In a Tony week, don’t forget Brian
God only knows what’s happened to the fading Chads and Jennifers and Larrys
Even if we’ve lost Brian Wilson and a decent chunk of our collective sanity, Simply Slaw is here to remind you how lucky we are to be alive right now. Bring along your bullshit detector and let’s go:
Murphy Slaw
Something old: You might know people named Larry or Jennifer or Bruce or Debra, but they’re probably not kindergartners. Those names have faded over the years, even faster than my brain.
Something new: Longtime readers know that I love “Hamilton” — by all means watch it on Disney Plus if you haven’t seen it (or even if you have) — but there’s another excuse for showing this clip from Sunday’s Tony Awards, where the original cast did a medley to celebrate the musical’s 10th anniversary.
Look past the stars and focus on the woman with the waist-length hair in the ensemble, who seems to be having the time of her life. After all, it’s her one big chance to share the spotlight, a decade after fading away from it, right?
Um, no.
After she left “Hamilton,” the woman’s meandering path led her to get nominated for a Tony and two Emmy awards, as well as win an Oscar and a Golden Globe — and host the Tony Awards three times.
They’re all actors capable of fooling gullible souls like me, of course, but it sure looked like Ariana DeBose loved being around so many erstwhile colleagues, people who helped her navigate one of life’s most crucial steppingstones in her mid-20s. And I would bet a lot of them were bursting with pride over the star she has become.
Something borrowed: The Indiana Pacers had a godawful start to the NBA Finals, committing 19 turnovers in the first half of game one. If they kept up the horrid pace — they didn’t — they would have broken the Finals record of 36 turnovers, set by the Golden State Warriors in 1975.
The two teams have something in common: They won. Remember that next time you make a mistake.
Something blue: Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys died this week at age 82. Here are videos old and (relatively) new of arguably their most enduring song.
Something infuriating: This is from a person who loves the media: When it comes to disasters, riots, wars and other horrid events, never trust the media. I don’t mean just the Facebook liars, TikTok charlatans and Fox News assholes, but even the most reputable folks.
Too many of are so caught up in The Big Story that they fail to give you the one thing you need the most: perspective.
Want proof? Tons of media have reported about a curfew in downtown Los Angeles because of civil rights protests. True. But now look at this from the Los Angeles city government website that shows the affected area. It ain’t exactly widespread.
There’s your perspective. Yes, there’s a curfew and yes, that’s certainly important, but look for the maps like this that give you perspective. Los Angeles and other major cities aren’t being destroyed by protests. They’ve seen much worse. The only people being overwhelmed are the gullible.