Yesterday when I was watching EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE I noticed that the song "Coca Cola Cowboy" by Mel Tillis played on the soundtrack, a song I had completely forgotten. And it tickled me because suddenly I thought of Kelly Hogan. I don't know why. Yes I do! Because "Coca Cola Cowboy" is exactly the kind of song Hogan, with her extraordinary musical sensitivity, will always find some surprising way to examine and appreciate. So today I had an urge to listen to the whole song. AND HERE'S WHAT I NOTICED! Clint Eastwood, star of EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE, is mentioned in the chorus! The narrator tells us of a woman who derides him (some derision!) for having "an Eastwood smile and Robert Redford hair." I immediately thought of the scene in Eastwood's BREEZY in which Kay Lenz and William Holden ATTEND A CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE. What is going on, Clint Eastwood? You have been sneaking some French New Wave style high jinx on us all these years. I'm actually sorrier than ever about my knee-jerk smart-aleck reaction to that thing where he talked to an empty chair at the Republican convention. I need to admit that Clint is BEYOND me. So what do we call this? "Meta"? Is that what they call it? I don't teach school anymore. I remember some grad student who told me he rolled his eyes at anything "meta" and I said "Do you roll your eyes at DON QUIXOTE?" and he snarled "YES!" Now you know why I don't teach anymore.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
I Don't Teach
Yesterday when I was watching EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE I noticed that the song "Coca Cola Cowboy" by Mel Tillis played on the soundtrack, a song I had completely forgotten. And it tickled me because suddenly I thought of Kelly Hogan. I don't know why. Yes I do! Because "Coca Cola Cowboy" is exactly the kind of song Hogan, with her extraordinary musical sensitivity, will always find some surprising way to examine and appreciate. So today I had an urge to listen to the whole song. AND HERE'S WHAT I NOTICED! Clint Eastwood, star of EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE, is mentioned in the chorus! The narrator tells us of a woman who derides him (some derision!) for having "an Eastwood smile and Robert Redford hair." I immediately thought of the scene in Eastwood's BREEZY in which Kay Lenz and William Holden ATTEND A CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE. What is going on, Clint Eastwood? You have been sneaking some French New Wave style high jinx on us all these years. I'm actually sorrier than ever about my knee-jerk smart-aleck reaction to that thing where he talked to an empty chair at the Republican convention. I need to admit that Clint is BEYOND me. So what do we call this? "Meta"? Is that what they call it? I don't teach school anymore. I remember some grad student who told me he rolled his eyes at anything "meta" and I said "Do you roll your eyes at DON QUIXOTE?" and he snarled "YES!" Now you know why I don't teach anymore.
