The best Theatre Biographies: Reddit reviews

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There's a book on the topic that I've been meaning to read: https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Their-Own-Invented-Hollywood/dp/0385265573/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=empire+of+their+own&qid=1568575461&s=gateway&sr=8-1

The short answer is that the entertainment industry has historically been open to people who are marginalized from other career paths. So disproportionate representation of minorities in the performing arts is something that you often see across cultures and throughout history.

Anyone who has read Mansons autobiography would know he's into some very odd stuff sexually and morally. He is smart, quick witted, (at least he was before the drugs), and not a good person, but he makes it clear he is fully aware of this and should be no ones role model. Definitely worth the read.

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Hard-Road-Out-Hell/dp/0060987464

I'm a fan of Pat Pattison's book "Writing better lyrics". He has some nice organizational techniques for rhyme scheme and what types of words can convey better emotion/meaning. It's fairly cheap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779

Check this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779

Also, start doing some listening / watching / reading on the concept of Story - what makes one, what is one.

Here's a good start

https://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060391685/

It's really hard to write lyrics without a musical context - even if you try to follow (or not follow) a certain structure, until you've given those lyrics a melody (or some other musical context, like chords or a riff or a beat), they aren't lyrics, they're poetry. Even if you go into writing thinking "okay, these are gonna be lyrics this time", without some kind of musical idea to support it and mold it, it's still just poetry. Some people do have luck starting songs by writing lyrics first, and then trying to write a melody that fits them, but personally I've had much better luck starting with musical ideas (a melody, a riff, a chord progression), and a really broad topic for a song (like "this song's gonna be about heartache" or something), and then writing lyrics that fit the rhythmic stresses and topic. Even if you do successfully write a song starting with lyrics, you'll often find yourself tweaking them anyway to fit the music you end up writing (and if you don't, there's a solid chance of your lyrics turning out awkward and forced).

I highly recommend checking out Pat Pattinson's Writing Better Lyrics from your local library / buying a copy if you can - I can't overstate how much it's helped me get into lyric writing in a more intentional way.

Okay, well I guess this entire book about Jews creating Hollywood is just bullshit, and all the scholarly articles about immigrant Jews creating and maintaining (aka running) Hollywood through the early years through the Golden age are nonsensical, in part because Walt Disney was also there, being not Jewish

You’ve never heard of MGM?

What do you think the initials stood for?

Interesting book

So out of all of the "circumstances" you've considered, the only outcome you can conclude is that Kanye must 100% be bipolar. Good detective work Sherlock, I think you've cracked it. 🤦

Now, seeing as Kanye West is certainly not the only person in the public spotlight to claim that Jews run Hollywood. In your opinion, are all the others who made this claim bipolar too?

Maybe the author of this book from '89 was bipolar too... What do you think? 🤷

https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Their-Own-Invented-Hollywood/dp/0385265573#

Why are you even here in this sub if you don't believe in conspiracy theories? What is your motive?

Maybe because Anti-Semites from a hero hurts.

But anyway read An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood if you actually care how Hollywood started.

For your reading pleasure https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Their-Own-Invented-Hollywood/dp/0385265573/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=M9D647VJJXEP&keywords=an+empire+of+their+own&qid=1666874711&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjcxIiwicXNhIjoiMC40NiIsInFzcCI6IjAuNTkifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=an+emp...

That is absolutely going to happen. The depth and nuance on this show. Soon, it’ll be listed here for great minds to ponder:

https://www.amazon.com/Popular-Culture-and-Philosophy-125-book-series/dp/B0897GS1YK

Consider reading Pat Pattison's Book

For anyone wanting to dive deeper into the mind of Kurt and hear/see some really cool stuff check out this book, it’s a compilation of his journal entries, scribbles and doodles & very early versions of some songs photocopied into a book! Already read it all, very very cool stuff. Journals https://www.amazon.com/dp/157322359X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_DP5MZWM02BVT87N1V45S

Haha you're so funny and original and funny.

I'll respond with my favorite Abraham Lincoln quote. You can find it here.

If you want to write better lyrics, may I suggest you become a disciple of Pat Pattison, professor of songwriting at Berklee, and start with his book "Writing Better Lyrics". He also travels and does seminars/workshops. I have attended two and came away with a lot of insight on why some of my lyrics are great while others fall flat.

His "sense writing" exercises are well worth the effort as well.

This book was immensely helpful to me as I was learning how to write better lyrics. It gives practical tips and exercises:

https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779

If I had to take one book with me and my guitar to a deserted island, I would take this rhyming dictionary:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Rhyming-Dictionary-Including-Poets/dp/0440212057

Jewish people played a large role in the early history of Hollywood, since many of the major studios like MGM were founded by recent Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe or Germany. A large part of the reason for this is that many other industries simply excluded Jews at the time. Hollywood was basically one of the few industries where Jews were able to thrive without dealing with various social barriers.

Naturally, this fed into various pre-existing conspiracy theories about Jews controlling everything. Whether this LA Times article is satire or not, I have no clue, but it is true that historically Jews played a pretty significant role in the development of the movie industry. And outside of New York City, Los Angeles historically has had the largest community of Jews, so it's really not surprising to find Jews over-represented in the movie industry.

That being said, I'm Jewish, and so far I don't control the world, sadly.

Oh, one more thought...Jenna Fischer's book (I have no vested interest) is a great read for anyone just getting started (or reentering after decades like I am)...

https://www.amazon.com/Actors-Life-Survival-Guide/dp/1944648224

If you are a newbie and a fan of stuff, there's a series called "Pop Culture and Philosophy" that starts with some pretty famous properties and discusses some ideas related to those.

http://www.amazon.com/Popular-Culture-and-Philosophy-125-book-series/dp/B0897GS1YK?ref=dbs_m_mng_awm_0000_ext

This book was a gamechanger for me. One of the best activities in there is smashing together a list of completely unrelated adjectives and nouns which causes you to start thinking of some metaphors to use

If writing good lyrics is a big goal of yours, I'd strongly, strongly recommend reading <em>Writing Better Lyrics</em> by Patt Pattison. I'm reading it now (among with a bunch of novels) and his explanations for good writing and all of the exercises you can do are really fun and helpful.

Another point I'd like to make is to simply... say, get a nice chord loop going on and ask yourself: "What mood does this make me feel?" If the first thing that pops into your head is "sad" or "melancholy" write that at the top of your note pad or Google Doc or whatever.

Then, write down a list of topics that pertain to that mood. "suicide" "mental illness" "love and loss" "nostalgia" "regrets" Out of this list of broad topics, go with the ones you vibe with the most.

Then, once you've chosen a topic such as "regrets" you write as many paragraphs of text as you can about it. Just let your mind flow. You can tell a story about someone you read in the newspaper who "lived their whole life working for other people." You can take inspiration from your favorite book quotes. You can talk about how you regretted not going out with that cute guy and wondering what you could've had if you did. Don't think. Just write and spill as many ideas as you can. Perhaps set a timer for ten minutes to do this.

Once you have compiled your pile of "regret mental vomit", pick out any "gems" if you can. Don't just limit yourself to telling the story, show it through touch, hearing, smell, and taste. More concrete details will be more mentally engaging to your listener. Especially if they're paired up with instrumentals that suit the tone.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I learned these tips from the book I just mentioned above! It'll take quite a few tries before you get something you're happy with so just be patient. <3

There are a lot of places to find Kurt's handwriting. His journals were put out in book form and there's even a font of his handwriting

Buy the book Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison off Amazon. Do everything he says. I just finished it, and I found it thoroughly insightful.

https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779

So, this book has a very unfortunate title, but it is by far the most scholarly, well-sourced, objective work I’ve ever come across on the topic:

“An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood” by Neal Gabler

An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385265573/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bYdwFbDZ5NHY3

Amazon.com Review That subtitle may inspire in some readers waves of ethnic pride, and in others waves of ethnic revulsion, but the point of this book is that its claim of origin is quite literally true. And what makes it an interesting read for political types is the way it demonstrates that no matter how much the founding Hollywood moguls and their successors tried to peddle an idealized, escapist form of entertainment, bubbling up under and around their every project was ideology, racism, ethnic prejudice, class friction, domestic and international politics and all the other raw, seething stuff that distinguishes this country from all others. In Gabler's hands, the Industry draws a picture of American political history in spite of itself.

Jenna Fischer wrote a book that you might enjoy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944648224/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HQmnFbCSVBEFQ. I believe there are other sites you can get it cheaper.

Best advice is to have a strong backup plan. It's worth at least a try to get into acting if you enjoy it, take some acting classes and see about trying out for local theatre.

I really like the site rhymebrain.com they have near rhymes as well as exact rhymes. It’s a good place to start for ideas

Also love the book “Writing Better Lyrics” by Pat Pattinson. I need to review it, but the big take away in his rhyming section is understanding how vowels and consonants can be grouped together. Eg open vowels. I highly recommend reading it!

Writing Better Lyrics https://www.amazon.com/dp/1582975779/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_q9AiFbT17G0TV

Edit: Added book recommendation and clarity

Get a book. I used to think it was something you had or didn’t. It’s just something to study like every thing else. I’m still pretty amateurish but I liked this one. there are probably countless other books out there: Writing Better Lyrics https://www.amazon.com/dp/1582975779?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I took a course through Berklee school of music and loved it. The teacher Pat Pattinson has written a book on his process and it's a simple read and easy to put into practice. Here is a link to the $12 book on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779 And here is a link to the $10 masterclass he does with videos. It's totally worth it: https://online.berklee.edu/songwriting-master-class-with-pat-pattison

This is a cool and practical book https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779

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Think he had a short course on Coursera

I also find myself terrible at writing lyrics. I just started going through “Writing Better Lyrics - The Essential Guide to Powerful Songwriting” by Pat Pattinson and it’s such a fantastic resource. Do yourself a favor and dig into this book.