Comforting Joy

Recently your Redheads whiled away a perfectly good afternoon, in which they should have been hard at work, watching A Charlie Brown Christmas and the original (and still the best) How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Aided by the sudden rush of holiday nostalgia, and perhaps a cookie or five we decided to share some of our holiday essentials with you. As a special holiday treat just for you we've added our very first musical sound byte to the site right at the very end of this post so read on....

To Watch: Last weekend in an attempt to expand my holiday horizons I attempted to watch several made for TV holiday movies featured on certain cable networks’ as part of their All Holiday All the Time programming. Never have I seen so many movies featuring so many plucky blondes named Holly, adorable sad eyed children, and childlike yet compellingly attractive men named Nick. In one there was even a mid-air helicopter VS. reindeer chase through the skies of Mid-town Manhattan. Where IS homeland security when you need them? All of which lead me to the conclusion that my holiday horizons are just fine thank you very much, and I’ll stick with my old favorites such as…


Christmas In Connecticut Before there was a Martha Stewart there was Barbara Stanwyck’s Elizabeth Lane faking her way to the top of the homemaking heap. Funny, smart, romantic, and a great way to spend a snowbound evening.


Holiday Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant directed by George Cukor, on of my favorite movies ever. Though not technically a “Holiday” movie despite the title, a lot of the action takes place on New Years Eve so I’m counting it.


A Christmas Story A love story between a boy and his BB gun. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it, but it still makes me howl with laughter.

To Read: There comes a time each and every December when it all gets to be too too, Too many people reminding me that they had everything done by August, too many Christmas letters listing too many accomplishments for any one human being to actually have acquired over the course of one year, too many cars with Christmas wreaths on their grill attempting to run me over in the merriest way possible. When that moment arrives I turn to David Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries and Christopher Moore’s The Stupidest Angel. Nothing says peace on earth and good will to men quite like disgruntled elves and Brain eating zombie Santa Clauses.


For the sheer pleasure of reading beautiful writing there are Truman Capote’s short stories The Thanksgiving Visitor, A Christmas Memory and One Christmas.


Finally, because in my house we’re all overgrown children there are the picture books. Every year we read Amhal & the Night Visitors, Chanukah in Chelm, and Cajun Night Before Christmas.

To Hear: Every year it seems they roll out the holiday tunes earlier and earlier so that by the first of December if I hear one more version of The Christmas Song I’ll run screaming into oncoming traffic. So this year I spent some time trying to find some new favorites that you won’t be hearing over and over and over again on the department store muzak tracks.

Northern Lights is a brand spanking new album from one of my very favorite songwriters Gretchen Peters that contain several new songs alongside some interesting arrangements of more traditional pieces. A wonderful recording!


I just rediscovered a CD that my friend DC Anderson released a few years ago called All is Calm, All is Bright. In addition to being a fine singer, and having a great knack for discovering tunes off the beaten track he writes great songs! There’s not much on here that you will have heard before which is what makes it one of my favorites. It may even surprise you to see who wrote some of the material that DC didn’t. Did you know Stephen Sondheim wrote at least two Christmas songs? Do you know what they were? If you can tell me, I’ll send you a little stocking stuffer.


It’s traditional, you probably will find at least one of its tracks on the mall muzak, but I can’t help myself. I have a definite soft spot for Christmas With the Rat Pack. How can you go wrong with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Junior and Dean Martin?


Finally, a little gifty written and performed by my friend Rick Jensen called You’d Better Say Yes. This is our debut podcast on Two Well Read debut so give it a listen




Have a wonderful holiday and a joyous New Year.

XO
Wendy Lane

Fun With YouTube

With the crashing economy, bouts of sniffling sneezing, aching and general plague like symptoms, jury duty, and the fact that Miss. Laurel and I are closet political junkies we have not gotten out as much as we would like of late. I did manage to make it out to the Hampton’s Film Fest on Saturday with my friend Michelle for a premiere party Nursery U a film by entertainment lawyer turned docutmentarian Marc Simon. If you’ve ever thought about chucking it all, moving to Manhattan and enrolling your child in nursery school, see this film, and then we’ll talk. Other than that we’ve been counting our pennies, consuming chicken soup and spending countless hours shaking our first at the TV (or blog, or newspaper, or radio) and precious few getting dolled up and doing the town. Fortunately, we are not alone in this, as many of our nearest and dearest have also been sticking close to home these days, so in the spirit of public service we’ve decided to share with you our other secret passion…The wonderful world of YouTube. When we need diversion close to home we have discovered a world of fun lurking in our very own computers. It’s wacky, it’s diverse, and it’s FREE. This week Laurel and I are each sharing our current top five musical faves from the site.

The Muppets - Danny Boy: The Muppets were very big in my house growing up. Partly because my mother and Mr. Henson were both born in Mississippi, he in Greenville, and she in Hot Coffee (yes, really, I’ve been there). Mostly though they were just hysterically funny. Marvin Suggs and his amazing Muppaphone’s version of Lady of Spain was the first thing to make my son laugh uncontrollably when he was a toddler. You can catch all of Marvin’s greatest hits on YouTube too, but this clip is my absolute favorite. How can you go wrong with Beaker, the Swedish Chef, AND Animal singing Danny Boy?

Johnny Cash – Hurt: One of the final recordings of his career. Simply stunning. If you prefer your Nine Inch Nails covers with puppets there is also a version performed by Kermit the frog, not for the Sesame Street Devotee.

Bobby McFerrin – Ave Maria: The vocal is terrific, but more than that he takes the audience along with him in a wonderful moment of musical improv. While you’re there take a peek at his version of Round Midnight, and Hush Little Baby with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer. Speaking of Mr. Meyer, who appeared briefly on this page a few weeks back, there is a clip of a duet he did with Victor Wooten called Coolest Bass Duet Ever that pretty much is. YouTube videos are a lot like potato chips it’s hard to watch just one. One video leads to another and before you know it the day is gone, and you’ve got nothing to show for it except cats that won’t speak to you because you were so engrossed you forgot to feed them.

Keith Jarrett – Then I’ll Be Tired of You: His physicality is unlike any pianist I’ve ever seen, but if that’s what it takes for him to make this sort of music who cares? There are also some great clips on the site of Bill Evans.

Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt – High Sierra: Three fantastic and highly individual singers making music together.

If you want to keep going you can check out the clips of Stephen Sondheim working with the students at the Guildhall School in London (wow!), A gospel medley with Dolly Parton and Carol Burnett (Huh?), and Sarah Vaughn singing The Nearness of You (Ahhhh). Send us your favorite video from the site and we’ll enter you in this month’s 0-10 challenge where we are searching for entertainment that costs less than ten bucks. Our prize is a CD compiled especially for you of cuts by Miss. Laurel and myself. And now…take it away Laurel…..

Proust the Musical…..

We must confess to being fans of both Vanity Fair Magazine and James Lipton and his TV show Inside the Actor’s Studio. Our favorite part is the questionnaire that closes each. The questionnaire is “adapted” from French talk show host Bernard Pivot, who “adapted” it from Marcel Proust, who “adapted” it from an English source, who “adapted” it from heaven only knows. Let’s just say that the use of a questionnaire to get to know the deep inner thoughts of relative strangers has a long and distinguished history, as anyone who has ever gotten certain email forwards knows all too well. Your Redheads certainly like the idea of using a few well-worded questions to reveal their current state of mind, but felt that existing versions of it didn’t specifically address their musical needs. With a tip of our lady-like bonnets to all the sources that came before here is our more musical version.

What is your current State of Mind?

LM: Happy

WLB: Expectant Agitation

What was the first song you ever performed in public?

LM: The Ballad of Davy Crockett

WLB: Paper Roses in the third grade Talent show.

What was the first musical act you ever saw in person?

LM: Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians

WLB: The Osmonds at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA. (Give me a break, I was nine….)

What is your idea of perfect musical happiness?

LM: Perfect harmony with all

WLB: Being surrounded by musicians I love and respect to collaborate on projects that let me use my skills as a singer, writer, and creator.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of musical misery?

LM: Being prevented from doing my best

WLB: Watching other musicians have all the fun while I do the paperwork and schlep the bags.

Name three composers you wish would write a song for you?

LM: Randy Newman, Adam Guettel, and James Taylor. But if they're too busy... Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Chris Thile, Lorraine Feather, James Bassi, Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman, and Ann Hampton Callaway. And me. I wish I would, too!

WLB: I think I’m going to exceed my limit on this one, but here goes…Amanda McBroom & Michele Brourman (since they frequently write together they count as one), Gretchen Peters, Willie Nelson, Stephen Sondheim, and John Bucchino. Johnny Mercer too, but since he’s no longer among us I think he falls into a different category.

What virtue do you consider essential for every musician?

LM: Compassion

WLB: The Ability to listen

What Profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

LM: Other profession? I am completely happy being an artist, and I would
like to expand with writing and public speaking. But a different
profession? Hmmm. Chat show host? Traveling evangelist? Dog trainer?

WLB: Historian/Museum Curator

What profession would you not like to attempt?

LM: Formula One racing. Definitely.

WLB: Anything that involves being confined in a cubicle.

What is your greatest extravagance?

LM: Books and the time taken to read them.

WLB: Wildly impractical and terribly expensive shoes.

Who are your heroes in real life?

LM: Everyone who walks or stumbles though life with a measure of grace and compassion, and is able to change the lives of others for the better. Some get more publicity than others: Mother Teresa. Dr. Martin Luther King. St. Paul. Some are unknown. It might be you, beloved reader.

WLB: My mother, who taught me to love fiercely and that to survive with wit and grace, is the highest art form.

Not being content to gaze endlessly at our own navels in a fruitless search for answers we want to hear from YOU. We’re inviting you to take one or all of the questions from the questionnaire and answer them yourself, or if you’re feeling especially inspired make up your own question. Post it in our comments section and you will be eligible for our current fabulous give away. The winner, chosen at random, will get a free ticket to see the taller half of your redheads (that would be the fabulous and fierce Miss. Laurel) at Birdland in New York City on September 15th. If you don’t happen to be in the NYC area don’t let that stop you; if you’re our lucky winner we’ll send you one of Laurel’s CD’s. All entries are due by September 10th so get to questioning…..