Tuesday, December 25, 2007

A spoof for Christmas

An unpublished story from the “Tales of Joan at Bard” from the final spoof, Harry Partch and the Deadly Hockets: Der Leiermann seht die beiden Loreleiamfernsehermensch (The Organ Grinder who watched Gilmore Girls)

At the edge of Hollywood Bowl village near Hogwoods, Grant-Lee Phillips plays a hurdy gurdy. None of the students pay attention, jinx him, and even Serious Gerard Schwarz in canine form, barks at him. But he continues to perform, and our Harry Partch decides he too, might do well with some improv. The parallel fifths and awful quodlibets pair well with the poor online sales of Phillips, and concludes the cycle with an eerily unfinished feel perfectly in character with the lonely wandering of the musician.

Der Leiermann seht die beiden Loreleiamfernsehermensch (The Organ Grinder who watched Gilmore Girls
Over beyond the Hollywood Bowl village
Stands an organ-grinder,
And with numb fingers
He plays as best he can.


Barefoot on the ice,
He totters here and there,
And his little plate
Is always empty.

No one listens to him,
No one notices him,
And Serious growls
Around the young man.

And he just lets it happen,
As it will,
Plays, and his hurdy-gurdy
Is never still.

Strange man,
Shall I go with you?
Will you play your organ
To my baton with a tail feather from Drumandbuglecorps's firebird, Igor?


For another fine edition of Danse Macabre

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