Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Want to Skip Reading a 799-Page Book?
You don't have to read all 799 pages of Sidney Blumenthal's The Clinton Wars. Just one worshipful passage on page 23 gives you the flavor of the entire book:
One evening, without advance notice, Clinton conducted the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. A member of the orchestra told me he was the only guest conductor they'd ever had who knew what he was doing.
I read this brief tale to a musician friend who is a retired member of the United States Marine Band, known as "The President's Own."
My anonymous "music guy" told me that, since a conductor is "basically beating time," all you really have to do as a celebrity guest conductor "is wave your hands." Nobody, other than experts, would know the difference -- "especially if the tempo is exactly the same all the way through that particular piece of music."
He also says that a real "guest conductor" would have taken part in at least one rehearsal prior to the actual performance.
All this suggests that, as a history book, The Clinton Wars will make an excellent doorstop.
|posted by Jim on 4:52 PM|
Link
. . .
|
. . .
|
