Like a lot of ex-pats from that town, I fled to the coasts (first NYC and then L.A.), favoring the media capitals over the heart of the "real" America. I, too, bought into the notion that Chicago was somehow less, in every way that mattered. Even though I've never forgotten that SNL was birthed from Second City, the longest-running comedy and improvisational-theater troupe, which is based in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. In fact, since its debut in 1959, Second City has consistently been the breeding ground for many of the best comedians, actors, directors, and others in Show Biz--where do you think SNL got the likes of John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner from? John Candy and Eugene Levy are (were) also Second City Alums.
See, I've long had this theory: that our country is in many ways reliving the Seventies--a highly unpopular War, the oil crisis, a disgraced President, and a time when the NBA Finals were dominated by the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Here's some history, straight from Second City's website, that seems to back up my theory:
"The Seventies: Brother Disco ruled. Side burns grew. President Nixon denied involvement in a scandal, and there was turmoil in the Middle East. The Seventies were a time of great change at The Second City. Long hair and blue jeans appeared on stage at the theater for the first time, adopted by a group of actors self-titled "The Next Generation". This group included new voices such as Harold Ramis and John Belushi. By the mid-Seventies The Second City's reputation soared with the debut of a new television show that featured several SC alums. That show was Saturday Night Live and things have never been quite the same."
No wonder, then, that this has been the season when SNL really got its mojo back. (Palin's a pickle... but wow, is she ever a wealth of comic riches, or what.) There's a cultural war being staged in this country--or at least a time when this nation has reached, or is nearing, the point of critical mass. Call it a cultural tipping point, if you will. And in such times, pay special attention to the Artists, comic and otherwise, and what those voices have to say.
In the political arena, the Obama candidacy just may prove to be the impetus for Chicago's rise. As Turow points out in his piece:
"The president’s home city and state traditionally prosper from added attention and influence, as well as the influx of visitors inspired by curiosity about our nation’s leader. More important, Barack has already signaled that Chicago will also be America’s political center. In June, the candidate-designate merged the Democratic National Committee into his own campaign apparatus and officially moved the DNC to Chicago. The decision produced not only a more efficient and less rivalrous organization, but it also, in some eyes, deepened the political insight. Roland Martin, the esteemed radio host and CNN political commentator, credits Obama’s decision to move the Democratic National Committee to Chicago as one of the key factors in keeping his campaign in touch with the “real” America, by removing campaign officials from the barrage of conventional wisdom absorbed in the media capitals and the beltway. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As president, Obama’s political apparatus is virtually certain to stay here."
An Obama presidency may also be that extra edge which convinces the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago--Tokyo, Rio and Madrid are the three others on the short-list. And as you may have read in one of my earlier posts, Obama will be at Grant Park (named after Ulysses S. Grant) in Chicago on Election Night, where projections say he'll be joined by as many as 1 million of his supporters. Fittingly, Illinois was also the home state of Abraham Lincoln (a Republican, I might add). Old Abe and General Grant and most everyone, really--I think we'd all love to see the 21st Century version of a Norman Rockwell painting. And if (IF) Obama wins, that picture may very well be painted against the backdrop of Grant Park in Chicago.
Currently, we are all living in a 51 vs 49 percent nation--and it hasn't worked. The main selling point for an Obama presidency, imho, is that it offers the promise of a 62 to 38 percent working-majority (I hope, I hope). We all need to meet in the middle. And where better to meet than in the Capital of the Middle: Chicago, Illinois.
Historically, Chicago has had such a chip on its shoulder... and excels at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory (I am very much a product of my hometown, it seems. Sigh). But as Turow puts it: "[E]ven the most hard-bitten Chicagoans have to see very good times on the horizon."
This blogger just may be heading home to Chicago soon… Because the time seems right. Finally.
Read Scott Turow's piece here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-31/chicago-power/1/
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