Obama’s SOTU speech is on TV, and every so often I turn off muting, but every time I do that I’m not too excited by what I hear. So, instead, I’m going to watch Stephen Colbert absorbing Keith Olbermann’s power, only to find it too much, even for him.
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Stephen Rejects Keith Olbermann’s Power | ||||
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I’ve been reading an excellent book, The Horror! The Horror!, by Jim Tombetta, about the short-lived horror genre of comic books, in the first half of the 1950’s. In response to public pressure, resulting from Senate Subcommittee hearings led by Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn), the industry censored itself with a regulatory agency called The Comics Code Authority — which, as of last week, seems to finally be at an end. I’ve always felt the weakness in the defense of the comic book industry, in testimony by E.C. publisher William M. Gaines, was his failure to cite radio shows like Suspense and Inner Sanctum as inspirations for the horror stories. Those programs were very popular with both kids and their parents.
That same period of time saw one of the all-time greatest comic book creators, Carl Barks, hit his stride, working in the funny animal genre. Superheroes, the formerly dominant genre, had fallen on hard times after WWII, and had yet to recover in the mid-50’s. One thing that helped bring it back was the success of The Adventures of Superman on TV, which had previously been a radio series, and a movie serial.
Watching the DVD set of the series, it started out as a surprisingly hard-hitting, and often spooky, drama, but like comic books it lost its edge and lightened up. Throughout the show’s run, Jimmy Olsen was played with great spirit by Jack Larson. Some years ago, Denro and I saw Larson in Boston, introducing a collection of Superman shows, and talking about the series and his life since then. One of the screenings that evening was the pinnacle, or nadir, of Superman silliness, a pilot for a proposed Superpup series. This brief bit of video was taken from a 2006 TV special, narrated by Kevin Spacey, who played Lex Luthor in Superman Returns; a movie that did nothing wrong, yet failed to spark imaginations.
Now THAT’s what I call horrible! Here’s Jack Larson in an interesting recent interview. He’s slowed down from his “golly gee” youth, but Jack’s still as personable and engaging as ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjV9H35Hu5w
A more extensive video interview with Larson, from the Archive of American Television, can be found at this link. I would have embedded it here, but it’s an unlisted YouTube video.
A long time ago, in a piece of e-mail I sent to cartoonist Jimmy (“Arlo and Janis”) Johnson, who lives in Mississippi and attended college in Alabama, I made a crack about my being a confirmed Yankee. I don’t think Jimmy appreciated it, and I regret making the comment, because I enjoy and admire Jimmy’s work so much, and I have tremendous respect for him. Yet I have to admit that I can’t help but feel my Massachusetts mindset kicking in when I read something like this statement from Alabama’s new governor.
“Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother.”
At least he’s being up front and open about his prejudice. I would be surprised if a majority of Alabamans have a problem with this, but maybe that’s just my own prejudice coming through.
This just in — Pop music impresario Don Kirshner has died. In more than one way, “Sugar, Sugar”, with Ron Dante and the non-existent Archies, is Kirshner’s ultimate accomplishment as a music publisher and manager.
The Archies – Sugar Sugar
Uploaded by scootaway. – See more comedy videos.
In the 70’s, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” featured an eclectic mix of bands. Here is a fantastic set with the Ramones at their Punk Rock peak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6o_t2Q_gkg
“Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records” has some real surprises on it, from the never-released “King of Fuh” (can you say Fuh King?) to this 1968 gem by Paul McCartney, the theme song to a TV show called “Thingumybob”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlV6A_7ZSV0
The Black Dyke Mills Band dates back to 1855, long before John Philip Souza, who wrote the “Liberty Bell March”, that is best known as the theme for “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yfm2HSoD50
Years later, Julian Nott wrote the delightful brass band theme for Nick Park’s wonderful “Wallace & Gromit” series.
“Boss” was an expression in the mid-60’s, before “groovy,” that meant something was very good. The most recent equivalent is to say that something “rules.”
Whenever I reveal that I’m not a Springsteen fan, I get surprised and/or disappointed looks. What can I say? I’ve never felt a connection with The Boss, the hero of the working man. Yes, I know how dedicated he is, and sincere, and hard-working but, sorry, the feeling just isn’t there for me.
What got me in the late 70’s was Punk and New Wave, although I never lived a lifestyle even remotely reflecting the external manifestations of the rougher element of the genre. I remained purely a drug-free nerd, with the visceral, therapeutic intensity of listening to Elvis Costello’s “This Year’s Model”, in particular, being something that has always stayed with me. Here are two tunes from those days that conveyed more to me than anything I’ve ever heard by Springsteen.
The Ramones album “Road to Ruin”, with Marky taking over drums from Tommy, who helped produce, was a stunning accomplishment — this achingly heartfelt song, most of all…
…and the great “Union City Blues”, from Blondie’s ultimate achievement, “Eat to the Beat”…
