So, it’s “Doppelgänger Week” on Facebook. This means that we’re all supposed to change our profile pictures to someone famous whom we resemble. Of course, mine is the young Sarah Ferguson. People used to tell me that all the time ca. 1986. One friend’s grandmother never even bothered to call me by name; she just called me “Fergie.” I am extremely disappointed that SR did not choose Steve Jobs, but his choice was a good one. In contrast, JDM (no, not that one, the other one) chose perfectly. One acquaintance, on meeting him, said later, “How did you get Lieutenant Dan to accompany you?” Needless to say, it’s been quite entertaining when logging on these past few days.
In the news yesterday, we learned J.D. Salinger passed away; he was most famous as the author of The Catcher in the Rye, and man oh man did he ever speak to the youth. We, the jaded kids of the Reagan years, related like nobody’s business…but so did our parents. And so did our kids. So, thanks, Mr. S, for The Catcher in the Rye and all your other work. We’ll miss you, but we’re glad you came through here.
These two bits of news, unrelated though they are, have put me in mind of other Doppelgänger moments I’ve had in life. There’s KR — who could forget a) his John Taylor haircut or b) that Labyrinth costume? There’s the aforementioned SR; once I actually was able to identify Steve Jobs by name, I immediately thought how they looked alike. It continues to by my first thought every time old Steve is on the news — even for a product as dumb as the iPad. And there’s PB, who basically could body-snatch Michael Rapaport and no one would notice.
And finally, there’s DJG, who looked exactly, and I mean exactly, like Tim Quirk. And I don’t just mean a passing resemblance; they’re both big, tall, blond dudes who are almost exactly the same size…and the wry humor! And the adorable wives! And the, uh, unusual vocal technique! The first time I ever saw TQ — he was singing on Pennsylvania Avenue at some festival or another — I literally had to stop walking with my friend, totally ignoring her, and go back and look again, because I thought I had just seen DJG up there, and it made no sense. The first time I ever talked to Tim I became even more certain that they’d been separated at birth. It was freaky. True Doppelgängers!
There’s a method to my madness:
Enjoy some yuppie-post-punk-pop and think back to when you first met Holden Caulfield (or, when you first saw Sunset Boulevard, or when you first heard Cereal Killers).
- Lyric of the day: “a little out of touch, a little insane. It’s just easier than dealing with the pain”
- Flashback of the day: Passing notes with JEP, KT instead of paying attention in English classes
- As I write this, what’s playing? Too Much Joy’s “William Holden Caulfield,” off Cereal Killers (obvs).
- Photo of the day:
Is mother proud of little boy today?
