April 27, 2000
A dog’s breakfast - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- I know I shouldn’t be writing about politics too often, so today, I’ll skip the rhetoric and ramble about this and about that. Mostly that.
I get a lot of questions from readers and non-readers about this column, The Commentary. I never thought it would last this long, but I’ve learned that once you start writing you kinda never stop. One of the questions on the readers’ minds lately is whether I’ll ever “retire” from my public stoop of bitching and complaining, seen in your respective mailboxes 5-times a week.
Well, that’s always on my mind. When I started this in June of 1999, it was meant as a sort of hobby to tie me down for the summer. I did not know it would last this long, and for better or worse, it’s lasted and I’m pleased with the result. A lot of people are reading my columns and that’s really neat. In complete honesty, it’s fun when people come up to me and say ‘I agree’ or ‘disagree’ with you, or ‘I noticed you made this mistake’. Someone asked me a real long time ago why I did this, and I ever the noble sport said, it was a forum for my discussion and thought amongst my readers. I hope that mandate still exists. Retirement? Sure, one day, but not yet. Give me a bit to decide and when I do pull the plug, it’ll be the right time to do just that.
Another question I used to get a lot, was when I found the time to write. I used to write a week’s balance of columns, say 3 or 4 pieces on the weekend, saving 1 or 2 during the week to keep up with breaking stories. In the last month or so, I’ve taken accustom to writing “on a deadline” if you will, composing pieces the very night I send them out for morning consumption. I hear, that’s how my sometimes-colleague Michael Kwan writes, as should all. I kinda think it’s a chore to write for a deadline, but as Dr. Foth says, there is no other way.
Favourite topics for me? Well, I like doing pieces on show business or some subject where I can throw in a neat little double entendre or inside-joke, by manipulating the words. Politics seems to be the most regular feature, and there’s no excuse for that. I enjoy looking at politics, sometimes getting a bit involved, and it seems the easiest thing to write about. I sometimes wonder why I take interest in things political rather than things my peers find interesting like wrestling. Politics involves one of the more interesting aspects of human existence, power. Power is not a tangible thing, yet you see people dedicate their entire lives in the pursuit of nothing but.
I’m always asked who I admire, and that’s an easy question. Someone asked me not too long ago who my favourite actors are. Not so easy, but lemme take a stab. Sidney Poitier goes to the top of the list. He’s one of the more classiest actors around and he’s nothing short of superb. Katherine Hepburn has always been a fave, as she’s one of those rare gems that can include style, grace, and unaccustomed toughness. She’s a determined woman, and her characters show that determination. She’s a legend and deserving of the 4 Oscars she’s won. And in my book, she’d have gotten more.
Another favourite has to be Robert Duvall. Bobby Duvall is one of these rarest of actors. He’s got the ability to play a mob capo, yet he charmed us with his cowboy singing in his Oscar-winning Tender Mercies. He’s a favourite actor, if for no other reason in that he was absolutely brilliant in The Apostle. Why Jack Nicholson won an Oscar that year still angers me to this day.
To answer the question that I get frequently on why I do this, simple. To quote the great Webster’s brogue, “The money, doll, the money.”
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
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