THE PASSING OF LEGENDS
PERHAPS one attribute of the COVID-19 pandemic world that is impossible to ignore is “hurrying on” of the passing of a generation of older iconic individuals. What brought this to my personal attention was the passing of Sigfried of Sigfried and Roy, Roy having passed earlier this year of, yes, you guessed it, COVID-19. I was an avid fan of their shows at Las Vegas having attended four times, the third time being seated in the far back, to my utter surprise, underneath where one of their famous white tigers appears seemingly out of nowhere. They say smart people are particularly attracted to magic, maybe in a detectivish sort of way, always trying to figure out how the “magic” is done. But for me, with Sigfried and Roy, it was never about second-guessing, just kicking back and being amazed.
Not being a celebrity, my knowledge of celebrity passings is limited to those whose names became household words during my generation: Roy Horn of Sigfried and Roy, Dawn Wells of Gilligan’s Island, Kenzo Takada of the Kenzo Design, Tommy DeVito of the Four Seasons, Bruce Williamson of the Temptations, Ken Shimura of Hachijidayo Zeninshugo! (It’s 8 O’clock, Assemble Everyone!), Alan Merrill songwriter of “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” pop singer Trini Lopez to name just a few (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... for a lengthy partial listing).
As of October 2020, the USA experienced over 300,000 excess deaths due to COVID-19 and that figure continues to rise. Some predict that in the USA by the “end” of the pandemic half to one million people may lose their lives due primarily to COVID-19 (https://www.healio.com/news/pediatric...), the lower number anticipating more effective vaccine rollout and no emergence of a vaccine resistant strain. Statistics are helpful, as are future projections, but they can’t begin to convey the loss of creativity to humankind or the hundreds of thousands of personal loses and tragedies.
When William Maltese and I wrote the naughty prequel to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor in 2008, I posited a national disaster, in this case the abdication of a vengeful president during the election transition period. The result was profound, though I didn’t figure in the multiplying effect of a coincident pandemic. As I’ve watched the effects of the pandemic enfold, I’ve come to the conclusion that COVID-19 is more like the fuse than the spark or powder, affording us the opportunity of addressing the infrastructure shortcomings that made our current meltdown both unique and so destructive. Whether you call it Sci-Fi, Cli-Fi or Sci-Fu, the results would likely be similar irrespective of the disaster, given the one common denominator: Failing infrastructure demand our attention if we are to return to a state where we can once again kick back and be amazed at the magic.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
Not being a celebrity, my knowledge of celebrity passings is limited to those whose names became household words during my generation: Roy Horn of Sigfried and Roy, Dawn Wells of Gilligan’s Island, Kenzo Takada of the Kenzo Design, Tommy DeVito of the Four Seasons, Bruce Williamson of the Temptations, Ken Shimura of Hachijidayo Zeninshugo! (It’s 8 O’clock, Assemble Everyone!), Alan Merrill songwriter of “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” pop singer Trini Lopez to name just a few (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... for a lengthy partial listing).
As of October 2020, the USA experienced over 300,000 excess deaths due to COVID-19 and that figure continues to rise. Some predict that in the USA by the “end” of the pandemic half to one million people may lose their lives due primarily to COVID-19 (https://www.healio.com/news/pediatric...), the lower number anticipating more effective vaccine rollout and no emergence of a vaccine resistant strain. Statistics are helpful, as are future projections, but they can’t begin to convey the loss of creativity to humankind or the hundreds of thousands of personal loses and tragedies.
When William Maltese and I wrote the naughty prequel to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor in 2008, I posited a national disaster, in this case the abdication of a vengeful president during the election transition period. The result was profound, though I didn’t figure in the multiplying effect of a coincident pandemic. As I’ve watched the effects of the pandemic enfold, I’ve come to the conclusion that COVID-19 is more like the fuse than the spark or powder, affording us the opportunity of addressing the infrastructure shortcomings that made our current meltdown both unique and so destructive. Whether you call it Sci-Fi, Cli-Fi or Sci-Fu, the results would likely be similar irrespective of the disaster, given the one common denominator: Failing infrastructure demand our attention if we are to return to a state where we can once again kick back and be amazed at the magic.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
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