Hey, Remember The '80s? Um, Yeah. They Sucked. Right on schedule, the 1980s are huge again, the way every decade seems to be once we're 20 years removed from it. But even as the national gurus of the zeitgeist hype the greatness of overwrought bands like The Cure; cheesy, predictable sitcoms "with a twist" (see Diff'rent Strokes); and screeching hair bands with their guitar pedals set permanently on stun, a remarkable reaction has been establishing itself in the wider population: near-complete indifference. In fact, it isn't going too far to suggest that consumers have realized that all the marketing in the world can't make the 1980s seems like a culturally important decade, when it was so clearly an era of materialistic greed and shallow, self-serving ear candy. The New York Times 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 11:58 am
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UK Museums Trapped In Vicious Cycle UK museums are facing a funding crisis with no end in sight. "The reality is that a decade of expansion has left many British museums struggling to pay for running all those shiny new buildings they have only just opened. At the same time, the abolition of admission charges two years ago raised expectations about visitor numbers. The British Museum and the National Gallery both get close to five million a year; the Science Museum has more than two million. Even if these vast numbers remain static, they will be seen as a sign of failure... But to keep the audience coming back each year requires continuous investment." The Guardian (UK) 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 12:32 pm
America's Steadiest Architect A new museum in the German resort town of Baden-Baden, built to house a private art collection in a setting open to the public, is a low-profile but important architectural triumph from American architect Richard Meier. "Modest in size and appealing in scale, it is quintessential Meier, a condensation of his complex architectural vocabulary into an intensely beautiful pavilion in a park. Visiting it makes one appreciate (again) how stubbornly consistent Meier has been over the past four decades about the means and ends of architecture -- and how stupendously good he can be." Washington Post 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 11:07 am
Doonesbury Derailed By Ski Instructor Garry Trudeau, creator of the popular and controversial Doonesbury comic, suffered a broken drawing arm this past week when he was tackled by a ski instructor to prevent him from skiing into a tree. Trudeau was in Aspen to accept the Freedom of Speech award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. He could be unable to draw the strip for six to eight weeks. Denver Post 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 10:15 am
The Gates Open One by one, on a sunny Saturday morning in winter, 7,500 huge ribbons of saffron-colored fabric were released from their bonds and turned New York's Central Park into a blaze of color, courtesy of the installation artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. "Like all projects by this duo, 'The Gates' is as much a public happening as it is a vast environmental sculpture and a feat of engineering... The gates need to be - they are conceived to be - experienced on the ground, at eye level, where, as you move through the park, they crisscross and double up, rising over hills, blocking your view of everything except sky, then passing underfoot, through an underpass, or suddenly appearing through a copse of trees, their fabric fluttering in the corner of your eye." The New York Times 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 10:06 am
- Vox Populi New Yorkers are rarely shy with their opinions, and the Gates of Central Park are inspiring plenty of comment from Manhattan's residents, from gripes about the cost (which is being covered entirely by the artists) to praise for the way the saffron colors have transformed Central Park in winter. The Guardian (UK) 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:38 am
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Passion Begets Passion; Blandness Breeds Indifference American orchestras seem to be making a very deliberate attempt to reel in concertgoers with non-threatening programs full of "standard repertoire" works which couldn't possibly cause anyone to have a strong adverse reaction. But the danger of such a strategy is that such "safe" programs frequently don't inspire any strong reaction, positive or negative. Alexander Coppock has had enough of this approach: "When you program idle, trite, and useless music for my education and protection, I feel condescended to, because I have a need for honesty. Would you be willing to program music that you love, so that I may love it?" Chicago Maroon 02/11/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 11:46 am
Can Orchestras Reinvent Themselves With New Music? The Minnesota Orchestra's highly regarded new recording of Beethoven symphonies might be a short-term success, but does it really bode well for orchestral recordings in the longer view? "The Beethoven series does nothing to distinguish the orchestra — countless other recordings of this music exist — nor does it further new music. Orchestras can't afford to ground their 21st-century futures on 19th-century music... By championing living composers as their own and entwining the recordings of their works with performances, orchestras can establish distinct identities regionally and internationally and ensure the vitality of new music." St. Paul Pioneer Press 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 10:59 am
Putting Grammy On A Diet There are too many Grammy awards. 107, to be exact, as compared with 28 for the supposedly interminable Oscars. And while every single one of those awards probably has its defenders, there is little question that the ceremony is in desperate need of a hatchet job. To begin with, isn't it time to dump most (if not all) of the classical catagories? "Classical musicians aren't wrong to feel slighted in a culture addicted to base pop music. But the current arrangement seems mainly therapeutic, like a teacher giving every kid a gold star just for coming to class." And on the pop side of the ledger, do we really need a Best Album, a Best Record, a Best Pop Vocal Album, and a Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album? South Florida Sun-Sentinel 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 10:43 am
- So Bing Crosby Wouldn't Have Been Eligible? The Grammys have introduced a Hawaiian music category, agreeing at long last that the islands' rich musical tradition are worthy of separate recognition. But what exactly constitutes Hawaiian music? Can it still be Hawaiian if a singer performs in English? Must there be a ukulele involved? And most importantly, who gets to decide the answers to these burning questions? The New York Times 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:52 am
- Everybody Loves An Oldie Picking the winners of the Grammy awards in advance may not be all that difficult. Jon Pareles thinks he's found the secret predicter: "The album with the oldest song wins." The rule seems to hold true in almost every year, and may point up the, um, veteran sensibilities of the majority of Grammy voters. The New York Times 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:45 am
Oboist Wanted - Apply Anywhere The position of principal oboe is currently open in three of America's major orchestras, and in several other second- and third-tier ensembles as well. When you consider how many aspiring professional musicians there are in the world, and how few high-profile positions available, the current surfeit of jobs has to be considered mannah from heaven for oboists. "The sudden raft of openings appears on the surface to be a confluence of health problems and retirements. But there is also a generational change under way, as the recent musical descendants of the father of American oboe playing, Marcel Tabuteau, who died in 1966, leave the scene." The New York Times 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:36 am
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Is Philly Ready For A Permanent Arts Fund? While some American cities have created dedicated arts funds to insure a steady flow of capital to cash-starved cultural groups, Philadelphia's arts scene has remained largely pay-as-you-go. Now, the mayor is making it clear that he supports the idea of a $50-$100 million fund dedicated to the arts, and the business and political communities may be ready to back the plan. Philadelphia Inquirer 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 11:08 am
NYC Comedians To Get A Hard-Fought Raise Cable TV has made stand-up comedy into something of a glamorous profession in recent years. But for those struggling comics without development deals and HBO specials, stand-up is a tough way to make a living, with many New York clubs paying only $20 to $75 a set. So earlier this winter, the Big Apple's comedians banded together to demand better pay from club owners, and to threaten retaliation if their demands weren't met. And the funny thing is, they actually won. Washington Post 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 10:33 am
The Museum Of 20th Century Kitchenware? Toronto is planning a major new museum for its Harbourfront district to celebrate the city's cultural history. "Its core collection will be the more than 100,000 items ranging from 18th-century military uniforms to 20th-century industrial moulds, kitchenware and advertising signs amassed by the City of Toronto and currently stored in an unmarked building near the CNE. For the museum to open by its target date of 2010, council has to budget about $200,000 over two years for the formation of a governing board, determination of a site, and the planning of a Humanitas festival showcasing the creative energy of the city in 2006 that will move the consultant's plan forward." Toronto Star 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 10:20 am
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America's Moralist "Arthur Miller may or may not be the greatest playwright America has produced - Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams both have equal, if not more, claim to that phantom title - but he is certainly the most American of the country's greatest playwrights. He was the moralist of the three, and America, as some recent pollsters rushed to remind us, is a country that likes moralists. The irony, of course, is that Mr. Miller's strongest plays are fired by convictions that assail some of the central ideals enshrined in American culture." The New York Times 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:34 am
- A Soft-Hearted Intellectual It may seem de rigeur today for playwrights to tackle big sociological issues in a direct manner, but when Arthur Miller burst upon the scene, such forays into national self-examination were hardly theatrical comfort food for audiences used to droll comedies and "classic" drama. And yet, Miller's work succeeded with the public because of his innate ability to make grand theoretical debates deeply personal. "He loved and even ennobled the little guy, with all of -- and because of -- his flaws. In works tackling the loftiest subjects, he touched nerves so deep, it was as if the plays were customized arrows, aimed at the unique contours of each theatergoer's heart." Washington Post 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:25 am
- Last of The American Renaissance Men? Arthur Miller's contemporaries in the theatre world remember him as a man of principle, of deep intellectual curiosity, and possessed of an immense talent for observing the human condition through prose. "He was absolutely charming. He was cast-iron... You would say how are you and for the next fifteen minutes you could sit back and enjoy and wonderful reply." The Observer (UK) 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:20 am
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Can A Playwright Save Musical Theatre? "David Lindsay-Abaire is a much-admired young playwright whose credentials include two years at the Juilliard Playwrights Program and an early stint staging absurdist dramas in the East Village and SoHo. His big career break came five years ago when Ben Brantley, the chief theater critic for The New York Times, raved over the Manhattan Theater Club production of his quirky dark comedy 'Fuddy Meers." Now, Lindsay-Abaire has improbably emerged as Broadway's best hope of reviving the musical with his acerbic wit, willingness to push an audience's buttons, and aversion to predictable form. New York Times Magazine 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 12:12 pm
Courting The Obsessives "The commercial theater increasingly relies on repeat visitors. Surveys conducted by the producers of 'Les Misérables,' 'Miss Saigon' and 'Phantom of the Opera' suggest that 40 percent of the audiences for those long-running musicals had seen the show before. For most, that probably meant returning one or two times, to take a friend or to see a new performer in a familiar role. But among repeat customers there is a repeat elite - 'Rentheads' at 'Rent,' 'Q-Tips' at 'Avenue Q'- who demonstrate an extraordinary level of commitment to their favored entertainments." The New York Times 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 11:32 am
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Is It Time To Free Uncle Remus? Disney movies are an American mainstay, and since the advent of VCRs, collectors and fans have snapped up countless copies of Disney classics like Cinderella and Snow White. But there is one Disney film that has never made it to video: Song of the South, the lighthearted but supremely controversial story of Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit, and life in America's Deep South in the slave days of the 19th century. There's very little question that the movie's tone, which seems to portray slave life as an easygoing partnership between blacks and whites, is inaccurate at best and intentionally racist at worst. But still, there's an argument to be made that the movie deserves to be made available with all its warts. Chicago Tribune 02/13/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 12:22 pm
Million Dollar Misdirection The furor over a controversial plot twist in Clint Eastwood's new film, Million Dollar Baby, is just the latest example of shrill right-wing protestors trying to impose their own values system on everyone else, says Frank Rich. But who would ever have thought that Eastwood - a man's man if ever Hollywood had one - would find himself targeted in such a manner? "What really makes these critics hate Million Dollar Baby is not its supposedly radical politics - which are nonexistent - but its lack of sentimentality. It is, indeed, no Rocky, and in our America that departure from the norm is itself a form of cultural radicalism. Always a sentimental country, we're now living fulltime in the bathosphere." The New York Times 02/12/05
Posted: 02/13/2005 9:55 am
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