The Lord God Bird
A lot of conversations with people I’ve recently met invariably include this question: “Where are you from?”
My accent is cited as evidence of being of some far-away drawling place, full of possibly porches, banjos, iced tea, and sunshine filtering through turning leaves. The questions that usually follow my answer, that I am from Arkansas, want an answer like this- but it’s so much harder to explain anything of value concerning a place that I both love and hate.
There’s the beautiful and sprawling expanse of nature that most people seem familiar with- the mountains, the delta, the quaintness that belongs even to our biggest cities, and even our lilting accents. These things are available in both pictures and sounds, and are fairly easy concepts to grasp, visualize, or relate to.
There’s also an intangible quality to a place like Arkansas that I can never quite grasp, and when asked to describe it this is the part that I struggle with the most. On NPR one day, as I sat in horrible Chicago traffic, I listened to a broadcast of “All Things Considered,” where the show’s hosts conducted interviews with the citizens of Brinkley, Arkansas, where the great Ivory-Billed Woodpecker was spotted after decades of a presumed extinction.
Aside from the subject, the interviews provided me a great insight as to that intangible quality of Arkansas that I struggle so much with to define. The people of Brinkley are located next to one of the poorest counties in the nation. In addition to suffering from the poor economy, they talk of tornadoes. They talk of struggling to retain the city’s youth, instead of losing them to larger cities. They, with their familiar accents that feel like home to me, talk of a down-south city where everyone knows everyone, where everyone knows the troubles that are being faced, and where this “Great God Bird” holds the key to revitalizing everything. They talk of tourism related to the woodpecker, they talk of jobs being created to support the influx of bird-watchers. They have great hope in something that, to an Arkansas transplant sitting in downtown Chicago traffic just seems so… insignificant. It’s a bird- albeit a special one- but just a fucking bird just the same.
And that’s the intangible quality that I could never quite put my finger on. It’s the hope, the kind of hope and outlook on life that I think is common all across the state. It’s the “I’ve lived my whole life here and times have always been hard and they’re getting worse, but things can’t go anywhere but up” attitude. It’s the “fuck it, I can go fishing and have a good day today.” It’s the “To hell with it, I can feed my family and that’s what matters.” It’s the “Shit, we’ve got this woodpecker, maybe we can turn this into something that matters.” It’s that, no matter how many bad things happen, no matter how many people lose their jobs, no matter how many people are leaving your city, no matter how many tornadoes rip the area apart- you’ve still got your life. You’ve still got your family and friends. You’ve still got all the things you’ve grown up with; all the things and people you know and love. And, by great god, you’ve got that damn bird, and maybe that’s the key to turning everything around.
I sat in Chicago traffic, where no one cares about birds or hope, listening to that little slice of home on my radio- and while I may have been reading too much into what those people from Brinkley, Arkansas were saying, because maybe it really is just a story about a bird, I got something from it. I realized why I want to go home, and why I don’t feel like I can ever return, all at once. I missed my home, I missed my people, and I missed all the things that Arkansas ever meant to me, and I cried.
*****
All Things Considered- “Brinkley, AR, Embraces ‘The Lord God Bird.’” Story from July 2005, featuring a Sufjan Stevens song written especially for the story, also called “The Lord God Bird.” Runs just under 13 minutes.
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Dan and I went to the Chicago ComicCon today, where we hover-handed everything in sight. Daleks included.
5Wherein I Attempt A Dream Job Cover Letter
This was my instant reaction to the news that Ghostbusters III will may but probably will not be filming in Chicago:
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my understanding that your company, Ocean Pictures, is one of the production companies responsible for bringing Ghostbusters III to the silver screen, and that filming will take place in Chicago. It is my mission, as both an avid fan of the Ghostbusters franchise and a former production assistant/technical director in television news, to obtain employment within your organization for the crew of this film.
Now I’m not saying that, with my specific type of skill set, I expect to be able to actually hold one of the cameras responsible for capturing this piece of Ghostbusters history on film- what I am saying, however, is that I am more than qualified to corral any sort of extraneous or pesky cords that block the real cameraman’s goal of obtaining the perfect shot. In the event that I am not even qualified to do this, I will get the coffee for the person who is responsible for holding the cords. What qualifies me to get coffee, you may ask? Well, I also have prior experience working at Starbucks; I speak their language. Does the person who serves lunch in the craft services tent want an Iced 4-Shot Non-Fat Grande Hazelnut Latte? Not only does this order not faze me in the slightest, but I am also prepared to stand by the coffee counter and stare down the barista to ensure that the craft services worker gets the exact beverage that they asked for.
As a resident of Chicago, it did not escape my notice that, during the filming of both Transformers III and Public Enemies, certain streets and sidewalks were being blocked off for filming and citizens were asked to take another route. I can also offer my services as a sidewalk blocker. Although I may be hesitant at first, I am willing to tackle almost anybody who dares breach the sanctity of a Ghostbusters filming-in-progress. I must admit, however, that I am against the tackling of old ladies, as they all remind me of my grandmother. I would never tackle my own grandmother. Children may also present a problem, as they are very small and often covered with Kool-Aid stains. I am, however, more than willing to coerce them into going in another direction by bribing them with candy, and/or calmly providing their parents with candy in exchange for their cooperation as well.
I look forward to hearing back about any employment opportunities within your company; Until then, the scene in Ghostbusters II where Dr. Janosz Poha says “don’t let the bedbugs bite” to Dana Barrett before illuminating his eyes in the darkened hallway will continue to haunt my dreams.
Sincerely,
L. Sharp
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So that happened. Does anyone have the story behind this piece of work?
(Source: coinscankill)
0Spring in the City
There’s nothing like springtime in Chicago. The breezy warm temperatures, the trees and plants in the beginning stages of bloom, and- most importantly- Tastee Freeze is officially open for the season.
So what else does springtime have in store for those of us over here on the good ol’ west side? If yesterday- the first full day of wonderful weather- is any indication, springtime also signals the beginning of warm weather shenanigans, where all that pent-up winter energy comes out in full rage face mode.
Case in point: Our neighbors spent an actual four hours outside on the sidewalk, just screaming at each other. Also, a bike-riding friend of ours was attacked and hit on the head with a pipe. While on his bicycle. In traffic.
Thankfully, our neighbors eventually went inside. And even more thankfully, our bike-riding friend was able to escape his attackers without any critical injuries.
Springtime in Chicago, I love that you are here. I just hate that your presence brings all the shitheads outside after a long (but blissfully quiet) winter.
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