Parody – Politics Plus

Open Thread November 1 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 012026

Yesterday, the radio opera was “I Pagliacci” by Ruggero Leoncavallo – although these days they are calling it just “Pagliacci” which I’m not happy about – theres a difference betwen “Clowns” and “The Clowns”, and I think the latter is more appropriate for “This one particular troupe of Clowns.” I’s in the verismo style, characterized by telling stories pf ordinary working class people, and usually violence. Most of my lifetime the tradition was to present Pagliacci in a double bill with “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Pietro Mascagni – butin about the last 25 years or so, both of those have been more often paired with a different short opera, and today it was played by itself. I have heard it often enough – and there is enough distasteful subject matter in it, that, although I set myalarm in time to get up andhear it, when thealarmwent ogg I decided to sleep another two hours. The male lead, Canio, was a signature role of Caruso’s, but it’s been sung by just about every competent tenor anywhere in the world. The main aria – “Vesti la giubba,” has probably been sung in concert even more that it has been sung in full productions. It also inspired the cliche “Laugh although your heart is breaking, which also inspired a pop song in the 30s or 40s. I’m off to see Virgil now and will check in upon return.

Bravo (follow up to a previous post)

Charlie

Delta

Echo

Foxtrot These programs seem to be starting to trend lately. More power to them.

Randy – a day late for Hallowe’en, but a day early for Day of the Dead. Let’s split the difference.

Open Thread October 25 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 252026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Wagner’s “Die Walküre”, which you have heard part of, though you may not know it. “The Ride of the Valkyries” has been used in so many commercials you would have to refrain from watching any television got decades to have avoided it. You’ve seen me discuss “mad scenes” which were very much in fashion when the “bel canto” school was dominant in opera in roughly the first half of the 19th century. I don’t think any of the bel canto mad scenes conpares with Sieglinde’s madscene in this opera. Not the music, but the insanity. She has just had sex with her twin brother, from whom she has been long separated. She is tortured with guilt – necause she has just committed incest? Heck no. She feels guilty that she has ever allowed anyone but her brother to have sex with her (like she had a choice, having been kidnapped). While in Wagner’s imaginary universe, that all makes its own kind of sense, it seems to me nuttier than a fruitcake. The music is nothing like Bel Canto. But – I think it was during CoViD, when the Met was allowing people to stream free a different opera from its library every day, I watched Jessie Norman (may she rest in peace) play Sieglinde, and she conveyed the insanity in her movements – and also in her vocal tone. And now I can’t un-hear it. Let’s move on to some good news. There was a lot this week.

In case this is a little too obscure to recognize, it’s “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls.” I love that show, despite the fact that the keys it is written in are very awkward for string players.

Dog

Open Thread October 18 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 182026

Yesterday, The radio opera was Puccini’s “Tosca,” set in Italy around 1814-1815, when Bonaparte had been exiled to Elba, but was fighting his way back, and the populists still thought he was a constitutional populist who would save them (boy, were they wrong. But the viewer kind of needs to side with them because the other side is worse.) Mario, the romantic lead, gets tortured (off stage) and executed (on stage.) These summer operas are not broadcast live; they are recorded during performance, and this performance is even older than last summer – it’s from 2022 (from China). And WFMT will have had no idea how timely this choice would be. Off to see Virgil now – will check in upon return.

October 11 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:50 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 112026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “La Traviata,” one of my favorites. It was recorded in China (normal for this time of the year) and all the singers were Chinese except the title character, who was born in Russia but now lives in Italy. That casting sits well with me – it reminds me of the “little red dress” production designed by Willy Decker, which was so controversial and which I didn’t expect to like, but fell in love with. Both productions make visible how much of an outsider Violetta is – and accordingly, how doomed she is – from the very first note. This one does so more subtly. The “little red dress” production hit the audience in the face with it, and never stopped hitting. That was about ten years ago, and many critics are still ranting about what a disaster they thought it was. I beg to differ. But yesterday’s production was vocally perfect – as almost all productions are, despite the difficulty of the music. I’ve only ever heard one that wasn’t, and that was only in one scene, but it was an important one, and even then, it wasn’t that either of the singers was bad, only that the blend between their voices wasn’t there. But I digress. Here are the good news:

Open Thread September 13 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 132026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Bizet’s “Carmen.” I expect everyone has heard something from it at some point, including people who have never been within miles of an opera house. The Toreador Song is probably the piece most likely to be known by name, though the Gypsy dance in Act 2 is also very catchy. Even fluent French speakers may miss the straight-out-of-Pete-Hegseth lines in the Toreador song: “Some men are soldiers, some are toreros. What’s the diffrence who we are? We all love a fight!” Carmen is the opera know better than any other, except maybe La Boheme, and that would be at most a tie. When I was studying music after leaving the USMC, the college I was studying at staged it, and I played first chair second violin (not well – some of it is tough.) That consitutes really getting to know an opera the hard way.

I’m going to let the good news speak for itself again, and continue running through the alphabet for my links. (Some you may need to turn sound on.) If the song is a rerun, I apologize.

Open Thread August 9 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 092026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Pelléas and Mélisande by Debussy = the only opera he ever finished. The plot is basically Tristan und Isolde without the love potion, and so steeped in turn-of-the-20th-century symbolism that it’s tricky to follow – a listener just needs to go with the flow. The libretto is from a play by Maurice Maeterlink – who was pissed off that his girl freind was not cast as Mélisande ay the premiere that he didn’t see it until agfter Debussy died, at which time he said, “In this affair I was entirely wrong and he was a thousand times right.” As a listener/viewer, I would say this quote from Wikipedia nails it: “The deliberate vagueness of the story is paralleled by the elusiveness of Debussy’s music.” Off to see Virgil now. Will check in upon return.

Archived from abc news because theirs only stay up for a while and I need to spread them out to avoid running short.

I am impressed. I did know that birds – particylarly columbids (which includes pigeons) and corvids (crows and ravens), but a bird knowing, first, the it needs oxygen, and second, that it could get some from the right humans, andthird, that these were the right humans -that’s quite a feat.

From GOODGOODGOOD. Just look at all the volunteers it took to make this happen.

Here’s a link to the GIF at the bottom, since it isn’t GIFing: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/baby-okapi-is-okie-dokie

These Grannies are from Charlotte (I assume NC.)

Open Thread June 28 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 282026

Yesterday, the radio opera (should I be saying “the on line opera” until December? Naah.) was Ariodante by Handel, composed in the early 1700s. It’s based on two (out of 46) cantos of the epic chivalric romance Orlando Furioso (Orlando is the Italian form of Roland – yes, that Roland), which dates to the early 1500s, and was itself based on the Chanson de Roland, which dates back to the 11th sentury, and was inspired by the (presumed historical) death of Roland, who was a knight of Charlemagne, who, IIRC, became Emperor in 800, so, the 9th century. Roland is not a character in the opera, which is set in Scotland(!), has minimal chorus, but does have a dance in each of its three acts, includes a mad scene for the prima donna, and is generally melodramatic. Anyone who has ever heard “Messiah” or any excerpts from it knows that the man could write music. Heck, he could paint pictures with the notes he wrote. But I’m off to see Virgil now – will check in when home. Meanwhile, let’s jump into the pool.

https://jojofromjerz.substack.com/p/the-sun-confesses
I have shared JoJo before purely for the excellence of her writing, and now I am again. Last time it was a rant. This time it is – I’m not quite sure – maybe an allegory. But if it doesn’t make you smile at least once – take a a deep breath, leave the computer and do something else that revitalizes you.

https://abcnews.com/video/134102842/
I hope this is visible and audible. It happened om Father’s Day.

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/five-questions-with-the-chickens
To be frank, this is not exactly good news. What it does have is a lot of cute photos illustrating good advice for staying sane. (Today’s not-a-cartoon is from it.)

Open Thread May 17 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:50 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 172026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in an archival recording from 1950. Most of the characters in it were real people, although they weren’t much like the way they they are portrayed in it. It’s true that the real Carlos was opposed to the Pope and the Inquisition, and sympathetic to the Protestants in Flanders which was then under Spanish rule, and that his father, King Philip, felt the opposite. It’s also true that Elizabeth of Valois was engaged to Carlos before the politics changed and she married his father instead, And his father may have wanted to kill him, but instead just locked him up. It is almost certainly not true that he and Elzabeth were in love – that was not a thing in royal marriages – and he was physically and mentally deformed – he was one of the last Habsburgs – the most inbred royals since ancient Egypt. The one character who was made up (not by Verdi, but by the playwright from whom Schiller borrowed for his plat “Don Karlos”) is Rodrigo – who gets the best music.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of these, don’t hesitate. Be there. Even just reding about one is revitalizing. Being there is a whole other level.

Even in Florida, there are still good people. (Even in law enforcement.)

And this is another reason why, though I no longer have any furbabies, I always look at Chewy first when I need something for myself that might be useful for an animal – like a white noise generator, or a broom that basically picks up hair, or a high powered laundry additive. Chewy is not your normal corporation. Chewy actually cares.

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