''Our Lives, Our Fortunes, And Our Sacred Honor''

If you were strolling the courtyard of the State House in Philadelphia on that July day, chances are you had a mixture of emotions. Excitement melded with caution. Great jubilation mingled with great fear. The build-up to this moment had really been amassing for several years. Its origins were in small bars and coffeehouses in the New England area, specifically, in the Boston township. Boston leaders were the most hot-headed and committed to the cause. But, the other states had their firebrands, men who were prepared to stop at nothing for the greater cause. There had been battles in the field and death before this day. Horrible suffering for the past 15 months, ever since the first shots were fired on Concord Bridge in Massachusetts. Throughout all of the hardships and setbacks, through all of the fear and pessimism, finally, today, the document would be read. The complete document had gone through several revisions before it was approved  by its sponsers on the second of July. On the fourth, Congress officially gave its blessings. So, on this hot day of July the 8th, in the year of 1776, the public gathered in this courtyard to hear what amounted to hearing its freedom finally validated. This would become the most important single statement in history. It was The Declaration Of Independence....... ''When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness-- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness....'' These powerful words were the beginning of this document. Seen now over two hundred years later, the prose seems somewhat inflated. In fact, the day that this was read in that courtyard, most in the crowd that had gathered became restless at some point. The reason is that the author of the document, Thomas Jefferson, had, at times, written over the heads of the common people in order to make his argument. The words are stunning in written form, but, the average, not yet citizen, was stumped at various points. The basic thrust of what Jefferson had written was, in a nutshell, that any people, in any environment that has an oppressive regime controlling them, has all the right in the world to overthrow that regime and form a new government. Power to the people [ right on]. Later on in the declaration, Jefferson listed the abuses the King Of England had inflicted on the colonies. I have excerpted a few. See if they sound familiar...... ''He [ The King] has made Judges dependant on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.'' .... ''He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance....'' ''For protecting them, by mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should committ on the Inhabitants of these States...'' ''For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent...'' ''For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury...'' ''For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences...'' ''For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Government...'' ''For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever...''..... It was a different time, I know, with that era's abuses based on life around them as they lived it. However, the abuses still remain today in updated forms. The only difference is we no longer belong to the King of England. Our King is a President. We are just as beholden to our government as the Revoluntionary rebels in the 1770's were to England. Some things have changed, but, the brutal fact is the powerful continue to control the population and use them to fight wars, tax us to death, and committ abuses of our civil rights in the name of good government. The people will always be the chess pieces to be used by the hands of power. Oh, the chess board may look different throughout history. But, the rules of the game still apply..... ''We, therefore, the Represenatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independant States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved, and that as Free and Independant States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independant States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with the firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor...''....... A month later, 56 signatures would be listed on the Declaration Of Independence. Names such as Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Robert Morris, John Adams, and his cousin, Samuel Adams [ long before he became better known through beer ]. These men were genuine heroes. Some were quite rich and could have just sat out whatever war by watching in the comfort of their homes. But, by putting their names and signatures on this document, each man became a hunted man, wanted for treason by England. Had they been caught, they surely would have forfeit their lives and been hung. They did not care. Freedom meant more to them than personal comfort. In the selfish society that the world is today, giving up the way of life that these men had going for them is nothing short of astounding. How many people today would willingly part with fortunes and personal safety for the overall good of mankind and for the future of a country? Not many. They would be called fools and the exploiters in the world would instantly take advantage of their good intentions. That is a cold statement to write, but, sadly, a correct one. With the world we have going today, with its smear merchants and personal grasps for power, the ideas and goodwill of the well-intentioned are forever buried. I believe, with the practices of this government today, the Founding Fathers would be crushed to innuendo and corporate greed and they might be called terrorists...... Ok. Enough of the gloom of how we did not live up to the promise that these brave men held out for us. Now, let me talk about how we did do well. Personal freedom, and freedom of expression, still are the greatest legacy from the declaration. We have boundaries, yes, but, as the old cliche says, we can do and be anything we want. This country has the natural ability to see its flaws and correct them, the biggest example being the ending of slavery. We have led the world in inventions and technology. We have supported others who fight for the ounce of freedom that we have. We have not been perfect in picking our allies. But, we amend the situation, hopefully, in a decent and rational manner. I love that the United States is not perfect. That means we are constantly correcting and evolving ourselves to be better, all-around human beings. I do believe we still stand for the underdog, regardless of the cynicism about government control I have written above. There is a decency and caring that the people in this country have that transcends the world. After all, if we were so bad and horrible, why would people continue to come to this land in record waves, both legally and illegally? It is not our nice cars and homes and the various amenities that make up our lives, but, rather, the boundless optimism and the ability of dreams coming true that bring people to this country. Our most vicious enemies know this and that is a prime reason why they hate us so much. There is corruption and ugliness, but, more than any people in history, the United States has the ability to solve these problems and be the shining knight. Selfishness and the fear of the unknown are the prime enemies to our greatness continuing. As the years have gone on, we have, in some quarters, moved away from the passion of our Founding Fathers. Let us remember that these brave men were not without sin. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, who wrote so passionately about freedom and oppression, himself was a slave owner his whole life. He had wanted to mention the slavery of blacks in the original draft but was talked out of it by the other delegates for fear that they would lose the support of the southern states. These men were brave, but, deeply flawed, like the great nation that they helped to create. I go back to the ability of this great country to correct its internal problems. We can do it. We have in the past. The violence in the streets and the corruption in Big Business can, and must, be dealt with as only a decent people like ours can do. It won't be perfect, but, as I, like all of you, get ready to celebrate the 4th of July, I hope that the spirit of independence will once again rise up and bring about the better angels of our nature, as Lincoln once said. It is our sacred Honor as human beings to continue down the road of decency and courage and the pursuit of right that these men blazed in 1776. I hope that somewhere out there, men and women, now unknown, will rise up and pick up the torch of these men. They will be our future heroes. Because, as we know, you can be anything you want in this country if you try....... ''You may say I'm a dreamer. But, I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And, the world will live as one...''

Random Thoughts: June 2013

There is a grudging respect you must have for Edward Snowden. At thirty, he has become the most wanted man in the world by the most powerful country in the world. He gleefully thumbed his nose at the authorities in this country and is now giving us the finger from his current foreign--- and very much anti-American--- location. Some call him a hero, some a traitor. I fall into the latter group. Snowden, a brash, young government worker,  who has worked at various times with the CIA as a technical contractor, and, the National Security Agency [ NSA] as a contractor, has spilled some serious beans about how our government is very much monitoring our every move by invading our privacy. He claims that mass-surveillance of our e-mails, regular mail, and phone conversations is standard operating procedure in governemnt circles. He reasoning: '' To inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.'' U.S. fedreal prosecutors, who do not share his way of thinking, have charged him with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified intelligence. In short, he is charged with espionage. As I have said , Snowden has his supporters, basically, the people who hate the government and all that it does. That is not to say that, at times, they have valid points. The government is, and always has been, prying into our private lives, while mainting it is for our ''national security and best interests.'' I will grant the point that the government does protect, many times without our ever knowing the facts, with safety for its citizens. Some things I believe are best not known. However much we have the right to know doesn't mean that we should know. Edward Snowden believes otherwise. He believes--- and he expects us to be shocked by these revelations of chicanery and invasions of privacy--- that the government must expose everything, that the people have a right to know. He also has a point there. It is our government, we elect them, we invest our futures with these people, so, we have a right to know everything. But, I come back to the point of if we should know everything. Many disclosures of our secrets have been made throughout the years. This informs the public, but, also puts us at serious risk to our safety. There have been disclosures of sensitive materials that have cost of the lives of agents working in the field. Some were spies, some working innocently at a location that was soon targeted by our enemies. You can have serious debates about the laying out of the information for all to see, but, when it kills people, the discussion flies to another level. That is when you have to be very careful on what you disclose. The ''leaker'' may have the most honorable intentions in his or her own heart. But, honorable intentions do not flow in every human's heart. It should be interesting to see how this all plays out...... The recent passing of actor James Gandolfini still absorbs my thinking. I loved his acting. His Tony Soprano in ''The Sopranos'' remains the template of the future of television acting. No finer performance has graced the small- screen than his [ and, only a dozen or so on the big-screen]. In watching his eulogy across the coverage on TV and the Internet, inevitably, the media would come back to the final scene in the final episode of ''The Sopranos''. The famous scene where it is an open question of whether Tony lived or died. That show, which was broadcast in June, 2007, immediately was cause for conversations and arguments all over the world as everyone had an opinion on his fate. To recap, Tony, his wife Carmela, and his son, AJ, are sitting in a diner awaiting the arrival of Meadow, Tony and Carmela's daughter. The scene starts with Tony sitting alone looking for music to play. He finally selects ''Don't Stop Believing'' by Journey. Carmela soon makes her entrance [ ''A small-town girl, living in a lonely world.''] as the song begins and joins Tony. Then, as this show has always so brilliantly done, the tension rises. We are aware, as is Tony, that there are people in the diner who look suspicious, especially, a man sitting at the counter wearing a Member's Only jacket. Tony scouts the room. He must. That is the life he has made for himself. A person who deals in crime must always be looking over their shoulder for danger. AJ lumbers in as the song continues. There are a few more shots of people around the room, and, once again, the man in the Member's Only jacket. Meanwhile, Meadow is outside trying desperately to park her car. Her parallel parking is not working out as she struggles and struggles. The scene cuts back to the table, where onion rings are brought. The Member's Only guy gets up and walks towards the bathroom, where he enters. Outside, finally, Meadow has succeeded in parking her car. She rushes across the street and through the diner door. Tony looks up, as the song says,, ''Don't Stop...'' and, the screen suddenly goes black. There is the black screen for ten seconds. Then, the credits slowly roll. There is no music, for the first and only time in the show. Immediately, this ending created an uproar among the fans. Some loved it, some hated it. The question about what Tony's fate was is not answered, at least in a clear black and white way. Did the sudden blackout mean that Tony was shot, possibly, by the Member's Only jacket guy coming out of the bathroom with a gun, ala ''The Godfather''? Or, did Tony survive, with a premonition of this was what his life would be like for him and his family, always on guard, always ready for violence? The scene plays both ways. If you want Tony to die, then you are correct. If you want Tony to live and to kill another day, he lives and you are correct. The viewer holds the final piece to the puzzle, actually, there are two pieces. Both fit into the puzzle to end the story. I side with the ''Tony got his'' crowd and was shot. It would explain the suddenness of the ending where not a sound is heard. It goes back to the first episode of that season when Tony and his brother-in-law, Bobby, are sitting in the boat and say that you probably don't even know when it hits you. And, to the film ''Goodfellas'', where Henry Hill says when he is arrested that he knew there were cops behind him instead of wiseguys. If they were wiseguys, Henry says, he wouldn't have heard anything. He would have been dead.  However you choose to believe how this marvelous show ended it is the final moment of a beloved and revolutionary show. With Gandolfini's death, Tony is forever gone. But, he lives on in our memories. An unforgettable character, played by an unforgettable actor. Thank you, James. Rest In Peace, brother...... The BlackHawks win another Stanley Cup!! It was an incredible series, with many people [ including, at times, myself] counting them out. The Hawks had an outstanding season, yes, it was shortened because of the lockout, but, you play the schedule that the league gives you. The Hawks stormed through the regular season, taking no prisoners. Then, the playoffs started and they seemed to lose some focus and energy. They almost lost the series with Detroit-- their arch-rival. The playing of Toews and Kane and Sharp disappeared, along with their much admired defensive play. At times, they looked unfocused, but, they came back and won, as any championship team does. The final series with the Bruins was entirely watched on the edge of your seat. Nail biting went along with your beers and nachos. And, the final game, Game 6, turned all Hawks fans into emotional whirlwinds. Inside of two minutes, the Hawks were down 2-1, and, it looked like the series was coming back here for the final game. But, championship teams never go out quietly and the boys tied, and, then won with two goals in the extraordinary finish. It was nice to win, with this city still starved for championships after decades of losing and disappointments. The usual celebration ensued of crowds in the streets coming out of bars. I often wonder how many people run to the street without paying their tabs. Some bars must take quite a bath on moments like this. The players celebrated on the ice with the media swarming in. An athlete, in any sport, commenting is always a source of amusement. They are commenting on something that doesn't need analysis. They won a title, of course, they are happy. The joy of the celebration is how they express their feelings to each other. There are hugs of joy, as men do who have gone to war with each other. They share a bond that no other person can understand, not even their closest family and friends. They hug and celebrate with a pride for a job well done. And, they also know that they celebrate for us too. We live, at least for a few moments, vicariously through their triumph. The most poignant moment of this triumph must be said. It was involving Corey Crawford, the much maligned goalie for the Hawks. He has taken a great amount of heat from fans in this town, unfairly. He has always played with honor and dignity. It must have grated on his nerves that people questioned his toughness and ability while he played the most frightening position on the ice. But, he handles it with class, and, at the end, was redeemed. He should have won the ''Conn Smythe'' trophy as the most valuable player in the Finals, but, he lost to the media darling, Patrick Kane. But, the moment I liked with Corey Crawford came when he embraced his father. I know nothing of his relationship with his father, but, in that hug, there was only love and deep feeling expressed. Think of the years his family and him fought to get where he is, with junior hockey and slogging through the bad to get to this good. The family must be proud of him, mostly, because he survived the adversity that a sports athlete must endure from the public. I liked that hug between father and son. Media members watching by them were also touched. There will be parades and celebrations in the months ahead for their achievement. Good, lets have fun and be proud! But, to me, the thing I will remember from the championship game is that hug.....

Great Movie: ''Jaws''

The scenario, as the Mayor explains to the Chief, is simple. A girl goes swimming late at night, goes too far out, and, well, a boat propellor probably killed her. The newspaper man and coroner will back up the Mayor's theory. Its happened before, so, why shouldn't the same unfortunate accident happen again. The Chief, fairly new on the job, reluctantly goes along with the phony story. He knows the story is being buried because the Mayor and his cronies do not want word to get out and spoil the summer tourist season. A boat propellor killing the girl will be the accepted story. But, the Chief has seen the body. He knows the truth. It wasn't a boat that tore up this woman's body. It was a shark...... This scene is in the beginning of the movie ''Jaws'', a movie most people have seen in their lives. The story is simple and well known. A New England town, Amity, is bedeviled by a Great White Shark that terrorises the community. The first victim is a drifter named Chrissie Watkins, who after a beach party, takes a late-night swim and encounters the beast from below. Chief Brody finds the body the next day and immediately wants to close the beaches to save lives. But, the powerful men in town, led by Mayor Vaughn, talk him out of it. The beaches stay open, and, then, soon enough, more shark attacks happen until the town has no other option than to close the beaches and hire a professional fisherman to kill the shark. The fisherman, Quint, wants ten thousand dollars and a new color TV and apricot brandy as his price. The town gives him what he wants, and, the second half of the movie concerns Quint, Brody, and the shark expert Hooper, out on Quint's rickety boat hunting the shark...... I will not go further in explaining the plot because there might be some reading this who have not seen the movie and I hate it when key plot points are ruined by others. If you have not seen this movie, you need to. It is one of the essential movies that a film lover must see. When the film came out June 20, 1975, it took the world by storm. ''Jawsmania'' ensued, with, for the first time, marketing of a film went hand in hand with the actual film itself. Overnight, shark sightings and shark stories abounded. T-shirts, coffeecups, posters, etc, became common. I had a shark poster adorning my wall in my bedroom. Quickly, the film became the most financially successful movie of all-time, until ''Star Wars'' broke the record two years later. But, ''Jaws'' is always called the first blockbuster film. Before the summer of 75, the movie theaters were dumping grounds for the studios. They believed that the public would not want to sit in a dark theater when it wanted to be out in the nice weather. ''Jaws'' changed all of that. Along with the new concept of advertising a film on TV --- which had never been done before--- the studio, Universal, decided to open the film ''wide'', meaning many theaters, not just one or two in a town which had been the procedure for years. With this marketing strategy, ''Jaws'' became the most popular film in history. And, it opened the door for more blockbuster movies to open. Now, it seems like every weekend a new, big-budget film invades the theaters. ''Jaws'' broke the seal for this type of movie. You can conclude for yourself if this was a good thing or bad thing for movies........ The film is based on the 1974 novel by a novice writer named Peter Benchley. What Benchley did was essentially take the story of ''Moby Dick'', modernize it, add a shark instead of a whale as the villian, and wrote his book. The book is not very good. It brings in the subplots of infidelity and the mob. Also, the characters in the book are not very likable. When Steven Spielberg, the future director of ''Jaws'', first read the novel he said he rooted for the shark. So, when the producers, Richard Zanuck and David Brown, first bought the rights to the book, they wisely saw the flaws in ''Jaws'' and concentrated on the central story of the shark attacks and the hunt for the shark. And, mostly, the best move these two giants in the film industry did was hire an unknown, twenty-four year-old director named Spielberg to helm the project. Spielberg showed for the first time [ but, certainly not the last ] why he is a cinematic genius. The first half of the film we do not see the shark. That was because during the making of the film the mechanical shark needed for these scenes did not work. So, while the repairs were being made, Spielberg had to improvise. Instead of seeing the actual shark kill the victims, we , the audience, would be the shark. Underwater, the camera would move about and slowly, but, with mounting tension, prey upon the swimmers. This, along with the legendary score by John Williams, led more terror to the attacks than if we just witnessed the attacks first-hand by the shark. Suspense was introduced, and, it is this feeling that the audience is always on the edge of their seats, worrying about the next attack. Steven Spielberg also has fun with this technique. He plays us very well, manipulating our fears and emotions. This is what a director should do, have some fun at our expense. He gives us terror, but, he also gives us laughs. Despite the premise and the scary moments, the movie is great fun. When we scream in fright, it is the scream we use on a rollercoaster or some other ride that we willingly let ourselves be scared by. Being scared with an audience in a theater is great joy. After the fright, you can feel the emotions and the deflating of the fear. We all catch a collective sigh of relief. More than any other filmmaker in history, we have allowed ourselves to be putty in Steven Spielberg's hands. He takes us on a journey--- and, we grateful go along with the ride....... The film has so many marvelous scenes and moments. There is the boy on the raft. There are the guys on the pier. There is Brody and Hooper out on Hooper's boat late at night looking for a fellow fisherman. There are false alarms and then real jolts of terror. And, then there is that last hour in the film, where the three men are out looking for the shark. The acting in this movie is superb. Chief Brody is played by the great Roy Scheider. Hooper, the cocky shark expert, is played by the equally cocky, but, appealling Richard Dreyfuss. And, Quint, the shark hunter, the grisled veteran who is the old man of the sea, is played royally by Robert Shaw, with his chewing the scenery with the bigness of his character. The acting by these three is always overlooked. After all, the real star of the movie is a shark. To play opposite such an uncontrollable force many times can be an exercise in frustration for an actor. Not these three. They all have standout moments that is suitable for their characters. And, the fact that all three weren't movie stars was crucial [ they became stars after the movie's success]. They provide the ordinary feeling that is needed. Scheider, especially, is us on the movie screen. He behaves as we all would behave: scared, appalled, confused, and sad. Hooper explains to us the technical details we need to know, but, is never patronizing or unlikable in doing so. He is the most charming character in the film. And, Quint provides the revenge angle. We want that shark killed. Quint himself wants that shark killed for a different reason. We find out why in the single best scene in the movie........ It is late at night of the first day at sea. The men have finished their dinner, and it looks like drinks have been served. Perhaps, the apricot brandy that Quint demanded. The men relax around each other and both Quint and Hooper start to compare their war stories about close encounters with sharks. It is a funny scene and it bonds the characters with each other. Then, after the laughs have been laughed, Hooper notices a tattoo on the arm of Quint that is removed. Quint explains that the tattoo is from the ''USS INDIANAPOLIS''. Hooper quickly sobers up when he hears this. Brody, unaware of what that name means, asks about it. Perhaps, because it is late at night, when a person's emotions are more open than any other time of the day--- and, maybe, because he is weary from the brandy and is lonely and wants to talk---- Quint explains the story of the ship. In the dying days of World War Two, Quint was on the Indianapolis, where he and his mates delivered the nuclear bomb that would soon be dropped on Hiroshima. After dropping the bomb off, and while they were heading home, their ship was cut in half by a Japanese torpedo. Eleven hundred men went into the water and the ship went down in less than a half-hour. Quint then describes in graphic detail on how they were sitting ducks for the sharks in the water. The men were picked off and eaten by these sharks for the next few days, until help arrived. This story, which is a true story from World War Two, is played brilliantly by Robert Shaw. The storytelling and the acting blend into a marvelous monologue. The other men, Brody and Hooper, are spellbound listening to him, as is the audience. After he has concluded his tale, there is a brief silence as the characters and the audience take in the information and silently process its full impact. Now, we know why Quint has a special reason for hunting sharks. It is his living, yes, but, also, he is trying to avenge the wrongs that were committed against his lost comrades aboard that ship. The scene is extraordinary. And, more so, because for a few minutes, we forget all about the shark they are hunting and just listen to this man and his pain. Then, Steven Spielberg, in another example of his directing genius, shows us from the outside the shark coming close to the boat, looking for the men. We have let our emotional guard down. Now, it is time to bring it back up again...... The ending is different than the book, thank goodness. Again, for those who have not seen it I will not go further. But, it fits with the rest of the movie........ This movie I saw in that summer of 1975. It was at the old and now long-gone Golf Mill Theaters in Park Ridge. It was the first movie that I ever stood in a long line for. I went with my Dad, brother Tommy, and my Uncle Tom. It remains the most vivid moviegoing experience of my life. I even can tell you what I was wearing that night: an Acapulco T-shirt. I had just gotten back from a vacation in Mexico with my Uncle and brother and Grandmother. We went in the ocean on that trip. After I saw the movie, there were no more trips in the ocean........

LeBron, The Villian

LeBron James seems to elicit many opinions and feelings, most of them negative. He is seen as an arrogant, selfish, egotistical athlete who does not share the affection for his public that previous athletes have with their adoring public. The fact he is good, very good, at his trade--- and, lets everyone know it also--- further alienates him from us. Therefore, when he plays, not only are you rooting for your team, but, you are also actively rooting for ruin for his team. And, the man himself..... It seems like we always have to have a villian. In any walk of life, be it your boss, co-worker, next-door-neighbor, etc. And, we love to target our hatred towards the rich and famous who have it all while we have shit. Politicians inspire the greatest ire. But, performers, be they in acting, music, or sports seem to hold a special spot in our hearts. We all have our favorites that we hold dear. The people who enrich our lives by their very acts or their physical appearance. We like to think that we know them. If we see them in an interview and they come across well, then we feel we can speak for them more. ''He seems like a nice guy'', or, ''I heard she is really a sweet person.'' But, we don't know that for sure. We like them, so, why can't we convince everyone else to like them too?.... There is the flip side to admiring a public person: hating them. The passions that we have run a thin line between positive and negative. For some reason, there is a release when you blast someone who grates on your nerves. I have my villians, like everyone else. Ted Kennedy [ may God not rest his soul ] was a prime example. Because of his behavior concerning Mary Jo Kopechne, along with his many destructive social programs, he is an anathema to me. When he did something sensible I would try to spin it in my mind where it was not a good thing. Other people I know feel that way about Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama. We need to have a target of our rage directed towards someone. Part of it is envy. We may wish to be in that all-powerful position of influence and wealth. Part of it is also a sense of helplessness at our inability to correct the behavior of said person. Every once in a while you come across someone who flaunts so much in your face that it brings you to almost uncontrollable rage. LeBron James is the sports villian....... Here I differ with the public. I do not hate LeBron James because I do not know him as a person. I will not call myself a fan because my interest in basketball has slid considerably in the last decade. He is fun to watch. I root for good sports action, so, I wish him success on the court. Many, if not most of the public, wants him to fail. He is not personable, he is not friendly. He does not have the magic to capture the public's fancy like a Jordan. But, he does his job and he does it well. Need we ask more? He commands a handsome buck. You can have endless debates about whether any person deserves the millions of dollars that he pockets. He does deliver the money back to his franchise, so the Miami Heat have to be happy with the economic return on their investment. And, he has brought Miami a title, with another one very likely this year....... But, he is not playing in Chicago and that is what is at heart of why this town has him as a goat. We made the pitch for him a few years back when he was a free-agent. We wanted him desperately. The red carpet was rolled out and the town was his for a few days. Sports radio was blaring, ''We Want LeBron!'' through their every pore. For a short time, it looked good that we would get him. He was leaving Cleveland, where his team was suffering, and, he wanted to test the waters somewhere else. There, too, LeBron took the heat. He was accused of being a turncoat, someone not loyal to his team. Well, he was loyal to them and played hard. He never shanked in his job and always gave his best. It was just after years of losing --- and, the franchise headed for more losing--- that he did what every one of us would have done. He scouted around for another job and put his feelers out. Teams, including our team that resides on West Madison, opened the doors and made a pitch for him. Finally, he made his choice of Miami [ after, I grant you, an ill-conceived prime time show announcing his pick] . Suddenly, our future anointed one, the player to lead us to the promised land, became Public Enemy Number 1. How dare he not choose us!!! What a selfish prick he is to not choose us!!! Well, he wanted to win. Miami is a better team. Ask yourself this LeBron hater: in your job, if other companies wanted your services and were prepared to pay top dollar for those services, would you stay with your struggling company, or, would you go where you would have the most success, where your dreams would all come true? Need I answer for you?........ Now, LeBron may be a tool. Who knows? You will get stories on both sides of the aisle. But, lets say he is a bad person, a scumbag. We, in this town, are not without sin when embracing a controversial athlete. We have had them and looked the other way when it came to their personal behavior. We had Sammy Sosa, with his cheating on steroids and his breaking a rum bottle over his wife's head. We had Albert Belle, perhaps the most vile and unpleasant person to play baseball in this town. We had Dennis Rodman, a cheap-shot artist and someone who was reviled around the NBA league with his behavior and attitude. And, now, we have Patrick Kane, who if the stories are true about him, is not very nice to the ladies in the world when it comes to his way of treating them. All of the above athletes we embraced--- and Kane we still do--- because they serve the purpose of providing us with a winning team in town. If LeBron is to be burned at the steak, then there is room at the pit for our sports heroes. Chicago is many great things, but, it has selective memory at times about the people playing on our teams. If we like them--- and, they play here-- the excuses come rolling out....... As I have said many times, it is not necessary for us to like the people who entertain us. Peter Sellers, the great comic, was not a nice person in real life. However, his movies still entertain me. That is all I care about. The fact he had his demons--- and, pushed so much entertainment and humor out through those demons--- showed great courage on his part. The same with Gleason. LeBron James will always alienate people, which is a person's right to not like him. Free will. But, he is who we make of him, good or bad......

All In The Family

Consider this concept on paper. A situation comedy show set in New York in the early 1970's. There is a middle-aged couple, with their young adult daughter and son-in-law. The father is a bigot, rallying against all kinds of various people in the world. He slams everyone that is not him. Mainly, he targets Blacks, Jews, Homosexuals, all kinds of Religions, Women, etc. He uses every cliche word of prejudice to describe why he hates them. The son-in-law [ whom he calls ''Meathead''] is an ardent liberal, championing all of the minorities that the bigot slams. He is backed up by a daughter who is torn between her loyalties between her husband and father, ultimately choosing the husband's side. The bigot's wife is a sweet-tempered person with little intelligence. All of these ingrediants are thrown into the pot of trying to wring laughs out of this show. When all the evidence is gathered, it would be a very tough show to embrace. And, yet, through its sheer audacity to not play by the rules, and to challenge its audience, it succeeds beyond anyone's expectations. It becomes a cultural signpost for its times. The writing, directing, and, above all else, the extraordinary acting of its emsemble create the finest comedy series in television history........ In January, 1971, CBS premiered this show. It was called ''All In The Family.'' The origin came from a British TV show in the 1960's called, ''Til Death Do Us Part.'' Both shows had the central character of a hard-hat, blue-collar, average Joe. In the American version, the character, Archie Bunker, was the central focus of every show. His views reflected the course on which way every episode would take its focus and stand. Television at that time in the early 70's was a vast landfill of silly sitcoms and no topical humor. The networks were terrified of anything controversial [ a stand that still remains today], so, a show that did not fit the norm was viewed with deep anxiety and suspicion. But, the times we were living in demanded that television make the move towards relevance. Movies were leading the way, now that the decades long shackles of censorship were lifted, and, therefore, previous taboo topics were now playing out on the big screen with refreshing regularity. Music had kicked open the door in the 1960's with the same sense of experimentation and subjects of real life, as had comedy scene in the underground clubs. Television, always the most conservative of mediums, was last in line coming to the party with a new approach. Many performers wanted to kick open that door and challenge the public right smack in their living rooms. It wasn't an ambush, because for the last decade, the public was being barraged with one crises after another. From Civil Right to the threat of Nuclear War to the bloody war in Vietnam, Americans were seeing the images on the news and living out the chaos in the streets. The country was being torn apart internally. All other entertainment fields were expressing the sentiment of the times. TV was quiet, with it sitcoms of genies and country humor. Producer Norman Lear changed that....... Norman Lear grew up in a bigoted household. His father, whom he loved, was the epitome of Archie Bunker. He slammed all minorities and religions. Lear, a liberal, was in the habit of challenging his father about his views. The arguments were loud. Both would not back down from their positions. And, the echoes of those arguments would become the spine of the relationship between Archie and his son-in-law, Mike ''Meathead'' Stivic. Norman Lear made his bones in network TV throughout the 1950's and 1960's, working his apprenticeship with comedy giants like Sid Caesar and Martin and Lewis. When his chance to do a show like he always wanted to came about in the late 60's, Lear hit a brick wall with all three networks. Nobody wanted to touch his type of show, with these characters that seemed so unlikable. Likability is very key in any network approving a show. They rightfully want the public to like the characters they are watching, so, the show will become popular and the money rolls in. ''All In The Family'' did not have those characters. The lead actor was calling his wife a ''dingbat'', telling her to ''stifle'', while he called his daughter ''little girl'' in an almost offensive way. And, then he had the ''Meathead'' as the mooch in the house refusing to quit that liberal school and to go out and get a job. Finally, after much tenacity, Lear succeeded and got his foot in the door with CBS for a committment of thirteen trial shows from the network. Such was the fear of the network that before the first episode there was a scrawl on the screen describing this new show and its desire to '' shed some light and call attention to life's prejudices.'' CBS was clearly trying to cover its ass for the onslaught of negative feedback from its viewers...... There was some negative feedback about the show after its January, 1971 premiere, but, not as much as the network had feared. ''All In The Family'' was not a ratings success at first, and, received mostly lukewarm reviews from the critics. The cast and crew were convinced that there was no way this show, with its subject matter, would survive those thirteen weeks. And, at first, as with any show, the first few episodes were very rough in form and content. Seeing the reruns now, you can see them trying to find a unifying them of family built around the topics they were addressing. The actors were trying to find their voice and backbone of their roles, which is why the acting was very helter-skelter. Finally, by the last episode, a chemistry had been found and the cast and creators were in sync. The problem was no one thought it would last........ Then, a miracle happened. They became the talk of the entertainment business. By the end of the 1970/71 TV season, when the Emmy Awards were announced, ''All In The Family'' received multiple nominations. The public, which had only heard about the show casually, now saw it honored by the TV academy. Jean Stapleton won for her portrayal of Edith. The rest of the show was shut-out, but, it received an invaluable amount of publicity. When the show was rerun in the summer of 1971, the public embraced it. Suddenly, this show that was a ticking time bomb because of its subject matter and hard-to-embrace characters, was the hottest, most-talked about show. ''All In The Family'' shot to Number 1 in the ratings [ which it would stay at for five seasons in a row ] and the actors and its creator, Norman Lear, were the new saviors of television......... The writing was the best on television. The directing was A Plus. From head to toe, the show was filled with quality. But, it was the acting, the marvelous synergy of this most talented cast, that was its heart and soul. Sally Struthers played Gloria, the ''little girl.'' She was a freshed-faced kid in her early 20's when she landed the role. She only made a mark briefly in the Jack Nicholson movie, '' Five Easy Pieces'' playing the floozy waitress Nicholson picks up. Rob Reiner was the son of Hollywood legend, Carl Reiner. Rob wanted to be a writer like his old man and thought acting was only a way to get his foot in the door until he gathered real power for his own projects. Jean Stapleton was a character actress who had been around Broadway and TV for over a decade, but, had not made a mark yet. She was respected and admired, but, mostly unknown when Lear gave her the part of Edith. And, Carroll O'Connor was very much like Stapleton in that he had bounced around show business for a long time with very little success. He was the third choice to play Archie, after Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney both turned the part down. While Rob and Sally turned in fine performances in their roles, it was the brilliant acting of Carroll and Jean that was the engine of the show. O'Connor took his character beyond the gruff and bitter man that was Archie and expanded him into area not planned by Lear. Archie became like your relative or friend who was essentially a good person who had views that you put up with. I don't think Archie Bunker ever became beloved by the public, but, he became accepted and you understood his battles in life. Archie would never burn a cross on a person's home and would never bring harm to anyone. He just wanted to be left alone away from a world that was changing from his experiences and comfort level. The dark secret of why Archie Bunker and the show were so popular is the fact that a sizable part of the population---- and all ethnic groups watching--- secretly agreed with Archie and his views. That was what the actors and the show's creator believed was the real reason why the show was such a success [ that, and, it was a funny show ]. And, all of this can be traced directly to the brilliant acting of Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton. She made Edith a multi- versatile woman. She was simple, yes, but, also had an inner wisdom and common sense that set her apart. Edith loved her Archie, faults and all. And, Archie, for all of his running off at the mouth, loved his wife and daughter, and, also his son-in-law. Beneath all of the sharp edged social commentary and hard laughs was a strong affection for the characters for one another. The actors brought this out. Love through the sometimes bitter fighting among people you love the most. Just like a family........ The show addressed topics that the viewers knew only too well. Bigotry. Alienation. The Battle Of The Sexes. Rape. Political divide. Racial divide.Harassment. Abandonment. All were thrown together week after week into a comedy show. I ask you again: with the mixture that this show is on paper, would you believe this could be a comedy? In prime time? Embraced by the public so fiercely?..... It was. Strongly. Listen to the laughs of the TV audience in the studio during a taping. This was back in the days when comedy shows had AN ACTUAL AUDIENCE in the studio with them. The laughter from '' All In The Family'' was from the gut. There was no ''sweetening'' of the laughter as most shows do, like ''Seinfeld'' and ''Friends'' always did. Their audience reaction was enhanced in the editing room. Not ''All In The Family''. The laughter was roaring and real. It has been said that the longest laugh from an audience in TV history is from the episode on ''All In The Family'' where Sammy Davis Jr kissed Archie on the cheek. The editors had to edit the laugh down to a mere thirty seconds for the broadcast from its original five minute duration. Honest laughter from real people because of a real situation. Doesn't happen anymore......... The show ran from 1971 to 1979. It went out on its own accord and rules as it had during its run. In 1978, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers left and the show went on for another year, and, even went on as ''Archie Bunker's Place'' for several years with Carroll O'Connor as its sole survivor from the original show. But, ''All In The Family'' truly ended when Reiner and Struthers left in 78. The goodbye episode--- where Mike and Gloria move to California and Archie and Edith are devastated--- is a piece of acting Hall Of Fame. The emotions in the studio ran very high as these great characters and actors said goodbye to each other. Again, listen to the studio audience for this show. You can hear actual crying from the audience going on. The most poignant moments are between Archie and Mike. Their long-buried love for each other is finally brought to the surface. If you can watch this episode and not tear up, then the show was never really for you. The show ends with Archie and Edith sitting quietly in their chairs after Mike and Gloria are gone. They stare out sadly, as the camera slowly pulls back. The characters are remembering the fights, and above all else, the love that only a family can have for each other. The show fades to black and the audience claps. But, for once, the applause is intrusive. The show which came in with such a bang should quietly fade away with the memories of moments, very special moments. This show has earned its tears and fond memories........ The show will forever leave its mark on television. This show was the  longest of long-shots that created moments unparalled in popular entertainment. A show like this would never make it on network TV today [ maybe, on cable] because all of TV is safe now. Characters cannot grow anymore. Every show has to have a fast-paced formula. Quiet moments of reflection and calm are not allowed anymore. Acting and writing quality is almost non-existant. But, there was a time when it reigned supreme. And, ''All In The Family'' is the finest example...... Those were the days......

Getting Away With Murder

O.J. Simpson's recent appearance in court had me thinking about old times. Like, when a hero athlete is done in by love. You know, we have all been there. Losing someone close to your heart and soul. You can't imagine life without them. So, naturally, you viciously murder that loved one, along with an innocent bystander....... Here are the facts in the case: June 12, 1994. O.J. Simpson claimed he was in his Brentwood home waiting for a limousine to take him to Chicago for business. TIMELINE--- 6:30 pm. Nicole Brown Simpson, her children and several other people go to dinner at Mezzaluna restaurant..... 8pm. Nicole and her children leave the restaurant and stop for ice cream on the way home..... 9:15pm. One of Nicole's sister calls the restaurant and says that their mother left some glasses there. Ron Goldman, a waiter and aspiring actor, offers to return the glasses to Nicole's house... 9pm-9:30pm. Kato Kaelin, a friend staying at O.J. Simpson's house, and O.J. decide to go to McDonald's.... 9:45pm. Kaelin and Simpson return to house...... 9:50pm. Ron Goldman leaves the restaurant for Nicole's house to return the glasses....... 10:15pm. Pablo Fenjves, a neighbor of Nicole Simpson, hears the cries and constant barking of a dog...... 10:25pm. Limo driver Allan Park arrives at O.J.'s house to take him to the airport..... 10:40pm. Kaelin hears three loud thumps on the outside wall of his room..... 10:40--10:50pm. Driver Park buzzes intercom several times but gets no answer..... 10:55pm. Park calls his boss and says that Simpson is not home. He is told to wait until 11:15 since Simpson is chronically late...... Shortly before 11pm, Park sees a black person, six-feet, 200 pounds, walking across the driveway towards the house...... 11pm. Kaelin goes to the front of the house to check on the noise. He spots the limo driver at the front of the gate. Seconds later, Park buzzes the intercom again and Simpson responds. He says he had overslept and just got out of the shower..... 11pm--11:15pm. Simpson puts his bags in the limo and limo leaves for airport, where it arrives at 11:35pm.... 11:45pm. Simpson boards the plane headed for Chicago....12:10am, June13, 1994, the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are discovered. Police soon arrive..... At the crime scene, police discover the horror of murder. Blood, lots of blood, has been streaming from both the victims. Nicole Simpson has been so deeply stabbed that her head is almost decapitated. The police notice bloody footprints at the scene. Along with a bloody glove..... In any murder case, the foremost suspect is the spouse. At least, at first. When the case is pieced together, then other potential assailants emerge. But, mostly, police turn to the person most likely to kill. And, in crimes of passion, which this one quickly was determined to be, the husband was instantly a suspect..... For 5 days after the murder, police zeroed in on Simpson. The evidence-- and, his alibi--- led them to believe he did it. On June17, 1994, a warrant was issued for his arrest. And, well, we know the rest, as the entire world followed a man trying to escape...... The evidence eventually presented against him was overwhelming. The bloody glove. The shoe prints at the scene matching identical shoes that O.J. wore. Blood found at the scene contained Simpson's genetic makings. Simpson had a cut on his left middle finger when interviewed by the police the day after the killings. Asmall spot of blood found near driver's outside door handle of Simpson's Ford Bronco. Other blood found smeared inside on console, door, steering wheel, and carpeting. DNA tests showed some of the blood apparently a mixture with genetic markers of Simpson and the victims. And, you also had a man who had a history of domestic violence...... That O.J. Simpson murdered his wife is a foregone conclusion. The evidence was overwhelming. When Simpson's first attorney, Robert Shapiro, took on the case, by his own admission, he knew the only recourse to take to defend him was to put forward some type of plea-bargain. There was no way around O.J.'s guilt. But, there was........ The murders became secondary when high-priced lawyers  Johnny Cochran and F.Lee Bailey joined the Simpson defense team. They must have known that the case was a loser, here was clearly a guilty man. So, they did what any good defense lawyer does when they are behind the eightball: they changed the focus to a hotter topic to divert a jury from the true facts. In this case, they tapped into America's long struggle of racial divide and deep prejudices that rule society. They claimed that O.J. Simpson, prominant athlete and hero to the black community, was unjustly being framed for murder because he was a high-profile black man who was married to an attractive white woman. The defense argued that the long abuses of the black community in Los Angeles were because of the LAPD targeting blacks and using racial discrimination against them. This was a hot topic in 1994 because only two years earlier, several LA cops were acquitted in the famous Rodney King beating, therebye starting the riots in L.A. And, one of the officers at the crime scene in the Simpson case was a veteran cop named Mark Fuhrman, who had a history of using negative racial slurs. All of the history of racial discord was seized upon by the Simpson defense team. And, say what you want about their tactics and exploiting a very real problem among the races, they did their job brilliantly......... I remember when O.J. Simpson was a genuine American Hero. He was exciting as hell to watch play football, with his moves and ability. He may not have been the greatest running back of all time--- that would be Jim Brown----or, have the all-around talent of Walter Payton---- but, O.J. Simpson was a beauty to behold. Off the filed, you had a good-looking, charismatic black man, who appealed to all ethnic groups[ always a most welcome thing]. And, he seemed like a fun guy to be around. The camera loved him, as did the public. Especially, the ladies. The fact that a professional athlete cheats on a wife is a story as old as the beard on the face of Moses. O.J. married young, but, it did not stop his bachelor fun. As the stats in his football career racked up, so, did his way with the women. He swam in the sea of infidelity, which ultimately ended his marriage. But, the public always loved him. He was the perfect pitchman, Many of us remember his ''Hertz'' commercials running through the airport [ ''Go, O.J., Go'']. When his career in sports ended, we still wanted more of him and he turned to sports commentary and flirted with movies. A retired athlete can sometimes be sad to watch as they do not want to give up the spotlight, but, O.J. was always welcome in people's homes....... In 1977, he met Nicole Brown and soon they were married. The marriage produced two children. Even though he was out of the spotlight, he still was a beloved figure. And, from a distance, this marriage seemed quite good. Not marriage or relationship is flawless, as we all know, but, things seemed to be clicking well on the Simpson homefront. We know now that it wasn't. O.J. was apparently beating Nicole on occasion. One famous 911 call to the police came over New Year's in 1989. On the recorded conversation you can hear the fear in the voice of Nicole as her husband is ranting in the background. The police arrived, and, soon, everything settled down. But, the violence was still there, awaiting to spring forth again......... The trial became a three-ringed circus. Media coverage went through the roof, as everyone had an opinion and why. Comedians made fun of the spectacle, as did everyday folks. Jokes about the case became rampant. Also, the lawyers and the victim's families became instant celebrities. You had rumors and fights. The prosecution team of Marcia Clark and Christopher Dardin, in their joy of becoming public figures, botched an easily winnable case. Had they just stuck to the facts in the case they could have brought back a conviction. But, they went, instead, to playing to the audience watching and trying theatrics, such as the bonehead move of having Simpson try on the glove in front of the jury. And, the defense shredded the testimony of Mark Fuhrman by playing up his negative history towards the black communty. Last, but not least, you had a jury that was completely overwhelmed by the difficult evidence that the prosecution was giving them, such as DNA. When a jury is picked for a long trial, it usually is filled with people who are not the cream of the crop in the world. Ask yourself this: can you take 8 months out of your life, away from your job and family, and sit on a murder trial? Of course you cannot. Most of us have lives that we cannot put on hold for that duration. So, lawyers, knowing this, pick and choose people who may be easily led astray and not very bright. That is the problem with the jury system. The wrong twelve people decide the fate of the accused. That is why I have always thought we should have professional, qualified jurors. That would be their job, sitting on a jury. It would be made up of law school attendees, along with law clerks, retired lawyers and judges and police men and women. You stack a jury with people who know the law inside and out and who can easily see when a lawyer is slanting the facts of the case. There would be very little tricks allowed with a professional jury. They would judge a case like it should be: just the facts, ma'am.......  The lengthy trial ended in October, 1995, as O.J. Simpson was found not guilty. I remember watching the verdict in a bar with a co-worker. Most of the bar was white, but, a couple of customers were black. When the verdict was read, the reaction in the bar was sadly similar to the reaction across the country. Whites were stunned, blacks were elated. I remember feeling sick to my stomach for two reasons. One, because an obviously guilty man was set free. Two, because this case showed, once again, how far our culture is from truly understanding each other and getting along with our fellow man and woman. The divide will always be there, I realized. And, I felt horrible about it....... So, O.J. Simpson went free, where he stayed until 2008 when he was convicted on a separate charge of stealing sports items. That is why he is in court now, trying to have his conviction overturned. He probably will still be jailed for several more years, but, you never know with the legal system...... On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered. This was almost lost during the trial and all the madness in this case. From their graves they must have been crying out for justice. Well, maybe, with O.J. being in jail for another crime, justice was served. But, it still does not feel right. A man walked away from murder. Even though he is behind bars, I still have the feeling that Nicole and Ron are still crying out for justice from their graves........

Layla

Eric Clapton looked around the studio. The other players were ready. He had the best studio men in the business with him. Also, a guitar legend, who like himself, was self-destructive in life-style, and, played the guitar with the demons riding alongside his soul. These were rock musicians, yes, but, also men of soul and emotion, who could wring the emotions of the heart by their very instruments. They called themselves, ''Derek and the Dominoes'', but, in reality, they went by the names: Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, and Duane Allman. As Clapton counted down to the start of the take of his new song, he had with him men who were also wounded in the game of love. They would know to let the heart play the song. And, the song he would record was his anthem to lost and impossible love, ''Layla''......... There is an old poem from the 12th century written by a Persian poet named Nizani Ganjavi. He composed a poem called ''The Story Of Layla/ Layla And Majnun''. It was a poem about a simple man who had fallen in love with a princess he was never to have. This poem, obviously, was the tale of heartbreak and broken dreams. It remained all but forgotten until the rock era, when one of its prince's in music, Eric Clapton, was told about it by a friend who was in the process of converting to Islam. The poem and story touched Clapton. A young, talented, handsome romantic, Clapton had grown up idolizing the bluesmen from America who played music from their nervous systems. Blues, as the name implies, is virtually the music of the down and out, the forgotten, the people who wallow in missed chances in life. Blues was also the music for failed love affairs. The woman who broke your heart and ran off with someone else. Blues was where you turned to when you willingly wanted to wallow in your pain. Eric Clapton had the music of the blues--- and, all of its meanings--- swirling around his soul. He brought out his emotions when playing the guitar, for the guitar spoke in sound what he could not say in words. It is no wonder that he fell in love with the story of Layla. He had a Layla in his life. She was married to his best friend...... George Harrison met Pattie Boyd on the set of The Beatles 1964 film, ''A Hard Days Night.'' She was one of the extras in the train scene at the beginning of the movie. George fell for this blonde, blue-eyed angel right away. After several days of saying no to Beatle George, she decided that she did in fact find him interesting beyond his immense fame. They quickly became a couple and moved in with each other. In 1966, they became husband and wife and were the epitome of the fashionable ''Swinging London'' crowd. Naturally, Pattie became part of the circus that was the world of The Beatles back then. Of all the early wives and girlfriends of the Fab Four, she seemed the best adjusted to that life. She and George were inseparable and shared everything with each other. Be it music or mysticism, George and Pattie had one of the best relationships going during this time. They had a wide circle of friends. Besides the other Beatles, the one person that George considered a close friend was his fellow guitar star, Eric Clapton....... Exactly when Eric Clapton fell in love with Pattie Boyd has never been established, but, it must have come quickly after their introduction to each other. Eric fell head over heels for her and she was not unaware of how he felt about her. Pattie was used to the attention men paid to her because she had spent her young life as a model. Fighting off the attractions of panting young men was nothing new. But, this was different. Those unknown men just wanted to have sex with her. Eric Clapton was completely in love with her, body and soul. George Harrison also was not unaware of how his friend felt about his wife. It was, remember, a different time in the culture. Free love was everywhere. George, like his fellow Beatles, was notoriously unfaithful, whether married or not. Women threw themselves at these famous men and all of the rockers in this time took advantage of it, including Eric Clapton. Swapping partners was common. Still, George and Pattie stayed married, with Eric as the faithful friend of the couple. As painful as it was to him, Eric Clapton remained at a respectful distance away. He would never do anything to infringe on this relationship, but, if the couple looked like it was having problems, Eric wanted to be there for them. Especially Pattie....... By 1970, things semed to be changing everywhere. The Beatles broke up and George Harrison was suddenly on his own career-wise. Eric Clapton had gone through several groups during the 60's like, The Yardbirds, and Cream. He was exalted as a guitar master whom kids would salute by painting ''Clapton Is God'' on walls all over the world. Eric was very self-effacing and genuinely shy about the attention he was receiving. He enjoyed it, but, always put it in perspective. He was not ''God''. Just someone God had tapped to play the guitar like no one else alive. His guitar playing could be rip-roaring fast, but, his best playing was slow, as if each note he was drawing out on the guitar was a statement that needed to be savored by the listener. He still played his beloved blues, but, made his fortune and reputation with Sixties ''Acid Rock.'' At the start of the 1970's, he was at his peak creatively......... But, not personally. He still was a ladies man. Women were never the problem for him. Except, for the woman he could never have. He still had Pattie Harrison in his heart. The three of them still saw each other socially, but, that was all. Until, that is, when cracks started to develop in George and Pattie's marriage. Rumors of George and his wandering eye had reached Pattie on more than one occasion. With The Beatles over, and, George starting work on his first post-solo Beatles album, ''All Things Must Pass,'' he was more distant than ever. He had become obsessed with religion and God's teachings [ which, he apparently overlooked when being unfaithful] and changed as a husband. He started paying less attention to Pattie. And, she suffered also. Soon, she was turning to a comforting confidant who would understand her problems....... One night in the summer of 1970, George came to a party at producer Robert Stigwood's home. He knew Pattie was there and he was just stopping to pick her up and take her home. When he arrived, Pattie was nowhere to be found. Embarrassed guests finally informed George that the last time they had seen Pattie she had gone off walking alone with Eric Clapton. Furious, George stormed out of the party and on his was to his car he saw in the distance Pattie and Eric walking holding hands. He confronted them and told them that under no circumstances were they ever to see each other again. Then, George grabbed Pattie and drove her home....... Around this time is when Eric Clapton read his Layla poem. He was due to make an album and was composing songs. In the true romantic tradition of an artist he transfered his pain and longing for Pattie Harrison into song. Pattie became his Layla......... He also started shooting heroin. Like his fellow rock stars from this era, Eric took his drugs. First pills, then pot, LSD, cocaine, and whatever else was hip as the rock scene became the drug scene. By the time of his passion for Pattie he had become a stone-cold junkie. With the effects of heroin, another level of pain was added to his emotional state. Love lost [ or, love never gained], plus, the suicidal impulses that heroin brings on brought him to a shattered state of being as the song began recording........ The beginning of the song is a raver. A marvelous, unforgettable guitar riff that announces that this song must be listened to. Then, Duane Allman glides alongside Clapton's guitar with his smooth slide guitar. Its as if these two masters are in a guitar duel. Then, Eric Clapton begins to sing. Always an underrated singer, he spits the words out to the song, expressing right away that he is a shattered human being who longs for his love. This woman, Layla, has him down on his knees. He is begging for one more chance and to please take him back. He admits that he was a fool to fall in love with her, but, as in all-consuming love, common sense is worthless when all of your being is in love with the impossible one for you. The lyrics are short, as is the first half of the song. It should be. Clapton has screamed his pain and loneliness fast and furiously. The guitars take over to play out one last duel for love. Then it slows down almost to a stop before the piano kicks in....... The piano part, played brilliantly by Jim Gordon [ with drops of Bobby Whitlock] is the leader for the second half of the song. If Clapton and Allman are mirror twins for the first half, then Gordon and Clapton make another couple of duelists. The sound of the ''Coda'' is mournful, sad. The blazing guitars have been put away. Now it is time for the musicians to begin crying with their instruments. The piano plays along like a best friend for the solo guitar. Clapton is playing his soul, aching for his love, wondering if he will ever have her. The guitar almost sounds like it is spilling tears, whimpering in self-pity and lack of love. The others playing along: Carl Radle on bass, Gordon on piano and drums, Bobby Whitlock on piano and organ, and Duane Allman with his sweet notes of sympathy, all breath life with their leader. They are sympathically playing along with his longing, as friends do in conversation. But, they have an added magic of playing their instruments to help him ease his pain. When the end of the song does come, it does not with a bang, like in the opening, but, rather with a whimper. You can just picture them, after the last note, quietly put their instruments down, spent, with nothing more to say. The song is for HER........ When the album, ''Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs'' was released in November, 1970, the album did ok. The single of ''Layla'', peaked at a disappointing number 51. The album was critically well-received. It was not the biggest album during this time, though. The biggest album was George Harrison's ''All Things Must Pass'', which had among its many musicians playing on it, a guitar hero named Eric Clapton...... From 1970 until 1973, Eric Clapton licked his pain behind the four walls of his mansion in England. He was using heroin non-stop for these years and his friends deeply worried about whether he would survive. One of these friends was George Harrison, who despite the Pattie situation, deeply cared for his friend and tried to help him into treatment. Finally, after years of seclusion, Clapton came out of his house and found treatment and started to make music again. He got clean [ well, he shifted, as many addicts do, from one drug to another. In this case, he became an alcoholic]. And, around this time, without any interference from Eric Clapton, the marriage between Pattie and George Harrison began to fall apart. Finally, when the marriage was all but over, Eric went to George and asked him if now would be ok if he, Eric, could start seeing Pattie. George gave his blessing, as he said he would rather see them together than her with ''some dope''. George would soon fall in love with his soon-to-be second wife, Olivia. And, Eric and Pattie fell in love with each other, fulfilling the love from Layla...... They would marry in 1979. They held a big reception in London, where everybody who was anybody showed up. Including George and Olivia who remained on good terms with the newlyweds throughout the years. Pattie and Eric would remain married until 1989. The reasons why it ended remain somewhat hidden, but,, Clapton did father children with another woman during this time---- one of which, Connor, would sadly fall to his death at the age of 4 in 1991, inspiring another song from a broken heart '' Tears In Heaven''. Pattie and Eric never had children together...... In the aftermath of all this, Pattie and Eric still seem to be friendly with each other. George, of course, died in 2001. The legacy from these relationships is the song ''Layla''. Heard now over forty years later, it still rings the bell as, perhaps, the most impassioned rock love song of its time. The backstory is still fascinating. But, the sign of a great song is how the audience puts its own stamp on the meaning and feelings found in it. ''Layla'' will always be the song for love lost........ Or, deep, longing for the love that will never be.