Thanks, although it was my father- in- law. He was a good fellow, though. He was on Eisenhower's staff throughout the War, eventually as the chief clerk...
...Our tastes in rock run, at least in part, along similar lines. Among those albums that might show up on a best album list (in a non- committal order):"Close to the Edge", "Blue", "The Man Who Sold the World" (David Bowie), "Abbey Road", "American Beauty", "After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young), "Bookends", "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits II", "Stop Making Sense" (Talking Heads), "Talking Book" (Stevie Wonder). This will give a flavor of my eclecticism. I am not sure if I would agree about Clapton, but he is not as "sizzling" as Hendrix. I just got a compilation album of Steely Dan. I appreciate even more the influence of "cool jazz" (a la Brubeck) on the group...
...Apart from Steely Dan, Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Chicago were good fusion groups. More on the jazz side was Chick Corea...
...I do not share your enthusiasm for Mahler, but I am willing to re- evaluate (it has been awhile). I agree that Copeland is, in the end, very good. I like Schoenberg, Webern, and, among Americans, Carter, and wish I had more time to spend separating wheat from chaff in modern music. I am very fond of Palestrina and earlier music. My favorite opera, musically, is "The Magic Flute". The overture may very well be Mozart's greatest piece. I remain very fond of Beethoven's Ninth, which is the best symphony ever written....
...I listen to some be- bop on occasion, but I am impatient with jamming. On the other hand, I liked Eastwood's "Bird" very much (I also like Forrest Whittaker a lot), and I loved Tavernier's "Round Midnight", with Dexter Gordon. No fear about Kenny G....
...There are two big tests on the modern art question:a.) How do you respond to Les Demoiselle D'Avignon?, and b.) Do you "get" pure abstraction?, particularly, I would say, Jackson Pollock. If these are problems, you are still a bit tentative on modern art. If you embrace them, you are, at least, oriented...
...See how hard it is to compose lists? I suppose that, if one took the time, one could come up with something, but how confident can one be of the rankings, especially if it has been awhile since reading the book? Your list is pretty good, although I do not share your enthusiasm for either Rand or Hemingway. Still, I understand that they have a certain power to convey a heroic view of life, one in a romantic mode, and the other in a stoic way. A couple on the list, such as "I, Claudius", I never got around to reading, so I cannot tell. I think it is interesting that you put on "Lord of the Flies", which is very good....
...Yes, it is exhilarating to think of these things. I remember the scene in "Manhattan" where Woody tries to think of reasons to live, and lists various pieces of music and books that have meant something to him primarily... |
