So when did you cross the line from gospel to pop?

R E S P E C T to Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)

Homestead Bridge (Pittsburgh)

When asked how she crossed the line from gospel to pop, Aretha said, “I didn’t cross the line. Gospel goes with me wherever I go. Gospel is a constant with me. So I just broadened my musical horizon.”

When Aretha Franklin was honored with the “Portrait of a Nation,” Gwen Ifill interviewed the Queen of Soul about her music.

This past week, we heard that Aretha was in declining health and knew this day was coming. August 16. I’m spending the day listening to the Queen of Soul.

Way back when, I looked forward to the once-a-month job I had billing patients bc the folks I worked for had an audio tape of Aretha’s songs which I listened to the full evening.

One of my favorite comedies was Murphy Brown, and this episode was a great thrill!

Looking up and out: “Thank you”

Won’t be long – 1964

Best plays read in 2018

Kiss – a lesson in structure

During this time of war in Syria, Guillermo Calderón presents a show where a US theater is producing a melodrama they found that was written by a Syrian playwright, then brings her in by phone for a Q&A with the actors and the audience. The play that the theater company then finishes takes a very different turn from the melodrama they had interpreted, now that they have context into life in Syria. I think the structure of this play works cleverly to show what we in the US know and don’t know from our shielded point of reference.