"is it live ... or is it memorex?"
ah, the days of memorable ad campaigns.
so that’s the third concert in the past couple weeks advertised or at least intimated as live, via live stream. but no no no. in reality, i ended up paying for a pre-recorded and edited performance. some mistakes probably edited out. this one was a wynton marsalis debut from strathmore, but over the last couple of weeks the same happened with both the baltimore symphony and the national symphony orchestras. not gonna lie, takes away from the total experience. if i am expecting a live concert, even virtually, and it’s not live, then i’m gonna be disappointed. plus live is so different. immediate. dangerous. more fun. love (some) concert films, but there’s nothing like a live show and even if it’s a not-in-person-live show, differs from anything recorded. better. in a lot of ways. raw. not shined up. you get to see all the bad burrs and paint scratches. which is what i find really interesting. and oh shit, the washington post printed an article about live in-person versus live streaming. whole other discussion.
but yeah, it does bother me that it wasn’t live. the music itself, played by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet — marsalis’s new Democracy! Suite — was pretty great. he dedicated one movement to john baptiste. which makes me happy. not just cause of the julliard/ny connection, but also the new orleans connection and the music as language connection. cause also i think john baptiste is really great. and if someone as super duper great as wynton marsalis thinks so too, it validates my opinion a little more. which is completely opposite of how i view art. strange.
just have to take extra vigilance when i buy a streaming ticket from now on. and assume that it’s not live. be surprised if it is.
a halloween display down the street
trying to prepare myself for a possible loss on tuesday. could foretell the biggest change in american history since the civil war. or (and i really don’t consider this melodramatic) the end of american history. on edge, just like everyone else. all assurances of democracy (an illusion anyway) and that i will be physically/psychically ok are bullshit. and that’s the new reality. a reality that black and brown people have known forever. if he doesn’t win, no matter how much they cheat and scheme, then there’s hope. if he wins, no matter how he does it, i think we throw in the towel for the country as a whole. start planning for our local and state community. focus on what we can affect.
cool halloween decorations this year. a memorial to people dead from covid, a presidential debate, etc. really another way to get your creativity out which is cool, however you can get that out in everyday life, more power to you.
crossing fingers/toes/legs/anything and hoping. also planning outdoor hikes this week, cause whichever way it goes, i will need some distance between ‘civilization’ and my brain.