Bitter On Twitter

As I was watching the Oscars the other night I found it interesting that actors like Christopher Plummer & Max Von Sydow who are both in their 80s now were both nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Plummer won out over Von Sydow, and, I should add, other actors much younger than them both for that coveted statue. Even at the age of 82 Plummer continues to do great, well respected work. I wonder if anyone was on Twitter asking who is Christopher Plummer? I write that because it really surprised me a couple of weeks ago when Twitter lit up over one of the older statesmen of Rock & Roll during this year’s Grammys.

I actually first heard about it from one of my son’s friends while we were having breakfast at his place in Dorchester, Ma. a couple of weekends ago. It was one of the most notable, if not the most repeated tweets that lit up twitter during the Grammy telecast. At first thought my reaction was “impossible!” How could anyone be so out of touch? After all this was one of the best Grammy shows I remembered seeing in awhile. Something for every generation, and although there were a few acts I was unfamiliar with, who could not know who Paul McCartney is!!? Yes, that was the tweet during his performance of “My Valentine” from his new CD. Young people tweeting back & forth: ”who is Paul McCartney?”. I have yet to become a “tweeter” but if I were, my tweets would’ve concentrated more on the performance of Nicki Minaj or the weird net that Lady GaGa had over her face…but who is Paul McCartney?...C’mon!! Wait a minute though. McCartney will be 70 in June. He’s just about the same age now that Perry Como, Bing Crosby & Fred Astaire were when McCartney himself first performed in America back in the 60’s!! (I’m assuming those of you reading this know those names). So there lies the culprit: The Grammys themselves! Something for every age group?? What were they thinking? The Grammys is a young people’s show! Having it appeal to a wide audience is insanity! Nobody who relates to Chris Brown or Lil Wayne got McCartney’s performance & those waiting to see McCartney could’ve done without Minaj’s “Roman” and the fish net stockings that Lady GaGa mistakenly placed over her head. So what we need to do is have a new awards show. A show for the performers of the past. One that those 60 something artists can perform on & no one will tweet “who the hell is that”?? We’ll call it “The Gramps” or maybe “The Grannies”. This way everyone will have a place to perform. Actually, I’m not worried about artists like Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, The Stones, Elton John or, do I dare say it, Madonna. I think they did OK for themselves. But a show like that just might be the saving grace for a few of those performers whose ability comes more from computer generated sound than any exceptional ability. Only time will tell. Great performers can stand that test of time. Christopher Plummer proved that last night……and even that guy that a lot of those tweeters didn’t know during the Grammys has done pretty well for himself. Oscar & actors like Plummer & Von Sydow have been going strong for more than 80 years. Artists like McCartney for nearly 50. So Whether they’re Academy Awards, Grammy Awards or someday maybe The Gramps or Grannies, only a few will be special enough to get that very special tweet: “ Who the hell was that??”

Maybe Next Time...If There Is One

I certainly missed in predicting the outcome of the Patriots chances in Super Bowl XLVI. As a Patriots fan I was anxious about the game, but fairly confident that they could pull out a victory over the New York Giants & history would not repeat itself. The inaccuracy of my prediction is the only thing that gives me hope that the Tom Brady led Patriots may still have a bit of life left in them for another run at the Lombardi Trophy because after that heart wrenching loss last night I really got the feeling that we had seen the last gasp of this proud franchise and their dominance of the AFC. I could write paragraph after paragraph full of reasons why I think they lost that game but the simple fact is they missed their chances to put the game away because they could not execute. Something the Giants were far better at doing. That kind of play by The Pats seems to have reared its head several times this season but Tom Brady & his offense were able to keep winning games despite the teams obvious weaknesses. This time though Brady & his team just weren’t sharp enough to compete at the level they needed to win. So perhaps the best days of the Brady/Belichick era are now behind them. If so, it was a great ride… but my record on predictions does give me a little hope for the future. Maybe, just maybe we can put it all together one more time. But I’m not predicting anything….or should I??!!

Until We Meet Again

It's a grey, rainy morning here in Vermont.

Back in the summer of 2010 I used this blog to share some memories of my uncle Vince O’Brien shortly after his death in June at the age of 91. He was a professional actor of quite some note and I wrote about his colorful life & career, about large families & the joy of growing up in that kind of magical environment….and how hard it can be to say goodbye to special people in your life. Not long after I posted that blog I received a quick note from my cousin Patrick Halloran…whose mother, like mine, was a sister to my uncle Vince. Pat wrote: That’s as much as I could ever hope for someone to write about me when I pass. Thanks Ed. It's been a couple of weeks but this put it back in perspective.

No one knew that just six short months later we would be saying goodbye to Patrick himself as the result of an automobile accident not far from my home here in Vermont. So today on the one year anniversary of his death I am trying to put his life in perspective in a likely feeble attempt to make good on his wish.

Because we (The O’Briens) are such a large family, Pat & I didn’t know each other well when we were younger. Being separated by several hundred miles & more than 20 years of age will do that. He and his brothers & sisters would see my family occasionally through the years as we would get together with cousins, aunts & uncles for some kind of family function or another, but it was only within the last 10 years or so that Pat & I got to solidify a relationship that was far too long in coming. Pat was the founding member of Ceann, a great & quite successful party band that billed themselves as “Yankee-Irish Drinking Music” and just by that billing you can imagine that the band gave their audiences some pretty wild shows…..I was lucky enough to be in an audience or two once in awhile & can attest to the fun we had! That band is really what brought us together after so many years. Ceann would perform once or twice a year here at McGrath’s Pub at The Inn at Long Trail and I would never miss a show. I would always have Pat in the radio studio with me whenever he came to town & he would always have a song or two to sing……but always toned them down so as not to upset the FCC….or threaten my employment! It was at McGrath’s that Pat performed his final two shows on January 28^th & 29^th. It’s hard for me to believe as I sit here writing this that today marks the one year anniversary of his death. But it also marks the one year anniversary of remembering his life…..the life of a very gifted & talented young man who touched many, many lives of his own. A life that was cut far too short, but not before it left an indelible mark in the hearts of those that knew him best & loved him most. He was simply an amazingly wonderful & talented guy. We Irish find it hard to say goodbye on any occasion, for any reason…..let alone for someone taken so quickly and so young. Instead, we say “until we meet again”. And so Pat, until we meet again; I raise a “Parting Glass” & say:

Oh, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Good night and joy be with you all.

……and until we meet again may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.