Marking Time

Graham in Bloom, Summer 2007

It’s going to take some time for me to adjust to my son Graham becoming a man of his own, especially now that he’s turned five and is such a hit with the ladies. That’s him in the photo above – or at least that’s apparently how he looks to all the little pixies and older women who will miss his swashbuckling sweetness at the daycare center (he “graduates” next week).

We went to the Deer Park daycare end-of-the-year picnic last night, and at least two little girls (Riley and Ella) gave him hugs so big that he was lifted off his feet. (Further proof that one need not be large to be in charge… he’s lucky enough to have my wife’s more slight body type instead of my own chunky version. I just hope he makes it to at least five foot six… that’s height, not width.) Then near the end, a teacher that’s had him for two or three years was almost in tears when I talked to her about his moving on.

Last Saturday, it was his birthday party that cemented his reputation as a sensitive soul who’s a hit with the chicks, as the girls who showed up outnumbered the boys by about 33%. Now don’t get me wrong: Graham’s no pansy. He’s beginning to show he can get rough with the best of the boys. It’s just that he’s more the Will Turner/standup guy type than the Jack Sparrow/bad boy. Kind of like Orlando Bloom’s character in Cameron Crowe’s underrated Elizabethtown (2005). If Graham has a “dark side”, I’ve barely seen it yet. But on the other hand, don’t we all have a dark side now and then?

Or if we’re lucky, maybe Graham will be more like George Clooney… all rakish charm and intelligence, but you know he’ll do the right thing in the end –like help out refugees in Darfur during his spare time, or make a real good political movie about a heroic journalist like Ed Murrow, with nary a concern about box office profits. And like Clooney’s characters, hopefully Graham will both “get the girl” and do right by her. I’m a big fan of Clooney and his former producing partner, Steven Soderbergh. Sadly, their partnership ended (amicably) a few months ago, but just look at the list of quality their Section Eight company put together in the last seven years and you’ll see what I mean. I saw Ocean’s 12 on TV the other night, and while I admit it’s just fluff, at least it’s offbeat, intelligently-written, well-acted fluff. So Ocean’s 13 will likely be more of the same, and therefore worth seeing. Hey, Pacino alone makes it worth the price of admission.

I don’t think the same can be said for several other sequels and remakes out in theaters in the next few weeks. Last night I saw the current XBox 360 commercial with the clay blob that turns into a spiderweb, Shrek, and the pirate skull. I think the movies those blobs coincide with are formless blobs, too — all have generally gotten bad reviews. (The commercial’s kinda cool, though I’m still not giving Microsoft any more money than I absolutely have to.) And why are these not-so-new new movies so bad? It’s the WRITING, stupid. Originality still counts for something, thus the derivative, warmed-over output of the big studios in the summer is generally all flash, no substance. (Yes, I’m stating the obvious. So sue me…)

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten out of the habit of going to a lot of movies at the theater: Sue’s not a big movie buff, plus the expense and hassle can be annoying, and having a young child sort of limits what we can do with a night out anyway. Also, with the ratio of quality to crap, it’s hard to figure out what’s worth the extra effort, so you won’t feel gypped when you’re walking out.

Case in point: there’s a remake called Hairspray coming out in a few weeks — John Travolta in drag (ugh!), in an update of a Tony-winning musical, which itself was an update of a devilishly funny John Waters movie from 1988. Now if Waters’ quirky original was really good, which it was (thanks to his warped humor and indie sense of style), what are the chances that a big Hollywood version will dumb it down and make a mess of it? Pretty good chance, I’d say.

So why not find a little sleeper of a film instead, or rent Pan’s Labyrinth (just out on DVD), or some other really original story. You can make your own popcorn, too. Hey, maybe I’ll even let Graham invite one of his girlfriends over. No heavy hugging allowed, though.

“They come all the way from Brazil, where flip-flops are a way of life!” -Oprah Winfrey, regarding Havaianas flip-flops, one of her Favorite Things For Summer.

Great… now I have a good reason to hate Brazil, in addition to hating Oprah. Unless that country isn’t actually as shallow and vapid as Ms. O makes them sound. I’ll let you be the judge on that, while I move on to the main order of business for the day, my own list:

Mark’s Favorite Things for Summer (that aren’t as expensive as Oprah’s, and that therefore she doesn’t care about).

1. Reggae music - Whether its old or new, political or just plain old silly, there’s nothing quite like a reggae tune to give any moment a large dose of “party potential”. Ska, reggaeton, and similar genres have the same appeal, so I’d like to include English Beat and selected Barenaked Ladies songs among the more classic Bob Marley, Shaggy and Peter Tosh tunes you should download to your mp3 player without delay. Oh, and Harry Belafonte, too.

2. Camping - I didn’t camp much as a kid, being the milquetoast suburban progeny of  city-bred parents who preferred city water (which came through actual plumbing). Plus we were working class, so I never did the “summer camp” thing like my wife. But starting in college, I discovered there’s nothing like a weekend in the wilderness with friends and family to bring out the best in people. There’s lots of campfire humor (farts included), a team spirit seldom noticed back home, and often some high drama or a small epiphany about yourself or another person, when you remove the distractions of the daily grind and the noise of honking horns. So plan your trip today… sites are going fast at a state park near you.

3. Swimming - One reason I live in Skokie, Illinois is because it’s close enough for me to bike over to Lake Michigan, without the high housing costs of living in Evanston. I also like being able to easily hop over the border into Chicago, where the beaches are free. Pools are cool, too (pun intended), but I prefer the beach, for the added space and people-watching potential.

4. Baseball - This one’s not inexpensive — not like it used to be, anyway. But it’s usually worth the expense and effort to get to a few MLB games by September. If you’re feeling brave, put your bike in the trunk and park a mile or two away for free. Then get there early without a ticket, and see what a scalper can do for you. The haggling over price is part of the fun, and if you end up deciding not to pay their price, you can always go to a nearby bar and watch the game on TV with other interested fans. Or while you’re in the city, go to an art museum instead! (It’s a whole lot quieter, and you’re guaranteed to see some winners…)

5. Thunderstorms - Under the right conditions, there’s nothing quite like a walk in the pouring rain (remember The Pina Colada Song? ugh… sorry to remind you). My wife Sue was over-the-moon with the look of the sky at dusk last Friday, mostly because the combination of big cumulus clouds with the sunset colors was like God doing his best Post-Impressionist work on a swiftly changing canvas. But even the water itself, and the prospect of a rainbow, and the weirdness of heat lightning–all those summer weather extremes–are one of life’s great pleasures.

As Chicago Cub broadcaster Harry Caray used to say, “Holy Cow!”

As in: holy cow, do the Cubs suck! Though perhaps Piniella blowing a gasket this weekend will light a fire under them. 

As in: holy cow, have I been a lazy-ass when it comes to the blog the past two weeks. (Btw, did y’all catch my blog a few months back wherein I discovered Harry Caray was a fellow Italian American? Look it up! I was shocked, though I shouldn’t have been, lovable loudmouth that he was.) I’ve been inspired to write on and off, but lack of follow-thru on those ideas can quickly lead to severe lack of discipline, and having all those ideas fade away into the ether forever. But hopefully I’m back to a few posts a week, now that the school year’s winding down. So don’t give up on me yet…

And holy cow, have I been busy making life interesting for a bunch of little squirts. For example, I did a unit on American popular music at school two weeks ago. I brought in my electric guitar and my son’s electric piano, letting grades K-8 mess around with the piano’s different voices and sound effects (predictably, their favorite sound was of a guy getting punched in the gut –they’re the Playstation generation, after all…).

Plus I let the older kids talk about and play some of their favorite songs, though not as many took me up on my offer as I expected. To help focus the lesson, I used  April’s 40th anniversary edition of Rolling Stone, which included a useful list of “40 Songs That Changed the World”. Here’s what Salon.com’s music critic David Marchese had to say about that list:

Also in honor of the big 4-0, the editors’ have published their list of 40 songs that changed the world. In the past, Rolling Stone’s lists …have too often seemed to reflect the tastes of a particular set of listeners (i.e., white male baby boomers) to be considered truly comprehensive, but this list, topped off by Elvis Presley’s “That’s Alright,” looks pretty good. Aside from a couple of iffy inclusions (Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” really?), the editors did a good job of recognizing the songs that either introduced new subject matter to popular music (”Heroin” by the Velvet Underground), expanded rock’s formal language (The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever”) or heralded a cultural sea change (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”).

But I still have some quibbles. The list overlooks some of the folks who helped lay the groundwork for modern rock and pop (Louis Jordan, Robert Johnson, Woody Guthrie), and also skimps on some seminal moments in rap. I’m curious to know what you think. Take a look at the list and let me know what songs you think are missing or which ones deserve to be taken off. To get you started, here’s my top five songs that are missing from Rolling Stone’s list:

1. “Cross Road Blues,” Robert Johnson

2. “This Land Is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie

3. “Paranoid,” Black Sabbath

4. “More Than a Feeling,” Boston

5. “Straight Outta Compton,” N.W.A.

I also created and passed out to the students my own version of a pop music family tree– inclusive of rock, country, rap, blues, soul, funk, jazz, folk and as many of the most influential styles and artists as I could piece together. Folks like James Brown appear several times on the list (R&B, soul, funk), while postmodern movements like reggaeton–currently big in the Latino comunity–proved hard to categorize (is it descended from reggae, world music, rap, or all of the above and then some?)

I will try to upload the document here, American Music Family Tree (subtitled  “250 Years, One Page”, though you may find it hard to read and use. It’s still fun to debate, though… like who do you think I missed? (For example, I think Nirvana’s originality and influence are somewhat overrated… I’m not sure I even included them by name.) But who else is gonna teach the next generation about Woody Guthrie, David Bowie, The Clash, Grandmaster Flash, Earth, Wind & Fire, and U2’s The Unforgettable Fire if not me?! Youse know how I loves to tie together all those artistic connections that methinks many others don’t see…

And if you’re reading this, and have an opinion, drop me a comment! I really don’t have a handle yet on who drops in here, or why. Like many bloggers, I want at least some reassurance that I’m not just talking to myself (as I talk out of my ass…)