Yesterday’s random grab of a random shot as Pic of the Day led to a great plot development in the story on which I was working: a school incident between two of the characters who go from best friends to fierce rivals. This then led to another plot development years later in the story.
It also inspired a neat dream in which my knees had mended to the point where I could join a running team. There was a scheduled run the next day and I was told I would be on the team if the organizers could find the money for gas. Why gas? Because the running team ran after a moving car. No gas, no moving car, no run. This was only of minor concern to me in the dream, since I thought ’so what? I’m running already’. I woke up on the news that the coach of that team was really great but you had to run like crazy because he was a ‘bourreau de travail‘ – a French expression meaning somebody who works himself and others to the limit. The thought was not in the least bit depressing, quite the contrary.
Which brings me to today’s Pic of the Day. I chose it because of someone’s comment yesterday about Neil Diamond. Personally, I neither love nor hate him as a singer, no more than you can love or hate tepid bathwater. Tepid is tepid; in some cases, tepid is a step up from ice cold. All relative, all the time. But the point here is I then remembered seeing Neil Diamond in the remake of The Jazz Singer. This was in Tel Aviv on a Saturday, which tells me it was in 1980 or early ‘81 since, in that time frame, I actually got a full day off from my job on Saturdays. I don’t remember which cinema it was; in any event, it was one where no one threw rocks at you if you chose to honor the Sabath by watching a lousy movie. And lousy it was. Don’t throw rocks if you happen to like this scene; I promise to stay polite also. But honestly: does this send a tingle up and down your spine? I think this is supposed to be the big come-back scene. ’Real strong here, please,’ says Neil on the clip, while the lady looks… looks what, exactly? No comment.
I mostly remember that day for the fact I had time off, and the long walk that followed the movie. I used to walk for hours at a time, organizing stories in my head before scribbling away for extra hours after that. I don’t know what the photo above will inspire, writing-wise, but the Pierrot combined with Jazz definitely reminded me of Neil Diamond. The movie is in the right time frame for part of the storyline on which I’m working right now, so who knows? Maybe The Jazz Singer will go through another reincarnation in storyland at the wonderful, fictional Pierrot Jazz Club in Québec City.
For the fun of it, here’s the first talkie announcement for the original The Jazz Singer. Can the youtube generation imagine that folks once marvelled at listening to moving pictures? Ain’t life amazing?
Bonjour! R.L.Bourges,
The Photograph : Is very nice…I especially like the Native American/Aztec inspired rug on the ground. The drum is most definitely, interesting too! (The centerpiece)
R.L.Bourges said,
“I woke up on the news that the coach of that team was really great but you had to run like crazy because he was a ‘bourreau de travail‘ – a French expression meaning somebody who works himself and others to the limit…”
I immediately thought of my…father!(père!) and when it comes to your dream…“priceless.”
What a Coincidence…
…, Which brings me to today,’s Pic of the Day. I chose it because of someone’s comment yesterday about Neil Diamond…
Speaking of singer Neil Diamond, I downloaded a song entitled
Red Red Wine and someone mentioned to me that he wrote the song Red Red Wine…my response: I am not familiar with singer Neil Diamond, (music) but I am familiar with name…
…Can the youtube generation imagine that folks once marvelled at listening to moving pictures? Ain’t life amazing?
Oh! Yes, so many years from now…the next generation will probably say the same thing about the youtube generation.
Thanks, for sharing…the links,
DeeDee ;-D
DeeDee: caught you just as I was shutting down the system for the night.
I’d hardly noticed the rug, I was so focused on the drum – thanks for pointing it out.
The dream: you know, “bourreaux de travail” to me are different from workaholics (or maybe this is just a rationalization on my part, who knows?) But the way I see it, a workaholic drives himself or herself into the ground to escape something; the ‘bourreau de travail’ just loves the work more than anything else. Totally different mindset. I don’t know how you’d define your dad, or if this even makes sense? To me it does (but it’s getting late and should go eat a bite.)
That song – I didn’t know it but of course I had to google it up. It’s a sad one, specially since drinking to forget is usually a waste of good (or bad) wine.
you’re right – they’ll be saying “can you imagine? youtube. It was sooo primitive.”
Thanks for dropping by, DeeDee.
cheers to you.
Thanks for the link to the first talkie announcement. Fascinating. Funny, how Bob Dylan now has a mustache like the commentator in that announcement. There is a scene in “Masked and Anonymous” (:33)
http://www.thalia.ch/shop/home/artikeldetails/masked_and_anonymous/EAN4260057816535/ID10183245.html
where Ed Harris could well be Al Jolson. Yes, I’m a storehouse of the arcane in regard to Bob Dylan (-:
Neil Diamond is spooky. Come to think of it, Bob Dylan can be spooky, too, but he has kept my attention since I was 14 years old, and Neil Diamond hasn’t.
Kind wishes always,
am
Ed Harris is at (2:15) or (.33), depending on which place one looks.
(-:
am: “the storehouse of the arcane”. I’m laughing. I’ll just say you are my choice over Google for all things Dylan (Bob, that is).
I see what you mean about the mustache. There’s even something in the delivery, yes? (back to the first Vitaphone: don’t you love the way the man’s eyes are following the cue cards? and the fact they are clearly cue cards and not a teleprompter – the stops while he waits for the person to shuffle to the next one, the pauses on the scribbled words, and so on? (Myself, I’m a treasure trove of the arcane when it comes to facial expressions and intonations.)
Which leads us straight to the Neil Diamond in the Jazz Singer. The character is supposed to be in a recording studio. In the middle of his mournful tune, he tells the sound engineer to turn up the volume on the soundtrack??? Do we happen to know how the sound engineer is going to erase that and why the singer needs to be fiddling with the sound mix while he’s laying in the voice track??? Just askin. As for Neil Diamond himself, I never knew him so what can I say, except I’m not impressed by his vocal skills or his acting, and I can see your point about preferring Bob Dylan. (That mustache was really spooky, though. Specially with the cowboy outfit.)
End of yammer – and thanks for the opportunity to do so.
cheers to the Northwest.
Bonjour! R.L.Bourges,
R.L.Bourges said,”The dream: you know, “bourreaux de travail” to me are different from workaholics (or maybe this is just a rationalization on my part, who knows?) But the way I see it, a workaholic drives himself or herself into the ground to escape something; the ‘bourreau de travail’ just loves the work more than anything else. Totally different mindset. I don’t know how you’d define your dad, or if this even makes sense? To me it does (but it’s getting late and should go eat a bite.)”
Oh! Yes, your definition of “bourreau de travail” is…correct! Thank-you! for the clarification…Take care!
DeeDee ;-D
“bourreau de travail” vs workaholic – for me, the first is like someone who’ll take thirty years to rebuild a vineyard, and twenty more to produce well-balanced wines; the second being more someone who’ll destroy himself, his staff and his family to “prove” something nobody ever doubted in the first place – except the workaholic.
Cheers.