A moment for the master.

[ericcoleman]

Marcel Marceau would have been 100 today.

Those who know me well know that all of my early heroes were the silent ones. Harpo Marx, Buster Keaton, Marcel Marceau. What you might not know is that I trained as a mime for awhile. The leader of Claude Kipnis's touring company, after having me in some workshops, said that I should consider going to their school.

The other thing you may not know is that the reason for that is because I stuttered very badly as a child, and well into high school. It still interferes with a lot of my socializing, not so much because I still stutter, but because I did for so many years, and really only learned to talk WITH people fairly late in my life. I'm still not very good at it.

Being into Mime, Marcel Marceau of course was the master. I got to see him perform twice, both times absolutely spell bound.

He created whole worlds with nothing but his body and a beat up top hat. I have wanted one of those hats my entire life.

I have spent years making my own little worlds, in my own ways. Marcel Marceau was a big part of the spark that sent me careening in the many directions I have gone in.

A wonderful Happy 100th Birthday to the absolute master of his craft, the amazing Marcel Marceau!

Comments

[we_are_spc]

I'm glad you pick us out to talk to when you can.

...

I briefly wondered in my early years wyhen mom and I passed mimes practicing at little craft places what it would be like to do it as a sightless person-but then it went as a cloud in the wind.

Many things were that way-fleeting things that never really took form. Just...passing ships in the night, as some would say.

-T~

[filkferengi]

Do you remember the "Shields & Yarnell" variety show from 1977? [I had to look up the date.] They were very talented mimes & lots of fun for teenage me.

For silent films, I always recommend "City Lights" with Chaplin. Have you ever seen it?

[ericcoleman]

He was a talented mime, Marcel Marceau saw him when he was quite young and offered him a full scholarship to his school. She was a talented dancer, who had already had quite a good career in movies, who was a pretty good mime. I was, and am a fan of both of them.

I'm a big fan of silent comedy. I could go on for hours. And I despise Chaplin. He was a horrible person. His movies had this undercurrent of cruelty to them, and then they would switch over to ridiculous pathos. He was brilliant, but found his brilliance incredibly unpleasant.

[filkferengi]

I'm glad to know, even if not still together, they're at least still around.