One of my favorite songs growing up was Rockaria (which I mispronounced “Rock-a-ria” instead of “Rock Aria”) by the Electric Light Orchestra. In the song, a rocker falls in love with an opera singer. By the end, the two cultures have blended into something new.
And as the night grew older everybody was as one
The people on the streets came runnin’ in to join in song
Just to hear the opera singers singin’ rock and roll so pure…
I always gravitate to the blending of things that I love. Calvin & Hobbes and Star Wars? Sure.
Lord of the Rings and Dr. Seuss? Yes.
But it never occurred to me until today why I love mashups. It’s because I am a mashup. I grew up in a bi-racial home in the deep South in the 1960’s. Can’t complain, my life was surprisingly easy. But it explains so much. I love rescue mutts and Creole cooking too.
Many great things are mashups of other great things.
*The header image is a new mashup of one of my favorite characters (Tigger) and one of my favorite poems (The Tyger by William Blake).
The Elements of Simple 