I love movie soundtracks. I love to be gobsmacked by music. Today, I was gobsmacked by the film score for Mary Poppins Returns by Marc Shaiman. So I wrote him a letter:
Dear Mr. Shaiman,
Thank God I ended up working late tonight, because driving home I heard you on the radio—on Jim Svejda’s show on KUSC. I thoroughly enjoyed your conversation with Jim. I’m about the same age as you are and have a similar veneration of the original Mary Poppins film and score. It was a delight to hear about your love of the older film, and an even bigger delight to hear about your time with Richard Sherman. What comes first? The idea comes first! Brilliant.
I made the mistake of watching Trump’s press conference today before I got out of bed. I was so disgusted that I literally could not get out of bed until 1:00 pm. I could barely drive to work, but music helped me recover on the way there (specifically “Outstanding” by the Gap Band). So it was a perfect bookend to drive home and hear some of your wonderful score for Mary Poppins Returns (I haven’t seen the film yet). I now feel like I have a recover-from-Trump soundtrack. I plan to listen to the whole album many times this weekend so that I have it in my head to carry with me forever. To remind me that one asshole in the White House will not ultimately prevail despite his power and hatred and racism—and what appears to be his success at wreaking havoc on our nation. No. Love will prevail—eventually and ultimately.
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” is especially meaningful to me because I am a military brat. As a kid, I moved a lot and also lived overseas. Like all military kids, I had and then lost a lot of friends along the way. Facebook has helped quite a few of us reconnect, but we still have some ‘lost’ people. Your song at once recognizes that loss and gives me hope for dear friends that I still miss. Thank you for that.
My deepest gratitude to you, Mr. Shaiman. You deserve the Oscar and if you don’t win, know that you have my undying pity. But know that if you do win, I’ll be jumping up and down and screaming and ugly-crying tears of joy. You’ve made me one happy shiksa tonight. Blessings to you and Lou.
Much love and Peace,
Kelly
West Coast Grrlie Blather 