Re: my so-called life
Malcolm Lawrence (malcolm@wolfenet.com)
Thu, 11 Sep 1997 19:02:17 -0700
One of the most influential people in my life was my Humanities/American Lit teacher
in high school (class of 81). I wouldn't exactly call myself a junky, but I watched
all the shows that everybody else did more or less. My teacher was 33 when I first
had her (my age now) and she had gone to Woodstock and the Concert for Bangladesh
and let me borrow her Stones, Dylan, Janis Joplin, Hendrix and Paul Butterfield
Blues Band albums and had us all keep journals for her class. I remember describing
to her in utter detail in my journal the poignancy of the last episode or two of
Soap. She didn't watch TV. Nor did she own a TV. She was crushed when she saw this
journal entry of mine because I was one of her favorite kids. A few months later I
went up to college and didn't have a TV and more importantly never had the urge to
watch it. To those of you who haven't been to college yet, you'll understand what I
mean when you get there. Eventually I was able to go home for the holidays and watch
TV in a completely different way and realized all too quickly that all the programs
I'd watched (out of boredom really, NOT out of allegiance) had absolutely nothing to
do with the real world whatsoever and if anything distorted the ways people actually
are in real life. The news and the odd sports broadcast notwithstanding, I haven't
watched TV since 1981. I'm in no position to judge things I haven't seen, but I
highly urge those young impressionable minds on this list so enamored with Holden
and the Glass family to remember: those characters didn't have television. Yeah, the
real world is scarier than television, but, at the same time, it's a lot more
spiritually nourishing.
Malcolm
Laura Boyce wrote:
> Yes, "Relativity" was cancelled.
>
> I think the Saturday night at 10pm eastern slot helped kill it quickly. It
> later got moved to Mondays at 10 pm eastern for its last three episodes.
>
> Check out "Ally McBeal" on Fox. It looks somewhat promising. At least
> somewhat real.
>
> (I swear, I do study at school even though it sounds like I know alot about tv).
>
> Laura
>
> At 08:23 PM 9/11/97 -0500, you wrote:
> >
> > was relativity cancelled?
> >
> >
> >
> >______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> >Subject: Re: my so-called life
> >Author: <bananafish@lists.nyu.edu> at sb-entsmtp
> >Date: 9/10/97 11:11 PM
> >
> >
> >i don't know, i always got the feeling "relativity" was just about
> >pushing the sex envelope on broadcast tv. but i didn't really watch
> >that much.
> >
> >On Wed, 10 Sep 1997 22:19:18 -0400 LABOYCE@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (Laura
> >Boyce) wrote:
> >
> >>I agree with Lagusta. The same people that put on "My So Called Life"
> >>did
> >>"Relativity" and "Thirtysomething". I enjoyed all of them even though
> >>I am
> >>twenty something. Good, real writers - especially for TV.
> >>
> >>Too bad alot of the shows with some kind of depth go off the air
> >>quickly.
> >>
> >>Sad.
> >>
> >>---Laura
> >>
> >>
> >>At 06:28 PM 9/10/97 -0400, you wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>ahh! NO ONE here has felt the need to stand up for MSCL? in my
> >>opinion,
> >>>it's...um...here come the flames...the catcher in the rye of tv. not
> >>>fitting in, looking around and seeing phony after phony, trying to
> >>>find a place for yourself in a world that you're not sure you even
> >>>want to live in, how painful and disturbing it is to grow up. all the
> >>>biggies are covered. maybe you have to be my age (19) to think so,
> >>but my
> >>>mother (an avid jds fan as well) never misses the reruns on MTV. ok,
> >>so
> >>>maybe it's a little simplistic and trite (the "hottie guy" is really
> >>dumb
> >>>in school, the "gay guy" doesn't fit in, the "nerdy boy" can't get a
> >>>date...) but still, i think it is raw and real and achingly beatiful
> >>more
> >>>than anything i've ever seen on tv. i don't know...i haven't watched
> >>it in
> >>>a long time, but just thinking about it makes me feel consoled and
> >>>disturbed at the same time, just like i feel after rereading F&Z or
> >>CITR.
> >>>
> >>>lagusta
> >>>
> >>>**********************************************************************
> >>****
> >>>i know, in my soul, that to eat a creature who is raised to be eaten,
> >>and
> >>>who never has a chance to be a real being, is unhealthy. it's
> >>>like...you're just eating misery. you're eating a bitter life.
> >>> ~~alice walker
> >>>**********************************************************************
> >>****
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Laura A. Boyce
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Laura A. Boyce