January 31, 2013
Tight Squeeze
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts1.jpg)
…about the musicTight, indeed.
A young gull landed on a rock in front of my desk window as I was finishing a new wind band work (it has since been premiered at Brevard College, and if you click the MP3 link above, you can hear the performance). A sizable flounder was, uh, floundering in his clamped beak. The rather goofy-looking bird was having a challenging time figuring out how to swallow his windfall. I said to the bird, “wow, tight squeeze!”, and immediately realized that all the notes that were cramming the score page in front of me, would soon be squeezing through the musicians’ instruments, as snugly as a fat flounder in a gull’s mouth.
I also realized that talking to birds is pointless; they make lousy conversationalists– especially when their mouth is full.
And so, just as I was wracking my feeble, note-drained skull as to what the title of this upbeat, electroacoustic twelve-tone techno Latin bebop piece should be (if you’re a bit musical, you’ll enjoy the program note and see why this is a little different than the average band number), the gull and his lunch saved the day. The dynamic duo also gave me a great way to procrastinate on finishing the conductor score for the next 25 minutes, because that’s exactly how long it took for the gull to accomplish the delicate fine dining procedure that I have carefully documented below.
The piece is now aptly titled TIGHT SQUEEZE. And I hereby present the following educational photo essay: “How to Swallow Something Larger Than Your Mouth.” I can only hope that my audiences will have an easier time digesting my music.
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts2.jpg)
I’m not sure how this is going to work, but I’m determined.
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts3.jpg)
Okay. I got this.
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts4.jpg)
Uh oh… Crap.
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts6.jpg)
I know, I know, don’t talk with your mouth full.
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts5.jpg)
Ok, here we go!
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts7.jpg)
A stylish flip of the tail fin, and down the hatch!
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts8.jpg)
Um, sort of.
![[IMAGE] gull vs. flounder](/blog/blogpix/ts9.jpg)
Ross Kane said,
February 1, 2013 @ 9:58 am
What a hoot! I’m so glad you take the time to notice life as it passes.
Ross Kane
Warm Beach
Alex Shapiro said,
February 1, 2013 @ 10:13 am
Thanks, Ross! Admittedly, having a curiosity about everything I see DOES have the excellent payoff of being a superior procrastination technique when I’m under a tight deadline! 🙂
Stephen Lias said,
February 1, 2013 @ 3:20 pm
Alex:
We haven’t met, but we share a deep interest in both composition and wild places. I’m always engaged by your pictures and comments on FB, and I’m glad you continue to share your thoughts and music with such a wide audience.
Steve
Alex Shapiro said,
February 1, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
I’m so glad you wrote, Steve– thanks! Even though we haven’t met in person, we’ve been on each other’s radar for many years. I really hope our paths cross sometime!
Paul H. Muller said,
February 1, 2013 @ 5:55 pm
I do the same thing when I eat sushi… Always more than I can swallow 🙂
Great photos!
Alex Shapiro said,
February 1, 2013 @ 5:58 pm
Ha! Thanks, Paul!
Phil said,
February 1, 2013 @ 9:55 pm
Great sequence Alex; wished I’d shot it. But you have to work on your gull speak. Sometimes they even drop their food to talk back. 😉
Alex Shapiro said,
February 2, 2013 @ 10:22 am
I know: six years of French, three years of Latin, and really, Gull would have been a far more helpful choice!
Carla said,
February 9, 2013 @ 3:44 pm
Hi Alex,
Such a wonderful sequence! Hilarious, really. Talk about determination! Yes, very tight squeeze, indeed. I say ditto to the Comments above. I just spoke on the phone with my best friend from high school, Linda Chase, who lives in Portland and definitely wants to meet and have you meet her son and daughter – who are very involved in singing and composition within their college work and outside it. Her son, Alec, has a full music scholarship and does extraordinary things with music – as you do. I think you will really enjoy getting to know them. Linda and I talked about her getting to know you via the “Heroic Girlz” project that I’m helping Cindy Parrish with connections for workshops in the West Coast and in Vancouver, BC where you may remember my brother Bill Aiello and wife Karen and twins live. The twins are in 6th grade now in a private school and they would still love you to come do a workshop there. Linda Chase has connections in Vancouver, BC schools with a very strong possibility that you could be paid to do a workshop or two there. Linda and I talked about doing a co-workshop. Ann (Dockendorf) is interested in something like this in Eugene…. It’s exciting to think about the possibility of connecting all of your creative people – in terms of inspiring young people. In my book, you are definitely a “Heroic Woman”… Anyway, as you know, I love what you do with your blog & Facebook.
Hugs,
Carla
Alex Shapiro said,
February 10, 2013 @ 10:04 am
You are so sweet, Carla! I’d be delighted to do a workshop, and the chance to see you and Ann makes it even more fun! Keep me posted…
John B said,
March 22, 2013 @ 3:36 pm
Alex!!! you are beyond human experience. No wonder your music sounds so great! No one has bird encounters like your camera. just WOW. John
Alex Shapiro said,
March 22, 2013 @ 5:33 pm
Thank you sooooo much, dear John! I say “WOW” to myself, every day. These islands are magic!
notes from the kelp » Name that lunch said,
March 22, 2013 @ 9:57 pm
[…] following photos are lousy quality. They ain’t nuttin’ compared to my recent pix of a a young gull attempting to swallow a large flounder, or these pix from 2011 of a seal devouring a […]
Kyle said,
February 22, 2016 @ 12:58 am
Great story and capture! Wow so could the bird really manage to win the struggle and gulp that whole flounder down okay?? It looked like the desperate fish wasn’t giving up even at the “stylish tail flip!” Does it stand any slim chance of escaping or does the unlucky prey get swallowed alive?!
Alex Shapiro said,
February 22, 2016 @ 7:55 am
Indeed, it took a full 20 minutes, but the bird did finally manage to swallow the fish in, in one solid piece! A big gulp!