Joie de vivre

Carol Oja came and, as expected, delivered a highly entertaining and thought-provoking paper on West Side Story and The Music Man. But something she emphasized while having lunch with the graduate students in our program really stuck, that it's important to have a life outside of graduate school. And I do, and I'm glad I do. Then, talking with her and Richard Crawford after the talk, she mentioned how much can be gained by getting distracted, by looking in the unexpected places.

Inspired by that, I'll give you a couple fun videos that have made their way into my attention.

Since, on the subject of my work and the recent talk, I'm in a musicals mood, here's a choreographed dog routine to You're The One That I Want from Grease. Frankly, as much as I think musicals should provoke some serious questions (and it's very heartening to see that field taking off), there's also a strong side of me that enjoys the pure fun aspect. That's why Hairspray and Enchanted were such a treats and were among the most energy-driven musicals in years.

And in honor of my ethnomusicology professor Christi-Anne Castro, and her unabiding love for the Patriots, I'll forward on this link of football fans singing an interminable 80's pop chorus. It's not endorsement; I'm rooting for apathy.

Finally, here's a nice antidote to all the postmodern theory talk: Bill Irwin. There are other clips too if you want, all taken from an excellent Vaudeville reconstructred routine called The Regard of Flight. If I can work this into my dissertation, all the better.

Now, on that note, I'm going to go read some Glen Watkins, have dinner, and head off to see the Moiseyev Folk Dance Troupe this evening. And that's my life outside of musicology.