Shut up and play the piano

I'm sorry to report that Leon Fleisher, the pianist, is an ignorant fool.

Techically, I'm not reporting that; he reported it himself in an op-ed in the Washington Post yesterday.

The story he told is that he was honored by the Kennedy Center but didn't want to have to attend the White House ceremony, because, when it comes to the current occupant of that building, he's completely deranged.

Come on, man! You're an artist! Don't just use the same tired language about "shredding the Constitution," etc.!

Anyway, the "powers that be" told him not to rock the boat. Go and be silent. So he went and presented a daisy to the military thugs who were pointing rifles at him.

OK, I'm kidding about that. But it was close; he went and wore "a peace symbol around my neck and a purple ribbon on my lapel."

And then wrote about it in the Post.

Totally true fact: During a significant part of his musical career, Fleisher was unable to use his right hand and performed works written entirely for the left hand.