Truly, I am not a snob. I have sampled cavier but also have enjoyed the delights of pickled pigs feet. Dom Perignon has caressed my lips and flowed luxuriously down my throat, as well as Keystone Light. I have experienced many of the joyful extremes of life and am happy at both ends.
My entertainment tastes run in a similar wide spectrum. They have to. Why be boring and shave yourself into a hole, the square peg in a round hole. Must everyone fit into a certain expectation. I am really angered by those in the entertainment "tall tower" looking down on those in the "Mariana's Trench" of enjoyment. Why must there be a "highbrow" against a "lowbrow" entertainment. Afterall, isn't the key word in this entertainment? Isn't life suppossed to be enjoyed and experienced? How much of our entertainment likes and dislikes are shaped by what we really enjoy, or by what we are expected to enjoy. Do we not shun away from certain forms of entertainment because we feel they are beneath us and would sully (I like that word "sully") our image that we project to our "highbrow" friends. Sometimes the reverse is true and we hide the fact that we went to the Philharmonic in a tuxedo from our "beer drinkin' bubba" buddies. Both sides will miss out on a lot of great life simply because of their mindset. It is such a pity.
The opera is one of those entertainments that is considered "high brow". Many people take a look at it and dismiss it as being just for those who have their noses firmly affixed to the sky. In many ways, I could agree that this would be a fair observation but not always. My own opinion of opera was that it wasn't for me. After being close to an opera production and actually performing in one, I must admit that my opinion is changing. At the risk of alarming some of my "golfin' buddies" I must admit that I enjoyed the experience. Speaking of golf, I admit that my love for opera is a bit like many golfer's and their sport. It's great to play golf, but to watch it on TV, it is a little like watching the grass grow, no literal pun intended. At a rehearsal one night after hearing how the whole performance came together with the orchestra and knowing I was a part of the whole adventure, I had a new enjoyment of the opera. I don't think that I would pay to sit in the audience or watch an opera on tv, but it was thrilling to be a part of it.
At the other end of the spectrum, many of those who have their noses in the sky don't pay attention to other wonderful entertainment choices and drive themselves into walls... hard! I have one word, I think it is one word, WWE (wrestling). Oh yaaaa.....
Last week, myself, my son, my son-in-law and my grandson went to see WWE Raw Wrestling. OK, I admit it and it will make my Bubba friends proud. I know that they were worrried about this one, and thought I had gone over to the dark side when I told them I was performing in an opera. I enjoy wrestling in person. I don't watch it on TV [I do watch golf on TV]. It is truly an art form, with the wrestlers probably some of the best athletes and actors there are. The stories that are told with the rivalries between the different wrestlers is truly Shakespearean. That may not be the best word but you get my point, and I think I scared my Bubba friends again letting them know I know about Shakespear.
By the way, that was some Aria and did you see that bodyslam...what a move!
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