Maybe I do remember boring pre-mid century films, Selznick or not, presumably set around 1900, give or take plenty and fudge the accuracy as usual, and in the family setting is the patriarch speaking in a stentorian monotone. Often this was at the beginning. After all, exposition first and as the Floyd put it: "Ye can't eat yer pudding if you han't had yer meat!"

Ted spoke in such a tone, and I have to consider it got him over self-consciousness as he was a man yanked out of higher learning for World War Two and, holding back a lot of what he had experienced, went on to an occupation as a beer salesman raising a Catholic family. The last time I saw Ted was in Santa Maria three decades ago as I was on the return leg of a road trip and visiting his one son, Tom, who was one of the first counter cultural people I knew.

The counter culture: For several years I have had an informal video copy of a documentary which finally settled some royalty issues and has been doing indy-well in theatres a few weeks. "The Wrecking Crew" tells the story of various musicians who played on many sessions as the 60's built: top-40, MOR, film/television, hits and not quite. Jim Webb and Glen Campbell are talking heads herein.

When Webb came to Los Angeles from Oklahoma to write songs that head had an impressive pile of hair. Even Mr. Campbell admonished him. The latter's coif, while quite formed and simonized, would not have passed muster in my parents. And yet sometimes one does look at the footage and wonder what was being thought.

Ted reacted to a social comment I had made involving Apartheid with his Republican Catholic demeanor, tempered a bit with the social changes which had buffeted him. "Mistakes were made,"----really---"But if [those people] were to take over right now they'd have no idea and you'd have a real calamity." Sadly, I had read about the necklaces and social horror in the black villages which afforded the Afrikaner jack boot brigade room to lean back and sneer.

A biracial South African comedian, Trevor Noah, as of now will be taking over The Daily Show. His background guarantees he's known turmoil; now it seems cause for some joy a new talk show host won't be white. But hold on, he is male and indeed he's provided some turmoil with his Twitter posts. In one he said the historical male marriage proposal stance of down on one knee afforded a good uppercut if turned down. I'd like to appropriate Ted's voice: Attention has been drawn.

During the period of the Santa Maria visit I was on the job cleaning a school classroom and spied a vintage Andy Capp paperback compilation. It was from the first half of the 60's, same time the "Wrecking Crew" were building their identity. In one comic, a fellow was slugging his wife with Capp in the room. "No," said Andrew, never without a cigarette and indicated to be a consumer of more ale in a night than I ever managed in a month, "You do it like this."

Smack.

The things the rabble found humourous...

As the late Sarah said, then one knows what the counter culture was about, and messy as it was let he who was perfect dab the first Brylcreem. By the time we get to 2015, we are still on the line.