The point of discussion was clearly stated in the first thread. Yo Yo Ma and his group did not play the music live that everybody heard. That’s the discussion. There is no doubt that this was done and your attempt to parse a word as a point of argument doesn’t change the discussion one wit.
The music heard was not produced by the gestures and movements of the musicians during the inauguration. That’s what miming is by definition. That is how the New York Times defined the inaugural presentation of people faking a performance: **It is far from being the first case of miming at a high-profile public event. **
When you want to discuss your views on (pick your favorite word for faking a live performance) then feel free to chime in.
I don’t see anywhere in the definition that denotes it cannot involve playing to your own recording. It’s certainly in the spirit of the word. I think people are linking the noun mime (with the image of a silent person acting in pantomime) with the verb.
But to the point, I realize the cold weather is a factor but unless the producers of the event were faithful followers of Brother John Albert, they should not have expected global warming in the middle of a DC winter. They could have played in the rotunda, or heated the area using clear wind screens, or the performers could have kept their hands and instruments warm until they played the 5 minute piece. Maybe I was a little harsh to accuse them of not knowing the piece well enough. They just record it that day so it made me lean toward the notion that they weren’t up to snuff for a live rendition.
I have always despised faking a performance of music. If I were in charge of the event I would have gone with the video of them playing in the rotunda as a tribute with an intro acknowledging what winter weather does to million dollar instruments. Obama could have watched it on the screen like everyone else and then turn to them in the audience and recognize them with a gesture of appreciation. If they thought they could pull it off inside then they could have played it live and walked out the door behind the stage to take a bow. There are many ways to deal with 5 minutes of cold weather and a zillion dollar budget.
It’s hardly a monumental evil that needs Congressional oversight but it is a personal pet peeve of mine.
Interesting that while the news reports mention that miming or otherwise faking a performance is common, none of them claim that there is any sort of cultural expectation of it. On the contrary, they all compare the event to Ashlee Simpson and Milli Vanilli. The New York Times states the practice, while “venerable,” is “usually accompanied by a whiff of critical disapproval,” and notes professional music critics who praised the performers for producing the music heard during such inclement weather (before they realized that they hadn’t). Too bad the Times and those professional music critics aren’t as sophisticated as Labrador Deceiver and the others who claim that anyone familiar with this sort of event would have expected the miming.
Everything that doesn’t make sense. Like your use of “verbage.” And your continued refusal to clarify your statements. It’s hard to take someone seriously who speaks out of both sides of his mouth. Until you answer my questions, I’m done with you.
My use of the word verbage has nothing to do with any of the basic points I’ve made about lip-syncing. If I used the word incorrectly, none of my points change. You know that. You’re simply bringing up immaterial points to deflect from your obvious confusion. Just admit that you fucked up.