[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 50 (Monday, December 15, 2003)]
[Pages 1768-1770]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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.
    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,

[[Page 1769]]

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, 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

[[Page 1770]]

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 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.