You’re going to scoop just what you sow
You know how you have this old friend you’ve known for 20 years now, who’s always been a little nuts, or gets a little high, or just is, you know, eccentric, but in a way that is so clueless that it’s kind of endearing? Someone you can count on for a laugh, because you always can say, “Oh, no, not that again?”
And then one day they get married or get religion or get a job or just, you know, grow up, and, while, in absolute terms, obviously there’s a lot more peace and contentment there, and you’re happy for them, really you are, but at the same time, deep down in your heart, you go, “Oh, but I do miss some of the shit that crazy bitch used to do!”
La Cieca is not talking about Lou Reed.
Yeah, Farrell was really something. And her pop/jazz outings were even better than this clip when she had a real jazz group behind her, rather than this soupy erstaz Nelson Riddle/Montavani ensemble. My favorite Farrell anecdote (and I hope it’s true, not apocryphal): asked what she liked to do best, she replied: “Fuck, eat, and sing.” Rock on, Eileen.
I was wondering when the “F”-word would come up regarding Farrell. Every oldtimer I have EVER spoken to has always had a “When Eileen Farrell said F@@k” story to tell me. The time she didn’t like the dress in Ariadnen etc. Ad infinitum
In the aforementioned tale of my meeting with her, she did NOT employ that verb, much to my relief. Knowing she had that tendency toward this word made me keep the dialogue within rather tame.parameters.
Come to think of it, she did curse out the Staten Island ferry, though.
No blarney stone for Eileen!
Here, watch this.
Her French is strange — combo of sophistication and basic mistakes. And her accent is very good at moments and then slips into American tourist. As ever, the woman puzzles me!
Well, I’m amazed. Imagine the confidence it takes to have a conversation with a native speaker. Whenever I speak to a native speaker, in a language that is foreign to me, I feel naked. She looks very comfortable.
There’s no doubt that the woman is a professional. And she ain’t dumb. She runs a very successful business, after all.
Not keen on either of them – they both sound like they’re having a tough time. Fleming wins because at least she isnt’ entirely deadpan.
I think she deserves credit for that interview in French – sure, the accent comes in and out of focus, and she makes mistakes, but she is perfectly understandable and it’s nicer to watch than it would be if she spoke in English and they have subtitles or a voiceover.
I don’t really understand this ‘Diva next door’ thing people accuse her of trying to be – most of the time, she seems to be wearing couture and is plastered in jewels that must cost something into 6 figures, and she speaks intelligently about her art, rather than reducing it to the lowest common denominator.
Love that Farrell clip – like Kashania, I’ve read a lot of times how great she was at this repertoire, but that’s the first time I’ve ever heard it. Wonderful.
Cocky, I am with you on not understanding the ‘Diva next door,’ or ‘America’s
diva’ thing. It has all the earmarks of a PR stunt. And it is not needed and adds nothing. In recent years Fleming has calmed down and is singing exceedingly well and behaving herself musically. I think she feels Time taking a hand, and she wants to end honorably — which for my money she is doing, in spades.
I will offer a minority view of Farrell. I did not like her in the least. She was a bulldozer singer — all sound and no art, or very little art. I heard her Gioconda live in Chicago – boring, no spin, no anguish — nothing, just loud rich sound that carried no message. The voice lacked a good dynamic — she would most often go from f. to pp. with nothing in between — it drove me nuts. You hear it on all her recordings. IN addition to all this, she was a really dumb woman, and used vulgarity and dirty jokes in place of charm. I have little to say for her as an artist, but this is undeniable — like it or not, she had one helluva voice.
So now Renee’is being canned for speaking French like ‘an American Tourist’? THE LADY IS SHE NOT, – AN AMERICAN! JJJEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
SO do we go back now and expect all those other ‘foreign divas’ that ever arrived on some shore…. to speak the most ‘Perfect English’ with no asides to cross terms / ‘quick short cuts with colloquialisms /phrases from their own native language’. Gee some people are f##king hypocrites here, it is like watching someone enjoying tearing the wings off a bird! It is SICK!
Then they want to accuse Renee’ Fleming ‘of creating the girl next door’ diva. Just exactly HOW did she personally achieve THAT? If anyone is familiar with opera training, study and a career – they do not have the time to go around personally ‘creating such images’.
Some may say they ’see nothing’ in her voice: well I am sorry to inform: that there are others like myself that hear and feel a great deal more of what she conveys in singing. Yes genuine human emotion – far more than some of the other current divas, they may care and rave about, to mention.
I will let those that don’t know… into a simple childish fact. It is the detractors that snark and ridicule singers,that reinforce some ‘particular image idea’ to grow ;and for it to be then used – against them. Renee’ does not have a weight problem , her voice (regrettably to some posters) is standing up extremely well to the rigors of being a 50 year old singer!), she does not ‘have a news press’ of anything but graciousness to the public, she doesn’t fly into fits of rage and walk out and cancel…..now then- I would like to know ‘what’s the ‘bug’ down their strides, making those detractors frustrated and so irritable’?
Fleming is also criticized with ‘appearing with the likes of ‘downmarket Reed’….A person like some many other geriatric rockers of the protest days who gave ‘their last performance’ the day they started. Now they belatedly have to earn their retirement home fees ; hand to mouth with ‘every gig’ they get. Well opera singers are sometimes for all sorts of diplomatic reasons asked ‘via polite invitations’ to help out and appear at functions that are normally not ‘their bag’……..or some music charity event mixing with ‘extremely less talented people’. Do you expect them to ’stack on a temper turn, and scream that they will not mix or be associated being on the same stage as ‘that musical filth’?
It is part and parcel of ’steady as it goes’ not just an operatic artist or someone who is a crack violinist or conductor, or pianist BUT in any career you care to mention.
I>E ‘Strange associations’? Let’s think back….: Take the classic case of George London when he was appearing in Boris Godounov in Russia at the time of the October Missiles crisis………… Bet you are all glad now that he was willing to do more, than ‘just sing on the stage’. Look it up… if you are too young to remember.
You’re going to scoop? Just what, you sow?!!
Brilliant!
“Youuuuuuuuuu’re gunnna reaaaaaaaaaaaap wuuuuuuut ya sooooooooow!AH!”
Considering that Renee Fleming probably doesn’t use French to communicate all the time, this sounds fantastic. Remember all the non-English speaking divas and divos she interviews at the Met broadcasts: their English is certainly not any better than her French.
On a separate note, this was filmed in her flat in Paris.