This morning as I got ready to mow the lawn – O joy, O rapture – Kathy told me that before I did that she had something quick to show me. She ushered me to the couch, took out the remote, fired up TIVO, and the next thing I know, I am watching a moment from last night’s Olympics Opening Ceremony that blew me away. . . 2008 Chinese drummers, working in perfect sync with one another. If you saw it, you know what I mean – if you haven’t, you need to see it. It is astonishing- as was most of the opening ceremony. And it decisively contradicted what has been my complaint about nearly every single Olympics opening that I can remember. In almost every case, about halfway through the big dramatic presentation I find myself asking “Who the heck thinks up this crazy stuff? And who the heck likes it or can begin to even understand it?” It seems like it always involves some sort of giant puppets or enormous banners or multitudes of modern dancers portraying some chapter from the ancient history of the host country. It’s fine for the first three hours, but then it just seems to get weirder and weirder . . . and it finally seems to be an absurd celebration of Artistic Excessiveness more than anything else. And for sure, it seems like a vast presentation conceived without any regard whatsoever for what your average swimmer or hurdler or badminton player would find interesting or even comprehensible, let alone the typical sports fan watching at home. And if I feel this way as a fairly artsy kind of guy, I shudder to think how bewildered the average guy sitting in a sports bar might feel. But this was different, I thought- – – it was astonishing and impressive and entertaining and enlightening – and FUN. And this is all before we get to the parade of nations, which takes three days in and of itself but is fun all the same – and that dramatic moment when the Chinese team enters with that little boy- the earthquake survivor – leading the way next to 7-foot-tall Yao Ming. And this is before the breathtaking torch lighting, which cannot be described in words. You had to see it to believe it and to take in its beauty. * * *
As Kathy and I watched that, she turned to me and asked whether or not Chicago has a chance to secure the Olympics of 2016. It would be SO cool if that happened – heck, we could offer our guest bedroom to Michael Phelps, should he still be competing – but I wouldn’t envy them the challenge of equalling the splendor of ’08 opening. I can see it now. . . a field full of rappers with boom boxes on their shoulders, or 2016 Janet Jackson look-a-likes all having the same simultaneous “wardrobe malfunction” – and why do I fear that the lighting of the torch might include the image of a gigantic Chicago-style hot dog?
Let’s hope Chicago has a chance to grapple with such a challenge. In the meantime, may these current games proceed in peace.
-
** * I need to relate a cute little story from my wife. She stopped by Jiffy Lube for a quick oil change this afternoon. She was sitting in the waiting room when a guy came in – mid-thirties, truck driver type. As he settled into his seat, he noticed that the Olympics were on the TV. He turned to Kathy as though she were one of his closest gal pals and said “Did you see the opening ceremony last night?!?!? Weren’t those drummers incredible?!?!?! I would have sworn those print boxes were mechanically controlled!!! How could people have managed to do that?!?!?!? Wasn’t that the most amazing things you’ve ever seen?!?!?”
It’s one more way that the Olympics bring us a little closer together than we would otherwise be.
pictured: a rough image of the opening ceremony taken off of our television set, but even with the blur it gives a hint of how amazing this was.