 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-07-06 21:26
Is any of this for real? John Moses, Larry Bocaner, Tony Pay, can you guys corroborate any of these fantastic stories?
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-07-06 22:01
Ok, reading it again they named the oboist, but I know an oboist who had a similar experience with a name brand oboist in nyc.....
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2005-07-06 23:21
Yes - some of this story about "sex, drugs and classical music" in the NYC free-lance world is for real and some is enhanced for "dramatic" purposes.
Some of the players - sexual and musical - named in the book have issued denials of some of the details.
Disclaimer: I know Blair (musically, not sexually) and have worked with her. She is, or was, a fine oboist and even though she states she had to sleep her way to the top (or bottom) to get some jobs, she certainly held her own in the performances I did with her.
She is also a very accomplished writer and that is her chosen career for now.
Nothing like a little sex talk or writing to liven up the scene.
Tom Piercy
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-07-07 01:51
I read the book.
The sexploits were not the highlight.
The important parts are interspersed throughout the book- namely, a review of the current state of employment options for classical musicians and how it got that way.
This economic and sociological analysis is interspersed somewhat disjointedly (ahem...pun intended) throughout the (paper) sheets of the tome.
Some parts of the book read like Valley of the Dolls. Other parts are like an essay on microeconomics at Wharton or Tulane.
Bottom line......Yeah I suppose it is worth reading, but save the cash and wait for the paperback edition. Better yet. Read Leeson's book first.
BTW.....I kinda got tired of the author incessant bemoaning her lousy reeds. I got the point early on.....but it kept nagging away.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2005-07-07 16:13
Good on her! They say sex is synonymous with art. I'd have to agree with that!
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2005-07-07 16:41
Blair's book, is a cheap shot at the classical, freelance, and Broadway scene in NYC. I believe it was written for journalistic recognition and profit.
At a time when our industry needs strong support and a positive public image, this book does some damage.
As far as my knowledge about Blair's book goes; it is grossly inaccurate, an overly exaggerated sexploitation of Women (and Men), and unfair to many of her former friends. This is by no means an accurate account of the NYC music scene, at least from my experiences over the past 35+ years.
FYI:
I am not mentioned in her book, but I did work with Blair professionally on many jobs here in NYC. She was always very professional as a musician and colleague, and I encouraged her writing career, for which I now have some regrets.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
Post Edited (2005-07-08 00:11)
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2005-07-07 17:49
In reply to Dave S's question: With certain conductors, certain comely soloists had a way of showing up a little more often on the seasons' schedule than their box office appeal might suggest. This led to a lot of conjecture and rumor, but no smoking gun!
One unnamed (here, anyway) conductor was exposed as sending some steamy emails to a particular percussion soloist, who I'm sure could succeed on her considerable talent alone.
My wife jokingly--I hope--chides me about having bass clarinet groupies; oh to be 60 again (sigh)!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-07-07 22:17
Thanks, Larry --- please send your bass clarinet groupies my way and I will be happy to uh, er, hmm, teach them alternate altissimo fingerings (yeah, that's it!)
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Author: Anon
Date: 2005-07-07 22:51
I haven't read the book but I do plan to...while I don't doubt that her case might be extraordinary (and I don't know her) I have heard of several auditions lately, both clarinet and non-clarinet, that seemed to have winners pre-determined, despite the appearance of a fair audition. I think as an industry that we have to be at least aware of the fact that, just like "non-arts related" businesses, certain people are willing to do (and accept) certain favors to achieve a position they want.
The difference is that audition committees make every effort to at least give the appearance of fairness while other industries don't...I think I'd almost rather know up front that they already have someone in mind before I waste the time, energy, money, and emotions to go take an audition that I won't get. I'm not being cynical in my opinion, just practical. At least then it's MY CHOICE whether I go and attempt to change their minds.
Blair's experiences as a freelancer have certainly been different than mine! I guess we all have our price - it's too bad hers was kind of low because I've heard (and not just from this board) that she truly is an excellent musician.
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Author: claclaws
Date: 2005-07-08 00:38
What if Ms.Blair was NOT an excellent musician? It seems the reason why her book has some appeal is due to her musical credentials.
Probably it would have been better if she wrote a pure fiction(like a novel) out of her experience, without insulting anybody. Like any profession, the classical music field should have lots of at least romantic stories and curiosity-triggering allegations...
Lucy Lee Jang
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-07-08 01:09
This is Mary, Mrs. Ken.
I knew Blair when she was a lovely and musical child back in Chapel Hill. My, my how things change. And she was good enough not to have to sleep her way through the orchestra.
Mary Vinqusit
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-07-08 01:42
Gee, I'd believe ANYTHING from a book that's "intelligently contextualized". Sheesh! This Lebrecht guy evidently has an axe to grind with symphony orchestras.
The author sounds like a real case. I wonder if she describes herself as 'idealistic' or if Lebrecht is just reading that in. It sounds to me like the woman has exceptionally low morals to both sleep her way into work, and then to sell out the folks who rewarded her for her favors. It seems to me that most women capable of employment in the New York Phil or in Broadway pits probably have a bit more self-esteem than this.
I'm not sure, though, that things are as bad with this on the audition scene as Anon fears. This seems like just one example of a lot of things going on in the schools. After all, a popular strategy for networking is to take lessons with connected players. This woman apparently decided to compenstate well-connected players in other ways. I can certainly see something like this happening on the freelance scene, but nothing mentioned thus far makes it sound like she was able to bypass the audition process on the strength of sexual favors alone.
NYC AFM'ers: Do any of the actions you've seen described about this woman or any of her lovers amount to something that would qualify for a Union grievance?
Allen Cole
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2005-07-08 03:16
I have not read the book but it seems to me the reviews all seem to be coming from very different directions.
I have only met one person who acknowledged having sex with a high school teacher. Two? It makes me wonder if sex was her hobby rather than a tool for advancement.
Has AIDS decimated some orchestras? Losing one coworker can be devistating. Losing a dozen to one disease would be horrible.
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Author: Anon
Date: 2005-07-08 11:49
I didn't mean to imply that the audition scene is dominated by THIS particular type of behaviour although I have seen it happen (not personally haha!) I just think sometimes we musicians tend to "elevate" our industry when really, it is a business like any other business in many ways and we have to be aware that not all things happen on the up and up.
(or in Blair's case, the horizontal)
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-07-08 13:05
The book is NOT about the audition scene (she is quick to point out how she messed up at formal auditions)....it is more about being selected as a substitute or obtaining freelance work.
The sexual liasons seemed to just "happen" (or supplied a "need" for close relationship), and then backfired when the relationship fizzled.
The bigger issue is how the arts are funded and the divisions between "labor and management."
These sections of the book could have appeared in essay form, and then read by only a few academicians, and never reached the public at large.
On the surface, the book looks like a "beach read" but it is not. It is 2 books in one....a personal story repleat with sex and drugs and misgivings, and a text/series of essays on orchestral funding and the state of classical music.
FWIW it took me a full week to slog through this book (I read DaVinci Code in one night and Mozart Forgeries in two nights). It is not a "page-turner"
It can be soporific in spots.
I do not see this as a movie anytime soon.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
Post Edited (2005-07-08 13:23)
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2005-07-10 05:45
There was a similar story and book in Newsweek or Time (can't remember which) within the last month, except that the "musicians" involved were hop-hop "artists". The person involved is trying to sell the book with a rather provocative publicity photo, in which her breast implants are prominant.
I live in a university town, and commute to an auto industry job. There have been lots of incidences of this in my 32 years in the fulltime workforce, and it can take some effort not to get sucked into this. The professor whose wife divorced him. The one who had to leave town. The one whose wife made him toe the line, but then he had a nervous breakdown. The professor who actually married his grad student. This is nothing new.
During my brief employment in a university research unit, our administrative assistant appeared to have gotten her job by some sexual liberty or other. There were a number of post-doc's who made sure that their wife / girlfriend came along when they worked at night.
A friend in another auto plant, much earlier in his career, was competing for raises against another supervisor who gave sexual favors to workers who met production quotas. My friend figured at the time that there was no way he could compete with that, so he didn't, and his career went nowhere for a long while. But his career ultimately did go somewhere. Now she is gone and my friend got his promotions and still has a very good job.
There are lots of illicit ways to make temporary gains, but they don't last long, in my experience. Doesn't it seem to you that moving on to writing <bleep>-and-tell books is just more of the same tactic?
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-07-10 16:36
Yes, I think that the situation at the auto plant is more analogous to this book, and aptly describes the more prevalent behaviors that are very poorly described by the term "sexual harassment."
Attractive women clearly have their choice of partners, and generally respond favorably to wealth, power, or a dominant personality. This is frequently found in men who have a lot of influence and in those with a supervisory or mentor relationship to the woman in question.
I have for years seen women sleep around in businesses not so much for the purpose of climbing the ladder, but being rewarded afterward for their favors, or bribed to keep mum. Of course, there is a point where everyone realizes the cause-and-effect, and proceeds to manipulate the situation more.
It's not that you have to do this in order to get ahead, it's just that powerful men frequently give preference to whomever they sexualy desire, and by comparison neglect those who are NOT objects of their affection. This behavior is an issue usually placed under the umbrella of 'sexual harassment' but tends to be trivialized by the fact that it doesn't really go along with harassment. It's actually discrimination.
I'm curious to know if this oboist is trying to claim that she had to do this in order to get ahead. That would not be true, but she and some like her seem to have done their best to make it true.
Allen Cole
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2005-07-26 18:14
I just finished reading this book a few days ago, which I found out about on this thread. It actually has a great deal of well researched information on the arts, and how money has been mismanaged during the last 40 years. It also contains her experiences, and a great deal of them involved sexual/professional liasons. She never says, "I did this to get this", which is something that is implied in reviews, and her former teacher Joseph Robinson's statement regarding the book. I must say, it was a bit tedious to read sometimes, because of the nature of much of the information, but I found it quite informative. Also, I enjoyed reading about her life and experiences, especially the people that she met, and her successes and failures. I especially enjoyed the final section, when she includes journalism into her career, and finds a new love for music.
Christopher Nichols
1st Infantry Divison Band
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-07-26 20:22
You'll note that she's sold quite a few copies of this tedious tome. That (and the use of...um..."pulchritude" on the book cover) point out the direction that she was taking on this.
Remember that the purpose of employment is to obtain support. Sometimes, you can enjoy what you do, others you don't. But, virtually all of us do "work" to pay the bills. She obviously felt that whatever rewards she was getting in the business were not enough to stay with the reed trouble and such.
She may have seen this as an opportunity to "make her mark" as well. In that, she's not alone. Thousands of women and men have "sold themselves" for short term gain, and if she feels good about that, then Godspeed to her.
I have to say that I've never met an oboist who led such an interesting life. A couple of English horn players, but never an oboist...
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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