Bono’s White House Speech As Book

A speech U2 frontman Bono made at the White House in 2005 will be published as a book this coming April.

The idea to re-imagine Bono’s speech came from editor David Moberg of the W Publishing Group, a Christian publisher based in Nashville. Moberg said that he was “very motivated after hearing Bono speak and asked myself how we could help. We’re honored to publish this book and assist in whatever way we can with Bono’s efforts on behalf of the ONE campaign.”

On the Move: A Speech By Bono will include Bono’s 2005 White House address on poverty and AIDs as well as related photos the musician has taken over the years.

Find out more about the One Campaign here. Read a related piece at NME here.

Sweet Dreams

By Tony Buchsbaum

I remember the moment in late 2005 when I saw the trailer. It wasn’t a visual that caught me, but a single note, repeated like a pealing bell, followed by a few lines of lyric. It was a snippet of Jennifer Holliday’s performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” from the Broadway cast recording of Dreamgirls. It took another year, but the film has finally arrived, and it’s just about perfect.

Director and screenwriter Bill Condon, who, according to legend, saw the musical on opening night in December of 1981, has managed to capture the magic, the movement and the awesome emotional power of the show, which focuses on three young Midwest singers—a la The Supremes—who dream of the big-time and find it in a Detroit-based music producer a la Berry Gordy. While not really a Supremes biopic, Dreamgirls does seem to veer awfully close, not that it matters to anyone except Diana Ross. But Supremes or not, Dreamgirls is an unrelenting, unapologetic, unforgettable entertainment, a musical that returns the origins of black-flavored pop and R&B to the fore, giving them their rightful place in the history of American Music.

Now, as wonderful as Condon’s work here, that alone is not what makes Dreamgirls so dreamy. That distinction goes to the cast. Beyoncé Knowles stars as Deena Jones, and though the singer’s onstage persona is absent, she knows what of she acts. Beyoncé, you might recall, was the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, which found itself on the “broken up” road paved by Diana Ross and her galpals way back when. Beyoncé does an amazing job here, in her first starring role. She inhabits Deena in a way that’s almost creepy, and you believe every moment of it. She’s really just a hometown girl caught in a glamorous whirlwind, and though she enjoys it, she also feels terribly out of place.

Anika Noni Rose plays Lorrell, one of Deena’s partners in song. A real Broadway star, she made her name in Caroline, Or Change as the daughter of the lead. She was indelible then, as now.

Jennifer Hudson plays Effie White, the character made famous by Holliday. Arguably based on ex-Supreme Florence Ballard, Effie is ousted from the Dreams just as they achieve the success she’s always wanted for them. Growing up, she’d been the lead singer, only to be replaced by Deena earlier. Freshly booted, she sings the pivotal song, “And I Am Telling You,” and gives the kind of performance that actors can only dream of. I say actors, not singers, but even though Hudson certainly sings the song, it’s her acting that nails its built-in emotion, its by-design ferocity. People have compared Hudson’s performance to Barbra Streisand’s in Funny Girl—and believe me, I’m a huge fan of that performance—but I’d say that undercuts it somewhat. Remember that Streisand had mastered Fanny Brice on Broadway for quite some time. Hudson had no such time to hone in on Effie. Hers, here, is a brave, ballsy powerhouse that gives Dreamgirls its center. Hers is the performance you’ll talk about when you leave the theater—and it’s not even Hudson’s only knockout. Stay for the second act and pay attention to “I Am Changing,” in which Hudson somehow manages to equal the former song’s longing and glory note for note.

If Effie is the damaged-then-resurrected soul of Dreamgirls, its dark and lost core is James “Thunder” Early, played to perfection by Eddie Murphy. Early is an amalgam of James Brown and Ray Charles and others, a true original who nevertheless sees the world pass him by in favor of others. Even though he gives the young girls—known as the Dreamettes—their big break as backup singers, they eclipse him easily, so much so that he becomes, if not a hanger-on, then a past association that stays close, like a remora scavenging for scraps. Murphy is a revelation in this film, a powerful singer and an even more powerful performer. Early’s early, almost naïve, enthusiasm morphs into a realization that he’s done, and when there’s no other savior but heroin, he goes willingly. Murphy’s work here is not about his singing and not even about his dialogue, but about his eyes, his expressions. The feeling is not that he’s acting this, but that he’s living it. Fine irony, then, that this may bring his talent to a new audience, one who doesn’t know from Saturday Night Live and Beverly Hills Cop.

Jamie Foxx, as Curtis Taylor, manager of The Dreams, does a fine job, as well, although the role is pretty thankless. Taylor has a couple of good songs, and Foxx has commented that he doesn’t put his all into singing them because Taylor isn’t a singer. But to me, this is a gross misunderstanding of what musicals are all about. They’re not meant to be logical; they’re meant to be magical. If the songs of Dreamgirls were all performed onstage, he’d have a point, but many are not. He should have given this his all, as the rest of the cast did. If there’s a wrong note here, Foxx is it.

The music of Dreamgirls—featuring several new songs—has been recreated by The Underdogs, acting as producers. Their work here revitalizes songs that were wonderfully vital to start with, giving them a new edge, a new relevance to today’s audiences.

Naturally, there’s a Dreamgirls CD—two, in fact. The single disc features most of the key songs, and the two-disc version features everything. Which one you get depends on how obsessed you are.

If you’re really obsessed, make sure you pick up the remastered Original Broadway Cast recording, as well. There are some newly-released tracks, as well as a second disc of sing-along tracks that you’ll probably never bother with. Still, the new tracks are more than worth the cost.

Dreamgirls, originally created onstage by Michael Bennett, finally makes it to the movies, and it’s as dazzling as it should be. And as if that weren’t enough, by making new stars of Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy, it’s certainly earned its place in cinema history.

Slow Motion Walter and the Fire Engine Guys

In the 1980s, a friend of mine was in a cover band. (Wasn’t everybody in a cover band in the 80s?)

So he’s at the mic one night, and a woman comes up to him between songs and asks that the band play “Slow Motion Walter And The Fire Engine Guys.”

“Sorry,” my friend says, “we totally don’t know that one.”

“C’mon,” she insists. “Everyone knows that song.”

He looked at her blankly and repeated that he didn’t. “But if you hum a few bars...”

And she did. And he realized he did know the song after all because she was clearly humming the first few distinctive power chords of Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.”

The fact is, as long as songwriters have been hanging words onto tunes, people have been getting them wrong. It’s hard sometimes to figure out exactly what was said, especially in these days when liner notes aren’t always part of the package (like when the package is a little white rectangle just a few inches square). So what’s a music lover to do?

If an Internet connection is handy, the answer to your lyrical questions are just a few keystrokes away. Lyricsfreak.com is a kick-ass repository of answers to all your questions, with a database of bands from ABBA to Zurdock and all the lyrics to all the songs, and even some good biographical information to back a lot of it up. The site is clear, easy to use and free.

Herbert von Karajan in Rehearsal and Performance

Herbert von Karajan in Rehearsal and Performance
Weiner Symphoniker and Berlin Philharmoniker
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
EuroArts, 2006.

Reviewed by Pedro Blas Gonzalez

At the start of these two performances we see Karajan in casual clothes. He is wearing a black turtleneck and matching slacks as he leads the Weiner Symphony in rehearsal of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. The music begins and then suddenly the conductor motions the musicians to stop. He addresses them: “The piece begins slowly, heavily. That’s the atmosphere at the beginning.” This is Karajan the teacher. He then goes on: “So don’t begin with an accent. Give yourselves time, till the double basses come in.”

Herbert von Karajan in Rehearsal and Performanc forms part of Stanford University’s “Conductors on Film Collection.” This series of filmed rehearsals includes over 250 conductors who have been filmed over the last century. This particular film is a collaboration between Karajan and French film director, Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907-1977). Clouzot is best known for making such films as Manon in 1951, Wages of Fear in 1953 and Diabolique in 1955.

The orchestra begins to play once again, but once more, the conductor halts its progress. He doesn’t particularly like its sound. This is vintage Karajan, the Teutonic perfectionist. This rehearsal dates from November 1965 when Karajan was arguably still creating a reputation for himself. Today, some 41 years later, his name is legendary in classical music circles. Karajan raises his hands, the orchestra plays and the venerable conductor’s head begins to sway ever so gently -- approvingly -- feeling the music, it seems, but then… “I cannot stress often enough the importance of these two crescendos. So don’t bring out the note too fast; prepare it.”

It is one thing to witness Karajan conducting in a concert hall, but another altogether to sample his rigor as a teacher. He is totally in control, yet he bargains with the orchestra: “Just let me have this detail.” Henri-Georges Clouzot’s direction turns this otherwise mere rehearsal into a drama. His black and white photography retains an imaginative flair. Make no mistake about it, these two Karajan rehearsals are drama in more ways than we first realize. Clouzot’s photography, with its quasi chiaroscuro accent dictates the mood of these films. After a while we come to recognize Karajan’s emphasis on the visual component of the music that he is trying to objectify.

The first rehearsal is an interesting and moving portrayal of Schumann’s romantic music, but it is equally important in the vital passion that goes into its presentation. This rehearsal is almost like an interview with Karajan where the viewer gets to pick his artistic mind. Throughout the many stop and go sequences, we are privy to the musical acumen and idiosyncratic quirks of a master at work. I am willing to suggest that this film should be required viewing for leaders of any staple: industry, education, culture, etc. Ironically, the musical component of the rehearsal alone is a joy to watch for fans of Karajan’s approach.

The rehearsal of Beethoven’s 5th symphony was recorded in January of 1966. This portion begins with an interview. When asked why he has taken the trouble to go through with these filmed rehearsals, the conductor answers: “It’s a confession to myself and to the audience about what most deeply moves us, and how we can realize it. The sometimes much misunderstood profession of conductor probably suffers from a false perspective: people think they stand there and conduct a bit and none of the musicians are really watching. I want to show how much work and concentration go into it and how even the spoken word gives the musician an idea of how the deeper meaning of a composition is to be found in the score.” Then his perspicuity for contemporary culture makes itself known: “It’s a trend of our time to want to know exactly how something is done. The Americans put it like this: ‘I want to sit in the cockpit.’”

Then Karajan, in a prophetic piece of advice for us today in the video era argues that in these rehearsals the viewer gets to see “how hard it is to make music and above all the beauty with which it’s done.” He also argues that these rehearsals add “to an optical interpretation of what is heard.” The irony here is that while popular music which is solely geared toward making a visual “statement” and that lacks all semblance of musical rigor and/or musicianship, it is classical music that benefits most from being seen in all its complexity and grandeur. Ever the showman, Karajan places this music on a pedestal to be enjoyed for posterity.

These rehearsals showcase Karajan as dramatic personae. Yet the film is ultimately about how difficult this music is to compose and perform.

Pedro Blas Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Barry University in Miami, Florida. Amongst his intellectual pursuits is his interest in the relationship that exists between subjectivity, self-autonomy and philosophy.