John Hanley’s Summer 2001 Top Ten Cool Things
John Hanley’s Summer 2001 Top Ten Cool Things
#8: Rushmore, starring Bill Murray
10. All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson
Call me a sucker for the underdog, but I got a huge charge out of this two hour special concert honoring the ultimate sixties survivor, Beach Boys songwriting genius Brian Wilson. Guests were a mix of mainstream superstars (Elton, never my cup of tea) and alternative-for-grown-ups semi-obscurities (everybody raise your hand who’s heard of Matthew Sweet), but all were made to toe the line by Brian’s crack band. Even that chick from Heart had to rein it in on “Good Vibrations,” for cryin’ out loud! This was cool because Brian and I go way back (umm... try forty years) and it touched me in a way I can’t easily describe to hear him sounding so good.
9. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Having seen the movie, but never having read the book, it was great fun to work through this with my four-year-old son Walter. Those creepy flying monkeys didn’t seem to freak him out too much, and I found the book’s American fairy-tale approach surprisingly enjoyable. This was cool because there’s nothing like leading a little one through a classic piece of literature for the first time. [Runners-up: Uncle Scrooge by Carl Barks, Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks]
8. Rushmore
My favorite movie of the last five years or so, Wes Anderson’s eternally fresh teen comedy held up nicely during this summer’s re-viewing. This was an especially cool time because I’d read the screenplay beforehand, so a lot of the good lines were fresh in my mind as I watched it. I eagerly await The Royal Tenenbaums.
[Runners-up: The Big Lebowski, The Wonder Boys]
7. O Brother, Where Art Thou (Movie Soundtrack)
I finally got around to watching this movie this summer (a solid “B”), but it was the soundtrack that really made in impression on me, after all. As a rule, I’m not a major fan of “old-time” music, preferring jangly guitars over fingerpickin’ bangos, but this collection won me over. This was cool because, to my ear at least, there was precious little going on in the way of jangly guitars this summer, and it was good to have something to keep the old CD changer from gathering dust.
[Runners-up: Wonderful by Madness, Live at the Roxy Theatre by Brian Wilson]
6. Silent Echoes
My indescribable book of the summer, but I’ll try anyway: John Bengstrom lovingly recreates old Los Angeles through obsessive frame-by-frame study of the films of Buster Keaton. What’s more, he extends that geographical homage by revisiting Keaton’s locales in the present day. Wow! What a... completely unique product? Crowd pleaser? Endless object of fascination tinged with ineffable melancholy and thus the coolest book of my summer by far? The last one!
[Runners-up: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (British edition) by J.K. Rowling, Rocco Vargas: The Dark Forest by Daniel Torres]
5. Gliders
Flown balsa wood gliders with a four year old lately? Well, it’s really cool because the little bugger will go and pick up your plane an infinite number of times, no matter how far he has to run to do it, or how deep you’ve buried it in the bushes in front of your house.
4. No Pain
I hurt my back last school year, and as a result experienced-- no kidding-- three months of continuous pain. So as much as I enjoyed the Matthew-Perry-strength doses of Vicodin, and lying around the house reading Tintin to Walter, the agony just wasn’t worth it. And kids, drugs are not the answer. All they do is dull the pain and make you really, really sleepy. Fortunately, my Good Friday operation worked like a charm, to the point that my physical therapist declares me the most flexible post-surgical patient she’s ever worked with. Bottom line: a whole summer with no pain. This is cool because you don’t know how lucky you are not to be in pain until you’ve experienced a good long stretch of it.
3. Irish Pub with Julie
Julie’s my BW (Beautiful Wife) and for my birthday she took me out to a cool
little Irish pub. We had a drink, a bite to eat, then went off for dessert and a
quick bookstore browse. All in all, it was a swell romantic evening and a
reminder of how lucky I am to have such a great partner in life. This was cool
because we’re slackers about finding time for doing stuff like this as a couple,
and it’s always neat to be reminded of why I fell in love with her in the first
place.
All together now... Awwwww!
2. Frosties with Walter and Jack
One night when Julie was working during that beastly hot spell in August I loaded
the boys up in the van, and we went for a ride, as much for the air-conditioning
as anything. After cruising around for a while, I stopped on impulse at Wendy’s
and we went in to have their very first Frosties. Number one son Walter declared
himself “Freezin’!” about half way through his, prompting Jack, who’s all of two,
to squeal in agreement, leading to a delighted call-and-response chorus throughout
the remainder of their desserts. About the time Elvis Costello’s “Alison” came on
the Muzak, I had decided this was the most fun any person ever had anywhere. This
was cool because there’s nothing like making your kids happy by introducing them
to the simple pleasures in life.
One more time... Awwwww!
1. Central Air
We had central air installed on the day before the hottest day of the year. This
was cool because... Ha!