Friedman.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 03/27/2002 01:42 PM PST

Well, it was "purdy" because when Mr. Schimidt sent us his demo of his singing the song, that's how he pronounced it and we all fell in love with it.
As to Evening Star - they'd tried to put that song into several different productions over the years and it just didn't happen. When I heard it, I thought it was so purdy that I gave it to my pal, Mr. Haines to sing. But something bothered me about the song, and I knew whatever it was that was bothering me was probably the reason it hadn't ever gone into the show. It finally occured to me, it was just two choruses, that's it. No bridge, no real ending. So, I called Harvey, and being loaded with chutzpah, I asked him to write me a bridge, that I felt the song really needed one to work. Within a week I had my bridge and it was gorgeous. But Harvey said Tom Jones had not seemed thrilled to write a lyric to it. I perervered (in other words, I don't shut up till I get what I want) and Tom wrote a beautiful simple lyric to Harvey's gorgeous melody.
Posted by bk @ 03/27/2002 02:04 PM PST

I have two favorite score my Mr. Schmidt and Jones.
I would first like to highly recommend people listen to The Colette Collage with Judy Kaye and Jason Graae amoung others.(George Lee Andrews, Jonathan Freeman, Judith Blazer are some of the others) Some of their most beautiful songs were written for this musical. They include: The Room Is Filled With You, Love Is Not A Sentiment Worthy of Respect, Joy and Jason Graae gives a standout performance with Be My Lady. I think this is Mr. Graae's best performance so far on any of his cast recordings. (To separate from his solo recordings or the compliations like Lost in Boston) The recording was produced by Mr. Kimmel and is truely is a recording I listen to at least a couple of times a month. I haven't grown tired of it. There is so much to recommend. I wish that it was better know. So here is your homework assignment. Buy the album and we can all discuss the merits of this recording.
I have always enjoyed 110 in the Shade. When I was younger I would visit NYC and always go to the library at Lincoln Center and listen to the score there. It was a recording I couldn't find in my native Canada at the time
The entire score is a gem and so glad that Bruce has recorded so many of the alternate songs. Some of my most favorite songs are Old Maid, melidande, Wonderful Music, The Rain Song. I recommend the original Broadway cast recording with the sublime(sp?) Inga Swenson. There is also the 2 cd release on Jay that has the complete score plus the new material used for the NYCO version a few years ago.
Plus of course all the songs on the Lost in Boston Series. Bruce once said he never heard a bad song from the score. I agree. If you are a true junkie there is more material to be heard on the Schmidt/Jone revue The Show Must Go On and on the Ben Bagley recording of Contemporary Broadway Revisted.
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 03/27/2002 02:09 PM PST

"Soon It's Gonna Rain," "They Were You," "Simple Little Things," "Melisande" and even "Little Red Hat" are on my list. Interestingly, my favorite of all would have to be "Evening Star." I always loved that theme throughout the show and had wondered why it had not been developed more. Lo and behold, I found out why from Lost in Boston AND got the whole song (plus the added bridge--so God bless Bruce and his chutzpah!)
Posted by Kerry @ 03/27/2002 03:11 PM PST

Well, we lost Dudley Moore today. For those who only know him as the guy from "10" and a lot of really hideous films throughout the '80s (like "Santa Claus: The Movie"), that may not seem like such a big deal. But I adored him in Beyond the Fringe, Bedazzled, and Not Only...But Also... and it's a sobering thought for me that such a funny and talented person spent a good portion of his life being fairly miserable.
At least he's not sick anymore, and Pete and Dud can finally have a few pints together again, in that big pub up in the sky. Cheers.
Posted by Lulu @ 03/27/2002 07:07 PM PST

Dear BK-
My teenage daughter doesn't like any of the usual music that normal teenagers like. She loves Forever Plaid, Lawrence Welk, and Frank Sinatra. Do you think she's odd?
Posted by Laura @ 03/27/2002 07:59 PM PST

Wow...you're quite right, Schmidt & Jones is one of the hardest yet to pick favorites for. I have to agree with you that most every note of The Fantasticks is, well, fantastick! Also "My Cup Runneth Over," "A Well Known Fact," "Melisande," & "It's Gonna Be Another Hot Day"
Posted by Jed @ 03/27/2002 09:38 PM PST

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