This boy was really something special. So special, in fact, that I have yet to be successful in naming the reasons that earn him that rank. Trying to explain it is like trying to explain the tone of a bell, how migration works, or why blue is blue. He was something extraordinary, in a category with one lone occupant: Fred Astaire.
I'd grudgingly watched bits of a few movies as a child and didn't really care one way or another. You know, it was old, and old wasn't cool then. As the years passed, my views began to change. One day, for some unknown reason, I watched one of his movies in it's entirety. That was all it took.
From that point on, I would seize every opporunity to watch any of his movies. Some I've watched a bit here and there, some I've seen repeatedly. The one thing that I've learned is that I don't think I will ever tire of them. Not so much because they were cinematic perfection, but for far more important reasons.
Fred was (and still remains) the epitome of grace and charm in my mind. There is not one person that can surpass him on either count. He danced as easily as I take a breath - it appeared effortless and utterly flawless. Often having to 'prove himself' in his movie roles, his quiet, crafty nature and tenacity managed to pull him through. With him, everything hard appeared easy, all things difficult simply became opportunities. Ahhh, idealism. It was as if, unbeknownst to him, he held the entire world in the palm of his graceful hand... no pretense whatsoever.
Right now, it's almost as if I need to believe that there is really someone like that out there. As if I need to wrap that feeling around me like a cloak. Something about him always seemed so centered, aside from his talent in tap shoes. I will always welcome the feeling I get when watching him. Hmm, I'm sure there's a box set of DVDs for sale somewhere, right?...
Yeah, I realize that there may not be one person that 'gets' this post, and that's ok. With everything changing in my life I just wish I had more than tonight's movie to give me that kind of feeling, that sort of comfort in life. Everyone has something that does it for them. Perhaps I see this as relief in a simpler time - complete with enough charm, grace, and a smile to knock anyone's socks (and tap shoes) right off!I wonder if he ever knew, truly knew, what he had?
24 comments:
There may be one person who understands.........
What with sharing the same name and all..........
;~)
Hi L :)
I wrote you a comment yesterday for your last post but I couldn’t post it, God knows why! So I finally did it tonight and when I reloaded your page you had already written a new post. Well, I guess today wasn’t my lucky comment day, never mind yesterday. Anyway, here I am already… so let’s talk Fred.
This might be funny to you, but when I moved to Canada in ‘84 folks out there had a serious problem pronouncing my name. Name it, I've heard it. I’ve even been called Tarzan, imagine the rest of it. So one day when I was taking advanced English classes to get into college, one of my professors whose name was Mr. Scott Brown noticed that I wasn’t comfortable with my given name and the other students in the class loved to pick on my name and get off on it in any way, shape or form they could. So he asked me to stay just a bit longer after the class and we talked about the subject [my name] a little bit. In the end he said to me how about we call you Fred as a nickname? It’s probably the closest name in English to your original name. I recall I didn’t hesitate one bit and said sure Fred is a great name and I’ll go with Fred from now on.
The next class he actually announced the name change to the whole classroom just so everyone would know about it. I was so happy, cuz I knew from then on I wouldn’t be picked on by other students and the assholes out there calling me Tarzan or Far Out, Ferret and so on. Anyway, since I’m so much into music, I always used to carry my walkman [I believe you’ve already seen the HUGE damn thing hanging off of my belt] with me and shake my ass to the tunes whenever I could no matter where I was. Almost everybody at the school including the staff knew that about me. So one day one of the guys in the morning turned around and said, “Hey Fred Astaire, good morning!” From then on, sort of everyone who knew me by that name ended up calling me from time to time Fred Astaire.
Honestly, I didn’t know who Fred Astaire is or was in those days, and I never bothered looking into it or even ask the folks around to explain it to me. I was so delighted by the fact that the name Fred somehow brought me the opportunity to be a part of something, accepted and not isolated or left out from the rest of the society, including school. Well, I was only 19 so nothing more than that was important to me. Fred or Fred Astaire it didn’t matter as long as they didn’t call me Tarzan, I was dancing all the way.
Those days I was living in Montreal and had a little semi basement bachelor apartment and a 12” screen TV. So small that I had to either lay down a foot away from the screen or have it right in front of me on my lap, just to see what’s going on watching the damn program. One day very late at night, I couldn’t sleep so I turned on the TV and there it was this little smiley guy very chic, charming and handsome dancing around but in a way that I wasn’t really familiar with. First I said to myself it must be the Charleston. Maybe some kind of old fashioned swing. It was so late at night that I even went as far as rock and roll, cha cha, but no it just didn’t make any sense what so ever. The moves with the rhythm of the music was totally different than anything I had ever seen before. One thing I knew though was that he wasn’t Elvis. That much I knew! My curiosity got the best of me and I sat there till the end of the movie and in the end I saw the name, “Fred Astaire” was the name of the dancer.
That night I got ridiculously hooked and became a huge fan of this guy - especially knowing that his name was Fred made the whole thing much easier for me. I believe I’ve seen all his movies. Well, Fred Astaire is not around anymore nor is my nickname Fred. But a few things are always going to be around no matter how you look at them. One is Fred Astaire’s feet owning the stage capturing our minds watching him through the screen. And perhaps one of the most important of them all, is what he has done, captured and changed in each and every one of us. So don’t forget to dance your feet to the music either with Fred Astaire, or even by yourself all alone. Music is one of the miracles of life. Even though I’m a little nutball, I do believe in miracles. So, you never know. Fred Astaire’s DVD collection might dance itself away into your life, sooner or later, maybe even this Christmas. Miracles do happen at Christmas time. So dance through the whole thing and let it dance away.
Thanx 4 the post and sharing your thoughts with us “Sweet Astaire” ;)
Talk 2 u later… Cheers :)
To quote the old Zen joke, "Who knows?"
Farzad's story actually brought tears to my eyes... and no, for once in my life I'm not being a wise-ass.
So since I can't top that, I'll say this, LiVEwIRe:
You will always have the leeches..!
well I think I've only ever seen one movie with Fred Astaire - it was called Ghost Story.... I'm guessing it wasn't his proudest moment but it's still one of my very favoritest 'scary' movies!!
I agree with you about Fred Astaire. I could watch him dance for hours, he makes it seem so easy. I have two left feet, so watching him dance is like a miracle to me. I love his old movies...one of my favorite movies is Holiday Inn, not one of his major movies, it's more a Bing Crosby movie, but still watching the two of them together is...well, nothing short of a miracle.
LW - yeah Fred has been sth special with a talent of his own. I also enjoyed his movies.
Farzad your story also was touching dude!
I also had this name problem back at US as they really find it hard to pronounce persian names!? I just decided to tolerate it & get used to the nu name! :-)
I so know what you mean about Fred. He has this quality about him that brings comfort to your soul. I hear he was a perfectionist that would practice for hours just to get one move perfect.
I grew up watching the old black and white movies. My favorite actor was Bob Hope. He does for me what Fred does for you. Good post and thanks for sharing Fred with us.
Something I almost never do is delete comments, but I've deleted two today and I would just like to explain why. I do value what you have to say; if I didn't, I would not allow comments. There was a misunderstanding about a comment that was left and since I knew that to be fact (that it was misinterpreted), I took it upon myself to delete the initial comment response and and then one that followed by another blogger that was trying to explain the situation. I will still address what was there before my deletion. No one needs bad feelings over a misunderstanding, and I hope that makes sense. Ok, carry on. =)
Anonymous - While I was writing this out-of-nowhere post, I thought of you; hmmm, wonder why? And often, you are the one who 'gets' it. Think it's just the name?... ;)
Farzad - I have your comment on the other post in my email, who knows why it hasn't come through yet but I'll try to cut and past it in thre to make it all official. And the Starbuck's thing had me laughing so hard! Now, onto this comment...I definitely remember that walkman (similar to a model I owned!) I'm still really surprised that there was such difficulty with pronouncing your name. I mean, all you have to do is look at it. There are certain names that are more difficult no matter their origin. Sometimes I just think people don't take the time. And considering the age group, that's even less surprising. Anyway... somehow the idea of you off in your own world, dancing away definitely fits with the nickname Fred! I think being called Fred Astaire works for you; I, on the other hand, have much less grace...lol. Even seeing him on the 12" screen is nothing short of miraculous. It's no small wonder that you were captivated. Then to learn that that was the person you were being 'named' after! Had to put a little more spring in your step! =) I absolutely loved this comment you left. I so onjoy getting these glimpses. Thanks for the smile!
Kyknoord - Then find 'who' and ask them... =) (Uh, I didn't realize Zen was synonymous with joke...lol)
Terri - Yeah, Farzad really has a way of getting his thoughts across. This in particular really puts you right there, doesn't it? Now, as far as those leeches, I've been thinking of visiting them over the holidays... what do you think? And what is an appropriate gift? My leech ettiquette is not so hot...lol. (Btw, your leech comment was misinterpreted so if you see me explaining it, you'll know you were the troublemaker... haha! Kidding!)
Kitty - Not sure if I've seen it, but I don't recall seeing him in anything scary. Although some of the acting in general was pretty scary...lol. This time of year they usually play several, check one out! =)
Farzad - If you want your comment back on, I'll put it there, but I figured I'd explain something first, 'k? In reference to leeches, she was referring to actual leeches. You know the sluggy looking blood suckers that reside in water? Yep, real live leeches! =) When I interviewed at the first hospital here in Pittsburgh they had medical grade leeches that they used for procedures. I wanted to see them and was just kind of amazed by it. I kept saying that even if I ended up living in my car I could take the leeches out in their jar and sit in the courtyard during lunch. They'd be my first group of friends there... =) So... being leeches they'd always be with me, literally. Point being, she really was referring to actual leeches. Hopefully that takes care of any confusion?
John - Doesn't he, though? He's amazing. I just caught part of Holiday Inn about 2 weeks ago; great movie. Bing Crosby is another of my favorites and I almost included him in this post be somehow that changed. I love those two together.
Dr O2 - Silly as it sounds, if I ever saw him dance in person, I would expect tears. (And if he saw ME dance I'd expect tears...lol) It's just the whole feeling he gives me; perhaps what he represents to me. (I think we need to gently remind Farzad to post on his blog every now and then...) To be honest, people in the States are lazy with names and such (big shock). For something as personal as a name, I think one should go out of their way to make the effort no matter where you are. It's someone's name, not something optional. Does this mean I get to rename you if I find your curent name difficult? KIDDING!
Anduin - 'Comfort to the soul', perfected stated. I think I heard somewhere also about him being a perfectionist. That does make perfect sense if you ever watch him. I loved Bob Hope, too. There was a Road to ______ with Bob and Bing that I just adored and it makes me laugh every time.
Kyknoord - I appreciate you stepping in to explain the origin of that comment. I just figured now that I got here I'd remove the ones associated with the initial misunderstanding. Make sense?
I've never seen any of his movies, but I know what you mean. I can count the last person who I met that was like that on an arm missing fingers. Not enough people like that. It's like the world is a train going in the opposite direction from where we want to be, and it's taking us along for the ride.
Motor - I like the analogy!!! Definitely not enough like that. No matter how cynical and bitter people can be, each has something or someone that gives us that feeling. Hopefully. =)
Farzad - Btw, your other comment on the previous post magically appeared finally! Anyway, I left you a comment and a website to check out there! =)
Sheesh! A girl goes off to work for a few hours and just look what happens...
Thanks for explaining, LW - and Kyknoord too, from what I understand?
Now, if a misunderstanding like that can take place from something I've said in Blogland, can you just imagine what I'm like in a real live conversation when I don't have ages to think about what I'm saying and stuff just falls out of my mouth?! It's a minefield out there, I tellya ;-)
And just so we can get the warm fuzzies back... Hugs to everyone!!!
all i can say is he's amazing!!a real star..
Farzad,u're comment is really touching!!
Terri - Does that mean that you posess the ability to place both feet in your mouth at the same time without realizing it and still continue to talk? Because if so, that makes two of us! I'm sure the warm fuzzies are back! =)
Foulla - You're right, a real star; not like today's standards. I think I shall forever picture Farzad dancing through the halls with that walkman, blissful as can be!
Hi L :)
Thank U so very much for taking charge of this matter and clearing/deleting things up for everyone’s sake including me... you made a right judgment call.
Unfortunately, I got too excited!
So my sincere apologies 2 “Terri”, U, and everybody else.
- Thanx 4 the link LW :)
Yep, that's about right LW. It's not very elegant, but entirely possible.
No worries Farzad... we all got the warm & fuzzies again :-)
I'm surprised that none of your fans has connected you to dear wonderful Fred via Ginger Rogers! You are, after all, ginger. I wonder if Rogers is your surname or middle name or if rogering is just something you like to do although that sounds strange applied to a woman! :-)
Many, many years ago, S African television ran most of the Fred Astaire movies - they were great to see. I don't have access to any of the cable or satellite channels but I know that some of them show his films often.
Going back to the leeches...how can anyone forget them?! :-)
Okay, I missed everything, I guess...which is pretty much the norm for me! ;)
Anyway, I have never seen a Fred Astair movie...but now I want to see one!
Think maybe I could get The Peanut King to go to dance class with me??? Yeah, riiiiiight! ;)
Frazad - Excitement can be a good thing, I just knew it was a misunderstanding so it's all ironed out. =) Hope that link helps!
Terri - Eh, elegance has it's time and place... but both feet at once is a true talent! ;)
Nomad - Me? Ginger? {enter various snorts and fits of laughter here} Oh, that was rich. If I had one eighth of what she had, I'd be happy. Somebody did make a comparison with her once, but I think it was out of sympathy. ;) If I had her lightness of foot I'd run, er, dance into that other hospital and free those leeches this minute. They'd make quiet roomates, no?
Stacy - You must, absolutely must see Fred in action. When you do... then you tell me if you think the PK is up for it. Personally, I've already got my bets placed! =) hehehe
High School girlfriend loved Fred, always watched his movies, gotta dance like, you know? She said he just moved her. We broke up. I think it was Fred.
By the way, loved the disturbed Xmas Carols. You're a peach.
Best of the holidays to you, Darlin'.
Champurrado - So this is the true tale of how Fred broke up your relationship?! Scandalous! I'm assuming you DID learn to dance then... just in case. =) Oh wait... no, it was the culinary skills! Glad you enjoyed the disturbed carols; have a great holiday =)
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