Toasting Tracey

Back in the day, we'd sit in Harry's office during brainstorming meetings and shoot the breeze in a lame attempt to avoid the topic at hand. This was in the beforetimes, when people worked in office buildings and you interacted with coworkers face-to-face.

But I digress.

Sometimes, someone would pose a question. Like, "Who would you want to play you in the movie about your life?"

Naturally, one needed to suspend disbelief because none of us was likely to see the story of our life depicted on the big screen. 

In any event, the answer to this question tells a lot about the person whose life is being reconstructed. There are those who want Julia Roberts or George Clooney to play them, because, well, why not? But those of us with more imagination dug a little deeper to find someone who was more like themself in personality. 

My answer, then and now, is Tracey Ullman. I'd be honored if she was me.

From my first exposure to Ullman in the 1980s and through the ensuing years, I've been bedazzled by her talents – an amazing sketch comedian who can play just about anyone, from a wise-cracking teen to a creaky old broad. She's been a dancer, singer, actress, producer, writer and director. In other words, she's got the whole magilla goin' on.

Tracey (I hope she doesn't mind my using her first name, we are the same age, after all) is one of those folks who's been just about everywhere and done a little of everything in the entertainment world but has nowhere near the social media presence of the far less talented Kardashians and other influencers. She has tons of awards for her work here and across the pond. Fun fact: The Simpsons was a spinoff from the original Tracey Ullman Show that ran in the late 1980s.

So, what made me think of Tracey this week? YouTube, which often gets my preferences  wrong in bizarre ways, surprisingly came up with this video that Tracey did in support of her album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places. The song is called They Don't Know About Us, and the video is hilarious. It also has a surprise ending, which I will not spoil for you in case you haven't seen it. This song and the album's title song were written by Kirsty MacColl, a talented singer and songwriter who left us all too soon.

I'm not going to list all Tracey's accomplishments, because I haven't that much room here. Suffice to say, she's stinkin' impressive. For the record, she's also on my short list of people I'd love to have dinner with. (And not just because of the lovely British accent.) 

I know that'll never happen, but a girl can dream.

In the meantime, I'm going to put on her album and have myself a good smile.