Last night after the hardest parking challenge of my life –– what seemed like thousands of drunken Santa wandering through North Beach –– I watched the first 2 hours of the 2 part Woody Allen documentary from American Masters which I loved. So eager to watch the second part tonight.
In some ways, Woody’s just so transparent, it’s easy to forget that he invented and perfected such a specific and indelible persona. And it’s very easy to forget the range of his 40-odd films.
[And he’s an emotional projector, which really does explain A LOT.]
In other news, uncovering lots of Internal Resistance towards new writing, even though both pieces (the play and the children’s book) excite me and have auspicious beginnings.
[It was NOT helpful to hear Mira Sorvino say that the day Woody Allen finishes editing a film, he starts writing a new one (I mean, how does she even know that?); on the other hand, it was bizarre to see him still writing on a manual typewriter, feeling like I wanted to take his frail, withered hand and lead him into the computer age.]
It was also very helpful to see how so much of his work is amazing and iconic, and how much of it is misguided and just flounders. And yet he keeps forging ahead, and relentlessly so.
This morning, watched this clip of Maude Maggart singing SUPERSTAR.
She’s just so bewitchingly beautiful and hauntingly vulnerable.
I’ve read some extraordinary reviews of her –– and one vicious one by Rex Reed –– and yet why does no one really know about her….? I guess such is the life of a cabaret singer in 2011, but check this out and see if you agree that she’s AMAZING:
Maude Maggart
And while I may be having trouble focusing and getting new work done, the little dog is completely aligned. Just take a look at her across from me now in my writing office and see if you aren’t a little inspired (and/or jealous):
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