UNIQUE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE [W, 10-21-26]

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections On Faith & Life for the Years of Winter—UNIQUE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE [W, 10-21-26]

 

It wasn’t that I had anything against Jerry Orbach.

In the 1990s, most of us knew him as Detective Lennie Briscoe on TV’s “Law & Order.” He had made his rep, though, as a song and dance man on Broadway, originating the role of El Gallo in “The Fantasticks.” I enjoyed seeing him in his various roles. Still, I didn’t think he was right for the gig.

The gig was reading the audio version of my cancer book. [1] I thought I was the one to read that, because I had lived it. I knew exactly every nuance of every word. Jerry was an excellent actor, but he had not lived the cancer journey, especially my cancer journey.

I asked my print editor at AndrewsMcMeel to talk to the audio editor at HarperAudio. “I don’t know,” she said. “We just sell the rights. Then it’s up to them. Orbach’s name will help them sell more.” But she agreed to try, and the folks at HarperAudio agreed to let me “audition.”

This was the 1990s, still “primitive” recording and communicating. I had to send them a tape of me reading the book. They were satisfied enough that they flew Helen and me to New York and put us up in a hotel so that I could do the reading.

During the taping, one of the audio engineers told Helen, who was hanging out with them in the sound room: “He’s got nice pipes. Jerry does, too, but he’s usually been playing poker all night when he comes in to read, so we have to do a lot of repeats.” They were pleased that I did not play poker.

I thought of this as I listened to Bob Dylan sing the original recording of “Don’t Think Twice,” just after I had listened to Hoagy Carmichael play “Stardust.” They were terrible! PP&M did “Don’t Think Twice” so much better than its composer. Willie Nelson, Harry Connick, Jr, Nat King Cole—just about anybody did “Stardust” better than its composer.

So I decided that it was a principle that people who were trained singers or actors or musicians did better than composers and song writers. Then I remembered that I had done better at reading my book than a trained actor, so I decided it was a principle that…

We like principles, don’t we? They give us organization. We can look at a situation and make sense of it quickly because it fits a category. Malcolm Gladwell—in all his books, but especially in Blink and Talking to Strangers—points out that this serves us well, saves us time… until it leads us astray. 

You are not a principle. Your thoughts and actions cannot be categorized. You don’t react the same way every time, even if the conditions and people and situation are the same. Don’t put yourself into a box. Live within your limits, but don’t be limited by them. You are unique, just like everyone else.

John Robert McFarland

1] NOW THAT I HAVE CANCER I AM WHOLE: Reflections on Life and Healing for Cancer Patients and Those Who Love Them [AndrewsMcMeel & HarperAudio]