After the banjo fades

Do you have a crush on Steve Martin? Wait a second before you answer, especially if you are a young person who has only seen latter-day paycheck-generating Steve. Frankly, I’m willing to forgive the existence of the Pink Panther 2 due to the press tour Steve has undertaken to lazily promote the movie while playing banjo and rather merrily being himself. Sorry to be an old person, but kids, in the good old days, Steve Martin movies were really awesome. Remember Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Jerk, Parenthood? Kids, he would wear bunny ears, or an arrow through his head, and do stand-up, and magic, and host SNL, and his was a unique voice in comedy, and delightful. Even though I loved him when I was a child and he really mattered to my cognitive development, this isn’t senseless nostalgia. He’s worth celebrating. Ignore the clip of the movie, but enjoy his banter with Stephen Colbert here. The spoken-word-off in the clip (3:55) is fairly amazing. I pretty much think comedy is more important art than drama.

I’m kind of angry at U.S. Swimming and Kelloggs and Subway Sandwiches. Just strikes me as cowardly on their parts, and disproportionate, and an extension of the part of our society that cannibalizes its heroes. Why do we expect them to be something other than human? In any case I can think of much worse things done by high Bush Administration officials that have thus far escaped the scrutiny and shame afforded Phelps.

Winter Song: Are somewhat melancholy songs a nice massage for our sad winter-depressed shoulders, or do they just make things worse? Confusingly, I think the former, even though it seems akin to eating poison when you have been food poisoned and up all night throwing up. Even if you’ve been metaphorically food poisoned by winter depression, I think this worn-out, end-of-the-night Stevie Nicks song will quiet your soul and ease the world’s bristling discomforts. It’s After the Glitter Fades, and it’s worth remembering the meteoric rise to fame/implosion of Fleetwood Mac when you listen to it.