Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz

Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz by Greg Lawrence, John Kander, Fred Ebb Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz by Greg Lawrence, John Kander, Fred Ebb Read Free Book Online
Authors: Greg Lawrence, John Kander, Fred Ebb
an interview with the director Michelangelo Antonioni for a program of film criticism. Kauffman obviously worshiped Antonioni and said words to that effect: “Tell me, Mr. Antonioni, can you sum up what the body of your work is pointing to? What has your message been in your movies?” Antonioni looked up sort of strangely and said, “Well, what do you think?” At which point a very pleased Stanley Kauffman pulled out a sheaf of papers and proceeded to read his analysis of the work of Antonioni. At the end, quite pleased with himself again, Kauffman turned to Antonioni and asked, “Now do you agree with any of that?” Antonioni looked horrified and said, “No!”
    EBB: I think the songs that have become what people think of as Kander and Ebb songs are purely accidental.
    KANDER: I wouldn’t recognize a Kander and Ebb song if it walked in the room and slapped me in the face. Even after writing
as many as we have, I really wouldn’t know what a Kander and Ebb song is.
    EBB: I don’t think I would know either. People sometimes call me and say, “Wow, I heard a wonderful song of yours,” and it turns out to be someone else’s.
    KANDER: Sometimes a writer or composer who I know will call when he’s working on a show and say, “I just wrote a real Kander and Ebb song, and I can’t wait for you to hear it.” Then the person plays it for me and I think, What? Is that what we sound like?
    EBB: We ask ourselves, “Why is that a Kander and Ebb song?” and we’re at a loss. I don’t think we consciously do almost anything that people have written about us when they try to characterize our music. They often point out things to us that we never had in mind. There’s an element of pretension there that drives me nuts even though they may be very complimentary.
    KANDER: I usually have no idea what they’re talking about. You can write an article about any playwright or composer and imply that the writer keeps looking for material that exemplifies a certain message, but that may not be the case at all. Steve Sondheim’s work has certain attitudes in it that you could identify, but if you asked him about it, I bet he wouldn’t know what they were. Steve works the same way everybody else does—he writes about what interests him. In a sense, I’m much more selfish than others may think. Deep down inside, I write to have a good time and to write things that will entertain me.
    EBB: I’m more of an exhibitionist than that. I love performing and entertaining people with what we write. But I only sing when you accompany me—except that one time when somebody was running for office and we were asked to perform at a benefit.
    KANDER: I can’t remember who the candidates were, but I remember the story very well and I still can’t believe that you did it.
    EBB: It was at the Palace Theater. Samuels. He was my candidate—
    KANDER: Howard Samuels. God damn! Let me tell this story because you remember it somewhat differently than I do. You were terribly excited because we had been asked to perform at this rally at the Palace for this gubernatorial candidate, Howard Samuels. But I said, “I’m not for him.” And you said, “What difference does it make? It’s the Palace!” Fred, if Hitler asked you to perform at the Palace, you would do it. You said yes to playing at the Palace, and I refused to do it.
    EBB: I said, “Look at who’s performing, Alan J. Lerner and Yip Harburg. And Chita is going to introduce us!” It was kind of swanky Paul Trueblood accompanied me. I sang “Ring Them Bells” and I killed them. I just didn’t see how you could resist walking out onstage at the Palace.
    KANDER: I was appalled.
    EBB: I told the audience, “Imagine standing here where Sophie Tucker and Al Jolson once stood!” I had never sung before without you.
    KANDER: I always hated performing, but you were terrific and people always wanted us to perform because of you.
    EBB: I enjoyed those occasional benefits, the one-shot

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