Mary Travers

Hey, I finally have something in common with Mary Travers – we’re both late. (I know, it’s not funny. Especially this one.)

Lots of people die, even famous ones – it’s part of life, and death. But something about Mary Travers’ passing really hitting me hard. I don’t know, maybe because while she was an internationally know, Grammy-winning artist, she was not a superstar in the unapproachable-traveling-with-entourage kind of way. She was a regular person, living a few miles from me and my family – the kind of local celebrity you’d see from time to time…hey isn’t that?

As a kid, my wife Jill had the honor of hearing Travers speak her name. My wife was a volunteer at the Ives Center in Danbury where Travers was performing. At the end of the performance, she read the list of volunteers’ names. It’s not quite the thrill of Bill Clinton citing you as inspirationfor a trip to North Korea, but in everyday life, it’s something.

Of course this personal connection to Travers pales in comparison to her musical accomplishments – 1/3 the seminal folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. But that’s what we keep of people after they’ve left us; the impact they’ve made on us personally.

I must have worn the grooves off my mother’s copy of Puff the Magic Dragon as a child listening to it over and over. And that’s without knowing the alleged drug reference, which I’ve just learned was never really about drugs anyway. The song and Burgess Meredith voiced-over movie taught me more about honesty, self-confidence and innocence than any piece of pop culture should be expected to.

I hope Mary is in Honalee.

Patrick Swayze

Finally.

Look, I didn't mean that the way it came out, but this one is truly overdue on so many levels. OK, well...two levels.

#1) In case you haven't noticed, things have been rather quiet in celebituary land the last two weeks and I was waiting...hoping for a big name to end the um...moratorium on celebrity deaths. Sure, I could have caved and done the world's oldest woman. And, I had a nice little thought about Jack Kramer, what with the US Open going on. But, I was really holding out for someone big to pass.

#2) That someone, Patrick Swayze, has been on the near death list for a long time. He and Farrah Fawcett were essentially the King and Queen of the death prom, and..well...he kind of stood her up, if you ask me.

I usually find out these things from a friend, and I betcha anything my inbox will fill up in the time that it takes me to write this entry. This time, I got the news from my arch nemesis, the precious Obit magazine who has the same business model as me, except they have a staff, and probably nice offices. I bet they were sweating this prolonged lull out. Frankly, I was OK with it -- it was a nice break. But, now it's back to school, and I really can't think of a better way to head into the fall than celebrating the life of St. Patrick.

I have a few Patrick Swayze memories, but the one I'd like to document is actually quite fresh. It was winter break this past year. My abnormally large family and I were stuck in a hotel in Portland, Maine during one of the bigger snow days -- only it seemed even bigger in Maine. It would have made for the perfect Stephen King novel, but the Embassy Suites didn't really offer that vibe at all. Amazing free breakfast buffet, though. Highly recommended.

So, we're pretty much snowed in and Ghost comes on the TV. And this was after the news had broken about Mr. Swayze's illness. So, I'm sitting there watching this movie about a dead man, and explaining to my kids (who are a little young to appreciate irony) that in real life this actor is going to die soon. What I didn't know until just looking it up this evening is that "Willie Lopez" (actor Rick Aviles) has been deceased now for almost fifteen years. Alas, actor Tony Goldwyn, most recently of "Criminal Intent" fame is still with us. I wonder if he has made the "last man standing" connection like I have? Probably.

I'm not going to go into the whole Dirty Dancing thing. I'm just not. But, since the theme has suddenly become dead co-stars of Patrick Swayze, I stumbled upon this vintage link of a SNL skit with Swayze and Chris Farley. The hair is simply awesome. Hard to believe it was the nineties and not the eighties.

I couldn't find any deceased co-stars from the movie, "The Outsiders," but damn, what a movie, what a cast! I swear to God, in my attic, I have that movie on a beta tape and I refuse to get rid of it.

While we are all caught up in Patrick's acting prowess, I won't let any of you out of here until you enjoy the vocal talents of Mr. Swayze as captured in the timeless 80's classic "She's Like the Wind."

What else? Sure, there were the gay rumors. I mean, come one, he DANCED for God Sakes! And then he goes and plays a Drag Queen? Gay. Case closed. But, perhaps his wife and co-author Lisa might beg to differ. I don't think he was gay, but what's up with the no children?