Wimbledon Wowser

I had a relatively quiet and relaxed Fourth of July weekend. I worked Friday morning and then did some occasional cleaning and reorganizing of rooms and closets, but on Sunday afternoon I, along with the rest of the tennis watching world, was treated to one of the single greatest sporting events to ever occur. The 2008 Wimbledon Men's Final between 5-Time Champion and World #1 Roger Federer and the 4-Time French Open Champion and World #2 Rafael Nadal was epic and engaging. Over the course of 4 hours and 48 minutes of playing time, not including over 2 hours of scattered rain delay, Nadal was able to end Federer's landmark streak in a grueling and brilliant 6-4,6-4,6-7(5),6-7(8),9-7 win. It marks Nadal's first Championship at Wimbledon after reaching and being defeated by Federer in 2006 and 2007. He is also the first Spanish player to win at the All England Club since Manolo Santana in 1966.

Incidentally Spain is having a pretty good year sports wise, with Nadal winning both the French Open and now Wimbledon in the same year(first time a player has done that since Bjorn Bjorg in 1980) and recently their national soccer team won the UEFA Euro Cup for the first time since 1962.

But back to Wimbledon. It was such a perfectly played and evenly matched game. Felt like it could just go on and on forever, neither player giving-in or giving-up. I may still be more fond of some great Pete Samprass/Andre Agassi matches of my youth but I have feeling that with time this match might resonate with me even more. Both Nadal and Federer exemplify class and sportsmanship. Coaches all over the country of every sport imaginable should be showing this match to their players. I haven't even mentioned the fact that there was a pretty fantastic Women's final on Saturday between sister superstars Venus and Serena Williams with Venus coming out on top for her 5th Wimbledon Singles Championship. Later that same afternoon the sisters paired up and won the Doubles Title together. Again I say, coaches should be looking to the Williams' sisters as the type role models that aspiring athletes need these days. (And don't try to dump any of the crazy dad baggage on them, it's not their fault what he does or how he acts and if that upsets some people often times, including myself)

Patriots not Pundits

This goes out to all my brothers and sisters serving proudly and bravely at home and abroad. This holiday is for them because they embody the same strength and courage that our forefathers had when starting this whole shebang 232 years ago. It's thier service that allows all of the mouth-breathing talking heads a forum for thier spiteful, petty and hypocritical ramblings. Thank God this is going to be the last 4th of July we have to celebrate while having the single worst Presidential Administration still in office. Little Steven of E Street Band and The Sopranos fame wrote this back in 1983 and Eddie Vedder has been covering it live for years. If you like the lyrics I highly suggest you search You Tube and watch any of many videos posted of him performing the song.

I Am A Patriot

And the river opens for the righteous, someday
I was walking with my brother
And he wondered what was on my mind
I said what I believe in my soul
It ain't what I see with my eyes
And we can't turn our backs this time

I am a patriot and I love my country
Because my country is all I know
I want to be with my family
With people who understand me
I got nowhere else to go
I am a patriot
And the river opens for the righteous, someday

I was talking with my girlfriend
She looked so fine I said baby what's on your mind
She said I want to run like the lion
Released from the cages
Released from the rages
Burning in my heart tonight

I am a patriot and I love my country
Because my country is all I know
And I ain't no communist, and I ain't no capitalist
And I ain't no socialistand I sure ain't no imperialist
And I ain't no democrat
And I ain't no republican either
And I only know one partyand its name is freedom
I am a patriot
And the river opens for the righteous, someday

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July.

The Middleman

After yesterday's half-cocked political rant I want to lighten things up and talk about a new television series airing on ABC Family Channel this summer, The Middleman, which is based on the comic book series of the same name created by Javier Grillo-Marxauch. I was not familair with the comic but I have enjoyed Grillo-Marxauch's work as a writer/producer on teh first two seasons of LOST.

The set-up is pretty simple; a struggling female artist by the name of Wendy Watson supplements her income by working lousy temp jobs and on one of those jobs she is attacked by a genetic expirement gone wrong. Our title character The Middleman comes to the resuce and is impressed by Wendy's handling of the situation. He then recruits her to join his secret organization that battles against the forces of evil like monsters, aliens and mad scientists intent on controlling the world. All that good stuff from comic books that nobody knows exists in the real world. The Middleman works for an organization that is so secret he himself doesn't even know who or what they are, so he's just The Middleman.

The dialouge is razor-sharp, especially the rapport between our straight-laced Middleman (aptly played by Matt Keeslar) and Wendy (uber crush-worthy newcommer Natalie Morales) and the show is very tongue-in-cheek towards the more fantasy and action aspects of the show, all the while not turning the characters into caratictures. The supporting cast also includes Wendy's roommate and best friend, Lacy, a self-proclaimed confrontational performance artist(also uber crush worthy Brit Morgan) and Ida, the tempermental cyborg secretary.

The Middleman airs on Mondays at 9PM CST on ABC Family Channel and the comic book series of the same name is published by Viper Comics. I will certainly be picking up some issues in the near future. It's a fun, sarcastic and geeky show that has a lot of potential.

POST SCRIPT >>

Speaking of comic books, we're in a summer movie season that has never been so dominated by comic adaptations or other superhero stoires. So far Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk have really delivered and I'll certainly catch Wanted based on the Mark Millar graphic novel sometime this week, while Hancock looks to be a toss-up but I'm hoping for the best. The rest of July will bring us Hellboy II: The Golden Army which looks like a fantastic step forward from the decent first film and then it's time for the biggest one of all, The Dark Knight, opening on July 18th and I'm preparing myself for geekgasms galore. I don't even want to anymore trailers or promos that might spoil one iota of the awesomeness that is to come.

Sick, Sick, Sick in the head

I just wanted to chime in quickly about the Supreme Court rulings that have come down recently. I'm at work and very drowsy and not felling all that well, so this might sound kind of jumbled but I need to do something to stimulate my brain and keep me from falling asleep.

First there was the ruling from our high court that deemed executions for a felony conviction of child rape, I'm pretty sure it was just for child rape. Can't remember the exact details at the moment but for a guy like myself who is pretty adamant about being against Capitol Punishment I have to say I'm rather disappointed with this ruling. I do believe that capitol punishment is for the most part inherently wrong, from both a moral and civic standpoint. But I do also believe there are exceptions to every rule.

Now in the first place it's kind of bewildering to think that such an issue would even make it all the way to the Supreme Court. Most states currently have some sort of moratorium on executions for the time being since DNA testing has put so many cases from the past and present under even further scrutiny. And obviously a very large majority of those cases in which the death penalty is even being considered are murder cases. Other than murder and occasionally rape there are even more rare cases where capitol punishment is sought, such as treason and other felony charges of endangering public health or safety(drug trafficking falls under that umbrella).

It's difficult to make people understand why I don't agree with the death penalty in most cases except rape, or more specifically child rape. I just find it to be a far more grievous and evil act toward the victim than murder is. The taking of a life is tragic and I don't take that lightly at all but for some reason I can't equate it on the same level that goes into the emotional and physical toll that sexual assault/abuse/incest/molestation.

I guess my gut reaction to any case where someone is convicted of such a heinous crime and there's not even a hint of doubt is that they shouldn't be living on the same planet as their victim or the rest of society for that matter. Now I know that condemning someone to death like that won't be able to change what happened, but it's not an issue of "proportional response" for me. I just think we're wasting food, air, time and space on someone who is beyond redemption in my eyes. My stomach is curdling, better move on.

The Supreme Court also handed down a historic judgement on interpretation of the 2nd Amendment by overturning a ban on gun ownership in Washington D.C. This is another case where I'm quite baffled by the fact that our Supreme Court is ruling on this case. There are gun laws on the books. Some are bad, some are good. The point with keeping the 2nd Amendment intact is not a strict interpretation of law but rather identifying that gun laws should be enforced better from top to bottom and that they should be subject to local leadership and not lobbying groups like the N.R.A. You have be completely out of it if you think that there being a gun ownership ban in somewhere like D.C. or Chicago is ever going to have any effect on the gun laws in Rural Michigan or somewhere like that. Of course the N.R.A. would rather just have no gun laws whatsoever. I think they have a membership count of around 2 million. So 2 million people who are part of one fanatical political activist group should decide how gun laws are written and enforced for the other 298 million people in America, many of whom might happen to live in communities where stricter gun laws are necessary and might actually make a difference. If the people of D.C. or Chicago really wanted the N.R.A. or the Supreme Court sticking their noses in this business then I'm pretty sure they would just go ahead and elect their local officials to represent that point of view, but they don't because they agree with these laws. Instead of hiding behind the 2nd Amendment like it's some sort of infallible deity the gun lobby needs to own up to some responsibility and realize that common sense regulation is not a desecration of the constitution but merely an act of progress that was a basis of what a founding fathers had laid out for us to follow. Stomach still curdling, head is now pounding as well. Time to stop. Next post will be on a much brighter note.

"john and George"

john and George

by john daniels,jr.

My Uncle Rex had a profound, and in some ways profane, effect on me. He had a passion for politics a great love for the country and was a man who never met a satire he didn’t like. He was a journalist. Rex started me on the path of counter culture semi-rebellion which has thrust me into the artist I am. It is Mom’s fault I’m Catholic.

"I was born an Irish Catholic now I’m an American. You live, you grow." spoke George Carlin on his "Class Clown" Album. It is same record that contained "The Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television." I know them by heart.

The class clown, who had long since left school and came back as the teacher, graduated this week. Maybe. Perhaps he’s in Limbo (it no longer exists) or as he joked, "Purgatory, it’s as bad as hell, but you know you going home."

It wouldn’t surprise you if I told you Rex was a Carlin fan too. I want to believe he is trying to give George some new material right now. They are sitting on stools at the bar. Rex is pouring some Bushmill’s Irish Whisky into his black coffee and George is passing him the sugar. How long is a conversation that never has to end?

The funny thing about my introduction to George Carlin is that it came from a friend who grew up a true red neck. A red neck son of a red neck father living for black-powder hunting and French fry sandwiches with lots of Miracle Whip.

It was the summer before my freshman year in high school. I was working at a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store and Tuesday was my day off. One Tuesday I rode the bus out into the sticks and walked a few miles to spend the day with my friend. I walked into the garage and opened the kitchen door. The smell of homemade French fries and cloud of smoke greeted me.

"The bread’s over there. Wash a knife and the mayonnaise is in the fridge." ordered my friend.

"My dad just got a new record and you’ve got to hear it. We have to get the kids to go outside and play first."

"Why?" I asked.

"Trust me," he replayed. "I’m going to take the potato peelin’s out to the garden. You make the sandwiches." My friend grabbed up two full handfuls of peelin’s from the kitchen sink and went out the back door.

The Labrador Retrievers backed with excitement.

"Not for you. Not for you," but the dogs barked on.

I made about five pounds of sandwiches.

It was the rural ice cream truck and the change in my pocket that finally got the two brothers and the sister out of the house. It was the locks on all of the doors that keep them out.
The album was FM / AM. We started on FM. A story starts with a lady dropping a macaroni casserole and screaming, "Shoot!" Then came the Carlinesque observation "Shoot is sh*t with two o’s" I laughed and said, "That’s my Mom." We listened to all the cuts on that side, "The Hair Piece," "Sex in Commercials," "Drugs," and "Birth Control." I laughed until I cried. My friend laughed at me.

All I wanted to do was tell Uncle Rex about George Carlin. Of course he knew already. The only artist I ever turned Rex on to was Warren Zevon. I imagine Warren is ambling up to the bar to tag in on the conversation with Rex and George as I type.

That summer I had been collecting Credence Clearwater Revival records. There was a Kroger’s food store with a record section across from the Baskin-Robins. Every Friday, pay day, I walked to the bank and cashed my check and then over to the Kroger’s to buy the next record. That Friday I looked in the comedy section. "FM / AM" was not there, but an older Carlin album, "Take-off’s and Put-on’s" went home with me. It was not cutting edge counter culture, but it was funny. The style was there. The thinking process was there. It was funny.
During my freshman year took speech. Toward the end of the year we were required to perform a humorous monolog. I took out "Take-off’s and Put-on’s." I love a routine called, "The Indian Sergeant." It was a five minute take on the Indian’s fighting style and the need for there own World War II type Drill Sergeant. It didn’t take me long to learn it. I loved it.

Speech that year had been a loss for me. I thought it would be something that would take me to the next level, but I spent most of my time in trouble, the hall or the office. I even did a stint with my desk turned to the wall. When I performed "The Indian Sergeant" it all changed. I made my first "A" in high school. Suddenly the teacher couldn’t stop talking about me and speech competitions next year.

I went to the Sinton, Texas Speech Tournament in the fall of the next year. At the time performing recorded material was against the rules. I liked the idea of doing "my" routine and it was against the rules. I think George would have approved. On my side was the fact that the album was out of press and ther was no internet at the time. Hard to prove it was recorded. They had to take my word. I performed. I won, First Place Humorous Interpretation. Mom has the trophy. My life changed. It was the moment I knew I could do what I wanted to do.

I was soon after expelled from school for the remainder of the year.

During my time off I changed friends and the album Class Clown was released. CB radios took South Texas by static. My "handle" the name you used to identify yourself on the radio was The Indian Sergeant and my new best friend went by The Class Clown. "KQC-9306 The Indian Sergeant, how ‘bout it Class Clown, ya by?"

By now it is 1975 and Mom reads the weekly local TV guide and sees that George Carlin is going to host a new show on Saturday night. Mom knows I’m a big Carlin fan. I invite my best friend over and I invite my girl friend and his girl friend and many of our other speech and music friends over. Both couches, the over stuffed chair and the floor are occupied. It is a full house. It is the first Saturday Night Live or as it was known then, "Live from New York its Saturday Night."

The musical guest was my uncle Rex’s favorite singer Gordon Lightfoot. The Not Ready for Primetime Players was everything my friends and I want to become. Carlin did a bit on Baseball and Football that is still fun to think about. Lightfoot played Sundown and then there was John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Chevy Case, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain, Lorraine Newman and Gerri Morris and an Elvis bit done by some guy named Kaufman. A synthesis of everything we were thinking, but sex. OK, that was there too. George Carlin leading the way.

For the next four years, Saturday’s where reserved for my house and SNL. Rex was a big fan too.

Life goes on and many things happen. In the early 1990’s I was living in a theatre with my one year old son Matt and my wife April. We had no money, but we had a theatre and many friends. We did shows to stay alive. It was my birthday and April had gotten me a present. There was no money for presents. I don’t know how she did it. Matt was gone with relatives for the evening and April walked me over to the convention center which was three blocks from our theatre. We had to walk… no car. As I turned the corner the marquee read, "Tonight: George Carlin."
He was wonderful. What a present. As for his list of euphemisms for masturbation…. I just say he had it in hand.

Recently when Tim Russert died April said to me, "Some people deserve to be mourned." She was right. They do. Tim Russert, another Irish Catholic-American, Carlin would think of something funny to say about that.

Right now Tim is dragging a stool over to the bar and ordering a Rolling Rock and trying to steer Rex’s rant in another direction while George takes a turn laughing and Warren strums his guitar. After all he is an excitable boy.

I can’t wait for my son Matt to come home from his Rock-n-Roll vacation. We own all the old Carlin Albums on vinyl. Matt already loves French fry sandwiches, but with real mayonnaise. I don’t peel the potatoes anymore. We will drop the needle and laugh until I cry. < <

Thanks john and Thank you George.

john daniels,jr. is a Texas actor/writer/director/musician/father/friend and pop culture appreciator. He is currently the Playwright in Residence for EASYTheatre(http://www.easytheatre.com/) and can also be contacted at john@johndanielsjr.com

Rest in Peace

"I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death. "

George Carlin (1937-2008)

Things to do with your free time this summer (Part One)

Note: This is the first part in an ongoing series of posts throughout the summer.

Read a book.

I hear the same thing over and over. “I just don’t have time to read.” We all know that’s not the truth. It’s not that there isn’t enough time to read, it’s just that sitting down and reading a book, as opposed to a blog or other website or a magazine or watching television, is something most people just aren’t willing to do often enough anymore. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the aesthetic, backlash against academia or simply the idea that there is something more exciting they can be doing. If that is the case I have a few suggestions to spice up the idea.

First of all, don’t go to a book store and buy a book. Chances are you probably have purchased a few books over the years that you’ve never gotten around to reading or finishing, just sitting there on the bookshelf collecting dust. That’s a much better place to start than a Borders or Barnes & Nobles with their coffee house décor and rows of pop culture etcetera products getting in your way. If you must go to a book store though I recommend a used book store, preferably not a chain either because then you just end up with the same set of distractions.

I like the idea of reading something that has already been read by someone else. Imagining what the previous readers had thought while the read the same pages I was now reading. It’s like the beginning of the school year when you are handed your text books for the year and they made you write your name inside the front cover below the names of all the kids who had the same book in the years before. Sometimes it would be somebody you know, a friend or maybe someone you had just known about like a former star athlete, a troublemaker who had been kicked out of school or that gorgeous brunette Senior who made your heart thump.

In a similar vein you can ask a friend, neighbor or co-worker if they have a book to recommend and would be willing to let you borrow. I love to let people borrow from my personal library and vice versa. It makes the experience more social, less book club and more personal.

My final suggestion would be the often forgotten public library. There’s probably one closer to you than you think. As far as choosing a book to read I have another fun idea. While most libraries have switched to using computerized Dewey decimal systems you might be lucky enough to find an old-fashion version with the index cards inside of wooden drawers. One of my former college libraries had the high-tech set-up front and center on the first floor but had moved their large old wooden one to back of the stacks on the second floor. So even if your library does have the robotics going on just poke and maybe you’ll find the relic still sitting around.

If you are able to find one is pick a drawer at random and then just start flipping through the cars until a book title or author’s name catches your attention. Or you can always just peruse through the aisles searching for something that piques your interest. Maybe you saw a movie that was based on a certain book that you’ve never read or you just like the cover art. Doesn’t matter, whatever gets you started. You never know what you might discover.

Of course once you have a found a book through any of these scenarios or not the most important thing is that you actually read it.