Riedel- Songwriters of today on their favorite Tin Pan Alley standards

[jv92]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:25pm

Michael Riedel has decided to avoid writing a collumn about the across the board pans for Grease (Which would have been a smart move on his part.) and instead has given us a very nice piece about the favorite songs from Tin Pan Alley of Alan Menken, Marc Shaiman, Stephen Schwartz, Duncan Sheik and others. It is a lovely collumn, but my one question is why he has ignored Scott Frankel and Michael Korie, who surely had to listen to some Tin Pan Alley in order to create the score for Grey Gardens' first act. I think they could have shed some more interesting light on the topic than Duncan Sheik.
Article

[justme2]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:33pm

My guess is that Korie and Frankel want nothing to do with Reidel following his vicious attack on the producers that brought their show to Broadway.

[jv92]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:35pm

Well then, why aren't they miffed with Chrisine Ebersole who said that the show closed because of the Gondas and because of their mismanagement? Maybe they are, though I don't think so.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:37pm

love Duncan's little History Boys love note!

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:38pm

Join the debate on ATC about Duncan Shiek's idiocy!

[jv92]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:38pm

That little History Boy note, unfortunately, made him look rather ignorant. I mean, come on! It's Bewitched for christssakes! Who hasn't heard that song? He had to wait for History Boys to hear it?!
And I might just join ATC to diss Duncan. I mean, he's nice and all, but come on! It's not an obscure song! Updated On: 8/22/07 at 02:38 PM

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:40pm

It is a bit ridic, but hey, better late than never!

[jv92]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:46pm

What was the line that he thought was so romantic? The pants line? Come on. Larry Hart's been more romantic than that.

[justme2]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:51pm

Since I don't know these guys personally, I can't tell you if they are miffed about Christine's rather terrible attitude of late. I am only giving my guess as to why they aren't included in Reidel's column.

[jv92]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 2:58pm

Believe me, if you knew what the Gondas did to Christine Ebersole, you'd understand why she has a terrible attitude. And it isn't really a terrible attitude anyway.

[justme2]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:08pm

I listened to that interview she gave on this site...saying that "some people think just cause they have money they can do whatever they want for a week" (paraphrased). I also did a bit of research on EOD when Reidel started in on them, and couldn't understand where the comments about them just "playing around" with broadway came from. They have quite a lot of shows under their belt, as well as community programs in both NY and LA.

Now, I completely agreed with her comments about mismanagement of the show...but the rest of it sounds like a personal fight and it's a bit distasteful to air that in public...through Reidel and interviews.

I've been of fan of this actress for years, but her attitude has, MY OPINION, of course, been distasteful and, yes, terrible.


So it would be no surprise to me that Korie and Frankel might want to distance themselves from such a display.

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 4:01pm

I actually liked the article. Kind of interesting to hear what the greats of today liked about the greats of yesterday.

Loved the line about "someone to watch over me"...

[justme2]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 4:14pm

I loved whoever it was that said they enjoyed the "never, never" repeating lines of Gershwin and how almost sad it make the lyric. So true and everyone had great choices!

Posted: 8/22/07 at 4:25pm

Great article and yeah, you wonder where Duncan's been when he's never heard "Bewitched" before- Not by Ella, Frank, Blossom, Tony or even Rod Stewart and a couple hundred more.

But he's right- I do think it's one of the greats. And while I love the "Pants" line I prefer "I couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep, and slept a few places I shouldn't sleep." Ooh, or "He's a Laugh, but I love it, because the laugh's on me."

Larry Hart is such a genius.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 4:43pm

He's heard it before. I wish he would give up this whole "I never knew anything about showtunes before the gods of the theater called to me" thing. You'd think he had his head buried in the sand for the last three decades. He just makes himself look stupid...

Yeah Larry Hart was quite good... I don't know if I think of him as one of Broadway's great romanticists though! He was much too clever and sarcastic. Although if we're talking unrequited romance...

I wish he had asked some people like Guettel and LaChiusa too. I think Riedel's focus was on composers who have things coming up though.

Posted: 8/22/07 at 5:01pm

I know Sondheim never misses a chance to complain about Hart's "too clever" lyrics but the things he does with language, with meter, with rhyme- God I love him!

I can not recommend Ella Fitzgerald's Rogers & Hart Songbook enough- so many brilliant songs! If you want to talk great Sad lyrics I love "Glad to be Unhappy" (Frank Sinatra's favorite song)

"Fools rush in, so here I stand,
so very glad to be unhappy...
Unrequited loves a bore,
And Ive got it pretty bad.
But for someone you adore,
Its a pleasure to be sad"

Or how about this one:
"Once I laughed when I heard you saying
That I'd be playing solitaire
Uneasy in my easy chair
It never entered my mind

And once you told me I was mistaken
That I'd awaken with the sun
And ordered orange juice for one
It never entered my mind
You had what I lack, myself
Now I even have to scratch my back myself"

[jv92]

Posted: 1/21/08 at 9:23pm

Glad to be Unhappy might be my favorite Rodgers and Hart song. It also makes me rather sad. Anytime I hear it I think of Larry Hart, the brilliant little tourtured man that he was, sitting in an alley, drinking his sorrows away just hours before his death. Can't You Do a Friend a Favor also makes me quite sad as well.
Sondheim also picks of Hart's syntax which can be sloppy- "I know a movie executive who's twice as bright", but aside from Sondheim himself, I can't think of anyone else who's syntax is always perfect.