America Honors

Having been off for a few weeks I have been able to catch up on some long-overdue TV watching. I rented the old series ''Night Gallery'' from the early 1970's. This show was the follow up series for the great Rod Serling after his legendary ''Twilight Zone'' show. ''Night Gallery'' is a program I have dim memories of as a kid. My Dad loved it, but, it scared the hell out of me when I was a small boy. The show now, some forty years later, still holds up. And, true to form, I was a little rattled by some of the episodes. I watched them as you should with a show like this: alone, late at night, in the dark. I recommend the rental for anyone interested in these types of shows. I also caught up-- via YouTube--- the yearly program ''The Kennedy Center Honors''...... This show does what it advertises. It honors those artists in the performing arts. It is a marvelous cross-section of the creative. This year they honored: Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman, Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Nakarova, and, most surprisingly, Led Zeppelin. If you have never seen the show, it consists of the honorees sitting in the balcony of the Kennedy Center, surrounded by family and friends, and, the President and First Lady. Each artist is given about twenty minutes in tribute. The selection of those asked to honor the honorees usually is reflected on those who have followed them in the same field and are most influenced by the award winner. The honoree sits and listens as his or her life is reenacted. It is part tribute, and, part celebration of said person. It is not fawning in the least. Rather, it is a respectful thank you to this person for advancing the cause of the artist. A tear is shed by the artist towards the loving way they are celebrated. Sometimes, the viewer will share along with that tear.... Dustin Hoffman batted lead-off for the show. Robert DeNiro came out and saluted his fellow thespian. A series of clips is standard in this show. For a few minutes the viewer is taken back in time through the work of the artist. With Dustin Hoffman, it is a rich, rewarding experience. A trailblazer because on his non-matinee idol looks, Dustin opened the door for those people who followed in his footsteps that might not have been the best-looking in class, but, they sure were the most talented. With the Hoffman clips the viewer is reminded what a national treasure this man is. From ''The Graduate'' on, he made watching acting a pleasure. Consider some of his titles, ''Midnight Cowboy'', ''Little Big Man'', ''Lenny'', ''Papillon'', ''All The President's Men'', ''Marathon Man'', Kramer vs Kramer'', ''Tootsie'', ''Rainman'', ''Wag The Dog'', etc, no one actor of the last forty years has shown the tremendous range that this man has. A notorious perfectionist and pain in the ass to work with, all of his colleagues testify that Dustin is like this not out of ego, but, a sense of purpose to make the work shine. Such a drive always needs to be applauded and not condemned. A few other, younger actors saluted him like, Liev Schroeber and Naomi Watts. They are the children of this man's influence. As is any actor who has followed his lead...... Ballet is not my forte. I have respect for any performer with talent, but, I will be damned if I could tell you anything about this art form. It seems to be about timing and discipline and constant attention to detail. There is a beauty to this dance. I will not disrespect this profession by commenting on it more, but, Natalia Nakarova, sitting on the balcony with all the others, sure deserves whatever accolades thrown at her. I do not know if I would ever follow ballet, but, for a few minutes on the broadcast, it was a pleasure being taken into this world...... Buddy Guy's name holds awe in the music business. People from Clapton to Richards, to anyone who has ever held a guitar cherises his influence. He came along in the blues scene in the late 1950's/ early 1960's period. British music was about to explode all over the world and the British stars learned their trade from black American bluesmen. Muddy Waters was front and center, along with John Lee Hooker. And, so, quietly, was Buddy Guy. He played the guitar like God Himself taught him the chords personally. A wailing sound emerged from his fingertips. In a fast-paced song that had everybody up dancing and singing, his guitar drove the action wherever it needed to go. In a sad song, his guitar cried the electrified tears of the sorrowful and lonely. He never rang the bell when it came to a Number One hit, but, popularity can be very deceiving. Madonna is popular, but, certainly no artist. Buddy Guy gave the spirit of the blues its backbone, crossing ethnic lines and bringing people together. Perhaps, that is his greatest legacy. The music stays in your soul and brings forth the hidden and unexplained euphoria that all good music does. I saw him live several years ago at his club in downtown Chicago. He played the guitar like a master, of course, but, he also lit up the crowd with his intense energy. The highlight of the show was when Buddy wandered the crowd with his guitar so his fans could experience him up close and personal. Then, he got more personal by walking into the ladies room and playing from there [ his bar, his rules ]! The Kennedy Center brought out the people he inspired: Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Beck, Tracy Chapman. While the man watched, they played him his music. From their souls to his. Also, ours...... Jimmy Kimmel, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Ray Romano all came out to honor Dave. That is what we came him. Dave. Any formal title like David seems so ill-suited for this blue-collar prince from Indiana. Which is why it is so ironically funny that Dave should be honored at something like this. He deserves the honor, certainly, but, has spent his whole career making fun of taking show business so seriously. This was the crux of what Baldwin and Company took with them on stage when talking about Letterman. How funny they all found it that Dave was sitting there being honred by his country and HE COULD NOT UTTER A WORD IN PROTEST!!! Dave takes compliments like the rest of us take getting a root canal. But, he gamely sat there and listened while his history was played out. And, David Letterman should be rightly proud of his place in the world. Starting out in Indiana in college radio and local TV [ he was a weatherman!] Dave followed his dream to be a stand-up comedian with moving out to Hollywood. His ultimate dream was to be on ''The Tonight Show'' with his idol, Johnny Carson. After a few years he was asked on and hit a home run. Johnny [ another person of whom we only needed one name for ] was immediately taken with Dave and asked him to sit in for him to guest host. This led to his career going through the roof, and, eventually, Johnny gave Dave the plum job of following ''The Tonight Show'' with his own show, ''Late Night With David Letterman''. It started in 1982, and, from then on comedy has never been the same. Every comedian who does a talk show now--- including Letterman's rival and one time friend, Jay Leno--- is influenced, and, in some cases, outright steals, from Dave. His speciality is ironic, sarcastic humor. In short, he is America's greatest smart-ass. When he came to CBS in the early 90's, Dave shifted his comedy to become more a commentator of current life than he had been before. In the aftermath of 9/11, Dave led the way back to normal life by being the first entertainer to go back to work. That show, about a week after the tragedy, remains David Letterman's finest moment as a performer and human being. He spoke from the heart and expressed the shock and pain of a country. It seemed all ad-libbed. All good emotions come spontaneously. Dave delivered genuine human feeling that could only come from a caring person. The person they honored that night at the Kennedy Center was the comedian. And, the sweet man buried beneath his insecurity. I thought I saw Dave's eyes wet from the tribute. I hope he likes himself a little more after this, and, finally realizes what a treasure he is..... I must admit to being shocked by Led Zeppelin being honored. Their music needs not to be defended. It took the blues of America and melded it with hard rocking British poverty to create one of the finest bands ever. Other than the Beatles, no other band in music history has influenced more generations than Plant, Page, Jones, and Bonham. No, their music remains above reproach. Rather, what stunned me is that once upon a time, Led Zeppelin was considered the ''Devil's Music''. Beyond dark and shocking, this music bordered on the menacing and, sometimes, frightening. They freely embraced Satan and all his power. Look at some old footage from way back in time. All they needed was Rosemary's Baby to show up at the concert to make the picture complete. This was the music your parents warned you against listening to. And, naturally, that made you want to listen to it more. Led Zeppelin had to be listened to at a friend's house because Mom and Dad would have thrown your album out had they known you had it. But, lost in all the imagery was a solid, working class group of musicians who played against the forces of nature. They were howling at life and trying to find the lightness through the dark. They seemed to find that lightness in the years that followed. They grew up and realized that they didn't need all the bullshit Satanism to make their statement. The music did it for them. Jimmy Page remains a true rock God. I can think of no other guitarist in rock who is more admired and imitated [ yes, including Hendrix ]. His name is spoken with awe from musicians. Robert Plant, along with Jagger and Morrison, defined the raw sexual energy of a lead singer. He also possessed the best scream in music. When he howled at those forces in nature it was the howl from his deepest primal soul. John Paul Jones, the underrated member of the group, was its driving force in terms of musicianship and artistry. And, the late John Bonham--- Bonzo--- played drums liked the madman he was. With Keith Moon as his rival with The Who, Bonham attacked the skins like he was fighting for his life. When he died in 1980, it was a testament to him that the band immediately disbanded. All that was left was their influence. That influence showed up on the stage at the Kennedy Center with artists such as Heart, Lenny Kravitz, Foo Fighters, and Kid Rock. The performance of ''Stairway To Heaven'' is really something to see. Watching from their seats, Plant, Page, and Jones saw their ''Devil's Music'' being celebrated by a country that was frightened by them. Now, a President was sitting only a few feet away..... America has always embraced the artist. The artist goes back to the spirit of why this country was formed. Artists almost always come from humble origins. They chase the big dream, as all Americans have been taught to do. So, in a way, ''The Kennedy Center Honors'' is very much a wonderful thing. Unlike, say, the Oscars, which reward ego and commerce, ''The Kennedy Center Honors'' celebrate the person and the achievement without money and stardom mixed in.... When the show starts, all of the honorees take a collective bow for the audience. And, then for the next couple of hours, America bows back......