Category Archives: General

The Dead Beat

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The New York Times obituary editor answers readers’ questions. This is great timing for me, as I’ve just borrowed from the library The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries, by Marilyn Johnson. (I’m a bit of an obituary geek.)

A tidbit from the obituary editor’s responses: There are about 1,200 advance obituaries on file. The oldest advance obit on file is from 1982 – 1982! – and the subject is still alive. “The subject, it seems, has also refused to budge.” The writer of the obit is dead, though.

(The Times has run advance obits written by dead people before; the obit editor specifically mentions the obits of Bob Hope and James Van Allen, of Van Allen Belt fame.)

I wonder what my obituary will say.

Stoned

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We just got back from seeing the first preview of The Times They Are A-Changin’, the new Twyla Tharp/Bob Dylan project on Broadway. (Bob Dylan’s song catalog; Twyla Tharp’s choreography.)

Incomprehensible. Not awful – just incomprehensible. There’s basically no plot.

When I read earlier today that the show takes place in a circus, I knew this was going to be a weird one.

The dancing is very circus-influenced. There are several clowns. Circuses and clowns scare me. Not just clowns – circuses themselves. I must have some hidden childhood circus memory that subconsciously haunts me.

The dancers are excellent, I’ll say that. And at least Twyla Tharp is trying to be artistic. This isn’t just an attempt to make money off an artist’s musical catalog. So I can respect that. But it’s basically a bunch of Bob Dylan songs strung together for no reason. Matt and I kept glancing at each other with puzzled looks on our faces.

I don’t know what Ms. Tharp will do to fix the show before previews, if anything, and I have no idea what the critics are going to say.

But at least Michael Arden plays the lead, and he’s always a joy to watch and listen to.