Sarah Kernochan's Blog
RSS
Feb.06.2012
(Those who are coming to this serialized story for the first time, you can read the complete opus to date by clicking here.)
1977 summer’s end found me onstage at the New York Public Theater, presenting my new material to Joe Papp, his wife Gail Merrifield, and his creative staff. I’d composed a...
Continue Reading »
Feb.02.2012
(Those who are coming to this serialized story for the first time, you can read the complete opus to date by clicking here.)
Writing songs about kids and puberty was a departure for me. Up until then my MO was raunch. Sex was a ripe topic. It provided endless material that was funny and fucked-up...
Continue Reading »
Jan.29.2012
(Those who are coming to this serialized story for the first time, you can read the complete opus to date by clicking here.)
“Give it back,” your mother says loudly.
There are only two people in the room: she and you. But she’s not addressing you, nor is she talking to herself. She does this...
Continue Reading »
Jan.20.2012
As a footnote to the previous post, my dad's claim that his father never praised his music was not strictly true. One song, which Dad improvised at the age of 15, not only earned the old man's plaudits but also Grandpa would ask Dad to play it (and replay it) frequently for guests.
Dad...
Continue Reading »
Jan.17.2012
(Those who are coming to this serialized story for the first time, you can read the complete opus to date by clicking here.)
Grandpa in WWI Dad in WWII
My Dad and I...
Continue Reading »
Jan.07.2012
(Those who are coming to this serialized story for the first time, you can read the complete opus to date by clicking here.)
I presented myself to the New York Public Theater for my meeting with Joe Papp. I was to perform my five-song cycle “Songs of Puberty” in its entirety. I could sing...
Continue Reading »
Dec.29.2011
Catchy title, no? Makes you want to read on? It's the title of a cantata written by my grandfather. Here is an excerpt. You may appreciate his way with melody in this radio broadcast of 1913. Unfortunately the hilarity of the title overwhelms the music, which could be called, um, wet.
(The...
Continue Reading »
Dec.20.2011
It’s not that uncommon for folks to use a bit of psychoactive help to meet deadlines. Nowadays it’s Adderall. In my Dad’s day, it was a Judy Garland cycle of bennies and barbs (benzedrine and barbiturates) that got him through law school. He may not have believed in God but throughout his...
Continue Reading »
Dec.18.2011
It always amuses me to listen in on people debating whether or not ghosts exist. For me, there’s no debate. I have one.
When I was 27 I didn’t believe in life after death. The proof just wasn’t there for me. In that same year, on the recommendation of a friend, I visited a psychic (Frank Andrews...
Continue Reading »
Dec.15.2011
(Following this latest installment is a recap of all the preceding episodes. New readers should scroll down to Part 1 and read in sequence.)
At the end of my period of “channeling” music from my dead grandfather, I turned away from the five-song cycle (“Songs of Puberty”) I had composed with his...
Continue Reading »
Dec.12.2011
(Following this latest installment is a recap of all the preceding episodes. New readers should scroll down to Part 1 and read in sequence.)
Earlier I mentioned that I’d begun studying the Tarot. This was a few years after I’d become accustomed to being haunted. The power to see the future...
Continue Reading »
Dec.08.2011
I hadn’t planned on writing another blog today, but someone made me aware that it’s the 21st anniversary of John Lennon’s death. I’d like to share a personal story about John that relates to the ghost tale I’ve been telling over the past 10 posts. Those who have been following this saga will...
Continue Reading »
2 comments
Dec.07.2011
(Following this latest installment is a recap of all the preceding episodes. New readers should scroll down to Part 1 and read in sequence.)
I will state at this point that I have never seen a ghost. I neither saw nor heard my grandfather. I think it would have terrified me. That was our...
Continue Reading »
Dec.05.2011
(Following this latest installment is a recap of all the preceding episodes. New readers should scroll down to Part 1 and read in sequence.)
“You need to change the bulb,” he said. The floor lamp across the room was flickering.
“Just ignore it,” I said. The light blinked a few more...
Continue Reading »
Dec.01.2011
(Following this latest installment is a recap of all the preceding episodes. New readers should scroll down to Part 1 and read in sequence.)
We talk nowadays about the cyberspace “cloud.” Back when this ghost story takes place, there were no personal computers. But you could say that there I...
Continue Reading »
About Sarah
Sarah Kernochan's most recent novel, Jane Was Here, was published in 2011. Sarah has won two Academy Awards for her documentaries Marjoe and Thoth. As a screenwriter, she has written many films, among them Nine and ½ Weeks, Impromptu, and What Lies Beneath;...
Causes Sarah Kernochan Supports
DonorsChoose.org
Sarah’s Favorite Books
The Sound and the Fury, Lolita, V., Close Range: Wyoming Stories, Into the Wild, Beloved, Pere Goriot, Gone with the Wind, The Collected Stories of Isaac Babel...