...being the observations and navigational extracts
from the ongoing expeditions of San Francisco Piano Pop trio
True Margrit

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Obama Helps McCain Cross the Street



American Anxiety Dream

After savoring the vertiginousness of the time-stretching phenomenon commonly experienced due to windbaggery (as seen in Friday's presidential debate), I settled in to a long session of channel and internet surfing through the subsequent spin. The pundits worried away at the important questions, like, who won? Who appeared more presidential? Most importantly, were the hearts and minds of undecided voters changed? Who Knows. All these questions were asked & answered on a mulitplicity of sites/ shows/ forums. All the supporters claimed victory for their candidate/ party. Or in the case of the McCain campaign, a premature banner ad "accidentally" showed up on the internet Friday morning ( ahem before the debate) claiming victory for McCain. Hmmm, victory in a showdown he, ironically enough, was unsure he could bring himself to attend, claiming that he was direly needed in Washington, or the bailout would never ever ever be solved--grandstanding by any other name. Whatever dude. John McCain just doesn't understand.


And as for Palin? By now many of us have seen some of those mini-clips of her interview with Katie Couric that are being fed to the public in tiny ( and thus non-lethal?) doses. Before I had checked out any of it, I heard pundit David Brooks say he could only bear watching for a minute or two without cringing and turning it off. So, I fired up a clip--the one about seeing Russia from her house. And wow. It's a nightmare, really. It's like she's enacting the worst anxiety dream ever-- the one where you're unaccountably back in middle school but you've forgotten to read the book you're doing a presentation on, you have no pencil, and for that matter, no pants!

Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Putin-esqua

Wow. A few weeks ago I was on BART and I saw some world news capsule stories in the SF Chronicle with a wee piece about NATO bringing more ships into the waters nearest to the Russian/ Georgian conflict ( that would be the Black Sea, right?). Asked to comment on this enlarged western presence, Putin assured journalists there would be a response. When pressed for specifics he said: "you'll see". Wow--that's so, "mwaahahahahahahahahha". & Surreal. And it would be hilarious-- if it weren't so disturbing, somehow...

In other cartoon villain news, I am here to point out that if you mash McCain & Palin's names together you can spell: "Pain". If you need reasons not to vote for them (???!) that's one ---if the other more compelling arguments against them, like their lies, ineptitude, and atrocious voting records aren't deterrent enough.

I saw a pigeon in a puddle outside the pool where I swim laps---hmmm. If only I were smaller I could swim for free.

Monday, September 15, 2008

I LOVE WALL.E Redux & Other Scenes

Have y'all seen WALL.E yet? He won't be in theatres much longer-- you gotta catch it on the BIG screen when the Milky Way reflects in Wall-E's "eyes". I had to go one last time (ok, 8th time but who's counting) cuz Alex hadn't seen it yet. Once again I chuckled, teared up, and tapped my toe to the AWESOME score by Thomas Newman. Wall-E is destined to be a classic of pop culture, with its wicked satire of consumerism delivered without one poisonous/ tedious grain of mean-spiritedness ( I'm not pointing any fingers APATOW), its clever sci fi & silent film references, its robot romance for the ages--yes it's all that, AND it also, surreally enough, features songs from "Hello Dolly". Wow.

This week I also saw Alicia Dattner's show, PUNCHLINE, at the SF Fringe Festival ( I wrote a couple of songs w/ her for the show!!) She was grand! AND! The fab KAT DOWNS wrote & performed excellent music for the play The Widow West, which Sarah & I caught on Friday! That would have been enough ( dayanu) AND YET! I also made it back to the Fringe Fest for Carrie Baum's opus, EXIT SIGN: a ROCK OPERA!! WHOA! What a week--I feel real theatricalized. And very inspired to get back to work on my very own musical/ rock opera: GLAMPYRE on the Bounty!!!! More on that, believe me...

Last but not least: I've ( virtually) this moment finished composing the score for the documentaryLADY TROJANS. I'm very proud to be part of this film project --more soon on when/ where it plays at festivals!!!

OK bye.

Monday, September 08, 2008

ps --it's about the songs

I neglected in the last blog to tell y'all which songs I played at the Mountain Stage Contest ( a few of you have asked). For the inquiring minds, here are the lyrics. Bon Appetit!


1) Fly it Like a Flag ( This will be on our upcoming CD, The Juggler's Progress)

Hamlet paused before striking a blow
and the action stalled most of the show
he agonized over merits of revenge
to exercise his reason or come unhinged

the more slippery the slope
the more you hear the ghost
calling out for rope
to bring him back from the void
to make his cause your only joy
and fly it like a flag

now you tour the ruins broken mile after mile
and the bones of kings and students rank and file
came rolling down the street all in their path
took on the whiteness of aftermath

the more slippery the slope
the more you hear the ghost
calling out for rope
to bring him back from the void
to make his cause your only joy
and fly it like a flag

roll the universe into a ball
that wasn't what you meant to say at all

no I'm not Prince Hamlet though I've swallowed his speech
and it plays in my ears and each to each
it's summed up on banners planted on hills
high above this town it waves a bitter pill

the more slippery the slope
the more you hear the ghost
calling out for rope
to bring him back from the void
to make his cause your only joy
and fly it like a flag
fly it like a flag
roll the universe into a ball
and fly it like a flag


2)Electricity ( This one's from Seaworthy)

one little shock lowers resistance
you will serve the rest of your existence
for one little word that became this sentence

how can you say lights like sparks on the bay
don't reflect on the way waters illustrate
how they connect by electricity

we never touch we're separate atoms
but close enough the friction burns patterns
into the stuff that dreams make of matter

how can you say lights like sparks on the bay
don't reflect on the way waters illustrate
how they connect by electricity

we're on the roof the current is high
pull heaven down down from the sky
fit it through this needle's eye

how can you say lights like sparks on the bay
don't reflect on the way waters illustrate
how we connect by electricity
connect by electricity
let's connect by electricity

Friday, September 05, 2008

Good Sports and Strange Bedfellows

What a week, my dears! Hurricanes, wacky veep nominations, tennis, song contests, and mixing mixing mixing. My head-- it spins.

Monday, I took BART to the airport to catch my flight to LA for the Mountain Stage /Folk Alliance NEW SONG CONTEST
While I was sitting in a cafe near my departure gate at SFO waiting for my flight to board, the US open match between Rafa Nadal & Sam Querry came on the big screen telly... and DAMMMMIT, of course they start to board the flight. I was flying Virgin America (ooooh Virgin America with the see-through purple pretty bulkheads in first-class and the purply/ lavender lights in coach & ambient EZ listening style techno boarding music and seatbacks that look like iPods. OOOOOOh indeed) They also have those adorable mini tv sets above the tray tables, but alas the US Open wasn't on. Luckily when I got to LAX Sarah was already there ( we had different flights--it's along story) and we watched the match right there in the airport at a sports bar while I had lunch. It was an AWESOME match--maybe you saw it? One set had 6 deuces! Anyway. Sometime during the third set we realized my bag was probably in a cage somewhere in the bowels of LAX. We sheepishly rushed over to the baggage claim. Luckily my suitcase wasn't yet incarcerated. I showed my boarding pass to the attendant but she was engaged with a phone call. I pantomimed me taking the bag & leaving and she waved a dismissive fingernail in my general direction which I interpreted as assent. No harm no foul. ( ps The secret to fun flying? Slip-on shoes! No tying laces to tie you up at security!!)

That night we had dinner with my sis, Mim & her hubby, Victor & my nephew, Eli (and their dog, Josie, lest we forget). We enjoyed some delicious Indian food and some amusing dishing about McCain's proverbial strange bedfellow, Palin. That dinner alone was worth the trip!!! But we also got to hang with the infamous Uncle P ( aka Phil Shapiro) who is my brother Dan's best friend and virtually a sibling to us ( Uncle-ship notwithstanding).

And if that weren't enough, I also got to play at THE MINT for the contest/ event. Thanks so much to all you folks who wrote me emails of support! That really bolstered up my spirits. I had an excellent time. I won't be going on to the next round, but it was a super positive experience meeting all the songwriters and connecting with the people from the NEWSONG, and Folk Alliance organizations. I liked the way NEW SONG founder, Gar Ragland emphasized that the competition aspect was just part of the event & community building was the point. But somehow I did get extra nervous-- something about the judges writing notes while you're playing, getting voted off the island, only going home with bronze... you know.

But seriously, I could easily see losing your cool playing sports! Especially tennis where it's just two players pitted in fiercest battle, weirdly intimate & contentious bedfellows. Like that tennis player Andreev who played Roger Federer on Tuesday ( I caught that match right before my gig!). Federer did one of his levitating superhuman shots and the Flushing Meadows crowd went wild. So, Andreev shushed them and then for good measure launched a not so passive-aggressive ball into the crowd ( ouch).

I love watching tennis, but I'll stick to music--it's a really good sport.