Issue 93
News: Derekaxe contra Wagner.
Earlier in the week, there came the 157th Anniversary of the premiere of Lohengrin. Many people know about the opera for two pieces: Its overture and, to a larger extent, a piece popularly referred to as "The Bridal Chorus" or "The Wedding March". One fact I learned is that the church of which I am a de facto member (even if my family has since avoided it in recent years like the plague) has officially denounced it for a large variety of reasons, none of which include the reason I have for hating the piece (stumbling upon the article has caused me to add a note in my "Catch the Wind" treatment advising against using the piece in the mock-wedding ceremony). While I disapprove of the institution of marriage in general (a fact which has not deterred me from becoming ordained in the Universal Life Church [I joined primarily because the Beatles were also ministers and to shut up people who think I am not qualified to talk about religion like I do], which gives me the authority to marry people), the use of Wagner's Bridal Chorus is one of the biggest problems I, personally, have with marriage. For me this is not because of Wagner's virulent anti-semitism (which he, fortunately, kept separate from his work in music as far as we know) which borders on proto-Naziism, but because of the unfortunate context in which it was originally placed in the opera (contrary to the LCMS FAQ writer's claims). In the original context, it was in the processional to the bridal chambers (as opposed to the processional towards the altar), which would have merely raised my eyebrows; What really irks me is that, soon after the song is over, said marriage turns out to be a complete failure. Similarly, the song "I will always love you" (as popularized by Whitney Houston), "the song" of countless couples since 1990's The Bodyguard, is about a bitter breakup, which even Whitney Houston acknowledged. (Whatever happened to songs like "Lady in Red" or "Bette Davis Eyes"?) So, there you have it; Odds are, the music that accompanied you to the altar was merely written as a prelude for disaster.
Bandname of the Day: Dr. Acula, from a film and character title envisioned by Ed Wood Jr.
Film idea of the Day: None
Film Review of the Day: Ed Wood. I saw this film a few days ago, and Johnny Depp's performance shows me the kind of man I see myself becoming in 15 years: an artist who creates art by following his heart in the most bizarre way possible, maybe even with ex-stars popularly believed to be dead.
Quote of the Day: "I don't have a girlfriend. I just know a woman who would be really mad to hear me say that."
____Mitch Hedberg.
Link of the Day: Want to take care of a Born-Again Christian's pets after the Rapture? Go Here. If not, go here anyway and get a few laughs.
Tract Review: There Go The Dinosaurs. Jack's in(s)ane view of the extinction of dinosaurs. They were not destroyed by climate changes brought by a comet, but by a combination of hunting by humans and post-flood changes in the air which somehow didn't affect any other type of animals. This is what Chick (and his scientific "source", Kent Hovind), even after it has been effectively refuted numerous times, seriously believes.
Earlier in the week, there came the 157th Anniversary of the premiere of Lohengrin. Many people know about the opera for two pieces: Its overture and, to a larger extent, a piece popularly referred to as "The Bridal Chorus" or "The Wedding March". One fact I learned is that the church of which I am a de facto member (even if my family has since avoided it in recent years like the plague) has officially denounced it for a large variety of reasons, none of which include the reason I have for hating the piece (stumbling upon the article has caused me to add a note in my "Catch the Wind" treatment advising against using the piece in the mock-wedding ceremony). While I disapprove of the institution of marriage in general (a fact which has not deterred me from becoming ordained in the Universal Life Church [I joined primarily because the Beatles were also ministers and to shut up people who think I am not qualified to talk about religion like I do], which gives me the authority to marry people), the use of Wagner's Bridal Chorus is one of the biggest problems I, personally, have with marriage. For me this is not because of Wagner's virulent anti-semitism (which he, fortunately, kept separate from his work in music as far as we know) which borders on proto-Naziism, but because of the unfortunate context in which it was originally placed in the opera (contrary to the LCMS FAQ writer's claims). In the original context, it was in the processional to the bridal chambers (as opposed to the processional towards the altar), which would have merely raised my eyebrows; What really irks me is that, soon after the song is over, said marriage turns out to be a complete failure. Similarly, the song "I will always love you" (as popularized by Whitney Houston), "the song" of countless couples since 1990's The Bodyguard, is about a bitter breakup, which even Whitney Houston acknowledged. (Whatever happened to songs like "Lady in Red" or "Bette Davis Eyes"?) So, there you have it; Odds are, the music that accompanied you to the altar was merely written as a prelude for disaster.
Bandname of the Day: Dr. Acula, from a film and character title envisioned by Ed Wood Jr.
Film idea of the Day: None
Film Review of the Day: Ed Wood. I saw this film a few days ago, and Johnny Depp's performance shows me the kind of man I see myself becoming in 15 years: an artist who creates art by following his heart in the most bizarre way possible, maybe even with ex-stars popularly believed to be dead.
Quote of the Day: "I don't have a girlfriend. I just know a woman who would be really mad to hear me say that."
____Mitch Hedberg.
Link of the Day: Want to take care of a Born-Again Christian's pets after the Rapture? Go Here. If not, go here anyway and get a few laughs.
Tract Review: There Go The Dinosaurs. Jack's in(s)ane view of the extinction of dinosaurs. They were not destroyed by climate changes brought by a comet, but by a combination of hunting by humans and post-flood changes in the air which somehow didn't affect any other type of animals. This is what Chick (and his scientific "source", Kent Hovind), even after it has been effectively refuted numerous times, seriously believes.
Labels: Marriage, Music, Tract Reviews
posted by DerekAxe at 9:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home