    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [December 7, 2003]
    [Pages 1691-1694]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Kennedy Center Honors Reception
    December 7, 2003

        Thank you all very much. Good evening, and welcome to the White
    House. Laura and I are pleased to have you all
    here, and we are so honored to be a part of this annual tradition. We
    especially welcome the 2003 Kennedy Center honorees and their family and
    their friends.
        Every year, the Kennedy Center pays tribute to five outstanding
    artists. Each group of honorees is an interesting mix. [Laughter] This
    year, for example, we have a director whose best films are known to all.
    We have an actress who has created characters
    we all remember, who, I'm told, still does a mighty good Tarzan yell.
    [Laughter] And the three musicians with us are among the
    most recognized in the world. They're not known to have performed
    together--[laughter]--but the sight of all three on the same stage is a
    picture to remember.
        The Kennedy Center Honors recognize great contributions to American
    culture. Each of the honorees is here because of their hard effort and
    superior performance through an entire career.
        Only one honoree was born in Texas. [Laughter] That person is Carol
    Burnett, who spent her early years in San
    Antonio. Young Carol went off into the world, and the world took a
    liking to her from the start. She is today one of the most recognized
    and warmly regarded entertainers in America.
        For her first performance in acting class at UCLA, the teacher gave
    Carol Burnett a ``D-''. [Laughter] But Carol
    found, as have I--[laughter]--that one bad grade or two--[laughter]--is
    not the end of the road. [Laughter]
        By the end of her freshman year, she was
    named ``Most Outstanding Newcomer.'' Within a few years, she became a
    star on Broadway and a television favorite on the Winchell-Mahoney Show
    and the Garry Moore Show. In the sixties and seventies, Carol's own
    variety show ran 11 years and received more than 20 Emmys. Every week,
    Carol performed one of the most difficult feats in all of show business,
    playing it straight with Tim Conway. [Laughter]
        To this day, millions of Americans can instantly recall sketches and
    characters from the Carol Burnett Show. Whether she was playing Eunice or the Scrub Woman or Starlett
    O'Hara in ``Went With The Wind''--[laughter]--viewers could always sense
    the person behind the character, the sweetness, the sincerity, and the
    wonderful spirit of Carol Burnett.
        Through the years in such performances as ``Same Time Next Year,''
    Carol has also shown the depth and range of
    her talent. In her good life, she has been a beloved entertainer, a
    devoted mom, and a faithful friend. She is a cheerful and graceful
    presence in American life, and America honors Carol Burnett.

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        All great performances in front of a camera involve an artistic
    vision behind the camera, and few have spent more years at the top of
    the directing profession than Mike Nichols. His
    name on a production signifies quality, intelligence, and high artistic
    standards. His credits include some of the most memorable films of the
    last two generations. ``The Graduate'' was a hit movie and a triumph
    that has held up over time.
        The best directors are always extending themselves, and Mike
    Nichols has turned his gifts to films as varied
    as ``Catch-22,'' ``Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' and ``Working
    Girl.'' He is equally respected for his career
    on Broadway, first as a performer, then as director of the original
    ``Odd Couple'' and ``Barefoot in the Park.'' The medal Mike Nichols
    wears this evening is the latest in a collection of other well-deserved
    honors, including the Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony, and the Grammy.
        A movie critic once said that Mike Nichols'
    greatest talent may be his ability to bring out the best in performers,
    and that is another reason why Mike Nichols is among the finest.
        Mike has summed up his career this way: ``I
    have been in love with movies all my life. Directing them is like
    getting to marry this girl you followed around for years and years.'' I
    don't know how long he followed around Diane
    Sawyer--[laughter]--but she is here to share in this very proud moment.
        And Mike's parents, who brought their
    little boy to America from Nazi Germany, would also be proud of their
    son. And tonight we are really proud to honor this fine man, Mike
    Nichols.
        During this evening's reception, we will hear music from the Marine
    Band. I suspect that these fine musicians are thrilled to be in the
    presence of one of the greatest violinists of
    his age or any other.
        As it happens, Laura and I were guests in
    this very room when Itzhak Perlman performed
    for President and Mrs. Reagan. That audience, like every audience to hear this man,
    was captivated by his music and charmed by his presence. According to a
    review of a recent concert in Minneapolis, ``Perlman maintained an
    intimate rapport with the audience. For instance, he kept them updated
    on the score of the World Series between pieces.'' [Laughter] He was
    clearly having fun, and so was his audience.
        The sound of a violin first called to him
    over the radio when he was just 3 years old. The Perlmans gave their boy
    a toy fiddle. He soon exhausted the possibilities of that instrument.
    Armed with a real violin, he was onstage with orchestras in Tel Aviv and
    Jerusalem and by the age 10 had given his first solo recital. America
    first came to know him 3 years later, when in
    1958 he played ``Flight of the Bumblebee'' on the Ed Sullivan show. From
    that day to this, Itzhak Perlman has had a unique hold on the respect
    and affection of all who love classical music. He has played with every major orchestra in the world.
    He's collected more than a dozen Grammys, enthralled listeners with a
    repertoire stretching from baroque to contemporary, and touched millions
    of filmgoers with the pure and haunting solos in ``Schindler's List.''
        Critics have written of Perlman's
    technical mastery, the rich tone and faultless intonation. And all who
    have seen him play are struck by the apparent ease with which he plays
    the most demanding of instruments. This good soul has been given a
    singular talent, and in sharing it he has brought much beauty into the
    world. For that, we are all honored to be in the presence of Maestro
    Itzhak Perlman.
        Speaking of soul--[laughter]--James ``Butane'' Brown is in the house. Of course, he goes by other titles.
    Some men are too cool to only have one nickname. James Brown has been
    called ``Mr. Dynamite,'' ``Soul Brother Number One,'' and of course,
    ``The Godfather of Soul.'' Many names fit him, but there's no one else
    like him. And in a career of more than 50 years,

    [[Page 1693]]

    he has earned the reputation as a live performer with no equal and as an
    institution of rock and roll.
        He grew up in Georgia, knowing many
    of the toils and struggles of an earlier time. He worked hard and took
    his own path. He received guidance along the way from many sources, from
    his Aunt Honey, who raised him, to the first preachers and gospel
    musicians he heard. He joined a band
    that called itself ``The Famous Flames.'' It took only a short while
    before the name was changed, by general agreement, to ``James Brown and
    the Famous Flames.'' [Laughter] When you hear the title of a James Brown
    song, right away you can picture him singing it: ``I Feel Good,''
    ``Please, Please, Please,'' ``Papa's Got a Brand New Bag,'' ``Living in
    America.''
        Since he first achieved fame in the
    1950s, James has posted 98 entries on Billboard's Top 40 R&B Singles
    Chart, more than any other performer. Bonnie Raitt has described James Brown's place in music history
    this way, ``You couldn't even list how many people have been influenced
    by him. In the Mount Rushmore of musical figures, he definitely would be
    on it.''
        Of course, on that Mount Rushmore of music, the sculptor would have
    to pay particular attention to the hair. [Laughter] James is the first to tell you that the look is important
    to his success. Here's what he says, ``Hair is the first thing, and
    teeth are the second.'' [Laughter] ``Hair and teeth, a man got these two
    things, he's got it all.'' [Laughter]
        The truth is, James Brown was being
    awfully modest. Along with the look, this man is blessed with incredible
    talent, undeniable stage presence, and the discipline of a true
    professional. He's still on the road and living it up--living up to that
    other nickname, ``the hardest working man in show business.'' Our
    congratulations to James Joe Brown, Junior.
        We are delighted to welcome our final honoree to the White House.
    Loretta Lynn even mentioned the White House in
    one of her songs. Since I don't have a band right here and since I can't
    sing--[laughter]--I'll just say the words, and you can imagine Loretta
    singing them: ``The White House social season should be glittering and
    gay, but here in Topeka the rain is a-falling, the faucet is a-dripping,
    and the kids are a-bawling''--[laughter]--``one of them a-toddling, and
    one is a-crawling, and one's on the way.'' [Laughter]
        Many of Loretta Lynn's songs are about the
    challenges, the dreams, and the joys of everyday life. She's known them
    all, and she has sung about them with style and feeling. More than four
    decades after she first sang at the Grand Ole Opry, there is no better
    known voice in country music and no lady more admired than Loretta Lynn.
        Her song and the film ``Coal Miner's Daughter'' tell a true story
    that began in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. Loretta
    grew up believing, in her words, that ``from the Holler down to the mine
    was the whole world.''
        Her world changed when she met a soldier
    named Mooney Lynn. He made a strong impression
    on people. See, Mooney was the kind of man who wore a cowboy hat with a
    label inside that said, ``Like hell it's yours.'' [Laughter] But as
    Loretta remembers, ``I wasn't scared of Mooney. He was real nice. I was
    scared because I had never seen a car before.'' [Laughter] They married
    and moved away and were living in the State of Washington when Mooney
    got an idea. He knew that the voice singing lullabies to their children
    was better than any he had ever heard from a jukebox or in a saloon. And
    just maybe if Loretta cut a record, radio stations might play it.
        That notion has been proven correct in more than 70 record albums,
    27 number one singles, and 80 chart hits, from ``Coal Miner's Daughter''
    to ``Love is the Foundation'' to ``Don't Come Home A Drinkin' With
    Lovin' on Your Mind.'' [Laughter]
        Loretta has received every top honor in
    country music and is loved for her own

    [[Page 1694]]

    songs and for her wonderful duets with the late Conway Twitty. Her
    appeal has been explained this way, ``She's straightforward, down home,
    innocent, and perfectly charming. Everyone loves her.'' And this
    evening, that unanimous opinion is expressed once again, and the Nation
    pays tribute to Loretta Lynn.
        Americans are grateful to these
    Kennedy Center
    honorees because you have all given us
    wonderful memories. You have given your peers a high mark to aim for.
    Each of you in your own way has given America a body of work that
    reflects so very well on our Nation. Thank you for contributions to
    America. May God continue to bless you. Thank you for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:05 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to musician Bonnie Raitt.