"Dies irae" -- a musical phrase that's best known from its use in the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead. The first melody set to these words, a Gregorian chant, is one of the most quoted musical phrases in history, appearing in the works of many composers, in many film scores, and used extensively in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd score. The Latin words mean "Day of Wrath."
"Kyrie Eleison" -- Greek for "Lord have mercy," also a part of the Roman Catholic Mass
"Yitgadal v' yitkadash" -- the opening phrase of the Jewish prayer of praise and remembrance recited by mourners after a death. It translates to "May His great name be magnified and sanctified." The prayer is part of Jewish mourning rituals and is recited in all prayer services, as well as at funerals and memorials. The joke here is that none of them are religious, and their quoting of these ancient texts is entirely ironic.
"La Vie Bohème" -- this phrase means "The Bohemian Life," except it's wrong. It should be "La Vie de Bohème." And really, if you're singing it, it would be more like "La Vie'd' Bohème," so it'd be the same number of syllables.
The word Bohemian originally referred to an area in the Czech Republic, and the people there were historically called gypsies, though today they prefer Roma or Romani. In the nineteenth century, the word Bohemian came to mean anyone living an alternative, nonconformist lifestyle, particularly artists, writers, musicians, and other artsies. Henri Murger's 1851 novel, Scenes de la Vie de Bohème, the source for Rent, popularized the label.
From this point in the song to the end, these characters will catalog for us the stuff of living La Vie Bohème, i.e., The Artsy Life, all the varied influences and experiences and artists that led these people to this community, and to a fuller inner life of art, literature, music, dance, foreign films, international cuisine, and some top-drawer artistic role models.
"Playing hooky" -- 19th-century slang for skipping school, with the word "hooky" (maybe) coming from the Dutch word for hide-and-seek. In this context, it's about skipping work, in other words, not being a Good Corporate Clone.
"Going against the grain" -- is an idiom that means going against the norm, the mainstream, the expected. It can also sometimes mean going against your own beliefs or conscience. The phrase comes from woodworking, where sanding or planing against the grain causes a rough surface. To create a smooth surface, you sand with the grain, in the same direction as the wood fibers. The use of the phrase as a metaphor goes back to Shakespeare (of course) and his political thriller Coriolanus.
"Going mad" -- this is specifically a reference to the widely assumed connection between art making and insanity. Aristotle famously said, "No great genius has ever existed without a strain of madness." And thanks in large part to Henri Murger's novel Scenes de la Vie de Boheme (the source for Rent), young artists sometimes romanticize that connection. So let's pause...
A 2015 study in Iceland found that people in creative professions were 25% more likely to carry gene variants that increase the risk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A Swedish study, which tried to establish whether creativity is linked to all psychiatric diagnoses (particularly in writers), found “an association between creative professions and first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa, and for siblings of patients with autism.” A recent report shows that 73% of musicians have suffered from mental illness, and a report from the Office of National Statistics in England for 2011 to 2015 indicated that those working in arts-related jobs were at high risk of suicide (in some cases up to four times more at risk). Other papers have suggested a link between bipolar disorder and creativity, assessed mood disorders in British writers and artists, and psychoanalysed women artists compulsions to create.
"Loving tension" -- an idea that acknowledges the inevitable tensions within any human relationship, and that disagreements and problems can be dealt with from a place of love rather than anger. It's about embracing the complexity of human experience, including the discomforts and challenges, and still being able to connect with others, and yourself, with compassion and understanding.
"No pension" -- a reference to workplace pensions, savings plans established by an employer that offers employees regular income payments during retirement, usually until their death. The point of the reference is that because these people don't have "straight" jobs, none of them have access to a pension, and so none of them will have any financial security for their old age.
"More than one dimension" -- a reference to the idea that there could be (are?) other realities beyond what we can perceive (with the word dimension in its common though incorrect usage).
"Hating dear old Mom and Dad" -- considering the context and the characters, this is most likely a way of Mark saying he hates the conventional mainstream world that Mom and Dad represent -- or that they insist he join.
"Riding your bike midday" -- a symbol of the freedom from the oppression of a 9-to-5 office job. It likely also refer to bike messengers, who spend their days biking around Manhattan.
"Fruits" -- a slang insult, along with "fruitcake," for gay people that goes back to the 19th century. But it's one of the insults that the gay community co-opted and took for themselves (like "queer"). In the British outsider slang called Polari, fruit means Queen.
"No Absolutes" -- a reference to the idea that there are no absolute truths in ethics and that what is morally right or wrong varies from person to person or from society to society. It comes from Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of Moral Relativism, which holds that no truth is universally valid, but instead, all truths are relative to a specific context or perspective, to different cultures, languages, or individuals. Arguably, acknowledging that there are no absolutes can encourage a more nuanced and flexible approach to thinking, allowing for the possibility of diverse perspectives and interpretations. Nietzsche proposed that morality itself could be a danger. He believed that morals should be constructed actively, making them relative to who we are and what we, as individuals, consider to be true, equal, good and bad, etc. instead of reacting to moral laws made by a certain group of individuals in power.
Absolut -- a well-known vodka brand, and a fun bit of wordplay
Miso Soup, Seaweed Salad, Soy Burger, Tofu Dog, Meatless Balls -- the joke here is that no one at the table orders anything "normal" -- until the thirteen orders of fries, of course. The first two items are Japanese dishes, the other three are dishes that should have meat in them but don't. And we're forced to wonder, why are they buying these dishes defined by meat -- a hamburger, a hot dog, and meatballs -- and requesting versions of them without meat. It's also a joke on high maintenance customers, many of whom Jonathan Larson had inevitably faced working for ten years in the Moondance Diner.
"Hand-Crafted Beers made in local breweries" -- a reference to micro-breweries, a phenomenon that started in the 1970s, small breweries that emphasize quality ingredients, unique flavors, and varied brewing techniques. Their smaller production scale allows micro-breweries to experiment with different flavors and styles, offering beer drinkers a wider variety of options. Consumers often appreciate supporting locally-owned micro-breweries, viewing them as stewards of their region's identity and legacy. There's an implied rejection of national corporate brands here.
Yoga -- originally, a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices and disciplines that originated in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain salvation, as practiced in the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Yoga as exercise is part of a modern yoga renaissance, a 20th-century blend of Western gymnastics and haṭha yoga. Yoga as exercise is now a worldwide, multi-billion-dollar business involving classes, teacher certification, clothing, books, videos, equipment, and holidays.
Yogurt -- a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk, dating back to Ancient Greece, introduced to America in the early 1900s, declared health food in the 1950s (though current research isn't so sure), and in 1966 was enhanced with sweeteners and fruit for the first time.
Rice and Beans and Cheese -- a beloved Mexican dish
Dildos -- sex toys, usually shaped like an erect penis, sometimes battery-operated!
Curry Vindaloo -- a dish and curry from the state of Goa in India. It's known globally in its British-Indian form as a staple of curry houses and Indian restaurants and is often regarded as a fiery, spicy dish. Vindaloo evolved from the Portuguese dish carne de vinha d'alhos. The traditional vindaloo recipe is pork, but alternative versions are also commonly used, including beef, chicken, lamb, mutton, prawns, vegetables and tofu.
Maya Angelou -- an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees
[Susan] Sontag -- an American writer, critic, and public intellectual. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels. She wrote extensively about literature, cinema, photography and media, illness, war, human rights, and left-wing politics. Her essays and speeches drew backlash and controversy, and she has been called "one of the most influential critics of her generation." Sontag lived for many years with her partner, director and playwright Maria Irene Fornes.
[Stephen] Sondheim -- composer and lyricist, one of the true geniuses of the American musical theatre, who took the art form forward after the Rodgers and Hammerstein era.
[Allen] Ginsberg -- an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Generation. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism, and sexual repression, and he embodied various aspects of this counterculture with his views on drugs, sex, multiculturalism, hostility to bureaucracy, openness to pederasty, and openness to Eastern religions.
[Bob] Dylan -- an American singer-songwriter, considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year career, and his work is widely taught in university classes. With an estimated more than 125 million records sold worldwide, he is one of the best-selling musicians in history.
[John] Cage -- an American composer and music theorist, a pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments. Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives.
Notice the lyric in "La Vie Boheme" is "...Cunningham and Cage" -- Larson parried them together as a couple!
Lenny Bruce -- an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist, renowned for his wild, free-wheeling, aggressive style of comedy that combined satire, politics, religion, sex, and lots of vulgarity. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon in 2003. Bruce forged new paths in comedy and counterculture, and in 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him third (behind Richard Pryor and George Carlin) on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.
Langston Hughes -- an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri, and one of the earliest innovators of the literary form called jazz poetry. He is most widely known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
Uta [Hagen] -- a German-American actress and theatre practitioner, who originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. She later became a highly influential acting teacher at New York's Herbert Berghof Studio and authored best-selling acting texts, Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor. Her most substantial contributions to the teaching of acting were a series of "object exercises" she created that built on the work of Konstantin Stanislavski and Yevgeny Vakhtangov.
Buddha -- a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE, and founded Buddhism. His name means "Awakened One" or "Enlightened One." According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to freedom from ignorance, craving, rebirth, and suffering. His core teachings are summarized in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, a training of the mind that includes ethical training and kindness toward others.
biseuxals, trisexuals -- a exaggeration to illustrate openness and acceptance of any sexuality. The word trisexual is commonly used as a joke to describe someone who's willing to try anything with anybody. But the word also has been adopted seriously by people who believe there are more than two genders.
homo sapiens -- modern humans. There are twin references here. This is sly wordplay. In context, with "...bisexuals, trisexuals, homo-..." Larson sets us up to expect homosexuals, but then he tricks us with homo sapiens instead. And on another, more serious level, though, humans are the raw material of all art. Homo sapiens have certainly shaped these artists and their work.
The extra bonus of Larson's wordplay is that his trick sets up a whole new list of rhymes -- homo sapiens, carcinogens, hallucinogens -- and then a close rhyme, with men. But Larson's not through yet. Following men with Pee-wee Herman reminds us comically of Pee-wee's embarrassing arrest in a porno movie house. And then Larson rhymes Herman with German in the phrase, "German wine," which sets up another new rhyme with turpentine and Gertrude Stein.
Carcinogens -- substances that can cause cancer, found in workplaces, homes, and even in some foods. Examples include tobacco smoke, certain viruses, and radiation.
Hallucinogens -- a class of psychoactive drugs that alter perception, mood, and cognition, often producing vivid and intense sensory experiences. They can cause hallucinations that can involve any of the five senses. The true hippies and Bohemians distinguish between "good" (natural) hallucinogens, like peyote and mushrooms; versus "bad" (man-made) hallucinogens like LSD, DMT, and PCP.
Pee-wee Herman -- a totally nerdy, totally hip character created and portrayed by the American comedian Paul Reubens. His onstage Pee-wee Herman Show was broadcast by HBO in 1981, and a slightly revised version briefly ran on Broadway in 2010. Reubens took the character to the silver screen with Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, which paved the way for Pee-wee's Playhouse, an Emmy Award-winning children's series that ran on CBS from 1986 to 1991. Another film, Big Top Pee-wee, was released in 1988. In 1991, Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in a Florida porno theatre.
German Wine -- known for its diverse grape varieties and production styles, with white wines like Riesling being particularly renowned internationally. The country also produces red wines, particularly from the Pinot Noir grape, known as Spätburgunder.
Turpentine -- an artist's necessity, to thin out oil paint and to clean brushes -- and sometimes used for suicide.
Gertrude Stein -- lesbian American novelist, poet, playwright
[Michelangelo] Antonioni -- Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the auteurs who launched the Italian New Wave in the Sixties.
[Bernardo] Bertolucci -- Italian film director and screenwriter, another of the auteurs who launched the Italian New Wave in the Sixties.
[Akira] Kurosawa -- Japanese filmmaker who directed 30 feature films in a career spanning seven decades, still regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, with a bold, dynamic style strongly influenced by Western cinema but distinct from it.
"Carmina Burana" -- a famous cantata composed in 1935 and 1936 by Carl Orff, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection of poetry, Carmina Burana. The first and last sections of the cantata are called "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" ("Fortune, Empress of the World") and this section is very familiar to American movie audiences.
Entropy -- the general trend of the universe toward death and disorder; or more casually, the process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder; chaos, disorganization, randomness.
Empathy -- the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, or to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling, an absolute necessity for any artist.
Ecstasy -- a state of intense joy, bliss, or spiritual exaltation, often described as a trance-like state or transcendence of ordinary consciousness; and it's the common name for MDMA, a synthetic drug with stimulant, empathogenic, and minor psychedelic effects, known for its ability to induce feelings of euphoria, empathy, and connection. In other words, ecstasy improves your empathy.
Vaclav Havel -- Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and political dissident, who was still alive when Rent was written.
Sex Pistols -- an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975, whose career actually lasted only two and a half years, but they became hugely influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Kingdom and later inspired many punk, post-punk and alternative rock musicians, and their clothing and hairstyles were a significant influence on the early punk image. (Some cultural historians argue that costumer Sue Blaine was the one who invented punk fashion with her costumes for The Rocky Horror Show in 1973.)
"The Fame Game" -- a phrase generally used to describe the pursuit and dynamics of fame, often with a negative connotation that it's a competitive and manipulative arena. The phrase emphasizes the idea that fame is not a naturally occurring phenomenon but instead a game played for attention and recognition. And notice that in context of this lyric, they're celebrating refusing to be part of the "fame game." It's something Mark has to learn before our story is over.
Marijuana -- this reference isn't just a shout-out to getting stoned. In this context, it's about the many great artists who have used marijuana over the centuries. The list of stoner artists is really long, but a small sample includes the Beatles, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, Louis Armstrong, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Marley, Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, Lady Gaga, Dave Chappelle, Lenny Bruce, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Jerry Garcia, Pablo Picasso, Carl Sagan, Sting, Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Salvador Dali, David Hockney, Vincent Van Gogh, Melissa Etheridge, Toby Keith, Jay-Z, Oscar Wilde, David Bowie -- and probably William Shakespeare. Scientists recently tested residue in a pipe found in Shakespeare’s home, and it tested positive for cannabis residue. In Shakespeare’s 76th sonnet, he refers to a “noted weed” and “newfound methods and compounds strange.” Scholars speculate he was probably writing about marijuana.
Sodomy -- usually misunderstood to mean homosexaulity, due to a sloppy misreading of the story of Sodom in the Christian Bible; and it eventually came to mean any kind of illegal sex.
S&M -- an abbreviation for sadomasochism, sexual practices that involve either inflicting p[hysical pain (sadism) or receiving physical pain (masochism), and/or humiliation. This can range from mild forms of bondage and role-playing to more extreme activities.
High Holy Days -- a series of Jewish holidays that begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and culminate with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This period is a time of reflection, repentance, and prayer, lasting about ten days.
Vocoder -- a machine that electronically transforms the human voice
"Musetta's Waltz" -- the song "Quando me'n vo'" in act two of Puccini's 1896 opera La Bohème. It is sung by Musetta (Mimi in Rent), in the presence of her bohemian friends, hoping to reclaim the attention of her occasional boyfriend Marcello (Rent's Mark). The meta joke here is that inside the world of Rent, Roger and Mark are aware of a song from the other stage adaptation of their story.
Masochism -- the enjoyment of suffering pain or humiliation, inflicted by you or others. It can manifest in various forms, including sexual masochism, where sexual arousal is associated with pain or humiliation. Masochistic behaviors can also be seen in everyday life.
"AZT break" -- an antiretroviral drug used to treat HIV/AIDS. It works by interfering with HIV's ability to replicate. While it was the first drug approved by the FDA for HIV treatment in 1987, it's not now recommended as first-line therapy anymore due to potential side effects and the availability of more effective treatments. The "break" illustrates that patients had to take pills up to six times a day on a strict schedule.
"Living with, not dying from, disease" -- is a reference from the AIDS movement, an effort to stop people from saying someone sas "dying of AIDS," and to say instead that someone is "living with AIDS."
"tear down the wall" -- a metaphor referring to the Berlin wall, but now standing in for political activism on behalf of all the Others who are oppressed.
"The opposite of war isn't peace; it's creation." -- this is a Jon Larson original, and it's brilliant. And it's true. The opposite of destruction isn't the lack of destruction. The opposite of destruction is creation. The opposite of war is art.
We start blocking Rent this week. I cannot wait to see it on its feet, so the actors can start playing. It's been ten years since we last worked on this show, and it's so great to be back.
Long Live the Musical!
Scott
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1 comments:
I lernd something! :-)
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