Born On This Day- August 11th... Joe Jackson

I am posting about Joe Jackson, the English singer/songwriter who is the same age as I am, & whom I somewhat resemble... not Joe Jackson, the fabled ball player, or Joe Jackson, the father of Michael, or Joe Jackson, the jazz trombonist, or Joe Jackson, the novelist, or Joe Jackson the music journalist.

I remain a very big fan of his music, but for period, Joe Jackson's music was the soundtrack of my life. In 1982, his album Night & Day was my most played music of the year & spoke to my life in a personal way. This was as era when The Husband & I went out dancing & clubbing every weekend & I felt that I was living in slightly punked up version of a 1930s Hollywood Musical with a score by Gershwin.

Jacksons’s songs, rooted in the late 1970s/early 1980s “new wave” of sophisticated pop/jazz/classical styled rock, maintained an edgy relationship with mainstream gay culture. Even today many people don't even know he is gay, the fact isn't even mentioned on his website.

In his memoir- A Cure for Gravity, Jackson muses on how people make assumptions about him based on his lanky & effeminate appearance. But in the book he remains ambiguous about his orientation, & speaks out against generalizing on anyone's sexuality.

But there are gay references Jackson's music. Jackson says this about meaning behind his song- Real Men: “I see the gay identity has become more & more about being so masculine that you're more straight than the straight guys. & this is something that I find quite funny. I sort of get it, & at the same time, I don't like it that much. It's mixed feelings. & if we're talking about stereotypes, then I guess what I'm saying in the song is that I almost prefer the older stereotype,  this sort of Oscar Wilde/Quentin Crisp gay stereotype.”

Jackson ran a roughly parallel career course to British new wave icon Elvis Costello. Both wrote highly intelligent, smartly musical yet somewhat abrasive punk-informed pop with sophisticated lyrics. Both took a sharp turn early in their careers to explore different musical tributaries, Costello went country & Jackson went jazz, & both matured into well-respected crafters of sharp pop songs in the manner of Burt Bacharach, Costello even going so far as to work with the master himself.

Joe Jackson’s first album- Look Sharp, is a wonder of edgy punk-pop & includes such classics as the cynical Sunday Papers& the sparse, broken,  lurching guitar pop of Is She Really Going Out With Him?, the song that got my attention. But my favorite of his albums is the sublime Night & Day, which, in addition to calling up the spirit of Cole Porter in its title, bringing that erudite uptown sensibility by featuring a drawing of Jackson sitting at a grand piano in some expansive, Manhattan apartment with a view of the skyline, drawn by legendary Broadway caricaturist, Al Hirshfeld.

Night & Day is a cynical, yet sensitive album, full of poignant songs about relationships, (with the occasional up-beat tune, like the rhumba-  Everything Gives You Cancer thrown in the mix. The most poignant of all his songs is my favorite Jackson tune- Real Men. This provocative song is about trying to find your way through the dubious puzzle of social mores, stereotypes & suppositions of being a man, any man, but especially a gay man, in America in the 1980s. Anybody pushing against stereotypes can find solace in Jackson’s sad songs.  Beyond the bombast, the song is heartbreakingly beautiful. I like the way the chorus contrasts between the giant, wordless chords & crashing drum beat fading into a gentle violin line to end the phrase.

This song took a lot of courage for Jackson to release, as it was his first big pronouncement of his sexual orientation to the public. I’d like to think that men everywhere, shiny-leather gay or straight as a line, could find solace in this song & its wise portrayal of the difficulties of being a real man.

Jackson’s more sophisticated, adult approach, was influenced as much by jazz & Latin music as rock. He continued with Body & Soul (1984) Big World (1986), Blaze Of Glory (1989) & Laughter & Lust (1991).

Jackson turned further away from the pop mainstream with the gentle, soul-searching Night Music(1994), the satirical opera Heaven & Hell (1997) & Symphony  #1, which won the 2000 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Also in 2000, Jackson released a sequel Night & Day II, a personal favorite of mine. In 2003, Jackson did an about turn, reuniting the band from his first 3 albums for an acclaimed album of new songs-  Volume 4, and a successful world tour. In 2008, he recorded a minimal, but still majestic album- Rain using just piano, voice, & his original rhythm section.

In addition to his own albums, Jackson has written several film scores, including Francis Ford Coppola’s Tucker &James Bridges’ Mike’s Murder. He has also played piano & sung on records by Suzanne Vega, Joan Armatrading, Ruben Blades, Rickie Lee Jones, Nina Hagen, & William Shatner.

His new album-The Duke is a tribute album, with songs by or inspired by the great American Jazz composer-  Duke Ellington. Check out Jackson & Iggy Pop take on Beginning To See The Light on this terrific album.

I Don't Do Duets

Good-bye & thank you, R.I.P. Marvin Hamlisch. He was one of only 11 people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, & a Tony. He is also one of only 2 people to have won those 4 prizes plus a Pulitzer Prize (the other is Richard Rodgers).

I did it again,

I always make the same mistake

When it comes to men
 I fall for the guys with the bedroom eyes

It starts out great but before too long

Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Wrong

He said, "I love you baby,
 You're the best I ever knew

But I'm not ready for anyone like you

This is as far as it goes & as close as it gets"

He said, "You sure sing pretty
 But I don't do duets"

He walked in the room &
 All he had to do was smile

Waiting in his arms,

A fool would have known was a danger zone

His talk was so sweet but let there be no doubt

While I was moving in, he was moving out

He said, "I love you baby,
 You're the best I ever knew

But I'm not ready for anyone like you

This is as far as it goes
 & as close as it gets"

He said, "You sure sing pretty
 But I don't do duets"

Said I wish that I could lose my mind

For the faithful, ready, steady kind

He's out there singing on his own

& like me, he's tired of doing it alone

I did it again,

I always make the same mistake

When it comes to men
 I fall for the guys with the bedroom eyes

It starts out great but before too long

Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Wrong

Enough of, "I love you baby,
 You're the best I ever knew”

No more, "I'm not ready for anyone like you"

Not gonna fall for those lines,
 The lies & regrets

Not gonna sing so pretty, if he don't do duets

I don't wanna make the same mistake again

Lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman

Born On This Day- August 1st... Lionel Bart

He hosted some of the most famous parties in the Mod London of the 1960s, with guests including Princess Margaret, the Rolling Stones, Noel Coward, Rudolf Nureyev, The Beatles. Joan Collins, Tom Jones, Muhammad Ali & groups of hippies. His London home was known as the ‘Fun Palace’.

Sometimes the host would join his guests, up to 600 of them, as they danced, drank & drugged.  At other times, he preferred to lie in his sound-proofed bedroom behind a 2-way mirror, watching the party. On a table by the front door was a glass bowl stuffed with cash, to which his guests could help themselves. A second bowl contained cocaine, to which they were also welcome.

His generosity knew no bounds, his extravagance no limits. Lionel Bart, the son of an East London tailor, small, Jewish & gay, had made millions from songwriting.

In the 1960s, Bart was the epitome of London cool. His songs, including Little White Bull& Big Time, were at the top of the pop charts &he was responsible for the book, lyrics & music for the hit musical- Oliver!  Yet, Bart ended up an impoverished addict living in shabby obscurity.

Lionel Bart was born to Jewish refugees in London’s East End. Growing up short, skinny, & with sticking out ears & a big nose, he got by entertaining  with his quick wit, making up rude lyrics to well-known songs.

Bart won a scholarship to the prestigious St Martin’s School of Art in the West End of London & became part of the Soho crowd when he was just 16 years old.

In 1948, aged 18, he was called up for National Service with the RAF. On an outing from his airbase, he went to see David Lean’s film of Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist.

Bart discovered, groomed, & wrote #1 hits for Brit rockers- Tommy Steele & Cliff Richard. He could not read or write music; he sang into a tape recorder for someone else to transcribe, & he had no formal musical training. He believed in keeping melodies & lyrics simple. Bart: “I never spent  more than an hour on a tune. Songs should be like sneezes… spontaneous.”

Despite his chart success, Bart dreamed of having his songs performed in the theatre. His break came at the Stratford Theatre in East London, writing songs for a play called Fings Ain’t What They Used T’Be,  a Cockney comedy. The show was an immediate hit, transferring after a year to the West End. The Royal Family attended, despite its risque scenes & dialogue.

In 1959, Lionel began work on the songs and story for what would become his masterpiece, Oliver! But the tale of orphans & poverty was a hard sell to producers. Eventually, one producer agreed to stage it on a tiny budget. On opening night there were 23 curtain calls. The reviews were ecstatic. Oliver! ran for 6 years,  a record for a British musical.

Bart became phenomenally wealthy. He spent his earning on tailored suits, custom shirts, & leather boots. He had his nose fixed. He collected cars: a Mercedes-Benz convertible with a built-in telephone (this was in the Sixties!), Bentley Continental, & a Facel Vega, the fastest, coolest sports car in the world. Bart mixed with the old showbiz: Judy Garland & Noel Coward became good friends, & the new: The Beatles, the Stones, Michael Caine, & Terence Stamp.

Oliver!moved to Broadway in 1963 to tremendous acclaim & terrific box office. He wrote the theme song for the second James Bond film- From Russia With Love.

But personal happiness eluded Bart. He had one steady boyfriend, then a series of casual lovers, but he did not publicly come out until 1971, 4 years after homosexuality was de-criminalized.

In 1962, he wrote another musical, Blitz!, based on his wartime childhood in the East End. It had an 18 month run, but neither Blitz! nor his next musical- Maggie May, came close to the success of Oliver!.

In 1967, Oliver!was made in to a hit film, winning 6 Oscars,  including Best Film & Score. He was invited to Hollywood to write for films movies, but in Hollywood, his inspiration deserted him.

Bart resorted to making ridiculous demands, like having a giant teddy bear travel in the front seat of his chauffeur-driven car. He returned to London, to discover that his 21 year old lover, had stolen his expensive possessions including clocks, paintings,&  antiques. Bart was devastated by the betrayal. He sold the Fun Palace, moving to a small mews house in South Kensington.

He wrote another musical- La Strada, based on the Fellini  film.  It opened on Broadway in December 1969 & closed after one performance.

The 1970s were a downward spiral for Bart. In January 1970, he was arrested for drunk driving. The death of his mother, to whom he was devoted, had a heartbroken Lionel drinking & drugging more heavily.

Broken & bankrupt, Bart sold the rights to his published music & the stage rights to Oliver!. Haunted by failure, Bart & his friend Keith Moon, were downing several bottles of vodka a day & ingested every illegal substance brought to them. In February 1971, he was arrested for possession.

In 1977, the producer Cameron Mackintosh brought Oliver! back to the West End. It was, again, a massive hit & was revived again in 1983. Though Mackintosh paid him as an adviser, it was not enough to save Bart, financially or emotionally. Having sold most of his possessions, he moved to a modest flat in West London, falling further into addiction.

In 1994, Cameron Mackintosh produced another revival of Oliver!, directed by the young director- Sam Mendes, which proved its enduring appeal.It made millions & Mackintosh generously gave Lionel a share of the royalties.

In 1999, however, the years of abuse finally caught up with Bart & he died of liver cancer, leaving the money to his friends & charities, a fraction of the millions he had been worth at his peak in the 1960s.

For Bart, it was never about making the money, as much as he loved spending it. Bart: “It’s the kicks that matter, nothing else. I just want to write musicals. I want to stand up & shout to the biggest audience I can get.”

Your host, far right, as Fagin in 1978

Oliver! was an obsession in my early teens. The role of Fagin was my most coveted part in my youth. I was consumed with a desire to do this role. I already had the part memorized by the time I was 15 years old. By the time I was actually cast, in 1978, at a mere 24 years old, I was ready to give the character my very best. Fagin remains the only true leading role I have ever performed, although he doesn’t appear in the first 35 minutes of the piece & in my production, the little lad who played Oliver received the final curtain call. I am told that I was rather revelatory in the role. Fagin is my favorite character in 55 years of performing. I loved working with the young cast & remain friends on The Facebook with the young actors that played the Artful Dodger & the title role, & with several of the boys, some of whom are now grandparents.

Depression & disappointment drove me to drink & drugs, but I hope I learned a lesson from a skinny little Jewish gay boy from rough East London who couldn’t even read music: money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can help.

Considering Harry Nilsson On His Birthday

His name was Dodge & he seemed to be impossibly old, maybe even 24 years old. He looked like James Taylor & he lived in bohemian digs in Browne’s Addition, the closest thing Spokane had to a gay neighborhood. Dodge’s sitting room, draped in Indian print bedspreads, was a turret in a Queen Anne style mansion that had been broken up in to small apartments.  I never saw his bedroom, try as I might.

Dodge was my pot dealer from 1969-1972, & I loved him for his long limbed, gangly body & sweet hippy disposition & of course, for the plant materials he provided for sale. During that epoch, Mary Jane was sold by the “lid” & was measured by finger widths. I would buy a “3 finger lid” for $15 from Dodge & lounge around the turret room after the transaction, listening to music, getting stoned & trying to seduce Dodge.

Dodge introduced me to the amazing music of Harry Nillson. It was the album- Harry in 1969, Nilsson Schmilsson & The Point in 1971, & Son of Schmilsson just 8 months later. Singers from that era sometimes released more than one album a year. Nilsson’s songs would receive plenty of listening by me for the next 40+ years. His music spoke to me with the unique blend of 2 genres that I hold dear- Tin Pan Alley & Rock n’ Roll.

In October of 1979, I declared my romantic inclinations to a married, impossibly beautiful set designer, who would eventually become my husband, as A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night played on the stereo in the background. Nilsson’s version of Irving Berlin’s What’ll I Do? would become “our song”. 30 years later I would weep while playing Without You on repeat when I assumed that we were about to divorce.

Nilsson deserves to be grouped with Gershwin, Cole Porter, Berlin, & Lennon/McCartney as the great songwriters of 20th century standards. He was considered a peer by all 4 members of the Beatles, who all called him a 5th Beatle, & one on the same wavelength as themselves.

Nilsson refused to tour, so Baby Boomers don't remember him, & those born after his apex are unaware of who he was. This is tragic. Everyone should have the opportunity to be exposed to this wonderful talent.

Nilsson spent the last 15 years of his relatively short life with a vocation for self-destruction. He died at 52, overweight & dissipated, of heart disease, after a decades long rampage of non-stop overindulgence in alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, hard partying, & flagrant misuse of his special vocal instrument.

Yet he had perhaps the most gifted pop singing ability of his generation; he was financially & artistically successful, was held with industry acclaim, won a Grammy, an Oscar, an unusually good recording contract with a top label, & recorded at least 2 perfect  albums - Nilsson Schmilsson, all originals, & A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night, all standards recorded with a live studio orchestra.

Brooklyn born Nilsson’s bestselling song was his rendition of Fred Neil's Everybody's Talkin', featured in the film Midnight Cowboy.  His own submission for the film’s title song, the rejected- I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City is one of my favorite songs about my favorite city.

Nilsson's produced & wrote a charming & captivating animated film- The Point!, broadcast on ABC in February,1971, as an ABC Movie of the Week. Nilsson's self-produced album of songs from The Point!includes the enchanting single, Me & My Arrow, my favorite song about dogs.

Nilsson chose producer Richard Perry to record his very best album- Nilsson Schmilsson, yielded 3 very stylistically different hit singles. The first was a cover of Badfinger's song Without You, by Pete Ham & Tom Evans, featuring a highly emotional arrangement & soaring vocals, recorded, according to Perry, in a single take. This song still stirs my senses.

The second single is Coconut, a favorite of my father, which makes me love it more. Coconut is a novelty number with a calypso beat featuring 4 characters: a narrator, a brother, a sister, & the doctor) all sung in different voices by Nilsson. The song is remembered for using just a single chord- C 7th & for the chorus lyric, "Put de lime in de coconut, & drink 'em both up." The third single- Jump into the Fire, is raucous, ranting Rock n’ Roll.

Nilsson’s music has informed my life for the past 4 decades. I still discover tracks that sound as if they could be listened to fresh today. I have recently re-discovered the off-beat charm of his songs & score for Robert Altman's musical film- Popeye. I am listening to him as I compose this post. Nilsson would have been celebrating his 71st birthday with his pal John Lennon today, if they had both made it.

Born On This Day- June 9th... Cole Porter

At a very young age, I was so enamored of the songs of Cole Porter & the story of his life & friendships, that my parents gave me huge “coffee table” book about this great American songwriter for Christmas when I was 11 years old, & then followed it up with another big book of his collected lyrics for my birthday the next week. I still have both books.

Born in Peru, Indiana in 1891, Porter studied music from an early age, & began composing as a teenager. After high school he attended Yale University, where he was voted “most entertaining man.” He went on to law school at Harvard University, but his interest remained in music. At Harvard he continued to write songs, & a some of his pieces were used in Broadway musicals.

In 1916, his first full score was performed. The musical-See America First was a flop & closed after only 15 performances. Bruised by the experience, he began to travel around Europe & got an apartment in Paris. This was the beginning of his lifelong affection for the city, which he would return to in songs- You Don’t Know Paree & I Love Paris. During his time in Europe, Porter contributed to many musicals, but until his song- Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love appeared in the 1928 musical Paris, he had not had a big hit. Paris was a place Cole flourished socially. He attended parties with his pal Noel Coward. The parties of the era were elaborate & fabulous, attended by the upper crust. His own parties were marked by gay & bisexual activity, cross-dressing, international musicians & actors, & a large surplus of recreational drugs. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era, the very theme of Woody Allen’s 2011 film- Midnight In Paris, my favorite film of the new decade.

Porter started spending time with American divorcee- Linda Thomas, & they became close friends quickly. Their financial status & social status made them prefect as a married couple.The fact that Linda's ex-husband was abusive & Cole was gay made the arrangement even more perfect. Linda was always one of Porter's staunch supporters & being married increased his chance of success. Being married to Porter allowed Linda to keep high status in society for the rest of her life. They married in 1919 & lived in a happy arrangement, a successful public relationship, but a sexless marriage until Linda's death in 1954.

Porter was happy with a life in Hollywood in the 1930s, including a more liberal movie industry where Porter enjoyed more open sexual adventures. At the time, it was somewhat more acceptable to be an eccentric gay artist, but Linda feared for Porter’s reputation & career. Her social standing was threatened by his activities & the rumors in upper-crust social circles.

Despite a horseback riding accident in 1937 that crippled him for life, Porter produced much of his best work in the 1940s &1950s. He wrote 100s of songs for Broadway shows, movie musicals, & TV specials. His most successful musical- Kiss Me Kate opened in 1948 & ran for over a 1000 performances. A recluse in his later years, Porter died in California in 1964.

In 1945 the film Night & Day was made with Cary Grant, allegedly about the life of Cole Porter. This movie has almost nothing to do with the actual life of the songwriter. Night & Day leaves out the important elements of his gay life, & his sexless marriage of convenience.

The 1990 album- Red, Hot, & Blue features Cole Porter songs sung by popular musicians of the 1980s & 1990s. It remains a favorite of mine. The dismal 2004 movie- De-Lovely, with an improbable Kevin Kline as Porter, came a tiny bit closer to the true story & featured beautiful sets, major actors, famous current musicians, & a strong Hollywood marketing campaign for the movie & the soundtrack. But for me, this movie is a miserable mess.

The songs of Cole Porter are very important to me. This is my favorite:

Born On This Day- May 26th... Peggy Lee

It seems just perfect to me that a little redheaded 15 year old boy would be obsessed with a song filled with existentialist angst, a half spoken, half sung opus to disillusionment with life, even when the events are exceptional. The singer suggested that I "break out the booze & have a ball… if that's all …there is". I decided to take the singer’s advice. She also let me know that suicide was not an option, for even that would be a disappointment.


Lady & The Tramp was my favorite childhood Disney movie, & I especially loved singing the songs from the movie into the bathroom mirror as a tot. My parents suggested that I might also enjoy the recordings of Miss Peggy Lee, who had written the songs for the Disney movie, & had voiced several of the characters.

As a kid, I totally got into her albums: Black Coffee, Dream Street, & I Like Men!. But as I became a fan of The Beatles, The Supremes, & The Kinks, I forgot my parental unit's album collection & favored my own. I heard Is That All There Is? on the radio in 1969 & was entranced. I bought the single & played it over & over, sometimes stealing little sips of my father’s whiskey from the forbidden liquor cabinet. I was back to listening to Peggy Lee.

Peggy Lee was a singer, a songwriter, an actress & an innovator. Her popular music is a map to the best of jazz, blues, swing, Latin, & rock. She & recorded over 650 songs & released 60+ albums. Best known for her smooth, sultry 1958 cover of the R&B hit- Fever, in spring 2010, Peggy Lee is back on the Billboard Top 100 album chart for the first time since 1970 with the release of the Starbucks compilation- Come Rain or Come Shine. The album is # 51 on the pop charts, #2 on the jazz charts.


Peggy Lee was one of the few of the traditional pop singers to embrace the songs of the Beatles, Randy Newman ( the arranger & conductor of Is That All There Is?), Carole King, & James Taylor. From 1957 until her final recording in 1993, she routinely released 2 albums a year including standards, her own compositions, & material from new artists.


Lee was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Vocal Performance for Is That All There Is? In 1995 she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Peggy Lee was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress for her work in Pete Kelly's Blues.


Is she already a Gay Idol? If not, I hereby nominate Miss Peggy Lee. She left us in 2002. Lee would have been 92 today. Is That All There Is?

Born On This Day- May 11th... Great American Songwriter, Irving Berlin

He was not gay, & he was a Jew who wrote the best selling Christmas song of all time. His life spanned more than 100 years & he composed over 1000 songs. Irving Berlin was born Israel Beilin in 1988, his exact place of birth is unknown, although his family had been living in Tolochin, Russia, when they immigrated to New York in 1893. When his father died, Berlin, just turned 13, worked the streets in various odd jobs, singing for pennies, then as a singing waiter in a Chinatown Cafe. In 1907 he published his first song, Marie from Sunny Italy, & in 1911 he had his first major international hit - Alexander's Ragtime Band.



For 5 decades, Irving Berlin composed ballads, dance numbers, novelty tunes & love songs that defined American popular song for much of the century. Irving Berlin standards include: How Deep Is the Ocean, Blue Skies, White Christmas, Always, Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better, There's No Business Like Show Business, Cheek to Cheek, Puttin' on the Ritz, A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, Heat Wave, Easter Parade, Let's Face the Music & Dance, & God Bless America.

He wrote for Broadway & Hollywood. He composed 17 complete scores for Broadway musicals & revues, including the phenomenal score for Annie get Your Gun. Among the Hollywood movie musical classics with scores by Irving Berlin are Top Hat, Follow The Fleet, On The Avenue, Alexander's Rag Time Band, Holiday Inn, This Is The Army, Blue Skies, Easter Parade, White Christmas & There's No Business Like Show Business. His songs have provided memorable moments other films, from The Jazz Singer in 1927 to Home Alone in 1991. Among his many awards are a dozen Grammys, 2 Tony Awards & the Academy Award for White Christmas in 1942.


In 1978, a jaw-droppingly handsome young man with deep blue eyes, stood center stage, straight up & still & with a sweet pure tenor, sang the 1924 Irving Berlin tune- What’ll I Do? for an audition. I was impressed with his looks & his talent. More than a year later this young man would tell me that he was in love with me while Harry Nillson sang What'll I Do on the stereo in the background. This man would eventually become my Husband & I would spend more than half of my life at his side. What’ll I Do remains my favorite Irving Berlin song, although I love them all. I also have quite a soft spot for You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun:

Oh, a man may be hot...
But he's not... 
When he's shot! 
Oh you can't get a man with a gun!