Kind of Late to the Party

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Regular readers know I love music, especially traditional Broadway numbers. You also know we both love watching movies and television series.

To be clear here, we do not have television in the rig. Well, we have a television, but where we're parked right now, we don't even get over the air reception, much less cable.

But not to worry. We have lots of DVDs, and I have to tell you the Santa Cruz Library is a treasure trove of digital media. It's been so wonderful to have such a large selection of movies, plays and television at our beck and call. The local library is where we found Lark Rise to Candleford, and it's also where we found Glee.

Are we the last people in the country to discover this program? I really feel like we're coming very late to this series, but it's brand new to us.

And we love it.

It seems that in current "entertainment" there's very little chance for traditional vocalists to shine; but when I found this show, I was just blown away. For someone who loves music, it's a treasure trove. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of current music, I really like things like melody and being able to understand the words. I often talk to young people who have never been exposed to traditional Broadway songs, and short of telling them how wonderful this music is, I really don't know how they will ever be exposed to the whole genre that I love so much.

But Glee changes all that. I love that it offers young actors (who can all sing, dance and act, no mean feat) an opportunity for national exposure. Then, by using a mix of rock, funk, hip hop and Broadway show tunes, it supplies a veritable smorgasbord of American music to an audience that might otherwise never be exposed to it.

Really, when was the last time you heard young people singing standards? And while there are a few "belters" on the show, most of these actors actually sing rather than wail. Somewhere along the way, it seems that vocalists lost the ability to begin a song, then build in emotion and volume, as the song directs. Now, often, it seems that they start out at full volume and it never decreases in intensity or volume. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Whatever, I love the music from Glee. And I love all the actors. It makes me so happy to see (and hear) this fine mix of music. Truthfully, not counting older musicals, when was the last time you found yourself smiling, tapping your feet and seriously thinking about singing out loud with any current entertainment?

One final note. If you're a fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, you absolutely must see the Glee take on this (now) classic film.

I'm sure Glee is available all over the place, so if you've never seen an episode and you love music, give it a chance.

Tomorrow we're heading down to the wharf for the Aloha Outrigger Races and Polynesian Festival. With any luck at all, pictures may follow.