Re: Visiting Glenn Gould's Toronto

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

At 01:09 PM 9/4/01 -0400, Joanna Ente wrote:
> On Fri, 13 Jul 2001 23:49:45 +0000, Kate Clunies-Ross
> <goldbergs@TALK21.COM> wrote:
> >Just out of curiosity (and because I am an incurably nosy person, I guess)
> >how many people have made Gouldian trips to Toronto? And how far did they
> >have to travel?
>
> Two weeks ago my family and I made the pilgrimage to Toronto and Ottawa to
> see the Gould sights.  We drove from NYC.

GG used to drive to NYC from Toronto to record some of his albums. You were
a safer driver, I'm sure! ;-> I'm sure many people on this list have read
the part in the Ostwald biography where it was revealed that GG was often
stopped at the border -- I guess they thought he was trying to smuggle
Valium across the border. Poor Glenn. That was probably so horrid for him
to go through.

> We visited his childhood home (to the present owners, please take down the
> Christmas lights), his St. Clair apartment building, Fran's Diner on St.
> Clair(which is now closed - bankrupt),

That's horrible!!! I know it was closed for a time (at least that's what
one of my travel books said), but it just ain't right for it to close
forever. :-< Now I'm really glad I had a chance to see it. Maybe I'll have
to put up a web page so I can share our Fran's pix with everyone. It will
have to be some time from now as I sent the photographs to one of F-Minor's
lurkers. While we were there, Kate drew a wonderful drawing of GG drinking
tea on a napkin (the drawing was on the napkin, not GG), and she gave it to
a waitress who admired it.

> and of course his grave site where we left him Arrowroot cookies and
> Poland water.

Did you find the grave site hard to find? We had a really difficult time
finding it. I wish I'd thought of the Arrowroot cookies and Poland water...

> At the Glenn Gould Studio, the manager let my 11 year old daughter play
> the Steinway
> that is on thestage and Glenn's Chickering piano.  She is still gushing
> over this.

I would be, too!

>We also saw his Yamaha piano at Roy Thompson Hall.  The biggest surprise was
> seeing his shoes on display at the Bata Shoe Museum.  They were well worn
> and old. (calm down everyone, let's not start writing about GG and the Foot
> Fetish)

It's an amazing museum, isn't it? And not just because of the GG footwear.
It includes displays of shoes that are more than a thousand years old --
many of which were in better shape than GG's shoes. To be fair, though, I
have a pair of black Reeboks that will reach the Gouldian state in a few
months. But they're comfortable!

> In Ottawa we visited the National Library and saw CD318 which is no longer
> in the lobby.  It is in a room off the lobby.  It was very dusty and now
> our finger prints are all over it as we touched practically every part of
> that piano.  We also saw his famous chair and in person it is quite small.

Ottawa is on my agenda for the next trip...

> Well, just thought I'd share.

Thanks!

> Joanna

Anne
Who now shares more in common with Glenn Gould than she wanted because she
appeared in traffic court today. :-< But at least the fine (and the speed!)
was reduced, and at least there were three people before her who had been
clocked above her speed. ;->