Guts - And The Living is Easy

Guts - And The Living is Easy
Wiska UptMusic

Borepatch posts about Porgy & Bess, the Cold War and Summertime. The tune reminds me of this one, which I really like. Funny, when Guts sings 'living' it sounds to me like 'left hand'. My wife says it's just his accent, but if that's it, it's a really weird accent. I can't imagine any explanation for saying 'the left hand is easy' though, so maybe it is an accent.

The Cold War? Well, yes, from Wikipedia:

A historic yet tense premiere took place in Leningrad in December 1955; it was during the Cold War and the first time an American theater group had been to the Soviet capital since the Bolshevik Revolution. Author Truman Capote traveled with the cast and crew, and wrote an account included in his book The Muses Are Heard.

Capote's book might be interesting. Well, the first paragraph is:

Chapter 1: Staging Diplomacy 

The cultural mission behind the theatrical tour to the USSR The theatrical tour to the USSR, as depicted in Staging Diplomacy, transcends mere artistic endeavor, it becomes a microcosm of the Cold War's broader cultural battleground. The mission, ostensibly cultural exchange, is profoundly intertwined with political maneuvering and ideological posturing. The very selection of the play, the composition of the touring company, and the performance itself become carefully orchestrated acts within a larger geopolitical game. The emphasis isn't solely un artistic merit, but on projecting a sperifie image of American enlture one carefully curated to resonate (or at least not overtly offend) with Soviet audiences, while simultaneously reinforcing a desired narrative back home. The performees become a stage for satt power, a subtle yet potent form of influence designed to nounter Soviet propaganda and showcase the perceived superiority of Amerium artistic freedom and individual expression, albeit within a framework of controlled narrative. This simply a cultural exchange; it is a carefully calibrated performance of national identity, The choice of the play itself is far from arbitrary.

It's not a long book, but the rest of it just seems to be an embellishment of the first paragraph.