Kerouacian

I thought of an old skool myspace blog post I put down on 9/9/05 after watching a NFL preseason game between the Bears and the Dolphins. It relates to the last podcast about Jim Morrison and his rebellion against society. The blog was about Dolphin halfback Ricky Williams and his marijuana "problem." I remember being pretty pissed off at the establishment at the time (big shock, I know)--but it's interesting to think that the interview I talk about in this post took place almost 4 years ago...and now that marijuana is being seriously discussed for legalization, I think that, if the interview would have taken place at this year's HOF game--it would have gone a lot differently.

* * *

Last night was the Hall of Fame game, the proverbial NFL kickoff of the nationally televised world. My Bears laid the hammer down the Fish of Miami in a rare preseason barn-burner 24-27. The team looked good, but preseason don't mean shit. Well see if I'm still singing the praises of the former Monsters of the Midway in, oh say November, a ritualistic folding of the season for many a frustrated Bear fan.

That aside, I thought the most interesting thing in the game was the Michele Tafoya interview of Ricky Williams, the lost one. For those of you that don't follow the NFL and when I say that, I mean women, Ricky Williams retired from the sport just days before the season kicked off to find himself. Basically Ricky didn't want to face a possible suspension after failing a third consecutive drug test (the evil marihuana!!). Instead of joining his teammates in Miami, Ricky decided to get in touch with himself, travel to Europe and Asia and attend the Ayurveda School of Alternative Medicine in Grass Valley, CA. In doing that, I'm guessing he smoked a lot of fuckin' weed in the process.

Anyhow, Tafoya was throwing hardball questions at him, talking down to Ricky about his addiction and probing whether or not he has his head straight now and is fully committed to the Dolphins after his antics of a throw-away year. Ricky, being soft-spoken and mild mannered as we've come to expect, fielded the question quite nicely and gave all the answers you'd expect him to with a smile on his face. Ricky was much nicer than I would have been.

In my mind, there is nothing wrong with a young man set off to explore the world around him as well as the world within, and if that involves using a lil' reefer in the process, so fucking be it. If I was a football player making hand over fist, I would have done the same thing. Take a year, just for me, go where ever, do whatever, the world my playground. What fun he must have had, that feeling of true freedom that is most Kerouacian.

The closest I came to was wandering around Amsterdam, dazed and confused, hitting up the Stedelijk and truly appreciating some of the greatest art in the world on a much deeper level. That to me was my little taste of what Kerouac and Williams lived.

...and Michele Tafoya can go suck a fuck.