Well. I'd written several paragraphs, and the internet hiccupped before I saved the draft, and I lost them all. So here is a short and sweet version.

THREE THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK

1. All Elite Wrestling

I don't write about this as much as I could, because there's a lot that would make no sense if you were not a wrestling fan. It would require y'all to sit there patiently while I gave you a rundown of a few decades' worth of bullshit that's happened in the pro wrestling business, and a summary of why Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling is different. Rather than doing that, I'll just say this: Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Federation/World Wide Entertainment fame is an abusive bully and a monopolist who is finally getting real competition. This is how capitalism's adherents say it is supposed to work: a plucky competitor arises who does things differently, pleases the people better, and (to some extent) out-competes said bully. Even though I don't buy that narrative as a reasonable description of how capitalism generally works, it's lovely on the rare occasion that it does happen. The only reason it's happening now is that the son of a billionaire agreed with a bunch of wrestlers who decided that enough was enough. Plucky entrepreneurship only presents a serious challenge to an abusive billionaire monopolist like Vince McMahon when it's backed by a rich man with comparably deep pockets.

Despite all this, it's still lovely when it happens. Both the wrestlers and the fans have been just shining with happiness. It's a great thing when you get out from under an abuser's thumb.

2. Michael Franks' The Music in My Head (2018)

I've always liked Michael Franks. My mom had his 1977 album Sleeping Gypsy, and I've always loved it to pieces. However, I'm the kind of annoying fan who doesn't necessarily keep up with current events. I tend to assume that guys who were big in the 70s aren't still putting good albums out in the 2020s. Imagine my delight when I found The Music in My Head on YouTube. It's only three years old. As the wrestling fans like to chant, "You still got it."

I'm particularly fond of "Suddenly Sci Fi" and "The Idea of a Tree." I think "Suddenly Sci Fi" is Franks' response to the insanity of modern politics:

The clones were all acquainted
Their brains synonymous
And all of them seemed painted
By Bosch, Hieronymus
It seemed to say
In Philip K. Dick-tation
It's now a sci-fi nation

Was my hallucination real?
And how!
The inmates are in charge
Of the asylum now!

I just found out that Franks was actually friends with Antonio Carlos Jobim and the Gilbertos. People whose work I love influencing other people whose work I love.

3. The Crowned Clown

I don't know what it is about sageuk (Korean historical dramas). I just can't seem to get enough.

The story takes place at a time in mid-Joseon period, when upheavals and power struggles surrounding the throne had reached extremely devastating levels. In order to escape those who plan to assassinate him, the king puts a clown, who looks exactly like him, on the throne. As the clown settles into his role, the palace is upended as the king’s enemies are confounded by the imposter’s creativity and his ever-expanding circle of allies, who are glad to see the “king” finally become the ruler they have always wanted.

This is a story based on a well-worn device, that I guess I'll call "the doppelganger plot." It's used in everything from Dave (starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver) to The Prince and the Pauper to A Tale of Two Cities, which puts an interesting twist on the "replacing-the-aristocrat" idea.

But sometimes devices are well-worn because they make good, enjoyable stories. I think the doppelganger plot stands or falls on its characterizations. If the character portraits are well-written and well-acted, it'll be great (or at least fun). If not, it will be ponderous and drenched with sentiment the way a badly-done Yorkshire pudding is drenched with oil.

So far, I'm hooked. Yeo Jin-goo does a marvelous job with his dual roles; his insane monarch is so convincing that he's actually scary.

How are you all doing today?