All tagged florida
Much has been made of the “Disneyfication” of America, and there is much to be said and discussed about this. Dreaming your dreams is not easy. Things aren’t always getting exponentially better. There is an element to Disney and the Disney idea that is, well, oversimplified and rosy. Quite frankly, there’s a lot of bullshit to it. But there’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Orlando, as I still know it and feel it in my own soul – the idea of the place that resides in me – is rooted deeply in the ‘90s. It is not a city. It is a pair or wraparound Oakley sunglasses – cobalt blue with the orange polarized lenses. It is a No Fear t-shirt. It’s bands like the Nature Kids and Matchbox 20. It’s a Lil’ Penny Nike commercial and Shaquille O’Neal dunking.
Every few years it seems like someone picks up the banner for John Anderson as one of our country’s truly great artists, and, inevitably, the people who have been here the whole time are appreciative, but it fails to really generate the kind of renewed interest the faithful think he deserves. It’s fun and then John settles back into his routine – playing shows in beloved haunts and occasionally appearing on RFD-TV.
Last year I started blogging again – writing about topics like my family, the myths and stories they told, art, music and travel. I hope to write in more detail about all of these topics and expand into other ideas. My own experiences have helped me to better understand myself and I hope to share more of them here.
There’s not much chance to turn around until you reach Cedar Key, where everything is built out of that dark, weathered wood. You see kids with coolers selling various morsels like oysters and clams on the side of the road. This article first appeared on darrenwhitecreative.com on Feb. 11, 2013.
