From: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org (believers-digest) To: believers-digest@smoe.org Subject: believers-digest V5 #186 Reply-To: believers@smoe.org Sender: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk believers-digest Monday, October 1 2001 Volume 05 : Number 186 In Today's believer's digest: ----------------- SNL Opening / Grace Slick (cross-post) ["Ron Rosen" Subject: SNL Opening / Grace Slick (cross-post) The opening of Saturday Night Live was very cool last night. The show started with Rudy Giuliani flanked by the Fire and Police Commissioners and about 30-50 firemen and police behind them wearing various uniforms and gear. Rudy gave a very serious speech about the heroes, including all those who were killed, and how we're not going to let terrorism stop us or intimidate us. This went on for awhile. I was expecting it to end with Rudy or all of those on stage saying "Live from NY..." but instead, the camera moved to the next stage (both stages featured big American flags) where Paul Simon stood in his FDNY baseball cap and sang The Boxer, backed up by a band, which came in and out depending on the verse. The Boxer is very moving and, although I wasn't sure why when it started, I knew it was the exact right Paul Simon song for the moment, because it's a song of defiance and survival. When he got to this verse, it became clear: "In a clearing stands the boxer and a fighter by his trade and he carries the reminders of every man who laid him down or cut him 'till he cried out in his anger and his shame I am leaving I am leaving but the fighter still remains........." As the song progressed, they began to cut back and forth between Simon and the firemen / police who stood there looking very resolved and defiant. After the song ended, they cut back to Giuliani and the others. Loren Michaels came out and Giuliani talked about SNL and getting back to normal. Loren asked, "Is it OK to be funny?" Rudy said, "Why start now?" Then Rudy said, "Live from NY, it's Saturday Night!" It was a great opening. Grace Slick, who vowed that at age 60 she is too old to appear on stage to sing rock and roll, was coaxed out by the events of September 11. About 6 months ago she painted a painting of Janis Joplin backed by an American flag. Grace does not know why she chose that motif, but thinks it might be that she was looking at Janis as the All American Girl for her time, the quintessential American woman. She decided to auction a print of this painting (http://www.arrowfm.com/9-11.jpg) , signed by herself and other members of Jefferson Starship, to support the relief effort in NY. In an interview she said, "I'm an old dude. I used to be the first one to want to shove the flag up your ... but this is the most patriotic time since WW II. I made a flag to hang on my back door." She quoted the saying about democracy being the worst form of government except for everything else. She said she is so grateful to live in this country and people should look around at the rest of the world when evaluating this country. The heroism of the police and firefighters motivated her to auction the painting which she has apparently retitled "9-11." In connection with that she appeared on stage with Jefferson Starship yesterday at a show in Long Beach, CA. Apparently she sang back up on several songs, joined by her and Paul Kantner's daughter China. They showed a cut of her on the news singing Wooden Ships, a song about surviving nuclear halocaust. She looked like the Earth Mother with her died platinum hair. She was draped in a stylized American flag. HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 10:10:58 -0400 From: "Charisse D. Lowe" Subject: Re: SNL Opening / Grace Slick (cross-post) Ron, thanks for the play- by- play on SNL. I wish I had seen it, but I had a fund-raiser gig last night (like so many other musicians over the past two weeks). I've pretty much stopped watching SNL - I'm not interested in watching Britney Spears and the rest of the crap that they've been programming. (And for some reason, their vocal/band mix is usually horrible and the vocals are always drowned out). And the creepy comedy - it's past tasteless. However, Paul Simon doing The Boxer would certainly have been worth it! And God Bless, Gracie! Charisse in Wichita HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at World Cafe CDs http://worldcafecds.com ------------------------------ End of believers-digest V5 #186 ******************************* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- This has been a posting from the Susan Werner believers-digest To unsubscribe send mail to Majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe believers-digest" in the body of the message