Given that one of my hobbies is reading and that a small portion of pride hinges on how often I read, I spend a good deal of time reading about sports. In my youth I plowed through the greats like Plimpton and certain oral histories of the ABA. These were the books that stirred my imagination, allowing sports to become the far reaching cultural metaphor and path of lessons and curses that guides much of my young (I think I'm in my 30's) life. Either I should have saved some of the good ones or I should look harder for good sports book because all that seems to be left now is a cacophony of over analysis and overreaction that teach me about the 3-4 defense rather than hilarity or myself. It isn't bad that the media has evolved, but what is bad is the blatant repetition of so many cliches. Pounded into our heads they become untouchable truths until sports reverts to its fickle, coincidental nature. Truths become lies and all we have left is memories of hyperbole."Football is a violent game."
There have been many recent tragedies in the game of pro football. I won't go into the specifics because that isn't the mission. What I will go into is the explanation. It is thought in many circles that since football players must tap into an instinctive, somewhat dangerous place for success on the field that it can lead to violence off of it. This could be true in certain cases. It might not be. That isn't important. What is vital here is that the argument makes sense. Reaching a higher, simpler level of life you become more powerful. That power can be used for a purpose, ie tackling Marion Barber, before getting easily discarded, or it can be the other thing. it can linger. With over confidence and the right situation, anything can seem possible. It should seem this way if you are a God on the field. If your body and mind provide such a clear path to adrenaline and destruction I will say that there is at least an inkling of a chance that things could go wrong.
What if you don't have an outlet for your passion. What if the world is your oyster? What if you're known and renowned for your visceral, adrenaline infused output. This same output is used as a rallying cry for those seeking to get fired up, know to induce cheers and better performances, while fueling so many B-Movie montages.
I guess what I'm trying to ask if "What if you're Gary Glitter?"
Gary Glitter is a musical icon, especially in England and at Sporting Events. Much of his adult life has been marked with a string of other worldly successes that have seperated him from the common man and put him on a pedestal next to other heroes, such as Gallagher. He owned a restaurant and a string of chart topping hits around the world. I presume he also owned one of the first VCRs. While I am assuming I can also guess that he bought both the Beta and the VCR because Glitter is fancy like that. So fancy, in fact, was Glitter that his name was synonymous with bright sparkling successes.
Nowadays the word Glitter conjures up a Mariah Carey movie, small bits of aluminum, and the world's second most musically gifted pedophile.
Was he always a pedophile? Or was there some change along the way? Such a drastic departure from society is usually explained with some deeply rooted trauma. Michael Jackson's dark habits have been rationalized using the rationale that he never had a childhood and wanted to have one. This also implies that Michael Jackson didn't talk to many kids before embarking on his second childhood. Hell, it implies that the man is unable to understand anything other than how to make one move.
I was brainstorming ideas for music videos the other day. It is a fun thing to pretend and I don't own a TV, so it is my best entertainment outlet. One of the songs I used as a lightning rod for ideas was Glitter's Rock and Roll Part II. I knew this song. I had many memories of it. I remember hearing it at many sporting events before a rally. I recall the emotion of being taken to another level. A place where nothing was impossible. A place where I could do no wrong. Regardless of my actions the world would love me still.
If this song produces such a strong effect of me, there is a chance that it speaks something stronger of it's producer. There is something big inside Glitter. Purpose, confidence, and a "Take No Prisoner's" attitude lie behind every chord of his music. What does it say about Glitter that his style is marked by such characteristics? Don't even try to tell me that is reflects someone cognizant of boundaries, human rights, and what actions are fucked up.
Using this song as a springboard Glitter had decades of success in a world of treats and fantasies that are usually fiction (and even then usually conjured by a genie). Is it possible that Glitter got pushed so far and became so bored that the only applicable challenge was to break society's greatest taboo and turn our purest objects into items of lust? Imagine what you would do if this song was playing in your head every waking moment.
It is disgusting. it is reprehensible, but it is possible. Adrenal effects are a dangerous and slippery slope and a lifetime of tapping into such a place can lead to a Vietnamese Prison.
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