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Al Has Left the Fair
California State Fair This September, California State Fair closed its last days for the season in a truly delightful, and nostalgic way. Having spanned several decades in my current lifetime, I was transported back in time to the old days, when the line between sanity and chaos were still two different beasts-or at least seemed so at the time to a young and impressionable lad such as myself. It can be argued not all the impressions were favorable, although humble vanity would like to think my trek toward adulthood was not so different then many others. Every August and September, California holds its State Fair at the Cal Expo ground in Sacramento, CA. Despite the heat of the summer months at their worst, literally hundreds of thousands families make the yearly pilgrimage to Sacramento, CA where they are bombarded with armies of vendors selling anything to balloons tied to sticks, hats, clothes, food and drinks (both mundane and exotic including a banana peanut butter concoction Elvis ‘The King” Presley supposed adopted as his favorite. There are collector items of old photographs, buttons etc. while in another booth representatives from various odd resorts attempt to sell you time shares, memberships and whatever else is attached to their particular program. There are beds whose mattresses adjust to your particular sleep needs, supporting your body for the best sleep with a touch of a button. There are African artifacts sold to support various spiritual works, numerous Asian works of art for a variety of items (Pearls, Jewelry etc.). Free cleanings for your rings, eyeglasses and jewelry abound, all for the price of a small segment of your time and possible a sale of the product. This by far doesn’t come close to the experience of California State Fair. For those seeking entertainment, a variety awaits ranging from mariachi music, a hypnotist or similar stage shows and for the conclusion on this years event, a concert by the master of weirdness himself: Weird Al Yankovic. I had the great enjoyment of attending this concert with my children, who had not grown up with Weird Al’s journey from the Dr. Demento show to Weird Al’s achievements as an icon for at least 2 generations, if not more. While I was excited about this event, my two children were less than enthusiastic. This was one of Dad’s oddities to them which they were forced to endure. I tried to explain to them what to expect, but how do you explain Weird Al to one who doesn’t know him? You don’t. It’s an experience. The fast paced performance mirrored the unflagging energy Weird Al commands and wields to a masterful degree. Humor was non-stop as Weird Al sang his parodies and introduced his own version of interviews from sundry figures in the entertainment industry. I, for one, can no longer hear Star Wars music without thinking of Weird Al, and hearing him sing …”some day later maybe Vader, now he’s just a small fry.” For those family members unfortunate enough to not have grown up with Weird Al, some of his humor may be a stretch. I found the pre-concert briefing helpful for my two children, so while they may have not understood the subtler or more esoteric aspects of his humor, they nevertheless caught on quickly that Weird Al was actually a big kid at heart, and modeled for them that it is ok for adults to be silly and weird just as much as kids. I won’t mislead you. Some may find Weird Al offensive. If so, then the obvious choice is to not see him. However there are those who can look beyond the surface and see reflected aspects of our society which indeed need to be laughed at and mocked, as well as just being plain silly for silly in and of itself. Weird Al is not an easy act to follow. For all its humor, his show is professional and complex, showing a true artist at work. As in the tradition of a true artist, Weird Al also exposes the more foolish aspect of who we are and the world we live in. Amish Paradise, an obvious parody on its gangland counter-part, has generated controversy around the glorification of the gangland culture. But perhaps we need to see this in the light of Weird Al’s portrayal, for humor often uncovers truth which becomes hidden in other agendas and purposes. Satire and parody used to have an honored place in our society. Many cultures have humor as a central part of their culture. Humor takes on the quality of creativeness, and of creation and living of life itself. Weird Al brings that out in a non-selfish manner, for much of his humor is inner-directed; which in my book earns him much respect. I want my children to be able to laugh at themselves, for there is nothing healthier for us as an individual and society, than to laugh at ourselves and be content with who we are. No pretenses, no excuses. One last item which impressed me was the presence of an ASL interpreter. Being partially deaf, such issues are of great interest to me, because the utilization of such services speaks to making the playing field more friendly and accessible. The young lady earned her pay, for she kept up with Weird Al’s exhausting pace for over two hours and at the end of it all, she was still going strong. More important, those of the deaf or hard of hearing community had access which most performers would have not given a priority too. For those who wish to let out their inner child in all mischievousness and humor, Weird Al provided just such an opportunity. It definitely showed, from the oldest to the youngest there was fun and enjoyment. And at the end, when we returned to our world of sour looks and frowning faces, where we are told to be seen and not heard, or to not joke about the taboo items because it’s not politically correct, we carried a re-kindled spark of childlessness and made the world a brighter place. Thank you Weird Al, for everything.
Submitted by: H.E. Curtis Author of the Fantasy
novel: Tribunal of the Rose
When life hands you lemons... throw 'em back! |
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