We’re watching Conan The Barbarian to commemorate the passing of James Earl Jones and it was the right choice. It’s epic and it’s heartfelt and honestly James Earl Jones has some truly beautiful lines. Perhaps nothing with the cultural significance of “No, I am your father” – but “Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they will learn why they fear the night” with that stunning delivery, getting to see his EYES. He was a beautiful snake god, truly.
Last night I had a dream that I was at a museum. Some sort of outdoor aquarium, and I was trying to talk to a couple of kids … teenagers? Early-twenty-somethings? INFLUENCERS. They were shooting footage and I was shooting footage and they were clearly kind of laughing at what I was doing. I tried to engage them in conversation and was quickly out of my depth, trying to impress them with the stuff that I do but consistently using outdated, archaic terms. Embarrassed, I retreat.
Later I find them again and swallow my pride, approaching them as they snicker, lounging and pale, they looked like vampires with their shirts hanging open and shallow scars on their chests. A giggling girl looking on. I explain that yeah, I’m pretty old and I didn’t understand what they were talking about, but that I wanted to learn. I try to ask questions and they’re not even speaking the same language.
Is this all inspired by Heather’s kid telling me my old Warhammer 40k army was “base” and me not knowing whether it was a good or a bad thing?
Am I hitting that wall? That critical point where I’m falling off the cliff of no longer being able to understand Kids Today?
No, it’s probably just a bad dream inspired by talking to too many people at the Folk Festival talking about how good it was to see the next generation coming in and taking the reins. A couple of friends talking about who they were passing the mantle to. Retiring and retreating.
I’m not really there yet, but it scares me to see my close-to-contemporary friends sunsetting so soon – but I woke up with the sheet tangled into a rope and wrapped around my neck.
No message.
Farewell James Earl Jones. You are Legend.
