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Biggest coincidence of my life...and tied to religion:
I'm from Palmyra, NY -- where Joseph Smith founded Mormonism. His farm was just over the 'back hill' from my house...maybe 3/4 miles away, and Hill Cumorah (where he supposedly received the Golden Plates from the angel Moroni) was just down the road from my house. The first formal Mormon Church in the village was directly across the road from my childhood home.
Sometime in the 1980s, long after my immediate family had all moved to other states, I took a driving trip through the West. One of my stops was in Salt Lake City, because I wanted to visit the Mormon sites (such as Temple Square), even though me and my family were never Mormons...but I like history. I went to one of their two museums on Temple Square (I think now there is only one). When I went in I went up to the front desk and asked if they had much about my home town, and the docent said just the next room where there was a mockup of the print shop in Palmyra where the first Mormon bible was printed, but nothing beyond that. She wondered why I asked and I told her it was my home town and about the proximity of several Mormon sites to my childhood home. I spent about an hour in the museum and about four people came up to me asking if I was the "gentleman" from Palmyra; it seemed I was a sort of celebrity because they peppered me with friendly questions about the town and some of the Mormon-related sites. Just as I was about to leave, an old gentleman came up to me and asked: "Are you the young feller from Palmyra?" I said I was, and he said, "I'm originally from Palmyra. I bet we know some of the same people". He began naming some Palmyrans, and although I recognized the names, they weren't people I personally knew. Then he asked, "Did you ever know a woman named Hilda Schultz?" I hesitated and then said, "Well...yes...that's my mother!" He replied, "I used to date her!" We talked a few minutes longer and then I moved on to another site in Temple Square. When I got back to the hotel that evening I called my mother, who was still alive and living in Florida. I asked her if she ever knew a guy named ___". "Oh my god. Yes! He was such a pest!" And she related that they went on one date in high school. Now what are the odds?
And I acknowledge that my interpretation may carry a bit of my confirmation bias, just as your interpretation may carry some of yours—although I don’t think that being humble, self-centered, or self-promoting has anything to do with it one way or the other (we both agree that Jewish pride doesn’t factor into Bob Dylan’s persona in the same way, but I would not call him humble, and he is quite the self-centered self-promoter).
But I do think the phrase “overactive self-awareness” speaks volumes, especially from the standpoint of Jewish identity.
I actually placed an order for Fagen’s autobiography, Eminent Hipsters, through my local library (all this talk about Becker and Fagen has gotten me curious to learn more about their musical journey). After it comes in and I have the chance to read, I’ll report back and let you know if it answers the question one way or the other.
That shouldn’t confuse you at all. Becker can be a Yiddish surname in the Northeastern United States as often as it is non-Jewish German, Becker grew up in distinctively Jewish areas like Scarsdale and Forest Hills, Queens, and Becker’s close kinship and long-standing association with Jews and knowledge and appreciation of Jewish culture makes the misconception quite understandable. Perhaps Becker’s relationship with his (I believe, mostly German) heritage is similar to your association with your Italian and English ancestry.
Like I said, I acknowledge and greatly respect his musical genius and importance, and he was a powerful influence on many singer-songwriters who resonate with me more. He just doesn’t do much for me personally.
Funnily enough, my young son has taken to me reading his Little People, BIG DREAMS book about Bob Dylan (a present from his Minnesota grandmother).
I'm not arguing with you. I am very familiar with how people either love or hate Dylan. My wife is no fan either...
I suspect I might be more right than wrong about how we might be describing or recognizing the degree to which people express pride about themselves (or whatever). Why the interest in Fagen in particular?
Though I am a huge fan as well, and I usually have a book going about a musician or band or artist at any given time, I've not thought to read about Fagen in particular until now. Is there something about him that is different from the other musicians you like? I'm guessing there are a good many other musicians you like, but I could be wrong about that. I was once wrong about something else back in 1998...
I'm beginning to love this thread already! Thank you for this one too.
I'm loving it too. I seem to be more attuned to the woo brand of coincidences when I am in flux. By woo I mean the ones that seem like they carry messages. I look at them as some sort of grounding tool.
Example: I was undergoing a complete reboot during recovery. Add in some intense external situations like my mom shunning me and I was struggling to find something to hold onto and say "this right here I know." I asked the Universe for a sign as to what all of the confusion in my head really meant. As I did I started up the car and this song came on.
I suspect I might be more right than wrong about how we might be describing or recognizing the degree to which people express pride about themselves (or whatever).
That’s funny, because I was going to say the same thing about me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
Why the interest in Fagen in particular?
Though I am a huge fan as well, and I usually have a book going about a musician or band or artist at any given time, I've not thought to read about Fagen in particular until now. Is there something about him that is different from the other musicians you like?
The thought mostly occurred to me because we’ve been talking about him these past few days. It led me to want to read his autobiography, which is all of 159 pages long. Plus, I’ve been reading lots of literature lately. I could stand to switch it up to some nonfiction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
I'm guessing there are a good many other musicians you like, but I could be wrong about that. I was once wrong about something else back in 1998...
No, you do guess correctly (and I’ve read about many of them as well).
I'm loving it too. I seem to be more attuned to the woo brand of coincidences when I am in flux. By woo I mean the ones that seem like they carry messages. I look at them as some sort of grounding tool.
Example: I was undergoing a complete reboot during recovery. Add in some intense external situations like my mom shunning me and I was struggling to find something to hold onto and say "this right here I know." I asked the Universe for a sign as to what all of the confusion in my head really meant. As I did I started up the car and this song came on.
Well played Universe, well played. I know the pieces fit because I watched them fall away.
Like I said before, coincidences are definitely fun. But if I’m tempted to think there may be something more at play, I remind myself, “How many times have you been in similar situations where nothing remotely this interesting has arisen?” If you live long enough and have enough life experiences, most such occurrences are simply a question of statistical chance.
I'm loving it too. I seem to be more attuned to the woo brand of coincidences when I am in flux. By woo I mean the ones that seem like they carry messages. I look at them as some sort of grounding tool.
Example: I was undergoing a complete reboot during recovery. Add in some intense external situations like my mom shunning me and I was struggling to find something to hold onto and say "this right here I know." I asked the Universe for a sign as to what all of the confusion in my head really meant. As I did I started up the car and this song came on.
Well played Universe, well played. I know the pieces fit because I watched them fall away.
Glad you're liking this thread too, and I'm glad to see you here as well...
Have you posted this story before?
I can't remember if it was you or someone else who posted that song as part of much the same sort of story. Another way to say that sometimes (if not always) it's just our imaginations running away with us...
That’s funny, because I was going to say the same thing about me.
The thought mostly occurred to me because we’ve been talking about him these past few days. It led me to want to read his autobiography, which is all of 159 pages long. Plus, I’ve been reading lots of literature lately. I could stand to switch it up to some nonfiction.
No, you do guess correctly (and I’ve read about many of them as well).
My favorite has always been non-fiction, but there are exceptions...
It's been a long time, but one of my most favorite enjoyable reads was back when I wore a younger man's pants. "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Not sure I have ever been so immersed in any reading before or since.
I'd love to hear more about this over active self awareness concept. I think of hyper-vigilance when I read it. How does it differ?
Can you elaborate, because I'm not sure I see the connection between over active self awareness and hyper-vigilance." Maybe explain what you mean by both...
Like I said before, coincidences are definitely fun. But if I’m tempted to think there may be something more at play, I remind myself, “How many times have you been in similar situations where nothing remotely this interesting has arisen?” If you live long enough and have enough life experiences, most such occurrences are simply a question of statistical chance.
Right...
I love to gamble at the tables in casinos, and I always get a kick out of how other people gamble. Some have all sorts of rituals and ways of playing that actually make their chances of winning even less likely than the best of odds will allow. They bet and play in ridiculous ways, because they think they feel something about doing what they do, what their gut tells them. Of course most of the time they lose (and sometimes cause the rest of us at the table to lose too, at the Blackjack table in particular). Other times, they happen to hit and win despite the odds, and this convinces them to continue to follow their gut, or intuition, or whatever.
One favorable experience gives people reason to think something is going on while all the negative experiences are somehow missed altogether and wiped from memory.
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