{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":4.785,"endTime":10.235,"body":"Now thinking about divas, I'm going to start in a slightly strange, um, left field"},{"startTime":10.235,"endTime":11.325,"body":"place with this."},{"startTime":11.945,"endTime":18.498,"body":"In her speech at the last night of the Proms 2023, the conductor Marin op"},{"startTime":18.498,"endTime":18.935,"body":"reminded the audience that the most recent UN report puts gender parity as staggering 134"},{"startTime":18.935,"endTime":25.925,"body":"years away."},{"startTime":26.785,"endTime":31.21,"body":"And as the first woman to conduct the fabled last night, a fit, a feat"},{"startTime":31.21,"endTime":32.685,"body":"for which she's now entered."},{"startTime":32.685,"endTime":37.876,"body":"Would you believe the Guinness Book of Records, having done it three times, um, also"},{"startTime":37.876,"endTime":38.222,"body":"knows only too well how the professional experiences of women are mediated by gender and"},{"startTime":38.222,"endTime":38.569,"body":"how often women in power are critiqued and undermined for seeking that power before they"},{"startTime":38.569,"endTime":49.645,"body":"even really do anything."},{"startTime":50.505,"endTime":55.36,"body":"And in the case of women conducting orchestras, or there's also the dilemma of whether"},{"startTime":55.36,"endTime":55.683,"body":"using the kinds of gestures that men typically use when conducting will have the same"},{"startTime":55.683,"endTime":62.805,"body":"effect and what the audience's response will be."},{"startTime":62.995,"endTime":69.191,"body":"Something that Ssop, um, describes vividly in the 2021 documentary, the Conductor, which I really"},{"startTime":69.191,"endTime":69.605,"body":"recommend."},{"startTime":69.905,"endTime":75.035,"body":"She talks about the time when her mentor one, Leonard Bernstein, watched her, uh, conduct"},{"startTime":75.035,"endTime":80.165,"body":"a concert and came backstage afterwards and said, you know, I just don't get it."},{"startTime":80.525,"endTime":83.165,"body":"I don't understand when I close my eyes."},{"startTime":83.565,"endTime":84.645,"body":"I can't tell you're a woman."},{"startTime":85.835,"endTime":90.968,"body":"It's clear that women, when women take on roles historically taken by men, they face"},{"startTime":90.968,"endTime":91.311,"body":"all kinds of barriers, and that it, it doesn't stop just when they get an"},{"startTime":91.311,"endTime":96.445,"body":"opportunity."},{"startTime":96.905,"endTime":102.045,"body":"The experience itself is often rendered more stressful because of preconceptions around gender."},{"startTime":103.155,"endTime":108.4,"body":"This series of lectures on what I'm calling 20th century divas considers the careers of"},{"startTime":108.4,"endTime":113.645,"body":"three women in a field in which women have in fact been quite well represented."},{"startTime":113.675,"endTime":119.633,"body":"That along with sport, actually IE um, popular music on record stage and screen, all"},{"startTime":119.633,"endTime":120.031,"body":"three of them, Shirley Bassey, Julie Andrews, and Barbara Streisand became internationally popular during the"},{"startTime":120.031,"endTime":129.565,"body":"1960s, which is the period associated with second wave feminism."},{"startTime":130.163,"endTime":133.645,"body":"A time when women fought for and won some more rights."},{"startTime":134.145,"endTime":139.64,"body":"Yet as they exerted their power and their influence, and they became more commercially successful"},{"startTime":139.64,"endTime":140.006,"body":"and culturally iconic, each of these singer became gradually more criticized with a particular focus"},{"startTime":140.006,"endTime":149.165,"body":"on the relationship between their power as performers and their femininity."},{"startTime":149.745,"endTime":153.045,"body":"And I suggest that this was not just because they were popular and successful."},{"startTime":153.045,"endTime":157.32,"body":"After all, plenty of men become popular and successful and then become more criticized as"},{"startTime":157.32,"endTime":157.605,"body":"well."},{"startTime":158.065,"endTime":164.673,"body":"But because powerful women have historically been treated as a threat in quite a particular"},{"startTime":164.673,"endTime":165.114,"body":"way, now the word diva, which literally means goddess neatly expresses the bifurcation that successful"},{"startTime":165.114,"endTime":173.485,"body":"women in performance often experience."},{"startTime":174.025,"endTime":176.285,"body":"On the one hand, the word is empowering."},{"startTime":176.665,"endTime":183.722,"body":"It connotes a superstar, a queen, an idol, someone of outstanding talent, perhaps a maverick,"},{"startTime":183.722,"endTime":185.605,"body":"and certainly someone successful."},{"startTime":185.985,"endTime":188.685,"body":"On the other hand, it's often used pejoratively."},{"startTime":189.855,"endTime":196.257,"body":"It tells us of someone difficult self-important and demanding a bossy prima donna of temperamental"},{"startTime":196.257,"endTime":196.683,"body":"dimensions, whether disempowering or empowering the word diva, certainly foregrounds power, which is why these"},{"startTime":196.683,"endTime":197.11,"body":"lectures are focused on the topic of women music and power, and don't dist treat"},{"startTime":197.11,"endTime":211.195,"body":"singing as a neutral act."},{"startTime":212.215,"endTime":217.466,"body":"Now, although the wider history of the word is not my main concern here, and"},{"startTime":217.466,"endTime":217.817,"body":"I'm not gonna go on for hours about history, we should acknowledge that the use"},{"startTime":217.817,"endTime":218.167,"body":"of the word diva in the context of women and performance actually goes back several"},{"startTime":218.167,"endTime":218.517,"body":"centuries, I think in particular of George Frederick Handel's rival queens, the Italian opera singers"},{"startTime":218.517,"endTime":218.867,"body":"Francesca called Sony and Faustina Bordone, whose performances in London in the 1720s inspired quite"},{"startTime":218.867,"endTime":239.875,"body":"wildly rival fan bases."},{"startTime":240.695,"endTime":246.705,"body":"And in 1727, their perceived rivalry inspired a minor riot at a performance down the"},{"startTime":246.705,"endTime":251.915,"body":"road from Gresham at Lincoln's infield theater, a building later absorbed Martin Mob."},{"startTime":251.915,"endTime":257.33,"body":"Glad to hear into the Royal College of Surgeons, rumors spread that the rival singers"},{"startTime":257.33,"endTime":257.691,"body":"had started to pull at each other's hair and attack one another during the performance,"},{"startTime":257.691,"endTime":265.635,"body":"thus encouraging the general chaos in the audience."},{"startTime":265.695,"endTime":271.195,"body":"But more recent scholarship has tended to agree, um, that actually this is a fabrication"},{"startTime":271.195,"endTime":275.595,"body":"and an exaggeration, and they performed quite happily together on subsequent occasions."},{"startTime":275.595,"endTime":280.656,"body":"It was actually the fans who were rioting, but the gossipy pamphlets, um, that were"},{"startTime":280.656,"endTime":280.993,"body":"circulated at the time led to that being caricature for, um, posterity in John Gay's,"},{"startTime":280.993,"endTime":281.331,"body":"Beggar's Opera as Polly Peach and Lucy Lockett, which is a good example of how"},{"startTime":281.331,"endTime":281.668,"body":"the truth can be forever distorted when the stories of powerful women are told for"},{"startTime":281.668,"endTime":296.515,"body":"the ages."},{"startTime":297.135,"endTime":302.914,"body":"So now to Streisand, although 18th century Italian opera in London might seem remote to"},{"startTime":302.914,"endTime":303.299,"body":"Broadway, all of this serves as an introduction to thinking about today's subject as a"},{"startTime":303.299,"endTime":303.684,"body":"diva because it shows that many of the things with which she has contended are"},{"startTime":303.684,"endTime":317.555,"body":"actually part of a long established gendered model."},{"startTime":318.335,"endTime":320.835,"body":"Yet there are other dynamics at play too."},{"startTime":321.385,"endTime":327.274,"body":"Earlier in 2023, Streisand was presented with the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Women of Leadership"},{"startTime":327.274,"endTime":327.666,"body":"Award, a prize which is presented annually to women who've distinguished themselves by assuming a"},{"startTime":327.666,"endTime":337.875,"body":"leadership role are making a meaningful change in the lives of others."},{"startTime":337.935,"endTime":342.705,"body":"And in 2021, it was awarded to Queen Elizabeth ii, and it was the only"},{"startTime":342.705,"endTime":343.024,"body":"time I believe that the late Queen accepted an award that was not from a"},{"startTime":343.024,"endTime":347.795,"body":"nation."},{"startTime":347.855,"endTime":351.439,"body":"So you can sort of see the, the prestige and profile of this award that"},{"startTime":351.439,"endTime":352.395,"body":"then went to Streisand."},{"startTime":354.015,"endTime":360.179,"body":"The press release proclaimed Streisand's achievements, drawing attention in particular to her roles as producer,"},{"startTime":360.179,"endTime":360.59,"body":"director, writer, and actress, all on the same film, IE GenTel in 1983, and her"},{"startTime":360.59,"endTime":361.001,"body":"achievement as the first woman to win an Academy Award as composer for the song"},{"startTime":361.001,"endTime":361.412,"body":"Evergreen from the film, A Star Is Born, the Citation also celebrated her philanthropy in"},{"startTime":361.412,"endTime":383.605,"body":"the realms of climate change, voter rights, and gender and racial equality."},{"startTime":384.505,"endTime":389.961,"body":"In response, Streisand posted a 10 minute video online in which she gave a speech"},{"startTime":389.961,"endTime":390.325,"body":"about how the experiences of Justice Ginsburg during her professional rise reflected some of Streisand's"},{"startTime":390.325,"endTime":397.965,"body":"own experiences in a very different field."},{"startTime":398.135,"endTime":402.764,"body":"Let's see a clip of the speech in which she talks about a particular incident"},{"startTime":402.764,"endTime":407.085,"body":"with a record executive for whom she'd auditioned at the start of her career,"},{"startTime":408.115,"endTime":409.205,"body":"Ever a realist."},{"startTime":409.875,"endTime":414.165,"body":"Justice Ginsburg said she started off with several strikes against her."},{"startTime":415.465,"endTime":420.325,"body":"The first strike was being Jewish antisemitism was a barrier."},{"startTime":420.585,"endTime":423.645,"body":"She said, I experienced that too."},{"startTime":423.645,"endTime":426.525,"body":"When I was first auditioning for a record contract."},{"startTime":427.025,"endTime":432.565,"body":"One executive told my representative, she has a nice voice, but she's too ethnic."},{"startTime":433.665,"endTime":434.765,"body":"But I knew what they meant."},{"startTime":435.635,"endTime":441.885,"body":"Clearly the nameless executive couldn't see colossal commercial potential in front of him to date,"},{"startTime":441.885,"endTime":442.302,"body":"depending on how One Counts Streisand has released around 117 singles, 36 studio albums, 11"},{"startTime":442.302,"endTime":442.719,"body":"compilations, 11 live albums, and 15 soundtracks with another compilation album and a new 40th"},{"startTime":442.719,"endTime":459.805,"body":"anniversary version of the soundtrack of GenTel, both due to be released tomorrow."},{"startTime":461.065,"endTime":466.237,"body":"So it's very current, whether one likes her or not, there's no arguing with the"},{"startTime":466.237,"endTime":466.582,"body":"fact that she's sold over 150 million albums in her career with 52 Gold and"},{"startTime":466.582,"endTime":472.445,"body":"31 platinum albums."},{"startTime":472.665,"endTime":478.47,"body":"Second only to Elvis Presley for reference, A gold album, um, has sales of over"},{"startTime":478.47,"endTime":480.405,"body":"500,000, um, copies in America."},{"startTime":480.825,"endTime":482.765,"body":"And the Platinum Album is sales of over a million."},{"startTime":483.415,"endTime":486.125,"body":"She's had 14 multi-platinum albums."},{"startTime":486.125,"endTime":488.991,"body":"Milton on the front row here, the Professor of Music was asking me, why are"},{"startTime":488.991,"endTime":489.565,"body":"you reading out?"},{"startTime":489.565,"endTime":492.445,"body":"And this is why I'm reading out 'cause I can't remember all these facts."},{"startTime":492.905,"endTime":497.909,"body":"Um, so she's had 14, um, multi-platinum albums, which she sells of over 2 million,"},{"startTime":497.909,"endTime":501.245,"body":"and she's the only female artist to have achieved this."},{"startTime":501.455,"endTime":506.923,"body":"She's the second bestselling female album artist in the United States after Taylor Swift, who"},{"startTime":506.923,"endTime":510.205,"body":"o only overtook her this year after many decades."},{"startTime":510.825,"endTime":514.32,"body":"And she's the only recording artist who have achieved a number one album in each"},{"startTime":514.32,"endTime":515.485,"body":"of the last six decades."},{"startTime":515.674,"endTime":519.164,"body":"It's fair to say she's been both prolific and successful."},{"startTime":520.225,"endTime":527.541,"body":"As for being oh, round of applause for Barbara, I've not done it as for"},{"startTime":527.541,"endTime":529.005,"body":"being too ethnic."},{"startTime":529.785,"endTime":535.685,"body":"One of the key dimensions of Streisand's diva Dom is her strong self of self-actualization."},{"startTime":536.085,"endTime":538.445,"body":"IE her vigorous assertion of who she is."},{"startTime":538.745,"endTime":543.361,"body":"And a good example of this is her name as a teenager, she wanted to"},{"startTime":543.361,"endTime":543.668,"body":"highlight her individuality and therefore dropped the second a in her first name, thus becoming"},{"startTime":543.668,"endTime":548.285,"body":"Barbara."},{"startTime":548.985,"endTime":554.253,"body":"As for her second name, A frequent topic of discussion in her interviews and concerts"},{"startTime":554.253,"endTime":557.765,"body":"is the pronunciation of Streisand, like Sand on the Beach."},{"startTime":558.395,"endTime":559.565,"body":"It's not Streisand."},{"startTime":559.585,"endTime":561.765,"body":"She often says, my friend Liza has AZ."},{"startTime":562.825,"endTime":567.925,"body":"And in both of the Broadway roles in which she launched her career, she played"},{"startTime":567.925,"endTime":572.005,"body":"explicitly Jewish characters rather than trying to hide or distract from it."},{"startTime":572.385,"endTime":576.845,"body":"For her, it was empowering because it became part of her iconic image."},{"startTime":577.305,"endTime":582.27,"body":"And in Harold Romes, I can get it for your wholesale, she played the Long"},{"startTime":582.27,"endTime":583.925,"body":"Suffering Secretary Miss Marmal Steam."},{"startTime":584.625,"endTime":590.147,"body":"And in her solo song, she drew attention to her name, Yetta Tessie Marmal Steam,"},{"startTime":590.147,"endTime":592.725,"body":"and even explain how to spell it."},{"startTime":593.375,"endTime":594.485,"body":"Let's hear a bit of that now."},{"startTime":595.225,"endTime":597.125,"body":"Nobody calls me."},{"startTime":597.545,"endTime":601.685,"body":"Hey, baby doll, miss Marstein or Honey Deer, miss Marstein."},{"startTime":601.905,"endTime":603.125,"body":"Oh, sweetie Pie."},{"startTime":604.515,"endTime":609.605,"body":"Even my first name would be prefer preferable, though it's terrible."},{"startTime":610.825,"endTime":611.925,"body":"It might be better."},{"startTime":612.675,"endTime":622.565,"body":"It's, or perhaps my second name that's Tessy spelled T-E-S-S-Y-E."},{"startTime":623.145,"endTime":623.365,"body":"But"},{"startTime":623.905,"endTime":629.213,"body":"In her more famous appearance in Funny Girl two repeated reference is also made to"},{"startTime":629.213,"endTime":632.045,"body":"her character, um, of Fannie Brice being Jewish."},{"startTime":632.185,"endTime":637.154,"body":"Indeed, in taking on this role, she was underlining her artistic lineage with one of"},{"startTime":637.154,"endTime":639.805,"body":"the leading Jewish performers of a previous generation."},{"startTime":640.305,"endTime":644.499,"body":"And this is increasing the film version of Fanny Girl, um, for which some of"},{"startTime":644.499,"endTime":644.778,"body":"the specially written songs, um, from the stage show were replaced by numbers performed by"},{"startTime":644.778,"endTime":645.058,"body":"the Real life Bryce, in particular, her signature tune, my Man, which is memorably sung"},{"startTime":645.058,"endTime":654.565,"body":"at the end of the film."},{"startTime":654.745,"endTime":656.725,"body":"Um, funny Girl, but not in the stage version."},{"startTime":657.425,"endTime":662.182,"body":"And for her debut role in the film, Streisand won the Academy Award for best"},{"startTime":662.182,"endTime":662.499,"body":"actress in a remarkable tie with the veteran star Catherine Hepburn, who'd also won it"},{"startTime":662.499,"endTime":668.525,"body":"the year before, I think."},{"startTime":668.825,"endTime":672.41,"body":"And this was only the second of the very few times that there had been"},{"startTime":672.41,"endTime":673.845,"body":"an exact tie at the Oscars."},{"startTime":674.075,"endTime":680.365,"body":"Both, um, actresses received exactly 3030 votes, which is an impressive feat."},{"startTime":680.365,"endTime":684.685,"body":"I dunno how you managed to get exactly 3030 people to vote for you."},{"startTime":684.705,"endTime":685.125,"body":"Anyway."},{"startTime":685.595,"endTime":691.14,"body":"This strand of Streisand's career came to a climax in 1983 with the release of"},{"startTime":691.14,"endTime":696.685,"body":"her film, um, Yentl, which she worked on for over a decade against considerable adversity."},{"startTime":697.185,"endTime":701.735,"body":"The film recounts the tale of a young Jewish woman in Poland who disguises herself"},{"startTime":701.735,"endTime":706.285,"body":"as a man in order to get an education after the death of her father."},{"startTime":706.875,"endTime":711.309,"body":"Streisand's own father was an intellectual who died when the singer was just 15 months"},{"startTime":711.309,"endTime":711.605,"body":"old."},{"startTime":711.705,"endTime":715.045,"body":"And it's clear why the storyline of Yel appealed to her."},{"startTime":715.705,"endTime":722.075,"body":"The semi autobiographical element was underlined in the score by Michelle LaGrand and, um, lyricists"},{"startTime":722.075,"endTime":728.445,"body":"Michelle, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, in particular, the the song Papa, can You Hear Me?"},{"startTime":728.915,"endTime":733.625,"body":"Streisand won the Golden Globe for best director for the film in 1984, the first"},{"startTime":733.625,"endTime":733.94,"body":"woman to do so, and it took until 2021 for another woman to win the"},{"startTime":733.94,"endTime":738.965,"body":"same award."},{"startTime":739.795,"endTime":744.439,"body":"Streisand has often spoken about her decision not to have any work done on her"},{"startTime":744.439,"endTime":747.845,"body":"nose, despite pressure to modify her appearance to look less Jewish."},{"startTime":748.465,"endTime":753.365,"body":"And in many of her public appearances, she has actively drawn attention to her nose."},{"startTime":753.755,"endTime":759.552,"body":"When comedian Phyllis Dilla opened an American Film Institute tribute to her in 2001, Dilla"},{"startTime":759.552,"endTime":762.645,"body":"made a joke about herself and plastic surgery."},{"startTime":763.025,"endTime":766.965,"body":"And in the audience, Streisand vigorously tapped her own nose in response."},{"startTime":768.265,"endTime":773.98,"body":"And for the second number of her 1994 tour, Streisand asked Steven Sondheim to change"},{"startTime":773.98,"endTime":775.885,"body":"the lyrics to his song."},{"startTime":776.065,"endTime":780.445,"body":"I'm still here proclaiming in one line, I kept my nose to spite my face."},{"startTime":780.615,"endTime":783.125,"body":"Let's take a look at what the audience thinks about that"},{"startTime":787.305,"endTime":788.085,"body":"Top of the building."},{"startTime":789.425,"endTime":792.205,"body":"I'm here Wednesday."},{"startTime":792.345,"endTime":799.125,"body":"You are phony Thursday, y'all over the hill, but I'm here now."},{"startTime":799.635,"endTime":802.325,"body":"I've kept my clothes and kept my space."},{"startTime":802.705,"endTime":806.445,"body":"Yes, I've kept my nose to spike my face."},{"startTime":809.265,"endTime":814.025,"body":"In short, one of the key ways in which Streisand has exerted her power to"},{"startTime":814.025,"endTime":814.342,"body":"achieve diva status is by proudly embracing her Jewishness, both in and beyond her work"},{"startTime":814.342,"endTime":821.325,"body":"in defiance against all pressure to the contrary."},{"startTime":822.745,"endTime":827.595,"body":"Now, as I noted earlier, the word diva is often used to describe someone's self-important,"},{"startTime":827.595,"endTime":828.565,"body":"arrogant, and difficult."},{"startTime":828.625,"endTime":833.084,"body":"But the evidence of Streisand's career is that she loves to work with other people"},{"startTime":833.084,"endTime":835.165,"body":"in order to achieve her professional goals."},{"startTime":835.715,"endTime":839.705,"body":"It's true she admits to being a control freak, but it's surely quite reasonable that"},{"startTime":839.705,"endTime":842.365,"body":"she would want to be able to control her work."},{"startTime":842.505,"endTime":846.045,"body":"And this is not something that would conventionally be criticized in a man."},{"startTime":846.045,"endTime":850.445,"body":"It would be seen as a strength, but even this control is achieved through collaboration."},{"startTime":850.745,"endTime":855.485,"body":"For example, she's been with the same agent Martin Ehrlichman for over 60 years now."},{"startTime":855.565,"endTime":857.685,"body":"I believe that he's 94 and she's 81."},{"startTime":858.145,"endTime":862.711,"body":"Um, and she favored him because from the very beginning he negotiated that she would"},{"startTime":862.711,"endTime":866.365,"body":"be able to make her own choices from song lists to costumes."},{"startTime":866.825,"endTime":871.615,"body":"The reason for this preference, I believe, is because from being a teenager, she, um,"},{"startTime":871.615,"endTime":876.405,"body":"recognized that being unique or unusual was going to be the key to her stardom."},{"startTime":877.505,"endTime":882.821,"body":"Yet in the realm of popular culture, performers are typically pressurized to conform to the"},{"startTime":882.821,"endTime":886.365,"body":"latest trends, something that Streisand has not done very often."},{"startTime":886.985,"endTime":889.605,"body":"But she couldn't achieve success without working with other people."},{"startTime":890.105,"endTime":895.325,"body":"And the single most striking source I've found in preparation for this lecture reveals the"},{"startTime":895.325,"endTime":895.673,"body":"collaborative atmosphere behind the scenes of Funny Girl, um, her first and only starring role,"},{"startTime":895.673,"endTime":902.285,"body":"um, in a Broadway musical."},{"startTime":902.825,"endTime":908.117,"body":"In 1964, the papers of Bob Merrill, who was the lyricist of the show, are"},{"startTime":908.117,"endTime":908.47,"body":"at the Library of Congress, and they show a series of typed lyric sheets on"},{"startTime":908.47,"endTime":917.645,"body":"which Meryl made notes during rehearsals and early previews of the show."},{"startTime":918.225,"endTime":922.509,"body":"On each of them, there is a sense that here was the most exciting young"},{"startTime":922.509,"endTime":922.795,"body":"talent with whom the distinguished creative team had worked in years, and they wanted her"},{"startTime":922.795,"endTime":927.365,"body":"to succeed."},{"startTime":928.225,"endTime":929.925,"body":"But the devil was in the details."},{"startTime":930.265,"endTime":932.685,"body":"The show was in great trouble before it reached Broadway."},{"startTime":933.025,"endTime":939.611,"body":"And Meryl's meticulous comments identify areas in which the songs could be improved to support"},{"startTime":939.611,"endTime":942.685,"body":"the strongest possible presentation of streisand's performance."},{"startTime":943.105,"endTime":948.331,"body":"For example, on the lyrics of the famous Don't Reign On My Parade, we see"},{"startTime":948.331,"endTime":952.165,"body":"an unfamiliar verse for the song, which Meryl has marked kilo."},{"startTime":952.225,"endTime":956.965,"body":"And then out noting that Barbara runs out of gas."},{"startTime":957.865,"endTime":960.285,"body":"And this was not a criticism in my view."},{"startTime":960.705,"endTime":963.285,"body":"Um, the refrain of the song is hugely demanding."},{"startTime":963.285,"endTime":966.51,"body":"It's a really difficult song, especially if you're gonna sing it most nights of the"},{"startTime":966.51,"endTime":966.725,"body":"week."},{"startTime":967.105,"endTime":970.689,"body":"Um, Meryl proposed to drop the verse so that she had more stamina left to"},{"startTime":970.689,"endTime":971.645,"body":"thrive in the refrain."},{"startTime":972.065,"endTime":977.098,"body":"And at the bottom of the page, um, Meryl underlines the words rose and nose"},{"startTime":977.098,"endTime":981.125,"body":"again, um, presumably to encourage Streisand to bring out the rhyme scheme."},{"startTime":981.185,"endTime":983.365,"body":"So let's quickly hear how that couplet works."},{"startTime":983.465,"endTime":984.685,"body":"On the original car album,"},{"startTime":987.375,"endTime":992.365,"body":"Perfection, life's Complexion, the Cinder,"},{"startTime":992.745,"endTime":997.159,"body":"She sort of emphasizes the word nose Don't Reign on my parade, became one of"},{"startTime":997.159,"endTime":998.925,"body":"the signature songs of her career."},{"startTime":999.545,"endTime":1004.282,"body":"And these few annotations show that its success was the result of a level of"},{"startTime":1004.282,"endTime":1007.125,"body":"refinement created through collaboration with the people around her."},{"startTime":1007.145,"endTime":1010.974,"body":"And the same goes for the other songs on the Reprise of Don't Rain On"},{"startTime":1010.974,"endTime":1011.485,"body":"my parade."},{"startTime":1011.905,"endTime":1015.592,"body":"At the end of the show, Meryl notes twice that the key is too low"},{"startTime":1015.592,"endTime":1015.837,"body":"and needs to be raised to suit her vocal range, which was higher than they"},{"startTime":1015.837,"endTime":1019.525,"body":"realized."},{"startTime":1020.145,"endTime":1024.297,"body":"And the reference at the top to Jss is to Julie Stein, who was the"},{"startTime":1024.297,"endTime":1025.405,"body":"composer of this show."},{"startTime":1025.585,"endTime":1030.437,"body":"And, um, we can see how Meryl is deferring to him for those decisions around"},{"startTime":1030.437,"endTime":1031.085,"body":"the music."},{"startTime":1031.295,"endTime":1036.365,"body":"Again, revealing the general atmosphere to be collaborative for the satirical song."},{"startTime":1036.865,"endTime":1038.285,"body":"His love makes me beautiful."},{"startTime":1039.585,"endTime":1044.788,"body":"Um, Meryl notes here that Streisand needs to avoid turning upstage, which is something she"},{"startTime":1044.788,"endTime":1049.645,"body":"does quite a lot in her concert appearances because the audience can't see her."},{"startTime":1050.025,"endTime":1053.205,"body":"So this is helpful feedback on how to present her performance."},{"startTime":1053.225,"endTime":1057.898,"body":"And in a separate note down here, and he encourages her not to try too"},{"startTime":1057.898,"endTime":1061.325,"body":"hard because the costume will help her to get the laughs."},{"startTime":1061.755,"endTime":1066.564,"body":"He's also drawn rings, if you look around the top, around the words illustration and"},{"startTime":1066.564,"endTime":1066.885,"body":"adoration."},{"startTime":1066.945,"endTime":1072.425,"body":"So again, he's kind of interested in bringing out the rhyme scheme or at least"},{"startTime":1072.425,"endTime":1072.79,"body":"having it understood by her for a hit Ballad people, Meryl again notes her inclination"},{"startTime":1072.79,"endTime":1081.925,"body":"to turn upstage something that would disconnect her from the audience."},{"startTime":1082.305,"endTime":1083.445,"body":"Now, why does all this matter?"},{"startTime":1083.475,"endTime":1089.238,"body":"This is quite nerdy musicology stuff, but because no musical performer of this type could"},{"startTime":1089.238,"endTime":1089.622,"body":"possibly achieve high standards without support and advice, but divas in general and Streisand specifically,"},{"startTime":1089.622,"endTime":1100.765,"body":"have been critiqued for being lone figures who are unwilling to work with other people."},{"startTime":1101.185,"endTime":1106.333,"body":"Yet, if anything, it seems to me that she's gone outta her way to create"},{"startTime":1106.333,"endTime":1106.677,"body":"quite strong collaborations that have endured, whether it's with her regular team, so her manager,"},{"startTime":1106.677,"endTime":1107.02,"body":"her collaborators, Richard J. Alexander and Jay Landers, who've worked on a lot of her"},{"startTime":1107.02,"endTime":1107.363,"body":"concerts, her arrangers and conductors, William Ross, Marvin Hamish, Peter Mattson, many others or with"},{"startTime":1107.363,"endTime":1107.706,"body":"songwriters like Harold Arlan, Steven Sondheim, and Mic Michelle LaGrand, all of whom wrote multiple"},{"startTime":1107.706,"endTime":1128.645,"body":"songs and projects for her."},{"startTime":1129.905,"endTime":1135.422,"body":"In 1985, she returned to her home repertoire and recorded the Broadway album in which"},{"startTime":1135.422,"endTime":1138.365,"body":"she sings a range of musical theater standards."},{"startTime":1138.745,"endTime":1144.664,"body":"The project went ahead much to the objection of record label executives who incorrectly felt"},{"startTime":1144.664,"endTime":1149.005,"body":"it would be uncommercial to release an album of show tunes."},{"startTime":1149.955,"endTime":1155.836,"body":"Streisand satirize the situation in the opening track of the album, Steven Sondheim, putting it"},{"startTime":1155.836,"endTime":1161.325,"body":"together, singing, every time I start to feel defensive, I remember Vinyl is expensive."},{"startTime":1163.075,"endTime":1167.605,"body":"When she came to record another Sometimes song sending the clowns from a Little Night"},{"startTime":1167.605,"endTime":1167.907,"body":"Music, she asked the songwriter whether he would be willing to revisit the material and"},{"startTime":1167.907,"endTime":1173.645,"body":"expand it for her album."},{"startTime":1174.565,"endTime":1178.221,"body":"Specifically, she wanted to address the fact that a piece of dialogue in the middle"},{"startTime":1178.221,"endTime":1178.465,"body":"of the song needed to be emitted from the recording, and she wanted something to"},{"startTime":1178.465,"endTime":1182.365,"body":"replace it."},{"startTime":1182.945,"endTime":1188.107,"body":"On one level, it seems like an audacious move asking probably the most distinguished and"},{"startTime":1188.107,"endTime":1192.925,"body":"revered composer on Broadway to rewrite possibly his most famous song just for her."},{"startTime":1193.425,"endTime":1197.384,"body":"But in the documentary on the making of this album, and in several interviews since"},{"startTime":1197.384,"endTime":1197.647,"body":"Streisand has explained both why she felt the need for an expansion of the material,"},{"startTime":1197.647,"endTime":1197.911,"body":"because she wanted to return to the bridge section of the song, which is the"},{"startTime":1197.911,"endTime":1198.175,"body":"Middle, because she loved it so much, and also why Sondheim was willing to do"},{"startTime":1198.175,"endTime":1209.525,"body":"it."},{"startTime":1209.545,"endTime":1210.725,"body":"So let's see a clip of that."},{"startTime":1211.065,"endTime":1215.085,"body":"Um, it sounds as though the song has, has been rewritten by sand heim."},{"startTime":1216.075,"endTime":1220.725,"body":"Well, what happened is that, um, I really didn't understand the lyric at first."},{"startTime":1220.925,"endTime":1223.845,"body":"I I wanted to understand it, uh, better."},{"startTime":1224.185,"endTime":1228.044,"body":"So I called him up and I asked him to explain it to me and"},{"startTime":1228.044,"endTime":1229.845,"body":"exactly how it worked in the show."},{"startTime":1229.885,"endTime":1233.005,"body":"I had seen the show, but I, I wanted to hear it from him because"},{"startTime":1233.005,"endTime":1235.085,"body":"this was written for an English woman in a show."},{"startTime":1235.085,"endTime":1239.285,"body":"That's why there are certain phrases that sound very fancy, you know, like, sorry, my"},{"startTime":1239.285,"endTime":1240.965,"body":"dear or my fault, I fear."},{"startTime":1241.665,"endTime":1243.485,"body":"And I didn't quite know how to approach this."},{"startTime":1244.465,"endTime":1249.955,"body":"Um, I also, uh, thought that the bridge was absolutely exquisite and I had wanted"},{"startTime":1249.955,"endTime":1255.445,"body":"musically to return to the bridge, but I didn't wanna sing the same lyric again."},{"startTime":1255.545,"endTime":1262.445,"body":"So I asked him how would he feel about writing a new lyric?"},{"startTime":1263.505,"endTime":1269.395,"body":"And what is so extraordinary about him is that, that he said he would try."},{"startTime":1269.755,"endTime":1273.988,"body":"I mean, that he, that he believes as, as I do, that art is a"},{"startTime":1273.988,"endTime":1274.835,"body":"very living process"},{"startTime":1277.255,"endTime":1279.155,"body":"In print sometimes."},{"startTime":1279.555,"endTime":1282.475,"body":"Specifically comments actually on how he felt about this request."},{"startTime":1282.705,"endTime":1286.555,"body":"Without the dialogue, he says there is indeed an emotional gap."},{"startTime":1286.655,"endTime":1290.948,"body":"So when Streisand asked me to write something that would accomplish this transition in the"},{"startTime":1290.948,"endTime":1294.955,"body":"middle, it seemed like a logical request rather than the whim of a diva."},{"startTime":1295.545,"endTime":1300.143,"body":"Here we can see then that although Streisand is kind of exerting her power as"},{"startTime":1300.143,"endTime":1300.45,"body":"a diva, she's also doing so respectfully and collaboratively because she knows the results will"},{"startTime":1300.45,"endTime":1305.355,"body":"be better."},{"startTime":1305.695,"endTime":1310.239,"body":"And indeed, sometime is keen to defend her from any pejorative association with the word"},{"startTime":1310.239,"endTime":1313.875,"body":"diva because of this request to rewrite the song just for her."},{"startTime":1315.095,"endTime":1320.926,"body":"Lastly, we should observe her embrace of another form of collaboration, two, which is the"},{"startTime":1320.926,"endTime":1321.315,"body":"duet."},{"startTime":1321.855,"endTime":1327.342,"body":"One of the performances that first solidified her national reputation was in 1963 when she"},{"startTime":1327.342,"endTime":1330.635,"body":"appeared with Judy Garland on the Judy Garland Show."},{"startTime":1331.135,"endTime":1336.703,"body":"Um, she duetted with the legendary MGM star with whom she sang a special arrangement"},{"startTime":1336.703,"endTime":1337.075,"body":"of."},{"startTime":1337.075,"endTime":1340.035,"body":"The songs Get Happy and Happy Days are here."},{"startTime":1340.035,"endTime":1344.515,"body":"Again, each of which was associated with one of them, the duet became iconic and"},{"startTime":1344.515,"endTime":1348.995,"body":"has been reproducing concert by other singers as well as in the TV series Glee."},{"startTime":1349.655,"endTime":1354.295,"body":"And in that episode of the Garland Show, um, Streisand also sang briefly with Garland"},{"startTime":1354.295,"endTime":1354.605,"body":"and Broadway veteran Ethel Merman, who kind of all just wanders in for a couple"},{"startTime":1354.605,"endTime":1359.555,"body":"of minutes."},{"startTime":1360.275,"endTime":1364.571,"body":"A trio that placed her in the lineage of great musical belters, a topic they"},{"startTime":1364.571,"endTime":1364.858,"body":"even discuss in the dialogue leading up to the song, there's no business like show"},{"startTime":1364.858,"endTime":1369.155,"body":"business."},{"startTime":1369.825,"endTime":1375.159,"body":"Working in her early twenties with more established stars was a clear boost to her"},{"startTime":1375.159,"endTime":1375.515,"body":"reputation."},{"startTime":1376.315,"endTime":1382.075,"body":"Subsequently, duets approved a route to maintaining or reviving her commercial success."},{"startTime":1382.495,"endTime":1388.299,"body":"In 1978 and 79, she recorded hit singles with Neil Diamond and Donna Summer, contemporary"},{"startTime":1388.299,"endTime":1391.395,"body":"stars from very different areas of popular music."},{"startTime":1391.775,"endTime":1395.715,"body":"And in both cases, those collaborations led to number one singers singles."},{"startTime":1396.255,"endTime":1399.915,"body":"In 1996, she co-wrote and recorded the song."},{"startTime":1400.075,"endTime":1404.115,"body":"I finally found someone a duet with Brian Adams for her film."},{"startTime":1404.115,"endTime":1408.339,"body":"That Mirror has two faces, which of course she also directed and starred in, and"},{"startTime":1408.339,"endTime":1411.155,"body":"it became her first top 10 hit single since 1981."},{"startTime":1411.875,"endTime":1417.927,"body":"A more recently two duets albums released in 2014 and 16, proved her commercial clout"},{"startTime":1417.927,"endTime":1421.155,"body":"once again when both went to number one."},{"startTime":1421.885,"endTime":1426.775,"body":"She's also Duetted with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Barry Mano, Josh Gro, and"},{"startTime":1426.775,"endTime":1428.405,"body":"Ray Charles and many others."},{"startTime":1428.875,"endTime":1429.925,"body":"It's not rocket science."},{"startTime":1429.985,"endTime":1435.047,"body":"Of course, if two or more popular artists record together, they bring together two different"},{"startTime":1435.047,"endTime":1438.085,"body":"audiences, and therefore there's great potential for more sales."},{"startTime":1438.425,"endTime":1443.472,"body":"But the point here is that she has apparently enjoyed working with other singers enough"},{"startTime":1443.472,"endTime":1446.165,"body":"to record several dozen duets over her career."},{"startTime":1446.215,"endTime":1447.165,"body":"She's done quite a lot."},{"startTime":1447.435,"endTime":1452.46,"body":"Thus showing again that this classic image of the diva who will only do work"},{"startTime":1452.46,"endTime":1454.805,"body":"that's only about them is perhaps exaggerated."},{"startTime":1456.585,"endTime":1462.055,"body":"Now, although her name appears at or near the top of any list of contemporary"},{"startTime":1462.055,"endTime":1467.525,"body":"divas, it's only right to acknowledge that Streisand herself seems sometimes irritated by the tag."},{"startTime":1467.825,"endTime":1472.829,"body":"And in an interview on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she discussed the topic"},{"startTime":1472.829,"endTime":1476.165,"body":"directly appearing to reject the label diva for two reasons."},{"startTime":1476.415,"endTime":1477.085,"body":"Let's have a look."},{"startTime":1477.685,"endTime":1477.805,"body":"I"},{"startTime":1477.805,"endTime":1480.597,"body":"Was afraid that, uh, that you were coming here today and I was afraid that"},{"startTime":1480.597,"endTime":1482.645,"body":"you were going to be like a more of a nightmare."},{"startTime":1483.075,"endTime":1483.525,"body":"Like what?"},{"startTime":1483.685,"endTime":1484.645,"body":"I gotta be, I gotta be honest."},{"startTime":1485.005,"endTime":1485.485,"body":"I gotta be honest."},{"startTime":1485.485,"endTime":1487.285,"body":"I thought it was like a diva was gonna come in and started."},{"startTime":1487.285,"endTime":1487.565,"body":"I swear to"},{"startTime":1487.565,"endTime":1491.652,"body":"God, that's why I wrote a song with John Mellencamp called Don't Believe What you"},{"startTime":1491.652,"endTime":1491.925,"body":"Read."},{"startTime":1492.115,"endTime":1493.325,"body":"Yeah, please, guys."},{"startTime":1493.545,"endTime":1496.765,"body":"No, I mean, I I wasn't you, but you're, you, you came on time."},{"startTime":1497.105,"endTime":1498.645,"body":"You, you were very polite to my crew."},{"startTime":1499.145,"endTime":1501.365,"body":"You came to rehearsal, you're nice to everybody."},{"startTime":1501.745,"endTime":1504.165,"body":"Uh, what, what have you done with Barbara Streisand?"},{"startTime":1504.485,"endTime":1504.565,"body":"\u003claugh\u003e?"},{"startTime":1504.945,"endTime":1505.685,"body":"Is she okay?"},{"startTime":1505.945,"endTime":1510.656,"body":"No, you're allowed, you're, you're the one person who's allowed to be the diva of"},{"startTime":1510.656,"endTime":1511.285,"body":"all divas."},{"startTime":1511.345,"endTime":1511.805,"body":"No, no, no."},{"startTime":1511.905,"endTime":1513.925,"body":"We can change the temperature in the room and the lights."},{"startTime":1514.425,"endTime":1516.245,"body":"You and, and we still will love you."},{"startTime":1516.665,"endTime":1516.885,"body":"No"},{"startTime":1517.135,"endTime":1519.125,"body":"Divas were opera singers, first of all."},{"startTime":1519.265,"endTime":1519.685,"body":"Oh, okay."},{"startTime":1519.785,"endTime":1521.845,"body":"And how come they never call men divas?"},{"startTime":1522.505,"endTime":1524.805,"body":"So she says, number one, that she's not an opera singer."},{"startTime":1524.865,"endTime":1528.485,"body":"And number two, she dislikes the pejoratively gendered use of the word."},{"startTime":1528.865,"endTime":1531.885,"body":"And in another interview on the topic, she says, I'm not a diva."},{"startTime":1531.885,"endTime":1532.565,"body":"I don't think so."},{"startTime":1533.315,"endTime":1540.156,"body":"Despite these objections, I believe that while her ambivalence towards the word is understandable, Streisand"},{"startTime":1540.156,"endTime":1546.085,"body":"has in fact consciously constructed aspects of the diva persona through her performances."},{"startTime":1546.085,"endTime":1551.045,"body":"At least she might reject it in interview, but she invites it in performance."},{"startTime":1551.665,"endTime":1553.925,"body":"Now, Streisand is not, of course, an opera singer."},{"startTime":1554.025,"endTime":1560.168,"body":"And even her perfectly respectable if Unexciting album of classical music called Classical Barbara proves"},{"startTime":1560.168,"endTime":1563.445,"body":"that she doesn't come from that musical world."},{"startTime":1563.905,"endTime":1565.485,"body":"But she is a soprano."},{"startTime":1566.265,"endTime":1571.045,"body":"And while she mainly avoids singing in head voice, which is the principle sound that"},{"startTime":1571.045,"endTime":1571.364,"body":"we associate with an operatic soprano, her ability to sing in that higher place perhaps"},{"startTime":1571.364,"endTime":1571.682,"body":"explains her capacity to float her voice in her many ballads eeg the way we"},{"startTime":1571.682,"endTime":1580.925,"body":"were."},{"startTime":1581.655,"endTime":1586.207,"body":"Let's look at how this ability to sing in the soprano head voice has always"},{"startTime":1586.207,"endTime":1587.725,"body":"been hiding in plain sight."},{"startTime":1587.875,"endTime":1592.045,"body":"Because in her early career especially, she would use that sound for comic effect."},{"startTime":1592.575,"endTime":1596.969,"body":"We're going to look at three short clips from performances from the late 1960s, all"},{"startTime":1596.969,"endTime":1600.485,"body":"of which show us that she can really, um, get up there."},{"startTime":1601.015,"endTime":1603.965,"body":"First of all, observe a few notes in the song."},{"startTime":1603.985,"endTime":1605.965,"body":"His Love Makes Me Beautiful from the movie."},{"startTime":1606.615,"endTime":1611.312,"body":"Funny Girl, the character is making a joke about her femininity during a performance at"},{"startTime":1611.312,"endTime":1612.565,"body":"the Zig Feld Follies."},{"startTime":1612.785,"endTime":1615.085,"body":"And lets out some unexpected high notes."},{"startTime":1615.315,"endTime":1620.384,"body":"Then in the verse of So Long Theory from Hello Dolly, she comes out with"},{"startTime":1620.384,"endTime":1620.722,"body":"another one, and finally in an impressive mock operatic number from her television special, the"},{"startTime":1620.722,"endTime":1626.805,"body":"Bell of 14th Street."},{"startTime":1627.625,"endTime":1631.582,"body":"She shows that the top of her voice works pretty well since otherwise she couldn't"},{"startTime":1631.582,"endTime":1633.165,"body":"possibly come out with these sounds."},{"startTime":1633.275,"endTime":1634.805,"body":"Here are all three clips."},{"startTime":1640.425,"endTime":1647.045,"body":"Oh, oh, so beautiful, so beautiful."},{"startTime":1669.715,"endTime":1673.925,"body":"Streisand is no Maria callas and doesn't want to be."},{"startTime":1673.945,"endTime":1678.645,"body":"But these moments reveal the tantalizing potential of her voice For much of her career."},{"startTime":1678.865,"endTime":1683.681,"body":"She could go much further and higher than she chose to a soprano in hiding,"},{"startTime":1683.681,"endTime":1684.645,"body":"so to speak."},{"startTime":1684.715,"endTime":1687.205,"body":"What could be more divas then?"},{"startTime":1687.265,"endTime":1692.269,"body":"Two, the way her performances have been presented have frequently invoked exactly the kind of"},{"startTime":1692.269,"endTime":1694.605,"body":"grandeur that we associate with the diva."},{"startTime":1694.975,"endTime":1701.153,"body":"Let's look at an example of how this has been consistently constructed throughout her career,"},{"startTime":1701.153,"endTime":1705.685,"body":"namely in climactic notes, in significant numbers in her film musicals."},{"startTime":1706.475,"endTime":1712.57,"body":"Typically, she belts a high note for a long time and the camera zooms out"},{"startTime":1712.57,"endTime":1712.976,"body":"amplifying her musical performance by giving the impression that the entire universe is temporarily emanating"},{"startTime":1712.976,"endTime":1719.885,"body":"from her voice."},{"startTime":1721.255,"endTime":1725.607,"body":"We'll see this in Before the parade passes by, which is the lu song before"},{"startTime":1725.607,"endTime":1725.897,"body":"the intermission of Hello Dolly in the title song of On a Clear Day You"},{"startTime":1725.897,"endTime":1726.187,"body":"Can See Forever, which is the lu song of that film, um, in a piece"},{"startTime":1726.187,"endTime":1726.477,"body":"of Sky from GenTel, which concludes that film, and in Dope Rain on my Parade"},{"startTime":1726.477,"endTime":1742.725,"body":"from Funny Girl, which is the last song before the intermission of that film."},{"startTime":1743.105,"endTime":1748.47,"body":"And all four of these films are directed by different people, GenTel by Streisand herself,"},{"startTime":1748.47,"endTime":1752.405,"body":"but use the same kind of visual strategy to similar effect."},{"startTime":1752.805,"endTime":1757.925,"body":"IE the camera zooms out as Streisand sings a climactic note at high intensity."},{"startTime":1782.145,"endTime":1819.925,"body":"You can, I can't hear you, Papa."},{"startTime":1820.525,"endTime":1823.925,"body":"I can see you Papa, I can"},{"startTime":1824.865,"endTime":1827.285,"body":"You papa"},{"startTime":1852.755,"endTime":1856.125,"body":"Love, because I'm, I gotta match my heart"},{"startTime":1861.145,"endTime":1861.365,"body":"Is"},{"startTime":1881.515,"endTime":1885.565,"body":"This technique kind of evokes the operatic soprano in the concert hall."},{"startTime":1885.565,"endTime":1889.64,"body":"It seems to me a small body standing on the stage and reaching and overwhelming"},{"startTime":1889.64,"endTime":1892.085,"body":"the whole audience with the power of their voice."},{"startTime":1892.405,"endTime":1894.205,"body":"Although of course it's just an illusion in the film."},{"startTime":1894.205,"endTime":1899.685,"body":"But there is some deliberate attempt to, um, manipulate the emotion of the audience response."},{"startTime":1899.945,"endTime":1904.964,"body":"And given Streisand's unprecedented control of her work, it's clear that she's at least partly"},{"startTime":1904.964,"endTime":1908.645,"body":"responsible for re representing power through her performances in this way."},{"startTime":1909.235,"endTime":1914.231,"body":"This visual framing also matches her clever and sensitive use of the microphone throughout her"},{"startTime":1914.231,"endTime":1914.565,"body":"career."},{"startTime":1917.225,"endTime":1923.211,"body":"One of the ingredients of Streisand's success is her ability to tell a story often"},{"startTime":1923.211,"endTime":1926.005,"body":"in an introverted and softly floating performance."},{"startTime":1926.465,"endTime":1931.033,"body":"Yet the power of her vocal resources and the longevity of that power is the"},{"startTime":1931.033,"endTime":1933.165,"body":"voice related reason why she's a diva."},{"startTime":1933.335,"endTime":1937.165,"body":"She's kept working successfully over an impressive stretch of time."},{"startTime":1937.265,"endTime":1942.239,"body":"She had number one albums, I think in both 1964 and 2016, and a number"},{"startTime":1942.239,"endTime":1942.57,"body":"of times in between, which is a record breaking stretch of over 50 years that"},{"startTime":1942.57,"endTime":1942.902,"body":"proved she could still deliver the goods well into her seventies, which incidentally is much"},{"startTime":1942.902,"endTime":1953.845,"body":"longer than most operatic Sopranos."},{"startTime":1954.675,"endTime":1957.525,"body":"Perhaps it helped that she didn't perform too often."},{"startTime":1957.665,"endTime":1964.808,"body":"She gave no public concerts between 1967 and 1994, a 27 year stretch explained by"},{"startTime":1964.808,"endTime":1965.284,"body":"stage fright caused by memory lapses in that 1967 concert, which was delivered to over"},{"startTime":1965.284,"endTime":1975.285,"body":"135,000 people in New York Central Park."},{"startTime":1977.075,"endTime":1980.205,"body":"When she did return, it tended to be at roughly six year interval."},{"startTime":1980.265,"endTime":1985.485,"body":"So 1994, 2000, 2006, um, 2012 plus a few concerts in between."},{"startTime":1985.545,"endTime":1990.207,"body":"And subsequently, and maybe focusing on recordings and making films meant that she could conserve"},{"startTime":1990.207,"endTime":1990.517,"body":"her energy and avoid the wear and tear that some other singers experienced, especially from"},{"startTime":1990.517,"endTime":1997.045,"body":"lots of live performance in the theater."},{"startTime":1997.785,"endTime":2002.439,"body":"On the other hand, from her interviews, it's clear that not only does she not"},{"startTime":2002.439,"endTime":2002.749,"body":"really enjoy performing live, but she has a fairly limited understanding of and interest in"},{"startTime":2002.749,"endTime":2008.645,"body":"the mechanics of the voice."},{"startTime":2008.695,"endTime":2013.045,"body":"She's invested in spontaneity and has just believed that the sounds that she wants to"},{"startTime":2013.045,"endTime":2014.205,"body":"make will come out."},{"startTime":2014.745,"endTime":2020.11,"body":"If anything, while her vocal power has inevitably diminished over time, the increased finesse of"},{"startTime":2020.11,"endTime":2024.045,"body":"some of the later performances makes them more exciting and satisfying."},{"startTime":2024.045,"endTime":2027.078,"body":"And the fact that she's willing to sort of do them again when they're clearly"},{"startTime":2027.078,"endTime":2027.685,"body":"demanding is impressive."},{"startTime":2028.025,"endTime":2033.208,"body":"So let's consider, um, some examples of her performing the same song at different points"},{"startTime":2033.208,"endTime":2034.245,"body":"in her career."},{"startTime":2034.705,"endTime":2037.405,"body":"And I should preface this activity by making it very clear."},{"startTime":2037.505,"endTime":2042.123,"body":"I'm not claiming that there's been no change at all in her voice over a"},{"startTime":2042.123,"endTime":2042.431,"body":"40 year stretch, which would be impossible, but rather that she's remained vocally credible and"},{"startTime":2042.431,"endTime":2049.205,"body":"expressive over an unusually long period of time."},{"startTime":2050.175,"endTime":2055.566,"body":"We'll begin with the song He Touched Me, originally written for a flop musical called"},{"startTime":2055.566,"endTime":2056.645,"body":"Drop the Cat."},{"startTime":2057.025,"endTime":2062.753,"body":"It was a murder mystery that closed very quickly and it's, it starred, um, on"},{"startTime":2062.753,"endTime":2065.045,"body":"Broadway Streisand's first husband Elliot Gould."},{"startTime":2065.784,"endTime":2070.37,"body":"The, um, show itself didn't receive, um, a studio cast album at the time because"},{"startTime":2070.37,"endTime":2072.205,"body":"it closed on Broadway so quickly."},{"startTime":2072.625,"endTime":2076.745,"body":"So it's unusual that the song gained any traction at all, and it was all"},{"startTime":2076.745,"endTime":2077.844,"body":"down to Streisand's recording."},{"startTime":2078.385,"endTime":2082.533,"body":"So we're going to hear two live performances, one from 1967 out in Central Park"},{"startTime":2082.533,"endTime":2086.405,"body":"in front of hundreds of thousands of people, or tens of thousands of people."},{"startTime":2086.985,"endTime":2090.485,"body":"And we'll see, um, a second one from 1994."},{"startTime":2090.985,"endTime":2095.507,"body":"And although she does sing the song in the second clip slightly lower, in a"},{"startTime":2095.507,"endTime":2095.809,"body":"slightly lower key, the preservation of her voice and effectiveness 27 years apart is at"},{"startTime":2095.809,"endTime":2103.045,"body":"the heart of why she's such a high ranking diva"},{"startTime":2106.025,"endTime":2106.245,"body":"Me."},{"startTime":2132.665,"endTime":2133.525,"body":"Yes, he"},{"startTime":2162.075,"endTime":2167.085,"body":"Feeling like we should all applaud every time she sings in the 1967 performance."},{"startTime":2167.085,"endTime":2171.065,"body":"She seems to want to get through the climax of the song more quickly, which"},{"startTime":2171.065,"endTime":2175.045,"body":"is kind of interesting to me because she has amazing vocal powers at that point."},{"startTime":2175.065,"endTime":2178.995,"body":"But she uses a kind of growl to give the moment energy, but it seems"},{"startTime":2178.995,"endTime":2179.257,"body":"a bit too aggressive a gesture for what she's singing about that at that moment,"},{"startTime":2179.257,"endTime":2185.285,"body":"which is the sudden feeling of falling in love."},{"startTime":2185.475,"endTime":2189.472,"body":"Whereas in 1994, there's a bit more warmth and energy in the way that she"},{"startTime":2189.472,"endTime":2191.605,"body":"sort of belts on the same word suddenly."},{"startTime":2192.385,"endTime":2194.565,"body":"Um, and that seems to me a bit more effective."},{"startTime":2194.625,"endTime":2197.987,"body":"And as well, it seems a bit closer to what she does in the original"},{"startTime":2197.987,"endTime":2200.005,"body":"studio recording of the song from 30 years earlier."},{"startTime":2200.785,"endTime":2204.285,"body":"Now, let's look at a really challenging and potentially unfair comparison."},{"startTime":2204.505,"endTime":2210.37,"body":"In 1966, aged to 24, she recorded the song starting here, starting now as the"},{"startTime":2210.37,"endTime":2210.761,"body":"closing number of her television special Colory Barbara, in my opinion, it's one of her"},{"startTime":2210.761,"endTime":2219.365,"body":"most vocally impressive performances of her entire career."},{"startTime":2219.705,"endTime":2225.273,"body":"The voice is unstoppably fresh in condition, and her commitment is full on 40 years"},{"startTime":2225.273,"endTime":2225.645,"body":"later."},{"startTime":2226.145,"endTime":2231.725,"body":"She sang the song Live in Concert in 2006, now 64 years old."},{"startTime":2232.265,"endTime":2235.929,"body":"As with he touched Me, the key of the song was Lowered a Little, and"},{"startTime":2235.929,"endTime":2236.173,"body":"there's no doubt that the musical director is helping her out a bit by moving"},{"startTime":2236.173,"endTime":2242.525,"body":"through the passage a bit more quickly, um, when you hear it."},{"startTime":2242.985,"endTime":2247.462,"body":"Um, but we're gonna hear this, um, passage in which there's a long belt note"},{"startTime":2247.462,"endTime":2247.761,"body":"in the middle of the song under which the orchestra plays this, um, dramatically rising"},{"startTime":2247.761,"endTime":2254.925,"body":"scale to transition to a new place in the song."},{"startTime":2255.235,"endTime":2260.13,"body":"It's a really difficult, big ballad and a really risky choice to open a concert"},{"startTime":2260.13,"endTime":2260.456,"body":"at this point in her career, age 64, when she could have fallen back on"},{"startTime":2260.456,"endTime":2266.005,"body":"more comfortable repertoire."},{"startTime":2266.265,"endTime":2269.965,"body":"But ever the diva as she rises to the challenge and the audience goes wild"},{"startTime":2269.965,"endTime":2271.445,"body":"in the middle of the song"},{"startTime":2304.995,"endTime":2308.195,"body":"Starting here, starting"},{"startTime":2323.875,"endTime":2324.895,"body":"The audience loves it."},{"startTime":2326.645,"endTime":2331.775,"body":"Finally, let's compare two live performances at the end of one of her signature tunes."},{"startTime":2331.775,"endTime":2337.415,"body":"Don't Ring on my parade from concert appearances in 1994 and 2006, the later performance,"},{"startTime":2337.415,"endTime":2337.791,"body":"again, obviously delivered at the age of 64, still finds her in good voice as"},{"startTime":2337.791,"endTime":2338.167,"body":"well as dele delivering this ish Coda te Ra as she disappears through the floor"},{"startTime":2338.167,"endTime":2350.575,"body":"while belting the final note."},{"startTime":2351.095,"endTime":2356.247,"body":"\u003claugh\u003e, it's slightly annoyingly edited because it goes to the audience at one point, as"},{"startTime":2356.247,"endTime":2356.591,"body":"you'll see anyway, the constructed use of the staging, it seems to me, indicates that"},{"startTime":2356.591,"endTime":2356.935,"body":"she knows that what she's doing is exciting and presents her work visually in a"},{"startTime":2356.935,"endTime":2368.615,"body":"way that am amplifies its power"},{"startTime":2371.155,"endTime":2396.895,"body":"On, because I'm, I, my I,"},{"startTime":2423.555,"endTime":2424.935,"body":"But of course, she's not a diva."},{"startTime":2427.435,"endTime":2434.43,"body":"The final dimension of Streisand's career as a diva that merits examination is her active"},{"startTime":2434.43,"endTime":2437.695,"body":"participation in politics and her generous philanthropy."},{"startTime":2438.105,"endTime":2443.091,"body":"She's been a staunch Democrat for a very long time, fundraising for Obama, for both"},{"startTime":2443.091,"endTime":2443.424,"body":"of the Clintons and for Biden, and answering the call from the DNC on various"},{"startTime":2443.424,"endTime":2451.735,"body":"other occasions too, nor does she just raise money for them."},{"startTime":2452.155,"endTime":2456.871,"body":"Um, on various occasions, she's written open letters to the Democrats to try to galvanize"},{"startTime":2456.871,"endTime":2457.815,"body":"them into action."},{"startTime":2458.275,"endTime":2464.012,"body":"And in April, 2001, for example, she wrote a three page memo entitled, nice Guys"},{"startTime":2464.012,"endTime":2467.455,"body":"Finished Lus, or Where Do We Go From Here?"},{"startTime":2467.935,"endTime":2472.103,"body":"A Case for the Democrats in which she asked, what has happened to the Democrats"},{"startTime":2472.103,"endTime":2473.215,"body":"since the November election?"},{"startTime":2473.525,"endTime":2476.495,"body":"Some of you seem paralyzed, demoralized, and depressed."},{"startTime":2476.955,"endTime":2481.975,"body":"She called for a strong strategic targeted defense against the Republican Revolution."},{"startTime":2482.275,"endTime":2485.735,"body":"And these are blunt words, it seems to me, from am mere Pop singer."},{"startTime":2486.235,"endTime":2491.522,"body":"Now, Streisand is of course not the only popular artist to hold strong political views,"},{"startTime":2491.522,"endTime":2491.875,"body":"but her assertive participation and dialogue, whether one agrees with her or not, is another"},{"startTime":2491.875,"endTime":2498.925,"body":"reason why she's a powerful figure."},{"startTime":2499.025,"endTime":2504.688,"body":"And for me, clinches her diva status because she's fiery and unusually, this is something"},{"startTime":2504.688,"endTime":2505.066,"body":"that she has frequently brought into her live concert appearances, sometimes getting her into a"},{"startTime":2505.066,"endTime":2511.485,"body":"lot of trouble."},{"startTime":2512.505,"endTime":2518.325,"body":"Her ruthless declaration of her political views has totally ignored whether they're welcomed or not."},{"startTime":2518.745,"endTime":2524.498,"body":"In her first concert of her 2006 tour, she even brought on stage an impersonator"},{"startTime":2524.498,"endTime":2529.485,"body":"of George W. Bush, who was then president, whom she proceeded to interview."},{"startTime":2530.025,"endTime":2535.438,"body":"And the New York Times relayed one of the exchanges, thus Streisand as the actor,"},{"startTime":2535.438,"endTime":2538.325,"body":"how would the president erase the national debt?"},{"startTime":2538.665,"endTime":2540.565,"body":"And he replied, sell Canada."},{"startTime":2540.715,"endTime":2542.005,"body":"They don't use half of it."},{"startTime":2542.885,"endTime":2547.37,"body":"\u003claugh\u003e, she was heckled even though she was in her left-leaning hometown of New York"},{"startTime":2547.37,"endTime":2549.165,"body":"and then swore at the heckler."},{"startTime":2549.545,"endTime":2552.405,"body":"It may have gone a bit too far, but she insisted on being heard."},{"startTime":2552.895,"endTime":2558.032,"body":"Later in that tour, she toned things down somewhat, but she still told a political"},{"startTime":2558.032,"endTime":2562.485,"body":"joke, an explanation of how she hates being the subject of ridiculous rumors."},{"startTime":2562.915,"endTime":2563.765,"body":"This is a good one."},{"startTime":2563.835,"endTime":2564.685,"body":"Streisand said."},{"startTime":2565.025,"endTime":2569.725,"body":"She walked into a room full of musicians and fired everyone on the left."},{"startTime":2570.705,"endTime":2574.871,"body":"Now anyone who knows anything about me knows that if I were ever to fire"},{"startTime":2574.871,"endTime":2578.205,"body":"people, which is crazy, it would be everyone on the right \u003claugh\u003e."},{"startTime":2578.985,"endTime":2584.244,"body":"She cheered up somewhat during the Obama years, but during Donald Trump's presidency, she released"},{"startTime":2584.244,"endTime":2584.595,"body":"an album of music in response to what she perceived was happening around her released"},{"startTime":2584.595,"endTime":2590.205,"body":"in 2018."},{"startTime":2590.385,"endTime":2595.635,"body":"The album was called Walls, referencing Trump's Promise to build a wall at the Mexican"},{"startTime":2595.635,"endTime":2595.985,"body":"border and included new songs including Don't Lie to Me, the Rain Will Fall and"},{"startTime":2595.985,"endTime":2602.285,"body":"What's On My Mind."},{"startTime":2602.785,"endTime":2608.044,"body":"She also included an exquisite, uh, cover version of Leonard Bernstein's song, take Care of"},{"startTime":2608.044,"endTime":2608.395,"body":"This House from their flop musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which is a history of the"},{"startTime":2608.395,"endTime":2614.005,"body":"White House."},{"startTime":2614.585,"endTime":2619.867,"body":"And she even revisited her first commercial single Happy Days are here again, um, which"},{"startTime":2619.867,"endTime":2624.445,"body":"has a song, which is a song with called, uh, considerable Political History."},{"startTime":2625.305,"endTime":2631.614,"body":"It was adopted as the Democrats campaign song in 1932 and Streisand's 1962 release, and"},{"startTime":2631.614,"endTime":2632.035,"body":"was already sung a little wistfully as an unconventional kind of midt tempo upon its"},{"startTime":2632.035,"endTime":2638.765,"body":"original release."},{"startTime":2639.225,"endTime":2645.965,"body":"But in 2018, it became an allergy with some re harmonization and a new arrangement."},{"startTime":2646.425,"endTime":2651.968,"body":"The late career Streisand brought a deliberate fragility to a song that was originally used"},{"startTime":2651.968,"endTime":2654.925,"body":"to express the optimism of FDRs new Deal."},{"startTime":2655.465,"endTime":2661.215,"body":"The album was Streisand's first studio album, not to um, enter the top 10 in"},{"startTime":2661.215,"endTime":2662.365,"body":"America since 1984."},{"startTime":2662.795,"endTime":2667.83,"body":"Perhaps not surprising since it was presenting drastic criticism of the person that the majority"},{"startTime":2667.83,"endTime":2669.845,"body":"of the country had voted for."},{"startTime":2670.225,"endTime":2675.208,"body":"But after the terrific sales of her 2014 and 16 duets albums, perhaps she could"},{"startTime":2675.208,"endTime":2676.205,"body":"afford to indulge."},{"startTime":2677.635,"endTime":2684.325,"body":"Streisand has also given serious talks on leadership and politics at Harvard University."},{"startTime":2684.505,"endTime":2690.033,"body":"In 1995, she gave a speech and entitled The Artist A Citizen, petitioning for the"},{"startTime":2690.033,"endTime":2690.402,"body":"Importance of Funding for the Arts at, um, which at this point as almost always"},{"startTime":2690.402,"endTime":2697.405,"body":"was facing Cuts in America."},{"startTime":2697.945,"endTime":2703.565,"body":"She talked about the work of artists and how they have to inhabit other people's"},{"startTime":2703.565,"endTime":2703.94,"body":"psyches, understand other people's problems, adding that this does tend to make us more sympathetic"},{"startTime":2703.94,"endTime":2704.315,"body":"to politics that are more tolerant in our work, in our preparation and in our"},{"startTime":2704.315,"endTime":2717.805,"body":"research, we are continuously trying to educate ourselves."},{"startTime":2718.035,"endTime":2720.005,"body":"It's hard to hate someone you truly understand."},{"startTime":2720.025,"endTime":2725.592,"body":"She concludes, she's also tried to put her money where her mouth is again, one"},{"startTime":2725.592,"endTime":2725.963,"body":"might not agree with her views, but she's given over $25 million to over 800"},{"startTime":2725.963,"endTime":2726.334,"body":"organizations through her foundation, including nearly 16 million from her 2007 tour alone, donating money"},{"startTime":2726.334,"endTime":2739.325,"body":"to environmental causes, education and women's health."},{"startTime":2740.225,"endTime":2745.728,"body":"In June, 2012, she staged a huge fundraiser at her own home in California, raising"},{"startTime":2745.728,"endTime":2749.765,"body":"over $20 million for women for research into women's heart disease."},{"startTime":2750.075,"endTime":2752.685,"body":"Half of it donated by herself through matched funding."},{"startTime":2753.325,"endTime":2758.875,"body":"I can't stand inequality of any form she told the Holli Hollywood Reporter, whether it's"},{"startTime":2758.875,"endTime":2763.685,"body":"about civil rights issues, women gaze, whatever gender inequality really gets me much."},{"startTime":2763.765,"endTime":2769.13,"body":"Earlier in, uh, 1986, she gave a concert at her home to a gathering of"},{"startTime":2769.13,"endTime":2769.488,"body":"celebrities not only raising millions for her foundation through record and DVD sales of the"},{"startTime":2769.488,"endTime":2769.845,"body":"concert, but also boldly drawing attention to the impacts of climate change were being reckless"},{"startTime":2769.845,"endTime":2782.365,"body":"with the whole miraculous balance of nature."},{"startTime":2782.545,"endTime":2784.765,"body":"She said, but I have great faith in people."},{"startTime":2785.665,"endTime":2791.253,"body":"The first payments from her foundation were to the Environmental Protection Agency, and she has"},{"startTime":2791.253,"endTime":2795.725,"body":"remained active in verbally and financially supporting work related to climate change."},{"startTime":2796.835,"endTime":2799.245,"body":"What then will be Streisand's legacy?"},{"startTime":2800.465,"endTime":2806.041,"body":"The great classical pianist Glenn Gould waxed lyrical about her interpretive abilities, declaring that when"},{"startTime":2806.041,"endTime":2806.413,"body":"she performs no phrase is left solely to its own devices, and that her voice"},{"startTime":2806.413,"endTime":2814.965,"body":"is one of the natural wonders of the age."},{"startTime":2815.575,"endTime":2818.925,"body":"She's had many admirers and also many detractors."},{"startTime":2819.825,"endTime":2823.285,"body":"She talks in interviews about a desire to establish the truth."},{"startTime":2823.745,"endTime":2830.475,"body":"And in 1977, she gave an extensive interview with Playboy magazine, promising to answer back"},{"startTime":2830.475,"endTime":2830.924,"body":"almost 40 years later, she gave another major interview with the New York Times that"},{"startTime":2830.924,"endTime":2841.245,"body":"the article titled Barbara Streisand sets the record straight."},{"startTime":2841.945,"endTime":2847.848,"body":"The imagery showed her in serious and reflective mood, and the subtitle explained the megastar"},{"startTime":2847.848,"endTime":2852.965,"body":"is intent on correcting the tiniest errors and on defining her own legacy."},{"startTime":2853.775,"endTime":2858.646,"body":"Ironically, just four days later, the Times had to issue a correction, putting the record"},{"startTime":2858.646,"endTime":2861.245,"body":"straight on four facts from the article itself."},{"startTime":2861.655,"endTime":2865.765,"body":"She's perennially burdened not only with gossip, but also with inaccuracies."},{"startTime":2865.835,"endTime":2870.904,"body":"Even when working with the most well-intentioned reporters for Streisand, it has not just been"},{"startTime":2870.904,"endTime":2871.242,"body":"a case of finding her voice, but learning how to use it as an artist"},{"startTime":2871.242,"endTime":2877.325,"body":"and as a citizen."},{"startTime":2877.355,"endTime":2879.645,"body":"That has made her one of the great divas of our time."},{"startTime":2880.025,"endTime":2885.834,"body":"And it may be that on the 7th of November at the age of 81,"},{"startTime":2885.834,"endTime":2886.221,"body":"she will complete this journey as a diva with the biggest gesture of all the"},{"startTime":2886.221,"endTime":2886.608,"body":"publication of her 992 page autobiography for by finally telling her own story in her"},{"startTime":2886.608,"endTime":2901.325,"body":"own words, she asserts that her story belongs to herself."},{"startTime":2901.575,"endTime":2902.045,"body":"Thank you."},{"startTime":2914.975,"endTime":2915.925,"body":"Thank you very much."},{"startTime":2916.325,"endTime":2918.685,"body":"I get questions from abroad as well as in here."},{"startTime":2918.745,"endTime":2923.956,"body":"So, oh, um, the, um, I'm struck by your statement of her legacy or summing"},{"startTime":2923.956,"endTime":2928.125,"body":"her up as her legacy and her own vision for her legacy."},{"startTime":2928.125,"endTime":2928.525,"body":"Mm-Hmm."},{"startTime":2928.565,"endTime":2933.469,"body":"\u003caffirmative\u003e and I, I suspect you're a bit of a fan, uh, of course, but"},{"startTime":2933.469,"endTime":2936.085,"body":"who do you think has inherited that legacy?"},{"startTime":2936.365,"endTime":2940.285,"body":"I mean, there's so many female sort of big voiced women who followed her."},{"startTime":2941.025,"endTime":2941.245,"body":"Yes."},{"startTime":2941.245,"endTime":2944.405,"body":"Um, is there anyone who you would identify as that person?"},{"startTime":2944.835,"endTime":2948.676,"body":"Many actually, and I was going to play a load of clips about that, but"},{"startTime":2948.676,"endTime":2952.005,"body":"you know, I am a big fan, but really not an uncritical one."},{"startTime":2952.225,"endTime":2956.293,"body":"And when I set out to do this, I was going to have whole sections"},{"startTime":2956.293,"endTime":2959.005,"body":"of being quite negative about various aspects of a work."},{"startTime":2959.185,"endTime":2964.285,"body":"And then I thought, I'm just joining the same bandwagon of just being a man"},{"startTime":2964.285,"endTime":2967.685,"body":"standing at the front of the room, rubbishing various attempts."},{"startTime":2967.685,"endTime":2971.773,"body":"We bold, when you look at the, the overall attempts to do serious work here,"},{"startTime":2971.773,"endTime":2975.045,"body":"which are life's work is I don't really want to do that."},{"startTime":2975.545,"endTime":2981.256,"body":"So I think that this just general empowering of herself and acknowledging what she's tried"},{"startTime":2981.256,"endTime":2985.445,"body":"to do and her many achievements seems more interesting to me."},{"startTime":2985.905,"endTime":2990.745,"body":"So looking then at the, um, I was thinking about the Kennedy Center Awards, which"},{"startTime":2990.745,"endTime":2993.005,"body":"I think she won hers in 2008."},{"startTime":2993.105,"endTime":3000.947,"body":"People like Beyonce were performing in there, and Beyonce, um, performs the way we were"},{"startTime":3000.947,"endTime":3004.085,"body":"in the least Beyonce performance ever."},{"startTime":3004.435,"endTime":3009.565,"body":"It's pretty, it's a pretty straight performance of it, which shows a kind of respect."},{"startTime":3009.625,"endTime":3014.481,"body":"And almost everyone that, all of the women that sing songs in this tribute, they"},{"startTime":3014.481,"endTime":3014.805,"body":"all acknowledge what she's done and actually try to sort of bring Streisand to the"},{"startTime":3014.805,"endTime":3021.605,"body":"performances of the songs rather than themselves."},{"startTime":3021.745,"endTime":3026.565,"body":"So I wouldn't say anyone, I don't think there's any single figure there."},{"startTime":3026.785,"endTime":3030.966,"body":"The fan base is huge, but I think that her, the point of Streisand is"},{"startTime":3030.966,"endTime":3031.245,"body":"herself."},{"startTime":3031.265,"endTime":3036.245,"body":"And about the idea of empowering yourself, that was a very wishy-washy answer, wasn't it?"},{"startTime":3036.585,"endTime":3041.044,"body":"But I think it's about self-actualization and empowerment and that being the model rather than"},{"startTime":3041.044,"endTime":3043.125,"body":"other people trying to be Barbara Streisand."},{"startTime":3043.125,"endTime":3044.045,"body":"That's what I'm trying to say."},{"startTime":3044.675,"endTime":3049.605,"body":"Some, someone has sent in a question which sort of follows on from that Mm-Hmm."},{"startTime":3049.645,"endTime":3056.078,"body":"\u003caffirmative\u003e she gives the impression, or certainly throughout this clips that you've done, is making"},{"startTime":3056.078,"endTime":3057.365,"body":"singing seem effortless."},{"startTime":3057.365,"endTime":3057.765,"body":"Mm-Hmm."},{"startTime":3057.805,"endTime":3060.085,"body":"\u003caffirmative\u003e at the same time as generating massive power."},{"startTime":3060.315,"endTime":3060.605,"body":"Yeah."},{"startTime":3061.785,"endTime":3066.001,"body":"Was that AUSP, if you like, was it, was it that that made her separate"},{"startTime":3066.001,"endTime":3066.845,"body":"from the others?"},{"startTime":3067.625,"endTime":3070.045,"body":"Or, or was there something more complicated?"},{"startTime":3070.645,"endTime":3074.965,"body":"I don't think it's AUSP and I think to say something negative about her, I"},{"startTime":3074.965,"endTime":3077.845,"body":"don't think her voice in itself is actually that large."},{"startTime":3078.305,"endTime":3083.622,"body":"And I think that what she managed to do was transition away from live performance"},{"startTime":3083.622,"endTime":3083.977,"body":"quite quickly on purpose and focus on the studio where she could create work in,"},{"startTime":3083.977,"endTime":3092.485,"body":"audition, in, in conditions that she could manipulate and control."},{"startTime":3093.145,"endTime":3097.482,"body":"And so I think the, and those film clips I was showing where the film"},{"startTime":3097.482,"endTime":3100.085,"body":"is giving the impression that the voice is huge."},{"startTime":3100.645,"endTime":3104.732,"body":"I think the point is the illusion of the, the ease rather than the ease"},{"startTime":3104.732,"endTime":3105.005,"body":"itself."},{"startTime":3105.465,"endTime":3110.502,"body":"You know, I, I think that actually on some level she's quite limited, but within"},{"startTime":3110.502,"endTime":3115.205,"body":"her limited sphere, she's extremely expressive and knows and has known what to do."},{"startTime":3115.585,"endTime":3117.525,"body":"She seems like a very instinctive person."},{"startTime":3118.225,"endTime":3122.28,"body":"You know, she instinctively stopped performing live for a very long time and went and"},{"startTime":3122.28,"endTime":3125.525,"body":"made movies, which was such a maverick kind of thing to do."},{"startTime":3125.585,"endTime":3128.925,"body":"So for me, um, I don't think it's AUSP."},{"startTime":3129.945,"endTime":3133.7,"body":"So I'm going to take the next question from the floor, but just as we,"},{"startTime":3133.7,"endTime":3137.205,"body":"before we do that, what's your favorite song out of all of this repertoire?"},{"startTime":3137.875,"endTime":3139.565,"body":"What Of, of the Streisand?"},{"startTime":3139.595,"endTime":3139.885,"body":"Yeah."},{"startTime":3140.525,"endTime":3141.285,"body":"I really dunno."},{"startTime":3141.325,"endTime":3142.685,"body":"I don't operate on favorites."},{"startTime":3142.745,"endTime":3147.795,"body":"I'm sorry, \u003claugh\u003e, but I, I think because the subject seems so, so much more"},{"startTime":3147.795,"endTime":3148.805,"body":"interesting than that."},{"startTime":3149.065,"endTime":3153.85,"body":"And if you listen to the same song over and over and over, then it"},{"startTime":3153.85,"endTime":3155.765,"body":"doesn't necessarily remain your favorite song."},{"startTime":3156.325,"endTime":3160.445,"body":"I like listening to the whole body of her work, including when it's not."},{"startTime":3160.445,"endTime":3160.645,"body":"Great."},{"startTime":3161.905,"endTime":3163.685,"body":"So let's take some questions from the floor."},{"startTime":3164.515,"endTime":3166.685,"body":"There's one in the middle over here."},{"startTime":3167.575,"endTime":3167.925,"body":"Hello."},{"startTime":3168.385,"endTime":3174.4,"body":"Um, just had a question of is there any modern artist that you could really"},{"startTime":3174.4,"endTime":3176.005,"body":"closely relate to her?"},{"startTime":3176.545,"endTime":3178.685,"body":"My mum says Lady Gaga \u003claugh\u003e."},{"startTime":3180.005,"endTime":3184.25,"body":"I think Lady Gaga relates to her in the sense that she's a one-off, you"},{"startTime":3184.25,"endTime":3184.533,"body":"know, again, I'm tentative to say this later woman, this younger woman or this woman"},{"startTime":3184.533,"endTime":3191.325,"body":"of a later generation is sort of Barbara Mark too."},{"startTime":3191.965,"endTime":3194.898,"body":"'cause it seems to take away from both of them and missed the point with"},{"startTime":3194.898,"endTime":3195.485,"body":"both of them."},{"startTime":3195.745,"endTime":3199.742,"body":"So I would, I think Gaga would be on a level with her because similarly"},{"startTime":3199.742,"endTime":3200.008,"body":"she can make her version of A Star is Born and she can go on"},{"startTime":3200.008,"endTime":3204.805,"body":"the Oscars and sing."},{"startTime":3205.285,"endTime":3208.151,"body":"I think she did the Sound of Music and she does all the, the stuff"},{"startTime":3208.151,"endTime":3208.725,"body":"with Tony Bennett."},{"startTime":3209.065,"endTime":3212.696,"body":"She does all these things that you don't expect her to do, which seems very"},{"startTime":3212.696,"endTime":3212.938,"body":"Streisand and there's something about inheriting the idea that women in the arts can do"},{"startTime":3212.938,"endTime":3213.18,"body":"what they want to do and should be able to do what they want to"},{"startTime":3213.18,"endTime":3220.685,"body":"do at least."},{"startTime":3221.265,"endTime":3226.125,"body":"So I think that there are plenty of contemporary women that have inherited that."},{"startTime":3226.425,"endTime":3231.914,"body":"But in terms of the actual artistic qualities, I think it takes away from both"},{"startTime":3231.914,"endTime":3232.28,"body":"Streisand and other women too to make those comparisons because they're all, they're either one-offs"},{"startTime":3232.28,"endTime":3239.965,"body":"or generic or in between, you know?"},{"startTime":3240.865,"endTime":3245.698,"body":"And I think it's the idea of being empowered to be a one-off that seems"},{"startTime":3245.698,"endTime":3249.565,"body":"the quality that she's put into the industry or the many industries."},{"startTime":3252.065,"endTime":3252.285,"body":"Did."},{"startTime":3252.505,"endTime":3255.765,"body":"Has she influenced the way songs are written?"},{"startTime":3256.885,"endTime":3258.485,"body":"I mean, it's quite interesting all of them."},{"startTime":3258.485,"endTime":3260.285,"body":"Well, yeah, of suppose of course."},{"startTime":3260.305,"endTime":3264.68,"body":"But I mean, the way in which that dialogue between the, the writer and the"},{"startTime":3264.68,"endTime":3264.971,"body":"singer, I mean, we've seen other examples of it I'm sure, but there's a sort"},{"startTime":3264.971,"endTime":3270.805,"body":"of style of singing which Mm-Hmm."},{"startTime":3270.845,"endTime":3273.325,"body":"\u003caffirmative\u003e we sort of recognize as Streisand ask Yes."},{"startTime":3273.425,"endTime":3278.365,"body":"As though it links the lyrics and the, and the music together really closely."},{"startTime":3278.625,"endTime":3281.245,"body":"And, and a lot of people just turn up and sing a tune."},{"startTime":3281.265,"endTime":3282.525,"body":"It doesn't seem quite the same."},{"startTime":3282.795,"endTime":3283.085,"body":"Yeah,"},{"startTime":3283.135,"endTime":3284.325,"body":"She's big into feedback."},{"startTime":3284.985,"endTime":3288.536,"body":"You know, when I talked about collaboration and I was trying to do so positively"},{"startTime":3288.536,"endTime":3288.773,"body":"on purpose, but, you know, she gives a lot of feedback to whoever she's working"},{"startTime":3288.773,"endTime":3292.325,"body":"with."},{"startTime":3292.585,"endTime":3297.716,"body":"The way we were written by Marvin Hamish, who'd been the, the rehearsal pianist on"},{"startTime":3297.716,"endTime":3299.085,"body":"Funny Girl on Broadway."},{"startTime":3299.105,"endTime":3302.045,"body":"So they'd known each other for a number of years by that point."},{"startTime":3302.275,"endTime":3306.293,"body":"They worked together to make that song work for her, and then it becomes a"},{"startTime":3306.293,"endTime":3307.365,"body":"big hit for her."},{"startTime":3307.785,"endTime":3312.005,"body":"So when she works with people, she tends to make it work for her."},{"startTime":3312.425,"endTime":3317.428,"body":"But then she still has, she has this other strand of, of doing a lot"},{"startTime":3317.428,"endTime":3317.761,"body":"of standards, of doing cover versions of already famous songs and then having them completely"},{"startTime":3317.761,"endTime":3322.765,"body":"rearranged."},{"startTime":3322.785,"endTime":3327.695,"body":"Or in the case of the sometimes songs, please rewrite this for me along the"},{"startTime":3327.695,"endTime":3329.005,"body":"lines of my agenda."},{"startTime":3330.235,"endTime":3331.085,"body":"Well, thank"},{"startTime":3331.085,"endTime":3331.165,"body":"You"},{"startTime":3331.835,"endTime":3332.285,"body":"Very much."}]}