Posted 5:11 PM by Gene

We must wonder why Terry Teachout has gotten into such a high dudgeon over that Frankie Valli lounge act in Branson East. He didn't like the music, for one thing. We can think of worse. (The Bee Gees, among the mickey-mouse-falsetto gang.) We doubly scratched our heads because in a rare fit of idiocy Mr. Teachout earlier proclaimed HERR DOKTOR SONDHEIM'S CANNIBALFEST a BETTER SHOW than MY FAIR LADY. We doubly support the lounge act. Frankie Valli came from an age of aggressively mediocre pop music, but at least mediocre with fun. We highly doubt the doo-woppers and the Brill Building types who specialized in that peculiar and charming Japanese-flavored pentatonic shuffle music ever thought of writing for POSTERITY. Moreover they came from the ghettos and the Little Italys, and their progress to the top, though not always wholesome, at least affirms the American Dream. By contrast HERR DOKTOR was born comfortable, and wanted to be an ah-TEESTE long before his weird mother introduced him to OCKIE, and he studied with Milton Babbitt, a serialist and winner of the P-Ulitzer in music, an artistic double-whammy.* If the Loco-Motion writers relied too much on being loud and on overdubbing, they made their hits with speed and sweat. By contrast we can picture HERR DOKTOR writing his masterworks, using a stereo reel deck, pondering, then assuming the Thinker pose while banging out the right hand, then rewinding the tape, then pondering some more and assuming the Thinker pose while banging out the left hand. Recognizing that most of the Valli act's fans have no taste, and further recognizing that they surely count among the MAMMA MIA! androids who loutishly applaud with their hands over their heads, at least they're showing real emotion, unlike the SONDHEIMANIACS, who go home from the theater to THINK.

*We recognize the undisputed King of Lounge, Burt Bacharach, studied with the high-toned member of Les Six Darius Milhaud. Try humming a SONDHEIM tune. No contest.