(Six Degrees of) Footloose

Brought to you by Kevin Bacon, Marcoux Corner, and an unemployed writer with time on her hands.

Part I. Back in the Day, by which I mean the mid-80s, a little-known young actor named Kevin Bacon starred in a movie called Footloose. He played a headstrong youth who shook up a straight-laced, God-fearing town by introducing its young people to that evilest of evils, dancing. The title song, which exhorts people to let down their hair and kick up their heels, has remained a favorite of mine for 20 years (whoa!).

Part II. Bacon’s resume has grown exponentially since then. He has appeared in so many movies that he seems to have worked with just about everybody in Hollywood, and then some. So ubiquitous is Bacon, in fact, that a game has grown up around him: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. You name a random actor and see how many steps it takes to connect him or her to Kevin Bacon. It could be just one step, like Kevin Costner: they were both in JFK. Or it could take six steps, like Julie Louis-Dreyfus: She was in Christmas Vacation with Randy Quaid, who was in Major League II with Tom Berenger, who was in Shattered with Greta Scacchi, who was in Presumed Innocent with Harrison Ford, who was in Raiders of the Lost Ark with Karen Allen, who was in Animal House with Kevin Bacon. (Thanks to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon for the examples.)

Part III. As you know, I really like a cappella music, particularly Rockapella. On the way to a Rockapella concert a few weeks ago, my road buddy AnnaK shared some of her music collection with me. One of the songs she played was an a cappella version of Footloose by Marcoux Corner. I liked it enough to ask her for a copy, which she generously provided.

Part IV. Last night I stayed up late watching TV shows I haven’t seen in years due to the need to get to bed at an early hour. Flipping channels, I came across Kevin Bacon on the Jay Leno show, where Leno’s interruptions were preventing Bacon from telling an amusing story. And then this morning, I stumbled across Kevin Bacon on the Ellen DeGeneres show, where DeGeneres’s interruptions were preventing Bacon from telling an amusing story.

Part V. Around noon, I hopped in the Subarushi to meet my Soup Group friends for lunch. The CD in the stereo: Marcoux Corner. First song up: “Footloose.”

The obvious conclusion: I am now connected to Kevin Bacon just like all those other famous people. I’m seeing Mr. Footloose everywhere, hearing “Footloose,” and feeling footloose. Therefore, it follows that I, too, am meant to become famous. And you can say you knew me when.

Today around the world: October 13 is Yom Kippur for Jews and Rwagasore Day in Burundi.