Footprint Of Fame

Boomer all alone in the winds of change. Back away from the edge, son.

Excuse Baby Boomers when it comes to fame.

They were the first victims of mass hysteria.

They saw Elvis and The Beatles on TV and felt the reactions.

One day a kid is normal. The next he shows up in Beatle Boots and Beatle Wig.

And he’s never the same, bouncing from fad to fad, reading comic books, getting ideas.

That might describe your uncle or your dad or grandpa. Ask them.

No one anticipated Beatle Fame, not even England, but they should have.

After all, Great Britain was home to one of the most famous men in history, even if it’s still not certain he ever lived.

Anyway…(as our English brothers and sisters say.)

The royal Baby Who Would Be King falls into line with King Arthur, except for a few differences.

The baby may be more famous, seen and heard of by the masses, but he’s not a legend. Yet.

King George will never trump King Arthur. Neither will King Charles or King William.

Arthur glows in the mist like an acid vision of Jerry Garcia playing a Dead solo inside a kaleidoscope concert.

There’s promise, redemption, and hope in Arthur. (Jerry, too, but that’s other post.)

His heartbreak with Queen Guinevere is the same agony Meadow Lake nailed on Lucky Lenny when she moved to another tent the first night of their rock festival date.

Bummer.

Like Boomers, Arthur endured the worst and came out better. Should NW Boomer expect any less? Should you?

If the winner has the biggest tombstone, King Arthur takes it all.

No one’s world crumbled like Boomers’ when our rock stars started dropping. Jimi, Janis, Jim Morrison. They’re the headliners, but so many more crowd that stage.

But we recovered, or pretend the multi-death parade wasn’t that big a deal.

Arthur’s world tumbled to the sea, the ruins of a castle begging you to understand what it really means.

His Camelot survives on still being able to give and share, to reach beyond what’s expected and make it look easy.

Boomer knows Camelot.

Let others into your life. Be vulnerable to new ideas and places. Give someone the treasure of your time.

King Arthur created a greater notion of fame because he doesn’t ask you to judge. All you need is to feel the power of legend.

Excuse Baby Boomers when it comes to fame. If they don’t thrill to Bieber, it’s not because they don’t care. When Bieber gets bigger than Frankie Avalon, then they’ll care.

They complain about Brittany Spears? It’s hard not to when precious Disney child actors turn into rodeo queens while their male dancers gallop around.

Annette Funicello let her fans grow up without the heat of watching her slip in and out of cars. Look? Don’t look? Boomer, please.

Leave the wild pony alone.

Talking to you, Miley.

Boomers grew up with King Arthur in part because there wasn’t much else. The Greek and Roman myths were too weird with gods springing from their father’s ear.

The Marvel and DC Comics shined in their Silver Age splendor while underground comics found traction. Super powers were fun to read about, but Arthur still had more.

He brought the kindness, the love, and the hair.

Could King Arthur’s hair be the difference maker? All Hail the Hippie King?

There’s much worse, though not much better.

When fans trek to a dangerous pile of rocks on an ocean Cliffside because you might have lived there,THEN, and only then, are you a legend. Graceland doesn’t count. There’s pictures of Elvis. No pictures of King Arthur at Tingagel, just whispers. That’s what LEGENDS get.