Theological Notebook: Postmodernism, Science and Theology

[novak]

The following was sent to me by aristotle in response to something posted over in kesil's journal on the matter in my previous entry:

Comments

[seraphimsigrist]

Just wanted to check in and say that I agree with
your line of thought in the previous post entirely.
my initial response the other day was before having
seen the Times articles...and perhaps was a visceral
defensiveness interpreting (misinterpreting I think)
the continual use of "count" or "count cardinal"
for Cardinal Schonborn as being intended as ridicule...
I now think it is American awe before the German "Von".
and in any case I think the Cardinal's production here is
not very well conceived.

[novak]

On that side note, I imagine that our Founding Fathers would be most chagrined to see the current American absolute fascination with titles of nobility. When I was having dinner one night with Shirley Williams during her Erasmus Lectures at Notre Dame (the book form of which I'll continue to shameless plug), she mentioned that she couldn't believe the fuss made over her title as the Baroness of Crosby. Like, I believe, all former Cabinet members, she had been created a life peer of the House of Lords so as to continue to provide service to the U.K.. But I gather she gave less thought to the title than to her clothes, and she has always been considered famously frumpy.

[seraphimsigrist]

nice anecdote...!
Fr Meyendorff was a Baron but I
think in our practice the title
is set aside, he had an exxentric
relative who was building up an
Orthodox Knights of Malta Priory of
Petersburg(there was a time apparantly
when the Knights were at least in part
under the protection of the Tsar)
he wished me to find Japanese members
and I gathered he did not care a fig
aobut the percentage of noble blood
but rather that they be solvent
fellows.

[novak]

New blood, as it were? New Japanese noble houses founded under a Tsarist pedigree as Knights of Malta. I live for this sort of thing! This is the type of thing that I always say makes history far more entertaining than any screenplay butchering of history....

I never knew Meyendorf was a Baron. Too funny.

[weaklingrecords]

I didn't even know GATF had a song with that title.

Then again, I'm fairly certain that was John or Paul's reaction during the Let It Be sessions.

/not saying we're like the Beatles.

[novak]

Oh, the saga of the Freeks is so like that of the Beatles. It just so much less widely known....

Actually, I had wondered if that would catch your eye and throw you at all. :-) It came from one of those sessions at Dalloways where everyone was late and Mark and J.P. were keeping the crowd entertained. That's a Lang tune (its in the old lyrics packet if you have it) and so gorgeous that you'll piss your pants if you've never heard it before. I was always after him to record it, but this is the only appearance I think it ever made in public. But its from such an obscure moment that the track before it has me singing "Oddity of a Stranger" with Mark on guitar and J.P. on drums. And it ain't pretty. I had never sung rock publicly before and clearly have no idea how to handle the mic.

[weaklingrecords]

Yeah, some of those Dalloway's shows' setlists, pre-setlists, post setlists, and pre and post parties were a little shady.

Fun, but shady.

[novak]

It'll be coming your way soon. I can only keep about three tapes' worth of music in the FTP space that kesil graciously gave me. Right now that's The Senior Week Sessions and the Feb 1996 Bridget's show. I'll leave them up a bit longer for stragglers and then rotate them out. I think I'll back up, though, and proceed chronologically, so Dalloway's will be a bit longer in forthcoming. What would you think about posting Join Us On the Ride? You okay with that? I know you've got the two tracks posted at your website, but what about the whole thing, for the sake of historical completeness? By the way, since I'm thinking along these lines right now, I did a Google search on George and the Freeks the other night to see what I'd find. "Me To You" and "Good-Bye" (no doubt lifted from your website) are downloadable in Hungary. I love this world.

[bassmike]

"You just want to be John, but you're so freakin' Paul!"