Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Tried, emphasis on tried, to do work in random Starbucks in Atwater Village. (Had to take Bree's DVD player for repair nearby.) Only managed about 750 wds of diss, but more carefully done than usual working draft mode. Must be near some office complex -- from separate conversations:
"You need to set the tone in the office. You know, energy, be there for your people..."
"Yeah, well, if being a team player means giving her kickbacks, he's not a team player."
On the other hand, saw actual instance of good parenting; couple with 4-or-5 year old whose company they actually seemed to enjoy, keeping her attention rather than ignoring, or ignoring other than to tell her not to touch things (you see this a lot). Kid turned around, looked at the back of my computer screen, and said "Apple!" Interesting that this is more likely a function of having seen either Apple logos or other equally stylized apple-representations than three-dimensional fruit. Adorable, in any case.
Jeez -- haven't even written about Punk Rock, and here's another Langford record in the mail from Bloodshot. Also rec'd: Aquarius package with Metal Urbain reissue and Sounds of American Doomsday Cults, Vol. 14 which had me from the description alone.
Saw the first (and better) half of The Harvey Girls at Bree's today. This could have been one of the great non-adapted movie musicals if the central idea -- waitresses as civilizing influence in the Wild West -- didn't fall to a fairly dull love triangle in the third act. Still, Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer in top form. Everyone knows "Atcheson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe," the basis for one of the best-motivated production numbers ever, but no other MGM musical contains a downer like "Great Big World," with the refrain: "And it's cold, cold, cold/And we'll soon be old."
Plus the strangeness of hearing Angela Lansbury (post-Gaslight/pre-Manchurian Candidate/pre-pre-pre-Cabot Cove) singing "If you like chicken, take a wing" while shaking quite the gam. And the forgotten charm of Virginia O'Brien, who appeared in only a handful of movies, usually doing a novelty turn (always deadpan) in revue-structured musicals (Two Gals and a Sailor), in her only significant character role.
"You need to set the tone in the office. You know, energy, be there for your people..."
"Yeah, well, if being a team player means giving her kickbacks, he's not a team player."
On the other hand, saw actual instance of good parenting; couple with 4-or-5 year old whose company they actually seemed to enjoy, keeping her attention rather than ignoring, or ignoring other than to tell her not to touch things (you see this a lot). Kid turned around, looked at the back of my computer screen, and said "Apple!" Interesting that this is more likely a function of having seen either Apple logos or other equally stylized apple-representations than three-dimensional fruit. Adorable, in any case.
Jeez -- haven't even written about Punk Rock, and here's another Langford record in the mail from Bloodshot. Also rec'd: Aquarius package with Metal Urbain reissue and Sounds of American Doomsday Cults, Vol. 14 which had me from the description alone.
Saw the first (and better) half of The Harvey Girls at Bree's today. This could have been one of the great non-adapted movie musicals if the central idea -- waitresses as civilizing influence in the Wild West -- didn't fall to a fairly dull love triangle in the third act. Still, Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer in top form. Everyone knows "Atcheson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe," the basis for one of the best-motivated production numbers ever, but no other MGM musical contains a downer like "Great Big World," with the refrain: "And it's cold, cold, cold/And we'll soon be old."
Plus the strangeness of hearing Angela Lansbury (post-Gaslight/pre-Manchurian Candidate/pre-pre-pre-Cabot Cove) singing "If you like chicken, take a wing" while shaking quite the gam. And the forgotten charm of Virginia O'Brien, who appeared in only a handful of movies, usually doing a novelty turn (always deadpan) in revue-structured musicals (Two Gals and a Sailor), in her only significant character role.
