Motion Toward And Away—Ode To Pamela

I met my old lover
On the street last night
She seemed so glad to see me
I just smiled
We talked about some old times
And we drank ourselves some beers
Still crazy
After all these years

Paul Simon
“Still Crazy After All These Years”

[Artur Schnabel’s] method of practicing was experiment rather than drill. ... His practice time was devoted to working out the exact articulation of a piece. He worked over each phrase hundreds of times to find the fingering, the hand position, the finger and arm movements that would secure the perfect inflection of melody, rhythm and harmony which he heard inwardly. To his pupils, he defined practicing as “passing the day at the piano with patience and serenity,” and this, as far as I know, is what he did himself.

Konrad Wolff, writing about Artur Schnabel,
quoted in Seymour Bernstein’s “With Your Own Two Hands”

Oh, Pamela, why would you ask me
to write a song for you? Would you sing
at open mike night, where the drunks fling
beer cans at you on their way to pee?

Which three chords, Pamela, will it be
that will strike the truth and make it ring
through laughter and vomit and kissing
and hookers bargaining for their fee?

Play me like a fretboard or keyboard,
even two chords can sound seductive,
or one—patiently make me serene.

Oh, Pamela, this is motion toward
and I know I sound accusative,
but I’ve got no soundtrack for your scene.

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Corporate Communications #1: Pamela




This Evening At The Stilyagi Bar®