Rod McKuen Difficult To Hear at SPAC But Charisma Wins

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, August 19, 1970

Rod McKuen, in concert last night at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, proved beyond question he is the most difficult performer on the stage today to understand. More than 6,000 attended and you will never be a part of a quieter audience. They had to be. It was the only hope of hearing McKuen, who mumbles and is absolutely unintelligible much of the time beyond the first few rows.

He mumbles in his familiar husky voice to a point where, with the utmost concentration, it was possible to understand about half of his sung words but even fewer when he was telling jokes, rambling on or reading from his books of poems. When the lyrics were totally familiar, then it becomes a lot easier.

McKuen is a prolific writer, a highly successful composer and poet and he gave the audience fullest measure for some three hours, reciting many poems and singing literally dozens and dozens of his songs backed by seven musicians, who remained, fortunately, a quiet back-up and in no way drowned him out.

Strangely Enough

Strangely enough, despite the above criticism, McKuen is an absolute fascinating charmer onstage. It really makes scant difference whether his spoken and sung words are intelligible; he has the charisma that surmounts this. For those of us who have heard him in concert before, it must be said that he seems to be acquiring more and more of these mumbling, unintelligible tactics, almost as if by choice and on call now and one must wonder why. This should only be done by a performer in lieu of talent and that certainly isn’t McKuen.

He is enchanting to watch, in his relaxed, casual, informal, look-Ma-no-hands (they were behind his back most of the time) manner of singing. He has an infallible sense of delayed rhythm which heightens the softness and huskiness of his voice.

No one will accuse him of being violent, much of the show was extremely quiet in sound and content. He sauntered onstage at the start of the lengthy show in a wine pullover sweater, jean and black sneakers and acted, both in standing and sitting on a stool, as if he were ensconsed in his own living room with a group of intimate friends.

All the expected McKuen hits were heard, even “Charlie Brown,” and the audience knew their McKuen, they recognized and acknowledged every song with murmurs and applause.

As is always the case with the lone entertainer on the huge SPAC stage, wise use of the single multi-colored spotlight adds a dramatic extra ingredient to the show and this was most true last night. The spot gently changed from white to soft gray to blue to violent red to well-timed momentary blackouts and it was all most effective.

McKuen talks and sings of his thoughts of love, the futility of war and killing, sentimental moments with his sheepdog. Kelly, a cat named Sloopy and reads from his books of poems, all as the gentle surveyor of the universe.

Might Be an Influence

He got everyone singing what has to be termed at the very least “a topical song,” with the refrain of “soldiers who want to be hero number practically zero, but there are millions who want to be civilians.” Needless to say, this was most popular and McKuen kept the audience singing it for sometime, suggesting if it were sung loudly enough, it might influence those in Washington “who legislate the wars.”

The sound problem last night was one of intelligibility not volume and Stan Hanna, SPAC’S knowledgeable, hard-working sound engineer, did what he could to make Mckuen understood but there isn’t a system made to accomplish what emanates entirely from the performer at his own discretion apparently.

Tonight the SPAC stage is dark with Daniel Barenboim guest conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. in the third all-Beethoven program of the season.