I Grok Spock

The original rapper hand sign

That slogan, "I Grok Spock", was popular in the late 1960's, as the TV sensation Star Trek took hold of the world. The word "grok", according to its originator, science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, means "to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes part of the observed - to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience" (source: Wikipedia). 

Maybe something like the Vulcan mind meld that Mr, Spock of Star Trek sometimes performed on people and alien life forms. Spock created a psychic link to the individual in order to feel and think all that is in the mind of the other. One of the most memorable mind meld moments for me was in the episode The Devil in the Dark. Here, Spock locks onto the rock creature called the Horta, sharing the experience of great pain and sadness for the deaths of its offspring. Creepy yet touching. For something that looks like it just popped out of a volcano.

I want to talk about Spock because yesterday, February 27, 2015 marked the passing of the actor Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy was active in many of the arts, though he was, and always will be, best known as his character Spock in the Star Trek TV series of the 60's and then in the franchise films to follow in the 70's and 80's. 

Spock was a half human, half Vulcan who served as science officer and first officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise, the space craft that travelled across galaxies to explore and to protect those in need. Nimoy, aided by the make-up team, did an excellent job as the highly logical being who sported pointed ears, an unnaturally greenish skin tone, and upswept eyebrows, sort of devilish in appearance. Spock was a character of peace and reason, rarely given to displays of emotion, though he did have his moments, thanks to his human side which usually lay simmering just beneath his cool and calm exterior. Spock occasionally burst out in glee or anger when his feelings just couldn't be contained. This sort of thing often invited a ribbing from Dr. McCoy, who loved to tease the green-blooded logician. 

I wore my awesome Trek tee

while watching classic 60's

ST episodes yesterday

Spock was at his best when he raised one eyebrow and commented, "Fascinating, Captain". Sometimes he would appear bemused, even amused, at his dear Captain Kirk's human weaknesses - like women. 

Nimoy's Spock was a complex character, normally stoic and analytical, but he sometimes strayed from Vulcan convention. One moment he'd be destroying someone in a game of 3-D chess, and the next, he'd be soothingly stroking a pussycat. Or coldly executing battle tactics, then showing great compassion for his closest friend, the captain of the Enterprise, Jim Kirk. 

There was more to Leonard Nimoy than his Spock role, but this is what I know him best for.... I grew up watching the man doing his best alien impression on TV, so I rarely think of him in any other context. Yes, I know he had a tiny appearance in 1954's sci-fi giant bug movie Them! And I did enjoy his role in the '78 remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers... which I intend to re-watch very shortly; it's been decades since I last saw it. 

I didn't really follow Nimoy's career very closely after that, though I did catch all of the Star Trek films in the theatres and his cameo appearances on TV's Futurama, Simpsons and Big Bang Theory. 

As a kid and as a young teen, I was a huge Trek fan, buying up everything I could find on the subject back in the day (the mid-to-late 70's). I had stacks of books, magazines, fanzines (traded and sold off years ago), some posters (sadly missing now - I wish I still had a beautiful painting reproduction ordered from Starlog Magazine), an Enterprise T-shirt, a tricorder toy, records, and model kits (Enterprise, Galileo shuttle, and phaser/tricorder/communicator set). I even joined the Star Trek Fan Club and by (snail) mail bought collectibles like photos, film clips, and embroidered uniform insignias. I think most of that stuff was all sold off many years ago. I only had so much room for things that simply sat in boxes. I do still have some of my most cherished books displayed on my bookshelves... I talk about them in an earlier post. 

I was quite stunned when I heard the news of Nimoy's death on Friday. I admired his Spock character for many years as a kid and a teenager. I still think he's the coolest of the entire cast of the Star Trek franchise. A fine and gifted man, Nimoy will be missed. 

Live long and prosper, Lenny!

That's one badass Spock....

The Final Chord

According to Beatles' sources, today was the day back in 1967 that the Fab Four sat in their very own Abbey Road Studios recording the final chord of what would become one of the most famous songs in the history of rock music, A Day in the Life. Oh, and just down the hall, some upstart young band called Pink Floyd was working on their first album. 

As for the Beatles, they were slaving away at perfecting that sustained E-major piano chord. With the help of Mal Evans (driver, bodyguard, and sometimes musical contributor, like the alarm clock that also appears in the song), three of the Beatles (minus George) all played that same chord on four different pianos - plus producer George Martin on harmonium  - simultaneously. Then as the held chord diminished, the engineer cranked the recording volume to extend the chord's life to forty-two seconds. As a result of the extreme level boost, an attentive listener can hear other sounds in the studio, like a creaking chair, air conditioner, and rustling papers. 

A Day in the Life is a Beatles rarity in that

its title does not appear in the song lyrics

I've always had a tough time picking a favourite Beatles album. For a long time, I felt it was The Beatles' Second Album (a North American release), the very first album I ever bought by the Fabs. But as years went by, and I more fully experienced other Mop Top music, my choice changed. For ages, Abbey Road was my desert island pick. That magnificent set of tracks seemed to be the crowning achievement for the biggest musical artists in the world. 

Mid-60's albums Revolver and Rubber Soul were also heavy contenders, taking turns as favourite. I loved the crisp lean sound of Revolver, with its bright and biting tracks like Taxman, and its gentle ballads like Here, There and Everywhere. Rubber Soul was similarly impressive, though in a warmer, folkier manner, with standouts Norwegian Wood and I'm Looking Through You.

Beatle sighting in the north of England

And at one time or another, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band rose to the top of my Beatles preferences. The adventurous writing led to pioneering recording techniques in the studio. Sgt. Pepper stands as a perfect document of the Beatles at that moment. The album cover alone is one of the most, if not the most, famous of all time. The music itself drew orchestral elements into the rock world in creative and ground-breaking ways. Truly progressive rock. The alleged drug references on Sgt. Pepper painted the Liverpool lads in an infamous light. But that never detracted from the brilliant music for legions of fans. McCartney's jovial approach bounces along on Lovely Rita and When I'm Sixty-Four. Getting Better and Fixing a Hole are favourite pop-rockers on the disc, while She's Leaving Home is a bittersweet ballad of the highest calibre. And of course there is A Day in the Life, the final resounding track on Sgt. Pepper.

The 41-piece orchestra was instructed to dress formally for their Day in the Life recording session. Upon arriving, they were handed party favours. Things like false noses, party hats, and gorilla paw gloves. This was to be something quite out of the ordinary. Vocal duties were shared between Lennon and McCartney on the track, though Lennon contributed the bulk of the lyrics. And a timeless rock music classic was born.

Variety is the Spice of Life

When I was a kid during the 70's, I watched a lot of TV. A lot. That meant that not only did I watch the quality stuff, like Rockford Files and All in the Family, but also plenty of average (or worse) shows. Things like The Brady Bunch, Welcome Back Kotter, and Happy Days (okay, that one was good until the shark incident). 

Then there were the TV variety and talk shows of the 70's. And the evening musical specials. Man, there was a glut of that stuff back then. Just about every major entertainer from any given genre had their day with a TV special or weekly program. Music, dancing, comedy, magic, you name it.... the last of the vaudeville hold-outs, I guess you'd say. You could see rising stars as well as established veterans taking the stage, everyone pulling out all the stops.

I remember seeing The Jackson Five (featuring little Michael and even baby Janet) on the tube, with their ABC's and 1-2-3's. Fun! At the other end of the spectrum there was the curious pop phenomenon of The Osmonds, which when distilled down to its worst form, became just the Donny & Marie show. Glittery, wholesome family fare, with a rack of guest performers. Hard to believe that Don was only 18, and Marie just 16, when they started that show. A little bit rock'n'roll....

Poppa been busy....

The Ian Tyson Show was on my viewing schedule, too, with its country-themed musical entertainment. Ian and his wife Sylvia hosted and played, and a mix of Canadian and American artists joined them onstage. Fun fact: Canadian blues-rocker David Wilcox got his start with the Tysons' Great Speckled Bird Band.

It is regrettable that I grew up with The Brady Bunch on TV. I was too young to be critical of what I was watching back then, so I ate it all up like a bowl of Sugar Smacks. The crowning achievement must have been their prime-time Brady Bunch Variety Hour. I would cringe, if not fall physically ill, if I watched it now. 

Marginally better in my eyes was The Partridge Family, mainly because they were a band. Sort of. Most of the cast couldn't even play their instruments (just look at Danny on guitar and Chris on drums. Hacks.) Anyway, even after the show had been cancelled, there was enough interest for a reunion special. Yay.

Cave dwellers from the 70's

The vast number of musical artists who took over the airwaves during this decade is staggering. I can't even begin to list them all, but a few others were: Glen Campbell (more country pap), The Carpenters (pop sensations!), Andy Williams (not my bag), Dean Martin (hey, he was a funny drunk), Bay City Rollers (plaid short pants aside, their music appealed to me when I was a young'un), and Sonny and Cher (they got me, babe). All of these performers had their gigs on the small screen, some lasting longer than others. 

Then there were the shows hosted by non-musicians, guys like Flip Wilson, Rowan & Martin (Laugh-In), and Red Skelton. These were comedy programs that often featured some musical entertainment, too. But I was so young at the time that my memories of them are very vague now. 

During my public school (that's primary - or grammar - school to some of you) days, I would charge home after classes to plunk myself in front of the idiot box for a couple of hours of brain-washing before dinnertime. Along with Gilligan's Island and The Monkees, I checked out talk shows hosted by the likes of Merv Griffin, John Davidson, and Mike Douglas. Some of that stuff went over my head, but I did appreciate seeing up-and-coming musicians in action and chatting with the host. For some reason, I still recall an episode of Mike Douglas when brand new rock sensation Eddie Money sang Two Tickets to Paradise. I bought the record shortly after that. Still love it. 

Holmes Invasion

"The game is afoot!" cried Holmes.

And the rest was history. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spun a series of mystery adventure stories from the late 1800's through the early 1900's, establishing the most famous fictional detective of all time. Sherlock Holmes was that quirky crime-solver, with calabash pipe and deerstalker hat firmly clenched between his teeth and perched upon his head, respectively. Holme's profile in silhouette is just as famous as, if not more than, that of Alfred Hitchcock. 

I was a huge fan for many years, beginning in my youth. Firstly, as a child with bookish tendencies, I voraciously read and re-read the Freddy the Pig book "Freddy the Detective". Our intellectual swine hero borrowed heavily from Conan Doyle's character. When I was a bit older I latched onto the Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective book series, where a 10-year-old lad, obviously inspired by the methods of one Mr. Holmes, rounds up his friends as he sets out to solve neighbourhood mysteries. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the famous Hardy Boys books; I collected a lot of those, including the special edition Hardy Boys Detective's Handbook.

Some of my Holmesian hardbacks that cover

just about everything Doyle wrote

Meanwhile, on television, I saw my first Holmes actor, Basil Rathbone, in his famed series of films as the investigator. These set the visual standard for all movies to follow, effectively drawing us into the world of foggy Victorian England. TV detectives like Mannix, Magnum P.I. and Jim Rockford, plus spy shows The Avengers and Get Smart kept me busy learning the trade. Then more spy-oriented films, such as those about James Bond and Matt Helm, also captured my imagination at this time. More escapist and outrageous than Holmes, these cinematic crime-fighters were part of the stew of influences that finally led me to Doyle's masterpieces of literary crime fiction.

I think it was around the same time, or slightly after, my Encyclopedia Brown days that a Holmes book first landed in my lap. I loved it. I think it was a loaner from the school library. I then bought and read and re-read everything in the Holmes canon. In the early-ish 80's, as an older teenager, I then sought out many Holmes spin-off novels by other authors. Some of these were excellent, some good, a few very average. But it all fed my appetite for Victorian era detection tales. 

Then these softcovers completed the Holmes canon

in my collection; but I wanted even more.....

Around this time, I even joined a Holmes fan club, but due to a busy schedule, I didn't make many meetings... though I did design the fledgling organization's logo and membership card. Sigh, it was fun while it lasted. 

I also caught the odd standalone Holmes movie on TV, ones like A Study in Terror, Murder By Decree, and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. All very good by any standard. Some serious in tone, others a bit more light-hearted. Much, much later, in the 90's, I discovered the 1958 production of Hound of the Baskervilles, starring the esteemed Christopher Lee as ol' Sherlock. Very cool.

A few of the better "spin-off" Holmes novels

by modern authors. I grabbed these during the 80's.

British television offered up some superior Holmes viewing, the most notable being the Jeremy Brett series that ran from 1984-94, impressive for any show, let alone one about an English private detective who scoots about by horse-drawn carriage. 

More recently, one Benedict Cumberbatch has breathed life into a modern day TV Holmes in "Sherlock", which has been running since 2010. This incarnation of the scratchy violinist-detective employs some modern technology, such as cell phones and computers, but usually opts to frustrate his allies and adversaries by relying on the good old-fashioned procedures that old-school fans love about the original stories. 

So here we are, over a hundred years since the first published Sherlock Holmes story, and the character is still going strong. 

A neat little collectible, a BBC radio presentation

of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume I,

on audio tape, from the early 90's. Maybe

it's about time I actually listened to it.