Posted by Jeff (24.30.53.181) on November 24, 2001 at 23:22:03:
In Reply to: It Will Not Be Engineers... posted by pancho on November 24, 2001 at 12:26:53:
: William Daniel, a poet and writer, composer and musician, linguist and historian, ended his life flat broke living on the charity of others in backrooms and extra closets where people tuck away what they’d just as soon forget. And he became increasingly difficult to deal with because he felt unloved and unappreciated. I always thought his biggest mistake was focusing entirely on our community, not going to New York or Los Angeles…writing music for television or the movies. I told myself I wouldn’t place such a burden on our people as to expect them to know where their best interests lay, as a Heritage. But I am coming dangerously close to doing so myself.
: William is safely dead, at last, and people can eulogize him and weep and shake their heads at our loss. Hannibal Alkhase is still with us, still warm and witty and profound…but just as unappreciated as William was. Hannibal Alkhase offered to teach the children of Turlock Art at no cost to their parents or the community. All he asked was to be allowed to use the Civic Club, the place that has been used to funnel money for years to a series of corrupt administrators who pass the presidency and the bingo earnings back and forth among themselves. Hannibal just asked for a room and for the parents to supply basic art material…taken from some of the money they were far more eager to play bingo with…and they told him he would have to be willing to clean the bathrooms there in return. In return for what…for providing some dim semblance of culture and refinement to their own children.
: Our community hates the Arts and the artist. It despises the thinker, the intellectual, the dancer, the poet…anyone who deals in freedom of expression and thought. That’s why their support of America, no matter what it does to their own people and families, is so strikingly odd. They understand nothing of the great promise that is yet America…only that they have a job and can live in the reflected glory of a country and a political system they would ruin in a minute if they had their way. Just a job and the security to go to church is all we have ever been taught to aspire to. To think or create beyond that shakes the very foundations of this shakey Heritage. The present leadership has taken over the task the last several ones have given themselves for years now. Their function is to further help bury us. They don’t know that, they don’t mean to perhaps…they are just afraid…the Arts can do that to hollow people.
Fred,
About William's works, were his musical compositions and/or any of his other art forms ever published? I would love to see them, and I know a certain relative who would also like to see his music, especially.
Jeff