My Great American Summer
This is now my Great American Summer. Doubt me if you wish, but I believe that I am on a real search this summer to dig deeper into the ideals and symbols of America. I've already been privileged to see the heart of the American metropolis, New York City with its Statue of Liberty and its missing-twin-tower patriotism shining forth. I've already been just a stone's throw away from America in Canada. For it is in Canada, a place so close to our own, that our identity can be seen ironically even closer. It is through comparison of like subjects that the differences are more noticeable. Then as you might have read, I've had my fair share of summer camp visitations. For what is summertime in the USA if there are no summer camps with their own raging version of drill sergeants? Then from there, I had the fortunate privilege of seeing two of America's most legendary musicians and songwriters on stage. They are none other than Willie Nelson and my hero, Bob Dylan, at which I hope to write more very soon. Then just this coming weekend I will we be working at a fireworks tent in Tennessee selling, and you guessed it, fireworks all for the 4th of July.
I could see this summer as one big theme park ride entitled cleverly, "The Great American Summer Ride". It could be such an amazing thrill ride at an amusement park. Everyone would enter the little cart and then the rollercoaster or boat or whatever would start off going inside this huge building where all the scenery is constructed. You began winding up and down little hills in a supposed backwoods Arkansas setting, until the train rolls on into suburbia America and then out of one of the cardboard houses a mechanical looking mother keeps popping out from the door of the house yelling, "Now, you be careful.""Don't you need to iron that shirt before you go" and my favorite, "Brian, what are you doing in that car, you're not supposed to be driving!" Then all of sudden with a light bang almost a hundred streams of toilet paper shoot in every direction over head and completely cover the whole suburban scene, then everything darkens and you can hear the infamous breathing of Darth Vader, one of America's greatest villians, and with it you hear his voice, "Why am I the butt of all your jokes? Knock it off and quit rolling my yard." Then the train winds around the track and you see the towering skyscrapers and bright yellow taxis all seem to be rushing by you, and people yelling in every direction and then with one bright spotlight you see several celebrities, a mechanical David Letterman in a desk and then you hear an incomprensible amount of laughter from every direction. And then a mechanical Adam Sandler leans out and starts making all the weird noises that Adam Sandler makes and again this unseen laughter erupts everywhere. Then you come to Broadway bright lights everywhere and all this singing and mechanical people up on a stage dancing, "Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang we love you" they sing as a flying car whirls by. And the next thing you know you feel as though you are on this big bus and the bus driver goes crazy, she is like some kind of Salem witch screaming and cackling, "We are lost! We are lost, my dearies! Ha! Ha!I'm taking you away!"
And next you come to this large river and across the river you see all these mounties. And a voice on your side of the river cries, "Look at all those canucks over there" And several Canadian looking Indians jump in war paint and begin to throw imaginary spears. And then you notice in the distance that there is this huge mountie wedding taking place where no one is there without a mountie uniform on, their bright red jackets gleaming in the carnival-like lights. And the next thing you now you are in this swamplands with sounds of this banjo in your hears and then all of sudden everything glows red and this mechanical southern sheriff pops out screaming for everybody to get down on the ground and that you deserve nothing but a good whoopin'. Then as you wind along the sheriff's red head that resembles a bull's is hanging right above as you pass by him, he blows smoke from his nostils. Which probably is the biggest thrill who dares ride this ride and that's why children under 12 wouldn't be allowed to ride. And then next you feel like your floating down a river and you hear the song "Whisky river take my mind" and you see none other than a automaton version of Willie Nelson singing and playing and then next you feel as though your rolling on all these rocks instead of being in a smooth car or boat and the voice you hear and the robotic figure you see is Bob Dylan's and belting out "Like A Rolling Stone" as you seem to be rolling like one. Then all at once fireworks begin to go off everywhere, tons and tons of fireworks. You see an Uncle Sam automaton juggling bottle rockets. More bangs and bright colors exploding in the darkness and then what next? maybe the train track winds down to some far off mountains, who knows where it leads? You just maybe think you can see the peaks of this large mountain range. What do you think? You think such a theme park ride would work?
I could see this summer as one big theme park ride entitled cleverly, "The Great American Summer Ride". It could be such an amazing thrill ride at an amusement park. Everyone would enter the little cart and then the rollercoaster or boat or whatever would start off going inside this huge building where all the scenery is constructed. You began winding up and down little hills in a supposed backwoods Arkansas setting, until the train rolls on into suburbia America and then out of one of the cardboard houses a mechanical looking mother keeps popping out from the door of the house yelling, "Now, you be careful.""Don't you need to iron that shirt before you go" and my favorite, "Brian, what are you doing in that car, you're not supposed to be driving!" Then all of sudden with a light bang almost a hundred streams of toilet paper shoot in every direction over head and completely cover the whole suburban scene, then everything darkens and you can hear the infamous breathing of Darth Vader, one of America's greatest villians, and with it you hear his voice, "Why am I the butt of all your jokes? Knock it off and quit rolling my yard." Then the train winds around the track and you see the towering skyscrapers and bright yellow taxis all seem to be rushing by you, and people yelling in every direction and then with one bright spotlight you see several celebrities, a mechanical David Letterman in a desk and then you hear an incomprensible amount of laughter from every direction. And then a mechanical Adam Sandler leans out and starts making all the weird noises that Adam Sandler makes and again this unseen laughter erupts everywhere. Then you come to Broadway bright lights everywhere and all this singing and mechanical people up on a stage dancing, "Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang we love you" they sing as a flying car whirls by. And the next thing you know you feel as though you are on this big bus and the bus driver goes crazy, she is like some kind of Salem witch screaming and cackling, "We are lost! We are lost, my dearies! Ha! Ha!I'm taking you away!"
And next you come to this large river and across the river you see all these mounties. And a voice on your side of the river cries, "Look at all those canucks over there" And several Canadian looking Indians jump in war paint and begin to throw imaginary spears. And then you notice in the distance that there is this huge mountie wedding taking place where no one is there without a mountie uniform on, their bright red jackets gleaming in the carnival-like lights. And the next thing you now you are in this swamplands with sounds of this banjo in your hears and then all of sudden everything glows red and this mechanical southern sheriff pops out screaming for everybody to get down on the ground and that you deserve nothing but a good whoopin'. Then as you wind along the sheriff's red head that resembles a bull's is hanging right above as you pass by him, he blows smoke from his nostils. Which probably is the biggest thrill who dares ride this ride and that's why children under 12 wouldn't be allowed to ride. And then next you feel like your floating down a river and you hear the song "Whisky river take my mind" and you see none other than a automaton version of Willie Nelson singing and playing and then next you feel as though your rolling on all these rocks instead of being in a smooth car or boat and the voice you hear and the robotic figure you see is Bob Dylan's and belting out "Like A Rolling Stone" as you seem to be rolling like one. Then all at once fireworks begin to go off everywhere, tons and tons of fireworks. You see an Uncle Sam automaton juggling bottle rockets. More bangs and bright colors exploding in the darkness and then what next? maybe the train track winds down to some far off mountains, who knows where it leads? You just maybe think you can see the peaks of this large mountain range. What do you think? You think such a theme park ride would work?
posted by Brian Harrison | 12:59 PM
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