This week: inside job; armless fun; cold shoulder; monster homes; sexy songs; party monster; skulking Elvis; double trouble; the yard went on forever; no show at the show, no; our mutual friends; no winter chicken; tardy hard; the premature chair; a summer holiday from yourself; deconstructive criticism; grudge match; young rockers; pastiche your children; perfection is boring; boiling children; cold dips; here comes the neighbourhood; the “Man In a Room” trilogy explained; piñata colada; winning ways; milestone or millstone; and, finally, Phil Ochs’ sad story.
Question of the Week: Did you have a childhood birthday tradition?
Sub-question of the Week: Phil Ochs’ story is sad, but what do you think is the saddest story in entertainment history?
Thanks for listening.
The song “Mah Nà Mah Nà” in its original setting:
“It’s Not Easy Being Green” sung by Kermit while not in a swamp:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Happy belated to Ian, and congrats on the 600th episode!
1. My childhood birthday tradition was to have a party. My mom always used a particular tablecloth with roses embroidered into it on the edges, and the table was set with little individual candy dishes in front of each place setting. My dad always insisted we have birthday cake with money in it, and we traditionally would play Pin the Tail on the Donkey until I was out of elementary school. Because my birthday is on Halloween, as I got older it often evolved into more of a Halloween party, but that’s a different story.
2. Tragic celebrity tales: oh, there are so many!! The Beach Boys, the Jacksons, the Kennedy’s, Marilyn Monroe – and then I was reading about Marlon Brando a week ago, and Truman Capote just this morning. Gary Coleman is a sad story, too. But the one I read about just a month or so ago really stuck with me – Roald Dahl. I always thought he had a bit of a dark side, but then when I read about his life… he had so many things in his life that were so absolutely superior, from being a great pilot to an exciting spy to fantastic author who married a movie star and then went on to invent these medical devices – but it seemed for him the highs were so high, and the lows were so very low. He survived a plane crash in the war and was seriously hurt, his eldest child died, another suffered serious lifelong impairment following an accident as an infant, his wife suffered a stroke in the prime of her life and in the midst of her child-bearing years, he had an affair for 11 years with his wife’s costume designer, he and his wife ultimately divorced 9even before this she referred to him as ‘Rotten Roald’ because of how he treated her, another of his daughters ended up with serious mental health/addiction/lifestyle issues while also experiencing some success as an actor/model and author. Near the end of his career the anti-Semitism caused him problems. It just seemed like nothing was ever good enough. Maybe I’m reading it wrong but I thought I’d learn about an author who was really irreverent and funny and instead it was this dark, complex and controlling man who oftentimes did manage to control the situation (like inventing medical equipment).
My childhood birthday ritual was to share my birthday with my twin brother. He was born first so his cake was brought out first and we sang “Happy Birthday” to him first. That seemed fair at the time, although maybe it would’ve been fairer if we’d alternated from year to year like you two do when you introduce your podcast episodes.
I had to think about what makes for a sad entertainment story. For me, it’s the loss of someone’s potential creative output. So I felt sad about people like Karen Carpenter with her beautiful voice. Or Patrick Swayze who was a fun entertainer who didn’t seem like he took himself too seriously. Or Heath Ledger who didn’t shy away from taking on controversial roles. This week’s death of Treat William in a motorcycle accident was sad. He played recurring characters in both Chicago Fire and Blue Bloods (shows we can watch with our Mom) and was a nice guy by all accounts. His breakout role in the movie Hair is lovingly spoofed in Season 2 of Schmigadoon — Schmicago.
I don’t think I wished Ian a Happy Birthday! Happy belated Birthday Ian, I wish you good health in mind, body and spirit. Close your eyes when you blow out those candles and make all the wishes come true.
My Mom was an expert cake and candy decorator, she won contests all the time with her chocolate and cakes. Mom would ask me well ahead of my birthday what kind of cake I wanted and she’s craft it somehow into whatever I wanted. One year she made me a cake in the shape of an Al Hirschfeld Groucho, another year the cake featured The Hulk! Mom told me once that every kid deserves a cake for their birthday because her family of nine was too poor to have birthday cakes, the first time she ever had a cake was as an adult. Mom still insists on making me a cake for my birthday…sugar free of course. Another year we had a party with a piñata and all my friends took turns swinging at it blindfolded. I got a little close to the action and took a broom handle right across the bridge of my nose! We got the entire thing on film too, it was spectacular.
Have you ever heard of the Von Erich Family? I’d say they qualify as entertainment since the entire family were professional wrestlers. The Von Erichs were local here in Dallas and I saw them once or twice as a kid, they were huge in our area. The patriarch was Fritz Von Erich, who found fame in the 60’s as a World Class wrestler, famous for the “Iron Claw.” He had six sons, the first died early but the remaining five all became wrestlers. Mike, Chris, Kerry, David and Kevin all joined Fritz in the family business and became the Von Erich Dynasty. The tragedy is that all the sons except for Kevin, who is still alive, committed suicide or overdosed before Fritz died of cancer in 1997. I can’t think of anything more tragic than watching four sons die from suicide and drugs. Growing up it seemed like the Von Erich Family was constantly in the news with one death after another. Truly sad.
By the time I hear you guys reading this, I will have seen “The Flash” and I’m so damned excited over this one! Michael Keaton back as Batman! I’m sure you two aren’t going to see that one…no way, not going?
Stay cool, go swimming!! And enjoy the season all my fellow Sneakers!!
Edward–A movie about the Von Erichs just completed filming and should come out this year or next. It’s called “The Iron Claw” and starts Lily James and Zac Efron.
Here’s something Paul Schrader said in an interview for The Big Picture about the unlikely love in Master Gardener:
Is change even possible? Can that even happen? And you know, movies are not always: “this is the way it is”. Sometimes, they’re: “what if this was the way it is?”. They’re fable-like. I know this is unlikely, but let’s suppose it, and see what happens to our thinking when we suppose it could happen.