Thursday, September 25, 2008

Not Going to McCa

My friend Ori spent 1000 sheqels last night, buying tickets for himself and his sister to the Paul McCartney concert. "I've always been a Paul guy", he told me.

Fourteen years of friendship that borders on a marriage were about to go down the drain. Ori? Mr. Stylish jacket? a fan of the Cheesy Beatle? "Maybe I'm amazed of the way you fell for the baby faced melodist", I told him, "and maybe I'm afraid of the way you just killed John a second time over. Maybe I'm amazed of the way you hand a billionaire 1000 sheqels to hear old 'Wings' songs, to see him stand there with his dyed hair and wave like the queen, maybe I'm amazed doubly because you're wearing a pink shirt today. What's wrong with you?"

Then today I was offered a ticket to myself. My Viennese friend Erika stood atypically in line at the gritty Hod passage, and made it possible for her friends here in Israel to catch the show.

I got to thinking, it's true that the magic of the Beatles was in the tension between John and Paul, neither of them could recreate it on his own. It's true that Paul is chewing his cud since the 70s, but it's pretty fine cud. He did write "Blackbird", "Golden Slumbers", and "Mull of Kintyre" to which I've dedicated a post on this very blog.

But I won't go. I gave my place up to someone else who wants it more. There's living art being created in the city at these very moments. The Art TLV events fill the city with art that is, above all, contemporary - and that's a great thing. at 6:30 tonight, on 4 ahad Ha'am St, I will be taking part in composing a joint poem with other writers. This event is created and coordinated by Liat Levy and Avia Ben-David, who breath such special life into Tel-Aviv's poetry. Later there's more art to see and parties to attend, I may whistle some oldie or another while walking among them.

No comments: