Saar writes back right away. It’s super early in California, so I can picture him doing what he does every day at this time: lifting dumbbells in his garage gym, wearing his ancient Juilliard sweatpants.
Tie-dye, WTF?
Apple Cash $400 sent by Saar Adler.For snacks and stuff you might need.
You’ve got this, Matilda. Lemme know when you need a flight home. I’ll book it for you.
I heart his text, shut Messages, and googleKingsley CelloCinderella.
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I have heardmy father’s voice in a few video clips, but never on a podcast. This one is about contemporary art, and it seems to be the only program of this nature that Kingsley’s ever done.
With my earbuds in, it sounds like he’s right next to me. His voice is deep and his American accent standard, like the accents of wealthy people on TV, but he has a very slight lisp, which softens his authority.
The podcast is linked to some kind of art journal. The idea is to interview creators in depth about a single work of art. This one is aboutCliffside Gothic,which was apparently displayed in a Cello retrospective that happened at the Tate Modern.
The host begins with a couple compliments, which Kingsley laughs at, and a biographical question, which Kingsley avoids. Then a question about the painting.
“There’s this Grimm story I grew up with,” says Kingsley, speaking slowly. “In it, a father sets three brothers into competition with one another. He wants to see who deserves the family house, the inheritance.
“One becomes a barber. The second becomes a blacksmith. The third becomes, what is it? A swordsman. A fencing expert, something like that. They all become masters at their crafts, and in the end, the swordsman wins the house—but he never wanted to be pitted against his kin. In fact, the three brothers love each other so much they decide to live in the house together all their lives, and in the end—I’ll never forget this—in the end, they’re all three buried in the same grave.”
“Wow,” says the host.
“Same grave! No wives, no partners, no children. Nothing and no one more important than their brotherhood.” Kingsley pauses, then asks, “Are you like that with your brothers?”
“Me?” The host sounds confused.
“Yes. Do you have brothers?”
“Sure. But we’re not like that. They’re both accountants.”
Kingsley laughs. “The point is, the father sets the brothers against each other and they do everything he wants. They spend years perfecting their crafts for his judgment. But in the end, their bond is stronger and more important than all that parental cruelty.”
“And that’s whatCliffside Gothicis about?”
“Efraim.” Kingsley pauses. And waits.
“Pardon?” says the host, eventually.
“I assume you have looked at this painting, probably for some time, before interviewing me about it.”
“Yes. Yes, I have.”
“So you know that it is not a painting of brothers who love one other.”
“It’s a portrait of the family in ‘Cinderella,’ ” says the host. “Cinderella with her feet covered in ashes. With ash under her nails. Now, what’s the significance of that tale for you? Is it a favorite childhood story?”
“I just told you my favorite childhood story. It’s a pleasant one, don’t you think?”
“It’s got a very happy ending. Have you paintedthatstory? The one about the brothers who live out their lives together?”
“I have not.”
The host coughs. He seems flustered. “But why ‘Cinderella’? And why the cliffside? This painting has gotten you a lot of attention. Our listeners are going to want to know the story behind it.”
“Families who pit their children against each other rarely end up with kids who want to be buried in the same grave,” says Kingsley. “The tale of the three brothers is a lovely fantasy, but the tale of ‘Cinderella’ is true.”
