Groundhog Day or Independence Day

Without music, life would be a mistake.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

I pay rent on a run-down place
There ain't no view
But there's lots of space in my heart
The heart that you own
"The Heart That You Own," Dwight Yoakum

You're standing in line at the video store that's about to go out of business, and there are only two movies left. Whichever title you choose will play every morning for the rest of your life, life imitating art as it always does. Groundhog Day or Independence Day, you've got to choose. Or the snot-nosed ear-plug- pierced clerk will choose for you. He is a staunch devotee of nihilism, as witnessed by the ear-plugged ear, and you can't have any confidence that his choice will do a damn thing for your welfare. In fact his cocksure smug fuck-the-world smile assures that just the opposite is true. So choose. Do you want "I got you babe" ringing in your ears for the rest of your life, or do you want Randy Quaid going out in an alien blaze of glory?

Were it a literal choice, it would be easy. The insurance man sidestepped and going knee-deep in the slush gets funnier every single time I see it. Self-absorbed heel learning to be a charming guy and getting the girl is all I ever need in a movie. Will Smith in a snappy flyboy suit averting the collapse of the world just doesn't have the same staying power. Seen it once, you've seen all there is, and big smash blockbusters just don't wear that well. This year's CGI masterpiece makes the graphic sensurround of ten years ago look lame and tired. Did you think the aliens were going to win? Of course you didn't.

In our real lives though we stand at the counter every day, and the clerk is just as indifferent. So often we choose Groundhog Day without a thought and remain discontent with our choice. We don't even watch the movie. It sits on top of the dresser and gathers dust, the unconsidered script of an unexamined life. Years pass by with snowballs unthrown. Technology changes and devices grow unfamiliar; this tape we bought doesn't fit in the new machine.

The thing is, we're buying this movie. It looked like the best one left when we got to Hollywood or Blockbuster in the hour before they succumbed to market forces. We can watch it, rewrite it, act in it, or let it gather dust. The smug shitass clerk is standing there and he has your credit card in his hand. What's it going to be?

Living free is gaining on me
Can't keep ahead of my dreams
My relief turned out a thief
Smooth as rocks in the stream

This old town is a sad affair
You'd be glad you're not there
It ties your hands, it spikes your drink
I'd say more, but I can't think
Tom Petty, "This Old Town"