Re: what sources will do

["David P. Ostwald" <ostwald@napanet.net>]

Congratulations, Mr. Rhem! You have flushed the snakes out from the bushes.

	Your ongoing critique of GGETG is impressive. I particularly
enjoyed reading the part where you suggest there's a need to interpret
Glenn's life more metaphorically. Perhaps you are the best one to do it?
	In contrast, my father was never (to my knowledge, and contrary to
what one might expect for a "shrink") much inclined towards deciphering
symbols and finding their deeper hidden meanings -- as I learned after
confronting him with ideas derived from Jungian-style dream interpretation.
Peter was trained as a Freudian; this is evident in his other biographies
and their frequent references to the subject's sexuality.
	This critique aside, Peter Ostwald's psychobiographies were the
focus of his creative energies for nearly two decades. He spent several of
his final years on this Earth in the creation of the last one. I was
partially responsible for his choice of a book on Glenn Gould, because
(when he was considering the topic of the next biography) I encouraged my
father to write a book that would be based on his own first-hand
experiences (rather than secondary, academic sources). He died before the
final manuscript had been sent to the publishers, while my mother actually
helped "him" write the final chapter (based on their discussions together
as he lay dying). She then finished the seemingly endless task of going
through corrections and ensuring the completion of the work.

	Your job as an editor includes advising our public of the relative
values of various texts, as well as offering critique. However, those who
criticize your own statements often have no impressive credentials to
authenticate their opinions. Is your judgment more final or valid than
those declared by others who've addressed this topic? In addition, is it
truly worthy of such compounded reiteration? Furthermore, people often base
their choices directly antithetical to the advice of commentators they have
recognized as being wrong in several cases; and this is especially true in
those circles that lust for the cult experience. Glenn Gould fans certainly
encompass this most sacred of categories.
	Therefore, thank you for shedding such negative light on "Glenn
Gould -- The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius". It is exactly this shadow that
will incite the curious!
	Lastly, as an editor, you must have impeccable standards of
proofreading. This is why you always spell-check and reread your public
messages (even the electronic ones) before releasing them to the public...

	Sorry, I meant to write a "nice" letter. I guess it's just too
tempting to get nasty when there are no faces to confront. You're right
though: my dad's book is rather flat. It's nice this way, because it sits
very securely on top of any normally-surfaced table and takes only 9.5"
long by 6.5" wide by 1.25" high amount of space -- very similar to the
other books one normally finds laying about reading areas. Also right about
unexciting, since I haven't found it in the gym yet: it probably failed to
inspire as much sweat and adrenalin as "Buns of Steel".

	Sincerely Yours,

		David P. Ostwald

PS:
	Your analysis of the dependency on the chair is a bullseye!!!
Kristen Immoor only deepens it; and we could conclude Glenn's chair habit
was some kind of superstitious love for his father. If he associated the
piano playing with a means of communicating with his mother, of course the
chair from his father always had to be there! Glenn required his father's
"support", and this scenario was modeled after the home environment in
which he was raised.
	This analysis may allow us to improve the work environment for
other musicians (among other professionals). To achieve greatness, perhaps
the musician needs to feel he or she has the support of his or her
benefactors, even if only communicated symbolically. (I suppose this
applies to writers as well...) Glenn Gould's ability to endure the bare
crossbeams of his magical chair just tells us how sure he needed to be
about being sustained during his playing. It's easy to understand, when we
consider how a musician on stage or in front of microphones can feel
helpless, naked and abandoned. The chair-symbol of his father's love and
care for him brought a magical reassurance no aluminum replica could ever
induce! Without this human element, perhaps the Goldberg variations you
enjoy so heartily would never have been produced.
	Finally, thank you for your tolerance in reading this entire
message. I thus retire from besetting you any more in any way.