This is all still very fresh, so maybe I'm overreacting, but I feel like Art has spent a fair bit of his celebrity capital in this whole debacle. There are a lot of disappointed fans out there. More importantly, I'll bet a lot of industry people have been paying attention to what Art has been posting on Facebook, and now this whole thing has gone down. He's always been flaky, but this just seems a bit over-the-top. I'd love to see Art make a comeback; I was very excited when I read the news. But at this point, I feel like the bubble has burst, and those who would have been so enthusiastic have been burned to the point where the excitement of any future potential comeback would be muted at best. Maybe it's just best now to remember the good times, listen to the old shows, and be happy that we all had so many hours of enjoyment listening to the real Coast to Coast AM. I think about how, as a Star Wars fan, I waited years for Lucas to make the prequels, only to have my excitement turn to disgust and disappointment when they were finally released. So I have to question: would a new Art Bell show really be a good thing? Or is it possible that we should be content with what was, and not try to recreate the good old days?
One of my all-time favorite entertainers was Johnny Carson. When he retired, Johnny knew that no matter what he did, he'd never top his stint on The Tonight Show. So what did he do? He retired. For real. From his retirement until his death, he rarely made public appearances. One of the exceptions was on Letterman. He sat down at the desk, ran his hand across it, and shook his head. He said nothing, but the look on his face spoke volumes. It showed that he loved what he did, and that he would have loved the chance to do it again. But he was smart enough to know that there was no going back. Rumor was that he even used to send in jokes to Letterman, and Dave would use them in his monologue.
I put Art in the same category as Johnny. A once in a generation entertainer. A man who loved his craft through and through, and was damned good at it.
Am I glad that Art's comeback fell through? No. I'm disappointed. I'll always want to hear more of Art on the radio.
Maybe it's for the best. But there will always be a little part of me that will stay tuned.
One of my all-time favorite entertainers was Johnny Carson. When he retired, Johnny knew that no matter what he did, he'd never top his stint on The Tonight Show. So what did he do? He retired. For real. From his retirement until his death, he rarely made public appearances. One of the exceptions was on Letterman. He sat down at the desk, ran his hand across it, and shook his head. He said nothing, but the look on his face spoke volumes. It showed that he loved what he did, and that he would have loved the chance to do it again. But he was smart enough to know that there was no going back. Rumor was that he even used to send in jokes to Letterman, and Dave would use them in his monologue.
I put Art in the same category as Johnny. A once in a generation entertainer. A man who loved his craft through and through, and was damned good at it.
Am I glad that Art's comeback fell through? No. I'm disappointed. I'll always want to hear more of Art on the radio.
Maybe it's for the best. But there will always be a little part of me that will stay tuned.