Schwartz talks about his "bitterness"
Schwartz talks about his "bitterness"
#0Schwartz talks about his "bitterness"
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:28am
From a GlobeandMail.com article:
"That was a big deal,' Schwartz acknowledges now with a pained look, seated at a round glass table in the dining room of the two-bedroom Hell's Kitchen apartment he uses as his base in New York. "But in retrospect I'm glad about it because it completely cured me entirely of ever thinking about these things or dealing with them again. People kept saying to me this year, 'Were the Grammys fun?' [Wicked beat Avenue Q at last month's awards for Best Musical Show Album.] And I was like, I don't know, because I wasn't there, because I'm never going to another awards show as long as I live. That's it.
'I'm extremely bitter about it,' he adds, with a curdled purr. 'I'm happy to talk about it, I took it extremely personally, I consider it a personal repudiation. I'm very, very bitter and I expect to be bitter about it for the rest of my life.' Schwartz pauses, then adds, tongue-in-cheek,' he said cheerfully."
The link to the full article is below.
"Wicked" composer is bitter but better
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
#1re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:35am
He walked out of the Tonys after he lost. He should have taken the high road and stayed. I guess he wasn't even there to see Idina win. It is ashame that he lost but I feel that the winner last year should have been Tesori for Caroline if not Schwartz. Very ambitious and good score. I listen to both of the OBCRs. Don't own Avenue Q and never will. Just don't care for it.
Just give the world Love.
Updated On: 3/13/05 at 11:35 AM
#2re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:37amif you ask me, he should just accept it like a man that he didn't win, many other people who have lost awards did
"It's a great feeling of power to be naked in front of people. We're happy to watch actual incredible graphic violence and gore, but as soon as somebody's naked it seems like the public goes a bit bananas about the whole thing."
judy_in_disguise
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/31/04
#3re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:38am
Wicked didn't deserve to win. If Schwartz couldn't see that his score was schmaltzy and frivolous, he's got other stuff to work out.
Wicked is entertaining but by no means the breakthrough musical of our time. Get over it.
Blue J
Featured Actor Joined: 1/31/05
#4re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:39am
Shouldn't it just be an honor to be nominated in the first place? As cliche as this sounds, winning really isn't everything.
Updated On: 3/13/05 at 11:39 AM
Corine2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/14/03
TheGaIsSilent
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/25/04
#6re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:43amjudy, while I agree that Wicked's score isn't the strongest score in the world, MANY Tony voters have gone on record saying they were swayed by the fact that Q said it was touring as well, and that's why they voted for it.
JOHN LITHGOW
I just realized, your last name is Butz! Both "Norbert" AND "Butz" are in your name! You must have gotten picked on a lot as a child!
#7re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:44amexactly Blue J!
"It's a great feeling of power to be naked in front of people. We're happy to watch actual incredible graphic violence and gore, but as soon as somebody's naked it seems like the public goes a bit bananas about the whole thing."
whatyouown223
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/4/05
#8re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:45amI don't know, I really don't care for Avenue Q's score. I mean, it's fun, but there's nothing groundbreaking about it. I did like Wicked's score better. Avenue's book's better, but I like the score to Wicked better.
Matt_G
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/1/04
#9re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 11:56am
I don't think either of them deserved to win. The best new musical of last year was CAROLINE, OR CHANGE.
If Schwartz wants to be a little bitch about losing than let him. Does he think that people are going to have more respect for him after saying something like that?
"Noah, someday we'll talk again. But there's things we'll never say. That sorrow deep inside you. It inside me, too. And it never go away. You be okay. You'll learn how to lose things..."
whatyouown223
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/4/05
#10re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:00pmI never got into Caroline. I saw the CD, but I was like "$24.95, screw it!", so I just never found out about it. I wish I had, though.
Corine2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/14/03
#11re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:02pmDrop it. Jeff Marx won. And i am still doing a happy dance.
TheGaIsSilent
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/25/04
#12re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:02pm
::shivers at the thought of Caroline winning a Tony for Best Score::
ugh.
JOHN LITHGOW
I just realized, your last name is Butz! Both "Norbert" AND "Butz" are in your name! You must have gotten picked on a lot as a child!
riv
Leading Actor Joined: 3/6/05
#13re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:12pm
Mr. Schwartz was well within his rights to walk and his bitterness is completely understandable. Wicked is a Broadway musical. Avenue Q is a glorified revue.
I have no problem with young writers cutting their teeth on such material, but let's see what Lopez & Marx come up with next. Show us what you can REALLY do.
Updated On: 3/13/05 at 12:12 PM
#14re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:13pmI second what Matt_G said. does he think that saying this is gonna get him pity from friends? he should be happy he got a nomination! being a nominee for a Tony award is no joke and a real honor. So he should shut up. (that was aggressive...)
"It's a great feeling of power to be naked in front of people. We're happy to watch actual incredible graphic violence and gore, but as soon as somebody's naked it seems like the public goes a bit bananas about the whole thing."
TheGaIsSilent
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/25/04
#15re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:15pmSally, I disagree. These days, all you have to do is write a non-awful score and you're gonna get a nomination.
JOHN LITHGOW
I just realized, your last name is Butz! Both "Norbert" AND "Butz" are in your name! You must have gotten picked on a lot as a child!
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#16re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:16pm
He needs to go to the recently opened "Frank Wildhorn Turn The Other Cheek & Smile While Being Crapped All Over" school.
The Oscars never gave an award to Hitckcock or Cary Grant or Richard Burton . O Toole had to get a lifetime achievement award. Susan Lucci stuck in there. Steve, if you cannot take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Them's the breaks Stevo
Poster Emeritus
#17re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:17pmok, so I guess there have been nominations that aren't really fair and undeserving, but I'm sure you can't help but feel honored if you've have a nomination, even if it is for something not bad
"It's a great feeling of power to be naked in front of people. We're happy to watch actual incredible graphic violence and gore, but as soon as somebody's naked it seems like the public goes a bit bananas about the whole thing."
Mythus
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/16/04
#18re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:17pmJeez, somebody's a sore loser. Not getting an award doesn't mean your music is terrible - just like getting an award doesn't necessarily mean it's good. I think I like Schwartz even less now, if possible.
#19re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:18pm
How is "Avenue Q" a glorified revue? It is a full fledged Broadway musical. It has characters, a plot (and a damn good and funny one), and a great score. Revue's are basically just concerts with choreography.
AVENUE Q has something that WICKED doesn't...an ORIGINAL CONCEPT. Wicked took a book and added some music. AVENUE Q was a simple thought in the minds of the composers that blossomed into a wonderful Broadway musical. Please do NOT refer to it as a "glorified revue" because it is not.
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
Updated On: 3/13/05 at 12:18 PM
#20re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:19pm
FOAnatic, I agree with you there, but I just gotta thread jack really quickly and say that I think Wicked would have done better with its book if they stayed more with the original novel
ok end of thread jack, sorry
"It's a great feeling of power to be naked in front of people. We're happy to watch actual incredible graphic violence and gore, but as soon as somebody's naked it seems like the public goes a bit bananas about the whole thing."
riv
Leading Actor Joined: 3/6/05
#21re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:20pm
As if the creators of Avenue Q never saw or heard of Sesame Street. Yes, it was certainly a completely original concept.
Sure. Right. Okay.
Updated On: 3/13/05 at 12:20 PM
Mythus
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/16/04
#22re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:21pmAvenue Q is in the style of Sesame Street, not based on it. Big Bird never shows up.
#23re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:23pm
It was an original concept for Broadway. Nothing like that had ever been done. It's pretty damn easy to day..."Hey, nice book. I think I'll write some music for it and call it a musical." Instead the Q creators said "Hey, let's take this concept that had never been tried on Broadway and write a COMPLETELY ORIGNAL BOOK AND SCORE FOR IT! We'll actually use our brains to write a story ourselves and not one that's already written for us."
good one, riv.
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
TheGaIsSilent
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/25/04
#24re: Schwartz talks about his 'bitterness'
Posted: 3/13/05 at 12:24pm::giggles at the thought of Big Bird making an appearance during "You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want"::
JOHN LITHGOW
I just realized, your last name is Butz! Both "Norbert" AND "Butz" are in your name! You must have gotten picked on a lot as a child!
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