You have to admire Florence Foster
Jenkins. She was an opera singer from way back when who sang professionally
for forty years or so and played a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall,
the prestigious and beautiful venue in New York City.
Here's the thing: she was a horrible
singer. Like terrible. Like the yowling of cats in heat in an echo
chamber was preferable to her singing.
Long story short, she sucked.
But she didn't seem to care. She
believed in herself and her ability so goddamned much that she still
played Carnegie frickin' Hall!
This gives me pause as I consider my
own totally terrible singing abilities. I cannot sing any better than
Florence Foster Jenkins and I am well aware of this fact. I love to
sing and if I go a day without singing, even if in my own head, I...
well... I can't actually remember going a full day without at least
singing to myself or safe in my own head where it doesn't matter how
I sound. (which for the record, is perfect and awesome without my inferior vocal chords getting in the way)
But when it's just me, when no one else
has to hear and I get just the right song (don't let this phrasing
fool you into thinking there's only a handful of songs in that
category, there are actually legions. And I really mean legions as in
the range of 3000 to 6000), I will belt it out like I'm at Carnegie
Hall. Or, in my country music loving heart, on the boards of the
Grand Ole Opry. Depends on whether it's a country song or a Broadway
musical number.
So when I get down on thinking that
I'll never make it as an actress, there stands the shade of Florence
Foster Jenkins telling me to be glad I have talent at at least one
thing I love to do and if I can get my self motivated I will get to
the place I want to be, the place I'm supposed to be and I just hope
I know it when I get there.
