The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 104

eej' ej'ej 'W" J.g TVie Pittsburgh Press, Sunday, May 19, 1974 MsswmmimsummmM Ex-Pittsburgher Observes Nature mmmsmmmzmmmmm Pilgrim' Profound, Poetic, Pixie Books 6c Music A Matter Of Record Side Two Has Jones' Goodies By PETE BISHOP you pick 'jp George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby" (RCA APL1-04M), play side two first. It has the goodies, ranging from the easy beat of "Going Life's Way" (gofipel) and "Love Makes It Alright" elUlCiiMm.iinil mm hi By SYLVIA SACHS, Press Book Editor Annie Dillard giggled when she heard I had started reading her book on the Squirrel Hill bus. "I've spent many a miserable hour on that bus," she confided. "Where do you get it? What street do you live on?" And later that day she said, "I just wrote in my journal that Sylvia Sachs read my book on the Squirrel Hill bus. It's beautiful." I agree.

It Is beautiful to be included, even in a teasing way, in the journal kept by this 28-year-old former Point Breeze resident, current observer of the universe, profound thinker, poet and writer of glowing prose. From her journal, Annie Dillard has culled "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" (Harper's Magazine Press, a book that has set the literary world jumping. Recently, a public auction was held for the paperback rights, an unprecedented coup for a first book published by a small publishing house a book which is, in fact, deep, disturbing and difficult. (Bantam Books, with a bid oj $165,000, won the right to publish the booh next year in paperback. The bidding was lively.) Annie (you realize Immediately you have to call her that, because anything more formal would make her laugh) is the former Annie Doak, daughter of Mr.

and Mrs. Frank Doak who now live in Ligonier. She lives in Roanoke, the wife of R.H.W. Dillard, poet, novelist and professor at Hollins College, the school she left Pittsburgh to attend, BJSeit Prot Fan Anywhzr The vital statistics are almost over, except to add that Annie's warm memories of her growing up in Pittsburgh keep coming up in her conversation and in her soliloquizing in her book. She says she is still the biggest Pittsburgh Pirate fan in existence and that she puts on her complete Pirate uniform at the least provocation.

And she remembers from her happy youth being constantly encouraged here by her family, teachers and, in her senior year, by Pittsburgh poet Sam Hazo to continue in her writing. Turning from these pleasant, prosaic truths about this young woman and dipping into her book is like plunging from a sunny shore into a bottomless mountain lake. In the book, she says, she is giving "the flavor of the content of her mind." Writing from her profound, poetic and occasionally pixie soul, Annie takes the reader on a tour of the natural world as it exists in microcosm in the worlds near her Virginia home. She sees every aphid, every unfurling leaf, every bit of waste and death and beauty in nature. She views the daily changes in trees and plants, In insects and animals.

She is haunted by the dying before her eyes of a frog being sucked of life by a giant water beetle. She comes back to this horrifying scene often through her recounting of a year in the life of Tinker Creek and its environs, as another person would recall a human tragedy. Sickened By Insect Cannibalism She is sickened by examples of cannibalism In the Insect world where females gobble up the eggs they have just laid or, In one species, eats the mate during impregnation. But she asks herself how she can place human values on nature. We value the individual supremely, she writes, and nature values him not a whit.

People and human activities are rarely touched upon in this book. You would think the author were a solitary viewing the world from a hermit's cave. She ponders the metaphysics of the universe. From a wide reading of theology, she theorizes about the meaning of life, comparing various philosophies. Sometimes her erudition is unbelievable.

CHRISTIAN WOEHR j' His batons rule symphony orchestras. Symphony Aide On The 'Stick' By CARL ATONE, Press Music Editor Pittsburgh Pirate catcher Manny Sanguillen likes a long bat. Willie Stargell likes a heavy bat. But for infielder Frank Taveras, the lighter the bat, the better. Conductors, like baseball players, have similar likes and ANNIE DILLARD Boofc jriuei "flavor of the content her mind." How could one so young have read so many authorities on botany, biology, the Bible? She knows so much about Eskimos.

How? Why? In comparing philosophies of existence, which one does she believe? She seems to find life capricious and nature profligate. "I read constantly," said Annie. "I'm 28 and I don't have any kids. I resisted the idea of getting a job. I thought my job was to lie around on my butt and think.

I'm a writer." Tm Sort Of A Monk' In her writer's view of the world she says: "I see myself as sort of a monk, although I am In the world. I go out for groceries, and I put dinner on the table. I play pinochle and ping-pong. But I try to keep that stuff to a minimum. "There Is only so much space In the brain.

You have to be careful what you put in it. I think that is how you are meant to live (thinking about spiritual matters), and with a cleaver you just exclude, exclude, exclude until you are down to the bare bone. "I consider nature's facts its beautiful and grotesque forms and events In terms of their import to thought and their Impetus to the spirit. In nature I find grace tangled in a rapture with violence. I find an intricate landscape whose forms are fringed in death; I find mystery, newness and a kind of exuberant, spendthrift energy." She considers her place In the world, and that of all humans, and sums up: "I am a sacrifice bound with cords to the horns of the world's rock altar, waiting for worms.

I take a deep breath, I open my eyes. Looking, I see there are worms in the horns of the altar like live maggots in amber, there are shells of worms in the rock and moths flapping at my eyes. A wind from noplace rises. A sense of the real erts me; tht jords loose; I walk on my way." In this case, the notes are as truthful as laudatory. Price can sing anything and more than that, he does a darn fine job on everything ho sings, too.

The great big fella sparkles on bouncy cuts like "She Even Loves Me," "The Lady's Leavin' and the title song, another plea for brotherhood, then turns right around and shows what a fine voice he has on ballads like "All In the Family" and "Losing You Got the Best of Me." On the talk-sing "Super Hillbilly," turn he turns basso buffo gonna be no superstar, think I'll stay just what I and the other four cuts are uniformly good, too, making for a most enjoyable 27 minutes of listening. Toko Your 'Pick' Okay, gee-tar fans, here's one for you "The Atkins-Travls Traveling Show" (RCA APL1-0479), starring Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and some mighty fine plckin'. By far the most Interesting numbers are "Down South Blues" and "Nine Pound Hammer," on which the music is merely a vehicle for tales from the two on their early days and musical influences. Words become vehicles for music on two "duels" "Mutual Admiration" and "Is Anything Better Than This" and it's obvious neither Is much In the vocal department, although, admittedly, neither has to be. Most of the other selections are pretty familiar Ramble," "If I Had You," "Who's Sorry Now," "I'll See You in My and the only weak spot is that several of the songs fade out instead of ending sharply, a poor practice for.

instrumental pieces. Travis says Atkins sounds "like someone scarin' a bunch of chickens;" Atkins says Travis sounds "like a tin barn with a mule a-kickin. Who's better? Take your "pick" it's a nice album either way. the world needs now to a couple of lovely ballads. "Who'll Turn Out the Lights' (very good lyrics) and "I Can Love You Enough," his best offering.

TUs Is not to say, however, tat side one should be Ignored. "The Last One to Touch Me" Is a pretty melo- GEORGE JONES Eight out of 10. tf, and the title cot, "Get Some Loving Done" and "Brothers of a Bottle" bounce right along, Jones switching easily from tempo to tempo. "You've Become My Everything" Is mediocre at best, and "Never Grow Cold" will leave you that way, but eight out of 10 make3 for a pretty good record. Is Right Liner notes aren't always to be trusted.

They're part of the entire package designed to make li'l ole you buy this here album. But on the back of Kenny Price's "Turn on Your Light and Let it Shine" (RCA APL1-0435), the liner-writer pens: "There are many compliments you can pay an artist, but I think one of the greatest is to have his contemporaries say this about him: 'He's versatile; he can sing Top Records The top singles according to Billboard: 1 The Streak-Ray Stevens 2 Dancing Machine. Jackson 5 3 The Entertainer Marvin Hamlisch 4 The Show Must Go On-Three Dog Night 5 Band on the Run Paul McCartney Wings 6 You Make Me Feel Brand New-The Stylistics 7 Midnight at the Oasis-Maria Muldaur Terkel Discovers Our Job Hatred wasn't satisfactory either, and the third was broken in the mails. The fourth one pleased Giulini so much he wrote a glowing letter of thanks in Italian, which a member of the local orchestra translated. In normal use, a conductor may lose or break a dozen batons annually.

However, some are harder on batons than others. Roberto Benzi broke three batons while conducting the local orchestra in a performance of "Faust" at Ambler, Pa. Batons cost from $2 to $3.50 In music stores, but usually they are heavy and lack the balance of a handmade stick. "They are fine for high school conductors who usually have to bang the stand to get attention," Woehr said. Con Feel Heavy "But for a conductor of a major orchestra a baton can feel quite heavy at the end of an evening.

Remember, in the Mahler Second Symphony he waves the baton for 80 minutes, In the Beethoven Ninth about 60 minutes." Woehr finds It Ironic that a baton which costs about $5, commands instruments valued at about $750,000. Leopold Stokowskl Is one of the few conductors who directs without a baton. Ormandy does on occasions, and Donald Johanos has begun to direct without one of late. Wroehr attended Juilliard on scholarship. He played French horn with the Dallas from 1946 until 1951 and met his future wife there, Georgia, a cello player.

He played French horn with the local orchestra from 1951 to 1966 when he took over as librarian. His wife joined the cello section here in 1966. They have six children, including Ted, an instrument repairman, Chris III, violist with the Rochester Philharmonic, and Mary, a music student at Bowling Green. anything. I wondered, gee, Is it happening to me?" Empty World Larry Ross, ex-president of a conglomerate: "I left that world because suddenly tsh power and the status were empty.

I'd been there, and when I got there, It was nothing. Suddenly you have a feeling of little boys playing at business." Didn't researcher Terkel find anyone who liked what he was doing? Well, he found "the happy few who find savor in their daily Job." Terkel, who was around In the Depression '30s, says he never heard then today's expressions like "The system stinks," "I'm a machine," "I'm caged," "I'm a mule," "A monkey can do what I do," "I'm just an object." Newhoose Newt Service SEND in your S3 number for the new cash-filled month of The Press SS Game! It's so demeaning to be there and not be challenged. Jobs are not big enough for people my mind has been so divorced from my job, except as a source of income; It's really absurd." Nora Watson is an editor of health care literature. All On Tope Terkel, Chicago Law School graduate, ex-actor, ex-diso jockey, ex-television master of ceremonies, world traveler for on-the-spot Interviews and author of two successful books, Isn't sure of the real meaning of what he found. But he has to believe it because it's all there on tape.

Meanwhile, here are just a few excerpts by work category from some of the 100 or so Interviews Terkel quotes among thousands he obtained: Jill Torrence, high fashion photographer's model: "How can you feel natural with three pounds of makeup, in some ridiculous costume, standing there trying to look pretty? you stop thinking when you're working." Louis Hayward, washroom attendant: "Truthfully, I don't carry my feeling of menial work quite that deeply that it hurts me. I'm completely hardened now, (but) most people like to say how rich and rewarding their jobs are. I can't say that." Phil Stallings, auto plant assembly line welder: "You pretty much stay to yourself repetition is such that if you were to think about the job itself, you'd slowly go out of your mind. You'd let your problems build up and you'd get to a point where you'd be at the fellow next to you at his throat." Felt Nothing Bob Patrick, New York City policeman: "I'm afraid that after seeing so much of this, I (will) come home and hear my kid in pain and not feel for him. When my grandmother passed away a couple of months ago, I didn't feel dislikes in the wood they use.

Aldo Ceccato, Detroit Symphony, and Carol Maria Giuli-ni, Vienna Symphoniker, like heavy batons. William Steinberg, however, prefers a very light stick. So says Christian G. Wochr, librarian of the Pittsburgh Symphony, who should know. He makes batons as a hobby and supplies them for conductors.

He has made batons for Ceccato, Giulini, Steinberg, Eugene Ormandy, Arthur Fiedler, Andre Previn, Henry Mazer and others. started making batons as a hobby about 15 years ago after a chance meeting with Steinberg and i late wife, Lottie, in a music store. "Mrs. Steinberg told me the man who made Steinberg's batons had died and he didn't know where he could find someone to make them. "Since I like to work with my hands- and had made a few while with the Dallas Symphony, I asked to try.

I duplicated his baton and have been making them for him and others since that time." Wood Worth Little Woehr usually uses hard wood from old furniture to make the batons, so the material is worth only a few cents. He puts the wood, some times as long as 36 inches, into two drills and tightens the wood firmly in place. Then he files and sandpapers it and puts a cork on end, a 1 1 in about 20 minutes. I guess counting my time and material the sticks would come to about $5 each," he said. But Woehr isn't In It for the money.

He usually give3 guest conductors a supply of batons as a gift when they come here. Every Christmas he gives Steinberg batons. A few years back he got an SOS from Mazer in Chicago who said Giulini desperately needed batons. The first one wasn't to Giulini's liking so Woehr tried again. The sec- What People Best sellers nationally, according to Publishers' Weekly: FICTION Watsrship Down, Adami, Jaw, Pater Benchley, Fan Club, Wallace.

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$10. By VICTOR WILSON For three years, Studs Terkel, master of the subtle question, criss-crossed America with a tape recorder, talking to people about their jobs and how they felt about them. He a stunned to uncover what seemed a a r-unani- Terkel mity of contempt for work being done and its supposed soul-stealing valuelessness among people ranging from a wash-r attendant to a spot welder to a conglomerate ex-president. Near Rebellion With modern tensions compounded by computers and automation, Terkel says he found near-rebellion replacing what had once been mere quiet desperation in many workers lives. "Nora Watson may have said it most succinctly," Terkel writes in "Working." She told him: "Somebody had bought the right to you for eight hours a day it's humiliation because I feel I'm being forced to do something I would never do of my own free will.

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