MONDAY 15TH & TUESDAY 16TH
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Rod on Maui, August 2003.
Photo by John Scoggins.
©2003 by Stanyan Entertainment.
A Thought for Today
Inattention to ideals is dangerous.
A NEW DAY
Many of you are probably wondering why Friday’s Flight Plan stayed up for
the entire weekend. First of all I finished it late and Ken didn’t get it
until late Friday. I liked the pictures too because they took me back to
Maui. Most of all however that Flight Plan and the one for today signals a
new phase of this website.
From now on I’ll be writing one FP for Monday & Tuesday, Ken will continue
with his usual Wednesday feature “This One does it For Me” on Wednesdays.
I’ll do a new two-day Flight Plan for Thursday & Friday and Ken and I will
alternate weekends for our Saturday and Sunday feature. This will give
both Ken and myself a little relief.
This has been a very busy year and we both need some time for other
projects. In fact I’ve been trying to leave for The Springs all day so I
could devote a full week of hiding out while I complete my new book. It
has to go to the printer by the 22nd of this month so that we can have
finished books in time for the Austin Texas Book Fair the first week of
November.
To make things even more difficult, Dwight resigned from Stanyan By Mail
leaving us with the Christmas season just ahead, several new products and
no one to mind the store.
We had to call in a new designer to work on a completely new Stanyan
website since Dwight has closed shop and not given us the keys to the old
one. Quite a quandary, but living as long as I have there isn’t much I
haven’t been through before. And this is the time to thank Dwight for his
past service and wish him well on his new endeavours. Besides, no time for
second thoughts and recriminations the team is too busy designing and
building not just the new mail order company but Stanyan House as well.
Sorry for any inconvenience but I promise it will be temporary. The Mail
Order Company will be up and running by the end of the month. And next
week we will start sending out the orders that have been building up.
I appreciate that you are still hanging in there for me and with me.
.ASK
ROD
AND GOD SAID “STOP BUGGING ME”
how's is it these days "rod” looked at the poem.. as the god walked by
thought that is a good one to start the day of with
is there a god that does all those things (you know daily miracles) for
some others think that there is a exhaustible supply of the stuff or other
say that if you are not a member of a church that you are not a Christian
and it is not a miracle?
in this society that is all (take and no give) are people really looking
for a god...? or more a fall guy. some to blame. other to abuse. david
garden
Dear David, I think most people will take their miracles any way they can
get them. The way I see it most of us spend far too much time praying and
hoping for “stuff” and not enough on our knees thanking providence, God or
whomever for the generous supply of life and love all around us. How many
of us would recognize a genuine miracle if it happened by; or to quote
Patrick Dennis’ beloved Mame, “Live, Live, Live. Life is a banquet and
most poor bastards are starving to death.”
All the best, Rod
SUNDAY
hi I am writing in regards to a friend who has told me that they have your
vinyl album of the earth and he / she had asked me to look for the song
called Sunday but I know since AOL has cut of links to music web sites and
unable to get the songs we need is there away I could get the song for
this person? Sincerely Cathy
Dear Cathy, Stanyan By Mail has a few copies of the audio cassette "Pushing
the Clouds Away" and the LP "Back to Carnegie Hall". Both contain "Sunday".
The cassette costs $12.00 & the double LP $20.00. Because both are in
limited supply be sure and mark your order SPECIAL REQUEST & instead of
sending it to Box 2783 mail it to RM Tickets, Box G, Beverly Hills, CA
90213.
All my best, Rod.
SEASONED CITIZENS TIE THE KNOT
Rod, Just had to tell you I'm getting married this Saturday night (Sept.
13th) and our soloist is going to sing your "Bend Down and Touch Me" as my
song to my new husband. He is 76; I'm 58. We have finally found our
soulmate—even now.
If you happen to be anywhere near the First Christian Church in
Glennville, GA this Saturday, we'd be honored to have you join us. Thank
you for you! Sincerely,
Jean Christensen (will be Knight)
Dear Jean, I’m surprised and pleased to be part of your autumn wedding
(and don't forget this is the union of two seasoned citizens, not senior
citizens.) Sorry I can’t make the ceremony but thanks to you I’ll be there
more than just in spirit.
Congratulations and love to you both, Jean. Rod
THE MAUI PHOTOS
Rod, I couldn’t help but notice the rainbow behind you in one of the Maui
photographs. I hope you will run more of them. Tim
Dear Tim, That’s the plan. Next up will be a full suite of John Scoggins
pictures, meanwhile here’s another Maui shot. AI was behind the
camera this time, all the best, Rod
SPEND THIS HOLIDAY WITH ME
Dear Mr. McKuen: I'm not sure if you can help me or not, but a very kind
woman on the Internet suggested that it couldn't hurt for me to write and
ask.
I have been in search of a very specific musical arrangement of your
"Spend This Holiday with Me" and have been frustrated at every turn. I was
a member of a singing group in high school in the late '70's and we
performed an SATB version countless times at our holiday gigs. We hadn't
sung together in 20-some years, but last year we pulled the group together
and performed an evening of many of the songs we'd done. The evening was
so successful that we are planning to make it a yearly tradition!
Through the magic of the 'net, I was able to track down most of the
arrangements we had used. One I wasn't able to locate was "Spend This
Holiday With Me" - and many of the members asked me to keep looking, since
it was one of their favorites. After scouring E-Bay for many months (and
purchasing various versions in organ songbooks, etc. - none of which were
the correct version), I'm finally breaking down and asking the Author
himself!
Any help you could give me in locating a 4-part arrangement of this
hauntingly gorgeous song would be deeply appreciated!
Many thanks for your help - and for all the beautiful work you've brought
to the world (which I've been happily exposed to while searching for this
song!), Warmest wishes, Randy Lake
Dear Randy, I'm delighted that you remember "Spend This Holiday with Me."
It's a song I wrote with Anita Kerr and I remember that one of my favorite
arrangers Milt Rodgers did the four-part choral arrangement and I have
never heard it sung by a choir. Anita and I both did separate recordings
of the song because we were under contract to competing record labels.
Milt Rodgers did choral charts for all of the songs in my New Carols for
Christmas album but they seem to have gone out of print – that's the bad
news. The good news is that last year I had three separate requests for
"So My Sheep May Safely Graze (Come Sheep Come.)" and I launched a
successful search for copies of that arrangement and all the others. I did
find library copies but not in time to fulfil last years requests (please
write me again) but I now have a single copy of each arrangement. Here's
what I propose. I'll make a machine copy of "Spend This Holiday with Me"
and send it to you at no cost.
Would I like a favor in return? Well, let me put it this way if you and
your group gathered around a microphone, recorded it & sent me a copy I'd
be anything but displeased. This is not a requirement for my sending the
song, only a hint.
Warmly, Rod. PS: Don't forget to send me a mailing address.
ROSE
Hi Rod, There is a song I have been searching for years. I have never
known who wrote it and recorded it. From my research on the web I have
concluded that you are the author of it so I hope you can help me.
The chorus of the song goes "That's OK Rose would say, Don't you worry
none. Well have good times by and by in the fall when the works all done."
This may not be totally right, I am remembering the song from my
childhood.
Any help you can give me with this would be great appreciated. Thank you
so much, Dale A. Michael
Dear Dale, You’ve got a pretty good memory because you nailed the chorus
dead on. I wrote the song 41 years ago during what has been termed my
‘folk period.’ “Rose” is what I call a ‘yarn' song; pretty heavy on plot
with a chorus to relieve the narrative.
It was one of my mother’s favorite songs. Several good recordings of it, in
fact Glenn Yarbrough recorded it twice. I’m not in favor of printing song
lyrics without the music but here it is all the same.
Rose
I married Rose in Twenty-One
we got a little farm.
The first year out
the barn burned down
and I broke my good right arm.
From then on in, things got bad
I guess they could have been worse
but seeing Rose in rags all day
made me wanna curse.
That’s okay Rose‘d say
don’t you worry none
we’ll have good times by and by
next fall when the works all done.
I watched her hands grow rough and red
from pickin in the fields
and putting up in Mason Jars
what little crops they’d yield.
I’d find what jobs there were in town
most times there were none
but Rose‘d still have supper a waitin
at night when the day was done.
That’s okay Rose'd say
don’t you worry none
we’ll have good times by and by
next fall when the works all done.
Our first born had a face like Rose
and I guess a temper like mine
She’d sleep all day and cry all night
but she grew up and married fine.
Our only son went off to fight
in Nineteen Forty and Four
a year went by and a telegram said
he ain’t comin home no more.
One winter night in Fifty-Nine
Rose took a terrible chill
she went to sleep and didn’t wake up
I guess she’s sleeping still.
But sometimes when the wind is singing
high up in the Chinaberry tree
it seems it not the wind at all
but Rose a singing to me.
That’s okay Rose‘d say
don’t you worry none
we’ll have good times by and by
next fall when the works all done.
That’s okay Rose‘d say
don’t you worry none
we’ll have good times by and by
next fall when the works all done.
Words & Music by Rod McKuen © 1960 by Rod McKuen & Stanyan Music
All Rights Reserved. Used by permission
Thanks for writing Dale, all my best. Rod
A TEACHER IN GREAT BRITAIN
Dear Rod, I have been a fan of yours since the early seventies. I
particularly like your "A Man Alone" for Sinatra.
At present I am teaching poetry to some people here in England on a run
down estate. I often use your work as an illustration. After all, it is
thanks to you that I write poetry at all. I hope you do not mind your work
being used in this way.
Yours sincerely, R.G.Walker
Dear Richard, What an endorsement. I’m happy that you discovered my work
and think enough of it to pass it along. Thank you so much. My interests
and aspirations include the hope that the poetry and music I write will
help your 'students' discover other poets and composers and even better
not be afraid or intimidated in expressing their own emotions.
Please keep in touch and let me know how things progress.
Incidentally working with Sinatra, the greatest popular singer of the 20th
Century, was a joy from the time I started writing the songs for him to
the final recording session. A Man Alone remains a milestone in my life
and career. With Affection, Rod
And to our Jewish friends everywhere, prayers for a peaceful Yom Kippur.
RM 9/15/03
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