13th & 14th March, 2010
|
|
Photo by Eric Yeager
©2009 All Rights Reserved
A Thought for Today
Nothing goes by direction. There are no
straight lines.
TO BEGIN WITH
Here we go again. In the spirit of spring forward and fall back don’t
forget to set your clock forward an hour at midnight on Saturday night.
Is it my imagination or does Daylight Savings Time seem to start earlier
every year? On to the mail.
.ASK
ROD
CARNEGIE HALL 1969
This letter was forwarded to me by Ben at Stanyan House:
Subject: Rod's Birthday Again...
Hi again: It's me, asking the same question year
after year... when are we going to get the Mythical "Rod McKuen Live at
Carnegie Hall Concert" Promised over 10 years now to be a double CD set
and still nothing. Please offer a glimmer of hope. I own everything out
there and would love the Holy Grail of recordings. What a true gift that
would be. A response to this email would be nice also. Regards. JD Vark,
A McKuen Fan since 1969
Dear JD & Ben, I know, I know, I get a lot of grief for promising the
compact disc version of the first Carnegie Hall album and failing to
deliver and I deserve it but HARK, it has finally been mastered and will
be out this spring. No kidding. When I have the exact release date I’ll
let you know.
“Yeah”, you’re saying “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Me too, but this
is the year. Thanks for the pestering, I deserve it. Cheers & then some,
Rod.
KILL THE WIND
Dear Mr. McKuen, Back in Sweden, 1978, I came
across a song called "Kill the Wind". For all these years I have been
humming the melody without knowing the song, but the words "They haven't
found a way to kill the wind but they will.”
Please sir, would you be so kind and still my sanity and point me in the
right direction. My wife said if she hears that line one more time from
the shower..... Where can I find that song. Huge fan without knowing!
All the best and I am looking forward to hearing from you. Peter
Ahlstrom, Studio City, CA
Dear Peter, Whenever possible I try not to use Internet shorthand in
e-mail correspondence but I couldn’t help but LOL when you quoted your
wife. Over the years I’ve heard from many a spouse who ‘suffered’ when
their like number got tired of being inundated by my work. It always
reminds me of when I was about to exit my teens in the late fifties. My
mother all but asked me to move out when I would play Jeri Southern’s
“You Better Go Now” again and again. It only ended when I went into the
army and did leave home. Flash forward to the 1970’s when I started
living with my brother Edward and I discovered Sinatra’s “Cycles” disc
and played and played it to his distraction. The laugh was on him when
my cover of it became a hit in Europe and even made the bottom of the
charts briefly in the States. But I digress before I start.
Here’s the skinny on “Kill The Wind”: It was one of my social songs in
the vein of Soldiers Who Want To Be Hero’s, Smell The Buttercup, Have a
Nice Day, Ally, Ally Oxen Free and The Wind Of Change. My first
commercially released version was part of a project called “The Love
Movement” for Capitol Records. At the same time I recorded a vocal
version for RCA that remained unissued until a couple of years ago.
The occasion for its release came about when Bear Records of Germany put
out a seven disc set entitled “If You Go Away: The RCA Years.” It
contains about 200 tracks including many that never saw the light of day
while I was under contract to the label. Kill The Wind can be found on
Disc #3 of that set. I re-recorded in a few years later for a double LP
entitled “Pastorale” which is currently being mastered for a boxed CD
set called “Love’s Been Good To Me: The Warner Bros. Years, Part 1.” It
will be released whenever. The RCA Years is currently available from
Stanyanhouse.com.
Here are the lyrics to Kill The Wind:
Kill The Wind
They’ve not yet found a way
to Kill The Wind but they will
as sure as they trod down to dust
the poppies on the hill
as sure as they can burn the growing grass
don’t ask if they can Kill The Wind.
They’ve not yet found a way
to harvest time but they will
as sure as they have shot the doe
and killed the whippoorwill
as sure as they have muddied
up the stream it would seem
they’ll learn to Kill The Wind.
They’ve not yet found a way
to Kill The Wind but they will
as sure as they trod down to dust
the poppies on the hill
as sure as they can burn
the growing grass don’t ask
if they can Kill The Wind.
As on distant battlefields
young men fall again
thank God at least
they’ve not yet found a way to Kill The Wind.
-from the book & album “Pastorale,” 1971
And there you have it Peter. Hope this will help modify the shower
protests. All my best to you and Mrs. Ahlstrom. Warmly, Rod
THE NEED TO CONNECT
Dear Rod, I am writing as a person who has always
admired you poems, your songs, your thoughts, and your expression of how
we are connected to the earth and one another.
In these times we find many of us disconnected and less likely to think
that writing, poetry and the arts have value in helping to make linkages
to one another and to the earth. We have been trying to have our
environmental educators think about the importance of poetry, music, the
arts as a way of bridging people with all living things.
Would like to see if we can interest you in helping us by being a part
of a future conference of the North American Assoc. for Environmental
Education to encourage persons working with children through adults – to
think about the importance of poetry, reflection, the arts – to
reconnect us to one another and to our earth. Thank you, Joseph A. Baust,
Sr. Director/Professor, Center for Environmental Education, Murray State
University, Ky
Dear Joseph, Thanks for the kind letter and the invitation.
I appreciate what you are doing and would like to be of help if and when
I can. The problem is really one of time. Your letter arrived at a
particularly busy juncture for me. Am past deadline on several projects
with quite a line up behind them. Have even had to cancel some upcoming
commitments because of trying to get my priorities in order.
You didn't mention a projected date for your conference but the next
year or so looks pretty full. Keep me in mind and let me know of any
ongoing details. Warmest Regards, Rod
TOURS
Do you have a tour calendar? Thanks, Deborah
Dear Deborah, You'll now be on the mailing list for any and all upcoming
tours & they are usually announced first here on my website. Nothing
planned in the way of performances at the moment but I'll keep you
posted. Cheers, Rod.
Songs For A Lazy Afternoon
SONGS FOR A LAZY AFTERNOON
Dear Rod, Earlier, I had written that my husband
had found and bought a "virgin" LP Songs For A Lazy Afternoon containing
JayDee. At first, one side was very full of static noise, but I cleaned
it with distilled water, and it now sounds fine.
My husband suggested writing you to ask, if I were to send the album
cover to you, whether you would autograph it. If you were agreeable,
could you give me a mailing address? I would enclose a return postage
paid mailer for you.
Thanks! I have made CDs for both our cars so I can enjoy the music
wherever we go. I don't have any other albums of yours, so I don't know
how your song style/sound evolved over time. I do enjoy hearing the
songs that you wrote/co-wrote, however. Many of them, I was unaware that
you were responsible for. Quite a career! Sandra Rustad
Dear Sandra, Hey I wish I had a CD of Songs For A Lazy Afternoon to play
in my car. By all means send me the original jacket and I’ll be
pleased to autograph it. My snail mail address is Box G, Beverly Hills,
CA 90210.
How time does run on, that album was recorded 55 years ago. To hear some
of what I’ve been up to in the intervening years click on the
Site Map to find “Rod’s
Jukebox.” It contains a batch of free downloads. You can also find
even more recent CD’s, LP’s and books at
Stanyanhouse.com. As for
‘quite a career’, indeed I’ve been lucky and I’m by no means finished
yet.
My continued good wishes to you and your husband. Rod
RM 2/12/2010 Previously unpublished
Click
on the Stanyan House logo to buy Rod McKuen books, CD's and lots more
Click on the heart logo to
subscribe to the Rod McKuen mailing list
Catch Rod McKuen live!
Click on the links below for details of
concerts and appearances.
ROD McKUEN
CONCERTS
ROD
McKUEN APPEARANCES
|
