Knowledge of self.

The Reverend recently sent me a link to a clip from The Gong Show and after watching it I began to reflect on my earliest viewings of the show. These occurred when I was a child and would have a day off from school, as both my parents had jobs I would go with my father to work and sit in an empty conference room for most of the day with the portable B&W TV that we had, watching various re-runs on the UHF channels. I remember watching Perry Mason and Superman a lot, as well as the occasional re-run of The Gong Show. At the time, the anti-comedy of the Unknown Comic, Chuck Barris's sarcasm and the undercurrent of 70's hedonism escaped my grasp. While I can appreciate those elements now, the fact that the show was something of a precursor to much of the talk show/reality TV crap of today gives these clips a bittersweet quality. That's acceptable though, because if the mental health industry has taught us anything, it's that everyone is guilty of committing the occasional transgression.

So, please enjoy the clips below. I know I see a lot of myself and my past in them, maybe you will too.

Dreams and hopes for the future.


Moves on the floor.


Fears/Memories of roommates past.