16th
& 17th August, 2008
New concerts announced!
Click HERE for details.
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Photo by Jay Hagan,
7/12/08 Burbank, CA
A Thought for Today
Birds don't sing because they have the
answers, they sing because they know the songs.
TO BEGIN WITH
I’m busy packing and unpacking but more about that later.
.ASK
ROD
REMEMBERING ISAAC
Thanks for mentioning the passing of Isaac Hayes;
I remember seeing you interview him when you were here in Australia
co-hosting the John Singleton show. You seemed to get along well and I
remember having the feeling that as songwriters you had a mutual respect
for each other. Did you ever see him afterword? Also, is the documentary
you did on “The New Aussie Gold Rush” available on DVD? Kenneth Dore,
Adelaide
Dear Kenneth, I liked Isaac a lot and though our writing styles couldn’t
be more different I have always been a fan. I did meet him in Sydney and
interviewing and talking with him was a pleasure because he was so
interested and knowledgeable about everything. After the show we had a
meal together and I saw him again the next day. Five or six years passed
until we met again and we kind of picked up where we left off in NSW.
After that, even though we had separate and busy lives we saw each other
more frequently.
Isaac could always make me laugh and I marveled at his ability as a
musician. Think about it, he was really the father of Hip Hop, decades
before it became a popular musical genre. This week Wade Alexander, my
former concert manager, remembered how ‘gentle and sweet and what fun he
was.’ That says a lot, Hayes was completely unpretentious and loved life
and all kinds of music. He died with a lot of music still inside of him
and we are all poorer for it.
I know of no plans for a DVD of The Gold Rush doc., but I’ll bet like
everything else it will one day find its way to The Net.
Thanks Kenneth for another reminder of Isaac the gentle giant. Warmest
Wishes, Rod.
MILES OF RECYCLED VIDEO TAPE
Dear Rod, A friend mastering an old Merv Griffin
Show with Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett said he heard you sing “Miles to
Go” at the end of a recycled video reel. Didn’t you sing it over the
closing credits of a film? But which film? Jim
Dear Jim, The film was “The Borrowers.” Based on the delightful Mary
Norton story about a miniature family who camps out in an old house and
borrows things from the owners of the establishment. Eddie Albert and
Tammy Grimes played the little folk and the formidable Dame Judith
Anderson was the out sized patriarch and nemeses of the establishment.
I wrote the songs and background score for “The Borrowers” and was lucky
enough to persuade Shelby Flint to sing “Isn’t It Something” for the
movie and the soundtrack. I love working with great talent and this film
had plenty of it behind and in front of the cameras. Regards, Rod.
NO WORD
Dear Rod: I’ve just received your boxed set of
CDs, it is lovely I shall treasure it always. What about “The Word”
which you recorded on Discus Records? It was one of my favorites –– mind
you all of your records I brought are well worn but still treasured. So
I hope you might consider putting “The Word” on disc in the near future.
Thanks again for all the pleasure you’ve given me and many, many fans.
Yours sincerely, Dian Altward, U.K.
Dear Dian, No plans for The Word to come out on CD but I will go back
and give it another listen. I think there are still copies of the LP
available from Stanyanhouse.com.
Lots of my LP’s have been and are being mastered for release on compact
disc but I confess to being hesitant about announcing titles until a
genuine release date has been set.
Glad you like The Bear Box, everyone involved really worked hard at
mastering the 7 CD's that make up the set and the hundred pages of notes
and photographs that accompany them. Thanks for the kind words about my
work Dian and all my best, Rod
SOMEDAY WE’LL SEE SPAIN TOGETHER
Hi, I have a wonderful album called: Someday We'll See Spain Together /
Rod McKuen's Concerto No. 2 for Guitar & Orchestra. By The symphony de
Madrid with Arthur Greenslade conducting, Stanyan Records Number 9006.
Is this album available on CD? I didn't see it on
your listings.
Thanks! Sincerely, Joyce Granville Northern California
Dear Joyce, First the not so good news; my Concerto #2 for Guitar &
Orchestra was available for a short time on a CD entitled “Concerto
Works” but it is no longer in print. Now the better news; the adagio
(slow movement} from the work, which I call “Someday we'll see Spain
together,” is featured as part of the RCA Years Bear Family 7 CD set.
Concerto Works turned out to be such a popular disk that it sold out
completely shortly after the not so limited edition was pressed. Unlike
many of my early CD's I never see even second hand copies of it offered
on E-Bay or other online services. The rights have reverted to me, which
is one of the reasons I allowed it to be included in The Bear Family
Box. I'm hoping sometime in the next couple of years to issue a multiple
disc set containing many of my classical works -- including several that
have never been released in any form. Because Concerto #2 continues to
remain in demand it will probably end up being part of that CD set, on
the other hand I usually defer to releasing material on compact disc
that has never before been issued in that format. That would include my
1st Symphony, some of my chamber music and the Concerto for 4
Harpsichords.
(I'd like to hear some further thoughts on all this from some of you out
there that are familiar with my classical repertoire.) Thanks for the
interest Joyce and for asking. I guess all of this is a long way of
saying that for now your best bet is The Bear Family Import. All My
Best, Rod
RM 8/15/2008 First Publication
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