Friday A/V Club: Dick Nixon Tickles the Ivories

A future president plays Jack Paar's piano.

The Jack Paar Program. March 8, 1963. The premiere of Richard Nixon's first piano concerto, performed by the composer:

The sound cuts out at 2:07; I'm not sure why. If you feel like you've been cheated out of an extra minute of musical Nixon, I'll try to sate you with this bonus footage of Nixon and Jack Benny playing a duet. Alternately, here is the opening scene of Nixon in China.

(For past editions of the Friday A/V club, go here.)

Comments

[Counterfly]

So with that we're up to what, 19 minutes of missing audio?

[Almanian!]

[Counterfly]

Also, I can't wait to hear Christie's (until now) unreleased grindcore demo he did in the early '90s.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Heh, heh, Pat Nixon recorded Nixon's playing, but it's all right because Mr. Nixon knew the tape recorder was on.

[Hugh Akston]

That guy still edges out Grover Cleveland as my favorite president.

[Pro Libertate]

In an alternative reality, he and Victor Borge switched roles.

[John Titor]

Stephen Harper can't even compose, he just does Beatles songs with Yo Yo Ma.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Yeah? Well, I do Beatles songs with his sister, Yo Ma Ma!

[Bill Dalasio]

As lousy a president as he was, Nixon was probably one of the smarter and more interesting guys to occupy the White House.

[Paul.]

It is kind of back when presidents were grownups.

[Old Man With Candy]

I'd rather have competent than smart. Mister, we could use a man like Calvin Coolidge again.

[Bill Dalasio]

Coolidge, competent? Don't know. He really never really took the chance of proving it. Principled and new his limitations. I'll take that over smart or competent.

[Old Man With Candy]

Yes, competent. He knew what government shouldn't do and he didn't do it.

[Robert]

It's not so much that, really, just that unless we get them on Jack Paar or the equivalent, we don't realize how smart & interesting most people are. This is why the Internet generally, and YouTube especially, are so great?just about everybody is interesting, only we didn't know it.

[Robert]

A good interviewer really helps, though, because most people's judgment of what will interest others isn't so good. Ever hear Clay Pigeon interview people, from musicians to the man in the street? I don't know if Jack Paar could've matched him. Howard Stern's a great interviewer too.

[Bill Dalasio]

Not sure I buy that. Honestly, do you really think any president since Bush 41 has been remotely interesting? And, no, I'm not talking about politics. I'm talking, say, dinner party conversation.

[Mike M.]

Trolling for skanks with Slick Willie would be pretty interesting, I think.

[Bill Dalasio]

Interesting? My guess is probably not. Fun? Maybe. But that's different. I mean, do you really think Slick would have all that many moves or behaviors you didn't already see?

[Robert]

I think they probably are. I don't know in what way they're interesting, but I'm sure if I got to know them, I'd find out. It might not be suitable dinner party convers'n, though.

[Old Man With Candy]

Honestly, do you really think any president since Bush 41 has been remotely interesting?

I have trouble imagining that any before him were, either, with the exceptions of Cleveland and Jefferson.

[The Heresiarch]

He's no Paderewski, that's for sure.

[kinnath]

Zombie Nixon -- 2016!

[Medical Physics Guy]

All I can say is, than GOD you spared us Bill Buckley's Bach performances. Which hopefully are not actually recorded anywhere.

[Pro Libertate]

Not "F?r Elise." I'd have bet money it would have been "F?r Elise."

[Robert]

Hey, pretty good stuff.

The sound cuts out at 2:07; I'm not sure why.

So blame Rosemary Woods.

You expected us to just fill that joke in mentally, didn't you?

[Robert]

D'oh! I thought that if ctrl-F for "Rosemary" didn't find it, nobody'd made the joke yet.