Comments on: Why write this book? http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/ Roger Bourland writes about music and life Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:59:55 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: baelbocht http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-65 baelbocht Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:59:14 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-65 Good luck with the book. What attracted me to Rufus was the breadth of his canvas and the tools that he is blessed with to express his music. Having grown up with Irish traditional music and been particularly attracted to the "slow airs" which draw from the pool of this country's pain, I hear definite echoes in Rufus. Worth exploring? Baelbocht Good luck with the book. What attracted me to Rufus was the breadth of his canvas and the tools that he is blessed with to express his music. Having grown up with Irish traditional music and been particularly attracted to the “slow airs” which draw from the pool of this country’s pain, I hear definite echoes in Rufus. Worth exploring?
Baelbocht

]]> By: Berlioz http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Berlioz Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:20:45 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-18 Rufus has done so many interviews in his life that most of my questions have already been asked and answered. I will send a draft of the book to him through Alfred Publishing when I finish it for any comments. I will be able to write this book and include musical examples and have online music playback of them, without his permission through fair use copyright laws. I would love to have his blessings to include my transcriptions of his piano songs in the book. As much as I might want to insist that readers listen to the CDs in order to understand my essays, many will want to sit down at the piano, crash through it and sing it themselves. This will never happen only listening to the CD. His songs deserve to exist beyond his performance. Rufus has done so many interviews in his life that most of my questions have already been asked and answered. I will send a draft of the book to him through Alfred Publishing when I finish it for any comments.
I will be able to write this book and include musical examples and have online music playback of them, without his permission through fair use copyright laws. I would love to have his blessings to include my transcriptions of his piano songs in the book.
As much as I might want to insist that readers listen to the CDs in order to understand my essays, many will want to sit down at the piano, crash through it and sing it themselves. This will never happen only listening to the CD. His songs deserve to exist beyond his performance.

]]> By: yupyup http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-15 yupyup Thu, 05 Jan 2006 17:31:14 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-15 Are you planning to get an interview with Rufus himself to include in the book? Surely if you inform his management of what you're planning to publish, you may be able to get a phone interview or something to hear from the man himself anything you can't find elsewhere? Are you planning to get an interview with Rufus himself to include in the book? Surely if you inform his management of what you’re planning to publish, you may be able to get a phone interview or something to hear from the man himself anything you can’t find elsewhere?

]]> By: Roger Bourland http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Roger Bourland Thu, 05 Jan 2006 15:49:05 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-13 Theodore, thank you for your comments. I had originally not planned on discussing textual issues in the book but as it's gone along I don't see how I can ignore them. There are some lyrics that are self evident, and some downright obscure. I will also devote a chapter to explicit and implicit queer issues. I have a first draft of that chapter but will likely revisit it after I finish the analytic essays. I haven't planned any discussion of spiritual issues at this point, but we'll see. Theodore, thank you for your comments. I had originally not planned on discussing textual issues in the book but as it’s gone along I don’t see how I can ignore them. There are some lyrics that are self evident, and some downright obscure.

I will also devote a chapter to explicit and implicit queer issues. I have a first draft of that chapter but will likely revisit it after I finish the analytic essays. I haven’t planned any discussion of spiritual issues at this point, but we’ll see.

]]> By: Roger Bourland http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Roger Bourland Thu, 05 Jan 2006 15:31:40 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-12 I agree Valkyrie: all my early training in the 60s was not from Classical composers, but from the Beatles. There is a resonance with them that I hear as well. I plan to devote a chapter in the first part of the book to his perceived influences. Influences are funny things: we are not always aware of them ourselves. Sometimes they are conscious influences, and sometimes unconscious. I agree Valkyrie: all my early training in the 60s was not from Classical composers, but from the Beatles. There is a resonance with them that I hear as well. I plan to devote a chapter in the first part of the book to his perceived influences.

Influences are funny things: we are not always aware of them ourselves. Sometimes they are conscious influences, and sometimes unconscious.

]]> By: Valkyrie http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Valkyrie Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:48:35 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-9 A musician friend of mine gave me Want 2 for Christmas in 2004. I admired the CD cover, the artwork, had a giggle over this rather pretty young man dressed as a medieval damsel and put it in my player for its first listen. It was a shock to my ears and I had to repeatedly play it from the first. Then I found the songs with me when I would wake in the morning. I had to have more. I bought the other CDs and was so absolutely delighted, finally, in this noisy world of rap and hip hop . . .and country western music . . . I had found something new that drew me in. Songs that I could dream over and wonder about. So many new bands that come out with great things are compared to the Beatles, but it really was a similar feeling for me . . . that I had discovered something on a par with the Beatles again. But not just the Beatles. I hear bits of opera, snippets of Tin Pan Alley, disco, Stephen Foster, Stevie Wonder . . . beautiful layered music that lets me hear something new every time. And so much of it doesn't seem to fit the standard format for pop music; verse, bridge, maybe an errant guitar solo, verse, fade-out. This music rambles, it changes tone, it leads the listener where it didn't expect to go. And that is wonderful. A musician friend of mine gave me Want 2 for Christmas in 2004. I admired the CD cover, the artwork, had a giggle over this rather pretty young man dressed as a medieval damsel and put it in my player for its first listen.

It was a shock to my ears and I had to repeatedly play it from the first. Then I found the songs with me when I would wake in the morning. I had to have more.

I bought the other CDs and was so absolutely delighted, finally, in this noisy world of rap and hip hop . . .and country western music . . . I had found something new that drew me in. Songs that I could dream over and wonder about. So many new bands that come out with great things are compared to the Beatles, but it really was a similar feeling for me . . . that I had discovered something on a par with the Beatles again.

But not just the Beatles. I hear bits of opera, snippets of Tin Pan Alley, disco, Stephen Foster, Stevie Wonder . . . beautiful layered music that lets me hear something new every time. And so much of it doesn’t seem to fit the standard format for pop music; verse, bridge, maybe an errant guitar solo, verse, fade-out. This music rambles, it changes tone, it leads the listener where it didn’t expect to go. And that is wonderful.

]]> By: twarner http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-4 twarner Thu, 05 Jan 2006 01:35:34 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-4 Sir, First of all, let me say that I'm extremely happy to see that someone has decided to undertake an examination of Rufus Wainwright in booklength form. It has been too late in the making. I'm not a musicologist, so I doubt that I can help you in significant way. But, I do want to make a suggestion. One way that might open the book up to a wider audience is to consider a careful reading of his lyrics, which are themselves rather complicated. I would imagine that the form/content balance that we find in poetry would apply, perhaps even more so, when set to music. There are also themes in his lyrics that have evolved over time. I've considered writing a few articles on these as I see them more and more clearly. Since Want Two, for example, I've become more and more convinced that RW is struggling to claim an orthodox spirituality on behalf of the gay community and, even, to argue that homosexuals somehow are more fit for the spiritual life. So, there's so stuff for you to ponder. Please let me know if I can help. Theodore Warner twarner@richmond.com Sir,

First of all, let me say that I’m extremely happy to see that someone has decided to undertake an examination of Rufus Wainwright in booklength form. It has been too late in the making.

I’m not a musicologist, so I doubt that I can help you in significant way.

But, I do want to make a suggestion. One way that might open the book up to a wider audience is to consider a careful reading of his lyrics, which are themselves rather complicated.

I would imagine that the form/content balance that we find in poetry would apply, perhaps even more so, when set to music.

There are also themes in his lyrics that have evolved over time. I’ve considered writing a few articles on these as I see them more and more clearly. Since Want Two, for example, I’ve become more and more convinced that RW is struggling to claim an orthodox spirituality on behalf of the gay community and, even, to argue that homosexuals somehow are more fit for the spiritual life.

So, there’s so stuff for you to ponder.

Please let me know if I can help.

Theodore Warner
twarner@richmond.com

]]> By: yupyup http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/comment-page-1/#comment-2 yupyup Wed, 04 Jan 2006 20:51:19 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2006/01/03/why-write-this-book/#comment-2 Great idea! You've got yourself a sale already for when it's published! Great idea! You’ve got yourself a sale already for when it’s published!

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