Origin Stories, Part II

[This is a weird little exploration of how some of my childhood influences created threads I can trace into my current life. If you’re curious, you can check out Part I of this little series here.]

Being a little kid in the 80s meant a whole lot of TV shows that were immediately accompanied by (or in many cases, actually preceded by) a line of toys. As soon as a cartoon was on the air, it seemed like there was an entire aisle at Toys ‘R’ Us dedicated to plushies, action figures, and coloring books to go with it. Rainbow Brite, My Little Pony, Jem and the Holograms, Popples - the list goes on and on. Cartoons were essentially just longform marketing by Hasbro and Mattel…and they worked.

On the playground, kids would compare characters and decide who they wanted to be for their live improvised spec scripts. Parts were hotly debated and doled out. If you had the toys, you could bring them with you to bolster your case.

Lots of kids wanted to be Rainbow Brite. Lots of kids wanted to be Jem. But I more often gravitated toward quirky side characters.

Shy Violet (or just Violet) was Rainbow Brite’s quieter, bookish friend. She was a thinker, trying to solve problems by working them out in her mind before acting. She was also dressed in head-to-toe purple, which gained her a lot of points in my book. I wanted to be Violet. My Violet doll was one of my favorite possessions. I remember this doll being enormous but it’s probably not much bigger than a medium teddy bear - I just have a hard time remembering myself as being that small, I think.

Then, there was Stormer.

Stormer was technically one of the villains in Jem and the Holograms, being a member of the rival band of troublemakers The Misfits. She was their songwriter, though, and played the keytar (objectively the coolest of 80s instruments). Stormer often didn’t get credit for her contributions to the band and was more sympathetic to Jem than her bandmates. She’d often question if they really had to be that mean to them. Stormer was also witty as heck and eventually wrote a platinum album with Kimber, Jem’s sister, when both were feeling left out of their respective band groups.

[Aside: Did I, in my thirties, dress as Stormer at Dragon*Con one year with a group of Jem cosplayers? Yes I did. It was extremely silly and I have no regrets.]

Watching The Little Mermaid? I’m Flounder. ThunderCats? Gimme WilyKit. If it’s Care Bears? I’m practicing animal sounds as one of the cousins. Chip ‘N Dale? Gadget all the way.

I think you get the idea.

I didn’t consciously aspire to be a sidekick. I just felt drawn to the characters who valued friendship and intelligence and sometimes got into shenanigans on their own little B plots, but generally weren’t the main focus. I loved the cheerleaders and the moral compasses, the inventors and fixer-uppers, the quietly skilled problem-solvers who helped make the main character’s Big Plans happen. Huge bonus if they also wore purple.

Looking back now, I see how this tendency played out as I grew into adulthood. In theatrical productions, I always preferred ensemble pieces to monologues (and still do - please don’t make me stand up there by myself). I found directing even more fun than being on stage. Musically, even though I more often play solo shows, I love when I get to play with the band. There was a brief stint where I got to sing backup vocals for some live shows with my friend John’s band The Sunset District and it was some of the most fun I’ve had on stage.

Let me be the comic relief, the opening act, the quirky best friend, the person who has just the right skill to complete the heist…Rainbow Brite can be the hero while I’m backstage reading my books.

These days, as I grow more rooted in my adopted hometown of Durham, North Carolina, I find myself looking for ways to support artistic community. I’m teaching songwriting classes, I’m partnering with community orgs and hosting garden concerts that pay folk musicians fairly (and hopefully well), I’m talking to fellow artists and local business owners about what the arts scene in Durham needs. It’s becoming a bit of an obsession, but one I’m enjoying.

On that note, I’ve got a big announcement coming next week.

We’re going on an adventure, and I hope you can join us. (You can drive, I actually prefer shotgun.)

Xo,

J.