Throwback Thursday: Keep It Real

 BOOKS AND WRITING-RELATED 

LINK TO "KEEP IT REAL"

https://open.substack.com/pub/ennyman3/p/keep-it-real?r=1spv6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

It's one of those days

A Night to Remember: Cookin' at the O' with Danish Jazz Sensation Sinne Eeg

Tucked away on the North edge of Carlton, the Oldenburg House offers a truly intimate and unforgettable jazz experience. On select evenings, the historic home transforms into a jazz lover's haven with its signature event series, "Cookin' at the O'". 

These past two weekends the Oldenburg House welcomed Sinne Eeg, a Danish jazz vocalist whose voice carries a warmth and sophistication that can only be described as mesmerizing. Eeg’s performance perfectly captured the essence of the evening, drawing in the audience with her velvety tones and effortless range. Whether she was delivering a soulful ballad or an up-tempo swing, her passion for jazz radiated through every note.

The evening wasn’t just about the music, though. Chef Paul Sapyta* crafted a meal that was as much an experience as the jazz itself. Each course seemed to flow in harmony with the music, offering a feast for the senses. The combination of expertly prepared dishes and Eeg’s stunning vocals made for a perfect night—one where you could sit back, relax, and let the world outside fade away.

Of course nothing brings out the best in a singer like a world class backup band. This past Saturday Billy Peterson was back on bass, young Juilliard virtuoso Will Kjeer on piano and veteran Glenn Swanson on drums.

The historic Oldenburg House is Emily Fuerste and Glenn Swanson's gift to the community, playing host to an assortment of music and arts events. It's also a Bed and Breakfast. Their motto, "Find Your Nature," says much about this hidden pocket of paradise that abutts Jay Cooke State Park in the back and is walking distance to Thompson Dam.

If you haven’t had the chance to attend Cookin' at the O', it’s the kind of event that leaves a lasting impression. The Oldenburg House isn’t just a venue; it’s a place where music, food, and atmosphere come together to create something magical. And if you’re lucky enough to catch an artist like Sinne Eeg, well, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

"Nothing ever seems to glow

Like the beauty of sadness"
--Sinne Eeg

According to Wikipedia, Eeg has won the Danish Music Awards prize in the category Best Danish Vocal Jazz Album of the Year four times: in 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2015, for her albums Waiting for Dawn, Don't Be So Blue, Face the Music, and Eeg - Fonnesbæk. She also received the Ben Webster Prize in 2014. The Webster Foundation describes her as "a true jazz singer, who both shows sensitivity, improvisational skills, maturity, broad range and timing in her singing."

Here's another laudatory salute: The Danish songstress is versatile, equally comfortable fronting big orchestras in concert halls as well as smaller ensembles in intimate jazz clubs. Everywhere she sings – Tokyo, Copenhagen, Los Angeles or Madrid – audiences are mesmerized by her incandescent phrasing and scatting, all with natural, perfect pitch.  After putting in her time for years on the road, performing at small clubs and cafes, Sinne won her first Danish Music Award for her album “Waiting For Dawn” in 2007.

A brief summary of Saturday's set list. What a night. 

Opening Set

The Beauty of Sadness

    (lyrics by Sinne Eeg)

Bridges    (Brazilian song)

Button Up for Me    (Gershwin Bros.)

The Barista

Walt Fidetti tune by Bill Evans, intimate upscale.

Cry Me A River (A bitter love song)

I Am An Evil Girl

After Dinner Second Set

James Bond music

    From Russia wit Love

    You Only Live Twice

Waiting for Danny

Better Than Anything. (blues waltz)

Samba

    A song about community for all, whoever you on.

    Turn your radio on.

Song created by Will, "All Is Sunset"

    Erik Satie vibe

I'm Talking To Myself    (Danish song)

Related Links

Oldenburg House Emerging as a Northland Hot Spot

Cookin' at the O: Carlton Room Establishes Itself as a Northland Hotspot with Another Full House

Cookin' @ the O -- My Visit with Pippi Ardennia

*Paul Sapyta is chef for the Cloquet forestry center and runs a catering business and food truck, Room at the Table, from there. 

"MacArthur Park"--Its Meaning and Popularity

After the Breakup

Is "MacArthur Park" making a comeback? When I heard it again last week, it must have been the third time in little over a month. I never knew, till recently, that it was written by the gifted Jimmy Webb (Wichita Lineman, Galveston, and oh so many more).

The song was famous for its unconventional, over-the-top dramatic delivery and puzzling imagery. "Someone left the cake out in the rain, I don't think that I can take it..." Some say its emotional intensity is the big draw, others suggest its avant-garde arrangement contributed to it outside-of-time longevity. Perhaps a little context helps, too. Released in 1968,  actor Richard Harris delivers the vocals.

Here is a little background on the song.

The Story Behind the Song’s Lyrics

At its core, "MacArthur Park" is a reflection on love, loss, and the passing of time. The song's protagonist reminisces about a past romantic relationship, using the setting of MacArthur Park in Los Angeles as a metaphorical backdrop for these emotions. The park itself was a significant place for Webb, who spent time there with his former girlfriend, Susan Ronstadt, and much of the song’s lyrics were inspired by their breakup.

The lyrics of "MacArthur Park" are notably surreal and symbolic, evoking vivid images that some listeners find confusing. The “cake” is often interpreted as a metaphor for the relationship, representing something that was carefully constructed but ultimately fell apart due to circumstances beyond control. These dreamlike metaphors have invited diverse interpretations, from existential musings on time and decay to more straightforward allusions to the loss of love.

"MacArthur Park" Stood Out

Musically, "MacArthur Park" was unlike anything on the radio at the time. Clocking in at over seven minutes, the song breaks the standard pop song format, with multiple sections that ebb and flow like a symphonic suite. Its orchestration includes strings, brass, and choir-like vocals, giving it an epic, cinematic quality. Jimmy Webb, who was already known for writing hits for artists like Glen Campbell, pushed the boundaries of what could be done in pop music, blending elements of classical music with contemporary pop. This experimentation gave "MacArthur Park" an edge that set it apart from anythng else we were hearing on the radio at the time.

The length and complexity of the song were initially viewed as risks by industry professionals. However, Webb’s ambition paid off, as the song's structure helped capture the emotional turbulence of its lyrics. Richard Harris's performance also contributed to its uniqueness. Harris, primarily known as an actor, approached the song with a theatrical sensibility, delivering Webb’s strange and poetic lyrics with a dramatic flair. When you watch the video below it's almost like a one-act one man play, immersive and almost operatic in its delivery. 

Cultural Context: Why "MacArthur Park" Became Popular

The song’s release in 1968 came during a time of significant cultural upheaval. The late 1960s were marked by experimentation in art, music, and lifestyle. Psychedelia, long-form music compositions, and abstract lyricism were becoming more common, with artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Doors pushing the boundaries of what rock and pop could achieve. In this environment, listeners were more open to songs that broke traditional molds, and "MacArthur Park" found an audience willing to embrace its eccentricities.

Furthermore, its themes of heartbreak and nostalgia resonated with listeners. At a time when the world was experiencing political and social changes, personal reflections on loss and life's impermanence struck a chord. Though many critics at the time found the lyrics overly dramatic or even nonsensical, the public response was overwhelmingly positive, and the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The song’s legacy was further cemented by subsequent cover versions, most notably Donna Summer’s 1978 disco rendition, which brought "MacArthur Park" to a new generation of listeners and became a dance-floor hit.  Ah, but what Jimmy Webb hath wrought is best expressed in this Richard Harris performance.

While some of Webb's songs are happy, such as "Up, Up and Away", he (Webb) has said that "The territory I tend to inhabit is that sort of 'crushed lonely hearts' thing. The first part of a relationship is usually that white-hot centre when all the happy songs come. When that's gone it can be devastating, and that's when the sorrowful songs come." 
--Ellen, Mark (September 16, 2016). "Jimmy Webb: I deal in crushed lonely hearts"
Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved August 7, 2019.

Related Link

Jimmy Webb and the Wichita Lineman

Very Punny

Steampunk Mattress (AI creation with dream.ai)

Puns are fun. 

What's funny is how serious science can sometimes be when it tries to examine why something is fun. Freud analyzed humor, trying to define what causes people to laugh. You don't, however, need to study psychology to appreciate a good knee-slapper.

Nevertheless, there really are some reasons people enjoy puns. Here are a few of them.

Some are slow burners that you don't immediately "get" so there is a reward at the end. Puns play with the brain's ability to process language. They often rely on double meanings, homophones, or clever wordplay. When someone "gets" a pun, it activates a sense of satisfaction and reward because the brain has successfully decoded the ambiguity. This mild intellectual challenge can be fun and engaging.

Surprise and Creativity: Puns sometmes surprise us by turning an expected meaning upsde down. The humorous twist in meaning appeals to our love for novelty and creativity.

Social Bonding: Humor in general, and puns specifically, can help bring people together. It's fun when you share a batch of witty jokes and everyone is cracking up together. 

Playfulness with Language: Puns reflect a playful engagement with language, showcasing its flexibility and richness. Writers love wordplay. I once wrote a 500 word story called "How Eye One the Wore" which was one-third homophones. People who enjoy playing with words often find puns--and other kinds of word games like crosswords--delightful because they highlight how much fun language can be.

All of these factors combine to make puns an enduring and widely appreciated form of humor. 

In short, after this lengthy introduction, here are some puns I found phun, with a link to the website I borrowed them from. This is a small smattering from a much lengthier list. Enjoy!

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can’t put it down.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

Broken pencils are pointless.

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was really just a play on words.

All the toilets in the NYPD headquarters have been stolen. The police apparently have nothing to go on.

Why did the can crusher quit her job? It was soda-pressing.

What do you call a broken can opener? A can’t opener.

A photon checks into a hotel. The front desk asks if it has any luggage. It replies, “No, I’m traveling light.”

I can’t stand Russian dolls. They’re so full of themselves.

I got a job at a bakery, because I knead dough.

If you see an Apple Store get robbed, does that make you an iWitness?

Why couldn’t the pony sing in the choir? He was a little horse.

Did you hear about the woman who loved making archery supplies? Every day she went to work, she quivered with joy!

The past, the present and the future all walk into a bar. It was tense.

A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says: “A beer please, and one for the road.”

My friend fell into an upholstery machine. He’s fully recovered now.

I just found a penny in my dryer’s lint trap, and I can’t figure out where it came from. But that’s ok, I love it when the world just makes cents.

I bought some shoes from a drug dealer the other day. I don’t know what he laced them with, but I’ve been tripping all day.

I don’t trust stairs. They’re always up to something.

If you like these, here's a link to more. And if you can't get enough, ask Google.

A Child of the Lab

Forty years ago, when I first became serious about a writing career, I envisioned being a writer of short stories like Hemingway (In Our Time), F. Scott Fitzgerald or Jack London. Yes, they all wrote novels but I found that writing stories and articles while working full time was within my grasp and a novel was simply to massive of a project in those circumstances.

For the first four years after our return from a year in Mexico Susie and I painted apartments. There were two things I especially liked about it. First, wherever we went looked nicer after we'd been there than before we arrived. Second, there is a mindlessness about painting white on white so it was an opportunity to let my imagination run free. As a result my mind conceived of countless concepts for stories, some which became outlines and others which were completed. (Years later I assembled many of these into books like this short volume, Unremembered Histories.)  

The story below was conceived sometime during the 1980's I believe. Or rather, the concept for this story was birthed and a few notes jotted down. Over the years since that time I've thought about fleshing it out and turning it into something I could share. 

This past week I decided to do something different. I fed my story concept to ChatGPT to see what an AI would generate. Here's what we came up with as a story beginning. For a much longer story it has real possibilities. What do you think?

A Child of the Lab

In the dry heat of the Negev desert, deep within the secure walls of a state-of-the-art laboratory, Dr. Yitzhak Baram and Dr. Leah Mendel spent their days peering into the mysteries of the human genome. Theirs was no ordinary research—after years of studying ancient texts, theological debates, and genetic data, they began to suspect a tantalizing possibility. Buried within the intricate code of human DNA, they believed they had found a signature, a remnant of a primordial flaw, a genetic marker shared by every living human being. They called it "Eve's Mark."

For months, the pair wrestled with the implications of their discovery. Could this genetic trait be a trace of what religious traditions called Original Sin, a fundamental imperfection passed down through generations since humanity's mythical fall from grace? If so, could they remove it? And if they did, would the result be a human being untainted by the imperfections that had shaped human history?

Leah's voice trembled as she proposed the unthinkable: "We could create a new embryo... without Eve's Mark. A human being, like Adam and Eve, before the fall. Imagine the purity, the potential for good."

Yitzhak's skepticism melted away over nights of whispered conversations, and they resolved to do what no one else had ever dared—build a genome devoid of this flaw. In the dimly lit lab, they synthesized the embryo, painstakingly editing the genetic code until "Eve's Mark" was no longer present. Nine months later, the child was born in secret, far from any official record. They named her Miriam, for she was to them a new beginning.

As the months passed, Miriam grew with a vitality that stunned her caretakers. The scientists documented everything—her rapid development, her serene temperament, her uncanny way of absorbing the world around her. She did not cry like other infants; instead, she observed, her eyes, an almost startling shade of blue, scanning her surroundings with preternatural awareness. They began to believe they had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Yet, beneath their excitement, fear gnawed at them—would others, especially those who might see this as heretical or dangerous, accept what they had done?

Their fears were well-founded.

One summer evening, as the sun dipped behind the hills, a missile struck the lab. It came without warning, an attack from across the border, shattering the building with a force that set the desert ablaze. Yitzhak and Leah died in the chaos, caught beneath the collapsing walls. But as the fire spread, a nurse named Ayla, who had cared for Miriam like a mother, cradled the child to her chest and ran through the smoke and flames, her only thought to save this miraculous little being.

She stumbled through the desert night, following the faintest paths through the dark, driven by some instinct stronger than fear. In her arms, Miriam remained silent, her wide eyes fixed on the stars as if understanding their brightness. The next morning, Ayla reached the outskirts of a small village, exhausted but alive, the child untouched by the horrors that had unfolded behind them.

* * * 

Flashback Friday: Seeing the Unseen (Contemporary Chinese Artists at the Ringling)

Li Wei

As Hurricane Milton was approaching Florida's west coast earlier this month, my thoughts and prayers circled around several of the places I visited from Sarasota to Tampa. Chief among these were the Ringling Museum and the Dali Museum, each of them housing spectacular treasures. There were some early Duchamp paintngs and other surprises. The Circus Museum and Ca' d'Zan, the winter home of John and Mable Ringling are also there. With 56 rooms spread over 36,000 square feet, their home was clearly meant to impress its guests. 

Here is a review I wrote in 2014 after visiting.

I like surprises. Especially nice ones. One of the more exciting unexpected finds for me took place while traveling in Florida a couple years back: the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. I'd already known about Ringling Brothers Circus Museum being in Sarasota where the circus wintered like snow birds. I did not, however, know that John and Mable were art collectors.

Like many from America's privileged classes, they took up an interest in art collecting. During the Roaring 20's post-WWI European art could be snapped up on pennies for the dollar. The Ringlings even purchased a 16th century theater they found on the outskirts of Venice, disassembled and re-assembled the whole of it in Sarasota.

Unfortunately, the Thirties hit and many -- like the Ringlings -- got stung and lost all. Fortunately, a few years before, they donated their art collection to the University. And what a collection. One highlight is an enormous painting Peter Paul Rubens, but there are many other famous artists represented include Benjamin West, Diego Velázquez, Paolo Veronese, Rosa Bonheur, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Giuliano Finelli, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Frans Hals, Nicolas Poussin, Joseph Wright of Derby, and Thomas Gainsborough among others. But the highlight for me was running into two paintings by Marcel Duchamp. Very special.

The museum is host to other exhibitions and through the end of February 2015 The Ringling is featuring eight contemporary Chinese artists in an exhibition titled “Seeing the Unseen.” Artists in this show include Cao Fei, Li Wei, Wang Qingsong, and Miao Xiaochun. A promotional blurb on the show states, "Reflecting the artistic innovations of our media age, their works provide a fresh view of China’s rapidly changing socio-cultural landscape. These Chinese artists apply new concepts and technology to record and present inspiring moments veiled in daily life."

One of the featured artists in this exhibit is Liu Bolin, whose invisible man pictures went viral a couple years back. I remember seeing links being shared extensively, not knowing who he was at that time. Here is a promotional image from the show that may jog your memory on this artist. Yes, there is a man standing in the photo.

Liu Bolin. (Click to enlagre) 

If you're a Sun City resident or a someone who likes to escape South for the winter, the Ringling Museum is worth going out of your way to see. And this winter at least you'll have this treat to look forward to.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Dig it.

Manufacturing Consent: Do We Really Live in a Democracy?

THINGS I'M THINKING ABOUT DEPT.

I've been intrigued by the concept of "manufacturing consent" as popularized by political theorist Noam Chomsky and economist Edward S. Herman in their book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. "Manufacturing consent" has to do with the way media, governments, and powerful institutions shape public opinion to align with their interests, often subtly guiding what people think and believe.

It's a two word phrase--manufacturing and consent--loaded with implications.

Manufacturing is the process of producing products from raw materials using tools, machinery, and human labor. It involves transforming materials like metals, plastics, or chemicals into finished products, such as cars, electronics, clothing, or household items. It often follows a series of steps, including design, fabrication, assembly, and quality control, ensuring that the final product meets specific standards. It is considered crucial to the global economy, creating jobs, supporting industries, and providing the essential goods that society relies on every day.

Consent is the voluntary agreement or permission given by a person to allow something to happen, often in the context of personal boundaries, relationships, or legal matters. It requires that individuals have a clear understanding of what they are agreeing to, without any pressure, manipulation, or coercion. Consent is a foundational principle in ethics, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and understanding between parties.

The idea is that media outlets, often controlled by large corporations with vested interests, influence what stories are covered, how they are framed, and what information is highlighted or omitted. This process can create a kind of consensus among the public that supports certain policies or viewpoints, even if they may not serve the broader public interest. Essentially, rather than being purely objective, media and institutions may "manufacture" agreement or acceptance of specific ideas, shaping public perception in a way that maintains the status quo or supports the interests of those in power.

 

In Manufacturing Consent Herman and Chomsky argue that media plays a significant role in American society to prepare it to willingly accept the values of the ruling elite. 

When did this switch happen (where the media is agenda driven rather than neutral) or has it always been this way? Instead of serving as a means for the public to obtain information needed to have sufficient control over the politicians and the flow of power in the country, the press now blatantly serves as a means for the elite to promote its agenda, to defend the economic, social, and political agenda of privileged and dominant groups in the society.

Edward Said addresses this manipulation from the specific manner in which our media controls Americans' view of the Middle East and the Islamic world. The author of Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World shows how the American news media have portrayed "Islam" as a monolithic entity, synonymous with terrorism and religious hysteria. 

One question I have here is, "Who's calling the shots?"

And the follow up: "To what end?"

The manner in which legacy media covered up President Biden's foibles and mental decline (How many times did we hear that he was "sharp as a tack"?) was such a partisan non-neutral effort to influence public opinion that it prompts us to question everything they've spewed. 

What's going on?  

As one Amazon reviewer explains, "This (Edward Said's) book tells ALL about our media prejudices and the shortcomings of our journalists, writers, intellectuals, academics, etc., when it comes to Islam, Arabs and the Middle East. It is a great analytical essay about false propaganda and the wrong views dispersed about the Middle East." 

* * * 

So, the title of this blog post asks if we are really living in a Democracy? I ask, then, how can we have a democracy without an informed public? How much do we know from first hand experience? How much do we really know of what we assume we know? So much of what we believe we know has been mediated to us. How much is spin? 

* * * 

"Tell me why you are crying my son

I know you're frightened like everyone.

Is it the thunder in the distance you hear? 

Will it help if I stand very near? I am here."

Peter, Paul & Mary

Day Is Done

Related Links

Propaganda Revisited

Crowds On Demand: Believe Nothing You Hear, and Only One Half That You See

He Who Controls the Narrative Controls the People

Is the U.S. Media a Mouthpiece for the State? Stephen Kinzer Argues "Yes"

The Purpose of Propaganda: Social Engineering