Snapshots From Lyon

Being a collection of random thoughts about Porgy & Bess, Lyon, the French, and anything else that pops into my mind….

Putting together a revival of an opera is a helluva lot easier than doing it from scratch.  Just remember what you did two years ago, and when in doubt reference the video.  Because there’s been a lot less pressure the general atmosphere is much more relaxed.  Reference the line “You can’t make me look on Crown’s face.”  Somehow the word “sit” was substituted in there….. somewhere……

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The French are very French…

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The people of Lyon are sexier than the rest of us.  You know that, right?

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Actually, it doesn’t matter if you know it.  They know it, and that’s all that counts.  I have a theory that the entire 3 year middle school curriculum for the children of Lyon consists solely of:

Boys – How to be suave and debonair.

Girls – How to primp and do the sexy walk.

I swear, I saw this 10 year old kid the other day.  He had the wavy hair, sleeveless t-shirt, sunglasses thing going.  Punk is already cooler than I’ve ever been in my life.

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We’re actually ahead of schedule.  A very bizarre situation in the world of opera.  And because we have two new cast members – Crown (Gregg Baker) and Serena (Andrea Baker), no relation to each other – Saturday became a re-shoot day for some of the video components to the production.  Since that involved the aforementioned cast members, as well as Bess & Porgy, the rest of us had a day off!

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Ghana should have won that game.

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3 vignettes observed over the last 72 hours:

1.  The four construction workers.  One was actually working.  The others were standing around smoking.

2. The two policewomen stopped in front of a shoe store doing some world-class window shopping.

3. The little girl merrily throwing her stuffed animal from the 2nd floor balcony, with the passers-by merrily throwing it back to her.  Over and over….

Did I mention that the French are very French?

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Thanks to all the French who have seen me on my bike and asked if I was training for Le Tour.  I’m flattered, right up to the point where I realize that in this country Philosophy, AKA “Bullshit,” is an Art form.

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If anyone’s coming to Lyon I’ve got a great Moroccan restaurant for you to check out.  Rockin’ tajine!!

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Le Tour has begun!!!  I shall see the end of the 11th stage at Bourg-lès-Valence.

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Happy Independence Day everybody!  Remember, the War for Independence was fought over equal representation, not taxes, as is commonly thought.  Also remember, without Franklin raiding the French treasury, and the (admittedly self-serving) help of the French government and military , the colonies would have been crushed.

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Lance Armstrong is a stud, doped or not.

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I love this town.  If I was twenty years younger I’d move here in a splintered second.  The irony being that it’s twenty years since I was first in Lyon.  I came here in May, 1990, with the USC Contemporary Music Ensemble.  Unfortunately we spent most of our 3 days in rehearsals in Part Dieu, so we didn’t get a true feel for the town.  C’est la vie!

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I still think that Fidelio would have been easier.  Not as much fun, but definitely easier.