Sour Note

[thedarkages]

I was listening last night to Jim Svejda's radio program on KUSC, and he was interviewing Christopher Parkening, the great guitar player. Mr. Parkening was "born again" several years ago, and the name of Jesus loomed large in the conversation. Everything was "God" this and "God" that. Even Jim Svejda had had enough when Parkening attributed the emergency repair of his torn thumbnail to God's grace rather than to a very resourceful manicurist. For me, though, the low point of the evening was when Parkening described how he'd converted Elmer Bernstein to Christianity when Bernstein was writing him a guitar concerto in the 60's. Of course, this is pure horse-puckey. Elmer Bernstein was a great film composer -- he wrote the score for everything from The Ten Commandments to To Kill A Mockingbird to the theme for National Geographic. He was also mcohenmn's composition teacher in the early 1980's, and I think Matt will confirm that he was no Jesus freak. To hear Parkening tell it, all Parkening had to do was get Bernstein to read a proof text from the Bible, and Bernstein came back saying "Surely, this is the son of God." I refuse to believe this.

Parkening is perhaps the finest classical guitar player of our time; on the other hand, Leni Riefenstahl was one of the greatest cinematographers of her time.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

That's Godwintastic!

[mcohenmn.livejournal.com]

Religion was not a hot topic at the music school. Mel Broiles once did tell me, while reviewing an especially dramatic moment in Parsifal, to emote as if that was the moment Jesus was being nailed to the cross. Hmmmm, didn't get much from that, but knew what he meant generally.

[mrbalihai.livejournal.com]

While I certainly agree that zealots are obnoxious, I just can't quite make a connection between Parkening and Riefenstahl.

[thedarkages]

I admit, for the sake of argument, that Parkening has never played Die Wacht Am Rhein. Still, reaping a dead Jewish composer's soul and music for Jesus, turning him into another vapid testimony for the Savior, is an act of cultural imperialism comparable to Riefenstahl's subordination of film technique to the greater glory of the Führer.

As Rone says, Godwin's Law applies.

[mrbalihai.livejournal.com]

Parkening has never played Die Wacht Am Rhein.

And to the best of my knowledge, Jesus never invaded Poland, although I do like saying, "Der Jesus, er brauchen Lebensraum!"

[thedarkages]

Unless you count the Polish Baptism of 966, admittedly an invasion in the sense of the British Invasion.

[willendorf5761.livejournal.com]

Now I have the damn National Geographic theme music in my head.
Ba-ba-ba-baaa-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-BA! bum-bum