You know, I've got so much culture my head is about to explode. So welcome to our new feature "Cultural Studies" where I see what's going on with the culture and then we study it I guess. CULTURE! Called
McNeil yesterday to discuss the death of Mr. Sas, who invented the electronic football game that McNeil hates so much with a violent hatred, as I know from my years of Advanced McNeil Studies. But McNeil is classy and did not put down Mr. Sas or in any other way revel in his demise. "That's a terrible game," stated in a calm, flat voice, free of personal animosity, was the extent of McNeil's negativity on the solemn occasion in question. Do you know about electric football? As
the obituary for Mr. Sas in the
New York Times puts it, it's "a device that propelled figures across a metal surface using vibrations created by a small motor." Still can't picture it? Let me see if I can find
a "clip" on "youtube." McNeil much preferred Mattel's "Talking Football" board game, which I believe commanded the players through a series of
little records. McNeil's neighbor up the street had the Talking Football game. Can't picture that either?
Back to youtube! Speaking of which: CULTURE! Gary, an
MFA student of mine, made the following bold statement on
the twitter last night:
"Twister is about morality the best I can tell." Now, I was certain he meant the pre-packaged party game, but I jokingly twitter-tweeted him back to ask whether he meant the movie or the game. He meant the movie! But conceded that the game was also steeped in moral considerations. Or was he just humoring me? Don't tell me, world, that you have forgotten the pre-packaged party game Twister. Oh, okay,
I will find that for you on youtube, too! That makes three youtube clips you need to "click" on. Keep track! CULTURE!
Dr. Theresa and I went to see TWISTER (the movie) upon its initial release at Atlanta's
Starlight Drive-In Theater with our friend Caroline. CULTURE!
Caroline was back at Snackbar this morning. WHAT? Snackbar in the morning? You heard right! It was about culture. Caroline read
her poetry at a special literary breakfast. A LITERARY BREAKFAST! Such a thing is almost perverse it's so cultural. LITERATURE AT BREAKFAST. That's how much culture we have around here. We can hardly stand it! Much of Caroline's awesome poetry this morning was about her old neighborhood of
Cabbagetown and
our late friend Benjamin. And speaking of Snackbar last night,
remember how Drew gave me an eye dropper containing Dean Martin's scent? I could just kick myself for not including a "link" somewhere in THAT "post" to
my old "post" about Jimmy Olsen collecting Superman's tears in a similar container. SUPERMAN'S TEARS! That would be another good name for this new regular feature. But I know you never "click" on my "links." Like, you never "click" on
this one to my list of EVERY MOVIE I HAVE EVER "BLOGGED" ABOUT ON THE "BLOG," including TWISTER. You should really be ashamed of yourself. It is so full of culture. And just look at all these "links" just in this one "post," all of them simply bursting with oodles of culture. But I don't care.
I do this BECAUSE it is useless. And we call that... CULTURE! Speaking of
Superman, I just happened to come across a passage in
George Plimpton's boxing book where he describes the cover of a Superman comic book: "Superman was shown throwing a villain off a
rocket ship; the villain's fedora remained firmly affixed to his head. 'Superman's gone mad!' the man was shouting as he spread-eagled into space." That reminds me of
Charles Portis's character
Norwood and his thoughts on Superman and Scrooge McDuck. CULTURE!
