steve martin | dual personalities

March 18, 2024

Now that I’m a winner I have Chick-fil-a for dinner*

by chuckofish

Well, I survived 2 nights/3 days with Mr. Smith and rather enjoyed having the little fellow visit. I talked to more neighbors than in a month of Sundays! Nevertheless, I was relieved to see see him go home with daughter #1 when she arrived from her visit to Illinois!

I forgot it was St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday and went to church wearing a green silk jacket (I thought it looked appropriately springy). Zut alors! I do not as a rule wear green on St. Patrick’s Day! My red-haired Scottish friend Moira, who sits behind me in church, called me on it immediately. (Her husband was wearing an orange tie.) I said, “I forgot what day it is!” Well, I have some Ulster-Scots ancestors, so sue me.

After church the boy dropped by unexpectedly with the twins, who had been hiking in Castlewood State Park. (They are camping at home tonight because the temperature is dropping precipitously–thus the change of plans.)

I was glad to see them, although I had no special Sunday food to share. We snacked on Honey Nut Cheerios. When they left I think they were headed for Uncle Bill’s diner–Mom is out of town.

Daughter #1 came over in the afternoon after her busy day and we watched The Quiet Man–wonderful.

And here’s a new song* from Steve Martin to get your blood pumpin’ on Monday!

3 Comments

November 24, 2020

“Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

by chuckofish

Greetings from flyover country where three-year olds still draw people who look like this…

Clearly a portrait of her dad, of course, with a several day growth of beard

…and memes like this make us LOL…

(Note that Christmas is not capitalized but Communists is.)

Yes, we still watch Christmas movies and I, for one, am looking forward to starting my Christmas movie viewing this Thursday with the Thanksgiving lead-in to the holidays, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). Funnily enough, there seem to be people who are even more obsessed with this movie than my own family (who can recite the entire screenplay verbatim.) Check this out–a documentary that explores the history of a longer cut, drawing on deleted scenes, trailers, different versions of the screenplay and an interview with Michael McKean. In other words, everything you want to know about PT&A, but were afraid to imagine.

Next up (or maybe first) will be Miracle on 34th Street (1947). Since the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade will be “virtual” this year (yawn), maybe we’ll just cut out the middleman and watch the movie at 9:00 am with Mimosas and cinnamon rolls.

Whatever. This is going to be a very laid-back, wine-soaked Thanksgiving with only three of us at home. C’est la vie. We’ll make cheesy potatoes and have turkey and cranberry sauce and all the fixings. There will be pie.

We will continue to roll with the punches.

And here’s a little updated Steve Martin for Tuesday:

5 Comments

August 14, 2020

Another mish mosh

by chuckofish

Bookplate image via contentinacottage.blogspot.com

Friday at last! We have had a rainy (but cooler) week here in flyover country with trees down and unfortunately quite a bit of flooding.

Lots of detritus to pick up in our yard.

Weather does spice up our sad, isolated lives though. We have so few diversions, don’t we?

Today is the birthday of Steve Martin (born August 14, 1945) –American actor, comedian, author, filmmaker, and musician. I recently watched All of Me (1984) directed by Carl Reiner. It is pretty silly stuff, but I enjoyed it and there are several scenes that are masterfully done where Martin contends with his own body, which has been partially taken over by the Lily Tomlin character’s soul.

The OM was not amused, but when is he?

Sunday is the birthday of T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935). Besides becoming famous for his role in the Arab Revolt, he was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer.

Early Hittite artifact found by T. E. Lawrence and Leonard Woolley (right) in Carchemish.

Well, I am happy to raise a toast to Steve and T.E.

They kind of resemble each other, don’t they?

And I’ll raise another glass to the wee babes who are going back to school!

And to Marty Stuart who will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame!

There’s always something to celebrate! Have a good weekend.

“Grace is the celebration of life, relentlessly hounding all the non-celebrants in the world. It is a floating, cosmic bash shouting its way through the streets of the universe, flinging the sweetness of its cassations to every window, pounding at every door in a hilarity beyond all liking and happening, until the prodigals come out at last and dance, and the elder brothers finally take their fingers out of their ears.” –Robert Farrar Capon, Episcopal priest, Between Noon and Three: Romance, Law and the Outrage of Grace

2 Comments

January 16, 2014

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” *

by chuckofish

A lot of people in my family are extremely musical. I am not one of them. Oh, I sang in the choir at school and I still like to belt out a hymn at church. But that’s about it.

But I know what I like and I listen a lot.

As you know, I occasionally even go to a concert. In fact, in February I have tickets to see Josh Ritter and Gregory Alan Isakov at the Sheldon here in my flyover town. I am pretty darn excited. Daughter #2 gave me a Josh Ritter CD last year and two more (!) just arrived in the mail–oh boy!

Gregory Alan Isakov is only the opening act, but I am mostly excited to see him. I have blogged about him several times, so you know how I feel.

I have also been listening to Love Has Come For You, Steve Martin’s new CD with Edie Brickell, which daughter #2 gave me for Christmas. I really like it. It is obvious that after all these years and plenty of fame and honors galore, all Steve really wants to do is play the banjo.

And since her birthday is coming up, I thought it was only appropriate to load some Dolly in my car CD player. She is still the best.

Also I have been listening to my young friend Andrew Hunt and his band Johnny Appleseed:

Wake up, Nashville!

What have you been listening to?

*Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize With the Hammer

5 Comments

November 29, 2013

Del Griffith! How the hell are ya?

by chuckofish

Hope y’all had as nice a Thanksgiving as we did. Good food, good company and, as usual, we ended the day with these guys:

3 Comments

July 25, 2012

Bells are ringing

by chuckofish

Don’t be surprised if we don’t post for a few days, as the boy and his intended are gettin’ hitched on Saturday. Lots of relations (for us anyway) are coming into town for the festivities. Hopefully we’ll have pictures to share next week! Until then, think positive thoughts and send them our way.

I will be channeling Diane Keaton (even though she was, of course, the mother of the bride in this movie, and I will be–metaphorically-speaking–wearing beige and having no opinion like any self-respecting mother-of-the-groom.)

Locheim!

3 Comments

November 25, 2011

A family tradition or “If they told you wolverines would make good house pets, would you believe them?”

by chuckofish

I think I have probably seen this movie at least 25 times, i.e. every year since it was released in 1987. We even let our children watch it at impressionably young ages, long before they knew what the f-word was. (Okay, a black mark on my parenting record, but they survived.) We watch it every Thanksgiving and that is why Planes, Trains and Automobiles, directed by John Hughes and starring Steve Martin and John Candy in their greatest roles, is my Friday movie pick.

It is the story of two mis-matched guys, both apparently trying to get home for Thanksgiving. Steve Martin is the uptight ad man Neal Page who becomes burdened with Del Griffith (John Candy), an “annoying blabbermouth”, as his traveling companion. Everything that can go wrong, does. In our house we know the entire script and (annoyingly to any outsider watching with us) say the lines along with the actors. Many of the lines have entered the family parlance, and just a few words can set off the recitation of a scene:

Neal: Del… Why did you kiss my ear?
Del: Why are you holding my hand?
Neal: [frowns] Where’s your other hand?
Del: Between two pillows…
Neal: Those aren’t pillows!

Del: You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I’m an easy target. Yeah, you’re right, I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you… but I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings. Well, you think what you want about me; I’m not changing. I like… I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. ‘Cause I’m the real article. What you see is what you get.

Gus: Del Griffith! How the hell are ya?
Del: Well, I’m still a million bucks shy of bein’ a millionaire.

Hotel Clerk: Do you have seventeen dollars and a good watch?
Del: No I don’t. I have uh… two dollars… and a Casio.

Neal: You know everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You’re a miracle! Your stories have NONE of that. They’re not even amusing ACCIDENTALLY! “Honey, I’d like you to meet Del Griffith, he’s got some amusing anecdotes for you. Oh and here’s a gun so you can blow your brains out. You’ll thank me for it.” I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They’d say, “How can you stand it?” I’d say, “‘Cause I’ve been with Del Griffith. I can take ANYTHING.” You know what they’d say? They’d say, “I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Woah.” It’s like going on a date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn’t pull it out and snap it back – you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh! And by the way, you know, when you’re telling these little stories? Here’s a good idea – have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!