You're So Vain: A New Subject Header

[athelind]

Every now and then, I'll see a topic or a line of thought or, hell, a spelling or grammatical error that crops up repeatedly over the span of a few days -- often enough that I feel the need to make a LiveJournal comment about it.

I usually include a note that I've been seeing this [whatever] in a number of different places, and that my comments aren't aimed at anyone in particular.

Invariably, that note is ignored, and at least one person will respond most heatedly as if I were in fact addressing them specifically. It's not just a matter of getting defensive about their position; sometimes, they will come right out and say "you didn't need to take this public".

You know who you are. Don't try to deny it. Yes, I'm talking to you. You're the only one who has ever done this.

You may have noticed that I run a few "sub-columns" in this journal, usually identified by headers. The Hoard Potato talks about mass media, Understating Athelind's Argot discusses peculiar turns of phrase that I use, Film at 11 talks about the news of the day, and so on.

From here on, when I make a broad response to something that more than one person has brought up that annoys me, or that I feel needs response, I am going to use this header: You're So Vain.

Just for you.

Comments

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

hehe!

[leonard-arlotte.livejournal.com]

I can't believe you would write this about me! You could have talked to me privately! I am much vexed!

(For the humor impaired, I do get the joke :) )

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I noticed that, hehe. When I read the comments to the faun/fawn thing there seemed to be one or two fairly heated defensive reactions to it. ;) But we are, in fact, so vain.

THIS SONG IS ABOUT ME! No, really, it is!

[circuit-four.livejournal.com]

In other news, our dragon friend will be explaining to rain that it's okay for it to fall up. Let's see what happens!

[bigtig.livejournal.com]

OMG! WHY MUST YOU POST PUBLICALLY JUST ABOUT ME. WAAAAAAAAH

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

Okay, been fond of the song for awhile. Even created an Ironclaw character with a hat strategically perched below one eye, and a scarf of apricot.

But I do have a problem with it, and this is something that crossed my mind the first time I heard the tune.

The song is written in second person. Yes, it IS about the listener!

[araquan.livejournal.com]

I recall being amused about that as a child as well, for that very reason.

[scarfman]

My strongest memory of this song is from a 70s tv variety special starring Tony Randall. Randall was walking down some garden path (vague recollection suggests it may have been a small park in Disneyland or Disney World) and Simon just walked up to him and started singing it. They say it was written about Warren Beatty but that's not who I think of.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Amusingly, I know exactly the show you're talking about. That was the first time I ever heard the song -- and to this day, that's the "music video" that plays in my head when I hear it.

(I seem to recall that there was some brief exchange between them before she started singing, with Randall doing his patented Unger Smugness -- but, really, '70s variety shows only needed a minimum of justification for musical numbers.)

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Oh gods. When I Googled "Tony Randall You're So Vain", I found THIS:

[terminotaur.livejournal.com]

I'm tempted to write a long comment about this and how it would contrast in ways with the post to which it comments on, but I get the impression I may be on some thin ice as of late.

[scarfman]

I don't remember that there was any exchange between them first. I recall Randall's voiceover narrating to say, as verbatim as I remember it, "The next thing I knew, Carly Simon walked up - and just started singing to me."

[scarfman]

I didn't watch the video. The phrase "golden throats" is not unknown to me.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Hee. I can hear that perfectly in Randall's voice in my head, so I'm probably interpolating memories.

Dragon-Brain: "There had to be SOME context!"
'70s Variety Show Logic: "Look! Celebrities! One's a singer!"

[athelind.livejournal.com]

It's worse than you think.

(No real video, just audio.)

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Funny, I made this post because I thought I was on thin ice.