Platoon was just on czech TV the other night. I've never seen it. I started to watch it but had to get to bed. I was reading about it the next day and I came across this letter from Samuel Barber, who contributed music to the movie:
Samuel Barber is best known for this:
Dear Mother: I have written this to tell you my worrying secret. Now don’t cry when you read it because it is neither yours nor my fault. I suppose I will have to tell it now without any nonsense. To begin with I was not meant to be an athlet [sic]. I was meant to be a composer, and will be I’m sure. I’ll ask you one more thing .—Don’t ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football.—Please—Sometimes I’ve been worrying about this so much that it makes me mad (not very).Real poetry. Completely human. Real. Down to the misspelling.
Samuel Barber is best known for this:
This the whole thing. This letter to his mom when he's 9 is what makes him real. He was born in 1910, and he's dead now. This letter though is his first step. And the music wouldn't have come without it. It's a beautiful letter. I'm a big fan of things that show people we put on pedestals being normal. But we're all fans of that. I think those sorts of things are extremely healthy to see or read. Anyway, just loved this and feel like I discovered it even though it's on Wikipedia.
