Roger O Green

A STAR WARS quiz

I’d like to be a Rebel librarian.

This was completed by Jaquandor and SamuraiFrog. I’m going to do it anyway!

1. Which film is your favorite of the Original Trilogy?

I’ll steal Jaquandor’s answer, in part: “The one that started it all, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. I know, most people consider The Empire Strikes Back to be the greatest of the Star Wars films, but for me, it’s the first one that always has that special something, the one that took us into that amazing universe for the first time.”

BTW, I HATE the retronym numbering and naming of the first film released.

2. If you enjoy the prequels, which one is your favorite?

I saw Episode 1 and was bored to tears. Never saw the other two. And while I wasn’t thrilled by Jar Jar, he wasn’t as offensive as I thought – or more likely, I was told beforehand how TERRIBLY offensive he was, and the actual wasn’t as bad as the anticipation. BTW, Arthur didn’t like Episode 1 either.

3. How old were you when Episode 1 came out?

I was 46.

4. Which of the movies have you seen in the theater?

Four, five, six and one, i.e., every one I saw. I want to say I saw the original at the now-defunct FOX Theater in Colonie, NY, but have no idea about the others.

5. Did you go to any of them on opening night?

The original I saw MONTHS after it opened, but it was still playing first run. I doubt I saw any of the others opening night since the number of films I’ve seen opening night, or in preview, is about five.

6. Who is your favorite character from the Original Trilogy?

Yoda. He’s green. And wise.

7. Who is your favorite character from the prequels, if you have one?

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

8. Have you read any of the books or comics?

I read the Marvel series when the original films were coming out. They were, as I recall, quite entertaining in that they filled in holes that the movies left.

I have at least one novel, still, but it was long ago since I read it, and don’t specifically remember it.

9. Favorite book or series? Favorite SW author?

Archie Goodwin, probably.

10. Favorite comic?

I remember the first few dozen issues of the Marvel series than the latter ones.

11. Favorite character from the Expanded Universe (EU)?

n/a

12. Favorite villain from the EU?

n/a

13. If you had your own ship from the Star Wars Universe (SWU), what would it be? It could be a mash-up/ugly.

“The Millennium Falcon. Is there another possible answer?”

14. Would you rather be Sith or Jedi?

Jedi.

15. Would you rather be a Rebel or a member of the Imperial Navy? What would your role be?

I’d like to be a Rebel librarian, looking up strategies.

16. If you could be any species from the SWU which would you be?

Wookie.

17. If you could date any species from the SWU which would you pick?

n/a

18. If you could date/marry any character from the SWU who would you pick?

n/a

19. If you were going to bone just one Star Wars character and you never had to see them again, who would you pick?

“Oh, come on.” Hmm. Finding out that you’re not the Rebel Alliance, you’re actually part of the Empire and have been all along.

20. If you could BE one SW character, EU or not, who would you be?

Han Solo.

21. What would your SWU name be?

Roger Bookbinder.

22. What color would your lightsaber be, what kind would it be (double-bladed, single blade), would you dual-wield, and what kind of grip would it have?

How about green?

“As for grip…just a standard straight grip, I guess.”

23. Do you own SW merchandise?

Possibly, but not sure.

24. How much, to date, do you think you’ve spent on SW merchandise?

Mostly the comics, when they were brand new and cheaper and I was getting a work discount. Maybe $40.

25. What is your favorite SW possession?

n/a. But you might be interested in The Collector’s Show episode with Mark Bellomo, who “has written hundreds of articles about toys from the 1980s and a whole library full of books on vintage action figures and pop culture. Most recently, he wrote The Ultimate Guide to Vintage Star Wars: 1977-1985, a book that covers every action figure, accessory, creature, mail-away, playset, vehicle, and weapon system from Kenner’s original Star Wars toy line, along with a wealth of flavor text discussing the history of the characters, spaceships, and settings within the Star Wars universe.”

26. Do you have a favorite SW artist? If so, who?

Howard Chaykin.

27. Are there items you do not own but covet? What are they?

Nope.

28. Are there items that are not made but that you wish were made? What are they?

Nope. Off-topic, I like this issue of Brevity. And this one.

29. Did Han shoot first?

Of course. And George Lucas’s revisionism is unnecessary.

30. Did Boba Fett, in your opinion, ever leave the Sarlacc, or did he die there?

One of those mysteries.

31. Are there things about the movies you wish you could change? If so, name three.

Lucas has been doing too much fixing that I haven’t thought much about it. Jaquandor, of course, has been fixing the prequels at length.

32. Which era would you want to live in?

“There doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between the eras in the films (and why would there be, they’re only separated by about twenty years), so sometime in there would be fine. Preferably on one of the outer worlds where the Empire hasn’t quite got ‘round to totally taking over yet.”

33. What SW games have you played?

Possibly one years and years ago.

34. Do you play/own Star Wars Miniatures?

No.

35. Favorite SW costume for men?

Maybe some Lando Calrissian outfit.

36. Favorite SW costume for women?

I can’t visualize any save Princess Leia, and the gold bikini is a classic.

37. Have you ever dressed up as an SW character? Who/When/Why?

No.

38. Do you ever have SW sex fantasies? If so, have you ever acted them out?

No.

39. Do you Ship any SW characters who aren’t together? Who/why?

To break up this string of “No” answers, check out the Hello Internet podcast, with Star Wars interviews for episodes 26 and 27, and possibly others.

40. Have you ever written SW fan fiction? Can we read it?

No.

41. Have you been to a Celebration or plan on going to one?

Haven’t, but I might.

42. Have you ever been to Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World?

No.

43. Do you wish they had Star Wars Weekends at Disneyland?

Not particularly.

44. Best section you’ve experienced on Star Tours?

n/a

45. What initially brought you to the SW fandom?

I saw the original when I was 24 or 25, during a period I was also reading the comic books. I just enjoyed that first picture, thought it was entertaining.

46. Do you consider yourself a SW Fanboy or Fangirl?

No.

47 Have you seen Fanboys? Favorite character and/or quote?

Nope.

48. Do you wish they would make 7, 8, and 9 or do you think they should be done with it?

“Obviously this quiz originated before the Disney sale and the announcement of Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. I’m fine with it.” I’ll probably see #7, and decide from there.

49. If they ever made 7, 8, and 9, do you think it should continue the Skywalker Legacy or use entirely new characters? Or something different?

“As long as there are Star Wars stories being filmed under that include “Episode [number]” in the title, they should be about some generation of Skywalkers. Other tie-in movies? Fine. But I want Skywalkers. They’re totally central.”

50. Do you watch The Clone Wars?

I have not.

Lenten reflections from the FOCUS churches of Albany, NY

Lent offers us a landscape that calls us to look at our lives from a different perspective, to perceive what is essential and what is unnecessary.

The Reverend Debra Jameson, Director of Community Ministry for the FOCUS Churches of Albany, writes:

The season of Lent beckons us to see what we are clinging to. These days draw us into a wilderness in which we can more readily see what we have shaped our daily lives around: habits, practices, possessions, commitments, conflicts, relationships—all the stuff that we give ourselves to in a way that sometimes becomes more instinctual than intentional.

The FOCUS Lenten reflections have been created by forty men and women from the community of partner congregations. I am always moved by the depths of these contributions.

Much as Jesus went into the desert to pray and fast for forty days, Lent offers us a landscape that calls us to look at our lives from a different perspective, to perceive what is essential and what is unnecessary.

Read the online FOCUS Lenten Reflections here.

The winter of my discontent

Friday the 13th, my lovely bride got up at 4 a.m. and drove me to the train station.

It’s cold, it’s snowy, but it’s also winter in upstate New York, so I’m not one to complain. (I save my vexation about the weather for the summer.)

So the stuff outside is not specifically bothering me, though if I were to, it would sound like The Grounds for Violence – Key of Bart. People who don’t shovel their walkways, ESPECIALLY at the corners, and make it difficult to walk; now THEY really bug me.

I did fall down outside recently, trudging through the white stuff, and had a difficult time getting up. You’d think the snow would be more forgiving, but I guess not when it’s 10F/-12C. Landing in it managed to bang up both shoulders, my left knee, and my right thigh; my back and ribs are hurting, too.

This is Black History Month and, at church, I’d somehow gotten myself involved with not only the adult education for February but most of January as well. The annual luncheon process became more complicated by ANOTHER event in February at church.

Because the calendar fell as it did, I was unable to go to the annual Midwinter’s gathering in my college town area, which I often find restorative, because it clashed with RESPONSIBILITIES at church; it’s only a problem when February 1 is on a Sunday.

The Daughter’s church musical is on March 1, which has meant attending extra rehearsals.

A big issue in my life is work, which has become stressful. We had had five librarians working on reference questions. One has been out on maternity from Thanksgiving, returning at the end of February. But another left to take another job at the end of January, and I will miss seeing her every day. Worse, there is no promise the position will be filled.

So for most of February, we’ve had three librarians, except on those days when one of us was out – at least twice because of the weather – and we had but two. Yet the workload did not ebb.

Surely, it’s THREE funerals in seven weeks that have worn on me. They were actually all very nice events in their own ways. I spoke at two of them.

I think that sense of loss has made the deaths of public figures, such as Bob Simon and Lesley Gore – my, I LOVED You Don’t Own Me – somehow more poignant.

Basically, it’s that I’m damn tired. The Tuesday before my cousin Robert’s funeral, a cousin called, waking me at 10:30 p.m. telling the funeral as on THAT Friday. I went back to sleep, but then woke up again at 1 a.m., trying to problem-solve how to get there by looking at Amtrak and Greyhound schedules. I never DID go back to sleep.

When I got home Wednesday evening, I was SO exhausted that I changed into my pajamas at 7 p.m. A half-hour later, the doorbell rang. One of my church buddies was there to pick me up to take me to a meeting, something I had asked him to do only two days earlier. I ran upstairs to get dressed and went out.

Friday the 13th, my lovely bride got up at 4 a.m. and drove me to the train station a half-hour later. Took the Amtrak to New York City, the subway to Queens, and then a bus to the funeral parlor. At the end of the day, got a train to Penn Station, then the Amtrak back to Albany (or rather Rensselaer, on the other side of the river), and waited for the CDTA bus; got home at 11:15 p.m.

It’s all made me rather impatient. After an Islamic center in Houston, TX was torched, some Facebook friend of mine, someone I knew in childhood, wrote: “May HaShem forgive me, but I don’t think it could happen to a more deserving group of individuals…Terrorists, whatever you choose to call them, but human they are NOT…!!!”

Someone unknown to me replied to her, “Such comments are disgusting and a real Chillul Hashem“. I just unfriended her, only the second time I’ve done that. Can’t be bothered with the debate.

Some of this will likely get better. The weather will break, a coworker will return, the play will be over. Now if I can be sure there won’t be any more funerals to attend anytime soon, I’d be a whole lot better.
***
“What Makes Us Happy?” (The Atlantic, June 2009).

Smokey Robinson is 75

Interesting that two of my top three Smokey Robinson songs have the word “tears” in the title.

Usually, when a musical artist reached the age of 70, I would indicate my favorite songs that they recorded. For some reason, though, five years ago, I listed some of my favorite songs WRITTEN by Smokey Robinson. And his legendary songwriting, and producing, are worthy of note, and absolutely VITAL to the success of Motown Records.

A bit of Motown trivia: I Heard It Through the Grapevine, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles [LISTEN], but Berry Gordy rejected it, and Marvin Gaye’s version as well. He allowed Gladys Knight and the Pips to release it, and they had a #2 hit. Then, the other versions were released, with Marvin having a massive hit.

I haven’t heard it yet, but the artist released a new album, “Smokey & Friends” on August 19, 2014, on Verve Records, a duets collection “with Contemporary and Classic Artists such as Elton John, James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, Aloe Blacc, Jessie J, Miguel, CeeLo, Ledisi and more. It was his highest-charting album in 33 years.

The “problem” with putting together this list is that I’ve far too often heard many of the songs by another artist first, before Smokey and the Miracles, and that tends to be my association. For instance, I’ll Try Something New (# 11 on the rhythm and blues/soul chart – listed as RB, #39 on the pop charts in 1962) I associate as a song by the Supremes and the Temptations on their Join album. So I’m ranking these by my favorites, as performed by Smokey, usually with the Miracles. LISTEN to all.

15. Who’s Lovin’ You (B-side of Shop Around) – I associate this more with a preternaturally old preteen Michael Jackson singing this on the Jackson 5’s first album.

14. What’s So Good About Good-by (16rb, 35 in 1962). That’s the spelling of “goodbye” in the Billboard books.

13. Baby Baby Don’t Cry (3rb, 8 in 1969)

12. Being with You (1rb for 5 weeks, 2 in 1981). Solo Smokey.

11. Got A Job (1958) a pre-Motown song recorded by Berry Gordy, an answer song to Get A Job by the Silhouettes.

10. The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage (10rb, 20 in 1967)

9. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me (1rb, 8 in 1963). I associate this with the Beatles, specifically the Beatles’ 2nd Album on Capitol, or With the Beatles in the civilised world.

8. Special Occasion (4rb, 26 in 1968)

7. Mickey’s Monkey (3rb, 8 in 1963). Possibly my favorite hook, “Lum de lum de la ey” (or however you spell it) from Holland-Dozier-Holland.

6. Shop Around (1 rb for 8 weeks, 2 in 1961). This song always sounded like it was from the 1950s. It was the first big Motown hit.

5. Ooo Baby Baby (4rb, 16 in 1965)

4. Goin’ To A Go-Go (2rb, 11 in 1966)

3. The Tracks of My Tears (2rb, 16 in 1965). Interesting that two of my top three have the word “tears” in the title.

2. I Second That Emotion (1rb, 4 in 1968). As is true with many great pop lyrics, this came from a mistake, with Smokey and a friend at a department store. One person said something and the other meant to say, “I second the motion,” but misspoke. This song Smokey covered with the Manhattan Transfer on the Tonin’ album features other artists doing their own songs (Let’s Hang On with Frankie Valli of the 4 Seasons, Groovin’ with Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals, et al.)

1. Tears of a Clown (1rb for 3 weeks, 1 for 2 weeks). From Wikipedia:

Stevie Wonder and his producer Hank Cosby wrote the music for the song, and Cosby produced the instrumental track recording. Wonder brought the instrumental track to the 1966 Motown Christmas party because he could not come up with a lyric to fit the instrumental. Wonder wanted to see what Robinson could come up with for the track. Robinson, who remarked that the song’s distinctive calliope motif “sounded like a circus,” provided lyrics that reflected his vision. In the song, his character, sad because he does not have a woman who loves him, compares himself to the characters in the opera Pagliacci, comedians/clowns who hide their hurt and anger behind empty smiles.

I’m also rather fond of the English Beat cover [LISTEN].

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