Enough About Burt?

A man's man..Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

TODAY

It is the last day of January and it is springtime gorgeous – 72 degrees. It is a fluke of the weather gods; cold weather is predicted for the balance of the week. I just had an incredible “world salad” here at Central Market. I had Thai tofu, lemon humus, and Greek cucumber salad among other things. It was way good. In previous blog articles, I think I misinterpreted this wonderful place. For me, it isn’t so much a place where you go to buy groceries. It’s where you buy a delectable lunch, sit in the sunlit café, and people watch. Also, you can blog using the HEB wi-fi.

STREAMING MAELSTROM

I just purchased the Amazon Fire TV stick, and I’ve been binge watching “Mozart in the Jungle”. There are now so many TV and streaming options, I cannot keep up. We’re getting “Baskets” on FX and a new “X-Files” on Fox. We’re about to be blessed with the OJ Trial on “American Crime” and “Grease” performed live. Throw in a couple of purchased seasons (“The Affair”, “Man Seeking Woman”) and I can scarcely keep up. I now have Apple TV, ROKU and Fire TV.. They are all good and a person could be pretty well served by any of them. Apple TV is conspicuously missing a viewer for Amazon Video – they need to fix that one shortcoming.

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT

My actual topic is the Burt Reynolds memoir “Enough About Me” that I just heard on audiotape. It is a great audio experience for someone who grew up watching and sometimes idolizing the great Mr. Smokey. The book covers his entire lifetime and I won’t attempt to recap the whole thing. I’ll just cover some main impressions and direct you the blog reader to the complete bio at the iTunes bookstore.

I’ve long suspected that there was more to Burt than his action star movie persona. I mostly think of: "Dan August", "Deliverance", "Longest Yard", Car Chase movies and "Evening Shade" when I think of Burt's roles. It turns out Burt did several other movies (eg, "The End", "Paternity") and longed to establish himself as a serious thespian with great range. Alas, even though he was number one male lead at the box office from 1976-1981 he was pretty well typecast as a bubba in a Firebird. He regrets that he chose so many movie roles based on travel perks and the fact that his good friend Hal Needham was directing.

Burt’s father was a WWII war hero, construction manager and police chief – an ultra-macho man who sounds like he could’ve played ¾ of the Village People with such manly roles. Burt’s dad was grim and disapproving – he never liked Burt’s acting career. Burt spent the better part of a lifetime trying to win his Dad’s approval. It might explain his penchant for doing dangerous, body-wrecking stunts and macho buddy roles that pretty much closed the door on being the next Sir Laurence Olivier. In truth, Burt was quite macho – he would’ve been a pro footballer and pro coach if a college injury hadn’t cut short that career.

Burt’s relationships with women were kind of star-crossed, like his mid-life movie roles. His one true love was Dinah Shore, a lovely talk show maven old enough to be his mother. They parted amicably and stayed friends. Sally Field was another Burt lady friend. Sally distanced herself from Burt after their breakup and said little about the aborted romance ever after. The two women Burt actually married – Judy Carne and Loni Anderson, ended up as “frenemies” to Burt. The marriages were short-lived and not much love lost. Familiarity must breed contempt. Burt also had a coterie of male friends which included Dom DeLuise, Jim Nabors and Charles Nelson Reilly. One only guess if there is another dimension to Burt’s bio but nothing more is shared in the memoir.

THE LION IN FLORIDA WINTER

In later life, Burt settled down as a happily confirmed bachelor. He worked for many years as an acting coach at his Jupiter, Florida theater company. He was then visited by “the plagues” in recent years. He had to have a heart bypass and then went through a 2014 bankruptcy which rid him of most conspicuous possessions. Friends and a favorite niece helped him to rearrange his finances such that he could keep a nice home and live comfortably.

ENOUGH ABOUT BURT?

This book was hardly enough about Burt. There are so many things in the book that might beg a question or arch a curious eyebrow. His career bridged across eras from the MGM star system of the 50’s to the hip, indie, sexually frank films of the 90’s. Burt’s life is an unqualified success, if you go by excitement quota and living every minute to the fullest. I’d like a Burt bio II, but that may not be in the offing as he is 80ish, walking with a cane and talking with a very hoarse rasp.

© 2016 Snillor Productions

At the Corner of Central and Prime

Let us make you a meal..Pic courtesy of Central Market

Today

Today is a bright, 50 degree Sunday afternoon -- brisk and beautiful. Have already had my invigorating walk at White Rock. I had a cool blog topic about a Netflix movie, but a month went by and I’ve lost the impetus not to mention the relevant details on that. So today will be a combo of recent TV, streaming entertainment deals, and dining out. Probably enough to constitute a blog.

Golden Globes

I was annoyed by the Golden Globes last week.. Ricky Gervais was a bit of an ungracious arse in his insults toward Mel Gibson and Ben Affleck among others. I don’t see the point of creating antagonism where there was none before. You can be abrasive and fun without being a total snark.

Golden Globes also annoyed me by giving awards almost pointedly to new, unheard-of shows (Mozart in the Jungle, Wolf Hall, The Affair etc). I decided to watch some of these unknowns to see how well they deserved their Globes. It just happens that Showtime is offering a freebie special on Hulu-- first episode of several hit series for free. I took the bait and watched episode 1 of The Affair. I must say -- the Globes probably nailed it on this one.

The Affair

I watched episode 1 of The Affair this morning -- it’s about two married people cheating on their respective spouses. I figured it would be a one-dimensional soap, but it quickly unfolded into a neo-noir mystery. The story is in flashback form .. the man and woman are at a police station, separately giving their versions of something that happened. Their stories differ noticeably and the viewer is all agape -- what brought them to a police station? What happened? I’m on edge now to find out. It seems clear from their stories that they are no longer lovers or even friends to each other.

Amazon Prime

I have to say, we are in an age of entertainment overload. We have Time Warner, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, Vudu, etc, etc ad infintum. Now we can add Amazon Prime to that mix .. they have several exclusive offerings like Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle. This week they’re offering a year of Prime for only $76 (normally $99). A full season of a hit show can run $24 on Apple or non-prime Amazon. One movie rental is $5.99.. I figured it wouldn’t take much to run it up to $76. I’m now on Amazon Prime, God help my television addicted soul. I better watch my $76 worth.

Neighborhood Walmart and Central Market

About a year ago I praised the Neighborhood Walmart on Lower Greenville Avenue in Dallas. I thought it was a great remodel and a good alternative to pricier groceries in the area. Alas, I spoke too soon.. the store is being closed in 2 weeks. Apparently it underperformed. Am sorry to see that -- I liked their $4.99 deli chicken among other things. Some Greenville area snobs are glad to see Walmart go -- that attitude is also unfortunate. Now we lose tax base, local employment and we get a boarded up vacant building for weeks to come. Sounds like a lose-lose to me.

I decided to try out Central Market and see if they could address the void created by Walmart. My trial items were Starbucks Frappuccino 4-packs and 4-Way Nasal spray. Central Market carries mostly homeopathic type meds -- no 4-Way. They had only store-ground coffee and fancy specialty brands -- no Folgers or Starbucks. I was bummed that they couldn’t help on that, but decided to try their gourmet kitchen and cafe for lunch as a consolation for the failed scavenger hunt.

They offer weekly lunch specials in the 7-10 dollar range -- all prepared while you watch. They have a variety of items -- shrimp salad, ciabatta sandwiches and grilled pork. I had the ciabatta salami sandwich and fries -- while seated in their bright, modern sunlit cafe. I see why Central Market has been such a mainstay for these 15 years.. the experience was very enjoyable. I’ll be back.

Conclusion

I’ve stumbled upon some new things this past week, and am sorry to be losing Walmart. On the whole, it’s a week of positive discoveries. I have a show to binge watch, a cafe to frequent and $76 worth of benefits to squeeze from Amazon Prime. It could be better -- it could be a lot worse.

© 2016 Snillor Productions

The Holy Trinity of Hipster Capitalism

We keep coming back.. Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

TODAY

I’m in mourning that my two week Christmas vacation is over.. I love the time to be lazy and reflective. Today we have 55 chilly degrees under a bright blue sky – very invigorating. I’m sitting in new the Lakewood Starbucks, admiring the relaxed ambience. What a perfect segue to today’s topic..

THE TRIFECTA

If you think of “hipster capitalism”, many things spring to mind: Google, Facebook, Uber, Tesla.. and so forth and so on. The 3 companies I have in mind are noteworthy for being among the first of the hipsters and cementing themselves as part of our national identity and culture: Starbucks, Apple and Whole Foods Market. In 2015, I’d like to examine what we love now, what we loved then and if the dream is still alive. Let’s stroll thru our hipster places one by one...

Starbucks

EST: 1970
CLOSEST 1970 COMPETITOR: Dunkin Doughnuts

Starbucks had a slow build towards frenzied, Frappuccino success. Prior to Starbucks, coffee shops were more along the lines of greasy spoon hovels – with dirty ash trays and waitresses scuttling you along. Mavis needed to turn the tables. Starbucks gave us a trendy living room with comfy chairs and mood music. It brought unique coffee beverages into a pub-like atmosphere of convivial socializing. Who would’ve imagined? It wasn’t revolutionary per se, but revolutionary in the elements combined.

Apple

EST: 1976
CLOSEST 1976 COMPETITOR: Radio Shack

Computers for hobbyists had just been invented when Apple came along. They were hardly user friendly – they called for an engineering genius to put the pieces together and feed it programming instructions. For all its clunkiness, the Apple I gave the world an easy-to-use home computer. Osborn, IBM, Atari and others were asleep at the wheel. By the time they entered the market with their offerings, Apple had already entrenched itself with artists and educators. Macintosh was pretty far along on the drawing board.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET

EST: 1980
Closest 1980 competitor: Local delis, ethnic food marts

Whole Foods took food consciousness to a new level – with an emphasis on organics, purity of ingredients, local farm-sourcing and other wholesome factors. All of this was brought into a supermarket chain paradigm – one that gave customers a consistent feel-good experience from one store and city to the next. People seeking a special green tea didn’t have to do mail order or drive to Korea Town anymore – they could just go to a nearby Whole Foods Market. As with Starbucks, it wasn’t a revolution per se, but it was revolutionary presentation. This brings us now to a 2015 check-up... What have these guys done for us lately?

.. WHAT ABOUT NOW?

Starbucks has many competitors now.. The $4 Latte was too great of a boondoggle for others to ignore. Starbucks has hit a couple of bumps in an otherwise smooth ride. They closed a number of stores in the 2008 Recession and a few years later they made stores less luxuriant in an effort to turn tables faster. Some slackers were settling into the comfy chairs for an all-day visit. Overall, Starbucks is still true to its original concept: good coffee, good music, tolerable bench-like seating (now).

Apple has had an amazing trajectory. It was having a near-death experience in 1997 when Steve Jobs returned and brought his evangelical techno-wizardry back to the forefront. Apple is still riding high but with a couple of caveats (hinted at in a Simpson’s spoof)... It has a cult-like aspect both with employees and customers. A product's success should be based on intrinsic merit, not purely hipness or brand allegiance. There also appears to be an “Apple tax” paid for devices and accessories which is a monetary concern for people on a budget. Not surprisingly Samsung and Microsoft have wooed some people away with Galaxies and Surface Pro’s – you can’t sell to all of the people all of the time.

Whole Foods probably registers the biggest change from my own observations. Whole Foods Market was a fun, counterculture, quasi-hippie divergence in years gone by. Its parking lot had VW vans and cars plastered with provocative bumper stickers (“Eat brown rice” “Uppity Women Unite”). The whole shopping trip was like a reefer run to a hippie commune, or to an Austin health food emporium. It was fun and somewhat subversive. Stick it to the Man and buy cool stuff at the same time.

Whole Foods is now a snobby, pretentious experience – a gluten-free, cage-free, wine tasting affair with major appeal to law partners, CPA’s and soccer moms. The parking lot has mostly Mercedes, Porsche, and Lexus cars with a couple of reserved spaces for “eco-friendly” electric cars. Whole Foods’ 1980 concern over the ecosystem played well into the 2015 boomer fixation around global warming, recycling and carbon footprints. An obnoxious PwC Sr. Manager can assuage his capitalist conscience by knowing he just ate cage-free chicken and purchased a greeting card made from 100% recycled paper. Absolution never came so easily.

I might be judging these things in a harsh light and maybe not. I still patronize all these places in 2015. For Whole Foods, it might just be more of a people watching experience – but I must admit that their chocolate-toffee wafer cookies keep me coming back too.

© 2016 Snillor Productions