Not all Sheens are from Mars

Martin Sheen, Hollywood, 1996 by Paul Joyce

Ah, well, I had planned on posting this months back during the media frenzy surrounding Charlie Sheen, which although dissipating is still continuing, but a recent visit to the Whitechapel Gallery reminded me how much I enjoy Martin Sheen.  In the small theatre, a series of films played and the most engaging one was Dinh Q. Le's split-screen film simultaneously showing clips of Charlie Sheen in Platoon and Martin Sheen, in Apocalypse Now.  Amazingly to me, the film even included a clip that I didn't remember but found incredibly interesting and relevant:  Willard (Martin Sheen) states, “Fuck. You don’t get a chance to know what the fuck you are in some factory in Ohio.”  So, while Charlie Sheen is declaring himself a 'total freaking rock star from Mars' and the media is eating it up and following him like the train wreck that he is, I find myself wishing to hear more about my preferred member of the Sheen clan, Martin. Sheen the Elder (birth name: Ramon Gerardo Antonio Estevez) was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio by immigrant parents.  After leaving Ohio at the age of 18 with bus fare he borrowed from his parish priest, Sheen struggled to attain his acting dreams in New York and married a young Ohio art student (Janet Templeton) before landing a major breakout role in the play 'The Subject was Roses' and later his iconic role in 'Apocalypse Now'.  Despite his newfound fame and wealth, he like his son Charlie, had demons and addictions to battle.  Yet, he managed to surpass them and has maintained his marriage and a strong and ultimately happy family life.  In addition to all the work he has done on his own life based in Malibu, California, Sheen continues to visit Ohio to do good works and is involved in the development of his hometown and homestate community.

Sheen Family Therapy
Augsberger/Estevez scholarship
For a pacifist, Martin Sheen plays a pretty good president
Martin Sheen on his own addictions and 'Apocalypse Now'
What Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez were doing during Charlie's media and mental frenzy

RIP "Macho Man" Randy Savage

After hearing the unfortunate news of "Macho Man" Randy Savage's death today, I stumbled upon the fact that he was actually born in Columbus, Ohio in 1952.  The professional wrestler, minor league outfielder, rapper, and Slim Jim spokesperson will always hold a special place in the hearts of many Americans of my generation.

'Macho Man' by The Village People

Fun Fact Friday: Zowie Bowie

If anyone recalls the Glee episode from a few week's back where Sue Sylvester disguises herself as David Bowie, it really isn't that strange of a costume at all when you consider that his first born (with first wife Mary Angela Barnett) chose to study in Ohio.  This was brought to my attention during my first bout of graduate school when one of my cohorts, who grew up and went to college in Wooster, mentioned that he saw David Bowie and Iman walking through the campus of the College of Wooster during his undergrad days. This struck me as quite odd and unbelievable but was corroborated years later by one of my best friends, who also attended the same university and had actually lived down the hall from Duncan Jones until he managed to find 'better' accommodation.  He apparently graduated after three years with a degree in Philosophy and later went to the London Film School and has subsequently directed two films:  Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011).

Alma Witherspoon of Geek Love

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Speaking of Warren, the small town came up in one of the most unlikely places.  Namely, a novel that I was reading when back in the states entitled 'Geek Love' by Katherine Dunn.  The novel is is the story of a traveling carnival run by Aloysius "Al" Binewski and his wife "Crystal" Lil.  When the business begins to fail, the couple devise an idea to breed their own freak show, using various drugs and radioactive material to alter the genes of their children.  The story takes place in two periods:  the first deals with Binewski's children's constant struggle with each other through life.  The majority of this struggles deals with the Machiavellian Arty as he develops his own cult:  Arturism.  In this cult, Arty persuades people to have their limbs amputated so that they can be like Arty, the cult leader, in their search for the principle he calls PIP ("Peace, Isolation, Purity").  This is strangely where the small town of Ohio comes into play as the first devotee, Alma Witherspoon, is described as having originated in the small Ohio town (the following description is taken from page 180 of the book and is in the voice of Olympia, Arty's sister):  
I sat down next to her and watched the heat rash on the insides of her elbows and the backs of her knees and in the folds of her chins as she talked. She had got herself into a terrible jam, she said, and it had made her realize ... She was from Warren, Ohio, and her mother was a schoolteacher but had died last year. She took a photo album out of the shopping bag and showed me a picture of a fat old woman.


I have yet been able to find the importance of this Ohio town to the author but it's still a striking mention of detail that I feel is worth noting.


Freakery:  Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body

Walking After You

     I arrive in London and what do I see but  Dave Grohl staring back at me.  Perhaps this is the universe's way of saying that I should let go of my deep disdain for the Foo Fighters or that I should stop using it as a procrastination tactic in writing about the great Mr. Grohl.  After all, as I've said before to a friend, I can forgive the man's transgressions in forming such a band because he was once an integral member of Nirvana. . .plus, he's just a great drummer (he was crowned Godlike Genius by the Shockwaves NME Awards this year) and seems like a very nice guy (even heard a DJ say that the other day).
    All of those great things aside, what's important to this blog is that Grohl was born in Warren, OH on January 14th, 1969.  Although he grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, the northeastern Ohio town considers him a native and granted him a key to the city in 2009.  There's also a roadway in downtown Warren called "Dave Grohl Alley" which was dedicated to him with murals by local artists. 

Fun Fact Friday: Granny Snuffle

Granny Snuffle, the grandmother of Aloysius and Alice Snuffleupagus of Sesame Street, is a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hmmmm, according to her wiki profile, she enjoys making spaghetti soup.  I thought that was more of a northern Ohio thing.