"Deep" Thoughts

So the other weekend, on one of those extended pre-race preludes that NASCAR is famous for, there was a segment where various drivers and on-air commentators (and NFL stars) were shown playing in some charity golf tournament. The cause, I think, was autism, and so there were shots of these guys yukking it up and swinging at tees and posing with happy autistic kids for one of those panoramic photos in front of a long banner commemorating the occasion. Anyway, on to the reason I’m bringing this up at all: “Feel the Pain,” Dinosaur Jr.’s 1994 sorta-hit single, was among the selected mood music. Appropriate, given that the video for that song (which I saw like twice, once upon a time) depicted the members of the band – at that point it’d have been J. Mascis, Murph, and Mike Johnson, I think – goofily putting and fetching all over some city. If one is able to overlook Mascis’ typically disengaged sarcasm, the titular chorus – paired with that upbeat, chippy guitar motif – does an adequate job of conveying the sympathy/empathy of sports celebs for the somewhat disabled. (I guess. Hmmm. I mean, the full chorus is “I feel the pain of everyone, and then I feel nothing.” If memory serves, the producers edited the second clause out. Man, I sure hope they did. Darryl Waltrip seems like a totally nice guy, you know? I have every confidence that he did indeed care, that he did feel something.) I can’t remember what the other songs used in the video montage were, but none of them were this surprising to me or they’d come to mind, right? There must have been some vintage Hootie and the Blowfish in there somewhere, though, because those dudes were totally into golf and even had a couple golf-related videos out back when people gave a toss about them, back before Darius Rucker was reduced to suiting up as a lavender-rhinestone cowboy for conceptually WTF Burger King commercials. But I’m digressing, needlessly: the race was rained out and postponed for yesterday; I have no idea who actually won. Do you think Jimmie Johnson would listen to a copy of Where You Been? if I sent one to him? Doubtful. I hope that idiot didn’t win a-frickin’-gain.*

*This meandering, plotless, and ultimately unsatisfying post is dedicated to Charles “Chuckleberry” Thornton, a long-lost college classmate of mine who had this sort of meaninglessness- masquerading-as-profundity down to an exact science. Here’s to you, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.