Donald Satz ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>Steve Schwartz wrote concerning Grainger:
>
>>On the other hand, he transferred his cancer operation from the
>>Mayo Clinic to Denmark, because he "had a horror of discovering a Jewish
>>doctor working over me."  Anti-Semitism wasn't a motivating
>>force in his life, as it certainly was with Wagner.
>
>I don't know about that.  Switching a medical operation site by thousands
>of miles because the doctor is jewish sounds like a strong motivating
>factor to me.

i don't know about Grainger's anti-semitism (or lack of) bu he certainly
believed in the innate superiority of the "Nordic race' (whatever *that*
might be).

However, things are not that simple.  Grainger was, for example, the
first person to invite Duke Ellington's band (knew we'd link these
threads somehow) to perform at a US university *as part of a lecture*.

There is also a lovely tale of an incident during a tour of South Africa.
PG was scheduled to play in a particular hall and the organisers became
worried as showtime approached and still no sign of PG.

With about 10 minutes left, the observed a cloud of dust appearing from
the horizon, which gradually resolved itself into a running group pof Zulu
warriors, complete with Grainger, who had also run miles to be there.

And who simply could not understand why his new-found friends would not be
allowed into the concert.

Deryk Barker
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