I was talking about the day's losses, well okay, the week's losses, with Lillian, and it occurred to me that I'm getting older. Darn it.
Ty was born in the early 80's, Ryan in the late 80's. They'll never understand why I'm feeling a little bereft tonight.
Oh sure, there are DVDs and re-runs and whatnot, but they seem kinda silly now, things to look back on and smile indulgently. I am absolutely positive I'd've been the same way with my folks' viewing history if we'd had the same sort of technological access.
But that doesn't change the fact that I'm feeling a little out of sorts.
The kids will most likely remember Ed McMahon as the guy with the balloons who was the spokesman for Publisher's Clearinghouse.
But they won't get the memories brought on by that picture. They'll understand the reference -- "Heeeerrrreeee's Johnny!" -- when they watch The Shining, but it won't have the same impact, that twisty sense that something we remember as excited anticipation has been brutally changed into something horrific. For them, it's a schtick.
And they won't get the sadness that something beautiful, someone unique, has truly passed.
All they'll see is the teeth and ohmygod the HAIR, can you believe they wore it like that?! They won't quite understand that incredible visceral effect Farrah had on adolescent boys (and girls), and how she began a whole fashion revolution.
Or that she had the audacity to hyphenate her name when she got married, rather than letting her identity be subsumed by Lee's. Nowadays that's no big deal, but back then? It was almost scandalous, and certainly a step forward for women's identity.
No, they'll see the pictures of the Angels, but they won't get the same grin we got. Their Angels are Drew and Lucy and Cameron.
And that's not a bad thing, necessarily. These are their memories, their icons.
But we had them first.
Then of course there's Michael. And yeah, in his later years, he became something, well, basically unnatural and very, very strange.
But he didn't start off that way, and perhaps I'm being a bit nostalgic, but I do have some fabulous memories of the Jackson 5. Okay, so the song "Ben" was a little creepy, but only if you took it in context. Go down the street, ask each and every person under 25 A) if they've heard the song "Ben" by Michael Jackson, and B) if they know who Ben was, and I'm willing to bet 99.9% won't have a clue.
A love song about a RAT? Please.
Michael did some amazing things, and while I personally believe he peaked with Thriller, others will disagree. And despite all the strange things he did, he also did a lot of good.
So we've lost three in less than a week, and they say death comes in threes, especially with the famous sorts, but it doesn't make it easier.
These are people who affected us, for good or bad, and their passing in some ways diminishes us. In any event, they had an impact on our lives, and when all is said and done, that's no small thing.
Walk among bright stars, you three who shone so brightly here. You will be remembered, and you will be missed.
Comments