A Few Thoughs On This, Two Days After The Second Of July
As I'm sure you all have noticed, I'm not a patriotic person. In all honesty? Patriotic people creap me the fuck out, as anyone who heard me shudder and rant about the Americana Overload I suffered last year while visiting Mom's family on the holiday. It's not that I don't love the "life, liberty, and freadom" side of living here, it's more the "Trust No One" side.
But still, this is my country, and it has brought us a few good things...like 1776, The Best Musical Ever! (Or, well, tied with Phantom of the Opera, at least.)
Since I'm not a partiotic person, and I don't like hanging out with extended family members (as a rule), and I hate getting eatten alive by bugs while waiting for fireworks outside, I don't have many traditions for this day...but I do have 1776. Every year for I'm not sure how many years, I watch it. Last year I couldn't get to my copy, but I did listen to the musical on my .mp3 player a few times.
This year I managed to find a copy of the more recent Directors Cut, and I loved it! It actualy re-incorporated the missing "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" (the Conservitive Minuet), which has always been my favorate song by far. I hated that it got cut out of the movie for so many years.
This is a movie I recomend to everyone, American or whatever, because it's just damned funny! I always find myself laughing out loud in mulipul places, even after seeing it so many times. I always manage to forget certin bits until they're on screen, and then I'm laughing again. Okay, okay, so it's maybe not the most acurate play/movie/musical you'll see, but it's still good, and gives a fairly ballanced overview of the situation and the times. Including why slavery was left in, despite everything else talking about all men being free and equil. (side note: I actualy saw the Declairation Of Indepdance, The Bill Of Rights, and the American Constituion on deply in DC when I went years ago, and was suprisinly moved by the experience. And yes, John Handcock really is the only name you see, it's so big. ::LOL::)
On that note, I'm sad to say that Benjamin Franlin did not say, "Treason is a charge invented by winners as an excuse for hanging the losers." ...More's the pitty, I LOVED that quote. Also? Not everyone signed the declairation on July 4th, only John Hancock did. The rest signed over the course of the next two years or so. Also, there were more 50 members of congress at the time, not the twenty or so depicted in the movie.
Oh, but the "I'm obnoxious and disliked" running joke was real, John Adams did say that first, but he actualy said it durring his presidency, many years later. While in congress, he was actualy very much respected. But this way is much funnier.
I could go on and on about this musical for awhile. My favorate version will always be the local production Selynne and I saw last time she came up for a visit. But really, I think everyone should take a few minutes to track down the movie version of this at least. 90% of the cast in the movie are the orignal cast from Broadway. 1776 actualy won the Tony for Best New Musical the year it came out, most noticably beating out Hair, which was the front runner by a long shot. No one actualy thought a musical about politics 200 years ago was gunna be such a hit. ::snickers::
Also? I dare anyone to watch this and not silently ship John Adams/Ben Franklin even a little bit. Go on, watch 'n try, I dare ya!
And in totaly unrelated but still \o/ news, this is the 50th wedding anivesry of my grandparents. The party is gunna start in about four hours, give or take. And can I just say, "OMG, FIFTY YEARS!? How the fuck did they manage that?" ::LOL:: Considering that, what is it now, 52%? 56%? Of all marrages in the US end in devorce? All I can say is, they really don't make 'em like they used to. ::claps for grandparents::
Okay, and with that, I'll leave you all to make up yer own minds on if this is a day to celibrate or not. I have done my patriotic duty for the year, and as the credits rolled, I was done 'til next July.
Instead, I'll just leave you all with this: The Muppets Stars And Stripes Forever. Because, really? What's more patroic then the Swedish Chef and a song sung by muppets who can't actualy say any english words?
Oh, and anyone wondering about my subject title? It's my quote for the month on my LJ Sidebar. It's inspired by one of my fav 4th of July quotes: "The 2nd Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable in the History of America." -John Adams, 3rd July 1776
But still, this is my country, and it has brought us a few good things...like 1776, The Best Musical Ever! (Or, well, tied with Phantom of the Opera, at least.)
Since I'm not a partiotic person, and I don't like hanging out with extended family members (as a rule), and I hate getting eatten alive by bugs while waiting for fireworks outside, I don't have many traditions for this day...but I do have 1776. Every year for I'm not sure how many years, I watch it. Last year I couldn't get to my copy, but I did listen to the musical on my .mp3 player a few times.
This year I managed to find a copy of the more recent Directors Cut, and I loved it! It actualy re-incorporated the missing "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" (the Conservitive Minuet), which has always been my favorate song by far. I hated that it got cut out of the movie for so many years.
This is a movie I recomend to everyone, American or whatever, because it's just damned funny! I always find myself laughing out loud in mulipul places, even after seeing it so many times. I always manage to forget certin bits until they're on screen, and then I'm laughing again. Okay, okay, so it's maybe not the most acurate play/movie/musical you'll see, but it's still good, and gives a fairly ballanced overview of the situation and the times. Including why slavery was left in, despite everything else talking about all men being free and equil. (side note: I actualy saw the Declairation Of Indepdance, The Bill Of Rights, and the American Constituion on deply in DC when I went years ago, and was suprisinly moved by the experience. And yes, John Handcock really is the only name you see, it's so big. ::LOL::)
On that note, I'm sad to say that Benjamin Franlin did not say, "Treason is a charge invented by winners as an excuse for hanging the losers." ...More's the pitty, I LOVED that quote. Also? Not everyone signed the declairation on July 4th, only John Hancock did. The rest signed over the course of the next two years or so. Also, there were more 50 members of congress at the time, not the twenty or so depicted in the movie.
Oh, but the "I'm obnoxious and disliked" running joke was real, John Adams did say that first, but he actualy said it durring his presidency, many years later. While in congress, he was actualy very much respected. But this way is much funnier.
I could go on and on about this musical for awhile. My favorate version will always be the local production Selynne and I saw last time she came up for a visit. But really, I think everyone should take a few minutes to track down the movie version of this at least. 90% of the cast in the movie are the orignal cast from Broadway. 1776 actualy won the Tony for Best New Musical the year it came out, most noticably beating out Hair, which was the front runner by a long shot. No one actualy thought a musical about politics 200 years ago was gunna be such a hit. ::snickers::
Also? I dare anyone to watch this and not silently ship John Adams/Ben Franklin even a little bit. Go on, watch 'n try, I dare ya!
And in totaly unrelated but still \o/ news, this is the 50th wedding anivesry of my grandparents. The party is gunna start in about four hours, give or take. And can I just say, "OMG, FIFTY YEARS!? How the fuck did they manage that?" ::LOL:: Considering that, what is it now, 52%? 56%? Of all marrages in the US end in devorce? All I can say is, they really don't make 'em like they used to. ::claps for grandparents::
Okay, and with that, I'll leave you all to make up yer own minds on if this is a day to celibrate or not. I have done my patriotic duty for the year, and as the credits rolled, I was done 'til next July.
Instead, I'll just leave you all with this: The Muppets Stars And Stripes Forever. Because, really? What's more patroic then the Swedish Chef and a song sung by muppets who can't actualy say any english words?
Oh, and anyone wondering about my subject title? It's my quote for the month on my LJ Sidebar. It's inspired by one of my fav 4th of July quotes: "The 2nd Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable in the History of America." -John Adams, 3rd July 1776
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