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My Real Memoir
“Some are born geeks, some achieve geekness, and others have geekness thrust upon them.” ~William (“Willy the Geek”) Shakespeare
“Drama Geeks.” That was what they called us. “They” being the letterman-jacketed “men” who ruled our little our Duchy of Highschoolandia, determining what was cool and what was not. And we, the Drama Geeks, a.k.a. “Drama Fags,” a.k.a. “Lesbians,” from the word “Thespian,” Greek (geek?) for “actor,” definitely weren’t cool. Still, while most campus activities had one page in our high school yearbook (Athletics had 45), Drama snagged a dramatic 5 pages the year Mr. B took over. And why not? Our sold-out performances were the second most attended events after football. The jocks knew it and felt threatened. They’d never bothered to ridicule Drama in the past; they hadn’t known it existed. But now Drama was threatening to become cool (a few sportos, enticed by cute, theatrically-inclined girls, even quietly tried out for plays). But we weren’t there yet.
I wanted so badly to be cool. But since grammar school I’d retained the unmistakable whiff of nerdiness. Outside of a knack for kickball and my circus-like skills on the high bar, I’d avoided sports, preferring to read books. Not just when they were assigned, but for pleasure, often spending entire weekends reading a novel from cover-to-cover! Plus, I liked show tunes! How did I turn out straight?
Still, I was only a nerd. I know, you’re thinking, “Nerd, geek—it’s all geek to me.” Nope, there’s a difference. Nerds avoid attention. Geeks embrace their geekiness!
Joe and I argued about religion—constantly. He was a believer and I was an atheist. One day, after P.E., we argued all the way to the showers, and back to our lockers. We continued to argue as we toweled off and headed for the exit, tossing our towels in the bin and walking out onto campus. Then the laughter began. We looked around. For some reason people were laughing at us. Why? We glanced down and discovered we’d left the gym wearing nothing but our skivvies! I wanted to change my name and move to Tibet. But Joe grinned, took a bow, and strolled nonchalantly back to the gym. And suddenly the people were laughing with us, rather than at us. The humble guy who always signed his name “Just Joe” had nothing to hide (literally). And as a result the ridicule had disintegrated and blown away!
A short time later, I was post-P.E.-showering–again–and instead of immediately toweling off with that wimpy little patch of terrycloth they gave us, squeegeed the water from my body with my hands, and then toweled off.
“That is so un-cool, man!” a popular jock shouted. “Only girls do that!”
“Why?” I asked. For once I didn’t defend myself, didn’t promise not to do it again, didn’t beg him not to tell anyone. And that one word, “Why?” became my “Just Joe” declaration of independence.
The guy stared blankly at me. My question didn’t compute. This wasn’t something you questioned, it was something you simply didn’t do. He snorted and walked away.
For the first time, I’d owned my geekness, and it felt weirdly cool. As a result of my letting my geek flag fly, some other geeks in Drama and Choir began doing the same. It seems geeks are forever blessing the world, hence the expression, “Beware of geeks bearing gifts.” And that’s why, in the end…
The geeks shall inherit the earth!
My Real Memoir is a series. To read the next one, click here.
You never cease to make me smile, Mitch! Another childhood memory that we can all relate to in some way or another.
Delighted to hear that, Kellye.
Your dip into your high school past was so specific, it was universal! Thank you for sharing 👍👍
So glad to hear that (afraid I don’t know your name, my friend). Finding “the universal in the specific” is something I strive for. https://mitchteemley.com/2018/04/09/tips-for-writers-on-universality/
My name is Howard. Thanks for the link to your insightful article. I read lots of books on how to write, and getting specific is emphasized, but some writers don’t choose to follow that advice to their detriment. Much thanks
True, Howard. I think inexperienced writers tend to confuse universality with vagueness. There’s a great line in the otherwise forgetable remake of ‘Mr. Deeds’ where Winona Ryder’s character pretends to reminisce about a dining room in a house she didn’t actually grow up in, saying something like, “Oh, and I remember…this was where we would…eat food.”
Nice example!
> For the first time, I’d owned my geekness, and it felt weirdly cool
Amen, preach it brother!
;>) Thanks Dr. Ernie!
In my high school there was some overlap between jocks and thespians. The guy who seemed to get the lead role in just about every show was also on the football team. I have no idea how he did it, given the rigorous rehearsal schedules for the one and the brutal practice schedules for the other, but he did.
Surprising, yes, since at most schools football practice and play rehearsals are at the same time, i.e. after school. But good for him!
Great post! Would love to have seen the L.M.H.S. rendition of Bye, Bye Birdie. Loved that musical. I still sing “What’s the matter with kids today” when my grandkids baffle me with something new.
;>)
Confidence. I wish more kids had more of it (perhaps and some kids a bit less). God bless, Mitch!
Amen to both, Nancy.
LOL, this line… oh my gosh: “the unmistakable whiff of nerdiness”
Priceless. Good read my man, and good for you asking the big questions: WHY?
Happy Tuesday.
Thanks, AJ, and Happy Tuesday to you.
I agree traveling towards eventually embracing your inner geek is one example of where the destination is definitely as good if not better than the journey.
Thanks Mitch. Here’s to geeks and nerds everywhere! Thanks for validating their right to be themselves
Judging by the photo you shared of the drama students, you were one happy geek among many happy geeks. There’s power in numbers!
Yes, and that was the first year — the number increased every year.
There was an entire hierarchy in college. There were the music Nerds, the Band Geeks (who included some music nerds), The Drama Queens, The Math Geeks (who also might have been in the Band), and The Mad Scientists who were definitely in the band. Choir was where the Jocks went to find the Cheerleaders in the group. All the cheerleaders wanted to be in the show choir and some of the dance moves meant you had to recruit big strong men to move the girls around the stage. So while the music nerds sang and danced, the music jocks moved the furniture, um girls that couldn’t sing but looked good in the outfits.
There was also a liberal arts requirement, and most of the jocks chose Conducting Class. The teacher was evil to the core. The first thing they did was Ravel’s Bolero–17 minutes of tiny movements in 3/4 time with a 180-measure crescendo. The over-muscled wrestlers and football players cramped both arms, both shoulders, and all the way down their backs, and one was taken out on a stretcher. The Nerds just smiled. If they’d had iPhones, there would have been at least 500 pictures of crying jocks maneuvering a small baton. Bwahahahaha
;>)
Wow, you are a master storyteller!
My high school was too small for thespians (what DID the geeks and nerds do?), but they did present a junior class play and a senior one. No way was I going to try out for anything, but the elderly teacher threatened to cancel the whole thing if everyone didn’t try out. (33 in my class) So I reluctantly did, got the lead, hated it! The next year, she picked me for an old lady, which was much more fun. My acting days were (thankfully) over.
Ah, well, at least you can say you did it. 33 in your grade level, Joy, or in the whole school?
Graduating class. Hey, before school reorganization, my class at Dexter had 13 students. (But I was one of 11 French horn players in the band, but we had to play trumpet for marching band because the trumpeters were on the football team.)
When we own who we are, when we stop making excuses and pretend to be who we are not, that’s when life truly begins.
Said by a Jedi Master…
My high school grade in high school had almost 350 teenagers. There were lots of different groups to identify with. This is in the early 70’s. There were jocks, stoners, straight A students, Band, theater geeks. And more. There was more overlap between the silos than one might think. In college, I attended USC. The Band there was cool! Just saying.
From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
geek (noun)
ˈgēk
Synonyms of geek
1 a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
2 an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity
computer geek
3 a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
Biting the head off a live chicken or snake? YIKES.
Yeah, let’s leave #3 to Ozzie Ozborn.
I hadn’t thought of Ozzie in years. Then you mention him here last night, and I get up this morning and see this headline on a news report: Ozzy Osbourne cancels all shows, says his touring career is over. !!! I had no idea that he was still doing shows. Well, I guess all the doves and bats are a bit safer now.
;>)
I was a chorus geek and a band geek. Then, I became a computer geek. I couldn’t do drama (too nervous to remember lines) but, I was in our pageant.
Glad you owned it, Mitch. Confidence is the difference between embarrassing yourself and being a trend-setter. Or if not a trend-setter, one with a distinct trademark. 😉
👍👍👍
Thanks for the laughter, Mitch! I laughed so hard at the image you crafted in this episode of your memoir.
Always happy to provide a laugh or two, Manette.
So fun and funny!! Love the storytelling!! Thanks for sharing your memories!
My pleasure, Katie!
🙂
‘Why’ is and always will be a good word! Glad you used it. A memory carefully crafted to pass on.
“Why?” Reminds me of a scene in the 1960s British TV show, “The Prisoner,” where the hero, Number 6, is introduced to a computer that (supposedly) can answer any question you ask it. So, Number 6 asked it, “Why?” The computer promptly (and quite dramatically–sparks and smoke and all) self destructed.
I found a great way to embrace my nerdiness in 11th grade when I became the school newspaper’s sports editor. Sure, I was a nerd who liked books and writing–but now I was the nerd who had jocks wanting to get on his good side.
Nice share.
A very, very smart nerd, Michael!
Sometimes we just have to embrace who we really are! Feels good, doesn’t it?
😀😀😀
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