It's In The Library, Siena Farewell

If you recall, when last we met high in the little Italian town of Siena, we were still in the Duomo gawking at the floor and the statuary works of Donatello and Michelangelo while being gawked at in return by the heads of many Popes and Emperors peering down (Siena style) from the high reaches of the cathedral. Sounds about right? Good.

We were guided through a rather small carved marble arch which served as an entrance on the left side of the nave which led into the Piccolomini Library which is a repository for beautifully illuminated books of religeous music (possibly written for choir voices). The preserved texts lie protected under glass in cases that surround the room. However the feast for the eyes surrounding one far surpasses gilded illustration, stave, notes and text. The frescos adorning the walls are beyond description, not just for their colorful depictions of events in the life of Pope Pius II (Siena's native son Enea Silvio Piccolomini), but for the use of depth of field. Look at the fresco in the far right corner. The artist used a vanishing point tricking both eye and brain into seeing a ceiling perspective that isn't there. Look at left and right and you can see the actual depth of the panels. The shot below makes the effect easier to see. I'm afraid my little Sony A5000 couldn't capture the scene in greater detail, but you get the idea.

Light entered the hall from the opposite side of the room and cast a bright glow augmented by flood lights situated around the room...not the best situation for other than casual photography.
The room also featured sculpture (visible above) with a Roman copy of the famous Greek statue the Three Graces occupying the center of the library. A Pieta by sculptor Alberto di Betto graces the room as well.

In doing a little research I found some of the books on display are psalters which simply means they hold the book of psalms written and illuminated by artisans of the day. All the books and manuscripts were the property of  Pope Pius II who, not so amazingly during that time period, was the uncle of Pope Pius III who commissioned the library in 1492 (when Columbus sailed the ocean blue...sorry...hard to resist) after his death.

Lastly and certainly not least(ly) is the ceiling. I know. I know. After a while all description of points of interest begin to blend becoming indistinguishable and lose their charm. Another ceiling in another church? The sistene chapel it isn't, but taken as a whole the Piccolomini Library is colorful and adds the sprinkles on top the ice cream cone that is the cathedral tour. The Duomo has riches enough and then, after walking through the carved marble entrance, another marvel greets your eyes. It's almost too much.

I realize that we in the modern world whose home country, which in my case offers a history under 300 years (Columbus had just sailed when the work on the library began), find it hard to wrap our heads around the riches poured by the Popes into seemingly countless cathedrals and basilicae while at the same time funding the so called crusades in the Holy Land.

Enter a cathedral in the US and you might find some riches of art or decor, but you will more likely be in a dark hall with votives flickering in a corner and a solemnity not apparent in Siena, Florence or Rome. That's considering only three cities in Italy. I'm sure it doesn't end there.You can understand a Martin Luther in rebellion of a church which allowed the rich to buy their brothers, sons, nephews or uncles positions in the clergy from priesthood to bishopric to cardinal. The accumulated wealth gathered from tithes used to add to the glory of the sitting Pope, wage war and/or fill church coffers.

It isn't about the church. It's about the opportunity to see the things only experienced in books or on TV.  To see the David up close can't be compared with the best HD photograph or video. You stand in the place where a young Michelangelo painted the sistene chapel ceiling. You walk into the coliseum and stand and see what the plebian and patrician Roman citizen saw (save for the combat between men and beast).  It permeates your hide and you feel it in your bones. We take so much for granted today. We are handed so much knowledge. We can live our lives without worrying about inventing the wheel or oil lamps for light or developing the concepts of philosophy or medicine. We can live our entire lives without having to consider man's nature and where he fits in the world.
The ruins of Rome and the vestiges of an ancient religion that has survived and flourished for over two thousand years are alone worth the time to see and experience.

Now before we say goodbye to Italy...
There is always more to see. I have some shots of the very interesting Baptistry of the Duomo in Florence I will be willing to share. So, maybe one more trip in Italy. Back to Florence! If I can locate those shots. Stay tuned.

Going Going Gone?

David Bowie's death came as something of a shock to me.  I had just watched 5 Years the night before and had found the video Lazarus for the new recording and was amazed at how out there Mr Bowie was in reinventing his "sound" for the album. I did notice he looked rather gaunt and surprisingly aged, but put that off to video purposed character make up. I made plans to purchase the new recordng the following day.

I was stunned when the news reached me. I was hurt. We had lost another icon and one who was unique in the entertainment world. There won't be another. It's not possible.

My only chance to see him perform was on the Diamond Dogs tour while on assignment for the paper. I was unable to set up an interview but was in the audience to write a review of the show. The arena was filled with men, women and (somewhere in between) all raving fans of Ziggy and The Spiders.

No photos of the show allowed, please. It was magical from the dimming of the lights to David stepping out among the decaying slyscrapers their searchlights peering into the darkness of the arena. Bowie came on stage solo, the band sequestered stage left but didn't interact with the star. It was different. Things had ch...cha...changed. No more Ziggy. No more Spiders.
But what a band! Mike Garson played piano and keys. Earl Slick replaced Mick Ronson on lead guitar. Tony Newman was on drums with Herbie Flowers handling the bass chores. Additional players for the tour included: David Sanborn, Carlos Alomar, Doug Rauch, Luther Vandross, Willie Weeks and on and on. The players changed throughout and the weight of the production almost crushed the star (figuratively, physically and financially) it was daring in scope and dramatic in tone.

With  his death we are left with few if any of the other aging standout artists making relevant noise.
Rod is still going but offering jazz standards and classic post war songs appealing to...? He's certainly lost what little cutting edge he's had since the Maggie May days. Mick and the Stones are still there but in a geriatric form. I'm waiting for them to open for a lengthy run in Vegas at Caesar's. Neal Diamond? Sorry not a rocker since 1967 and even then, not much. The Who? When they perform today what was done by 4 now takes 12. It's more of a history lesson. Sting just bombed on Broadway and Peter Gabriel is so far out in left field he's hard to find. Sir Paul is still recording but with little impact on music. I don't mean to leave out the likes of James Brown, Hendrix or Freddie Mercury. They are included in the list of icons who had a hand in shaping popular music.

So let's leave those products of the 1960's and 1970's behind and get to the real question. Who is there to pick up the mantle? Is there someone out there ready to lead whether by accident or design? What little Pop/Rock innovation that started in this country left decades ago. The recording industry's desire to catch lightning in a bottle over and over led to stagnation and hundreds of same sounding groups and releases. Greed was and is in full bloom.

The joke is the industry changed. Listeneners have almost stopped using CD's as their main source of musical entertainment and now stream to  their very sophisticated MP3 devices picking and choosing songs and artists for their vast mix libraries. Add the fact that anyone with a little money, talent and the internet can record, release and sell their own music on the web without being controlled by lawyers or contracts. Anarchy!

The most powerful individual artists appear to be the ladies. Forget Madonna (old news but still packs them in...a future in Vegas?) but Pop queens like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga tour in monster shows as does crossover star Taylor Swift, but it's not the same thing. Pink on tour crosses genres and bangs out a powerful rendition of Queen's Bohenian Rhapsody as well as a couple of Led Zeppelin tunes. But homage isn't innovation. The ostentatious if not outrageous nature of their shows may be entertaining however the music hasn't caused a shift in the timeline or sent popular music in a new direction (no, not referencing that boy band).

Being the geezer that I am and having been a newspaper columnist covering records and artists over a 13 year period starting back in the 1970's I had the pleasure of personal discovery. Every day was like Christmas with record companies sending me their new releases. I was hearing the artists before they were famous or radio stations added them to their playlists. When they were on tour I was invited to interview them and review the concerts. It was a dream come true. But over the years the dream has faded as those musicians pass away and I have yet to hear anyone come along to replace them.

There is an old saying,"there's nothing new under the sun." In music there are a finite number of notes that can be arranged in a finite number of patterns. Certain musical styles restrict the number and arrangements even further. The chance for a "new" thing or person to have the impact of a Bowie or Freddie Mercury or Marc Bolen or John Lennon or Jim Morrison or Janis Joplin or James Brown is astronomically small.  Maybe it will be happen but most likely not in my lifetime. Hopefully, dear reader, it will happen in yours.

Next time:

Say goodbye to Siena.

Siena Part 3: It's What's Inside That Counts or It Remains To Be Scene.

Welcome back Dear reader. When last we left Siena there was much said about the marble ediface of the Duomo di Siena. We even learned a new word for old world painting of ancient marble things, but we have yet to set foot inside the place. That we will do in Part 3 of our visit to the Tuscan town of Siena.

Walking through the bronze doors and after taking a moment to adjust to the change in light, your eyes behold an architectural and artistic visual assault of massive proportions. The lack of a single mind guiding the hands that crafted the interior of this temple of the faithful high above the town doesn't diminish the amazing sights within. Somehow parts of it reminded me more of what I had seen as decoration inside a mosque in the Holy Land...but that's another story.

The black and white striped marble motif was repeated on the interior columns (we must be in Siena) and when you look up a gaggle (what's a group of Popes called? Wait. There can't be a group of Popes. One  passes away prior to another being chosen.) of Popes are staring down as if to make sure you don't misbehave when attending mass!







Aside from statuary, pulpits, stained glass, altars and the dome itself there is the floor. The floor of the Duomo is a precious work of art in itself. It took over 200 years to finish, meaning the artist who conceived the design didn't live to see it completed. The floor is made up of intricate mosaics and is rarely seen in its entirety. Sunlight and human traffic would have eroded what is a marvel of craftsmanship and design.

So for the moment we look down. Not easy to do it photgraphic justice with difficult sight angles and the glare from above, but you can appreciate the craftsmanship seen at left. The 56 panels reach from nave to apse creating an interlocking carpet of stunning proportions. Some of the mosaic work was done with cut pieces of various colored marble fitted together to create a scene and others done by carving the design into the marble and then filling it with black stucco and pitch. The floor was the work of over 40 artists and artisans. and was begun in the 14 century.

Photo credit  Tuscany Arts

It so happened that our visit came during the only time last year the entire floor was uncovered. Seeing I was unable to shoot from the ceiling I borrowed a shot from the Tuscany Art website (credited above) in order to give you a better idea of how incredible an accomplishment it is.





Next we look up. I'm sure you recall those watchful plaster busts (172 torsos with 344 carved eyes)starting with their sitting Pope Lucius III going all the way back to Saint Peter staring down from high above. It still seems kind of creepy if you ask me.  Just below them (and for a change of pace) are the heads of 36 emperors (above). You can see a star motif decorates the ceilings eliminating the need for frescos (there are frescos, but not on the ceiling). The stars also decorate the dome all the way to the the top ring surrounded by winged cherubs. Just looking at the photo of the dome seems to draw one  up and raises one's spirits.

 As a place of worship for the simple townsfolk the ostentatious display of riches had to be overwhelmingly glorius. The power of the church on display. The cathedral was built on the grounds of a 9th century church and Bishops house. According to my research in 1058 a synod was held there and Pope Nicholas III  was elected deposing Benedict X. The history of the building of Duomo di Siena is dramatic and over the span of centuries it has weathered war (both archaic and modern) as well as the Black Death, but I'm not a historian nor do I want to bog you down with lots of references so if you're interested hit the wikipedia under Siena Cathedral or go to the Tuscany Art  site I cited earlier. They will do a much better job than I could ever hope to.



I want to get to the artistic contributions made by two namesakes of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles. First, a young Michelangelo was commissioned to complete the statues in the altar at left. Our guide said he never finished, moving on to better paying, grander if not greater things. Apparently no one was available over the centuries to get the last piece done. The spot upper right, stands empty centuries later.

About the stripes...there is no joke such as: What is black and white and black and white and black and white? A nun falling down the stairs. (Knuckles got smacked with a ruler for that one at St Martin of Tours School) Black and white are the offical colors of Siena and are supposed to represent the black and white horses of the city founders, Senius and Aschius. There's that horse thing again. I'm just glad it didn't become the fashion statement responsible for 20th Century prison garb. Also, I kept thinking zebra.



Turtle namesake number two Donatello contributed far more of his artistry in sculpture and paint than did Michelangelo.

But we will save that for the final segment of our trip to Siena. We haven't been to the library yet!

Remove it from its sleeve. Center it on the spindle. Set it at 33 1/3 and Drop the needle.

When you carefully lowered the tone arm and the stylus found the first tracking groove of the record album, there came a comforting "bumpf" and perhaps momentary static. I miss that. Those of us who lived through our stereo rigs and saw music as "meat and potatoes" bought 12 inch LPs (Long Playing) and believed ourselves to be riding the peak of audiophile entertainment!
Adorning the protective sleeve was something called "album art". I own one of many coffee table books available filled with award winning paintings, drawings and photographic work featured on the covers. There was the famous (Pink Floyd's Hipgnosis covers) and the infamous (the Beatles with raw meat and decapitated baby dolls) but it was usually eye catching and could cause you to reach for the item just to get a closer look.
There was plenty of room on the cover sleeve for something called liner notes. Musicians, producers, publicists, anyone of note could provide a discography or biographical information on band members (or solo artist) or offer tribute as an admiring critic or co-performer. And you didn't need a magnifying glass to read it. If the jacket folded out you were in heaven.  There was room for lyrics and/or the list of who in the group played which instrument on each cut! It could be a treasure trove of information taking your enjoyment of your favorite band's release to the next level.

Then things changed.

I will skip the 8 track tape period. Any medium that clunked in the middle of a song to change direction in the player was laughable to those of us who loved recorded music. A favorite tune cut in two? Unthinkable.

Cassette tapes caused things to change. One could create their own mix of tunes or record a complete album and play it in the car or at the beach or (eventually) anywhere a Sony Walkman could travel. As far as liner notes...trifolded mini inserts with printing requiring at least 20/20 vision to read and miniaturized cover art spelled the end of an era.

 LPs were still king, but the practice of making high quality cassette copies for your car or distributing ones to friends and family threw up a red flag and the copyright infringement battle was on ("Home Taping is Killing Music" was the refrain.). It took years of legal wrangling to settle on the fact that evidence presented regarding the destruction of the music industry was inconclusive, Some changes were made to the copyright laws, but nothing earthshattering. After a time it became a tempest in a teapot.

No worries. Say hello to the compact disc.

With record platters there were clicks and pops and skips caused by needle wear or improper handling. With cassette tapes a dirty rubber roller could eat your tape or cause it to snap or stretch out making for wobbly tunes. But the new compact disc format spun untouched by anything but laser light. Nothing is lost in the translation from encoded 1s and 0s via light transmission compressed to mp3 audio! A disc could last forever! No scratches or pops and clicks. Amazing digital reproduction (DDD= digitally recorded, mixed and mastered) presenting a clear danger to your ears and speakers if played too loud. My first DDD recording was of Mozart's Requiem and the warning was clearly stated on the case. I fried the tweeters in my Pioneer three ways. The cases were much bigger than cassettes but at a quarter the size of an LP there was little in the way of art to pull the eye. Most came with multipage booklets or pullout sheets with lyrics or info similar to what was printed in the past but a magnifying glass was still required (albeit with a less powerful lens). This was the best format. No more noise in the recording. We now could enjoy clean and clear digitally encoded music but, for some, at the expense of analog tonal quality. Debatable to many.

Time and technology marched on and the CD appears to be sliding into oblivion. Hello MP3 player and streaming web stations! Now we can stuff hours of music on a tiny device we can play through headphones or via bluetooth connection in our car or on the beach on in any/every room in the house! Of course a computer is required which is another whole story, but music is becoming more a personal medium than ever. The commercial recording industry as we know it is in decline. Artists don't need a label to hold their contract or release their album in order for it to be heard or purchased by their adoring fans.
Since recording has gone digital anyone with instruments, a computer, DAW (digital audio workstation) software and an audio interface can make a record in a bedroom or a bathroom or a closet or on stage in a club! We're not here to debate whether home or pro studio product sounds better. Just the fact it is possible for anyone with those simple resources to make a "record" is astounding.

Now, with all this being said, over the past few decades there has been a resurgance in the sales of 12 inch LP albums.
Shop around and you will find the format is making a comeback. And of all the formats which do you think is most dear to buy? Yup. The LP is by far the most expensive format.
Adelle's 25 is available as an MP3 download for $10, a CD for $15.99 and in VINYL for $23.99.
Most major retailers now have a small vinyl section in their stores and, apparently, are doing well enough with them to stock more.

Money Magazine in a recent article cited vinyl revenues are music's fastest growing segment! In the first half of 2015 CD sales sagged 32.5% while vinyl surged 52.1% .
Both ad supported as well as pay streaming services tallies eclipse that of vinyl sales by a wide margin their rate of growth only 50% of the erupting LP market.

So dust off grandpa's old turntable and look for the audio connections on the back of your entertainment center (AV tuner or surround system). You might need a new belt, cartridge or stylus. You might need to spend a few hundred for a direct drive turntable if you really want the good stuff.
But get ready for a resurgence of album art and liner notes. Put away the magnifying glass, slap on the headphones (the ones without the microphone), drop the needle, sit back and enjoy the analog tones and richness of stereo on vinyl as you read the cover from front to back and top to bottom.

What is old is new again. Another generation will pull the 12 inch platter from its cover, gently remove it from the paper sleeve, flip side one up, place it softly on the spindle, wipe away the dust with that special cloth and gently drop the tone arm on the lead-in to the first cut. Next comes a small pop and once the stylus finds the groove...heaven!

Comments? Comments. Comments!

I've heard that clicking the comments button on the blog is more of a finger exercise, than a way to communicate one's thoughts.

It hasn't fallen on deaf ears. I've done everything I can on my end to allow comments but it appears you have to sign up with a Google account and then promise your first born and your right eye for access. Until the issue gets sorted out I've set up a comments email address (commentsshotspot@gmail.com) and put a note in the Please Note box on the blog. I can't promise a response to every comment but I will post them as time permits. So if you have something to add to a post or would like to share a related/opposing experience please feel free. Keep it clean and concise and let the comments flow!

The language is English (obviously) but I believe Google Translate will work in Gmail. We shall see!

Hope to hear from you.

Respectfully,
MD

A Duomo here. A Duomo there. A Duomo everywhere? (Siena Part 2)

When last we left Siena we were climbing up through the racing neighborhoods making our way to the focal point of the ancient city. In Italy that would be...The Cathedral of Siena (Duomo di Siena).

I know. I know. Another cathedral in Italy. What a surprise. The long trek up the hilly passages they call streets, to it's distant, misty spire we saw while getting off the bus (see photo in Part 1) was an arduous journey but, after gaining entrance, the magnificence and oddities awaiting us made for an unforgettable experience.

Last time out I mentioned the lack of any patch of green. I stand corrected. There are a few well placed patches guarded by a fence and, in this case, a wrought iron rhino. The fenced in area is where the horse drawn to race for Contrada della Selva gets to graze or stand or turn around (not enough room for a trot or a canter much less a gallop) in the fresh air. The stable is through the gate and, since the horse actually lives outside the city proper and only stays here pre race, there is little need (nor room) for more sumptuous surroundings. I was noticing the condition of the brickwork done centuries ago and if I lived here I might be a bit nervous about opening and closing windows or slamming doors. Just saying...it's a long way down.

We wound our way up the worn stone streets until we arrived at the duomo courtyard. Standing there it looked to me as if there were dueling artists battling for top honors in most statues of Saints, Popes, animals and gargoyles to adorn the exterior of a cathedral in Italy.





It boggles the mind to see what was jutting out from the corners of the upper deck of the Duomo. The intricacy of the carving and the detail was astonishing even when viewed from far below. By today's standards I would say it was a tad overdone, but that's just me. I like things simple. Give me Saints or animals or even a gargoyle or two, but look at this thing!








If you've been following my Italy posts you will already know I have a thing for the incredible doors I've seen in the country. They are not just a portal they are a defense. The size and materials used would require a  battering ram and a regiment to unhinge. There was such a door at the main entrance to Duomo di Siena. It wasn't the size we experienced and took photos against in Rome, but it is an impressive ornate bronze (I assume) work of art.  Loved it. If you think about it there were relics and riches within, such as the bones of Saints, art (now priceless) and objects of gold belonging to the church. Huge sturdy doors were of great importance.  in this particular case the bronze door at left has adorned the duomo since 1946. Ididn't mean 1469. It was reportedly installed while the Germans still occupied the town (even though the date is post WWII). Just the fact that contruction started in the 13th century

and continued into the 20th century is a testament to...uh...
something? The doors were a nice touch.


The bell tower we saw from  the distance appeared to be striped in the manner of a lighthouse on the shoreline. I suppose in a way it does/did shine a light guiding the faithful to the celebratory gathering within its doors. The motif is carried throughout the exterior and ends on the sections of the building added over time.










At left you will notice the three gables (triangular peaks) adorning the upper facade. What can't be seen here is the exquisite mosaics at the center of the triangles.Work on the lower portion of the structure started in 1284 continuing on and off for centuries.




The mosaics were made in Venice in 1878. The center panel pictured depicts the Coronation of the Virgin.




















The other panels were smaller in size but as rich in color and craftsmanship. The mosaic to the left depicts the Nativity and below the Presentation of Mary at the Temple.

All three are striking to see glistening in the bright sunshine as is the polychrome striped marble of the original facade.


At first I thought the marble was constructed using a black marble for the stipes. But my curiosity stimulated research for a definitition of  polychrome marble informed me that the stone stripes were
painted. Ancient Greeks and Roman sculptures were ornately decorated with colorful paint and gilted as were certain structures and buildings. Much of the Roman statuary (cast or marble)was destroyed by Christians as pagan symbols during the rise of the early church. When what was left of Roman art was "rediscovered" during the Renaissance the decorations adorning the sculptures didn't survive the previous centuries neglect giving rise to our reverence of glistening white marble figures standing frozen in time. A painted marble statue of a Roman soldier...? A painting I could see, but don't slap polychrome on that pretty white marble.


In Part Three we will enter through the bronze doors and have a peek inside.


*Thanks for the additional information Wiki and Tuscan Tourism. I was there but...some details were lost in the translation! See you next time.

World Wide Epidemic Destroying Interpersonal Communication

It's happening everywhere causing mayhem around the civilized world. It has been the cause of death of the thing that seperates us from our closest genetic neighbors. If something isn't done soon it could doom the entire human race!

International task forces should be mobilized with mental health professionals ready in a support capacity. And yet it might not be enough to stop the creeping dread that crosses oceans, mountain ranges and reaches into sub space. I've seen children as young as 3 afflicted with teens and young adults in so deep no intervention could bring them back.

Please God help us. Help the human race avoid certain disaster. Put an end to the miseries inflicted by the epidemic known as PhoneFace!

The flicker of the screen as it comes to life draws the head down and the eyes to squint peering into the light straining to discern whether a friend has posted anything to your timeline. Did something get pinned to Pintrest or did someone place something sexy in my tumblr account? Phone Face is killing conversation! PhoneFace is causing people to step off the curb and into oncoming traffic. PhoneFace is that text we make while driving cause we can't wait to pull over and, in doing so, might save a life, including our own. Stop PhoneFace!

A restaurant was losing revenue as well as getting bad customer service reviews. So the parent company sent a corporate representative there to observe and report what the employees were doing wrong with recommendations on how to reverse the situation. The complaints were that the wait staff was not friendly and that it was taking far too long to be served. One complaintant said it took over 30 minutes to have their order taken. The list was a menu for disaster at any restaurant.
After careful observation the rep reported back to headquarters that from what he observed there was little he could do to improve the wait staff employees' service.

He found the reason for an inordinate amount of time required for orders taken was the guests were on their phones and kept waving the waiter/waitress away until the conversation was completed. When the server returned the guest hadn't looked at the menu and sent them away again. In other cases they were face down in their PDA on an application, reading a book, or playing a game or watching a movie or listening to music through earbuds and hadn't picked up the menu causing the same delay. The waitress/waiter couldn't take their order and got busy with the customers who were responsive. When the rude PhoneFace customer was finally ready to order there was no one free to be at his beck and call which resulted in an unfavorable survey. The rep saw this happening repeatedly and realized there was only one course of action.
His suggestion was to not allow the use of phones at tableside to cure the long wait and the staff's frustration. The restaurant posted a request that, as a courtesy, guests would refrain from using their phone at the table until their orders were taken. I don't know any corporate owned eatery that would have the stones to ask patrons to put down their communication devices in order to be served but that's the story. Supposedly it reversed the downward spiral for the restaurant.

In truth it happens all the time. It happened at lunch today. Of the three of us at the table two were on their phones reading texts, checking FB notifications, looking up things, etc. It killed conversation. Now, granted, sometimes that is the sole purpose of pulling out the PDA or phone in the first place. We weren't alone. There were other tables with the same scenario being repeated. Of course that doesn't make it right.

Restaurants aren't the only place where PhoneFace causes problems. Been to a movie lately? What a pain in the arse when that person in front or in back or beside you lights it up and disturbs your ability to observe in the dark what you paid way too much to see. Even at the theater (playhouse) the glow of PhoneFace shines row after row. We have to ask audience members to shut the phones down as to not distract the actors and the less connected of their fellow attendees. We used to ask to have cell phones put on silent or vibrate which is now a laughably inadequate request.

So, this is an appeal. Please don't text or read a text while driving! Please don't check status while having dinner with family, friends or business associates. Cure PhoneFace. Bring back conversation. Let us see your eyes and hear your voice.

Today I watched a young man cross a 5 lane street downtown at 5:15 pm on a Friday without ever taking his eyes off his phone. I watched in awe as he never looked at traffic once. Maybe he was on an ap that showed a live satellite image guiding his blind crossing of the road. PhoneFace!

Get smart! Get Real! Put the damned phone down! Communicate!

This has been a public service announcement. Translate to your language and pass it on!

There's Something About Siena Part 1

Name the places known for famous horse racing events. There's the one in England where the ladies wear the funny hats and the one in Kentucky USA where the ladies wear hats (probably funny looking as well) and sip Mint Julips and there's one that ran in the Arabian desert of which a movie was made and there is another that takes place in a cobblestone town square pitting neighborhood against neighborhood. The last one takes place in the Tuscan town of Siena Italy(there was a theatrical film made about the contest too).

In our travels last year we didn't happen to be there when the race was run, but visiting the town was compelling just the same. We were walking through a neighborhood and I smelled it. My salivary glands went into overdrive and I could swear my grandfather had returned from his eternal rest to cook the Sunday tomato sauce. I couldn't identify from which window the rich aroma of garlic, olive oil,  fresh tomato and the aromatic spices simmering wafted, but I didn't want to leave the area without dipping a hunk of semolina bread into the pot for a taste! Funny how the olfactory part of our brain can foster memories to come to the surface and carry us back in time (good or bad).

Tuscany is  the romantic hill country in northern Italy know for wine, olives and historic towns with historic churches filled with historic art. No vehicular traffic is permitted in Siena aside from city maintenance so one has to hoof it and hoof it we did. We had no idea how far we would traverse up hill but what we saw in the early morning mists made it clear we were in for a climb! No worries it's all part of the experience. The way up is something of a blur but walking into the town square made up for tired feet or lack of wind.

We were tourists...on a tour. It was the only time on the trip we were day long captives riding a tour bus with a guide tied to a schedule as part of a herd. We avoided this type of touring since it took personal discovery out of the proposition.

However, in this case, though it was a long, long day and we were exhausted upon returning to Florence it was worth it...well, most of it anyway.

The story of Siena is much like the other Tuscan towns. Rich families pitted against one another in trade and power. Our guide had all the history and showed us the various family strongholds relating some of the dirty deeds done to and by each in order to gain power and or riches. Some of the edifices sported some of the creepiest statuary one could ever expect to see. Perhaps it had a calming affect on those who lived at that time but having these heads (Popes or not) staring down at me would give me the creeps!

Michaelangelo spent some of his youth in Siena

That's not Kilroy nor Waldo looking back. Concerned townie?

with some of his work to be seen in the town. But we're not there yet. Siena is a series of neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is clearly marked and has its own coat of arms if you will.  Each neighborhood competes to be chosen to run in the horse race with the winner holding bragging rights til the next time. Trust me. It's a huge deal.
We wound our way through the streets of the ancient city and as the streets became smaller and the buildings closer we began to get a sense of being in a fortress, The sun didn't reach every corner and the shadows aided in the feeling of  how close living within the city walls must have been in the times of the city states before electricity and modern conveniences. And not one blade of grass or greenery to be seen anywhere.

When we finally reached the city center we walked through a dark passage and came into the light of the town square. The architecture was typical matching what we had seen in Florence and surrounding towns. But it was hard to believe a full on horse race could be held in such close quarters and on such an uneven cobblestone piazza. It had to be a death defying ride.
The Palio di Siena held in the Piazza del Campo twice a year (July and August) pits 10 of the 17 neighborhoods (contrada) against each other. Records of the races date back to the 6th century and beyond.
As I said there are 17 neighborhoods with their own colors and symbols.
(If you are interested you can find reems of information about the Palio di Siena on the web so I will not offer all the details here, but suggest you wander through www.discovertuscany.com)

 The rules have been handed down through the ages with a tweak here and there, but the basic format stays the same. The thing I found amazing is that so much is left to chance. The contrada if selected only picks the rider. The horse comes by lottery. Another point of interest is that the jockey rides bareback. There is no saddle, nor stirrups to help him stay aboard. The prize for all that risk is a banner and the intense pride of knowing that against all odds your neighborhood reigns supreme...until the next race.
In modern Italy Siena has managed to maintain the feel of the old world. There are shops and eateries and historical sites but what else? There are no parks or supermarkets. I was struck by the lack of a blade of grass or any greenery. What crystalized it was seeing Bandit. A lady was walking Bandit and Johnny Quest 's dog had no obvious place to do his business! He did find a stone to sniff and make his mark, but a hydrant or a lamp post or a patch of green would have been nice. And he wan't the only pooch we saw on a leash.

Ahhh,well. It's a Tuscan city dog's life. I'm sure they've adapted.





Michaelangelo slept here! Join us for Part 2 of this post.
Hope to see you next time.

Star Wars...again? Goodbye George and Hello Disney.

 Disney bought Star Wars from George Lucas in 2013 for over 4 Billion Dollars, most of which Lucas has promised to education. His Edutopia Foundation has been distributing millions ($128 million went to his alma mater USC back in 2006) and in 2010 he joined other billionaires in The Giving Pledge where he said in a letter, 'I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future -- and the first step begins with social, emotional and intellectual tools we provide to our children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt -- as educators, storytellers and communicators, our responsibility is to continue to do so.’ I bring this up as a preface to  sharing my non review of the new "Lucas-less" Star Wars film. I believe him to be a great innovator and technical film maker. The director became lost somewhere in the mythology, but the work put on screen will glare back at us ad infinitum.

I was there, in line for the Star Wars movie people were freaking out over back in 1977. Star Trek was dead and the genre was losing it's flavor to a more gritty, in your face real life style of filmmaking. In the 1970's top movies killing at the box office were films like Taxi Driver, Serpico, French Connection, Rocky, Annie Hall, Godfather I & II, etc. All derived in some form from real life. No flights of fancy and certainly no sci fi extravaganzas. But there was a buzz going on about a movie about to come out that was going to make Jaws an also ran at the box office. I was doing the Ghosts of the Globe show at The Old Country in Williamsburg at the time and really wasn't paying much attention to Hollywood. The great movies were coming out of New York (or at least the storylines made it appear that way).

We didn't go the first day because we were visiting friends in DC and they had tried and couldn't get in. We eventually made our way to a screening and no one had been exaggerating. It was visually stunning. I was an avid Star Trek fan (as was the entire family) and in the opening and any time you saw the Enterprise fly past it always moved in an arc. It had to. There was no technology to film it doing anything else. In the opening of Star Wars after the scrolling Episode recap ended and that massive ship came onto the screen jaws dropped and movie SFX would never be the same. That was George Lucas. I know he wrote it and did all that, but to dream up the technology and then to build and integrate it into filmmaking at a time when computers were windowless, in few households and had less brain power than today's cell phone is an unbelievable achievment. 

The story was appropriately described as a space western by the press which was accurate, but it was more than that. The film was so down to earth (sorry) you were able to believe geneology and the lives lived as depicted in that far far away galaxy. It was an unforgettable experience. So I aproached seeing the new Star Wars film with trepidation, especially after I heard who was in the cast. 

Lucas' last foray into Star Wars (for me) left much to be desired. To be honest it was a mess. He never heard the saying, 'less is more' and less of the second three films would have been more. Needless to say (and yet I'm saying it) my opinion derives from my being there in 1977. The fact of the matter is younger folks first discovering the films starting with the second three will most likely disagree with me and that is to be expected. The very thing that divides us also binds us together. It's the thrill of discovery. 

The new Star Wars movie was better than I thought it would be, but lightning in a bottle it couldn't be. It felt awkward seeing a 73 year old Han Solo still teamed with a ??? aged Wookie. Or a 60 year old Princess Leia without her buns (hair...jeez). I got over it but it was a tad strange. Other characters and the plot were viable as these things go and as far as keeping things real with the first three films there were no glaring miscues. The comedy was there and Director JJ Abrams really knows how to blow things up. Other than a few well placed nudge, nudge, wink, winks, inside references relating to past films were kept to a reasonable few. First timers starting here got just enough to make them want to see the beginning films before the next one comes out. Old timers might applaud the nostalgic homage paid to the early films without glorifying the last three. As I said before, the movie was better than I thought it would be and, even though JJ can be a bit heavy handed with explosions, he managed not to damage that feeling of being transported through space and time to that galaxy so far away and long ago.

I don't want to be a spoiler so I'll draw the line here. The movie is entertaining to say the least. If I was reviewing I'd rate it 3.5 Starts out of 5.

(Note: There is little value seeing the film in 3D. It didn't detract form the viewing but added little to nothing. It certainly isn't an Avatar.)