Wanna Get Happy? Listen to Judy Garland

Ever since I bought the 3 CD collection “The Essential Judy Garland”,  I have been enjoying riding in my car.  I stopped listening to political talk radio and have instead been thrilling to Garland.

Traffic jam?  No problem.  It gives me more time to listen to Judy.  I have found my overall daily mood has improved and even when I’m not listening, the sweet refrains of her tunes keep being recalled in my head, brightening my day.

I keep marveling at what a natural talent she was.  She had such musical expression, such a beautiful tone that she changes to match whatever song she is singing, such rhythmic timing, such exuberance, such dynamic range, and such soul!

And she gets you to feel whatever she is singing about.  It’s clear she knows and conveys the meaning of whatever lyrics she is crooning.  You can hear her smiling through the upbeat spirit she brings to “Get Happy”, “The Trolley Song”, “Everybody Sing”, and “If You Feel Like Singing, Sing”. These renditions warm my heart and make me feel, well, like singing.

The timing and tempos of such spiritual classics as “Swanee”, “Fascinatin’ Rhythm”, “I’ve Got Rhythm”, “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” and “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and big band swing tunes of “Stompin’ At The Savoy”, “On The Atchison, Topeka, And The Santa Fe”, and “FDR Jones” make we want to get up and dance.  (Hard to do while driving.)

The pathos and dreamy quality of such ballads as “Zing Went The Strings of My Heart”, “Sleep, My Baby, Sleep”, “Oceans Apart”, “I’m Nobody’s Baby”, “But Not For Me”, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, “The Man That Got Away”, “Embraceable You” and of course, “Over the Rainbow” make me swoon.

I had forgotten how many hit recordings she had.  Besides the holiday classics “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Easter Parade”, there are uplifting jewels such as “Look For the Silver Lining”, “On The Sunny Side Of The Street”,  “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”, and “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis.”

And the duets she sings shows her ability to work well with other stars and create an entertaining chemistry that is palpable in renditions of “For You, For Me, Forevermore” and “Aren’t You Kind Of Glad We Did?” with Dick Haymes, “For Me and My Gal” and “When You Wore A Tulip” with Gene Kelly, and “Mine” with Bing Crosby.  And her comical side is highlighted in the collaborations of “Be A Clown” with Gene Kelly, “Friendship” with Johnny Mercer, “Yah-Ta-Ta, Yah-Ta-Ta, Talk, Talk, Talk” with Bing Crosby, “Could You Use Me?” with Mickey Rooney, and “We’re A Couple Of Swells” with Fred Astaire.

In fact, there is not one number out of the 60 offerings on the CD collection that I don’t like.  No wonder Ron O’Brien declared her “the reigning goddess of the golden age of the Hollywood film musical.”

And hearing Judy sing is just one part of the equation that was Garland. She was also a great dancer and gifted actress that brightened the stage or screen. Most have seen her memorable performance in “The Wizard of Oz” but in that classic she only sings one solo and doesn’t get to dance much.  If you haven’t yet experienced the total joyful package that she was, I suggest you go to youtube and watch the clips of her film career and TV show. The irony of Judy Garland is that though her tragic off screen life of imposed drug addiction by MGM (they made her take amphetamines in her teens), divorces, and breakdowns was publicized so extensively in the press, her on screen persona, I believe, is the real Judy and it is where she shined and was happiest.  She was born to sing and entertain.  And we are the lucky beneficiaries of her talent.

There is no getting around it.  We need a Garland revival.  I happen to love that time period of the big bands, spirituals, and Broadway musicals.  I have a theory that Judy helped that generation survive the Great Depression and World War II.  Boy, could we use her now!  I am thankful we have these CDs and youtube video clips.  The one of Judy and Barbra Streisand singing “Hooray for Love” on her TV show in 1963 is particularly memorable.  As one musical icon passes the torch to another, the genuine respect and affection they display for one another is heartwarming.

But we need more Judy.  I would like to hear more radio stations play her hits.  We have “Fridays with Frank”, why not “Fridays with Frances” (her real name)?  Or how about “Jubilation with Judy”?

How about a new movie on her life?  I know HBO did one a few years ago, but I want to see one on the big screen.  And I would cast Hillary Swank to play Judy.  She looks like her and has the same kind of girl next door energy.

While listening to these CDs I was struck by how many references are made to rainbows (“Over the Rainbow”, “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”, and “Can This Be the End Of The Rainbow?”)

In “Sunny Side Of The Street”, Judy adds a new twist to one of the lines:  “Troubles over, I’ve crossed over the rainbow.”  She has and I am convinced she has found peace, free of the troubles and sorrows she must have endured here on earth.  She left us a legacy of happiness through song and if anyone is deserving of forgiveness and grace it is Judy Garland.

Miracle On Capitol Hill

(This is a recent article I sumitted to HuffPost on 12/22/10 that did not get published.  Any ideas why?  I am cluless.)

The Holidays came early for congress and the American public.  Just when it looked like Grinch Harry Reid was going to steal Christmas from them, lawmakers made deals and finished the 111th Congress with a flurry of bills, most supported by the majority of Americans.

This unforeseen miraculous happy ending came during a lame duck session where the departing incumbents could have taken their marbles and gone home, but they didn't.  And this is a victory for everyone, especially the President who less than two short months ago admitted he and his party took a "shellacking" in the mid-term elections.  (http://www.businessweek.com/.../obama-says-midterm-shellacking-to-spur- cooperation.html)

This come from behind series of victories is not unlike the "Miracle at the New Meadowlands" that the Philadelphia Eagles pulled off against the New York Giants this past weekend.  They were down by 21 points and rallied behind quarterback Michael Vick and punt returner DeSean Jackson for four touchdowns in 8 minutes. (http://www.philly.com/.../eagles/20101220_Eagles___Miracle_at_New_ Meadowlands__beats_Giants_for_NFC_East_lead.html)

Just as some are saying this Eagles win was so dramatic it has the fans thinking Super Bowl, President Obama's major bills that passed in the last week alone may propel him to re-election in 2012.  It is too soon to say for both but there are a lot of similarities.

Before Jackson's breathtaking punt return he had been dejected on the sidelines after fumbling away the ball in the third quarter.  He was ready to give up but QB Vick implored him not to.  "Vick kept telling me, 'Man, come on.  Man, keep your head up.  You're going to get one.  You're going to get one'.  And we kept plugging away and we got one."

Vick also told his teammates at halftime, if nothing else play for pride.  That seems to be what the Democrats in congress did this lame duck session.  Many are leaving in January.  They knew this was their last chance to get bills passed that they felt were just morally right:  the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the 9/11 Responders' Health Care bill, and the Russian START treaty.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid smartly played the "Christmas card."   He told disgruntled GOP Senators who were complaining about having to stay past their holiday break time that many Americans have to work on Christmas.  Ironically this deadline of the new year forced many Republicans to stop playing obstructionist and vote on America's business.  (http://www.tnr.com/.../harry-reid-gets-something-right-making-our-lazy-politicians -earn-their-payc -)

It turns out that President Obama was wise to get the tax bill done first to clear the way for the rest of the legislation.  (http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/obama-gop-reach-tax-deal.aspx -).  Although  many progressives in his own party were unhappy with the deal which included tax breaks for the wealthy, the whole process helped them to find their voice (like Vermont Senator Sanders' 8 hour filibuster, take that, GOP)  and fired them up which helped create the momentum for the monumental last few weeks.  (http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=cae39a0e-ad05-4782...)

Many moderate GOP Senators also showed backbone by voting for the President's agenda.  Already I have heard a backlash from the Tea party on right wing radio warning these lawmakers that they are "taking names." (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46578.html)

The truth is that conservative Republicans lawmakers must feel similar to the NY Giants right about now.  They were sitting pretty after the historic November 4th mid-term elections but now they may be wondering what train hit them.  Senator Lindsey Graham (R,SC) is quoted as saying  Senator Reid has eaten our lunch."  (http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/23595814)

Yesterday, history was made with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".  (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gays_in_military.)   This is as momentous an occasion as Truman's  desegregating the Military in 1948.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981).  In addition to the extension of tax cuts, the START treaty and the 9/11 Health care bill, a Food Safety act was passed, and unemployment was extended for 13 months.  This on top of all of the legislative victories of the last two years including Health care reform, equal pay for women, credit card reform, and Financial reform.  Speaker Pelosi as well as Senator Reid should be applauded for all they accomplished despite the party of "no".

President Obama has called this a "Season of Progress." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../obama-press-conference-pr_2_n_800475.html).   The one bill that he regrets that didn't get passed is the  DREAM act which guarantees rights to children of illegal immigrants.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DREAM_Act ).  But he has said he has not given up on it and will take it up with the next congress.  I now believe him.  As he has said, he is nothing else if not persistent.

These are my Christmas wishes: the Eagles win the Super Bowl and President Obama and the 112th congress find a way to continue to work together and do what is right for the American people.  One can DREAM can't one?

Our Whole Nation Has PTSD

(Here is a blog I submitted to the Huffington Post on 11/18/09.  One of my favorites that never got published.  Any ideas why?)

Floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, nor’easterns, droughts.  Just a few of the natural disasters this nation has endured these past few years.  Is global warming real and has it contributed to these latest catastrophes?

On 9/11/02, two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in NYC, one struck the Pentagon in DC, and another headed for the White House crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the brave passengers put up a fight with the al-Qaeda hijackers.  

Then we started two foreign wars in which we witnessed beheadings, suicide bombings, and IED attacks on our troops and recently an attack by an insider terrorist  on Army recruits at Fort Hood.  On Christmas day, 2009 a terrorist who boarded a plane in Nigeria detonated a home made bomb after the flight landed in Detroit.  Luckily it misfired and no one was hurt except the suspect.

Several “rogue nations” such as Iran and North Korea are developing nuclear weapons.  The Middle East is heating up.  The world is teetering on the edge.

In the last two decades, we have seen domestic terrorism in Oklahoma, high school students shooting their classmates in Columbine, a Washington DC sniper kill several civilians, a Virginia Tech college student going on a rampage, while countless disgruntled workers turned on their employers (creating the term “going postal”), and a seeming no end to violence and crime in our cities.

The most scary and violent program on television is the local news.  Murders, rapes, kidnappings, animal abuse, and robberies:  it’s just too depressing to watch.  And the sad thing is that it is real, not a fabricated plot.

Now as a nation we face a recession, high unemployment, a mortgage crisis, banks and automobile manufacturers failing, rising health costs, huge deficits, increased homelessness, and a divided nation as to how to solve our problems.

I believe we are collectively suffering from some form of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).  This affliction usually affects those who have experienced a life-threatening situation such as a war zone, a car accident, a plane crash, a physical attack or rape.  The VA Hospitals have long waiting lists of returning soldiers needing help for PTSD.  These are the extreme cases of the disorder.

But I also believe that to a lesser degree every one of us has a connection to the illness, if not personally afflicted, through our friends and family.

How many people do you know who have experienced a car accident, a life threatening disease, witnessed a crime, lost a son or daughter or sibling to war, had a family member that has committed suicide, or survived a natural disaster?  I know all of the above applies to me and my extended family.

Ironically, all of the above situations are also favorite subjects for our TV shows, movies, and books.  Why do we like to be frightened by our entertainment?  Why are horror films like “Friday the 13^th” and “Saw” so popular?  How is that the movie “2012” (that chronicles the end of the world due to solar flare-ups from the sun) is doing so well at the box office?  Aren’t movies supposed to be an escape from our stressful society?  More importantly, does art imitate life or does life imitate art?

I was recently shocked by my eight year old nephew when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up.  He said a “weapons builder.”  I couldn’t imagine where he got that idea, coming from a loving Christian family, then I remembered that he spends a lot of time on the computer.  Could it be the video games he plays? 

Come to think of it, that is what we Americans do best:  build weapons and sell them to the world.

Is the Bible right in that “whatsoever we sow, that we shall reap”?  Was President Eisenhower psychic when he warned about expanding the “military industrial complex”?  Are we as a nation conflicted internally because of the destruction and suffering we have contributed to around the globe?

How can we turn all this around?  Maybe we all need group therapy.  I also believe that change begins at home.  We can pressure our leaders, particularly our new President, to put an end to the wars, produce green jobs over weapons manufacturing, pass health care reform, bring back some form of gun control, and clean up the environment to prevent further climate change.  But they can’t do it alone.  We all have to do our part.

Many of our spiritual advisors suggest a personal moratorium on the evening news.  What is the sense of going around depressed all the time?  While we’re at it, how about a moratorium on scary, gory, or violent movies and TV shows?  Producers only produce what they think the public wants to see.  Also, how about a boycott of violent video games?

We need to change our collective consciousness to one of peace and compassion to replace conflict and stress.  It begins with us as individuals making a conscious decision to choose a different way of life, to reject the violence of the past and emphasize healing and reconciliation.

If someone is seriously afflicted with PTSD they should get professional help.  Meanwhile, the rest of us can find personal peace and comfort in our spiritual faith, our friends and family, and with our commonality rather than our differences.  As Michael Jackson so eloquently stated in his song, “Man in the Mirror”: “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change.”  

Welcome to My View

Welcome to my blog.  I am a regular blogger for the Huffington Post (over 65 articles published since 2008) and a writer for Phillyphanatics.com and decided I wanted to start my own blog so I can post whatever I want to write.  I would like to share with you the blogs I submitted that HuffPost never published.  I want you to speculate why.  Too controversial?  Would they hurt someone's feelings?  Are they afraid of lawsuits?

I welcome any feedback and comments and look forward to expressing my views freely and openly on this website.  Stay tuned.   Thanks,  Joan E. Dowlin