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Rod 4/16/04 Photo by Billy Iz
A Thought for Today
Even wet dynamite does the job if it has
the right fuse.
WEEKEND ROUNDUP
TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA
Hard to believe we’ve dodged the Friday The 13th bullet all year only to
have it catch up with us on the opening day of The Olympics. No one in
Florida will forget August 13, 2004 and Mr. Charley. Our hearts go out
to them.
ATHENS 2004
You don’t have to be a sports fan to be excited about the 2004 Olympics
returning to Greece where 2,780 years ago they had their humble
beginning in and around Mt. Olympus. This year 202 countries will take
part in Olympic events.
GREEKS ISSUING PROCLAMATIONS
With the world economy in a nose dive, threats of terror issued on a
weekly basis and travel agencies all over the world left to wonder if
all the planned venues for the games will be completed on time, I bet
they will. Ticket sales for this years Olympiad have not been much to
rave about. As of this writing only about half of the 5.3 million
tickets available for the various games have been sold.
The Greek government has every reason for apprehension. My favorite
story so far this August concerns Greece’s Olympic Committee’s edict to
their citizens: “It is your patriotic duty as Greeks to buy tickets.
Please do not embarrass us by not doing so.” The cost overrun for new
venues and overtime to complete them will leave the country with a
multi-million debt.
STILL THE PLACE TO BE
I hope I am not proven wrong but if I had the time and spirit I’d be in
Athens this very week. With the world’s attention focused on the 2004
games and the added security because of it, that beautiful country and
true home of The Olympiad just might be the safest place in the
universe. The next 9/11 will happen the way it did before, when no one
is looking.
I have had the good fortune over the years to canvas much of this great
earth, sometimes as a tourist but often as a working performer who never
saw much of the cities he stopped in for a night or a week. Greece was
one of the countries I traveled to early on as just another tourist and
came back to again and again.
From the dusty summer streets of Athens and the always-crowded port of
Piraeus I fell in love with the country on my first visit. Once I hit
the island of Hydra my planned weeklong Grecian trip turned into three
months. I was only pried away from the island when I learned that my
fledgling career back home had began to take off and I had better return
to the USA and take care of it. I liked everything about Greece, the
food, typography, the overly lazy atmosphere and most of all the people.
The Parthenon on the Acropolis was not off limits to tourists during my
first few trips to Greece and it was just plain thrilling to walk paths
and climb stairs perhaps in the footsteps of Homer and Socrates.
Among the people I met in the artistic community in Greece were actress
(and later politician) Melina Mercouri and her director husband Jules
Dassin. They introduced me to Irene Papas and through her I met poets,
composers, musicians and just plain interesting folks. Everybody seemed
to be a good cook on and around the isles of Greece so I always had my
share of recipes and romance.
Once when both Melina and I were in New York City she asked if would
take her to Fire Island. Which part I asked and she replied, “Where the
boys are.” I hoped she knew what she was getting into.
We caught the last ferry from Sayville to Fire Island Pines on a Friday
afternoon. The boat was packed and Melina was one of perhaps only a half
dozen other women on a boat filled with men of every age and
description. As we neared the Boat Dock where the nightly “Tea Dance”
was taking place her eyes widened. There were perhaps two hundred male
couples in every manor of dress and undress gyrating to ear pounding
Disco music. La Mercouri’s reaction to this Bacchanal? She grabbed my
arm and shouted over the music, “Ziz Island will zink into zuh zee.”
She must have had a great weekend because I saw very little of her but
heard that she was the belle of any number of balls. Oh yeah, and as far
as I know Fire Island Pines is still afloat
GREECE AND MUSIC
I have always loved the music of Greece and Stanyan owns the rights to
recordings by both Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodoraks. The world
knows Hadjidakis best for his “Never on Sunday” and “America, America”
film scores. Theodoraks accomplishments include award-winning score for
“Z” and “Zorba the Greek”. Both musicians are classically trained but
their popular songs and themes (many based of Greek folk music) have
become of the culture and soul of modern Greece.
And in a land where culture and politics are not considered strange
bedfellows each has had his share or run-ins with the powers that be.
My friend Georges Moustaki has written with both men and Georges and I
collaborated on two of my favorite compositions; “Without a Worry in the
World” (Le Metec) and “Solitude’s My Home” (Ma Solitude). You can bet
that somewhere in the opening ceremonies tonight Le Metec will be played
and sung – probably by Georges himself. Look for plenty of music by
Mikis and Manos as well.
Then there is Nana Mouskouri, arguably Greece’s best known international
ambassador. Her glorious voice has taken her to every country in the
world. She has recorded both “Seasons in the Sun” and “If You Go Away”
and nearly always features one or the other in her concerts.
But the 2004 Athens games belong to the athletes. The 10,000 plus young
women and men who compete with each other and with themselves for the
laurel and the gold. In doing so they bring glory to their countries and
proof that once every four years, despite wars and threats of terror
most of the world is united in thoughts of peace and friendship.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR ESTHER!
This year Synchronized Swimming becomes an official event for the first
time in Olympic history. While you’re enjoying the telecast of it (and
you will) give a thought to the great Esther Williams who turned 81 last
Friday. Esther was one of the early queens of Technicolor and she
pioneered this very entertaining sport (!) in a series of MGM musicals
that made her one of the top movie stars and box-office attractions of
the forties and fifties.
Esther was headed to the 1940 Olympics as part of the official American
Swim Team but the outbreak of World War II prevented her from competing.
Still, it was Miss Williams more than anyone else who spearheaded the
efforts that finally convinced the Olympic committee that synchronized
swimming ought to be on the ticket. Here’s her official website:
www.esther-williams.com
Esther Williams - photo
courtesy
www.esther-williams.com
THE NEXT
APPEARANCES
This year I’m set for a stop off at the Austin Book Fair to sign books
and meet friends. If all goes well I’ll be in Texas the weekend of
October 30th.
The 2004 Stage Two benefit will take place at The Luckman Theatre in Los
Angeles on November 6th. As usual David Galligan is directing and David
Michaels in the producer. It’s an all star event entitled “The Best Is
Yet To Come," saluting composer Cy Coleman. Chita Rivera and I are the
first two acts to be signed for the show.
As I send this off to Ken for posting it’s my hope that NBC, with four
television networks to work with, will this year give us more of a
worldview of the games than usual.
One thing for sure you can bet that the opening ceremonies will be among
the most beautiful and aesthetic of any Olympics ever, presented as it
is by and in the nest of modern culture. Don’t forget the ancient Greeks
invented theatre. Please Katie and Bob try to keep the running
commentary to a minimum.
Sleep warm and good luck to all the athletes and the great country of
Greece.
RM 8/13/2004 9:12PM PDST
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