Paying Attention:
If you are like millions of Americans, this morning your TV is tuned to TBS where the programming is 24 hours of the beloved movie classic, “A Christmas Story”. The movie was based on a monologue, which was based on the real life experiences, of one of the most talented Americans you’ve never heard of: Jean Shepherd. Shepherd was a writer, DJ, radio announcer, script writer, actor, monologuist He was exceptionally talented and had a unique view of America–and comedy–that influenced generations of writers and comedians and actors. Jerry Seinfeld said that Jean Shepherd showed him how to do comedy, and if you look at the underpinnings of “Seinfeld” (the show about nothing), you can see Shepherd’s influence all over it. We’re going to do more on Jean Shepherd later in the year, but today..as a special tribute to the man whose mind is dominating one of America’s top channels for the full day..here’s a complete broadcast of one of Shepherd’s classic monologues: The Great Indiana Blizzard. Get a glass of wine or pour yourself a nice Scotch on the rocks and settle back to hear a master spin and weave a tail about the extraordinary impact of everyday events. It’s here as our own, very special tribute to a very special artist. Merry Christmas, Shep.
The Fine Print: Embed courtesy of our friends at YouTube. Nothing has been altered. We thank them sharing. All rights below to the respective artists. Text copyright (c) Donald Pierce, 2017, all rights reserved.