Singer, songwriter and bassist Adam Schlesinger died on Wednesday, April 1, in New York.
After a week in the hospital, Schlesinger succumbed to complications that arose during his battle with the coronavirus.
The fact Schlesinger left us on April Fool’s Day is rather befitting, as humour – both winking and snarky – was the cornerstone of his songwriting. He often portrayed the lives of society's little guys: the security guards, the waitresses, the truck drivers and those who spend their days in office cubicles.
He was not interested in re-inventing the wheel. He knew the real challenge was finding genuine things to say in the format of the three-minute pop song
A master of minutiae
Schlesinger was their champion. His songs, particularly with the indie rock group he co-led, Fountains of Wayne, were not a form of escapism. They were the opposite. Through his keen lyricist eye, he told us to appreciate life’s little moments.
No circumstance, including ordering a hamburger, was too trivial for him to write about. He has even waxed lyrical about a gardening appliance. It was precisely through dealing with the everyday minutiae of life that Schlesinger delivered some of his grandest statements.
You won't find a better example of this than Fountains of Wayne's third album, Welcome Interstate Managers.
Released in 2003, it remains a power-pop masterpiece and is full of songs – co-written with guitarist and singer Chris Collingwood – about life in modern-day suburbia.
There is the office burnout in Bright Future in Sales who promises to get his life together: "'Cause I can't live like this for ever / You know I've come too far and I don't want to fail / I got a new computer and a bright future in sales."
Hackensack is all about the heartbreak of a romance outgrowing its small-town beginnings, while the majestic All Kinds of Time takes us into the mind of an American football player, whose life flashes before him as he lines up to make that game-winning play.
All of this could have become quixotic Americana if it wasn’t for the genuine empathy Schlesinger had for his cast of misfits and jocks: their fear, sadness and regret is something we can all relate to.
And none of these songs would have been appreciated beyond their suburban settings if it wasn’t for the melodic ingenuity coursing throughout the band’s work.
Fountains of Wayne: power pop gurus
A mixture of pop classicists The Beatles and The Kinks, and the buzz saw guitars of The Cars and Cheap Trick, the band remain the go-to for any power-pop fan.
Central to their appeal is a keen appreciation of melody.
Schlesinger understood the potency of a good chorus. A student of pop music songwriting, he was not interested in reinventing the wheel. He knew the real challenge was in finding genuine things to say within the format of the classic three-minute pop song.
But people often take the familiar for granted. This unfortunately resulted in Fountains of Wayne releasing songs that should have been hits, but weren't.
The only exception being their one and only commercial hit, 2003's Stacy's Mom (also on Welcome Interstate Managers), its success considerably helped by its steamy video featuring Rachel Hunter.
Schlesinger's success in the movie biz
While Fountains of Wayne will always be tied to his legacy, Schlesinger found greater success as a songwriter for film, television and the stage. What began as a side hustle between tours, grew to become a blossoming career that led to three Emmy Awards and one Grammy.
Actor Tom Hanks (who recently recovered from the coronavirus), hired Schlesinger to write for his 1996 directorial debut That Thing You Do!
"There would be no Playtone [Hank's film company] without Adam Schlesinger, without his That Thing You Do!" Hanks wrote on Twitter today. "He was a One-der. Lost him to Covid-19. Terribly sad today. Hanx"
His work with Hanks, writing the key Beatlesque song That Thing You Do, was the beginning of his movie career. The track had all the characteristics of a Fountains of Wayne song – melody, witty wordplay and neat power chords.
But Schlesinger really spread his wings on Broadway: he co-wrote songs for the 2008 critically acclaimed production Cry Baby, based on John Water's 1990 film, while his comedic nous was well utilised when he co-wrote Neil Patrick Harris's opening theme song for the 2011 Tony Awards.
On the television front, he earned his Emmy Awards for numerous compositions in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a Glee-like comedy series featuring plenty of Broadway-worthy numbers.
In between all this, he maintained a steady touring schedule with Fountains of Wayne, as well as his two other power-pop bands Operation Ivy and the short-lived super-group Tinted Windows (2009-2011) featuring singer Taylor Hanson, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E Carlos.
The fact we won’t hear new wistful melodies from Schlesinger ever again, either on record or on stage, is particularly sad because his humour and humanity is sorely needed in these increasingly uncertain times.
He would have released something not as upsettingly trite as the Gal Gadot-led celebrity version of John Lennon's Imagine.
It would have probably been about some schmuck staying at home watching TV because he was self-isolating, and it would have been gloriously witty, heartfelt and tear-inducing.
But what we do have left is a body of work that will surely influence a new generation of keen singer-songwriters.
With Schlesinger gone, the pied-piper of suburbia has left us.
Everyday life just got a little more sad and a little less funny.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
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Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
more from Janine di Giovanni
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
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