Woke up and flicked on the boob tube (‘boob’ also means idiot or dummy, associated somehow with the breast meaning of the word). Perennial monarch of the broadcast morning, the NBC Today Show was what flickered on, channel selection inheritor of last night‘s Medium viewing. Matt Lauer was old manishly-restrained-rocking out on the edges of an outdoor stage set up in Rockefeller Center Plaza. The song was Supernaturaly Superserious. It was R.E.M on stage and the typical audience of New Yorkers and touristos. Big Apple at her best.
The NBC cameras professionally roved the faces. R.E.M sound tracked and on the caressing camera feed, the band’s aged by life faces joined the audience’s in expressing the good times of being out of doors on a fine early spring day in what is without question America’s greatest city for life lived at full speed.
Then I saw them.
Sprinkled in that happy, life affirming gathering. Here and there in the places the living weren’t touching shoulders.
The young neck-tied 80th storey jumpers, the broad-hipped admin staffers left to die on stair well landings by fate and circumstances. Youthful first real job executive assistants mingled with emotionally self contained just working for the check engineering staffers. Somber silver-backed mid managers and overly ambitious executives shared the moment with the cheerful at all costs because the tip depends on it waitresses. Working moms and dads, confirmed bachelors (that's code for guys who like other guys), bachelorettes (that's code for gals who are too smart to marry) were briefly visable in the light of day. To the back of one shot I saw a pan handler or two (maybe they were the living still breathing kind of ghosts one sees in our citys). Here and there the dusty uniforms of police and fire, security and medical. Was it all an after image of horror or the yearning spirits of New York City trying to join in the joy of a fine early spring day?
Was it an effect of the R.E.M. ballad?
Maybe it was just a hangover mental-emotional thing from a late evening of watching Medium.
Maybe it was just my inner desire to share the experience with all those who don’t make it to the first fine early spring day in New York City.
Maybe those souls were really there. Maybe I am a little crazy.
Maybe it was Supernaturaly Superserious.
The NBC cameras professionally roved the faces. R.E.M sound tracked and on the caressing camera feed, the band’s aged by life faces joined the audience’s in expressing the good times of being out of doors on a fine early spring day in what is without question America’s greatest city for life lived at full speed.
Then I saw them.
Sprinkled in that happy, life affirming gathering. Here and there in the places the living weren’t touching shoulders.
The young neck-tied 80th storey jumpers, the broad-hipped admin staffers left to die on stair well landings by fate and circumstances. Youthful first real job executive assistants mingled with emotionally self contained just working for the check engineering staffers. Somber silver-backed mid managers and overly ambitious executives shared the moment with the cheerful at all costs because the tip depends on it waitresses. Working moms and dads, confirmed bachelors (that's code for guys who like other guys), bachelorettes (that's code for gals who are too smart to marry) were briefly visable in the light of day. To the back of one shot I saw a pan handler or two (maybe they were the living still breathing kind of ghosts one sees in our citys). Here and there the dusty uniforms of police and fire, security and medical. Was it all an after image of horror or the yearning spirits of New York City trying to join in the joy of a fine early spring day?
Was it an effect of the R.E.M. ballad?
Maybe it was just a hangover mental-emotional thing from a late evening of watching Medium.
Maybe it was just my inner desire to share the experience with all those who don’t make it to the first fine early spring day in New York City.
Maybe those souls were really there. Maybe I am a little crazy.
Maybe it was Supernaturaly Superserious.
