Twilight Zone Edition | 252

For E.L. & A.K

Happy Aloha Friday Y’all!

A quick “by way of introductions” to get us going. Over the course of the last 6 years I have been putting together my Aloha Friday Motivation, mostly for teammates of mine, first as a way of introducing myself when starting a new job. It evolved from a daily “moment of zen” to a weekly outlet where I could let my incessant self-talk of nascent thoughts bloom and grow. I was inspired by two teammates over the past year to try to expand the reach and so have shifted what was simply a Friday email, into this newsletter. Not much more on that, as, if you tune in, you will probably get a grasp of this humble narrator’s mental proclivities. So, Aloha!

I love The Twilight Zone! I scream at the sound of the theme music and love the lead in, with Serling’s iconic voice. I loved it when he broker the fourth wall. I loved the twist at the end of each episode and how you can revisit the same episodes over and over again and still feel a little tinge of that initial shock and awe you felt the first time you watched it. I loved it because my father loved it. And I enjoyed that we shared something in common. There were many things he liked that I did not, but The Twilight Zone and love of the Grateful Dead are two things that will always be with me.

If you don’t know The Twilight Zone, or have never heard of its creator, Rod Serling, I feel bad for you. I wouldn’t recommend waiting, but you can get all caught up on episodes each New Year, with SYFY channel’s annual The Twilight Zone Marathon (will continue, and continue, and continue)! Each year, during the marathon, I get chance to look back at what has drawn me to the series. For me, it’s the depiction of the human condition. It turns the lens back on the viewer and draws out feelings, sometimes uncomfortable ones, about our own morality and ethics. It’s equal parts fantasy and horror, comedy and psychological thriller, all packed into (mostly) 30 minutes. If you know the show, you have your favorite episodes. Here are a few of mine: A Game of Pool – about a pool shark who would give anything, literally, to be the best. An Occurrence at Owl Creek – where a soldier evades execution, sort of…There’s The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, To Serve Man (wonderfully adapted by the Simpsons), Time Enough at Last (Serling’s Fav), The Obsolete Man. The list goes on.

We lost Rod, 49 years ago today, way too early. He was just 50. While The Twilight Zone is what he is best known for, it was his staunch defense against censorship and his willingness to bring controversial ideas to the surface, so we could face them, that truly made him who he was. As with any good TWZ episode, there is a wonderful twist to this episode. With the CBS reboot of the show in 1985, they brought in musician Merl Saunders to develop the soundtrack and rework the theme. Merl is well known for his collaboration with the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia and brought them into the mix to help produce music for the show. Here are links to Merl Saunders/The Twilight Zone Gig & The Grateful Dead w/ Merl Saunders & The Twilight Zone as well as the TWZ Episode with Music by Merl and the Dead.