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| AL SILVER, Also known to this blog as Al+Ag+ Photo kindly provided by Vernon Silver |
Tribute and Reminiscence: AL SILVER, parodist
BACKGROUND:
It was with dismay that I learned that good friend Al had passed away in November 2017 due to cancer.
Al and I became good e-friends while we were both contributors to AmIRight, a website that provides a vehicle for satirists to post parody-lyrics online. Al was a maven of words, turn-of-phrase, irony and satire, as established right at the start with his ingenious submissions. With his extensive knowledge of Broadway show music, he was a master at taking familiar old tunes and imbuing them with a new, and sometimes biting twist. The targets of his attack were prototype villains including hypocrites, racists, science-deniers and duplicitous politicians. Although his pieces were sometimes spurred by dismaying news of our everyday life, they were flawless in their lexical execution and timeless in their relevance. On the site, his cunning skill in linking language to music, and his insights into the historical and current value of satire made his contributions iconic examples of parody, an art for which he displayed a deep devotion. As a part of this dedication, he spent a lot of time reading submissions by other contributors, and commenting assiduously on how the site could be improved through honoring the standards set by our predecessors. Al was, for example, a great admirer of Cole Porter, the Gershwins and Irving Berlin.
ORIGINAL SONG: "I Get A Kick Out of You" 1934, music and lyrics by Cole Porter, performed by Ethel Merman in the Broadway musical "Anything Goes"and many others.
PARODY-LYRICS COMPOSED: By guest artist Al Silver, January 2013, copied here, with permission granted posthumously by Al's family.
Al has been a frequent contributor to the AmIRight song-parody website.
Al has been a frequent contributor to the AmIRight song-parody website.
It was with dismay that I learned that good friend Al had passed away in November 2017 due to cancer.
Al and I became good e-friends while we were both contributors to AmIRight, a website that provides a vehicle for satirists to post parody-lyrics online. Al was a maven of words, turn-of-phrase, irony and satire, as established right at the start with his ingenious submissions. With his extensive knowledge of Broadway show music, he was a master at taking familiar old tunes and imbuing them with a new, and sometimes biting twist. The targets of his attack were prototype villains including hypocrites, racists, science-deniers and duplicitous politicians. Although his pieces were sometimes spurred by dismaying news of our everyday life, they were flawless in their lexical execution and timeless in their relevance. On the site, his cunning skill in linking language to music, and his insights into the historical and current value of satire made his contributions iconic examples of parody, an art for which he displayed a deep devotion. As a part of this dedication, he spent a lot of time reading submissions by other contributors, and commenting assiduously on how the site could be improved through honoring the standards set by our predecessors. Al was, for example, a great admirer of Cole Porter, the Gershwins and Irving Berlin.
As a result of our email communications, Al had agreed to let me repost some of his parody lyrics songs on my blogsite. BTW, in our email communications, Al became known to me by the nickname Al+Ag+(miming th chemi8cal symbols for aluminum and silver), so I still think of him that way.
You can view Al's delightful lyrics shared at posts on this blogsite at:
post #25 Feb 2014 "Somewhere Dwelt the Designer"
post #100 Oct 2015 "Let's Do IT"
post #102 Oct 2015, "Zombies"
post #110 Nov 2015, "Whole Foods"
You can find a list by dates of songs by Al+Ag+ contributed to AmIRight, and links to all his lyrics by clicking here:
SOME FURTHER BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
(kindly provided by Al's son):
Al, a lifetime New Yorker, was born in Brooklyn and a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and City College. An electrical engineer by profession, he found his true calling as a mostly unpublished writer and humorist, first in children's stories (when raising two kids largely on his own), then cartoons (the crucifixion was a recurring theme) and then song parodies (built around 20th century standards). He died in November 2017 a month after learning he had cancer. His children and grandchildren marked his passing with a singing of his "I Get a Kick Out of Me." ( link to AmIRight version) Al was 83.
"I GET A KICK OUT OF ME", Al Silver
(to the tune of Cole Porter's "I Get A Kick out of You" - original lyrics shown in italics)
My story is such a joy to describe,
For I’m not the kind to live with a boisterous tribe.
The greatest of pleasures I’m known to embrace
Comes when I’m gaily on my own,
Near the mirror behind my throne,
That’s reflecting to me alone
My fabulous face.
My story is much too sad to be told
But practically everything leaves me totally cold
The only exception I know is the case
When I'm out on a quiet spree
Fighting vainly the old ennui
And I suddenly turn and see
Your fabulous face.
I get no kick from romance.
Yielding to love is one thing I’m above,
So tell me why shouldn’t it be
That I get a kick out of me?
I get no kick from champagne
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all
So tell me why should it be true --
That I get a kick out of you.
Some folks give gambling a chance.
If I could grace ev’ry hand with an ace
I’d still keep my abrasive esprit;
‘Cause I get a kick out of me.
Some get a kick from cocaine
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrifically too,
Yet I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick when it’s clear that I
Am my devoted ally.
I get a kick when to me I sigh,
“I’m obviously such a good guy.”
I get a kick every time I see you standing there before me
I get a kick though its clear to me you obviously don't
Adore me.
Don’t miss the kisses
Of Mrs. Narcissus; if this is what bliss is, I flee.
Yes, I get a kick out of me.
Flying too high
With some guy in the sky is my idea of nothing to do.
Yet I get a kick out of you.
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