A politically correct look back...and ahead.
Looking Back; Looking Forward
Well, I hope you and yours had a merry whatever. Thats what the New York Times called the holidays in a recent headline on an article about how political correctness has pushed the very word Christmas out of the holiday season; how the tree at a lighting ceremony in Kansas was called a community tree, and not a you-know-what, and how conservatives are fighting back to, as they say, put the Christ back in Christmas.
Its a tough call, to be sure. While I understand the sensitivity of non-Christians, and the appeals of using a generic phrase, like Happy holidays, to cover Kwaanza, Hanukkah, and other observations by various people and faiths, it is silly to change the words of traditional songs to knock out Christ and God, or to forbid schoolchildren from singing them altogether.
Olivia Wu, a reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, tackled the issue, saying, with candor, I miss saying Merry Christmas. An immigrant, and a non-Christian, she once railed against Christmas greetings. But, as she grew older, she writes, she grew to miss the beauty and symbolism of Christmas, which, she says shes learned, is itself a blend of cultures and traditions.
To Wu, Happy holidays is white noise that sticks in my throat and hurts my eardrums. It feels empty of heart.
And she doesnt look forward to the day when over-correctness hits Chinese New Year.
In a few weeks, she writes, some people will say Happy Chinese New...
Ben Fong-Torres flies with the Eagles and Al Green, and addresses 21,000 at his alma mater.
Okay, first of all, its the rock band, the Eagles, and not the Philadelphia Eagles. Seems like a lot of people, especially younger ones, dont know about the band from the 70s, the one with all those hits: Hotel California, Lyin Eyes, Best of My Love, Take It Easy, New Kid in Town, The Long Run, Take It to the Limit, Tequila Sunrise, and, take my word for it, tons more.
And thats just the band. As solo artists, Don Henley has had his own library of hits, like Boys of Summer, Dirty Laundry, All She Wants to Do Is Dance, and The End of the Innocence. Glenn Frey, who co-founded the Eagles with Henley, had The Heat is On, You Belong to the City, and Smugglers Blues, which was featured in that slick cop show, Miami Vice. Glenn also did an acting stint on that series. And then theres Joe Walsh, a rocker through and through, who came to the Eagles from his own band and, before that, from the James Gang. Rocky Mountain Way, Life Is Good, Funk 49
In other words, the hits just keep on coming.
Anyway, I interviewed them for TV Guide , for the issue that came out just before their NBC special in early June 1, based on concerts they played late last year in Melbourne, Australia. (The full concert, and more, is available now on DVD.)
The interviews were hit-and-run. I flew from San Francisco to New York just in time to get to Madison Square Garden to say some hellos, have some dinner, and see...
Ben Fong-Torres chats with the commanding Donald Sutherland
Over the years, one of my favorite side gigs has been the conducting of on-stage interviews at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Mill Valley is a village of a town, nestled in Marin County, and its the last place youd think of as a host of a film festivalespecially since, right across the Golden Gate Bridge, in San Francisco, theres an annual International Film Festival.
But this years was the 28th Mill Valley gathering, dedicated, as always, to smaller, independent films, but also welcoming of, and drawing, big stars. Pierce Brosnan attended opening night for a screening of his latest, Matador . Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives ), appeared for her stunning new film, Transamerica.
In the last dozen years or so, the MVFF has also paid tribute to a wide range of actors and directors. Thats where Ive come in. Since 1989, Ive sat, usually in front of a packed house, with James Woods, Edward James Olmos, Richard Fleisher (director of the classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ), Amanda Plummer, Helena Bonham Carter, Robin Williams, William Macy, Jr., Dianne Wiest, Peter Coyote and Albert Maysles (legendary documentary filmmaker of Salesman and Gimme Shelter ).
This year, I got two assignments: the tributes to Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie and A Very Long Engagement , as well as Delicatessen and Alien 4: Resurrection ) and Donald Sutherland. Mssr. Jeunet was funny, charming, candida perfect guest. But it was...
A Sweet Howard Stern, a Sour Adam Carolla, and a Crazed Parade: Oh, Man!
A day or so after the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade which I co-anchored, for the tenth year, on KTVU (Fox 2) I got an e-mail from a long-time friend, Gail Katagiri:
The best part of watching you anchor this year's Chinese New Year's Parade was after the broadcast had ended, and you and Julie disappeared from the screen. But I think your mike was still on, because I heard someone's voice (it sounded like you) exclaim Oh, man!
Yep. That was me, and Im amazed not only that they left it in when they replayed the parade the next day, but that I was so mild. I could well have muttered something like, F---, that was tough.
Because it was. On parade day, Saturday, February 11th, we had gorgeous, springtime weather (it rained on our last two parades). And we had a smooth opening segment, featuring the Yau Kung Moon troupe of martial artists, lion dancers, and a golden dragon. But it went downhill from there. I wont bore you with the details of contingents, whether floats, bands, marchers or dignitaries, that failed to be where they were supposed to be, or do what they had been expected to do along the parade route.
Oh, and we had audio problems, and for a two hour live broadcast (which went half an hour overtime because of the delays), that adds up to a big F---, that was TOUGH.
Still, from all reports, Julie Haener, my unflappable co-host, and I sounded like we were on a boat, sailing breezily in the...
AC's renaissance man, Ben Fong-Torres, is having a two-book year.
SUMMER ALREADY? Time flies when youre on deadline.
Its true. Whats kept me from making more frequent Asian Connections was this book I had to write in about three months, from January into March, on The Doors. You know, Light My Fire. This is their 40th anniversary, and a big book, The Doors By the Doors , is coming out in November. I was brought in after another writer fell through, and given next to no time to research and write a 60,000-word manuscript. And research meant interviewing the surviving three Doors, members of the late Jim Morrison s family, and various associates, as well as poring over about 20 books and going through a dozen radio and video documentaries. Ohand there are a few albums out there, too.
I met the deadline, but then had to plunge into the finishing touches on Becoming Almost Famous , my second compilation of old articles. That book is out now, from Backbeat Books (which also published my first collection, Not Fade Away ). So, as I tap away, Im in promotion mode, hitting radio and TV stations and doing readings at Bay Area book stores. I also had a party, on June 4th at LeZinc, a nice French bistro, to benefit the Noe Valley branch library renovation campaign fund. Besides reading from the book, I did a couple of songs, with guest keyboardists Sam Barry (from the band Train Wreck) and George Yamasaki , to illustrate a couple of the pieces in the bookone about singing with a band...