Dec 2021 - Snow, Vaccine, Legrand, Cherbourg, Aluette, Tapestry, Politics
Hello Febrrrrrruary,
Here is an unpopular opinion – I like snow. Haha, not only my political opinion will cheese people off. It has been a beautiful month of snow snow snow! I admit I like it more when I don’t have to venture outdoors. I can live without the extreme cold, though. I’m very glad that has passed. I did this boiling water instant vaporization trick. Optimally temps need to be -25 for it to work. Toss the water (away from you!) out into the cold and it sizzles and turns into a cloud. If you search videos online, you can see people do an overhead toss with a few unintended results. D’oh.
Some good news - Mom got her second vaccine! Yippee! I can rest much easier now. She had been wondering what happened to her $600 stimulus check since all her friends got theirs, so as executor I added my email to her banking account so that I could see her monthly statements. It was direct deposited. She says now I am officially her executioner since I took her out to get shot.
I have reconnected with the Classic Film critique group after going absent for a while. This week we watched Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). (Patton Oswald Criterion review). When I was first introduced to this movie I was told by a friend that if I didn’t like the opening credits with an overhead view of umbrellas crisscrossing a rainy cobblestone street I would be dead to her. I can’t think of another film that is anything like it. First of all there is no dialogue. It is all sung – to a gorgeous score by Michel Legrand full of amazing jazz and lush melodies. Recognizable tunes are the heartbreaking (If It Takes Forever) I Will Wait for You and Watch What Happens. But the pop tune lyrics were added later, they do not match the words from the movie. Also, it is all sung in French. The stars, Catherine Denueuve at her prime, are drop dead gorgeous and the art direction and COLORS jump off the screen. It is a feast for the eyes and ears. And the ending is either the happiest sad ending, or the saddest happy ending you have ever seen. You decide. Just watch it. While I was researching the movie I found a video of Michel Legrand and Oscar Peterson on two probably 12’ grand pianos playing Watch What Happens in 1984. It is epic. I’ve always admired Legrand’s compositions, but this gave me a much bigger appreciation of his playing stills. One of the comments on the link states that this is the most underrated video on the entire internet. Truth.
As a side note, I’ve been collecting song links for my piano students and I looked up Aluette, a popular children’s song most of us learned in French. I had no idea what is was about. Now I’m not so sure I want to. The Lark is going to be dinner! Here is the translation: “Alouette, gentille alouette. Alouette, je te plumerai. Je te plumerai la tête” - Lark, nice lark, Lark, I will pluck you. I will pluck your head. This is followed by plucking of the beak, eyes, neck, wings, legs, tail and back. Oooooo. There is a fantastic Aluette animated video with translations, which has a funky New Orleans beat and looks like angry birds.
On the subject of music – this month is the 50th anniversary of Carole King’s brilliant Tapestry album. FULL ALBUM. Here is her new video to commemorate It’s Too Late. I’ve written about her before when we went to see the Broadway musical, Beautiful based on her life (still one of the best shows I've even seen!), so I will just share this link to an article that is full of heartfelt tributes from many artists who were inspired by her work. Worth the read! I especially love the comments by Natalie Merchant. LINK
I did have a few folks unsubscribe from my news blog last month over my political comments. But more new people signed up - so that’s a big ‘whatever’. One comment was that my words negatively affected my art. Hello!? Not that my art is political - though sometimes it is - but writing itself is also my ‘ART’. My Facebook page is FULL of political and social commentary (*my personal page, not my business page). It’s too bad that folks that followed my blog for years could not read past one of my rare social commentaries and get on with it. But apparently they were not bothered by lies from a traitorous ex-president and his followers. The fact that Trump was not convicted after the impeachment does not mean that he is innocent. Only that his ‘judges’ are also guilty. Let the investigations continue! Don’t forget – opinions are not facts.
I can almost hear the next unsubscribe clicks….
Stay toasty. Stay masked.
Anita
ArtByAnita / FusionFotoArt / PianoByAnita / WebsitesByAnita / Instagram
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Snow / New haircuts / Vaccine #2 / Sophia Visit / More snow
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Anita Burgermeister, eclectic independent artist in Milwaukee ~ creator of fine art, photography, faux finishes, murals, websites & more. Sharing musings or news about creative people & events in art, music, magic, dance, dining, film, writing, city life & more. Hope you enjoy and read often!
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