Monday Endorsement: Becoming Rod Stewart?
Today I was going to endorse the Chicago Art Institute’s current special exhibit, “Becoming Edvard Munch,” and particularly, I was going to endorse going to see it with a buddy you haven’t hung out with in a while, as I did on Friday.
Munch, one of Oslo’s most renowned artists from the turn of the last century (bonus points to anyone who can name another without wikipedia-ing it), is best known for his famous “The Scream,” a really depressing but really striking representation of, well, existence, I guess. Anyway, I went to the museum dedicated to his work when I was in Oslo a couple summers ago (because besides eating fish and buying little troll figurines, there’s not a lot else to do in that town…), and I was surprised by how much I liked a lot of his stuff. So I was glad when this exhibit came to my new town.
The exhibit featured stunning works by Munch and a few by his contemporaries (Monet, Gaugin, you may have heard of some of them?) and is all about his development as an artist throughout his life. I was disappointed to learn about his unfortunate femme-fatale obsession, like so many of those hopeless late 19th century artists, novelists, poets, etc (Baudelaire, anyone?). Seriously, guys, get over it. But other than that, I was quite pleased with the exhibit and glad I went.
I was further going to endorse getting you butt down to the Art Institute anyway, before they raise their entrance fees again. Ouch. Tough to move anywhere from DC, the city of a million great free museums, but still, tacking on another 50% seems like a lot…
Anyway, all of this was in my head, including that picture of the ad I took downtown so I’d have something visual on the blog (no photography allowed in the exhibit, bummer), when I heard a song coming out of Mac’s office. And then I heard it again. And again…
Apparently, it’s been in his head for weeks, and he apparently does this every now and then – play it over and over – it’s just that this is the first time I’ve been home for it.
The song is: Forever Young
He listens to the (original) Alphaville version, even though it’s Rod Stewart whom you’re most likely to hear singing it on your favorite local light rock station, of course, among many others who’ve covered it as well. Who’s ever heard of Alphaville?
So I decided, what better case for endorsement is there than Mac happily bopping his head and singing along at work all day? And there you have it: Forever Young it is. Happy Monday.
