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Get Happy
Submitted by Ray Murphy on Tue, 02/03/2009 - 7:15pm.
A few years back, I decided that old-school gay show queens were a dying breed. And I decided to reinvent myself as one--for the sake of my cultural heritage. Of course, every other gay had the same idea to the extent that there was even an article written about “new old gays” and Tavern on Camac’s piano bar is one of the hottest gay night spots in the city. I guess I wasn’t the only one to want to keep torch singing alive.
Nonetheless my love of show tunes has stuck. And when one takes on an appreciation for shows and tunes, it’s a logical next step to want to actually be in one. But it’s way too late for me to do so professionally.
I blame my parents for the course my life has taken. Why did they ignore my plea to enroll in dance class after a riveting performance of the Nutcracker when I was 12? Yes, there’s not much call for pubescent, slightly chubby and male ballet dancers in Philadelphia, but still. Politics? Policy? Organizing? What a mistake! I wish I was on Broadway.
At least if I lived in Peoria or somewhere like that, I could join an amateur theater company (I checked. They have one there. I Googled.) But not in Philly. I mean sure there is the Theater Company of Port Richmond at the Lithuanian Music Hall. And there are opportunities for kids (why do kids get all the good stuff?). But on the whole, there aren’t many community theater options for adults around the city.
Local politics should not be the only opportunity in this city to get involved in amateur theater. But I digress.
My point is not so much to go on and on about the need for crazy people like me to act…I mean I’d only be in the company or chorus at best anyway…and once I have children I can work out all this stuff through them…just call me Mama Rose…
No, my real point is that whether it is theater or dance or sewing or music or writing or painting or whatever, I would not be surprised if there are other Philadelphians—like me—who have some extracurricular desire to do something creative. And it seems to me there might not be enough ways for folks—especially those without money to join the University City Arts League, or the Fleischer or the Allens Lane Art Center—to do so.
Is there a role for government to fill here?
Sure the city funds many of our cultural organizations. And there is access to creative arts and performances in our public schools. And we have the 1% for art fund and lots of cool public arts and free Sundays at the Art Museum. But, on a larger scale, I am not confident that we treat this kind of enrichment as a priority for all Philadelphians.
An example: An interesting facet of the debate on library closures was the infrequency with which it was mentioned that libraries are important simply because it’s nice for Philadelphians to be able to read books and look at DVDs for free. Of course there are more practical services the library system provides—like afterschool activities, access to the internet and help for job-seekers. But the most exciting thing to me about libraries is that they represent city government’s commitment to creating fulfillment of lives of Philadelphians far beyond the capability of weekly recycling or comparable city services. Libraries and other cultural funding represent the right to “happiness” as in life, liberty, and the pursuit of.
It might be trivial to discuss this kind of abstract notion of “happiness” in a city where 1 out of 3 people lives in poverty. Where our schools are, on the whole, in terrible shape. When gun violence is still such a huge problem. And when budget deficits are the talk of City Hall.
But...Not to get all deep on you, but what is the point of living life if all you do is just survive? I mean don’t all of us want to enjoy our lives? Life's a banquet after all.
This pure and simple fact sometimes gets lost in the big and important conversations we have about the city budget or elections or whatever. We as progressives and as Philadelphians need to manage our priorities.
It is certainly a priority to make city government work better. And specifically to figure out a solution to the problem of the budget deficit and its underlying causes. But whether its defending libraries just on the merits of the pleasure they provide citizens, or fighting for more art classes, or the creation of community theater companies, we as progressives and as Philadelphians need to move beyond triage.
This might not be the budget year to do it, but we can and should set our expectations about the role of government higher.
After all, don’t we all deserve happiness? Don’t we deserve to have libraries open just because it is nice to lose yourself in a book? Don’t Philadelphia school children deserve art and music teachers? Don’t I deserve a part in an amateur production of “Anything Goes?”
Piano Bars are back?
My broken clock life finally pays off.
In olden days
a bit of stocking was looked on as something shocking, now heaven knows, anything goes.
I love Cole Porter, Ray, but believe me, it's better to listen to that one than perform it. The book is ridiculous.
But I know what you mean. When I was growing up, just west of the city, the local Upper Darby summer theater was free for me to get started in acting, and then I went more legit and ended up writing and directing. Lots of successful people started in that program including the Arden's Terry Nolen and playwright Tom Donaghy. I'm told that what's-her-name Tina Fey may have acted there as a kid.
More importantly they provided plenty of acting opportunities for kids and adults.
I too am not aware of anything comparable in Philly.
You're actually not too far from the U.D. entertainment center in West Philly, so if you're really tired of hiding your light under a bushel, maybe you can use my parents' address.
But you're right, Philly should have more venues where progressives and everybody else can have fun and shine.
Bobby Short at the Cafe Carlyle
singing Rogers and Hart is my idea of heaven.
I grew up in a Catskills hotel listening to live music--mostly show tunes and a little klezmer and jazz--six nights a week.
And when I was younger, once a summer the staff "put on a show." When I was a little older I want to a camp where we did a Gilbert and Sullivan show every summer. And my high school put on a musical every year as well. (I stayed off stage most of the time and played drums or trumpet in the pit band.)
And as soon as I was old enough to get to the city myself, I started going to clubs and concerts.
It was a wonderful musical life, one that left the standard so deeply embedded in my brain that I can recognize a hundred or so songs after hearing the first three bars of chord changes and can improvise by ear to almost any standard. And that has made so much other music accessible and enjoyable to me.
It has all been so much a part of my life that I'm actually still a little shocked and saddened when I recognize most people have had those opportunities. I've tried to give my daughter an opportunity to hear live music as often as possible. But that is hard to do.
So I'm totally sympathetic to where you are going, Ray. Let's think more on this.
And a hotel story
I wrote an academic paper about five years ago on my experiences at our family hotel that consisted mostly of jokes and funny stories. (It was for a sociology conference. They get awawy with shit that would not be acceptable among political scientists.)
So here is one: Lenny Bruce worked at our Hotel once, in the summer of 1958. He was paid $50 for about a hour show. (Back then comics generally worked two or three gigs on a Saturday night, at a big hotel, a small hotel and, late at night, at a bungalow colony. My father once heard Henny Youngman telling his agent over the phone that he wouldn't do a damn bungalow colony at 11 pm at night after his show at our Hotel. Two big guys showed up at our Hotel after our show and "escorted" Youngman to his next gig.)
I know the Lenny Bruce story because we found a bill from our entertainment agent, a wonderful man crotchtety man named George Kuttin who always had a stub of a cigar in his hand. And on the bill was scrawled in pencil, in my grandfather's handwriting, the word "dirty."
Bruce evidently never worked our place again.
Upper Darby's theater group
Upper Darby's theater group and summer theater program is a model of how you connect young people to the arts. Not just acting...but singing, set design, lighting, costume design, etc. I have more than a passing acquaintance with the program, which also allowed college students to become involved and act as mentors to younger kids. And yes, Sam...Tina Fey was very much involved in the program till she went to school at UVA.
We have nothing like this in Philadelphia and should.
And as for piano bars, don't call it a comeback --- i never knew they went out of style.
just one more reason
for you to move to Collingswood, Ray. The all-town musical is alive & well here.
Very soon we'll get to make our own TV! (w/your help)
Hi folks - as you know, community TV is coming to Philly in a big way very soon.
We are building a big production studio for anyone to use, and seven or eight cable channels on Comcast!
(more on this later, it's gonna be cool - let me start by suggesting a Young Philly Politics talk show).
However, the Verizon franchise agreement lets them get away like bandits! They are going to make milllions of dollars without even opening up the airwaves (or in this case wires) to the people who really own the public sphere: US.
Please help us out by reading below and calling your council person to put the pressure on.
We could and should get SEVEN OR EIGHT MORE CHANNELS out of Verizon. Enough room for Vern to do a cooking/commentary show.
This is from Inja Coates of Mediatank fame:
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Dear friends,
Your call could mean the difference of $3.5 million for Philadelphia's fledgling community TV station! Councilman Bill Green is introducing an amendment that would establish full funding parity between Verizon and Comcast for Public Access TV. It is supported by several Council members, including Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Wilson Goode, Jr. A number of Councilmembers are on the fence and if they don't hear from us, will side with Verizon. Your call can make a real difference here.
Let's not cheat the community out of the best Public Access system possible, especially at this time when so many other community services (libraries, recreation facilities, etc.) are being sacrificed. See today's Inquirer editorial: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090203_Editorial__Public-Access...
This Thursday, Philadelphia City Council will likely vote to approve a 15 year contract with Verizon, allowing them to build a competing cable service to Comcast. While we are eager to have some competition in the cable market, we also want Verizon to pay their fair share of support to the city's new Public Access TV system.
For those of you who may be wondering what Public Access is, it is a system that allows regular folks and community groups (neighborhood associations, arts and cultural orgs, athletic teams, churches, etc.) to get equipment and training to make and air their own shows on cable TV. Believe it or not, this incredible resource exists in most other cities and has been sorely lacking in Philadelphia, despite promises since the early 1980s.
THE GOOD NEWS: After years of delay by the City, the Public Access system is finally in development! The Public Access Corp was established in Oct. 2008, with a volunteer board that is busily working on finding a site, hiring staff and all the necessary things to get this system up and available for YOU!
THE BAD NEWS: Since the City dragged its feet for so long, funds for Public Access have only begun to be collected from the cable company (although you've been paying for it on your cable bill all along!) Since Comcast's contract started in 2000 and they were not required to pay Public Access support during the years it did not exist, Verizon is trying to use this twisted rationale to claim they should only have to contribute to funds for half of its 15 year contract.
But now that Public Access has started, there is no reason that ALL cable providers shouldn't pay their fair share to support this vital community resource EACH YEAR of their contract, FROM THIS POINT FORWARD. Money that wasn't paid before the Public Access Corp was formed (and could have been escrowed but wasn't) should not be an excuse for not paying NOW.
IMAGINE A TV system where people and groups in our community can express themselves, gain equipment access and training, share information, and learn what's going on in their communities. Please take a few minutes to call City Council! Simply tell them to vote for Councilman Bill Green's amendment before passing the Verizon franchise bill.
* IF YOU CAN make ONE call, call your District Councilperson. Don't know who your Councilperson is? Find out here: http://www.hallwatch.org or http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil
1st District - Frank DiCicco 215-686-3458 or -3459
2nd District - Anna C. Verna 215-686-3412 or -3413
3rd District - Jannie L. Blackwell 215-686-3418 or -3419
4th District - Curtis Jones, Jr. 215-686-3416 or -3417
5th District - Darrell L. Clarke 215-686-3442 or -3443
6th District - Joan L. Krajewski 215-686-3444 or -3445
7th District - Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez 215-686-3448 or -3449
8th District - Donna Reed Miller 215-686-3424 or -3425
9th District - Marian B. Tasco 215-686-3454 or -3455
10th District - Brian J. O'Neill 215-686-3422 or -3423
** IF YOU CAN make several calls, call your District Councilperson and the At-Large Councilpeople:
Blondell Reynolds Brown 215-686-3438 or -3439
W. Wilson Goode, Jr. 215-686-3414 or -3415
Bill Green 215-686-3420 or -3421
William K. Greenlee 215-686-3446 or -3447
Jack Kelly 215-686-3452 or -3453
James F. Kenney 215-686-3450 or -3451
Frank Rizzo 215-686-3440
*** IF YOU CAN, call them ALL!
Burying the recession in glitter
--that's my plan.
recovering (or not recovering?) musical theatre geek
i unapologetically studied theater at school and was in a bunch of plays. i got into organizing when i was asked to write a radio play for the prometheus radio project, where i learned to take my extreme loudness and apply it to congress and the national association of broadcasters, and clearchannel, and the FCC> that was pretty excellent. am now doing similar things at SEIU.
creative outlet-wise, i am in a rock band, kiss kiss kill. we play love songs that make you want to die.
happy thursday,
hannah s.
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hannah sassaman
267 970 4007