No peace

Maria Callas, today 30 years dead: we look for you everywhere. We worship your singularity, yet we demand every singer to do you. And when they dare do you, we trash them to pieces, without mercy. We yearn for you, but you are everywhere. We are helpless in your gaze. You are the gnawing curse that diminishes the rest. For our peace, we wish you never existed.

Now that that bullshit is out of the way, let's participate in the delightful insanity of the rabid Callas fanatics on this special day. Among the chosen is Bruno A.C. Rodrigues, who has organized a fascinating collection of Callas audio/video memorabilia on, you guessed it, YouTube. (Hey Bruno, I'm a big fan, call me.) His video creations span the wide range between Paxil and Xanax, all thoroughly enjoyable. Among my favorites are:

Why Callas fans absolutely hate Scotto;
Why Tebaldi fans absolutely hate Callas;
Psychedelic "Casta Diva" duet between Callas and Sutherland (and many other bizarre combinations--works better with some sort of alcohol on hand);
The definitive compendium of Callas lip-licking;
Callas's real threat to spit on the faces of her enemies;
Callas's funeral, apropos to the occasion;
and lastly, Callas nearly gored by a baby elephant:

I suggest that you spend the rest of the weekend watching all of the BACR videos, to honor the memory of the greatest singer of the 20th century.