Other Levant quotes at goodreads:
“The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too.”
"In some situations I was difficult, in odd moments impossible, in rare moments loathsome, but at my best unapproachably great."
"Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome."
“Ballet is the faeries' baseball.”
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Beneath all that fake Hollywood tinsel there is real tinsel.
oops, you can't say fairy anymore. They are the new civil rights movement...
I love Phillip Glass. I listen to his music when I walk the beach-not Einstein On The Beach-just the beach.
I was listening to Mishima yesterday while I walked along Nahant Beach-it was fab, natch.
tits.
Also the line between glib and bullshit.
Levant was a regular on the Tonight Show with Jack Paar. I was a young child, but I loved watching Levant. You never knew what was going to happen - major meltdown or just the most brilliant repertoire. Back when late night television had intelligence and class.
As a teenager I remember Oscar Levant on a local LA TV Talk Show, often with Christopher Isherwood. To me, both were great. I had forgotten about the book. Thanks for the memory.
Regards — Cliff
Anyone who enjoys the music of George Gershwin should listen to the Levant recordings. They're readily available on the streaming services.
His books are entertaining, if you are reasonably knowledgeable about about the musical and Hollywood personalities of that period of time.
If you are not, David's and Hagar's comments above are pretty much it.
That Oscar Levant book isn't really available. There's no Kindle version, and the "third party sellers" at the Amazon link aren't offering it for less than $85.
I don't know why Amazon can't put a Kindle version together within hours of a book getting a big promotion in the NYT like this one.
Blogger jille said...
Levant was a regular on the Tonight Show with Jack Paar. I was a young child, but I loved watching Levant. You never knew what was going to happen - major meltdown or just the most brilliant repertoire. Back when late night television had intelligence and class.
5/4/15, 8:48 AM
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Same here.
I never read any of his books, but he was very witty in a self deprecatory way. He was the first Woody Allen.
"...the "third party sellers" at the Amazon link aren't offering it for less than $85."
Wow, if I have some time this week I should dig around the back of my library closet I'm pretty sure I still have most of his books in old, used, rotting pocket paperback editions.
Insanity world be trading in your copy in exchange for a $14 Amazon gift card when the few used copies available start at $85.
The humor of both Oscar Levant and Woody Allen is based on self loathing. You can argue that Allen is funnier, but it must be admitted that Allen has more material to work with.
Those quotes suggest that Oscar Levant was desperately striving to be his generation's Oscar Wilde, and not quite managing it.
Too bad he's long gone, else he could read William's quip and thus perhaps learn something.
Levant stole/borrowed his book title from Erik Satie - the French composer: Mémoires d'un amnésique.
I love these little blog jems. Apparently, in addition to being a famous musician, composer, author, talk/game-show raconteur and actor, Peter Sellers played him in a movie: Orient=Levant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Henry_Orient
I have a bunch more!
http://fluffystuffin.blogspot.com/search?q=oscar
You would get a nice example of Oscar's shtick in "An American in Paris" which is a great musical the way.
Fred and Ginger try to take Oscar out in the country....but he schools them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cApuw-LUg7A
It's too bad that almost nothing survives of Levant's local TV shows. My favorite comment, about Marilyn Monroe's conversion: "Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her!" Levant got fired for that one.
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