By Scott Coner
Country Artist
A
painful childhood does not create talent, and neither do mistakes that we make
along the way. An artist may develop cynicism, a mistrust of authority, or an
allergy towards phonies, but the development of art begins I think in the
heart. Humphrey Bogart happened to be one of those children that came from a
broken home. He grew up on the fashionable side of Manhattan and even summered
in his family’s Victorian “cottage” in upstate New York. To the rest of the
world, the Bogart family was upper middle class people enjoying the American
dream. But to Humphrey and his sisters, they had an existence that included
marital screaming, neglect, and abusive servants, complicated by the drinking
and morphine addiction of both parents.
Because
of this darkness, Humphrey didn’t do well in any of the private schools he
attended. His relationships were always on the rails because of his own trust
issues. But in the midst of his problems, he found a sense of duty that characterized
his personal life and motivated his greatest characters. In other words, I
suppose, “Bogie” didn’t just become an actor. He used that emotional
combination of pain, mistrust and anger to paint a portrait on the silver
screen that the entire world would eventually attach itself to. Mr. Bogart
never fully understood the interest that the rest of the world showed him. He
was quoted as saying, “The higher a monkey climbs, the more you can see his
tail."
As with any artist or any other life, Bogart had his share
of high points and low points. Classic movies and completely forgettable flops
came and went. Marriages and divorces, embarrassing tabloids, regrets and
joyous occasions all colored his life into one unforgettable legend.
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| Scott Coner on his farm in Indiana (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions) |
Maybe in the end, after all of these years, we see a man
that the world identified with. Maybe the key to his legend was he was just
enough hero to admire from afar, and just enough of a regular guy to recognize
up close, Because of his imperfections, his generation identified with him.
They counted on his character to do the right thing. They loved him simply
because he was just a regular guy.
I
look around at our society these days, and I see a world that has come a long
way since “Casablanca”. In a way, we have come such a distance that we are
about to repeat ourselves. The speed at which we run, the coldness that we all
endure from this technological state, and the lack of morality that our culture
has, may have painted us all into a corner. Even though we live in a complex
world, when you bring it back to basics, we are in need of a hero. We need a
new direction to take. We need something to save us from ourselves. This world
we live in has become too confusing due to political correctness and the
complete lack of core values in our culture.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to somehow get back
to the basics. Wouldn’t it be nice to find yourself in a world that still had some
class? A world where it was common again to hold the door open for women, to
pray before our meals, to pledge our allegiance to our country that has offered
so much to each of us. Humphrey Bogart shined the brightest during some of our
country's darkest hours. Our world was at war. American soldiers were dying by
the thousands, and our country prayerfully and quietly did the right things in
order to be certain our soldiers had what was needed to win the war. We stood
behind our troops, we trusted our country's leaders, and we were willing to lay
certain opinions aside in order to be in compliance with what was just and
needed.
During
those challenging years, those who stayed behind in the United States to
support our troops and meet whatever challenges came up, found moments of
escape in the “Silver Screen”. Then, like now, there was something special that
happened when Hollywood brought us her best. Humphrey Bogart was an actor, but
at the same time, he was also an artist. His artistry, his appeal, gave the
greatest generation a moment of badly needed hope. This regular, short, little
man was a giant among his peers. His art simply put, allowed Americans to
escape from the worry and sadness that seemed to blanket the globe at the time.
These
days, although we aren’t in the midst of a world war, we are certainly at war.
There are those out there who want to see us brought to our knees. They want us
to be punished because we are great, and good, and powerful, and Christian.
Through my eyes, I see a country that is in need of direction. We need to find
ourselves again. We need to find a way to pull together and leave certain
differences in the dust. We need to see the things we have in common rather
than the things that tear us apart. We need to pray more and talk out loud a
little bit less. We need to find our muscle and leave our weakness on the
porch. We need to turn our music up and turn those that oppose us off. We need
to learn to love each other again and fight like a junkyard dog when someone
else opposes one of us. We are still one, we have just forgotten. We are still
under the shadow of the Cross, we have only lost our focus.
If you are an artist, I recommend that you allow your art to
promote these things. We need purity instead of filth. We thirst for winning
instead of constantly losing. We need heroes these days. We need men and women who
stand for what is solidly right. The art of this moment should lift your
country and her character up. If you are an actor, a photographer, a singer or
a songwriter, a painter or a model, an actress or a director, the world needs
you right now. Stand up with what you have and be a hero. Be like Mr. Bogart.
Just don’t "Bogart" that… What was that my friend? I must have lost my focus.
Scott Coner is a
country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists
such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more
about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.
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