There was a lute-playing trappist at one point. I vaguely remember a name like "Michael Talbot(???)" RT
----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandy Hackney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "gary digman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "lutelist" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 6:34 AM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Speaking of John Jacob Niles > Actually Merton was a saint. He lived a very intensely focused life on > being holy for decades. As his Journal editors entitled one of the last > volumes, "He Turned to the World" and that included falling in love with a > nurse. To correct an earlier perception, he did NOT whore into the night > with Joan Baex. In fact they drank, talked and listened to music with > some > others. > If you read his 7 volumes of his Journals (I have read them 5+ times and > continue to read them), you will see a very good man struggling with > natural desires and doubts. He lived up beyond his publicity. > Not much about the lute here... > Sandy > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "gary digman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "lutelist" <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 5:14 AM > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Speaking of John Jacob Niles > > >> Dear Roman; >> >> With tongue firmly planted in cheek: Mother Teresa was an arrogant biatch >> with her sisters. John Dowland was such an irrascible s.o.b. no one could >> stand to be around him for long. Martin Luther king, Jr. was diddling his >> secretaries. And now, Merton. Does no one live up to their own publicity? >> >> It's interesting that keeping the vows one makes as a monk would be >> construed as an aberration. I'm not criticizing Merton except to say that >> I >> think the naivete is in making such vows in the first place. Anyway, I've >> got to get out of this hair shirt and slip into a bottle of Jack Daniels >> before headding down to Boom Boom's Pleasure Palace. >> >> All the Best, >> Gary >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Roman Turovsky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "lutelist" <[email protected]>; "gary digman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2005 4:29 AM >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Speaking of John Jacob Niles >> >> >>> His political naivete was astounding (his letters to Milosz attest to >> that), >>> but it is heartening to know he was not an aberrant. >>> RT >>> >>> >>> > So Merton was drinking and "whoring" into the night in his hermitage? >> I'm >>> > shocked! >>> > >>> > Gary Digman >>> > >>> >>> > >>> >> I was surprised to run across Niles' name in Thomas Merton's >> "Journals". >>> > They were friends in ' 67 or so and Niles wrote some pieces to >>> > Merton's >>> > poetry. Merton on Niles: "John Niles is a character and I like him. >>> > Carolyn commented on his cockiness, but who cares? He has a good >>> > weather-beaten, self-willed face, is a bit of a madman and writes good >>> > songs. He said Joan Baez was a whore (about which I put up an >>> > argument) >>> > and >>> > some nut stole his manuscripts. And he can carve messages on doors, >>> > besides >>> > play the lute and sing a toothy song in a metallic voice". >>> >> Merton also liked Baez a lot and would play her music, especially >> "Silver >>> > Dagger", and drink wine into the night from a mason jar in his >>> > hermitage > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
