[June of 1973 on the strict timeline of ZP-51498. The graduation ceremony for the Seallivan High School class of 1973 is taking place on and around the football field/track of the school, with the students and faculty on the field and the audience on the bleachers. The male students are in blue and sitting on the left from stage view, and the female students in red and on the right, as the principal gives a speech]
[Seallivan principal]: “And now, to close out the ceremony, our SUNP-bound valedictorian of the class of 1973, Garry Grayson Griswold.”
[Garry picks up a guitar he brought with him to the ceremony, and takes the stage to the applause of his peers and the spectators. Sharon is curious]
Sharon: “A guitar? This should be interesting.”
[Garry shakes the principal’s hand before taking the podium. The applause dies down for him to give his speech]
Garry: “Thank you, principal. Thank you, faculty, and thank you most of all to the student body. Today is an important day in our lives, a day of transition. We bear witness to transitions of all kinds in our lives. Some on a small scale experienced by the individual, like the caterpillar emerging from their chrysalis as a butterfly, or the flower opening their petals for their first view of the sun. And some transitions happen on a large scale experienced by society, like the transition from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles fifty years ago, and from radio to television twenty years ago. Today, we are experiencing another transition, that from childhood from adulthood. Where does that place? Hard to say. We’re all experiencing this transition individually, but society as a whole is bearing witness to it. Today, our parents and our teachers, and tomorrow, our future employers and lessors. We often have to leave things behind in these transitions, I myself, as many of you know, lost my big brother Phillip two years ago, to a stray bullet in the jungles of ‘Nam. And I had to transition to life without his guidance and his wisdom. But of all the transitions in our lives, one thing remains as constant as the rising and setting of the sun each day. And that’s the knowledge we gained along the way. As well as all the other things in our life, that were always meant to be there, either for just one part of it, or the whole thing. I myself have something in my life, that’s been there the whole way through. Well, not something, so much as someone. A procyonine like myself, my biggest inspiration, who’s shown me more kindness and love, than I’ve ever felt like I’ve deserved. She’s the sow in the red, sitting in the fifth row from the front, eleventh from the right where I stand.” [adjusts his guitar as he and the other graduates look at Sharon; her eyes are watering and she smiles as she looks up at Garry] “This next part of my speech is for her. And I’ll be delivering it through song. A song from one of the greatest musicians of our time, Gordon Lightfoot. Sharon Blanche Lavigne, please stand up.”
[Sharon stands up bashfully as the audience and graduates applaud. When the applause dies down, Garry begins playing “Beautiful”]
Garry: 🎵 At times, I just don’t know / How you could be anything but beautiful / I think that I, was made for you / And you were made for me 🎵 [takes a breath as he continues playing] 🎵 And I know that I won’t ever change / We’ve been friends / Through rain or shine / For such a long, long time 🎵
[Sharon’s peers move their feet close to themselves, so she can more easily make her way to the stage. Sharon sidesteps, keeping her eyes on Garry as he continues his performance]
Garry: 🎵 Laughing eyes and smiling face / It seems so lucky just to have the right / Of telling you, with all might / You’re beautiful tonight 🎵 [Sharon makes her way out as tears stream down her face. Garry smiles as tears also stream down his face, and he gestures with his head for Sharon to join him on stage] 🎵 And I know that you will never stray / ’cause you’ve been that way / From day to day / For such a long, long time 🎵
[Sharon gets up on stage, stopping a few feet away from Garry. The procyonines continue to look at each other with red, wet eyes]
Garry:🎵 And when you hold me tight / How could life be anything but beautiful? / I think that I, was made for you / And you were made for me / And I know that I won’t ever change / We’ve been friends / Through rain or shine / For such a long, long time 🎵 [turns his whole body toward Sharon] 🎵 And I must say / It means so much to me / To be the one / Who’s telling you / I am telling you / That you’re beautiful 🎵
[Garry plays the last of the guitar bit to close out the song, before falling to one knee to the applause and cheering of the audience. The cheering gets more excited, as he pulls a gold ring out of his pocket]
Garry: “Sharon, how would you like to be my wife?”
Sharon: “I would love to, Garry, you crazy wonderful bastard!”
[Sharon takes the ring and puts it on her finger. She then picks Garry up, spins him around, and kisses him, to thunderous cheering]
Garry: “Class of seventy-🦭ing-three!”
[Garry and Sharon toss their caps into the air, and the rest of the student body does the same]
Gordon Lightfoot is a musician I’ve grown to enjoy more as I’ve gotten older. I initially liked him for the folk-rock music he made in the mid-to-late-1970s, and his dip into more synthesizer-heavy adult contemporary in the 1980s. But recently, I’ve also found myself listening to and enjoying his more pure-folk music of the early 1970s, like “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Don Quixote”, and the song in the ficlet above and which I discovered in the wake of his recent passing, “Beautiful”. I’m also aware, and have been since my teenage years, that he is one of the most acclaimed songwriters of the 20th century, and one of Canada’s best-known (and first) popular musicians. I’ve even made this point known in a 1960s-set ficlet I wrote last year (and is provided in the stinger).
I enjoy his adult contemporary stuff the most (big surprise, I know), but I do love his folk- and folk-rock stuff as well, including “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, which the artwork above is a reference to. In particular, the lyric ‘the church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times / For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald’. The text being in gold may be interpreted as the setting sun, but I actually have another reason for choosing that color; it’s a reference to his 1975 greatest hits album, Gord’s Gold.
Not much else to say here, other than this was a pretty easy one to draw. Partially because I had this idea in my head as a tribute, for quite a long time before Lightfoot’s death. And also, of course, goes without saying, that Lightfoot will be missed. Rest easy, Gord. You left your mark on Canadian (and American, and popular music) history for the better. And as for the rest of you, enjoy the additional ficlet and artwork. I’m gonna be closing my DA account for good… probably next month. And getting the ficlet and artwork (well, the one getting preserved, at least) preserved, is another step to closing it without worrying about anything important getting lost. And also, of course, take care, stay safe, support an Asimovian amendment for AI, support the striking writers of the WGA, and have a good one.
In Memory of Gordon Lightfoot
(1938-2023)
The Gnawers and the Debut Album
Original DA Upload Dates:
1965-set portion – September 2, 2022
1966-set portion – September 5, 2022
[Loondon, Eagland, late 1965 on the strict timeline of ZP-51498. A trio of rodents, hydrochoerine/capybara Kathy Kane, murine/rat Winonna Wise, and hystricine/porcupine Monica Moll, are dressed in purple and pink outfits, for a photoshoot by a young artist who we’ll call ‘Mr. Thorgerson’. The rodents, collectively known as ‘The Gnawers’, stand against a white backdrop as Mr. Thorgerson cleans off his camera]
Mr. Thorgerson: “Where’d you ladies say you were from again?”
Kathy: “You know, it’s funny, we’re actually from another city called Loondon.”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Another city called Loondon?”
Monica: “Yeah, but it’s in Ontario.”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Oh, you’re Canadian! I never thought of that place as a pop music scene.”
Winonna: “Yeah, we’re one of the few. ’bout the only other big moysic star from Canada’s some doyky folk musician. What’s his name again? Goydon?”
Kathy: “Lightfoot.”
Winnona: “Yeah, Goydon Loyghtfoyt. Maybe he’ll be big one day. Trust me when I say, Mr. Thoygerson. You got lucky gettin’ us for a photo shoot. We’re gonna be on Ed Sullivan next month, and it’s only up from there. We’re ’bout to be as big for Canada as the Beatles are for you.”
Mr. Thorgerson: [laughs] “Big thing to say! But it is good to dream.” [puts camera on stand] “Alright. Now, if you’d like, I do have some music you can listen to, to get you in the mood.”
Winnona: “Moysic, what kind of moysic?”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Well, there is this other band that’s been getting big lately.” [goes over to shelf] “Are you familar with ‘The Rolling Stones’?”
Kathy: “The Stones!”
Monica: “Yeah, we’ve heard of them.”
Winnona: “You’re speakin’ my langoyge now.”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Well, they recently put out a pretty good single.” [pulls out a 7″ of…] “‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’. Their best work yet, if you ask me. Mind if I put it on?”
Monica: “Go for it. If you’re saying it’s their best, then it’s gotta bop pretty hard.”
[Kathy and Winonna nod]
Mr. Thorgerson: “Very well.”
[pulls the record out of its sleeve, sets it on the turntable, and starts playing it. The Gnawers are amazed from the moment the opening guitar riff sounds]
Kathy: “Holy moly!”
Winonna: “Woah, this is groovy. I dig it.”
Monica: “I am loving this.”
[the Gnawers start dancing to the song]
Mr. Thorgerson: “I knew you would. Now you keep dancing, I’m sure we’ll get a good shot out of this.”
[Mr. Thorgerson takes some photos for a while as the Gnawers continue to dance to the song.]
[When the song fades out…]
Mr. Thorgerson: “Alright, I think I got what I need. Come back in… three days, I should have these printed by then.”
Kathy: “I know it’s too late to ask, but, you did use color film, right?”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Yes, I did. You’re lucky, too, because this is my first time working with color film.”
Winnona: “Well, hopefully there isn’t too moych color bleedin’. Or better yet any. I don’t want the doyker pink won’t bleedin’ onto my outfit. It’ll look like I got coyght in a pink floyd.”
Mr. Thorgerson: “It won’t, if I –” [pause] “Wait, what did you say?”
Winonna: “Whaddya mean?”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Caught in a pink what?”
Winonna: “A pink floyd. I don’t wanna look like I got coyght in a pink floyd.”
Mr. Thorgerson: “Pink floyd? What an odd thing to say. And an odd way to pronounce ‘flood’.” [pauses to think] “Hm. Y’know, miss, I got some mates with a rock and roll band. I think they’d get a kick out of that name. ‘Pink Floyd’.”
[a few months later; on February 25, 1966, in Bearthel, New Pork. 11-year-old Sharon Lavigne walks with her mother, Beverly, to a record store]
Beverly: “Well, here we are, Sharon. Your first big purchase. Now, are you sure it’s here you want to spend your birthday money?”
Sharon: “I’m positive, mom. I wouldn’t have wanted to come here if I did.”
Beverly: “Well, I hope for your sake they have it. This isn’t the Big Apple, you know, this is the Catskills. It’s not a place where all the new stuff is available to buy right when it comes out.”
Sharon: “Mom, these girls were on Ed Sullivan. Everyone knows who they are by now. Whether they live in the Big Apple or the Capital Region or the Catskills.”
Beverly: “Okay then.” [stops in front of the record store] “I’ll be waiting out here if you need me. Good luck, Shay.”
Sharon: “There will be.”
[Sharon enters the record store, which is run by an arachnid, specifically a harvester]
[record store clerk]: “Vinnie’s Vinyls, spinning its place in the web of the music world.”
Sharon: “Says an arachnid that can’t spin webs.”
[record store clerk]: “Wh… why, you cheeky little — I need a better slogan!”
Sharon: “Do you have The Gnawers on LP?”
[record store clerk]: “Yep, we just got a shipment today, in fact. Both mono and stereo.”
[the clerk points to one of the shelves of the counter; two of the compartments contain copies of the Gnawers’ self-titled album, showing Kathy, Winonna, and Monica on the cover. The compartment on the left contains stereo copies, and the compartment on the right mono]
Sharon: “Yes!”
[record store clerk]: “I assume you’d want it in stereo?”
Sharon: “Do you think I’m a hobo or something? Of course I want it in stereo.”
[record store clerk]: “Well, then you know what to do. Make sure you’re paying attention to which one you’re picking up.”
[Sharon walks over to the counter, and kneels to get a closer look at the copy she has her eyes on]
Sharon: [quietly] “In stereo. Yep, this one.” [picks up the LP and hands a Lincoln note to the clerk] “Okay, here you go.”
[the clerk takes the note, puts it in the cash register, and hands Sharon the change]
[record store clerk]: “Here’s your change. Would you like a receipt?”
Sharon: “Nah, I’m good.”
[record store clerk]: “Have a nice day.”
[Sharon puts away the change and walks toward the door, holding her newly-bought LP in both hands]
Sharon: [quietly] 🎵 Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! Oh, this is gonna be so much fuuuh-uh-un! 🎵 [hugs record lightly]
Twitter (Main): https://twitter.com/StormyAdlerPoG
Twitter (Art): https://twitter.com/TheOfficialOTOG
Instagram: www.instagram.com/phoenix_of_g…
Newgrounds: https://phoenixofgrunvale.newgrounds.com/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj2N…
Discord: Contact me by my tag (Stormy Adler, P.o.G.#1752) for an invite to my server.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series.
“Beautiful” was written by Gordon Lightfoot for his album Don Quixote, owned by Reprise Records.
The main artwork was made at a resolution of 5076×2160 (aspect ratio 2.35:1); the additional artwork was made at a resolution of 2160×2160 (aspect ratio 1:1).
The Gallery of Stormy Adler 