Bill Finn ’74, Doctor of Letters
Neurotic ... yes. Hilarious ... yes. Twisted ... yes. Probing ... yes. Tragic ... yes. But ultimately redeeming ... definitely yes. All this describes your unique body of work, from the promising In Trousers, through the breakthrough of Falsettos, to the triumph of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. As our “composer-laureate of loss” you interweave themes of family, friendship, and commitment with those of wretched alienation and pain. It’s as if Norman Rockwell had painted over a canvas of Hieronymus Bosch so that you could still see them both, each adding depth to the other. Who else could write a musical about brain tumors and get away with it? You have even explored your challenging but deeply felt relationship with your alma mater in Songs of Innocence and Experience. There should be a sign outside all your performances saying, “Warning: Pain and pleasure ahead,” since the effect on the audience, according to The New York Times will be “galvanic and indelible.” Your mother, you have said, implored you always to be nice. Well, you’ve failed at that. But thankfully so, since instead you’ve used your protean and unsettling talents to mine with exceptional frankness and humor the deepest regions of human interaction, where, no matter the darkness, despair ultimately gives way to hope.
I hereby declare you recipient of the honorary degree Doctor of Letters, entitled to all the rights, honors, and privileges appertaining thereto.
June 4, 2006