Comic 172
Back-up Vocal~ I must make a confession. There are a few folks in my broader circle of friends, who have convinced themselves that I am somewhat refined and well-read. God God in the goose fat, they’re WRONG! Truth is, any knowledge I might have gleaned in the realms of High Culture, has really come from exposure through Pop Culture. It’s been filtered through movies, music, novels or tv shows I already enjoy. Now and then, a crumb of wisdom will creep through. If it catches my attention and I find that it speaks to me in some way or another, then I will explore it on my own to learn more.
Such is the case with Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters performing the “Pistol Packin’ Mama” tune. A clip of the song appeared in an episode of the “12 Monkeys” tv show (and why in God’s name haven’t you watched it yet?! It’s spectacular and actor Aaron Stanford is BRILLIANT). I had never heard it before and it grabbed me. So, I ran to YouTube, played all of that little gem and knew I had to use it. As a result, that there jumpin’, jivey jam found a home in the pages of “Mannyacs” in a matter of moments.
That was a magnificent gift from the Cosmos and I wish I had more of them. The tricky piece, is that there’s really no way to plan for these seconds of glorious inspiration and no way to prepare for them. It all has to happen in its own time. I can’t look for that kind of magic, it runs completely in a “right place, right time” parameter. All I can do, is hope I’m attentive when the Mac Daddies of “The Muse” are kind enough to fire a shot across the bow in my direction.
I know dear, sweet Splendorland University had the best of intentions when they crafted their Foreign Language crash courses. However, perhaps their head honchos should have focused less energy on serving a buffet that cross-pollinates and misappropriates culinary cultural delights. It might have been more expedient to direct their passions towards offering the students some lessons with real-world application in the International arenas. Knowing how to sing bouncy 1940’s Swing tunes in Lakota, WON’T transform a romp through Customs into a breezy, peaches-and-cream two-step. Even if you’re Manny or Soxx.
Ok. Especially if you’re Manny or Soxx.