Storytelling

One of the things I envy about certain people is their ability to tell stories, by either writing or putting it out there verbally. Storytelling is a craft that I think is underrated in today's society. Sure, we modern human beings sit in front of screens and are entertained by a variety of programs on TV, in theaters, on stage, and via the internet, but I'm convinced we are passive consumers and expect to be entertained mostly by the drivel that we've become accustomed to. I am as guilty of that as the next person. My day is so hectic that all I want to do is sit in a catatonic state in front of the TV screen when I get home later in the evening. My imagination is set aside at that time so I can be spoonfed reality shows that most folks find so fascinating. The latest offering of this complete stink is "Celebrity Rehab" with Dr. Drew.

To tell you that I am not culpable in keeping this show off the air would be a lie. I watched the first episode because I was indeed curious. I will be honest to admit it, but I won't be watching it again. First, let me give you some background on the show. Celebrities, if you want to call them that, are in a southern California residential rehab center. These folks , and I'm not sure who most of them are (the only one I'm really familier with is Jeff Conaway, since I was in high school during Taxi, and I watched it a lot), want to change their lives and are in the rehab. I'm sure there's some sort of payday attached to it as well, so I question the motivations of these participants. The one redeeming thing I saw during the first episode where these folks going through detox...not a pretty sight, and the result of Conaway's smuggling something in, taking it and having a siezure. He was reduced to drooling and babbling in a wheelchair. I hope some folks were able to see the mess that alcohol and drugs can create in peoples' lives. The rest of the show seemed completely worthless to me. What have we become if we readily watch this kind of stuff? We've turned into catatonic, voyeuristic vultures, only responding to the contrived shit in the lives of psuedo celebrities living in a house together, choosing a mate from multiple applicants, getting sober, or going through therapy.

Getting back to storytelling. I was at the gym again yesterday morning and decided to go into the cardio cinema. I saw that the movie being shown was "A Walk in the Clouds." I went in and thought I would just marginally pay attention to the movie. It appeared to be a "chick flick" and I didn't want to invest myself in it. I mean...it had Keanu Reaves in it...so I thought...I'll just look up at the screen every little bit to take my mind off of the work. Okay...I was wrong again. From the moment that I walked in, the cinematography just sucked me in...The story was simple, yet compelling. Keanu's bad acting didn't destroy the film because the cast of players was indeed strong. Anthony Quinn had a wonderful role as a grandfather, stringing Reaves on longer and longer. Just seeing a portion of this film picked up my day yesterday. It's great how a simple story and wonderful visuals can give vibrancy to a person's mood. It gave me a sense of hope. It's wonderful when a storyteller can inject life into a day. Things like that make me look for storys to hear.