I hate HAMILTON

[scaredyclassic]

Part, but not all, of my distaste is that lately ive bern feeling that history here wouldve been better without the american revolution. That it was just all a giant mistake, that we couldve evolved into something better, like canada.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/15/we-could-have-been-canada

“The Revolution remains the last bulwark of national myth. Academics write on the growth of the Founding Father biographical genre in our time; the rule for any new writer should be that if you want a Pulitzer and a best-seller you must find a Founding Father and fetishize him. While no longer reverential, these accounts are always heroic in the core sense of showing us men, and now, occasionally, women, who transcend their flaws with spirit (though these flaws may include little things like holding other human beings as property, dividing their families, and selling off their children). The phenomenon of “Hamilton,” the hip-hop musical that is, contrary to one’s expectations, wholly faithful to a heroic view of American independence, reinforces the sanctity of the American Revolution in American life.

Academic histories of the Revolution, though, have been peeping over the parapets, joining scholarly scruples to contemporary polemic. One new take insists that we misunderstand the Revolution if we make what was an intramural and fratricidal battle of ideas in the English-speaking Empire look like a modern colonial rebellion. Another insists that the Revolution was a piece of great-power politics, fought in unimaginably brutal terms, and no more connected to ideas or principles than any other piece of great-power politics: America was essentially a Third World country that became the battlefield for two First World powers. Stirred into the larger pot of recent revisionism, these arguments leave us with a big question: was it really worth it, and are we better off for its having happened? In plain American, is Donald Trump a bug or a feature of the American heritage?”

[svelte]

I could be wrong, but I can only think of one album I own that was part of a musical or in any theater production.

For the most part, I dislike musical soundtracks.

There are rare exceptions and probably a few I like that I didn’t know were in musicals. I liked the song “Oklahoma” but don’t own it. I liked a few songs from “South Pacific” but again don’t own them. I saw those two musicals as performed by colleges I attended and actually enjoyed them, but that was probably more due to I saw them with a pretty date on my arm…pretty sure that influenced my opinion of the play.

The only musical soundtrack that I can think of that I own is Pink Floyd The Wall, and if I’m not mistaken the album came out before the musical.

Which I think gets to the root of the problem…it’s the same reason for the most part I dislike Christian music: the song is there to support something else, it was written like a commercial ad jingle. It’s purpose is to support a point of view. Granted there are exceptions, I’m speaking in generalities here.

True there are other songs written intentionally to be hits so they too are written for a specific purpose – but I think they have more leeway than a song written to support a religion or an actress/actor’s character in a play. Those are boxed in from the get-go…and probably under more time constraints which leads to a poorer quality song.

On a side note, we had a 10-15 year tradition to see plays performed by local folks on our anniversary. We saw them often in Coronado and the La Jolla Playhouse. I enjoyed the comedies a bit, but not too much the others. A couple of years ago, my wife asked to end that tradition. She gave it a go for many years, but was not enjoying the experience.

We’ve probably attended our last broadway play and local play. We tried.

[zk]

Musicals where the dialogue is spoken and there are song/dance numbers are sometimes enjoyable. Sometimes they’re great. But when most, or even a lot, of the dialogue is sung, I can’t stand it. Sung dialogue almost never has an interesting melody, if you can even call what they’re doing a melody. It generally sounds the same as all the other sung dialog in all the other sung-dialogue musicals. It sounds artificial and lame. It doesn’t sound musical. It sounds like dialogue in a musical.

[scaredyclassic]

the music in a musical should involve a flight of spirit so extreme that words cannot contain the feeling.

Now, as for great musicals, THE BOOK OF MORMON by the south park fellows is pretty perfect.

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]the music in a musical should involve a flight of spirit so extreme that words cannot contain the feeling.[/quote]

I agree with that.

Also, there are some church choir songs that are inspiring in the same sort of way. I don’t enjoy it often, but when done right – and I think predominately black churches do it better than predominately white churches – it is very uplifting.

It is coming back to me. The last anniversary play we saw was a Shakespeare play in the Old Globe [edit: actually Lowell Davies theater outside]. I had procrastinated to the last minute and by some fluke 2 front row seats came available. We had the best seats ever. The weather was perfect, the night was clear, and we sat there barely understanding a single word of the English language. It was frustrating. It was a comedy and some people laughed, but we weren’t getting the jokes for the most part. Way too much energy just to follow the dialog – I didn’t have the bandwidth left to piece together and enjoy the story.

After that, she said that’s it. I quit.

Which reminds me of a great BB King song…If That Ain’t It I Quit

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=svelte][quote=scaredyclassic]the music in a musical should involve a flight of spirit so extreme that words cannot contain the feeling.[/quote]

I agree with that.

Also, there are some church choir songs that are inspiring in the same sort of way. I don’t enjoy it often, but when done right – and I think predominately black churches do it better than predominately white churches – it is very uplifting.

It is coming back to me. The last anniversary play we saw was a Shakespeare play in the Old Globe [edit: actually Lowell Davies theater outside]. I had procrastinated to the last minute and by some fluke 2 front row seats came available. We had the best seats ever. The weather was perfect, the night was clear, and we sat there barely understanding a single word of the English language. It was frustrating. It was a comedy and some people laughed, but we weren’t getting the jokes for the most part. Way too much energy just to follow the dialog – I didn’t have the bandwidth left to piece together and enjoy the story.

After that, she said that’s it. I quit.

Which reminds me of a great BB King song…If That Ain’t It I Quit[/quote]

theres a piece by charles mingus called wednesday Night prayer meeting, which is a raucous bluesy jazz simulation of a prayer meeting that is spiritual, powerful, funny, and entertaining, and takes music to soaring heights by transforming what recognizeable human like voices into pure sound and rhythm . it has some of the qaulities id expect in a superior musical, but substitutes instruments for human voices

[svelte]

I just adore this song and this video…everything about them. Just fantastic.

Don’t know if you know the backstory, but Lil Nas was broke and living on his sister’s couch. All his plans in ruins. Somewhere in the South if I’m not mistaken. That’s where he wrote this song.

That’s where the lyric “cain’t nobody tell me nothin” comes from – he was poking at himself and how he doesn’t listen to reason.

The lyrics are just awesome.

And the video – oh my just perfect. Love the line “you have a good day get off my car”.

Another song with awesome bass. I see a trend here. Getting those subs has really changed my taste in music.

[scaredyclassic]

ok, i agree, based on the video he’s kind of adorable. video improves the song. as a musical should d o.

[scaredyclassic]

bachs mass in b minor is decent christian music. but yeah, christian rock is proof that G-d does not exist. ingeneral any music played live in a random church s u c k s….. if He existed, he would make it stop. or improve it. anything but let it continue. when i used to go to mass, the music made me want to cry with sadness, please, please let it stop

Silence would be much preferable for imbuing a spiritual presence.

[svelte]

This all gets down to a point I didn’t understand to my early 20s. Some musicians view music as an art, some view it as entertainment.

I guess I realized that when I started hanging out with a musician (or wanna-be musician depending on your point of view) and he pointed out to me the showmanship aspect of it all. I think we were talking about Prince at the time.

It got me thinking…some musician do view it as a show to be performed. Others view it as an artist views a painting.

I’m not picking a side here, as both types of music are appropriate. I like the show, but I also like the art.

As long as the “show” is quality music, I’m on board.

Prince: I’m not dissing Prince, I’m a fan of his music. My wife is a BIG prince fan.

Which reminds me of a time 10 yrs back when we were in a hole-in-the-wall bar in SF. We’ve met all sorts of Europeans in that place and we’re not shy, we’ve struck up conversations with them – it’s fun!

Anyway, we are at this bar in SF and the band starts playing Willie Nelson. My wife goes nuts. The singer goes “I see we got a little Willie fan in the audience.” as he looks at my wife. Without missing a beat, my wife replies “no, I’m a BIG Willie fan!” knowing full well what she just said. The band had no comeback.

[scaredyclassic]

This one goes out to all the big willie fans, who drink it stiff, work it hard, stand tall and never give up till the job is done”

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