From today to the remainder
of this month, there are a number of birthdays coming up that feature as an
eclectic list of personalities as can found on the calendar throughout the
year.
It starts off today, April
20. On today's birthday list is none other than Adolph Hitler, probably the
most vile creature of the 20th century. Was there anyone who tortured more
souls than this lout? He was the uber-Nazi, the person who delivered the most
havoc during World War II. He clearly deserved his demise as the walls were
tumbling down around him.
Rocker and Hall of Famer
Iggy Pop was born on April 21. Some people say the entire punk movement derived
from his stage antics, such as cutting himself with glass as he warbled with
the Stooges.
On April 22, we celebrate
the birthdays of Jack Nicholson and Glen Campbell. Each was a rebel with his
own cause. Nicholson started out in Grade Z movies, but worked himself up to
the A list with counter culture flicks including Five Easy Pieces. Campbell was
the link between pop and rock and country in the 1960s, having hits of his own,
a wildly popular TV show, and working as a sideman for acts like the Monkees
and the Beach Boys.
April 23 sees the birthdays
of William Shakespeare and Roy Orbison. As a playwright, Shakespeare was
perhaps unequalled, even to this day. His "Romeo and Juliet" stands
as the most poetic, oft-imitated work of all time. And as for Orbison, did
anyone else have such a voice? His "Pretty Woman" is only the tip of
the iceberg in his musical resume.
April 24 is Barbra
Streisand's birthday. Love her or hate her, she is one of the most successful
recording artists of all time, and has also conquered film, television,
Broadway, and just about everything else she has tried her hand at.
April 25 is the birthday of
Ella Fitzgerald and Edward R. Murrow. One set the tone for jazz singers, the
other for network news. Both are still influential today in these areas, and
they are the cloth that all who pursued these fields after them are cut from.
Carol Burnett was born on
April 26. After Lucille Ball, Burnett is probably TV's most famous comedienne.
She studied the master and took it to the next level. Her comedy show was on
for years, and it is still funny years after it left the air.
Ulysses S. Grant was born
on April 27. Although not one of our most well-remembered presidents, he was a
war hero, and is the answer to the oft-asked question, "Who is buried in
Grant's Tomb?"
On April 28, Saddam Hussein
and Ann-Margret were born; the former, almost in the same league as Hitler, one
of the most vile human beings ever to walk the face of this planet, while the
latter is unquestionably one of the most beautiful women to ever walk this
planet. How one day can go from one extreme to another is incredible.
April 29 is the birthday of
Duke Ellington and Jerry Seinfeld. Again, Ellington set the tone for all of the
jazz musicians that followed him, while Seinfeld took the path of many standup
comedians and became an icon for his generation.
Willie Nelson was born on
April 30. One of country music's most lasting icons, Nelson influenced just
about every country musician to follow him, and he also crossed over to
mainstream audiences.
Well, there you have it.
Those April birthdays are something, aren't they.
Me, I was born on April 28,
so I guess I am somewhere between Saddam Hussein and Ann-Margret ... hopefully
leaning to the side of the lady, even though I am every bit the man, just not
much like Saddam was.
He was an ogre. I'm just OK.
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