A few farewells in the arts

I heard from Onkel Hankie Pants the other day that U. Utah Phillips had died a couple of months ago. This was a great loss to the folk music and activist communities. Long ago, back in 1979, we saw him at a Twin Cities Folk Festival and have never forgotten it. Later I bought one of his albums, which includes this piece:(Warning: a little rough language)


If you can get hold of the Priscilla Herdman album Darkness into Light, listen to her sing "I Remember Loving You" with Utah Phillips. Never fails to make me cry.

Then the other day I saw in the paper that Tasha Tudor has gone to her reward. One of the first books in my now-extensive collection of Christmas books was her Take Joy! which gave us many hours of reading-aloud-and-looking-at-the-pictures when the children were young.

Today there were two deaths announced -- one of a person and one of a theater. George Carlin died. He's one of the few comedians I've ever seen in person, once when I was visiting my old college roommate and her then-spouse in Oakland. We went to some big auditorium and heard the famous "Seven Words" bit, and others. Years later you could have knocked me over with a feather when George Carlin showed up as the host on "Shining Time Station."

And I was much saddened to see the demise of Theatre de la Jeune Lune.
Whether it was a victim of the economy, mismanagement, changing artistic visions, or whatever -- it will be missed. I've seen several productions there over the years, but the one that sticks in my mind (I may have written about it before) was THE NIGHTINGALE, which we saw as a family in December '90 or January '91. Based on tales of Hans Christian Andersen, featuring gospel singer Eddie Robinson as the nightingale, magical costumes and sets -- it's definitely at the top of my Top Ten Theater Performances of All Time.

Truly, art is long, but life is short.

BRP

(Blatant Relative Promotion)

On the DorothyL mystery listserv, writers will occasionally headline their posts “BSP” for Blatant Self-Promotion, when they have a new book coming out, a short story published, a reading scheduled, or some such. Well, as Onkel Hankie Pants’ father used to say, “He who tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted.”

Today I’m going to engage in a bit of BRP – Blatant Relative Promotion. I have nothing of my own to promote just now, but several of my near and dear, and slightly farther away as well, do have.

Onkel H.’s first cousin, Julie Henriksen Bowe, has published her first book for children, My Last Best Friend. It’s a good read for the 8-11 set, involving the sort of daily friendship dramas that I remember only too well from Cordeliaknits’ and Sisterknits’ elementary years at Red Cross Nurse Open School. There’s even a bit of a mystery. And, it's not too-too problem-y. Actually, it was a good read for me, too!

On the other side of Onkel H’s family, his first cousin’s daughter-in-law, Athena Kildegaard, has published a book of poetry based on the Fibonacci sequence. You mathematicians will enjoy this one!

Let the Sonshine In, our eldest, has just joined the Board of Bedlam Theatre in Minneapolis. I hope to take in at least one night of their 10-Minute Play Festival while I’m in town later this month. Their production a couple of years ago of The Flies by Sartre was one of my peak theatrical experiences of the decade, at least.

My nephew Alexander is one of many young people in Maine (and elsewhere) who have started non-profit organizations to help people in other countries. Working Villages International is having quite a bit of success with its first sustainable village in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Take a look and find renewed hope. (Make a donation if you wish!)

Alexander’s second mother and her Temple Truck as decorated by my brother and some others will be making an appearance in Cambridge, Mass. on June 16. Read about it here. (Scroll down till you see Kris Wills).

My brother Stephen has work in the latest issue of Café Review, which you can read about here.

And Onkel Hankie Pants will be appearing as Sitting Bull in LACLT’s production of Annie Get Your Gun later this summer!