So while I was surfing the web recently I saw a video about some actress I didn’t know talking about saving whales or some such other world problem (it wasn’t about saving whales, but that’s the cliché so I’m using it to represent whatever). Now, the use of a famous (or not-so-famous) actor or actress to help raise awareness over some social, political, or health issue is by now a well-worn tradition in American media. I remember hearing recently about a pro-Obamacare ad starring the great who-knows-how-old-he-must-be-by-now Andy Griffith.
Now many people have commented on the ridiculousness of Hollywood celebrities trying to sound authoritative on different social issues, so what I’m saying isn’t really anything new, but I still find it ridiculous to see an online ad that says “Actor [insert name] talks about [insert topic that’s not acting].” Do we have plumbers do ads to raise awareness about good dental hygiene? Do we have astronauts do ads about preventing forest fires? Why in the world are we having people whose only real job is being attractive and entertainingly saying lines that screenwriters put into their mouths the ones that we have speak about anything outside of acting?
Now, I think at the same time I’m probably being a little unfair about this. After all, if you’re a wealthy, famous person with plenty of free time, it’s entirely possible for you to do real research on an issue and then to go and try to raise awareness about something you care about. And, sadly, we humans do have a tendency to listen more to a person with good looks and charisma than an uncharismatic guy who actually knows what he’s talking about, so if you’re an organization trying to get public support for something, it is the shrewd move to get some gorgeous spokesperson for your cause (Andy Griffith is pretty easy on the eyes, after all).
An awesome parody of this sort of thing is Neil Patrick Harris’ Old Spice ad. Check it out on youtube. Classic.
***
So I’ve been off-and-on in a bit of a depressed, lonely, heartbroken funk lately, and there’s nothing that depressed, lonely, heartbroken people like to do more than listen to songs about being depressed and lonely and heartbroken (well, ok, for non-Mormons it’s probably getting drunk out of your mind but as for me I like music). So, I’ve been doing a lot of listening to melancholy songs lately and here are a few of my favorites for those times when you’re feeling down and want to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in you (brownie points to whoever knows what song I just referenced there):
The Script- Breakeven (very catchy and does a real good job talking about how insane one feels when they’re totally heartbroken over someone and the other person ain’t; for some reason I just love the line, “Her best days are some of my worst”)
Frou Frou- It’s Good to Be in Love, The Dumbing Down of Love (actually, the whole album by Frou Frou [“Details”] makes for a wonderful 40 minutes or so of beautifully crafted melancholia, but these two in particular I think pack the biggest emotional punch for those that are feeling lonely or heartbroken)
Porcupine Tree- So Low (WOW, this is such a simple, beautiful, terrible slow song about a relationship where one person is far more emotionally invested than another [at least that’s how I interpret it, anyways])
John Mayer- Dreaming with a Broken Heart (whatever you think of his personality and behavior, John Mayer is a terrific songwriter and in this song he nails the topic of, well, dreaming with a broken heart)
Brandi Carlile- Dreams (a bit more energetic and rock and roll sounding than the others, but I think this one’s good if the frustration and tension is really building up inside you and you want a loud, driving chorus to wail along with).
***
Going back to the comment I made earlier about getting drunk out of your mind, yesterday I was again very grateful for the fact that I was raised in a good Mormon household and am a teetotaler. Because, if I was somebody with no aversion to consuming liquors, I have the feeling that given my mood I would have gone and gotten really drunk and then probably would have done or said some really stupid things that I would later regret. Which makes me wonder how a person with any kind of pride would want to allow their self-control to vanish into the haze of drunkenness? Because if you’re feeling really emotionally vulnerable I’m pretty sure alcohol just sets you up for some epic self-humiliation.
No comments:
Post a Comment