Here is your open thread for March 13, 2020.
Mike Stoller was born 87 years ago today. Here’s a one of the many songs he co-wrote with Jerry Leiber — in this case, also with Ben E. King. (Note: “Stand By Me” is a lovely expression of solidarity, but sometimes the best expression of this solidarity and concern for the wellbeing of others involves not standing too close by. This is true for everyone during the current pandemic, but it’s especially true for those of us who also currently have bronchitis.)
Today is Friday the 13th. Strange things sometimes happen on Friday the 13th.
On March 13, 1996, an aggrieved white man with four guns and 743 cartridges of ammunition went on a deadly rampage at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, murdering 16 schoolchildren and one teacher. In response, the UK’s conservative government passed firearms regulations (guns aren’t the same kind of partisan totem in the UK that they are here) and the country hasn’t had any school shootings like that massacre. Here is a list of school shootings in the United States since 2000. It is not a short list.
Happy 99th birthday today to Al Jaffee. I wish I could make a blog post in his honor that somehow let you fold the screen to show a different and even funnier blog post.
Neil Sedaka turns 80 today. You know most of the words to at least five Neil Sedaka songs. You may not know they’re Neil Sedaka songs, and you may have no idea how you learned the words, or why, because you’ve never consciously chosen to do so. But you do. And that’s something.
Charo turns either 79 or 69 today, although she may be back in court working to change that to 59. I hope she’s still around to make a guest appearance on the Love Boat reboot that Disney will produce a few years from now in an effort to revive it’s pandemic-stricken cruise business. She’ll play her original character, April, in an episode in which she visits her niece, new series regular Sofia Vergara.
Terrific actor and, somehow, not ex-con William H. Macy turns 70 today. Capable bass player Adam Clayton turns 60. Annabeth Gish turns 49. (Like Robert Patrick, she was really quite good in Season 9 of The X-Files and is not in any way to blame for the fact that it’s still best to pretend there never was a Season 9 of The X-Files.)
Johan Santana celebrates his 41st birthday today. Thank you again, sir, for finally giving Mets fans a no-hitter.
Talk amongst yourselves.
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