A Memorable Journey

I’ll do a wrap-up post on my time at WWDC, but I felt that I had to write about this first. On the way back to Vancouver from San Francisco, I had scheduled a shuttle, but at the last minute, canceled and decided to use BART again. It was one of those decisions that I’ll no doubt look back on and think, it’s a good thing, because otherwise I wouldn’t have had the experience that I had. Friday the 13th has always been lucky for me, and this June 13th was no exception.

After boarding the train at Civic Center, after 2 or 3 stops, 2 men in suits got on the train. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Navy blue suit, blue eyes and gray hair, a US Flag lapel… it was Howard Dean. Yes that Howard Dean, the former Governor of Vermont, front-runner candidate for President in 2004 (whose campaign I worked on) and currently, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. ‘I’m never going to have another chance like this,’ I said to myself. In a moment or two, I got up the nerve and introduced myself to him, telling him that I had worked on his campaign (He immediately said ‘Thank you’ for that) and that I was a great admirer of his. He was on his way to some meetings at hotels at the airport, and to avoid the traffic, had decided to take BART. I told him where we had moved (and why). He had many questions about Vancouver; he hadn’t visited the city for 40 years. He did mention, that he loved Canada, and often went to a family house in Nova Scotia, near Bras d’Or Lake (since Vermont is so close to the Canadian border). Pam and I had gone to that area for our honeymoon. He talked about how cosmopolitan a reputation that Vancouver has, and that he could absolutely understand our move here. He asked if we were going to get Canadian citizenship, and that obviously, being a techie, I would have had no problem getting landed immigrant status. We chatted about a number of subjects: the Primary, What President Barack Obama will do to help put the country back on the right track (and whether we’d return after that), even a bit about our land in Vermont (”You should hang on to that”, Dean said. “When we get out of this Real Estate slump, that’s going to be worth some serious money.”). We reminisced a bit about when I had last seen him on the campaign, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, when he spoke by the river, with boats with his banners floating back and forth behind him. When I commented on the flag pin on his lapel, he said that it was “to show the Republicans that they don’t own the flag”. He laughed when I suggested that perhaps the Democrats could have a slightly different (and maybe a more elegant) design for it.

To prove that this is not what it sounds like, a ‘tall tale’, I got his assistant to take a picture of the two of us, seated on the BART seat:

We parted as he went off to his meeting, and I headed to my check-in for the flight home, feeling as if I were in the air already. At the gate, I immediately called family all over North America to tell them of my good fortune and began this post.

My lasting impression of Dean is pretty much how I imagined him one-on-one. He seemed interested and charming, intelligent, a good listener and a smart businessman. He was very gracious, and seemed genuinely interested and engaged. In short, I was not disappointed.

I suspect that the average person has a shot at meeting and talking to, perhaps 1 or 2 famous people in their lifetime. You hope that those celebrities are people that you’d also like to meet and perhaps even someone who you admire. I’ve actually had more than my share of meetings with famous people in my life so far. I’ve met and even had some conversations with several composers, including Olivier Messiaen, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thompson, Ned Rorem, Elliott Carter, Steve Reich and Leonard Bernstein, playwright Edward Albee, the writers Isaac Asimov and William Gibson, and some brief moments where I shared a transit ride with Michael Dukakis and William Weld (It’s odd how I always meet the politicians when riding on mass transit) I’ve even met some luminaries in software and business, including John Sculley (the first CEO of Apple Computer while Steve Jobs was in exile) and Bill Atkinson, one of the more interesting figures in the history of computers (he invented 2 early pieces of software for the Mac, which became the first of 2 categories of software, MacPaint, which begot bitmap editors and HyperCard, which it may be argued, was a precursor to the World-wide Web and has been said to be the inspiration behind the concept of the Wiki). As Nearly-Canadians (and as I’ve noted in previous posts in this blog), Pam and I even shared a picnic table with actress Nancy Robertson (who plays Wanda on “Corner Gas”) and briefly met Roch Carrier, the author of The Hockey Sweater, a classic story, animated film and keystone of Canadian identity.

Nevertheless, it was great to finally be able to tell Howard Dean how much I had looked up to him. On June 13, 2008, without any warning, I got a chance to talk to one of my personal heroes, and I’m thrilled.

I Agree: Some Words are Off Limits During a Campaign

Even from our vantage point here, outside the US, it’s still hard to ignore how ugly and sordid the campaign for the Democratic Nomination has become. However, I don’t think we ever heard anything as ghoulish as what was reported this morning. Apparently, Hillary Clinton said this during a recent interview:

My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it…

I was only eight years old when Bobby Kennedy, the younger brother of JFK, was assassinated. I later learned in school that his campaign was notable partly because of the number of young people who were working for him, and that he was trying very hard to heal and unify a stricken US, disillusioned and fearful (by the trauma of his brother’s recent murder) and involved in a war they did not support. Sound familiar?

The idea that a young leader — a leader who has even been compared to Bobby Kennedy—will soon find a bullet heading for him in late summer, isn’t something we should be forced to contemplate, or discuss, or even hear mumblings about. It’s certainly not what I expected the ‘Talking Heads’ to be chattering about this week. Leaving the thought hanging out there, that ‘Assassinations tend to happen in June, so I better stick around’ (as if the month were like some kind of hurricane season), is bad enough. But to invoke that particular kind of horrible event during an interview while running for President is just sick.

Whenever I talk to Canadians about the US, the subject of violence, in particular gun violence comes up. The US is seen as a violent place, where violent people have easy access to guns, and Americans are perfectly OK with that. Often, this observation is delivered with nervous laughter, as if the country to our South were just some crazy Aunt we hope stays in the cellar, and that some day she won’t come barreling up the stairs with a rifle, doing that slaughtering thing she does from time to time.

What I’ve often felt was the worst thing about America, was the fact that so many Presidents (and presidential candidates) have been either targeted for death or killed. Hillary’s offhanded reference reminds me that I’ve frequently had to mull over the thought that Obama’s running mate had better be someone I trust in the White House, because by golly, he’s going to get shot, sooner or later. I agree with Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. We all must acknowledge that assassination is (for lack of a better word) a loaded word.

Here’s his response (in 2 parts). For those who don’t want to watch the video, I’ll try and find a transcript. Nevertheless, I don’t think it will communicate just how outraged he is, and I am.

Update: It looks like Dick Morris. a former adviser to the Clintons has a similar, if not identical opinion:

Everybody who has thought seriously about the Obama candidacy, including me and probably including the Senator himself, have reflected on the horrible possibility that he would be assassinated. One cannot think about Obama, the Kennedy-esque candidate without worrying about his safety. But we all observe the discipline of not raising the issue in public. We all worry that to do so would be to encourage some maniac to take a shot. Now Hillary has violated this unstated but heretofore universal taboo and brought up the possibility. That is not to say that she is hoping for a murder. But it is to say that the possibility is uppermost in her mind and a significant part of her rationale for staying in the race. And, by raising it, she has made it more possible.

(From dickmorris.com )

Battle of the (Military) Bands

Never has there been a better musical metaphor for the disaster of the Bush Presidency than this audio clip from the visit of the Pope Benedict XVI to the White House on April 16th. Thanks to my hero, Tom Allen of the CBC (who will be tragically let go this fall, much to my agony, but enough about that for the time being), his sharp ears picked up this amazing fiasco of Hail to the Chief:

Here’s the quote from Tom Allen’s Junk Drawer:

Here’s the musical event Charles Ives waited for his entire life. On April 16, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI visited the White House. Two musical groups were there to welcome him - the Herald Trumpets from the US Army Band, and the President’s Own Marine Band. The President, not surprisingly, was there, too. Protocol says that any time the President of the United States turns up in an official role, the band has to play “Hail to the Chief.” As you hear from the clip, protocol apparently doesn’t say they have to play it in just one key. The story is that one group came to rehearsal and the other didn’t, so they ended up, at the big moment, playing the same piece in different keys. I’ve received, predictably, contradictory reports of which group, the Army or the Marines, fired in the wrong direction, but the result was a direct hit for music fans who like their military bands on the experimental side. It’s fantastic!

I found out this morning that it was because one of the groups was a ‘civilian’ group. This was the musical equivalent of ‘friendly fire’ between American troops and Military contractors.

An Answer to One of my Protests

OK, I realize that I’m becoming a bit of a broken record, and I promise that these postings about the CBC are reaching an end. After all, each of us have to ‘get a life’.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t resist posting this, because it shows just how the blather the CBC spouts about multiculturalism and other BS is being used so that these people can get their way, a commercial-style radio network with next to no challenging or intellectual content.

Here’s the background: In addition to my letter to the CBC, I left a submission at the ‘Contact Us’ form on the CBC Web site, and here’s what I got in today’s email :

Dear David Drucker,
Thank you for your email about upcoming changes to the weekday schedule of CBC Radio 2. We’re enthusiastic about the changes being planned. It’s good news for all Canadian performers and all Canadian listeners. However, we know some people have misconceptions of why we are making these changes and how the new schedule will look.

The question facing CBC is whether we use Radio 2 to reflect excellence in all Canadian music and musicians or just a part of the industry; and whether we serve a broad spectrum of Canadian listeners or just of a portion of the audience.

Allow us to provide you with a little background to the proposals.

First, we recognize the quality and public value of “serious” music. Classical music will remain the most broadly represented form on Radio 2 while we expand the spectrum to include other forms of music for adult Canadian listeners.

Next, it may interest you to know that Canadian performers of all stripes release about 30,000 pieces of music every year. Less than 1 per cent of those receive regular airplay on commercial radio stations. The rich diversity of Canadian music and musicians is clearly not being heard on Canadian airwaves. Music genres for which Canada is famous throughout the world currently have little exposure on CBC Radio’s music network.

Since CBC’s mandate charges us to “reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, (and) actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression” as well as “reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada” the public broadcaster’s adult music network must be a home for these artists and this music.

Finally, we also believe there will still be some listeners who desire nothing but classical, or jazz, or adult singer-songwriters. So, this fall, CBC Radio will be launching three 24-hour-a-day web radio services to serve each niche exclusively. Obviously we would rather have a full FM network for each genre, but since that is not possible, the online solution is another option for Canadians.

Radio 2 is now and will be remain a music network for adult Canadians. Our values of thoughtfulness in presentation and excellence in performance remain intact. Our commitment to offer an alternative on the dial continues. The kind of listening experience will not change; the music highlights will just come from a broader spectrum.

We’re passionate about Canadian music. Radio 2 will be the only place to truly reflect the incredible breadth and depth of talent that exists in this country.

Again, thank you for writing. We look forward to your feedback when the new shows are introduced in the fall.

Ray Rusk
Communications Officer
CBC Audience Relations

I’m getting the standard party line I’ve seen in other media: Classical doesn’t represent true Canada; We’re not cutting out Classical music (or now an even better subtle insult: ‘Serious’ music; gee, why don’t they call it ‘Long-hair music’ or ‘Egghead music’); we’re just making sure that everyone is represented, so Classical Music has to go to make room for the other Canadian artists. That bit about ‘30,000 pieces of music’ is, I suspect, plucked from thin air.

Never mind that the mythical ‘audience’ they are talking about (instead of ‘portion of that audience’) doesn’t exist. The people who listen to Radio 2 by definition listen to Classical Music because if the CBC didn’t broadcast that, they wouldn’t listen to Radio 2. The alternative to Radio 2 is, let me see…Oh right: nothing.

Never mind that Canadian composers and Canadian Classical Music are going to continue to be phased out of the airwaves. The biggest bald-faced lie in the email is this one: Classical music will remain the most broadly represented form on Radio 2 …

Sorry, popular light classics from the hours of 10AM through 3PM, when no one but home-bound seniors will hear them is not ‘most broadly represented’.

To understand just how much the opposite of ‘most broadly represented’ is, here are some facts not mentioned in the letter:

The CBC Young Composers Competition has not been held since March 9, 2003. It, as well as the CBC Young Performers Competition have been suspended for the past four years. The Canada Council provided the funding for the $10,000.00 grand prize.

The CBC set the classical music budget for CBC Records to 0 in February 2008, precisely on the eve of their first Grammy win by Canadian violinist James Ehnes and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey on the CBC Records label. That’s right; the first Grammy win, and these guys get rid of the recording label. Many Classical Music performers launched their careers on a CBC Records label recording.

The commissioning budget previously devoted to commissioning new works from composers is now spread out to cover jazz, pop musicians, and some unspecified amount of contemporary classical music.

CBC cancelled Two New Hours, a multiple-award winning program that was aired for two hours a week in the incredibly prime time slot of Sundays 10pm to midnight. This program was dedicated to the music of living Canadian composers. It was cancelled in March 2007 in its 29th year.

CBC cancelled Music For A While, which aired classical music daily from 6pm to 8pm.

CBC cancelled In Performance the flagship Classical concerts program.

The CBC disbanded the CBC Radio Orchestra: North America’s 70-year old last remaining radio orchestra and platform for countless premieres of new Canadian compositions citing lack of resources. The next day, they ran a full-page ad in the Globe and Mail costing an estimated $30,000 to convince us of the same party line that I was read in the letter. It’s worth noting that there was not a single classical music (composer or performer) listed in the ad. Instead, the representation was primarily from commercial recording labels and others involved in popular music.

That bit about a ‘web’ station is utterly ridiculous as well.  Will I be able to listen to the web station in the car or on the Skytrain? Will I have to rig up a computer in the bedroom so I can wake up to it in the morning? Will kids in school who have never been exposed to Classical Music discover their Internet-based station?  Maybe in 5-10 years we’ll have pervasive Internet connectivity so that streaming audio is available at all times, including while traveling at decent quality, and is next to free for all, but not today. Like magazines that stop printing paper editions and only publish on the web, putting most of the CBC’s Classical Music solely on the Internet is pretty much getting rid of it from mainstream listeners.

It’s sickening to be read a party line that is disingenuous at best. That bit about multiculturalism is a smoke-screen.  Do you think they are going to be playing a lot of Pakistani and Chinese music? ( And isn’t ironic that so many Chinese are huge fans of Classical music and are building concert halls like mad in China while the CBC takes it away from listeners in Richmond?).

If the CBC says that people like me ‘just don’t get it’, that ‘The kind of listening experience will not change; the music highlights will just come from a broader spectrum’ and should simply listen to web radio, what they really mean is that they are simply interested in making more money — just like they do on TV by airing ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ — by pretending to be ‘multicultural’, and then running a commercial Easy Listening station. The pattern they’ve followed from the last 3 years plainly shows it.

The March

Today at 10:00 AM, supporters of the CBC Radio Orchestra met at the Queen Elizabeth Fountain. We waved to traffic going by on West Georgia, and heard speeches describing how protests like this one were going on in Montreal and Toronto (and also in Romania, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper is currently visiting).

Some passed out song sheets (also with all of the names of all the BC Members of Parliament, to send handwritten letters to). We sang some a couple of protest songs — to the tune of Three Blind Mice and Baa Baa Black Sheep (or Twinkle twinkle Star, if you will). My favourite bit was the second verse of the Baa Baa Black Sheep:

Bah, bah, humbug to the stingy beast
In his office way back east;
How can pencil-pushing jerks
Screw composer’s hard-earned works?
Bureaucrats don’t know their avant-garde
From a hole in their back yard.

Then the whole crowd marched a block south to the main doors of the CBC. Some of the radio orchestra members gathered at the door, and there were more speeches and chanting. There was no violence, and I think that frankly, the folks in the building were glad we were there. After all, I think they would have joined us if they could have. Here are a few other photos (the rest are on Flickr):