Doubt

Last night I escorted the lovely Suzanne to a film. She wanted to go see "Doubt," which I had seen some clips of during the Academy Awards ceremony so I was at least aware of it. Well, I must have been distracted during the Oscars because I must say that it was horrible! I had gotten beforehand that it was about priests and nuns but I suppose I was thinking more along the lines of "The Bells of St. Mary's" with Father Flanigan and Ingrid Bergman and all of that jazz. This movie was about...well, it was mostly about a lot of talking...but, it was horrible.  The young priest in the film reminded me of a fellow that we had at my church when I was a lad, wonderful fellow. Let's just say that this movie kept me awake most of the night re-examining my days as an altar boy.

I was completely disappointed. I loved Meryl Streep in "Mama Mia" and I had hoped that it had marked a new and better direction for her career (although don't get me started on the casting of the male leads in that movie). I adored Amy Adams in "Enchanted." I'm not overly familiar with the actor that played the priest, although in talking with Suzanne afterwards I do believe that I remember his role in "Twister" with the always fantastic Helen Hunt. I went in hoping for light and touching and instead the filmmakers kicked me in the head.

Much as Hugh Jackman expressed during the Academy Awards telecast I can only hope that we're headed towards a revival of the kinds of movie musicals that I grew up loving. A good old fashioned boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy sings song to get girl back kind of story is just the thing to lift the spirits. Certainly more so than clap-trap like "Doubt" or "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" which I was also bamboozled into as well. Although, I did like "Slumdog Millionaire," those kids were just so spunky!

Two more words about the Oscar ceremony -- Beyonce. Stunning.

Of course, Suzanne's now mad at me because she thought that "Doubt" was in her words an "amazing character study" and kept talking about how much she would've given up to play the young nun. But that's actresses for you...toss them a role where they can emote till their hearts content and they'll let their id run wild until the cows come home. That's what makes them so exciting and complex. Sometimes you just never know what you're going to get when you're with them.

Mea Culpa

Apparently I forgot to mention something in my earlier post about The Top 10 Albums Not By Jack Mathis and I got a phone call from Las Vegas pointing it out to me.

Let me state for the record to my friend David Cassidy that I do love his "Cherish" album every bit as much as I've always said that I do. I still listen to "I Just Wanna Make You Happy" at least once a month. Nothing could ever change that. If I had been given enough room to have a top 20 albums not by me, then it definitely would've made it onto that -- and David's half-brother Shaun's "Born Late" record and possibly the original cast recording from "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" featuring his father Jack would've been given strong consideration as well. Alas, it was just a space issue, David. 

For those of you that have not had the pleasure to go see David perform live, I beseech you to do so. He is just phenomenal! I had the great pleasure of opening for him and Ben Vereen on a series of shows on the East Coast once upon a time ago, including a set of dates at Valley Forge that still rank among my favorite experiences of all time. 

It was also brought up that I included nothing by my namesake Johnny Mathis. Here's all I'll say -- if it had been a list of top songs not by me then it would've been chock full of Johnny Mathis. "Chances Are," "The Twelfth Of Never," "It's Not For Me To Say," "The Last Time I Felt Like This"...I'm not sure how I would even begin to narrow it down. Unfortunately, his albums haven't left the same impression on me -- although to be honest we're really just splitting hairs here, because if Johnny Mathis sang the Birmingham phone book I would still probably sit and listen to it.

The List

I've been asked about the list at the bottom down there that shows the Top 10 Albums Not By Jack Mathis. Apparently, not everyone agrees with my opinion on this subject which isn't surprising. Music is art and as with all art there is no accounting for taste. 

However, since I was asked about it -- primarily by my agent Saul, who has no taste whatsoever -- I will offer some additional insight.

The number one album on there Frank Sinatra's "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" really shouldn't leave any room for argument. How can you argue with Francis Albert Sinatra? And this album is one of his masterpieces and would be if it only included the Chairman's version of "Old Devil Moon" from that Broadway classic "Finian's Rainbow." But really every song here is a gem and that includes a pair of tunes from the pen of Cole Porter -- "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Anything Goes" -- and arranged by Nelson Riddle that represents a meeting of musical titans! (As it happens some friends of mine are currently starring in an off-off-Broadway revival of Porter's "Anything Goes" and it is just spectacular with a capital "S"!) 

Dean Martin's "This Time I'm Swingin'" includes "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" and that's good enough reason for me to hail its awsomeness. Just like with Sinatra, it's hard to go wrong with anything by Dino, but this happens to be my favorite.

"Arrivederci, Roma" from Jerry Vale. Vale is without a doubt, with the possible exception of Al Martino, the most underrated singer of his generation. If listening to this album doesn't immediately make you want to seek out a small Italian restaurant with checkerboard tablecloths and Chianti bottles with candles in them, then I don't know how to help you.

Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Wham Of Sam" -- there has never been a performer like Sammy Davis Jr. EVER! The only problem with this album is that it doesn't include footage of him performing the selections, but even without that I melt each and every time that I hear him taking on "Begin The Beguine." It makes you wish that you could go back in time and catch Sammy at the Cocoanut Grove.

If you only know Jack Jones from his days singing the theme song for the old television show "The Love Boat" then brother, you don't know what you're missing. Not only is Mr. Jones a strikingly handsome man, but my goodness what a voice! Track down this album and listen to "Love Bug" and just try to tell me that you're not blown away.

The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" might seem out of place considering the first selections listed, but I would answer your question with a question -- when was the last time you pulled out Brian Wilson's masterpiece and listened to it? "God Only Knows" is obviously on par with anything that any of the masters (Porter, Berlin, Carmichael, Bacharach, etc.) wrote, but other songs like the haunting "Caroline, No" are only a shade behind in their brilliance.

Tito Puente, God rest his soul, was one of the most engaging performers that I ever had the opportunity to watch and the album "Mucho Cha-Cha" captures his spirit perfectly. If your backside isn't wiggling while you listen to this then you better head for the doctor to have them check your pulse!

Maybe I'm just a sucker for Latin rhythms then because I feel absolutely the same way about Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass's "South Of The Border." When I was young, I used to stare at the album cover for this and imagine what a magical place Tijuana must be. Of course as an adult, I've had the good fortune to spend many a happy evening south of the border in that town. Sure, I've lost the odd wallet at knifepoint, but I would trade a hundred wallets for another night with the Melendez sisters, Maria and Marguerite.

What can you say about Tony Bennett that hasn't already been said? The man is a master with a lyric, who for years stayed in the shadows because he wasn't quite Sinatra. Finally, everyone discovered what us singers had known all along -- no one's Sinatra. When I'm feeling a little down, I crack open a bottle of scotch, grab "The Many Moods of Tony Bennett," put on "The Kid's A Dreamer" and pick myself back up off of the floor for another round with life.

Finally, I put on The Beatles' "Abbey Road." While my tastes obviously run towards a certain style, there is no way that I can think of to argue against the sheer genius of the music of The Beatles, and I can't imagine anyone even trying. I don't know how you can be a fan of melody and lyrics and not love them. There might be other Beatles albums that I listen to more, but this album includes George Harrison's "Something" which I've utilized in my own shows on numerous occasions and right there earns it a special place in my heart. 

So there you go -- proof that I didn't just toss together a hodge-podge of music without giving it any thought (as my irascible manager accused me of).

Linklater and Me

I was asked by a friend -- a lovely young woman by the name of Suzanne, with whom I've been spending some very enjoyable evenings -- about my reference in a previous one of these "blogs" about a reference to my friend, critically acclaimed director Richard Linklater. I'm not one to drop names, but since it was asked I'll tell the story.
I met Dick many years ago when I was playing a week of shows at Pete's Peanut Bar in Austin, Texas. Dick and some of his friends had just finished shooting "Dazed and Confused," an excellent film starring a young newcomer that you might have heard of...one Ben Affleck.
Dick and his friends heckled me unmercilessly for an entire night, saying things like "Is this the Velvet Room?" and "Michael Feinstein called and he wants his act back...and Tony Bennett called Feinstein and said that he wants his act back!" Dreadful. One of the worst shows that I've ever done.
Anywho, afterwards they apparently felt a little bit bad and helped me drown my sorrows with a couple of bottles of Johnny Walker Red.
Since then our paths have crossed here and there, most notably when I was approached about singing a song in his film "Walking Life," a most ingenious animated film dealing with dreams. I was brought in to do a demo of Roy Orbison's gorgeous "In Dreams" to be used as they were editing. I knocked it out of the park! Dick wasn't there, but the sound engineer told me that, while he didn't really know who Roy Orbison is and had never heard the song before, he coudn't imagine anyone doing a better job with the material.
Needless to say, my song never made it into the final film. From what I understand, the studio pressured Dick and his producer into using a score entirely by The Tosca Tango Orchestra. While I was disappointed, I did understand. I mean, who doesn't like a good tango?
In any case, when I next saw Dick, I asked him about my version of "In Dreams." He said, "Too Blue Velvet" and strolled away into the night. I still don't know what that meant, but I suppose it's just part of his take on life's little mysteries that make him such an interesting auteur.

Teacher, Teach Me

Last evening I was invited by an old school chum, Murray Blacowicz, to sing the national anthem prior to a basketball game at the high school that he is the principal of (for those that knew us when, yes, old "Muffinhead Murray" is now a leader of young people and yes, his head is still shaped like a muffin). It was a non-paying gig -- although Murray did comp me a hot dog -- but on a cold winter's night any chance to exercise the vocal chords is a welcome respite from the dreariness.

Imagine my surprise then to find the most extraordinary music teacher at this high school. It was as though Mr. Holland (from the excellent Richard Dreyfuss film) and that character played by Jack Black in my old buddy Dick Linklater's movie "School of Rock" had been rolled into one. 

There were the normal gaggle of gawky high school band members, including a guitar, bass and full drum set to go with the brass. What made it all so special is that once the band began to play, their doughy, middle aged teacher morphed into a golden god singer of those loud and exuberant 197o's.

He began with a song that I didn't recognize, but that Murray told me was Led Zeppelin (you would know that Murray, you old pothead) and did an excellent approximation of Freddie Mercury for "We Will Rock You." 

His performance truly soared however when he trotted out a wonderful song that I had long forgotten, ZZ Top's "Tush." I had not heard that composition in many a year and I must say that the lyrics have been haunting me ever since. "Oh Lord, take me downtown. I'm just looking for some tush." It's like rediscovering a book of poetry that you had loved as a boy.

It was a rollicking good time, seeing the teacher and his students interact with each other as musical peers. What insights he must be passing on to those lucky youngsters!

My mind was officially blown however when the gentleman had the chutzpah to delve into the musical mind of one Kurt Cobain and lead his charges through a pacing of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Oh my goodness! 

I've long thought that the work of Nirvana is just incubating, waiting for the time that someone will come along and give it new life in the world of cabaret. Don't think for a moment that I haven't considered adding "Lithium" to a set here or there, but I'll admit that the daunting task of being an innovator is one that I've just never been comfortable with. 

In all it was an exhilarating night, even with the basketball being played between the music. I'm sure that those young men playing ball work every bit as hard at their craft as we musicians do and deserve some recognition for that. 

I can only hope that my paths will cross again with this ingenious teacher. Perhaps there might even be collaboration possibilities down the line. You just never know where that next spark of inspiration is going to come from, do you?

My agent, Saul again, just informed me that I have to actually write things on here. I assumed when he first told me that I was getting a website that we would just hire someone to run the whole thing, but apparently I don't have enough money to do that and this is apprently a "blog." I told Saul that we might have enough money to hire someone if he didn't take his cut of my profits, but he quite rudely reminded me that I don't have any profits...of course, maybe I would if he booked more shows for me. Tis a viscious cycle, this business called show. (I think I read that somewhere.) In any case, now that I understand how this works I will do my best to keep you, my loyal fan base, informed of what's happening with me as best I can. Unfortunately, thanks to Saul's laziness I don't have a gig to promote. But hang in there with me and perhaps I can think of some tasty nuggets to share from my years spent entertaining anyone and everyone with the good taste to like my work.