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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Writer's Life 5/23 - Blood Boiling

Kudos to NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill, who will not attend this year's Puerto Rican Day Parade, which will honor terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera, who spent 36 years in prison for bombings that killed four and maimed a police officer. The Yankees and Jet Blue have also pulled out. I hope a lot of cops call in sick that day. Just think - in 35 years London can include the slimes who orchestrated the attack after last night's Arianna Grande concert in one of their parades.

Rainy days leave me with too much time on my hands. Yesterday I finished up my web work at 7PM, an hour earlier than usual. I had an oldies stream playing and Fleetwood Mac's Sara came up. I've always loved it despite its occasionally puzzling lyrics, a hallmark of Stevie Nicks writing. I'd tried to learn it on guitar many years ago but couldn't get it to sound right. I've decided to take another crack at it. I copied the tablature. Except for bflatdim5, the chords are not hard. After I logged off, I fiddled with the opening, and it sounded terrible. This morning I visited the miracle that is youtube, where there are a number of instructional videos on the song, all in a different key than the one I copied. One guy really simplified it, strumming through the entire song in easy chords. It is well done but not nearly as haunting as the record. The other guys, whether playing electric or acoustic, plucked out the notes on the opening chords. I will definitely give that a try, but I'm not optimistic. I sense the gorgeous melancholy cannot be captured by a casual guitarist such as I. The creative forces who worked on the track created a composition of monumental beauty. If I succeed, I will change some of the lyrics. It will simply be about a guy in love. According to songfacts.com, this was Nicks' intention: She wrote it with the help of friend Sara Recor, a singer and model. At the time she was secretly dating drummer Mick Fleetwood, who had recently divorced. Fleetwood fell in love with Sara and broke up with Nicks. He and Sara married and divorced. The song is about a combination of things going on in Nicks' life. She considers Sara her alter-ego and muse - the "Poet in my heart." The "Great dark wing" is Fleetwood. He had a loud red Ferrari, and that's how Nicks and Sara described him whenever he drove up. (Edited by yours truly.)

Some episodes of Gotham seem nothing more than a routine killing spree. Occasionally, it soars, as was the case last night. I was surprised at the demise of one of the characters, not by the ghastly method. The blood feud between the Penguin and the Riddler is inspired. And since day one I've loved Camren Bicandova's portrayal of Catwoman-to-be Selina Kyle. And now Jim Gordon's ex-lover has injected herself with a virus that likely will take her to the dark side.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books in English and Russian today, and to The Lady Eve and Herbie, who each each donated a book. I had a visit from Political Man, who continues to trash Trump to anyone passing in the street. I said nothing as he vented. Later, Mark, a Vietnam vet retired postal worker, approached and asked if I'd heard the latest stupidity Trump had spouted, saying while in Israel that he'd just left the Middle East. I resisted the urge to remind him of Obama's gaff about the 57 states of the union. Both those guys are Jewish. Neither mentioned that Trump was the first American President to visit the Western Wall, and that he was on board the first plane that has ever flown directly from Saudi Arabia to Israel.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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