Sunday, December 15, 2013
ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon
Edited by Will Shortz
This Sunday’s pleasant acrostic draws a quotation from Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt.
Ronstadt’s memoir is remarkable but not for reasons that readers might think; it is remarkable because of its very ordinariness. There are no tales of parental cruelty or substance abuse. She is lucky that her life has been exceedingly normal, or as normal as it can be for someone as talented and famous as she is, having sold more than a million records. Retired from performing since 2009, Ronstadt now looks back fondly to her childhood in Arizona—her Mexican heritage comes from her father’s side—and shares anecdotes about life on the road, including her first gigs at area coffeehouses and her decision when still a teenager to move by herself to Los Angeles because that was “where the music was.” She writes about her work with the folk-rock band the Stone Poneys, becoming a solo act, exploring the Great American Songbook, recording traditional Mexican folk songs with Rubén Fuentes, and her famous musical friendships, including those with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. Ronstadt’s fans will love this refreshingly nice and gracious musical memoir. ~ June Sawyers, amazon.com
The quotation: WHEN I BEND MY EAR TO A SINGER’S PERFORMANCE, I OFTEN TRY TO TRACK WHO … INFLUENCED HIM OR HER. FOR INSTANCE, I CAN HEAR NAT KING COLE IN EARLY RAY CHARLES, LEFTY FRIZZELL IN EARLY MERLE HAGGARD, … FATS DOMINO IN RANDY NEWMAN.
The author’s name and the title of the work: LINDA RONSTADT, SIMPLE DREAMS
The defined words:
A. Tedious list, series of alternating invocations and responses in church, LITANY
B. A teetotaler being named Boozer, say, IRONY
C. Riddle that shaped music?, NELSON
D. Bloom used medicinally by Aztecs, DAHLIA
E. Bubble-blowing crooner of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” in a 1937 “Our Gang” episode, ALFALFA
F. Guy who directed “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, RITCHIE
G. Too high or low, pitch wise (hyph.), OFF-KEY
H. Feat associated with batteries (hyph.), NO-HITTER
I. One pursuing an uninhibited lifestyle, SWINGER
J. Sound simulated by timpani, THUNDER
K. Players of five notes in a 1977 Spielberg film, ALIENS
L. Oversupply’s opposite, DEARTH
M. Imbued with pitch, TARRED
N. Group inspired by the doo-wop hit “Get a Job” (3 wds.), SHA NA NA
O. Troops for seizing and holding ground, INFANTRY
P. Imitation that’s not flattering, MOCKERY
Q. Port once plagued by corsairs, PENZANCE
R. Drop delivering some relief, LOZENGE
S. Role in ice hockey or the Mafia, ENFORCER
T. Rural and folksy, as cooking or music (hyph.), DOWN-HOME
U. Chorus lines, REFRAIN
V. Use for Chopin’s “Minute Waltz,” per Victor Borge (2 wds.), EGG TIMER
W. Ascap but not BMI, for example, ACRONYM
X. Parakeet’s skill, MIMICRY
Y. Ding-dong, SCREWBALL
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The full paragraph of the quotation: When I bend my ear to a singer’s performance, I often try to track who it was that influenced him or her. For instance, I can hear Nat “King” Cole in early Ray Charles, Lefty Frizzell in early Merle Haggard, Rosa Ponselle in Maria Callas, Fats Domino in Randy Newman. In a recent duet with Tony Bennett, the late Amy Winehouse was channeling Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday to great effect, yet she still sounded like AmyWinehouse. ~ Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt
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