Ford Reviews

In the foreword by Mr. Harrison Ford, Mr. Ford describes what he likes about Mr. White photography and why the two have been working together for 20 years. When Mr. Ford was first a contract player, the studio had his haircut like Elvis and then took a publicity shot to match. Even Mr. Ford didn't find the person portrayed to be appealing. Since then, Mr. Ford has sometimes been able to get approval over motion picture publicity stills. With this permission, Mr. Ford has called on Mr. White. "The work he does supports my ambitions . . . ."

That characterization is an important one for viewers and readers of this book. Many of the images are stunning portrayals of mood, personality, and identity. This is especially true where the person portrayed has a strong personality (Robert Mitchum), engaging eyes (Christie Brinkley), or fine acting ability (Sophia Loren). On the other hand, some of the images show the quirky, humble side. Those photographs work well with dead pan expressions (like Julia Roberts among discarded tires in an alley).

Among the subjects whose images strongly appealed to me were the ones mentioned above and those of John Sayles, Mel Gibson, Paul Newman, Eddie Griffin, Liza Minelli, Sylvester Stallone, Costas Mandylor, Queen Latifah, Drew Barrymore (Hollywood, March 1995), David Keith, Kiefer Sutherland, and the version of Nicolas Cage on the dust cover.

On the other hand, some of the backdrops and poses just didn't work for me. These images were like the flattering poses of wealthy people during the Renaissance, making everyone seem like they are larger-than-life. You can adjust the image in a painting to get that effect. In a photograph, the person's pose, expression, and intensity have to fit the backdrop. In a number of cases, the subject just didn't have enough of the right stuff to match. As a result, the people look slightly limp or out-of-place against the intense or heroic setting. This suggests that too much collaboration can possibly be harmful to ambitions as well, by causing weaknesses to become more obvious.

The book's paper quality, size of pages, and reproduction quality are all quite good. The photography is mostly in color, but the duotone effects are often the best. Most photographers are better in one or the other, and Mr. White's strength is duotone.

What do you want people to see when they look at or think of you? How does that expand your life? How does it constrict your alternatives?

Open yourself to others . . . in order to come closer to them.

I looked at 10-15 books, and bought this one... it works! LISP and Prolog hackers take a look!

A fascinating look at writing from a writer's perspective. While there are a few poems and stories, the book centers around essays, introductions, and a vast excerpt from his blog during his proofing/touring for American Gods. I found him witty, erudite, and always in a good humor about life. Most of all, on nearly every page I learned something new and interesting, about writing, publishing, traveling, or best of all, the many authors Gaiman knows. Far too many things I would like to mention than I ever can, but you can see for yourself: NeilGaiman.com, click on journal. All of the archives are there still, if you care to peruse.

what I found most interesting is that Gaiman, who admitted that he couldn't keep a journal and kept saying that it would only be going until the tour was over and the rest of the site was up, was thoroughly hooked by the end. ^_- He's still going very strong, and in fact, the entries are longer and more frequent than in the first few months.

I think Gaiman fascinates me so much because he keeps his wry outlook on everything around him, even when rushed and tired. I love storytellers, and he always finds a story to tell, always something (and when signing things for hundreds of fans, interesting is the word of the day) to relate for us, often strange and wonderous. He isn't the great explainer, like Asimov, but everything he touches seems steeped in history and mystery, and he can remind you of the magic and wonder in the world. Like his garden. ^_^ (Look in the blog for August 5 and September 2)

If you visit a "Bible church," for example, you may find that the Bible is a closed book, liturgically speaking. It isn't sung. It isn't prayed. It is a springboard for the sermon, and no more. But if you step into, say, an Anglican or Orthodox church, you find a way of worship much more explicitly biblical. The people hear two or three readings from both the Old and the New Testaments. They sing the Psalms and the Lord's Prayer, and the service includes hymns shot through with scriptural language.

The point of the comparison isn't to vilify one church and idealize another. Every tradition has its liabilities. But it does raise a question: What are evangelicals missing that many other Christians aren't? The answer: The other Christians have not forgotten that the Psalms are the church's first and greatest hymnbook.

The Psalms have always occupied a central place in private devotion, of course. Jerome, the great fourth-century translator and scholar, reports hearing them sung by people in the fields and in their gardens. But the Psalms were also central to public worship. Psalm-singing churches are following a tradition rooted in the Bible itself. Jesus prayed the Psalms. They were twice on his lips when he was dying. He even said, after his resurrection, that the Psalms really speak of his own suffering and glory. What greater incentive does the Christian need to pray and sing them?

"By Flowing Waters" is a collection of biblical songs -- mostly Psalms -- set to some of the most durable and attractive music that the church has produced. The melodies are basically what we're used to calling "Gregorian" or "plainsong" -- unison and unaccompanied. (It's astonishing that churches haven't capitalized on the success of all those popular Gregorian chant CDs. Why don't we get to sing the best examples of plainsong in church? The appetite for such music is clearly there.)

Paul F. Ford's settings are intended for antiphonal or responsorial singing. That is, a cantor or choir chants the Psalm, and the congregation sings a brief response (usually a sentence from the Psalm) after every verse or two. But there's nothing to keep a church from learning to sing the whole Psalm.

Not all of the Psalms are here, and many that are have been truncated. The translations, from the New Revised Standard Version, will not suit every ear. But one great virtue of this humble music is that it can be adapted to any translation. It could be adapted to the phone book, for that matter. So even if you don't like the New Revised Standard Version, you could use Ford's settings as guide for your own arrangements with another translation. His introductory essay explains how the chants are structured and makes helpful suggestions about singing them.

The author and publisher are Catholic, but musicians from other traditions who want to add sung prayer to their churches' worship will find plenty to draw on. Ford invites them to use what they wish. And for anyone who reads music, "By Flowing Waters" wouldn't be bad for private use either.

Until now, unless one was singing Latin, options 1 and 2 were eliminated, and option 3 was ignored, and option 4 all too often took the form of some banal hymn.

"By Flowing Waters" is an english edition of the Simple Gradual (which was prepared under a mandate from the Second Vatican Council), opening the door to the use of sung Scripture in worship.

The more we try to remain together, teh further apart we drift....