A TRIBUTE TO ROD McKUEN
PART 1 |
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Rod with some of his best known friends.
A Thought for Today
Immortality must be terrific. No one’s ever complained
about it.
Welcome back to the real world - hope your
Christmas was filled with love, good cheer and lots of friends. Ours certainly was which
made it one of the nicest we've celebrated in a number of years. Thanks to all of you who
took the time to send Christmas greetings - they were much appreciated.
Christmas Day itself was, as usual, a magical musical day in the Blackie home. We shared
the opening of our gifts with local artist Daniele Pascal (you may remember me talking
about her Brel show a few weeks ago) via her wonderful CD "Noel in Provence"
which made me more determined than ever to celebrate a northern hemisphere Christmas
sooner rather than later. Hey, it's difficult getting into the reindeer and snow thing
when it's 30 degrees C. outside!
Living as we do at the tip of Africa means we sometimes have to wait awhile before
catching up with the rest of the world. Such was the case with the TV special
"Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo" which only aired here a couple
of days before Christmas. Great show and being a child of the 60's I was thrilled
to see Joe Cocker still strutting his stuff and sounding as good as ever. Santa kindly
slipped a copy of the CD in his sack and it's hardly been off the CD player since.
The soundtrack from "Notting Hill" was another album that found it's way into
our home over the festive season, which enabled us to celebrate two South African
connections. One of our noted record producers, "Mutt" Lange, is married to
Shania Twain and co-wrote "You've Got A Way (Notting Hill Remix)" with Shania.
From this album came the surprise package of the year - the astonishing cover of the
classic Aznavour hit "She" by Elvis Costello. Nothing can beat the original
Aznavour recording but Costello comes very close and I just loved his rendition. Charles's
collaborator on this wonderful number was, by the way, a Johannesburg man, Herbert
Kretzmer. Let's hear it for the good guys from down south!
Recently Rod reminded us that "Christmas
is as much a time for summing up as it is a time for celebration". How true,
particularly this year as we thankfully get rid of the nineties and prepare to welcome in
a brand new millennium.
So contemplation, reflection, summing up, call it what you will, will be the order of the
day this week. Thinking about what we should have said and done throughout the year - but
didn't, and what we should have left well alone - but went ahead and said or did anyway.
I'm particulary good at screwing up in this manner and it's all indelibly entered in my
life's diary under the heading "Learning Life's Lessons The Hard Way".
At the end of this year, decade, century, and millennium I thought it fitting that we
paused for awhile and gave some thought to the part Rod and his work has played in our
lives to date. That he's an important part of our lives is self-evident, otherwise we
wouldn't be here reading the Flight Plan on a daily basis. His contribution to individual
lives no doubt varies from person to person and over the next few days we'll hear from
some of his friends who stop by ASPTL on a regular basis, just what Rod means to them and
the part he's played in their lives.
I'll flesh out the Flight Plan each day with some fun pics and a couple of my favorite
poems and I hope the end result, a belated Christmas gift and our tribute to a very
special and remarkable man, will be something Rod will treasure in the years ahead.
- Ken, Johannesburg, December 27
Sonja, Keith and Rita kick off this first part
of our tribute with their special memories of Rod.
Thank you, Ken, for this
opportunity of expressing how much Rod has meant to me, my life, and therefore the people
around me.
In finding Rod some 32 yrs ago, I found myself!!!! That was (and still is at times) very
hard to deal with...I am not purrrrrrrfect. Rod has taught me how to deal with ME. The
most important part of that teaching has been "It doesn't matter who you love or how
you love but that you love."
He taught me it is OK, feels
good and is necessary, to LOVE ... give all that I have...say the words "I am in love
with you" ... SHOW that person and the world and .... never feel ashamed of those
wonderful minutes, hours,days...and if lucky, years spent IN LOVING. Rod and his being are
always with me through his music and words. I am never alone ...never without a warm
touch, a soft kiss in thought, a reason for living. I can make it through the darkest
night, the loneliest day.
Because of Rod. I love to
love. I only wish I could give back a portion of what he has given me.Thank you, Rod
McKuen, from the bottom of my LIFE.
SonjaK
The year was about 1963. I was
married had 3 young children, about 32 yrs. old (67 now) when I heard The Sea for the
first time. We were at the home of a couple who were our best friends, she said she had a
record we must hear. I was enthralled by the words and music, and started buying his
books. Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows was my first, added many later.
To say reading his thoughts in
words changed my life is an understatement, from those days to this many of my own
thoughts on how life should be lived, loved and enjoyed have their base in his way of
thinking. As an example, when I read his definition of Love that has been my definition to
this day. “Love after all is giving what you most need to get”. In fact I call
that my credo of love.
The words/thoughts of this young man (at the time) were so far beyond anything I had ever
read it was difficult to believe he was so young, yet so profound in his thinking about
life. Many have said, “he says what I would like to have said” - how true in my
case also.
The words of Rod were a common bond between the lady who first played that record and
myself, we became very good friends, we shared love in a manner we had not ever
experienced before in our lives. The most wonderful long lasting part of our lives was
that we for the first time found ourselves. We shared this love for many years,
circumstances occurred over time to slip those bonds. That was OK, the needs at the time
had been fulfilled. The parting was not sad it just happened over time. One of the
happiest memories is of going to his concert at Red Rocks in the foothills of Denver. I
lived in the Denver area.
During that time we had both collected as many books and records as we could find, I still
have them. My life changed many different ways, yet in times of stress or happiness I
would take in hand a RM book, find a quiet corner and find myself again. Yet wondering
“what had happened to Rod McKuen”?
Then one evening for the heck of it I started searching the web for anything about RM, and
the Message Board of tara & Bill was right there, wow excitement ran high. Some
wondering if he were dead, others saying he was not etc. Then Rod did indeed appear. Once
again the words and thoughts are here for us to savor in our own individual ways. Once
again I experience love in an even deeper more meaningful way that ever before in my life.
The difference now is that I have enough experience (age) to be able to more fully
appreciate my “credo”. Now I have more knowledge of how to give love, to give of
me. Sure feels good in the mind and body.
My mind and heart look toward the tomorrows of my life, with the hope of seeing Rod McKuen
in concert again and reading more of his thoughts.
Keith Kidd
When I was 19 a dear friend
introduced me to the words of Rod McKuen by recommending that I listen to an LP called
"The Sea". It was love at first listen. I soon became aware that this same
genius had written songs for Glen Yarborough and Frank
Sinatra. Then one day I brought home my first LP recorded by McKuen and I was hooked.
Over the next few years I went
to every McKuen concert within 200 miles of Canton, Ohio. I never dreamed that one day Rod
would know my name or write to me personally. As the years went by whenever I needed quiet
time or needed to draw within myself, I would take out one of his books or listen to one
of his LPs. He was always there for me with just the right words.
In 1993 that dear friend who
introduced me to Rod died. By then he was my husband, lover, partner and best friend.
Suddenly listening to the records we had enjoyed together became too painful. I tried to
run from the pain and emptiness, and in too short a time I found the arms of man who had
no soul. He had need of me, but he could not understand me. When that relationship ended
(as it was bound to), I felt desolate. I was past 50, and felt there was nothing left to
live for. Then one day in the Mall in the record store I found a new McKuen CD called
"Rod McKuen: At The Movies". There was the old friend I had been afraid to
listen to. I took him home and he warmed my soul. Instead of pain, his music brought
comfort. I was healing.
A few months later, when I
learned to access the internet, my first search was on the name McKuen. Imagine my delight
at finding ASPTL! It was indeed a lifeline to someone who was drowning. A few months later
Stanyan by Mail was announced and finally I could get copies of "Finding My
Father", "Black Eagle", "An Outstretched Hand", and many of Rod's
classical works. The links to the Message Board put me in touch with others who understand
me. Rod is not a god to me, but he is truly a gift from God. His unselfish giving of his
time and talent, reaffirm my faith in God and His goodness.
Once again life is full of
wonder and hope. Each day there is a new Flight Plan, and new friends on the message
boards who share my joys and sorrows. Rod's work is multiplied by his circle of friends
who share his goals and ideals. Especially people like Dwight and Ken and so many others.
I am proud be numbered in that circle of friends.
Rita Barlow
Part 2 of our "Tribute to Rod
McKuen" tomorrow - don't miss it!
- Ken, Johannesburg, December 27 |
