cause no one wants a fellow with a social disease...
2004-12-30 @ 11:19 a.m.
I watched West Side Story last night. I forgot how much seeing this movie at the tender age of 6 completely enveloped my entire being. Certainly it can be traced to all my attitudes about instant love, brotherhood,expectation of things to come, and commitment. That's not a bad thing really, or embarrassing since the themes can be traced to Shakespeare, but even the coolest and sexiest version of Romeo and Juliet can't compete with West Side Story for my affections (although John Leguiziamo's Tybalt is equal to George Chakiris's Bernardo for sexiness, and I love Harold Perrineau Jr. (Mercutio)as much as I love Riff. )But as much eye candy as Baz created- and he does eye candy so well, nothing can compete with the all-encompassing love I feel toward the Sharks and the Jets. Moreso the Jets. Ice and Action are the guys I've been looking for my whole life. I love Tony too, but he's just not cool. It's that retarded grin Richard Beymer has, it's just too much. But Tony singing "Something's Coming" is one of my favorite film momments ever. That song embodies all my delusional hope in every way.
Back to the Jets- What is it about guys dancing that gets to me? Because especially when they are dressed in street clothes (and the costumes in West Side Story are just a clothing bible I wish boys would refer to for dressing casually with style) I go ape. Which shouldn't suprise me since Gene Kelly is the man I would most like the world of men to emulate...but back to the boys in West Side Story, I just couldn't love any boys better than the Jets. Their place in my heart can probably be traced to my father owning this album (which is better than the movie's actual soundtrack in my opinion) I would stare at that album cover until I could almost feel the playground pavement under my sneakers. What I wouldn't do (oo, oo, ooblio-oo..and you can punctuate it) to be Velma, Ice's girlfriend. Or Grizelda for that matter. I wish I could find a single movie still taken from "Cool" (which of course inspired a Gap ad campaign, and an even funny Horatio Sanz parody of a Gap ad campaign) but I cannot. I will leave you instead with the best of the Jets- Riff, Ice, and Action. (but I love A-Rab too.)
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