Movie Wisdom – Harry Dean Stanton Edition

24 Aug

I am still in the process of breaking my writer’s block, and I am still creating easy posts until it completely goes away. Today’s easy post is part of the Movie Wisdom series that I often use to get through such times.

In the past, we have looked at words of wisdom from leading men, leading ladies and character actors. This time, we are exploring the works of one of time all time character actors, Harry Dean Stanton. The Kentucky native has been in some classics.Harry Dean

From How the West Was Won

There ain’t much glory in trompin’ behind a plow.

It don’t pay to eat too much on an empty stomach.

There ain’t much glory in lookin’ at a man with his guts hanging out.

From Cool Hand Luke

Sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.

Things are just never the way they seem.

From Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Comes an age in a man’s life when he don’t wanna spend time figuring what comes next.

From The Godfather: Part II

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.

Good health is the most important thing. More than success, more than money, more than power.

From The Missouri Breaks

The closer you get to Canada, the more things’ll eat your horse.

From Red Dawn

Far better it is to dare mighty things, than to take rank with those poor, timid spirits who know neither victory nor defeat.

No one can ever go home again.

From Pretty in Pink

If somebody doesn’t believe in me, I can’t believe in them.

If you give off signals that you don’t want to belong, people will make sure that you don’t.

From The Last Temptation of Christ

Change will happen with love, not with killing.

From The Green Mile

People hurt the ones they love.

Sometimes the past just catches up with you, whether you want it to or not.

You can’t hide what’s in your heart.

From Rango

No man can walk out of his own story.

Stay in school, eat your veggies, and burn everything but Shakespeare.

Control the water, and you control everything.

Sometimes you have to dig deep to find what you’re looking for.

It’s the deeds that make the man.

 

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Breaking Writer’s Block With Magic Johnson and Larry Bird

23 Aug

Man, an oil slick like writer’s block has oozed its way over my brain. There is absolutely nothing in my mind that can be transferred onto the screen. It could be because school is about to start, and there is a lot to think about. It could be because I am operating three Twitter accounts. It could be because the blogging part of my brain has shut down.

How do I break out of it? Just throw some stuff out there and see what happens.

Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, a documentary about the careers of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, is on television. I have seen it a bunch of times, but it never gets old. In those days, I was a fan of the Boston Celtics and lived and died with their games.Celtics

We did not have professional teams in Tennessee, and, like a lot of other people without a home team, I had to pick a favorite from somewhere else. In the NBA, people chose between the Lakers and the Celtics. A friend of mine wanted to be different and picked the Philadelphia 76er’s.

The same thing happened with the NFL. Those of us in the hinterland without teams had to choose. This time, it was between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. Although, that same friend went with the Miami Dolphins. The Dallas Cowboys were my choice, and, like with the Celtics, I lived and died with their games.Cowboys

One year, my dad took me to see the Cowboys play the Chicago Bears. I can still remember walking into Texas Stadium and seeing the cheerleaders dance onto the field. There was Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Randy White. Walter Payton ran all over the place for the Bears, but the Cowboys came from behind to win.

I never saw Larry Bird and the Celtics, but, ironically, I got the chance to see Magic Johnson and the Lakers. It was the late 1980s, and they were playing against the Detroit Pistons. My dad did business with the owner of the Pistons, and we got to sit in his box. We also got to sit courtside for a while.

We stayed at the same hotel as the Lakers, which was also cool. We had breakfast at the table next to Pat Riley, the Lakers coach, and we were standing outside while the team boarded their bus. The players were huge.

Those were great experiences, but things change. I no longer watch the Celtics, but part of me still keeps up with them in the standings.

Nashville has an NFL team, and we have season tickets for the Tennessee Titans. I have watched them in the Super Bowl, and I have watched them through the depths of losing seasons. They are my team. However, I still keep an eye on the Cowboys in the standings.

Oh yeah, I still do not like the Lakers, and I still do not like the Steelers.

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The Phrenology Head

20 Aug

Over the weekend, my wife was shopping, and I was wandering around the store. Suddenly, I saw it. Without hesitation, I picked it up and took it to the shopping cart. It was something that I had to have. It was a Phrenology Head.image-50

My wife immediately asked what I was going to do with it and breathed a sigh of relief when I said that I was taking it to work. I thought it would look interesting in my office and be a conversation piece. I was not wrong.

When my stepdaughter saw it, she asked what it was. I said it was a head. When I was unlocking my office door, my colleague asked what I had. I said it was a Phrenology Head. That means that most of the people who have seen it have made a comment about it. That is the definition of a conversation piece. Hopefully, my students will talk about the Phrenology Head when I take it to class.

That is the other reason I bought it. In the first semester of United States history, I talk about Phrenology and other such things from our past. In essence, it was the study of the human head. Practitioners would measure skulls and search for bumps and indentions. Different parts of the skull represented different parts of the brain. On top of that, each part of the brain controlled a different aspect of that person. A bumpy, indented skull meant one thing. A smooth skull meant another.

It was all very scientific.

My students laugh when we talk about Phrenology, and they will probably laugh when they see the Phrenology Head. However, it was serious business. The research was used to justify European superiority over other people. If you have ever seen the dining room scene in Django Unchained, then you know what I mean.

There is a Phrenology Head sitting on my desk, and I am waiting for the first student to walk into my office. Hopefully, they will ask about it. If not, then they are probably being polite to the crazy teacher who has this strange head. Of course, I am talking about the Phrenology Head. Although, I wonder what information a Phrenological study would get from my cranium.

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My iPod Has Issues – Better Than Going Postless

17 Aug

There is an idea rattling around inside my head, but I am way too busy to write it. I just finished my Annual Activity Report, which my colleagues and I thought we had avoided, and I am due to work in the Rotary concession stand in a few hours. Our county is home to the largest fair in Tennessee, and my contribution is spending one night selling hamburgers. If this rain holds up, then there may not be much to do.Fair

On top of that, there is a Planning Commission meeting in the morning and a meeting with my Dean in the afternoon. Oh yeah, I also have to prepare for the start of the semester. That includes a short presentation about Simon Wiesenthal for a small group of faculty.

Obviously, there is not much time to write an in-depth post about my grand idea. Instead, I am going go back into the mind of my iPod. Lately, we have done that a lot, and I hope we do not turn its mind into mush. An iPod lobotomy would be a terrible result. The music could get all jumbled up.

It is a scary proposition, but we have to plow ahead. Going postless would be the only alternative.

“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” by Waylon Jennings

“I’ve Got the World on a String” by Frank Sinatra

“Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison

“Soul Poppin'” by Johnny Jones and the King Casuals

“Drive Driven” by Yello

“Oh What a Night” by The Dells

“Classical Gas” by Mason Williams

“Little Red Rooster” by Big Mama Thornton

“Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones

“One More Time” by Daft Punk

“Ole Slewfoot” by BR-549

“He’s a Rebel” by The Crystals

“Back Door Man” by The Doors

“You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again” by Whitesnake

“The Last Pale Light in the West” by Ben Nichols

“Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand

“I Got a Bad Mind” by Big Joe Williams

“Get Up Stand Up” by Bob Marley

“Was I Right or Wrong” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

“The Twist” by Chubby Checker

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Childhood Memories – Elvis Presley

16 Aug

Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. This post is from the early days of this blog and recounts the time I saw him in concert.

Rick's avatarSBI: A Thinning Crowd

When I was seven years old, my dad came home with an announcement. Elvis Presley was performing in a nearby town, and, through a friend of my dad’s, we had gotten front row seats. I remember only bits and pieces of the night, but this is my version of the events.

As we walked into the concert venue, a basketball arena on a college campus, I noticed bright lights and a haze in the air. I assume this was the clouds of smoke from cigarettes burning throughout the arena, but it could also be the effects of my imagination. There was a bustle of excitement as we got to our seats. I remember thinking how high the stage was and wondered what would happen if Elvis fell off. My parents, my 17-year-old brother and I sat and waited for the show to start. However, it wasn’t long before a woman offered my…

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Movie Wisdom- Robert Mitchum Edition

15 Aug

Several months ago, I put together a Movie Wisdom post based on the films of John Mitchum. Now, I have decided to write one about the movies of his more famous brother, Robert Mitchum.

The idea developed as I watched Thunder Road, a movie that I had never seen. Robert Mitchum wrote it; starred in it; and co-wrote the theme song. In other words, it was a movie that he was passionate about.

Thunder Road is about moonshine running in Appalachia. After watching the movie, I looked up its filming locations. When I was a kid, I heard that a movie like this one was made nearby, and I wondered if this was the one. It was not, but I am going to figure out that mystery.

Anyway, here are some words of wisdom that can be found in the movies of Robert Mitchum.Robert Mitchum

From River of No Return

There are lots of ways to die. Starving to death isn’t my favorite.

The longer you last the less you care.

From Thunder Road

If you want to bray, go find yourself a barnyard.

From The Longest Day

The thing that’s always worried me about being one of the few is the way we keep on getting fewer.

You can’t give the enemy a break.

From El Dorado

A man can’t shoot good when his horse is jumping.

Faith can move mountains, but it can’t beat a faster draw.

From 5 Card Stud

A man don’t work, he ain’t respectable.

The funeral is for the living.

From Scrooged

Sometimes the truth is painful.

That’s the one good thing about regret: it’s never too late. You can always change tomorrow if you want to.

From Cape Fear

If you hold on to the past you die a little each day.

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The Second Coming Took Place on a Tennessee Highway

14 Aug

It was a dark and foggy night, and I was driving down a two-lane highway after a late night out. The headlights in the fog made the night look ominous, and my eyes were tired. In short, it was a good time to see things that might not actually be there.

I drove around a curve to see a police car sitting on the left side of the road. It was facing away from me, and, like my car, its headlights were hitting the fog. I could see something standing in the headlights and the officer standing by his car.

I slowed down, which was a good thing. If I had not been on my breaks, then I might have run off the road.

Jesus was standing in front to the police car. The headlights and the fog made his white gown glow. His arms were outstretched and he was looking into the sky.Jesus

For a second, I thought I had driven into the Second Coming. He was even coming from the east, and, like the Bible says, that is where Jesus will be coming from.

Obviously, it was not Jesus. It was some guy who was walking around looking like Jesus. However, I cannot overstate how freaky it was. Even the officer looked like he was taken aback.

Well, I guess it was not Jesus. Who knows? The End Times could be upon us. If that is the case, then I can say that I was there when Jesus appeared to a police officer in Tennessee. I can also be proud of the fact that I did not wreck.

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My iPod Has Issues – Brain Break

12 Aug

If you scroll down the blog, then you will see a recent post looking into the confines of my iPod. Usually, I like to put some time between those sessions. It gives my iPod’s brain a break from the constant analysis. However, there are times when you have to go back in and figure out what is going on.

Besides that, school is about to start, and my brain needs a break. The best way to do that is to crank up the music and see what the iPod chooses.Brain Break

“I Love” by Tom T. Hall

“The Look of Love” by Isaac Hayes

“Volcano” by Jimmy Buffett

“Les Tracas De Todd Balfa” by Balfa Toujours

“Hotel California” by The Eagles

“It’s Not My Cross to Bear” by The Allman Brothers Band

“Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

“Lebanon, Tennessee” by Ron Sexsmith

“Kaw-Liga” by Hank Williams

“When Love Comes to Town” by B.B. King

“How I Got Over” by The Fairfield Four

“Longer” by Dan Fogelberg

“Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard

“Arrival” by Daft Punk

“Pledging My Love” by David Allan Coe

“The Chokin’ Kind” by Joe Simon

“Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff

“An Old Fashioned Love Song” by Three Dog Night

“Orange Blossom Special” by Benny Martin

“Mary Had a Little Lamb” by Stevie Vaughan and Double Trouble

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The City Historian

11 Aug

A few months ago, our city council appointed me to the position of city historian. It was an honor to be chosen as the keeper of our historical gates. At that city council meeting, I told a story that I will never forget.

I was in a meeting about attracting tourists to our area, and someone said that we could not attract people because our city had no history. At that point, I rattled off a list of people and events from our past. When I finished, this person said that we did not have real history like a presidential home.

Forty-three people have served as president. That means that there are a ton of cities that do not have presidential homes. They have history, and they attract tourists.

At my appointment meeting, I stated my goal that no one would make that statement again.Baseball

As city historian, I have inventoried the artifacts and documents at our local museum, and I have joined our historic commission. However, I have not spread the word about our city’s interesting history.

To fix that in a small way, I started a Twitter account @LebanonHistory to share short stories about the past. If you have Twitter and are interested in history, then I would appreciate the follow.

 

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Movie Wisdom – Ward Bond Edition

9 Aug

There have been several Movie Wisdom posts. Some of them have focused on leading actors, and others have focused on character players. This one covers the movies of one of the all time great character actors.

Ward Bond appeared in a ton of classics, but this list only includes the ones I have seen. Let us see what wisdom can be found in the works of Ward Bond.Rio Bravo

From Gone With the Wind

Tomorrow is another day.

With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.

From The Grapes of Wrath

A fellow ain’t got a soul of his own, just little piece of a big soul, the one big soul that belongs to everybody.

Seems like the government’s got more interest in a dead man than a live one.

Maybe there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue, they’s just what people does.

Well, a woman can change better’n a man.

Takes no nerve to do something, ain’t nothin’ else you can do.

From The Maltese Falcon

Talking’s something you can’t do judiciously, unless you keep in practice.

The best goodbyes are short.

From It’s a Wonderful Life

No man is a failure who has friends.

Youth is wasted on the wrong people.

From Hondo

A man oughta do what he thinks is best.

Everybody gets dead.

Women always figure every man comes along wants ’em.

From Johnny Guitar

There’s only two things in this world that a ‘real man’ needs: a cup of coffee and a good smoke.

When a fire burns itself out, all you have left is ashes.

A man who can’t hold on to a glass should drink like a baby from a bottle.

From The Searchers

Figure a man’s only good for one oath at a time.

From Rio Bravo

Man gets shot that’s got a gun, there’s room for reasonable doubt.

 

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