clocktowertenants.com: 1/29/12

Saturday, February 4, 2012

if the choice were mine

In every heart there is a room

A sanctuary safe and strong

To heal the wounds from lovers past

Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones

You answered me with no pretense

And still I feel I’ve said too much

My silence is my self defense

And every time I’ve held a rose

It seems I’ve only felt the thorns

And so it goes, and so it goes

And so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence made you leave

Then that would be my worst mistake

So I will share this room with you

And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed

It’s just as well for all I’ve seen

And so it goes, and so it goes

And you’re the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you

That’s if the choice were mine to make

But you can make decisions too

And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes

And you’re the only one who knows

written: 1983 released on Columbia: 1990

Friday, February 3, 2012

there are no new ideas

Seven years after our ClockTower in 1893, the New York State legislature established a Board of Commissioners for a monument to the soldiers and sailors who had served during the Civil War.

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument stands 96 feet high, and is made of marble and granite.

The winning design was patterned after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens.

classicist.org

It’s basically a marble cylinder capped by a conical roof and ringed by twelve Corinthian columns.

In 1899, New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone, 34 years after the surrender of the Confederate army.

89^th Street & Riverside Drive

Thursday, February 2, 2012

let them

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was an artist from the Netherlands, active in the same pre-WW1 period when Picasso and George Braque were developing cubism in Paris.

wikipedia

He moved to London, then settled in New York where he later died of pneumonia in 1944.

wikipedia

His fame is based upon his resolute work in black grid with yellow, red and blue infill.

From the Oxford University Press:

“Even in his lifetime he was regarded as the founder of the most modern art. His artistic integrity caused him to be honoured as a classical master by artists who were aligned with entirely different styles, as well as by musicians and architects. He was able to make a living from the sale of his works in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, England and the USA.”

Everything from fashion to culinary has been influenced by Mondrian’s work.

They wear his dresses.

They eat his cake.

metapicture.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

no excuses, either

redefinetraining.com

remember how great

plan59.com

When I was in grade school, cigarettes were everywhere and vinyl was king. I saw a record offer in a magazine from Lucky Strike.

“Mail in the coupon and 10 empty Lucky Strike packs”, the ad said, “and we’ll send you a copy of “Remember How Great!”, a collection of the greatest radio hits of the day.

On my walk to school each day I passed a local taproom, a bar, and the sidewalk out front was always littered with empty cigarette packs. So I started looking for Luckies.

dailyicon.net

Eventually I collected 10 empties.

My Dad helped me mail them off.

thisnext.com

AND IT CAME! It was so cool! I played it over and over, I loved these songs, especially the Chordettes, they were part of the soundtrack of my childhood.

I still have that lovely LP, tucked away with other treasures.