SassyBlonde

In an effort to vent all of this schlock running around in my head from the show (and other areas) I'd like to introduce the Lyric of the Day.

Jellicle cats are black and white
Jellicle cats are of moderate size
Jellicle cats are merry and bright
Jellicle cats have moonlit eyes

She haunted many a low resort
Near the grimy road of Tottenham Court
She flitted about the no-man's land
From the Rising Sun to the Friend-At-Hand

And the postman sighed as he scratched his head
You'd really have thought she ought to be dead
And who'd have ever supposed that that
Was Grizabella, The Glamour Cat

If you feel like loving me
If you've got the notion
I second that emotion

(this one's for D)

Are you blind when you're born?
...
Can you see in the dark?
...
Would you look at a king?
...
Would you sit on his throne?
...
Can you say of your bite
That it's worse than your bark?
...
Are you cock of the walk
When you're walking alone?
...
Because Jellicles can
And Jellicles do,
Jellicles do
And Jellicles can,
Jellicles can
And Jellicles do,
Jellicles do
And Jellicles can

Anything you can do
I can do better
I can do anything
Better than you

(This one goes out to hubby-- kick that p.22)

Madame Gaston
Can't you just see it
Madame Gaston,
His little wife

I am here to tell you
We can never meet again
Simple really, isn't it
A word or two and then
A lifetime of not knowing
Where or how or why or when
You think of me, or speak of me
And wonder what befell
That someone you once loved
So long ago so well

-------------------------

This one's a particularly sticky one-- been in my head all day. I have to say, though, of all of the musicals I've played, this is one of my favorites. I scoffed at Elton John writing a musical when I heard about it, but man, it's a real blast to play. And if you ever get a chance, listen to the original cast album-- Heather Headley is fan-fracking-tastic.

Ahhh... now for more beer, I think.

First, an explanation: you've probably seen posts in the "Lyric of the Day" category here from time to time. In case you're wondering where these come from, they're whatever bits of my job are stuck in my head that day. And I usually mean all day, by God.

One of the things I love about my job, that being a free-as-a-bird and poor-as-a-church-mouse freelance musician, is that I get to play lots of different kinds of things for lots of different kinds of performances. One night I might be playing Beethoven at the Kennedy Center, the next I'm crammed in a scary little orchestra pit playing beautiful transcendent tunes for a show. It's a whimsical sort of existence, juggling all of those different styles and all of the different instruments I use to play them: flutes, clarinets, saxophones, recorders, whistles and sometimes the odd percussion instrument (I mean, I have two hands and the poor percussionist can't always do everything.)

One of the sometimes maddening things about my job is that I tend to take my work home with me in little snippets that patter around in my brain all day and night. For instance, when I start a new musical, I almost always have bits and pieces and even entire songs from the show running through my head 24/7 for the first few weeks. Usually my shows run anywhere for three to ten weeks, so you can see how that could get really annoying.

My solution is to get a recording of the show and just simply learn the entire thing. Sing it, play along with it, read about it, sing it some more, and just listen to it everywhere I go. Not that it chases the little snippets away, but at least I can put them in context and sing the whole song if I want to.

A while back my husband had the bright idea of creating a "Lyric of the Day" posting here, just to show one more window into what's running around my brain and maybe exorcise some of those random snippets. And I thought you might enjoy hearing some of those bitty snippets to go with the words, too, so above each new one will be a little audio bit too, if I can manage it. And maybe a little blurb about why I like it (or don't) so much. Hopefully it won't be one of those "Stars and Stripes" things... maybe stuck in your head just because I showed it to you. But if so, maybe you'll find some new cool thing to listen to, right?

So without further ado:

Click here to hear The Proposal

I'll be comin' back to you Darlene
Back to your dark eyes,
And hair
Marry me when I return Darlene
And until that day my love,
Take care

Be thee well
May the Lord watches all watch over thee
May God's heaven be your blanket as you softly sleep
Marry me
When you're finally in my arms you'll plainly see
This devoted sailor's heart and soul are yours to keep

One fine night, they leave the pool hall,
Headin' for the dance at the Arm'ry!
Libertine men and Scarlet women!
And Rag-time, shameless music
That'll grab your son and your daughter
With the arms of a jungle animal instink!
Mass-staria!
Friends, the idle brain is the devil's playground!

So here's the thing:

I've missed you guys.

I've had some pretty heavy things going on in my life this year, things which basically have changed the face of my entire existence in one way or another. And I haven't really felt comfortable talking about that here, in public, for anyone and everyone to read. More importantly, there are very good reasons why I can't and shouldn't.

And frankly, it's killing me.

Because if you're still reading this, then I've probably known you, or had you as a reader, for long enough that you're probably wondering what the hell happened to me.

Because if you're still reading this, you're probably one of the people whose opinions and love I value enough that I'm going to need your help in the next year.

Because frankly, I need an outlet more in-depth than Twitter and less personal than Facebook.

So here's the other thing:

On March 1st, this blog is getting a makeover. I'll be moving it to a new server, shaking up the layout a little, and converting it to a new CMS, though the site address won't change. The ranting and raving and silliness will stay the same, only there will be some things that I don't want to share with everybody, some things that I may need to share and say, but only within certain circles. I'm tired of keeping it all pent up and I've done that for long enough.

If you're still reading this blog, and you're been a loyal reader or friend or even a long-time lurker, email me at (sassy{at}sassyblonde{dot}net) with the title of this post in the subject line or comment on this post and request an access key. I'd love to have you in the circle.

Til then, I'll be cleaning house and doing some renovation, and I'll see you on March 1st.

UPDATE: So, snow and circumstances being what they've been around here, I'm going to have to ask you guys to wait around a little longer, which actually ends up being appropriate for a lot of reasons. I've gotten all your emails and comments, and if you can hang tight for a few more weeks, I'll have the next phase ready on April 1st.