Glenn Gould's Sense of Humor

["Anne M. Marble" <amarble@sff.net>]

What do you think about Glenn Gould's sense of humor? I know
a lot of people don't appreciate the jokes, particularly the
(bad) accents. And yet, I happen to _like_ them. (I feel
like I'm a member of GG Joke Admirers Anonymous. "I'm Anne
Marble, and I like Glenn Gould's sense of humor.")

Even when the jokes aren't successful, I like watching (or
listening to) Glenn Gould having fun. Maybe it's a good way
to remind us that he was human. Sure, he played wonderful
music, but he wasn't afraid to make jokes, even bad ones.
He wasn't always being serious with us.

Besides, GG often used humor to illuminate points that were
important to him. For example, look at the way he gave many of his views during the Jubilee Album.

What is your favorite bit of GG humor? Also, are there any
examples of humor by Glenn Gould that you think are often
misinterpreted?

And if you don't like Glenn Gould's humor (or attempts at
humor), what is it that you don't like? I remember reading
an account (possibly in one of the biographies) where the
writer seemed embarrassed to watch him sing to the animals
in the zoo. Well, OK, whatever sinks your boat. I thought
GG was just having fun and that he didn't give a tinker's
darn what critics would think. I wish more artists could
be like that (particularly certain writers of genre
fiction).