R.I.P., Harold Ramis

To-GA! To-GA! To-GA!
To-GA! To-GA! To-GA!

This interview at Shambhala Sun made Harold Ramis seem like a person worth knowing, and not just for his movie work, which included “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Caddyshack,” and “Groundhog Day,” all of which are in the library here at Chez Dog.

Ramis also worked in the Second City comedy troupe; as the joke editor at Playboy; on “The National Lampoon Radio Hour,” which I remember fondly from my stoner days down on Mill Street; and in “The National Lampoon Show,” a revue that followed “National Lampoon’s Lemmings,” which I have on vinyl around here somewhere. Alas, my copy of “Radio Dinner” is long gone.

Here’s his obit in The New York Times.

What a shame he and John Belushi left the toga party so early.

A serious cat

Chief of Staff Mia Sopaipilla prepares the Turkenbunker for The Commander.
Chief of Staff Mia Sopaipilla prepares the Turkenbunker for The Commander.

Sigh. Arm warmers and knee warmers yesterday, everything warmers today. And I haven’t even been outside yet.

Herself and I had planned to catch this evening’s opening of the Coen brothers’ latest, “Inside Llewyn Davis,” but you know what they say about the best-laid plans.

The brothers chatted with Terry Gross on “Fresh Air” the other day, and Field Marshal Turkish von Turkenstein (commander, 1st Feline Home Defense Force) was appalled to hear them libeling cats so freely.

The Commander inspects his (purely defensive) chemical-weapons stockpile.
The Commander inspects his (purely defensive) chemical-weapons stockpile.

Discussing the honor and privilege of persuading a cat to participate in their latest film, Ethan spake thusly:

“In ‘True Grit’ we had a vulture, a trained vulture … that was a pain and that was even — by vulture standards — probably a stupid vulture, and that was frustrating. But I would take a vulture over a cat. The cat was just horrible.”

As a consequence, the Turk’ has declared war on the Coen brothers, and we are forbidden to see the film.

It’s censorship, true, but what are we to do? This is war.