monoceros blogsI started watching "Scrubs" when I was in grad school, around 2005, a little later than when the series first began, but I'd like to think that it's never too late for anything (although I've been proven wrong a number of times). My buddy Noob had given me a bunch of downloads, and I remember breezing through three or four seasons over the summer and then watching subsequent seasons whenever I could, though the screwy streaming videos I watched in Singapore put an end to my regular viewings. Still, I've never forgotten the terrific music selection, J.D.'s weird and wonderful fantasies, his musings, the bro-love he shares with Turk ("chocolate bear"), the heartbreak he experiences, the hurt he causes, Colin Hay's songs, the great ensemble cast, especially the janitor, Perry, and Dr. Kelso. Every episode was a grand treat.
The show has finally ended (it goes on but without the usual cast, so to me, it might as well be the end), and though I haven't had the chance to play catch-up on the seasons I've missed, I couldn't resist reading about the finale. I kind of wish I didn't. Not that anything was spoiled for me, but the accompanying clip was so good, it made me want to purchase all the missing seasons from iTunes just so I could get to this last episode.
I watch another show - "How I Met Your Mother" - which I love as much as I do "Scrubs," and perhaps one of the reasons is the main character. Both J.D. and Ted are endearingly dreamy and hopeful. Haven't we all met someone like them once? Innocent and complex, young and also very old, greedy for but sometimes a little apprehensive of new experiences, frustratingly sensitive on all the wrong occasions, sometimes sunk with disappointment, but always emerging again to chase after clouds and dreams and shadows.
But back to "Scrubs." I like what Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly has to say about J.D. after these eight seasons -
"But understanding and experiencing that suffering isn't the same thing as being defined by it: Is there anyone more resilient than J.D., who despite everything, still thinks this time, his fantasies could come true?"
"The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from...
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know."
~ from The Book of Love, by Peter Gabriel
I read this essay in the anthology The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008 a while back but it was Olduvai who recently pointed out the online version, which has accompanying videos. Soon after, I chanced upon a follow-up article (I love follow-ups and things that connect!); more on this later.
The main article features Joshua Bell playing his fiddle incognito - Joshua Bell! That alone had my attention. For the experiment, he plays plenty of Bach - Bell and Bach, a lethal combination for me. That aside, the novel idea of placing a virtuoso disguised as a busker in a subway station during peak hour makes the article a terrific example of creative journalism (it won the Pulitzer). It explores the perception of beauty and brilliance, the context for such perception, and priorities in modern life. Would people "stop and stare" at the violin player? How much would a virtuoso earn as a street musician? Would you have stopped? Even if it made you late for work?
But it's really the second piece that's truly inspiring. I cannot recommend the second article enough. Read it, and you'll marvel. You know how there seems to be some pattern in the world that we can't grasp, but sense is there? It's almost as if history has a sense of humor. Whatever it is, I'm very glad I get to witness it on such rare occasions.
Joshua Bell's playlist for L'Enfant Plaza:
Estrellita (Ponce), by Joshua Bell
Meditation From Thais (Massenet), by Joshua Bell
Ave Maria (Schubert), by Joshua Bell
Chaconne (Bach), by Hilary Hahn (my other favorite violinist)
Gavotte en Rondeau (Bach), by Hilary Hahn
All five pieces zipped up here.
Joshua Bell's thoughts on Bach's Chaconne, which he plays twice during his performance at L'Enfant Plaza.