The Adventures of John And Marcel

Composer John Adams (the California one, not the John Luther Adams Alaska one) has been running a series of riffs on his new blog, Hell Mouth, involving his weirdly charming if thoroughly improbable "neighbor", Marcel Proost, and they all make for delightful reading. Adams's latest Proost riff, "A Critic's Guide", is most particularly delightful, and Marcel, most particularly improbable. It seems Marcel has become the Independent Coast Observer's new music critic, and Adams has certain reservations concerning his qualifications for the job.

I’m just pulling into the lot in front of the Surf Super when I see my neighbor, Marcel Proost, getting into his pickup truck. Marcel usually wears Ben Davis overalls, a checkered flannel shirt and an Oakland Raiders hat. But today I see he’s got on a clean pressed shirt and tie, and his hair has that weird look of a wet cat, kind of slicked down and unruly, like it doesn’t want to be combed.

I also notice he’s got a notebook under his arm and a ballpoint pen behind his left ear.

“Marcel,” I say, “somebody die?”

“Naw. I just come from the concert at the Arts Center. I gotta get home and file my review.”

“Your what??”

“I’m covering the concert for the Independent Coast Observer. Didn’t you know?”

Turns out that Marcel had offered his services to our small newspaper as a music critic. This, as you can imagine, truly puzzles me, because I do not think Marcel is in any way qualified to pass judgment on classical music.

“So what kind of concert was it, Marcel?” I am thinking to myself he couldn’t tell a septuplet from a septic tank.

Hilarity ensues.

RTWT here.