Hi everyone. Guess who’s back… back again… Billy’s back… tell a friend. Apologies to Eminem.

I took last week off. I do my best to try and keep this blog light, fun, and maybe even a little funny. That didn’t seem possible a week ago.

Like many folks I thought the face painted, buffalo horned Washington rioter was something to laugh at… I made a couple jokes at his expense on social media… but have since changed my mind. None of what’s going on feels funny.

There is a saying: Tragedy plus time equals comedy.

I don’t think our current situation will ever be a joking matter, but you never know. Stranger things have happened.

After all, Hogan’s Heroes is a thing. What might be the most unlikely show in TV history ran for six seasons, and in syndicated reruns for decades after that. If you can create hilarity and hi-jinks in a Nazi prisoner camp during World War II I guess anything is possible.

Even creepier than the fact that the show even existed…

– The actors who played the four major German roles … Werner Klemperer (Klink), John Banner (Schultz), Leon Askin (Burkhalter), and Howard Caine (Hochstetter) were Jewish.

– Furthermore, Klemperer, Banner, and Askin were Jews who had fled the Nazis during World War II.

– Robert Clary, who played P.O.W LeBeau, is a French Jew who spent three years in concentration camps. He even has an identity tattoo from the camp that killed his parents.

I did read that Klemperer would only take the role of Klink if Hogan and his crew always outsmarted the Nazis. You can still buy the whole series on DVD HERE.

Ya know what? I didn’t even plan on writing about Hogan’s Heroes today. It just sort of came to me. Let me leave you with a couple thoughts on other subjects.

– Every once in a while you should choose a favorite album and listen to it through headphones or earbuds with no other distractions. No internet, no social media, no TV, no talking, no phone, no lights, no motor car, not a single luxury. Don’t even sing along to your musical selection. Nothing but you and the music.

I did that last night with “Quadrophenia” by The Who.

Wow. Just wow. I’ve played that album in the recent past, but it’d been a long time since I actually LISTENED to it. It’s amazing the things you’ll hear and notice if you let it happen.

I now want to listen to music like that at least once a week. Maybe more. What else do I have to do?

If you try this I’d love to hear what album you chose, and what you thought after listening.

– Go Bills!! I’m happy they won that first playoff game against the Colts, and hope they can play even better against the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday night.

I’m superstitious though. I don’t think fans should be allowed in the stadium, even if it’s only 6,700 folks (about 10% of capacity). The team won all those games during the regular season without a crowd… why tempt fate?

Also, the Indy game was at 1pm, while this one against the Ravens is at 8:15 on Saturday night. You’re giving the rowdiest fans in the NFL all day to get drunk and do something stupid. Not smart while the pandemic is still raging. Let’s face it, it’d be scary even without the pandemic.

– I’ll leave you with a couple songs I find appropriate for this week (even though they are thirty years old), courtesy of nerd rockers They Might Be Giants.

Your Racist Friend video link

Kiss Me, Son Of God (video link)

Stay safe (extra safe with all that’s going on). Let’s hope 2020 wasn’t just the opening act for 2021.

Billy