A Time To Reflect
Have you ever had a moment where you sit down and think : Who Am I? And, why?
I do it a lot. I ask myself, Do I really know myself? Cleverly, I almost always answer. Not that I am always right, but, hey, a good question deserves a answer, I think. And who better to answer such a question than yourself?
I've heard it said that one's likes and dislikes reveal a person's personality. I don't know who said it, or where I heard it; probably some checkout lane at some long forgotten market. Or, perhaps it was the voices in my head. There are a lot of them; strangely, they all sound like Mr. Spock. That is one thing I never question, because, if your voices are going to sound like anyone's other than your own, Mr. Spock is a excellent choice.
Occasionally, Doctor McCoy sneaks a line in. Very seldom does Captain Kirk's voice speak up. I've never questioned that, either. I think I might not like the answer.
So, some likes. These are things that range in importance; some, I love, others, just really like a lot.
Music. I love the music of ABBA. It is upbeat, cheerful, and almost always happy in spite of the lyrics. Note: for the most part, I dislike lyrics. For me, they are the least important part of any music. Yet, vocals can make or break a piece of music for me. Why? How would I know? I'm complicated, okay? ABBA uses both music arrangement and vocals to create a sound that sets my soul at ease. Or whatever that is that passes for my soul.
The Beatles. There is nothing they ever did that I dislike, yet, to this day, I am not sure why. I am certain it was partially to do with my age when they hit the world stage, and their sound. It was unique. Their look, as well, was unique. I was changing, developing, and so was the world, and all the people in it. There were exciting things happening, and there were frightening things happening. Often, those things were combining to be both at once. The opening of any Beatles song caused my adrenaline to kick in. I was a teenager, I had a abundance of adrenaline. Well, in Summer, anyway. Winter, I had a abundance of idontgiveadamnedness. My only desire was to be warm. But, the Beatles gave me warmth. Well, so did urinating, but writing your name in the snow wasn't the warmest of occupations.
The Ventures. All right, here was music. This was guitars and drums, played with a skill I worked desperately to acquire myself. No vocals to cloud it all up. Straight instrumentals. Rocking instrumentals. Pure wizardry. Nokie, Bob, Don, and Mel. Their instrumentals spoke to me, in a way no other music ever has or ever will. There have been many, many great guitarists I have enjoyed over the years, from Chet Atkins to Joe Bonnamossa, and a multitude between, but the Ventures made a sound that I craved. And never, ever could copy.
The Eagles. I really liked all that they did. Sometimes it was the vocals, sometimes just the melody, sometimes it was the music. Like ABBA, it was usually the harmonies and the melodies; the musical arrangements, as so often is the case with the music I enjoy most, were fairly simple, but often difficult to reproduce live. Then, there was Fleetwood Mac; man, they had a sound that was almost impossible to copy. Nothing simplistic there, except the vocals; great harmonies, but the musical arrangements were quite complicated, the timings easy on the ears but damn hard to play properly. Far beyond my tiny abilities to even describe, let alone play.
Then, there are the vocalists. For me, here again, ABBA comes in top of my lists ( the harmonies of Frida and Agnetha created a voice I almost feel is angelic ). But, only certain solo vocalists provided me with pleasure in just listening. A partial list: Peggy Lee. Brenda Lee. Dean Martin. Neil Diamond. Linda Ronstadt. Martina McBride. Barbra Streisand. Waylon Jennings. Charlotte Church. In a strange twist of fate for my ears and taste, Lady Gaga. The harmonies of Little Big Town ( a enormously talented group ). Buddy Holly ( no, not the greatest of singers, but his voice made me smile ). This is only a partial list, but it perhaps reveals who--and why--I am.
Breaking away from music, and into: comedy. Comedians. Comedic actors and stand ups and writers and television personalities who never fail to leave me laughing and wanting more. My list here can get pretty long, and sometimes no particular category will be applicable. Sort of like: well, me. And pretty much any other sentient being. Boxes are for--well--things, not people. And cats. Cats love boxes. Speaking of which: cat, or dog, person? I am a dog person. I love cats, but, I adore dogs. Perfect companions. Usually. Cats are--well--too independent. Not that they are ambitious. No, mostly lazy; they could feed themselves, but, if you're going to do it for them, they won't bother. Their loyalty is usually in question ( again, sort of like we humans, eh? ). I have usually referred to my preference thus: I dislike anything on four legs that always looks like it knows more than I do.
Probably because they usually do.
So, dogs for me. I also like wolves. Beautiful animals. Not live ones. I prefer them stuffed and on display somewhere. I've been up close and personal with wolves. Yet another four legged species that looks at me like it knows more than I do. Also, looks hungry. And none too particular about what it may decide to eat. And apparently I look tasty. But, I digress. ( That is what I do, actually; my life has been a series of digressions ).
Topping my list of comedic personalities : The Marx Brothers. Specifically, Harpo and Groucho, but, all together, their antics on screen have cost me untold tears of laughter and laugh cramps. Groucho alone would keep me laughing for hours, whether in person or in his writing. There was never a period in my life when I could not enjoy Groucho.
Then there was the team of Abbott and Costello. Nearly always left me doubled over laughing. Same was true of The Smothers Brothers, later. Combining folk music with comedy? Genius. And hilarious. The 60's also ushered in for me the greatest comics, via Johnny Carson and the Tonight Show. Ok, technically, I wasn't supposed to be up late enough to watch that. Oddly, I still seemed to manage. Thought I was being clever. Found out, years later, I wasn't. Parents: always know more than they let on. From that era, though, I quickly developed favorites. Buddy Hackett. Don Rickles. Rodney Dangerfield. Joan Rivers. Phyllis Diller. And of course, George Carlin. Carlin was in a league by himself. Still is.
Bill Cosby. Rowan and Martin. Rita Rudner. The original Saturday Night Live crew ( never been a funnier group for me ). Paul Lynde. Robin Williams. Steven Wright ( perhaps my all time favorite stand up comic behind Carlin ). Whoopi Goldberg. Today, there aren't many. Jim Jeffries I enjoy. Craig Ferguson is hilarious in stand up. Few today, however, can capture my funny bone the way those others could.
TV was a bit of a wasteland for comedy in the 50's and most of the 60's save Groucho and Carson. The 60's truly came alive with the debut of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In; unprecedented in television, it featured a hilarious group of regulars including the hosts; Goldie Hawn. Joanne Worley. Arte Johnson. Just to name a few. Short skits and bits that doubled me over with laughter, and not recreated until Saturday Night Live debuted in the 70's. The 70's also featured a mini gold mine for me in the shows Barney Miller and Night Court, All in the Family, the aforementioned SNL, Mork and Mindy, and little else. The 80's brought in Cheers and the totally irreverent and hilarious Married with Children. Today, Big Bang Theory is about all I can really take. I have turned to political satire, the best of which I have found to be Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver. However.
During that period from the late 60's to today, I was blessed to be able to discover the British form of humor, beginning with Monty Python's Flying Circus. Later, Men Behaving Badly. And my search was on. Here I was, getting older and older, and suddenly finding that it was the U.K. which understood my sense of humor better than I did. Well, and Mel Brooks, but it was soo long between his films! Here was a treasure trove of absolutely hilarious humor that I had missed out on for decades! My search has been continuous, thanks to streaming, and not always successful. But, when it has been, the rewards have been bountiful.
First: Mrs. Brown's Boys. I cannot say enough good about this program. Nearly non-stop laughter. It has one thing bad about it; it's damn hard to find streaming. But when you can, it is a comedic work of genius. Next up: Green Wing. This farcical romp through the lives of a British hospital staff keeps me in stitches; it's sort of a Laugh In for hospitals. Next: QI ( for, Quite Interesting). Currently in it's 15th season, this belly laugh a minute show features some of the most interesting, and funny, people in the UK while at the same time imparting very interesting facts. Hosted for 14 seasons by Stephen Fry ( one of my favorite personalities ) and now by Sandy Toksvig, the 4 member panel has one regular, Alan Davies. If you are familiar with Jonathan Creek ( a fun mystery series that didn't run nearly long enough ) then you will know what to expect. If you aren't, well, seek, and ye shall find.
Traveling back a bit, there is The Vicar of Dibley, a Dawn French vehicle everyone should see. Hilarious. Then, Are You Being Served, a long running comedy about the floor staff in a large department store. Just the antics of John Inman as Mr. Humphries makes it so worthwhile. John Cleese's Fawlty Towers is yet another, and we all know the genius of Monty Python and all it's members. There are so many more I have yet to discover; literally years of entertainment we here in America seldom get exposed to.
I have so many other likes. Books. I love good supernatural stories, but, I will read almost anything. Over the years, I have read so many books, I cannot choose a favorite. I do have some favorite authors, which can say a little; I will read literally almost anything by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Rex Stout, Stephen Hunter, Dashiell Hammett, and Douglas Adams. Anything to do with Agent Pendergast ( Preston & Child ) or Repairman Jack ( F. Paul Wilson ). The Witcher novels ( translated) by Andrzej Sapkowski. Almost anything baseball related, especially if it's about the era of the 50's and 60's. These are my go-to reads, but, truly, I have read soo much more over the years. No matter the genre, I have sampled it, and found so many jewels. I do avoid mathematics and the deeper sciences; my mind refuses to decipher these callings, a sign of my lack of intelligence. Psychology is a exception, which, upon reflection, doesn't say a lot for psychology. But if it is literature, fiction or non-fiction, it is liable to be found somewhere in the library of my mind.
I'm not sure how one could find it; I can't. I just know it's there. If I could ever remember it all, my head would likely explode. There are some who might say that would not be such a bad thing.
I think I should bring this to a close. Not that I am finished; far from it, as I never cease to like talking about myself. It is the one subject I know the most about. Certainly, my experiences and wanderings in life have much to do with who and what I am, but, the things I have rambled about here are a very large part of it. I am currently pondering the question Why I am, but, if there was really a answer to that, I'd be so enlightened I wouldn't be able to bear talking to even myself.
I could not imagine depriving myself of such a honor.
If you have made it this far, I thank you, sincerely. Nothing revelatory here, just the meanderings and psychotic rambles of a gimpy old man, reflecting on things that I have enjoyed. Hopefully, you have smiled a time or two, or, dare I hope, laughed out loud. Because laughter is the best thing there is in life; it is a ability that it would be criminal to lose. Until next time; Thank You Again.
I do it a lot. I ask myself, Do I really know myself? Cleverly, I almost always answer. Not that I am always right, but, hey, a good question deserves a answer, I think. And who better to answer such a question than yourself?
I've heard it said that one's likes and dislikes reveal a person's personality. I don't know who said it, or where I heard it; probably some checkout lane at some long forgotten market. Or, perhaps it was the voices in my head. There are a lot of them; strangely, they all sound like Mr. Spock. That is one thing I never question, because, if your voices are going to sound like anyone's other than your own, Mr. Spock is a excellent choice.
Occasionally, Doctor McCoy sneaks a line in. Very seldom does Captain Kirk's voice speak up. I've never questioned that, either. I think I might not like the answer.
So, some likes. These are things that range in importance; some, I love, others, just really like a lot.
Music. I love the music of ABBA. It is upbeat, cheerful, and almost always happy in spite of the lyrics. Note: for the most part, I dislike lyrics. For me, they are the least important part of any music. Yet, vocals can make or break a piece of music for me. Why? How would I know? I'm complicated, okay? ABBA uses both music arrangement and vocals to create a sound that sets my soul at ease. Or whatever that is that passes for my soul.
The Beatles. There is nothing they ever did that I dislike, yet, to this day, I am not sure why. I am certain it was partially to do with my age when they hit the world stage, and their sound. It was unique. Their look, as well, was unique. I was changing, developing, and so was the world, and all the people in it. There were exciting things happening, and there were frightening things happening. Often, those things were combining to be both at once. The opening of any Beatles song caused my adrenaline to kick in. I was a teenager, I had a abundance of adrenaline. Well, in Summer, anyway. Winter, I had a abundance of idontgiveadamnedness. My only desire was to be warm. But, the Beatles gave me warmth. Well, so did urinating, but writing your name in the snow wasn't the warmest of occupations.
The Ventures. All right, here was music. This was guitars and drums, played with a skill I worked desperately to acquire myself. No vocals to cloud it all up. Straight instrumentals. Rocking instrumentals. Pure wizardry. Nokie, Bob, Don, and Mel. Their instrumentals spoke to me, in a way no other music ever has or ever will. There have been many, many great guitarists I have enjoyed over the years, from Chet Atkins to Joe Bonnamossa, and a multitude between, but the Ventures made a sound that I craved. And never, ever could copy.
The Eagles. I really liked all that they did. Sometimes it was the vocals, sometimes just the melody, sometimes it was the music. Like ABBA, it was usually the harmonies and the melodies; the musical arrangements, as so often is the case with the music I enjoy most, were fairly simple, but often difficult to reproduce live. Then, there was Fleetwood Mac; man, they had a sound that was almost impossible to copy. Nothing simplistic there, except the vocals; great harmonies, but the musical arrangements were quite complicated, the timings easy on the ears but damn hard to play properly. Far beyond my tiny abilities to even describe, let alone play.
Then, there are the vocalists. For me, here again, ABBA comes in top of my lists ( the harmonies of Frida and Agnetha created a voice I almost feel is angelic ). But, only certain solo vocalists provided me with pleasure in just listening. A partial list: Peggy Lee. Brenda Lee. Dean Martin. Neil Diamond. Linda Ronstadt. Martina McBride. Barbra Streisand. Waylon Jennings. Charlotte Church. In a strange twist of fate for my ears and taste, Lady Gaga. The harmonies of Little Big Town ( a enormously talented group ). Buddy Holly ( no, not the greatest of singers, but his voice made me smile ). This is only a partial list, but it perhaps reveals who--and why--I am.
Breaking away from music, and into: comedy. Comedians. Comedic actors and stand ups and writers and television personalities who never fail to leave me laughing and wanting more. My list here can get pretty long, and sometimes no particular category will be applicable. Sort of like: well, me. And pretty much any other sentient being. Boxes are for--well--things, not people. And cats. Cats love boxes. Speaking of which: cat, or dog, person? I am a dog person. I love cats, but, I adore dogs. Perfect companions. Usually. Cats are--well--too independent. Not that they are ambitious. No, mostly lazy; they could feed themselves, but, if you're going to do it for them, they won't bother. Their loyalty is usually in question ( again, sort of like we humans, eh? ). I have usually referred to my preference thus: I dislike anything on four legs that always looks like it knows more than I do.
Probably because they usually do.
So, dogs for me. I also like wolves. Beautiful animals. Not live ones. I prefer them stuffed and on display somewhere. I've been up close and personal with wolves. Yet another four legged species that looks at me like it knows more than I do. Also, looks hungry. And none too particular about what it may decide to eat. And apparently I look tasty. But, I digress. ( That is what I do, actually; my life has been a series of digressions ).
Topping my list of comedic personalities : The Marx Brothers. Specifically, Harpo and Groucho, but, all together, their antics on screen have cost me untold tears of laughter and laugh cramps. Groucho alone would keep me laughing for hours, whether in person or in his writing. There was never a period in my life when I could not enjoy Groucho.
Then there was the team of Abbott and Costello. Nearly always left me doubled over laughing. Same was true of The Smothers Brothers, later. Combining folk music with comedy? Genius. And hilarious. The 60's also ushered in for me the greatest comics, via Johnny Carson and the Tonight Show. Ok, technically, I wasn't supposed to be up late enough to watch that. Oddly, I still seemed to manage. Thought I was being clever. Found out, years later, I wasn't. Parents: always know more than they let on. From that era, though, I quickly developed favorites. Buddy Hackett. Don Rickles. Rodney Dangerfield. Joan Rivers. Phyllis Diller. And of course, George Carlin. Carlin was in a league by himself. Still is.
Bill Cosby. Rowan and Martin. Rita Rudner. The original Saturday Night Live crew ( never been a funnier group for me ). Paul Lynde. Robin Williams. Steven Wright ( perhaps my all time favorite stand up comic behind Carlin ). Whoopi Goldberg. Today, there aren't many. Jim Jeffries I enjoy. Craig Ferguson is hilarious in stand up. Few today, however, can capture my funny bone the way those others could.
TV was a bit of a wasteland for comedy in the 50's and most of the 60's save Groucho and Carson. The 60's truly came alive with the debut of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In; unprecedented in television, it featured a hilarious group of regulars including the hosts; Goldie Hawn. Joanne Worley. Arte Johnson. Just to name a few. Short skits and bits that doubled me over with laughter, and not recreated until Saturday Night Live debuted in the 70's. The 70's also featured a mini gold mine for me in the shows Barney Miller and Night Court, All in the Family, the aforementioned SNL, Mork and Mindy, and little else. The 80's brought in Cheers and the totally irreverent and hilarious Married with Children. Today, Big Bang Theory is about all I can really take. I have turned to political satire, the best of which I have found to be Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver. However.
During that period from the late 60's to today, I was blessed to be able to discover the British form of humor, beginning with Monty Python's Flying Circus. Later, Men Behaving Badly. And my search was on. Here I was, getting older and older, and suddenly finding that it was the U.K. which understood my sense of humor better than I did. Well, and Mel Brooks, but it was soo long between his films! Here was a treasure trove of absolutely hilarious humor that I had missed out on for decades! My search has been continuous, thanks to streaming, and not always successful. But, when it has been, the rewards have been bountiful.
First: Mrs. Brown's Boys. I cannot say enough good about this program. Nearly non-stop laughter. It has one thing bad about it; it's damn hard to find streaming. But when you can, it is a comedic work of genius. Next up: Green Wing. This farcical romp through the lives of a British hospital staff keeps me in stitches; it's sort of a Laugh In for hospitals. Next: QI ( for, Quite Interesting). Currently in it's 15th season, this belly laugh a minute show features some of the most interesting, and funny, people in the UK while at the same time imparting very interesting facts. Hosted for 14 seasons by Stephen Fry ( one of my favorite personalities ) and now by Sandy Toksvig, the 4 member panel has one regular, Alan Davies. If you are familiar with Jonathan Creek ( a fun mystery series that didn't run nearly long enough ) then you will know what to expect. If you aren't, well, seek, and ye shall find.
Traveling back a bit, there is The Vicar of Dibley, a Dawn French vehicle everyone should see. Hilarious. Then, Are You Being Served, a long running comedy about the floor staff in a large department store. Just the antics of John Inman as Mr. Humphries makes it so worthwhile. John Cleese's Fawlty Towers is yet another, and we all know the genius of Monty Python and all it's members. There are so many more I have yet to discover; literally years of entertainment we here in America seldom get exposed to.
I have so many other likes. Books. I love good supernatural stories, but, I will read almost anything. Over the years, I have read so many books, I cannot choose a favorite. I do have some favorite authors, which can say a little; I will read literally almost anything by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Rex Stout, Stephen Hunter, Dashiell Hammett, and Douglas Adams. Anything to do with Agent Pendergast ( Preston & Child ) or Repairman Jack ( F. Paul Wilson ). The Witcher novels ( translated) by Andrzej Sapkowski. Almost anything baseball related, especially if it's about the era of the 50's and 60's. These are my go-to reads, but, truly, I have read soo much more over the years. No matter the genre, I have sampled it, and found so many jewels. I do avoid mathematics and the deeper sciences; my mind refuses to decipher these callings, a sign of my lack of intelligence. Psychology is a exception, which, upon reflection, doesn't say a lot for psychology. But if it is literature, fiction or non-fiction, it is liable to be found somewhere in the library of my mind.
I'm not sure how one could find it; I can't. I just know it's there. If I could ever remember it all, my head would likely explode. There are some who might say that would not be such a bad thing.
I think I should bring this to a close. Not that I am finished; far from it, as I never cease to like talking about myself. It is the one subject I know the most about. Certainly, my experiences and wanderings in life have much to do with who and what I am, but, the things I have rambled about here are a very large part of it. I am currently pondering the question Why I am, but, if there was really a answer to that, I'd be so enlightened I wouldn't be able to bear talking to even myself.
I could not imagine depriving myself of such a honor.
If you have made it this far, I thank you, sincerely. Nothing revelatory here, just the meanderings and psychotic rambles of a gimpy old man, reflecting on things that I have enjoyed. Hopefully, you have smiled a time or two, or, dare I hope, laughed out loud. Because laughter is the best thing there is in life; it is a ability that it would be criminal to lose. Until next time; Thank You Again.
Comments