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GALAS

                                          11/21/96  Rev: 05/00

Saw Diamanda Galas perform 
in Berkeley last night. 

"Sedate".  Bluesy. 

    But I liked it a lot. 

    A week later I can still  
    hear her voice in my head.          I thought the                     
                                        Phil Ochs cover                   
		   (And four years      was an excellent     "The Iron Maiden"
                    later, it's   	choice, and the 
                    still there.) 	Johnny Cash worked   "22 Minutes to Go"
                                  	really well, too.

    Still, there was just 
    a touch, just a vauge 
    feeling of disappointment.      (Because it wasn't  
				    another "Plauge Mass"? 
				    But how could it be?) 

    Yes her technique is 
    accomplished and  
    impressive. 

    But is she saying anything
    with it?  
    
    Isn't she mugging through 
    this, singing deep, depressed 
    and sinister by choice rather 
    than compulsion? 
    		     
    Is she sincere?                      Are these reasonable questions?   
    Does she really mean this? 		 What do you expect? 
			       		 What would make me satisfied... 
    The Bay Guardian ran a cover 	 watching a sincere nervous 
    story about her, with the 		 breakdown on stage? 
    odd headline: "Sound and Fury."	 
					 All art involves some sort 
    Signifying nothing? 		 of skill, practice, training, 
					 technique... 	     
					 
					 Even if the art is employed 
					 to convey a sincere idea, 
					 a genuine state of mind, how 
					 likely is it that the idea 
					 or feeling would be genuinely 
					 held at the moment of the 
					 performance?  	       
					 
					 No one expects       (A point for 
					 the actress to       improv: close 
					 really be the 	      the gap between 
					 role. 		      conception and 
					       		      execution.) 
					       No one 			
					       sane,               IMPULSE
					       anyway. 
						       


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