the starting point for this mix was my discovery of joanna newsom last year, whose music i really love. not only is her music great, but her voice is definitely one of a kind, and is most often compared to bjork in its distinctiveness. recently i've also been getting more into kate bush, who also has a love-it-or-hate-it, acquired-taste voice. i used those three as the "anchors" to the mix, and as i dug around for other people who would fit, i found a lot of great people from classic musical theater (far fewer today, however, as broadway has become increasingly bland and homogenized), but very few solo artists from pop/rock music and even fewer from bands. i tried to steer away from people w/ less distinctive, but more idiosyncratic vocal styles (like, say, thom yorke, although i'm sure people will argue w/ me that people like stephin merritt fall more into the latter category) and i also favored stranger voices rather than just distinctive ones (e.g. i passed over barry white and celine dion). lastly, in order to make the mix a bit more cohesive and less grating i often chose songs that -didn't- accentuate the uniqueness of the voice so much but worked w/in the mix, b/c i figured in most cases the voice is unique no matter what the song (and plus i'm trying to be more spontaneous about song selection and ordering). --- i'll drink to them (voices mix) 9/21/05 1 kate bush . the kick inside . wuthering heights 2 stephen sondheim, angela lansbury . sweeney todd (OBC) . the worst pies in london 3 the magnetic fields . i . i don't really love you anymore 4 joni mitchell . dog eat dog . fiction 5 sondheim, elaine stritch . company (OBC) . the ladies who lunch 6 dickie lashbrook . songs of seduction . blackbirds and thrushes 7 bob dylan . the freewheelin' bob dylan . honey, just allow me one more chance 8 the breeders . last splash . divine hammer 9 archers of loaf . white trash heroes . perfect time 10 joanna newsom . the milk-eyed mender . peach, plum, pear 11 marianne faithfull (w/ PJ harvey) . before the poison . my friends have 12 jonathan larson, daphne rubin-vega . rent (OBC) . out tonight 13 sondheim, glynis johns . a little night music (OBC) . the glamorous life 14 billie holiday . kissing jessica stein (soundtrack) . what a little moonlight can do 15 bee gees . saturday night fever (soundtrack) . more than a woman 16 bernadette peters . sondheim, etc. . making love alone 17 pet shop boys . nightlife . you only tell me you love me when you're drunk 18 fantasia barrino . free yourself . title 19 bjork . medulla . who is it? 20 smashing pumpkins . melon collie and the infinite sadness . thirty-three

the nytimes had their huge fall arts preview on sunday. some of the things i'm looking forward to: american analog set: set free (out sept. 25) the directors' series part 2: inc. stephane sednaoui (who dir. bjork's big time sensuality vid). the disc will inc. the alternate night-time version of that vid, as well as an army of me animation. proof: movie version of the successful stage play about a mathematician's daughter. finally getting released, starring gwyneth paltrow rent the movie (of course) the wallace and gromit movie i'm also curious about the producers movie. i'm not a huge fan of either the show, susan stroman (the director), or nathan lane, but i'm curious about how stroman (who has never directed a film) will adapt the show. i'm also curious about brokeback mountain, the "gay cowboy" film featuring heath ledger and jake gyllenhaal (the latter, incidentally, is also in proof), and directed by who-da-thunk-it ang lee. strange revival of sweeney tood from london, will feature the cast playing instruments onstage, inc. mrs lovett playing the tuba and sweeney playing the guitar. despite being a practically perfect show and one of sondheim's best, lately i've been despising both patti lupone and michael cerveris (the leads) so i'm prob. going to pass on this one. see what i wanna see, lachiusa's first new work in new york in a while. goes up near the end of oct w/ idina menzel of all people. the history boys by alan bennett got good press in london, so i might see the broadway production if i finally get to ny. also, shanley (who wrote doubt) has another new work (defiance), as does greenberg, author of take me out, whose new work is called a naked girl on the appian way. it should be noted that julia roberts will be making her broadway debut in another greenberg play, three days of rain. in terms of local theater, i might catch the huntington's production of stoppard's the real thing, and the north shore music theater's camelot, which is at the shubert in boston due to a fire they had over the summer. phew!

this article about the flood, one of many that evoke a similar reaction, just sums up how much people, including myself, HATE worthless political talk, especially when it comes from the mouth of the president:

"This administration is not going to rest until every life is saved, until every family is reconnected, until the recovery is complete," [Bush] said. ... Bush returned to the Gulf Coast on Monday, visiting Baton Rouge and Poplarville, Miss., on his third inspection tour, the second by ground. During a stop at Bethany World Prayer Center, several people ran up to meet Bush and first lady Laura Bush. But many hung back and looked on. "I need answers," said Mildred Brown, who has been at the center since Tuesday with her husband, mother-in-law and cousin. "I'm not interested in handshaking. I'm not interested in photo ops."

the small consolation is that pretty much everyone has been recognizing how inept and feeble his action has been. we'll have to see where that leads though in terms of his remaining years (bleh) in office.