Rumsfeld's 'Poetic' Voice Set to Music
By RON HARRIS, Associated Press Writer
May 12, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/259tx
SAN FRANCISCO - After hearing Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld dress down the media at Pentagon press briefings,
two San Francisco musicians came to an inevitable conclusion:
his words simply must be set to chamber music.
So they've taken Rumsfeld's explanations of world affairs and
set them to airy classical compositions.
"The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Songs"
includes "The Unknown" from Rumsfeld's Feb. 12, 2002, briefing
on the situation in Iraq:
"As we know,
"There are known knowns.
"There are things we know we know.
"We also know there are known unknowns ... "
now those words are lyrics sung by soprano Elender Wall, set
to the lofty chords of composer and pianist Bryant Kong.
The self-published CD has been featured on National Public
Radio and several Web sites. Kong is hoping coverage will
fuel brisk sales.
Kong - no fan of the Bush administration says Rumsfeld's
unscripted remarks are at once deliberate and casual, and
often simply odd. The combination is perfect for classical
music, Kong said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"What we show in the songs is that we believe that Rumsfeld
is telling a story that doesn't hold up that he is trying to
sell a war that is not justified," Kong said. "These classically
based forms are a great way of doing that."
Among those enjoying the sendup: Rumsfeld himself!
"Someone gave me a copy of this thing, and here is this woman
with a wonderful voice singing my press conference," Rumsfeld
marveled at a meeting of the Newspaper Association of America
last month. "Now, if that doesn't tell you something about
the state of the world!"
Last year, journalist-humorist Hart Seely took selected
Rumsfeld briefings and without changing a word, presented
them in the form of free verse, sonnets and haiku in his book
"Pieces of Intelligence: The Existential Poetry of Donald H.
Rumsfeld."
Kong, who got permission to use Seely's work for his musical
compositions, has considered whether the words of other top
politicians might work as forms of art. He thinks President
Bush's statements lack the necessary substance, while Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry would put people to sleep.
"Public figures deserve what they get in terms of artistic
treatment and George Bush's misstatement's are a desk calendar,"
Kong said wryly. "I guess John Kerry's speech would be a
very long tone poem. It would have to be at least 45 minutes
long."
Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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