WND looks to the stars

My birthday, which just passed, is always a day for self-analysis: Who am I? Why am I here? What does it all mean? For nearly 8 seconds, I focus on such universal questions before my brain shuts down and I downshift to a more manageable query: Do I connect with the celebrities who share my birthday, and if so, what can they teach me about myself?

Barbi Benton - Playboy Playmate of the 70's

There's overlap in our ineffable, raw sexuality, but she was a regular on "Hee-Haw," so "source of self-knowledge" isn’t exactly flashing in neon.

Susan Sontag - Novelist and Essayist

Well, I had to write a bunch of essays in high school. I remember hating to do the one about what I did over the summer. I remember lying, feeling the pressure of hiding the fact that I just watched reruns of "Quincy." But really: what's so terrible about chilling out in August? I'm sorry if TV and sleeping isn't exciting enough for class discussion. Looks like Susan's only good for bringing up crappy memories.

Jackson Pollock - Painter

Arthur Rubinstein - Pianist

Mikhail Baryshnikov - Dancer
Could this mean I too am a brilliant artist? What if the magic of the day is only particular to those specific fields? My painting is derivative/nonexistent, I refuse to touch any of the white keys when I play the piano, and the critics universally panned my one-man ballet based on Kofi Annan’s tenure as Secretary-General. Nothing to learn from these guys.

John Banner - Schultz on "Hogan's Heroes"
His most famous line was "I know nothing! I see nothing! Nothing!" Not bad. I can empathize with that self-assessment. A little nihilistic, but also kind of comforting in its simplicity. Don't take yourself too seriously. Takes the edge off getting a year older. I should've known the answer would come from a fictional sitcom character.

Join Jay and me this Wednesday after 8:30 at:

Voda

1449 2nd St
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Cross Street: Santa Monica