WELCOME TO POL Tunes: "All the News That's Fit to Sing, er, Zing!"
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| POL Tunes are political "car-tunes" with parody lyrics by me, |
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MARC CRAWFORD LEAVITT, an Equal Opportunity Offender.
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"It's Still The Economy, Stupid!" on Saturday night, January 23rd at 8pm at The Community Church, 40 E. 35th Street just west of Park Avenue in Manhattan (refreshments intermission)- $15. Rachel Stone, Joel Landy (a modern day Phil Ochs), Paul Johnson (at the piano) and I satirize, criticize, and laugh and cry at life - We open with the patter chorus of “Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little” from “The Music Man!” updated to “Emailittle, fonealittle, emailittle, fonealittle, Tweet, tweet, tweet, textalot, Googalittlemore…” Joel’s song (to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know it…”) “If You Know an Oxymoron Shout it Out: FOX NEWS… Business Ethics…” is a hoot. And I musically explain a modest proposal to address the wide disparity between the super-rich and the rest of us which I heard decades ago from my college economics professor, Robert Lekachman. Entitled “Be Generous When You’re Dead”, it recommends a 100% inheritance tax with a $5 million exemption for as many people as you want- kids, nieces, neighbors, your hairstylist. After all, how much does one person really need? Bequests to charities would remain exempt. Think about it.
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The Bubble Decade
Sung to the Tune of "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Der-E!"
Published in 1891. Composer: Harold Sayers. Updated Lyrics: Marc Crawford Leavitt
Ta- ra- ra Boom Dee- ade!
It was the worst dec- ade;
For trust a cursed dec- ade.
The bub- ble burst dec- ade.
The wide web’s first dec- ade.
A Bush sub- mersed dec- ade.
Val- ues re- versed dec- ade.
The bub- ble burst dec- ade.
The melody for the verses (if the first notes of "The Star Spangled Banner" are G, E, C) is: GGFGEEE, EEBECCC, CEDCDDD, DFEDGEC.
1. Started out with dot com gloom, Followed by the Towers’ doom.
Bombers over Kabul zoomed. Enron’s bubble went kaboom.
2. Fear and grief were all about. Pres’-dent Bush began to shout
Saddam’s bad with too much clout Get those Dub-ya M D out.
3. Bloated World Com tanked and then Powell lied to the UN
Soon Iraq had no more friends, While Bin Laden ‘scaped again.
4. Bush’s mission was accom- plished, then storms replaced the calm.
Mindless killing without qualms. Violence and crying moms.
5. Terror and Al-Quaeda spread. Bali, London and Madrid.
Tolerance seems almost dead. Is repression quo pro quid?
6. Global warming covered all. The tsunami washed a shore.
Then Katrina drowned the poor But our president was bored.
7. TV shows reality, But we know it’s fantasy.
China lights Olympic flame Sports and steroids: what a game!
8. College costs go thru the roof. Health was "Sicko" Michael spoofed.
Subprime lending. What a goof! Our economy went poof.
9. AIG and bankers moaned So the U. S. made some loans
And GM was thrown a bone. Foreclosees were on their own.
10. When Obama took the lead World wide hope replaced the bleed
And the Nobel he received. We’re all trying to believe.
11. Bernie Madoff ponzi schemed While the Tiger double-teamed
Unemployment’s now the theme Kinda makes you wanna scream.
12. Twenty-ten’s a brand new start Hope for peace and open hearts
Better economic scene Round the globe and here in Queens.
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My 1st CD called "POLTUNES: All The News That's Fit To Zing!" was recorded live the month after 9/11 at Danny’s Skylight Room on Restaurant Row off Times Square and at Harmony Restaurant, Sunnyside, Queens. Click the link below to view CD Pix and Liner Notes (in PDF format). Directed by Miriam Fond, the show featured Kerri Lynn Jennings with Paul Johnson as Music Director. The CD is currently available (until I become more famous) by simply sending a SASE with 75 cents postage to me at my law office: LEAVITT, KERSON, & DUANE, 45-29 47th Street, Woodside, NY 11377. I'm a founding partner of a general practice lawfirm, and I concentrate in Elder Law, Estate and Disability Planning.
You can reach me at MarcLeavitt@nyc.rr.com or at 718-729-0986.
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On Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 4:30pm
Marc will be performing wonderful Yiddish music with
The JEWISH PEOPLE’S PHILHARMONIC CHORUS - "Yiddish Classics & Yiddish Classical"
at Symphony Space in Manhattan on Broadway at 95th Street.
Binyumen Schaechter, Conductor
The full length program, with ENGLISH TRANSALTIONS provided, higlights works by Ben Yomen, Maurice Rauch, Handel, Tschaikovsky, Shostakovich and others. Classics SUNG IN YIDDISH? Is it Possible? Come hear for yourselves! (visit www.TheJPPC.org ).
Leo Rosten, author of "The Joys of Yiddish," writes: "The vocabulary of Yiddish is drawn from 72% German, 18% Hebrew, 16% Slavic tongues, 5.6% Romance languages and 3.55% English. The fact that these numbers add up to more than 100% demonstrates the limitation of statistics" and confirms for me the richness of the Yiddish language! Consider the brazen chutzpah, the intrepid kibbitzer, the greedy gonef, the tedious shlep, poor quality shlock, the nagging nudnick, the delicious little nosh, the righteous mitzve, and the honorable mentsch. A grandparent qvelling over a grandchild and the nacchus experienced mean so much more than pride and joy. The single word "Oy!" notes Rosten is really a whole vocabulary!
FOR TICKETS @ $25/$15: Contact Marc directly or www.symphonyspace.org 212-864-5400
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Marc played Captain Hook in Peter Pan in May of 2008
at the Free Synagogue of Flushing, Queens
directed by Mary Ellen Pierce with Paul Johnson at the synthesizer (music director of all my cabaret shows since 9/11)
"AT LAST I’VE REACHED ME PEAK!
Peter Pan killed, and all the Lost Boys about to walk the plank!"
...One of my favorite lines as I embodied the deliciously nasty Captain Hook (I also played Mr. Darling, just like Cyril Ritchard in the Mary Martin version of J.M. Barrie’s deeply mysterious fantasy of adventure in Neverland). I hit a high "G" while proclaiming rhetorically, "Who’s the dirtyest dog in this wonderful world?" with my dancing pirate crew "Yo-ho-ing" in harmony.
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| Me and my now married daughter Allegra in Halloween costumes years ago as Captain Hook (note garden trivet hook) and Wendy (in turquoise bathrobe). |
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"HEAVY HITTERS & WANNABEES""HEAVY HITTERS & WANNABEES"
On Nov. 9, 2007 Marc performed a political satire show with clever friend Rick Tibbetts and musical director Paul Johnson at Rachel Stone’s COMMUNITY CABARET at the Community Church, 40 E. 35th Street, NYC. We lampooned various presidential candidates and world leaders. Barack Obama was "the very model of a candidate political" (not G&S' Modern Major General); Hillary Clinton sang "I Can't Say No" when asked if she was "Bush-Wagged" into voting for Bush's blank check for war; Fred Thompson sang a parody of the Flintstone themesong ("I'm a case right out of his-to-ry!"); we foretold McCain requesting Romney's help to the rock 'n roll song "Help Me Rhonda"; and, to the tune of "Bibbidy-Bobbity-Boo", Richardson, Biden & Dodd sang about being 2nd-tier candidates. To the tune of the Kingston Trio favorite about "Charlie & the MTA", Sen. Chuck Hagel, Mayor Mike Bloomberg & VP Al Gore sang: "But will we ever get in? No, we'll never get in, to a race a-nother will win. Are we doomed to nev-erending big, bucks races and campaigns that are sound bite thin?"
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Spring 2007
Marc played the role of the JESTER (aide to the mute King Sextimus) in
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
the musical based on "The Princess and the Pea" (think Carol Burnett)
with the St. Andrew's Church Players
158th Street north of Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY
Friday and Saturday nights April 27 & 28 and May 4 & 5 at 8pm
and Sundays April 29 and May 6 at 2pm
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Congressmember Joseph Crowley performed in the cast of the cast this fundraising show:
Marc Crawford Leavitt's Great American Musical Parody
"OklahomaSTAN! The 51st State".
on Sun. December 11, 2005 3pm Reception - 3:30pm Show
at Bliss Restaurant 45-20 Skillman Avenue at 46th St., Sunnyside, NY in support of
LOIS MURPHY, Democrat for Congress, 6th CD, west of Phila., PA
Sadly, Lois got 49.5% of the vote (1/2% better than 2004) and lost by 3,000 votes out of over 200,000.
www.LOISMURPHY.org
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At the 3/ 22/2003 Anti-War March down Broadway in NYC, I performed my "GEORGIE DOODLE!" song. Click the link (at left) to the political parodies lyrics page. In 1/04 I performed on behalf of Gov. Howard Dean's candidacy in IOWA, dressed as Prof. Harold Hill with my parody of "Trouble in River City" and "Iowa Stubborn". You may use my lyrics despite my copyright if you give me credit.
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