Generally speaking, I don’t lose sleep when celebrities die. But a few days ago, Quincy Jones died and I found myself tossing and turning. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Jones since the 1980s. In recent years, I’ve enjoyed watching two Netflix documentaries about him: Quincy is about his career and personal life, and The Greatest Night in Pop is about his involvement with the “We Are the World” music video. Both are downright inspiring.
Jones obviously loved music and collaborating; and whenever someone so deeply and successfully loves their craft — and commits to it through thick and thin — and actually loves and somehow holds all the people it touches — Lord have mercy, I am moved. May we all be so held! And may we all hold our craft.
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Norm Macdonald died in 2021. I lost sleep when he died, too. He was a phenomenal comedian, writer, and host. He was so original and obviously someone who loved his work deeply.
Not long before he died, he interviewed Jane Fonda on “Norm Macdonald Has a Show.” It was completely enjoyable and at the end, he kissed Jane Fonda fully on the lips. It was hot.
I have watched the interview — and the kiss — several times, not because I’m a pervert, but because I wanted to analyze the buildup. I wanted to see if I could figure out how it happened. I never figured out how it happened but I do believe that only people who hold and are held by their craft can kiss like that. Macdonald’s commitment to long anecdotal jokes, amazing writing, and exquisite stand-up inspire and motivate me every day. He was held by his craft.
That was the last time I lost sleep when a celebrity died.
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The last time I lost sleep when a politician died was in 2002. That’s when Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone was killed in a plane crash just days before the election. This was back when I lived in Minneapolis, where Wellstone was not only respected and beloved by both parties, he was expected to run for president. Wellstone was held by his politics and the political community seemed to hold him, too.
It was a strange time in politics. It was the post 911 days: George W. Bush was president, Jesse Ventura was governor, Wellstone was dead, a Republican won his seat, and we were at war with Iraq, not to mention involved in several other “armed conflicts.” I didn’t necessarily lose sleep every night, but I didn’t start sleeping well until 2007, when Obama was elected president.
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Going back in time to 1998, I recollect another time I lost sleep when a politician died. That’s when Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident. This is so stupid, but at the time I still held hope that he and Cher would get back together. I saw them sing “I Got You Babe” on David Letterman’s late night show in 1987 and marveled at how comfortable and careful they were with each other. Surely they would get back together.
Anyway…
After a successful career in entertainment Sonny Bono moved to politics. He became the Republican mayor of Palm Springs, California and later served the Golden State as a congressman. But then he skied into a tree and died.
Not long before he died, Sonny Bono called then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (also a Republican) out for being inappropriate. For once, “inappropriate” wasn’t tied to sexual behavior. Bono said Gingrich was inappropriate because Newt had gone from being a politician to a celebrity. Bono said, “You need handlers. You need to understand what you’re doing. You need to understand the attitude of the media toward celebrities.” Bono thought Gingrich needed to be reminded that he was to be a politician first, not a celebrity.
Isn’t that interesting? A former celebrity called another Republican out for being blinded by their own celebrity status.
I (still) disagree with Bono’s conservative politics. For one, he co-sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act, which –until 2013 — prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. It was passed by Congress in 1996 and signed into law by Mr. Marriage himself, then-President Bill Clinton. But my point isn’t that I’m sitting here counting the countless hypocrisies of our nation’s leaders. My point is I respect that Bono confronted Gingrich. I think that’s important.
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Fast forward to the Obama years. Unsurprisingly, Gingrich was a vocal critic of President Barack Obama. He called Obama a “con” motivated by a “Kenyan, anti-colonial” worldview. Moreover, the racist Gingrich was an early and ardent supporter of Donald Trump before, during, and after his first election. Last month, Gingrich said on The New Yorker Radio Hour and WNYC that “he’s [Trump’s] had four years to think about what he’s learned…and he has a much deeper grasp of what has to be done and how to do it.”
Grasp.
Grasp means to take or seize eagerly. There is nothing deep or comforting about a grasp. Any way you look at it, a grasp is desperate. And once again we are headed into the political clutches of an administration who grabs and grasps.
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What comes first when you identify yourself? Are you comfortable with who you are and what you do? Do you hold your family, friends, and craft deeply and dearly? Or do you grasp at them whenever you need attention?
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Last night, while the country and my county voted red, I was at work. Instead of our usual Tuesdays@9 Chicago show with cold readings and a musical guest, we hosted a watch party. We had a huge screen and an open mic where folks could share something creative while we waited for the returns. It was deep, comforting, and enlightening to see artists share poems, stories, and music that were important to them. I saw and learned new things about my colleagues and my family.
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I’m still wrapping my brain around the fact that the majority of the nation and my neighbors re-elected a hate mongering and racist celebrity. It wasn’t even close.
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Countless celebrities have run for office. Clay Aiken (D), Clint Eastwood (R), Al Franken (D), Melissa Gilbert (D), Fred Grandy (R), Diane Neal (I), Cynthia Nixon (D), Ronald Reagan (R), Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Jerry Springer (D), George Takei (D), Shirley Temple Black (R), Fred Thompson (R), Jesse Ventura (I), and others. Most of the aforementioned were elected, but a few like Aiken, Gilbert, Neal, and Nixon were unsuccessful candidates. We remember them either way, because they’re celebrities, and they know that.
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Though Kamala Harris lost the election, I have to believe that progress has been made, and that we can learn and maybe even evolve from this two-party system. Until then, in the words of Langston Hughes, I will “hold fast” to my family, friends, and craft.
And my country.
Thanks for reading (and not grasping). -Constance
P.S. Jocelyn attends Northern Illinois University in DeKalb but took the train into Chicago to participate in our watch party.
Constance Kuntz 