Thoughts on Cole Porter

Shortly before Christmas, Dick asked me if I wanted to come with the whole family (his side) to see some Cole Porter songs performed. Up for an adventure, I agreed. Of course, these are the kind of songs that I imagine myself singing in a smoky bar and a sequined dress, lounging on the grand piano. I knew them all. Twenty-something Patrick knew none of them.

But the performance was much more conservative than the one I imagined for myself. The husband and wife team were funny and smart, but their professionalism detracted from any sense of ease in the music. Several of us wondered why Dick was so keen for us all to go to this show together. It turns out he and Kathleen watch “De-lovely” (the movie) recently together and really enjoyed it.

I figured as a follow up to the live performance, I should watch the movie. I get Netflix, the smallest subscription, and I use my queue (based on my list and searches, their recommendations, and the recommendations of my friends who I’m connected with through Netflix, which, incidentally, is really fun) to request movies from the public library. The library then brings the items I requested to their branch nearest me (per my request) for free, and I pick them up at my leisure.

That said, I thought the movie was OK. It was too long at more than 2 hours. The relationship problems were similar to those I’ve encountered recently. In the beginning, Cole was able to prioritize his wife and his career over his affairs. But as time passed, that became more difficult for him. In the case of the Porters, I see this as inevitable given that Cole was, at least in the movie’s portrayal, gay, but married to a woman he loved anyway. Perhaps if he was married to someone who he could love completely, the movie would have been about some other aspect of his life (1).

Here are some quotes I liked:
We were two people who wanted too much from each other.
Hold it loose, or hold it tight; everything breaks.

(1) Isn’t that always the way? I think we have to choose very carefully what we struggle with in our lives bc when they make a movie about us, that’s what people will see.