September 2016 - Page 2 of 6 - Ramblin' with Roger

Dad would be 90

Dad always did a spot-on impression of FDR.

Dad was always about 47, give or take a decade. It’s like Willie Mays was always 30 to me. When I see those pictures or that string bean of a young man, that wasn’t my father (and he was not yet my father, for most of that time). And in the early days, I don’t recall that much.

Les Green had a lot of different jobs, including floral arranger, sign painter, and singer/guitarist. But for six years or so, he worked at IBM, driving these electric trucks around, moving material from place to place. It was at night, so we seldom saw Dad, except on weekends. This was the period our mom would take us to W.T. Grant’s almost every Friday night to have the all-you-can-eat fish.

Still, we did see him on weekends, when he’d make spaghetti sauce that would cook on the stove for hours. Or he’d make waffles in a waffle iron with a certain panache, and tell stories about him making breakfast for General Washington, which I believe to be untrue.

But you can never tell. Since his early days were such a mystery – and still are – maybe he WAS a time traveler, There’s a song he used to perform called Passing Through, written by a guy named Dick Blakeslee in the 1940s, and popularized by Pete Seeger.

The lyrics were about the narrator seeing Jesus on the cross, and Adam leaving the garden, Washington shivering at Valley Forge, and this one:
I was with Franklin Roosevelt’s side on the night before he died.
He said, “One world must come out of World War Two”
“Yankee, Russian, white or tan,” he said, “A man is still a man.
We’re all brothers now, and we’re only passing through.”

Dad always did a spot-on impression of FDR when he sang “one world must come”. He started being a ‘singer of folk songs” back in the late 1950s around our hometown of Binghamton and would sing for Leslie’s and my elementary school classes each semester for three or four years, which was a treat, in part because he wrecked his sleep schedule to do this.

I’ve noted that when my father quit IBM in 1968 to work in a federal Office of Economic Opportunities program called Opportunities For Broome (our county), my homeroom teacher, Mr. Joseph told me straight out that my father was “crazy” to leave IBM. And maybe he was.

Or maybe being away from his family, and working at night in a job that did not challenge him intellectually or artistically, was making him crazy. His decision always made sense to me.

My father, sister Leslie, and I singing together started just before he left IBM, but thrived when he got to work in the daytime.

I went away to college at New Paltz in 1971, and he, my mother, and my sister Marcia moved to Charlotte, NC in 1974, and, of course, I’d see him far less frequently. But, for most of his time, he looked the same. He looked like Dad.

His 90th birthday would have been September 26.

Music Throwback Saturday: Grazing in the Grass

Grazing in the Grass was a vocal hit for a Los Angeles group called The Friends of Distinction in 1969

When I was trying to explain to someone what song I was trying to identify – it turned out to be Soulful Strut by Young-Holt Unlimited – more than one person took my description (soulful, horn-driven) and came to the conclusion the song I was thinking of was Grazing in the Grass.

It was a reasonable guess.

As it happens, I COULD easily recall the instrumental track Grazing in the Grass by South African performer Hugh Masekela, which was #1 for two weeks on the pop charts, and #1 for four weeks on the soul charts in 1968. It is one of the few songs for which “more cowbell” is NOT necessary.

Masekela had been briefly (1964-1966) married to his countrywoman Miriam Makeba, who I familiar with from her performing with folksinger Harry Belafonte, including on an LP my father owned. She had an unlikely hit with Pata Pata (#12 pop, #7 soul) in 1967.

Masekela and Makeba performed together on Paul Simon’s 1987 Graceland tour throughout South Africa. Miriam Makeba died in 2008, but Hugh Masekela is still with us.

Grazing in the Grass, written by Philemon Hou, was also a vocal hit for a Los Angeles group called The Friends of Distinction, made up of Harry Elston, Jessica Cleaves, Barbara Jean Love, and the late Floyd Butler (d. 1990) in 1969, #3 pop, #5 soul. I can dig it. (All chart action referenced was from the U.S. Billboard charts.)

Listen to

Pata Pata – Miriam Makeba HERE or HERE

Grazing in the Grass – Hugh Masekela HERE or HERE

Grazing in the Grass – The Friends of Distinction HERE or HERE

The 21st century’s 100 greatest films, part 1

Until I read my own review, I had forgotten how much I liked this film

The BBC surveyed 177 film critics “from every continent except Antarctica. “For the purposes of this poll we have decided that a list” of the 21st century’s 100 greatest films “should include the year 2000” because the year “was a landmark in global cinema.”

Though I started this blog in 2005, and reviewed many of the films I’ve seen over the years, I wasn’t as detailed in the beginning. Still my reviews will be the items that are hyperlinked. A few movies I am not familiar with I’ve designated DK (don’t know)

Yes there are three films at 100

100. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, 2016) – DK
100. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000) – saw this in a not-very-crowded theater; at least half of the audience had seen the before. It was astonishing, druggy psychological drama with Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly. I thought the star, Ellen Burstyn, should have gotten the Best Actress Oscar instead of Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. It was in my Top Ten Films of the Aughts
100. Carlos (Olivier Assayas, 2010) – DK
99. The Gleaners and I (Agnès Varda, 2000) – DK
98. Ten (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002) – DK
97. White Material (Claire Denis, 2009) -DK
96. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003) – I enjoyed it quite a bit when I first saw it; classic Disney dead parent film. Still, I can’t but see this initially through the eyes of The Daughter , when she was about 4 or 5, when she was at a party and was terrified by certain scenes
95. Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012) – I found it delightful, and the serendipity of seeing it was almost as much a part of the experience
94. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) – DK
93. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) – once I got over the idea of rats and edible food, I liked it
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007) – thought to see it, but just never did
91. The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella, 2009) – DK, though I had heard of the 2015 American remake, which I did not see

90. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002) – I thought to see it, but, based on the previews, I knew I had to steel myself to see a Holocaust movie, and just never got to the theater before the film left
89. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel, 2008) – DK
88. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015) – even though it won the Oscar for Best Picture, I think it’s somewhat underrated, because most of the performances were understated
87. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) – I definitely bought into the whimsy of the waitress ((Audrey Tautou) who was a change agent in other people’s lives, even as she disconnected inside
86. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002) – I found this film about 1950s Connecticut suburban bliss – but not really – quite powerful at the time in dealing with race, gender, sexual identity, and class. Starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, and Patricia Clarkson. I feel as though I should see this again to find out if it holds up.
85. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009) – I saw the previews of a French film about murder and drug dealing, and I just wasn’t interested
84. Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) – at some level, I thought it was not at all implausible, the way we are tethered to our devices.
83. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) – I had meant to see it, and just didn’t
82. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009) – I really wanted to see this. It’s about the struggle with issues of faith. Didn’t
81. Shame (Steve McQueen, 2011) – saw the trailer about sexual addiction with Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as grown siblings. It looked dark – I mean in many ways, including visually, lots of night scenes. If I had seen more films that year, this might have been one of them

80. The Return (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2003) – may have seen the trailer of this Russian film about growing up
79. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000) – enjoyed this a lot, actually. A music film is in my emotional wheelhouse.
78. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) – I picked off most of the Best Picture nominees that year, and I had seen this one. My parents-in-law HATED it, it’s very long, and ultimately I never saw it
77. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007) – until I read my own review, I had forgotten how much I liked this film
76. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003) – saw the trailer, but it didn’t capture me
75. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014) – saw the trailer several times, and was never sure if I wanted to see it; didn’t, apparently
74. Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012) – saw the previews, thought it looked TERRIBLE
73. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004) – I have to see the Before trilogy one of these days
72. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013) – DK
71. Tabu (Miguel Gomes, 2012) – DK

70. Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012) – though a mostly low-key documentary, I liked it a lot
69. Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015) – maybe a little TOO understated, but I enjoyed it
68. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) – I disliked virtually every character in this film, which may have been the point, but I did not enjoy this film. At all.
67. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008) – I took this out from Netflix for four months, and never found the two-hour bloc to watch it. I need to watch a video the first time as though I were in the theater, which means in one solid bloc
66. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (Kim Ki-duk, 2003) – DK
65. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009) – DK
64. The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013) -DK
63. The Turin Horse (Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky, 2011) – DK
62. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) – wasn’t sure I wanted to see another gory Tarantino film, so I didn’t
61. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013) – a horror film with ScarJo; the former turned me off

60. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006) – DK
59. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) – the Daughter was one y.o. We saw few movies in this period, and I’m not sure if this would have been a contender
58. Moolaadé (Ousmane Sembène, 2004) – DK
57. Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012) – sometimes the politics of the film gets in my way
56. Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, director; Ágnes Hranitzky, co-director, 2000) – DK
55. Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013) – DK
54. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2011) – DK
53. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) – I have the soundtrack to this movie, some of which is fine, even spectacular, but other bits uncomfortably trite, rather like the movie
52. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004) – DK
51. Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) – this actually intrigued me, the idea of stealing information by infiltrating the subconscious. Maybe I should rent it

Well, that’s the first half. The next part is where I show that I did not enjoy movies some of you love.

The existential quest: Ask Roger Anything

YOU are my change agent.

Our intern this summer asked me, pretty much out of the blue, whether I believed in existentialism.

I know the textbook definition is: “a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.” But I wanted to know what HE meant.

“How can you have worked in the same job for over 23 years?”

“Because it always changes. The technology changes, the data changes, the clients and counselors change, the world changes.”

“So you count on things changing.”

“I don’t COUNT on the world changing, it just DOES. It’s like those occupational tests I used to take. They always asked what I imagined I’d be doing five years hence. What I imagined never meshed with the reality.”

I’m now going to try to will you all to Ask Roger Anything. That’s because YOU are my change agent. I may/do have some posts already planned. What YOU do is change the trajectory of my mind, thinking about THAT, when THAT might never crossed my mind. I find this to be a good thing, BTW.

As usual, you may ask me ANYTHING – advice or opinions or philosophical musings, even (GULP) politics. I will answer, generally within a month.

I will answer your queries to the best of my ability/memory/flashback/drugged state honestly, though the mind plays tricks on one, doesn’t it? A little obfuscation on my part IS not only allowed, but required.

You can leave your comments below. If you prefer to remain anonymous, that’s fine; you should e-mail me at rogerogreen (AT) gmail (DOT) com, or end me an IM on Facebook (make sure it’s THIS Roger Green, the one with the duck) and note that you want to remain unmentioned; otherwise, I’ll assume you want to be cited.

That was the week that was: late August

The guests gave our host unsolicited advice on romance.

The curse of a daily blog is that life sometimes gets in the way. I STILL haven’t written about the rest of the July vacation, which I will eventually do, not for your sake, but for my own. So as a blog cheat, I’m going to note the week that was, now a couple weeks ago.

Before that: Heck, I haven’t mentioned the TWO plays I saw the FIRST weekend in August. The first was All Shook Up at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, featuring one of my teenage nieces. It was a mix of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Elvis Presley and worked surprisingly well.

The other was Into the Woods at the Mac-Hadyn Theatre. With our front-row seats, sometimes the action was over our left shoulders, and sometimes (Little Red Riding Hood being devoured), it was so close we could almost touch it. But what we decided, after having the movie and this production, is that the story isn’t compelling enough to see again any time soon.

As for this past week, a few months ago, parents-in-law had arranged all of the families of their three surviving children to a timeshare in western Massachusetts. You make plans in May for the end of August, and they don’t always work out. One brother-in-law couldn’t make it for work reasons.

We delayed our departure on Saturday so we could attend a rededication of the marriage of Rosaline and David in our church. It had elements of a Cameroonian service, and it fun, but unfortunately, we couldn’t stay for the reception, as we went out to Hancock, MA.

We had been there nine years ago, and there wasn’t much to do. The highlight then was watching trucks bring parts of the first of what are now several wind towers. Now, there’s tennis and other amenities. But I never used any of them.

The next morning, the Wife and I went back to Albany. The choir, heavy on sopranos, but light on men, sang at the funeral service of our friend Margaret Hannay. We sang Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace by John Rutter. I had difficulty singing:
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

My spouse then went BACK to Hancock, but I stayed in town, and attended a party our friend Jon threw, where the guests gave our host unsolicited, contradictory, but brilliant advice on romance.

Monday, I took off from work, but I had a professional development project to work on. I had a Friends of the Library meeting at 5 pm, followed by a meeting to give some expert feedback on the operations of the library. That evening, I needed to write a letter to an organization requesting speakers that HAD to be done THAT NIGHT.

Tuesday, work, then slog through professional development project until 9 pm.

Wednesday, work. The Wife and Daughter had just gotten home, but we needed to leave immediately for junior high orientation, which I had totally forgotten about. The school district is now engaging CDTA to provide bus service for the morning, and first afternoon routes, instead of the oft-unreliable bus company used in the past. The greatest challenge was the combination locker, which none of us could open with any regularity.

Thursday, work. I got a desperate request from my old boss to transcribe an interview with a friend of mine. The link didn’t work in Google Chrome, though I discovered by trial and error, it did operate in Firefox and Internet explorer. The interview turned out to be 90 minutes long, and with the time I wasted figuring out how to hear the piece, needed and fortunately found some help.

Friday, work. Transcription, interrupted by the Daughter not feeling well.

Saturday, transcription, edit transcript, tend to daughter still feeling poorly. You can tell she’s off when she pulls out her large unicorn to cuddle and asks Oscar the monkey to talk with her.

The only blogging I did was to write the intro for ABC Wednesday.

That was the week that was.