Good morning! First, thank you Mark Shpall, for sending in the photo above. This is a scene from Little Shop of Horrors, when Seymour visits the dentist (who does an Elvis-like song about pain—played in the movie by Steve Martin). The example of his dental work is Mark Shpall, now head of school. Seymour, looking on in horror, is my favorite thespian. THE WISE MEN’S BOOK CLUB Ron Stern and I have been using the pandemic to host a book club through Stephen Wise Temple’s men’s club. As it has evolved, (a) you no longer have to be male, (b) you no longer have to be a member of the Temple, (c) you no longer need to be Jewish, and (d) heck, you needn’t even read the book! The only consistency in choosing the books is the inconsistency. How do we choose the books? Recommendations are solicited and then Ron and I argue between ourselves…and debate…and argue some more… We seek eclecticism. No single genre, diverse stories and perspectives. See if you can find any consistency. I highly recommend all of these books, all for different reasons. Some were NYT Best Books of the Year, some on the Man/Booker List, some won the National Book Award, and some are by Pulitzer Prize winning authors:
The Orientalist, by Tom Reiss
Apeirogon, by Colum McCann
The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson
An Officer and a Spy, by Robert Harris
The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride
War: How Conflict Shaped Us, by Margaret MacMillan
ROMANCE IN LOVE SONGS
People have commented that they have learned a few things from these musings. I have to say that I’ve learned a lot from the responses. After I quoted a number of love songs from the American musical theatre canon, I was amazed with the number responses.
Eric Swenson suggests the Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane tune, “One More Walk Around the Garden,” from the lesser-known Carmelina. Eric claims Lerner felt this was his favorite song (Lerner wrote the lyrics for Camelot, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon, and Brigadoon). Here is some of the lyric:
“That old April yearning
Once more is returning
And I have a longing to wander
That leaves may be falling
But April is calling
And the primroses beckon me yonder
For one more walk around the garden
One more stroll along the shore
One more memory I can dream upon
Until I dream no more…”
Lisa Morgan notes Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” from Babes in Arms. I’ve always thought it an odd, almost disturbing, yet fun, lyric. Here is a bit of it:
“My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you’re my favorite work of art…
…But don’t change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine stay
Each day is Valentines Day.”
Then there is my comment that there is little in modern music that is romantic. Alan Rosenbach has proven me wrong with these excerpts from Nick Cave’s Ghosteen:
“This world is beautiful
Heald within its stars
I keep it in my heart
The stars are in your eyes
I loved them right from the start
A world so beautiful
And I keep it
In my heart…”
“…Love’s like that you know
It’s like a tidal flow
And the past with its fierce undertow
Won’t ever let us go
Won’t ever let you go…”
Lovingly,
Glenn
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