From the monthly archives:
The Tiki Home
Transition back to LA has been difficult, mostly because Delta has planes with cool monitors in the seat in front of you. But if you have a long torso, as I do, your head flops over the “headrest” and sleeping is impossible, even with a Nyquil swig. So I only had a half [...]
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Flag of Ka Lahui Hawai’i movement
Last night we watched the beautiful but disturbing film based on James Michener’s epic novel “Hawaii.” It focuses on a hell-bound, er, heaven-bound missionary (played by Max Von Sydow) who is determined to convert the “heathens” of Hawaii to Christianity. It underlines the dangers and ugliness of such endeavors. Our [...]
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Remember this one? I had once thought that it was John and Yoko that were the trail blazers for Asian-Caucasian relationships, but no, South Pacific was. I looked at the population statistics for Hawaii and saw a huge spike right after this movie came out. But it wasn’t until after 1968 that interracial relationships were [...]
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Richard Rodgers
We watched SOUTH PACIFIC last night — it having been filmed in Kauai, which is where I am right now. I have to admit to loving his music and began thinking about his compositional technique for writing songs.
Rodgers seems to start with the lyrics. His melodies always fit the lyrics perfectly. Afterall, his job [...]
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After a long a busy year and just before school starts, I’m on a vacation on Kauai with my spouse, and two colleagues from UCLA (Mitchell and Mark — see below). We saved all year long to rent a wonderful modern house for a long week in Hanalei called the Tiki Home.
After our arrival on [...]
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[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
“Part-time Lover”
“Part-time Lover” from HOMER IN CYBERSPACE
Music: Roger Bourland
Lyrics: Mel Shapiro
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Part-time Lover
Woman 1 and chorus
(Sing)
A married man wants a part time lover
Who he can call any time or other
Come over
Relax
Before you send him home
Iron his slacks.
Doin things his wife won’t do
Used to do
Too tired to do
Listenin’ to his stories
Dull [...]
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There is this unfair phenomenon that exists for us 21st century composers. There are certain stylistic gestures and textures that are ultimately attributed to a single composer. For instance: anyone who tries to orchestrate an American folk tune for orchestra will automatically be accused of sounding like Aaron Copland. Aggressive modal or atonal writing for [...]
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The new phone books arrived today, three of them in a plastic bag. I went into the area where I keep phonebooks, took out the old ones and noticed that they had never been used. I tossed the old ones and wondered how long it would take before phonebooks go the way of Sears and [...]
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Later this month we will be having a little vacation before school begins with two dear friends whose portraits I share here.
Composer, Mark Carlson
Musicologist, Mitchell Morris
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My respect for parents has just sky rocketed. Having been the guardian for my nephew, Roger, for the past 5 days, I have a little better of an idea of what it takes to be a parent. The patience and calm it takes to quiet a screaming baby, the act of letting early teens have [...]
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