Toots Gabriel
Speed Bumps
Whether you drive down to Mexico, rent a car while there or even if you just get a ride in a taxi or bus sometime, you should be aware of Mexican Speed Bumps. Wherever you are from let me suggest that you are not very familiar with these obstructions. They can certainly be considered barriers, impediments, obstacles and hindrances. And they are everywhere. As you approach a speed bump, if you are doing the driving, please slow down, a lot, and if you are a passenger then I recommend that you brace yourself. If you hit one of these at 'speed' then you will feel the 'bump'. And, while you might consider the term 'safety first' as being practical in a situation like this you should also be made aware that in Mexico there is little to no correlation between 'safety first' and 'driving'.
The speed bumps that I am describing are called, in Spanish, 'Topes'. Generally, there will be signage providing fair warning, but not always. And, while we are on the subject of 'warning' nobody told me that a little research would expose the fact that the word 'tope' also is a verb that means, in English, "To drink (liquor) habitually and excessively or engage in such drinking". You know, like, "Methinks that guy topes". It can be frustrating for me that, while I may try to avoid the subject of alcohol, something occurs that draws me back into it. Aha! That reminds me of something else. There is another connection that is far more interesting. There always is.
When one thinks of 'connections' it is easy to slither over to 'connected'. And that means one thing – Mafia. And when you think of Mafia then you could easily think of 'movies' and then who, in their right mind, would not think The Godfather. Of course I have friends who, when they think of movies, would probably think Slither. We'll let them think whatever they want because we are thinking Godfather. What a great movie. It came out in 1972 and was a massive hit, winning all sorts of awards including three Oscars and introducing a number of new actors including, as a supporting actor, Al Pacino, who plays a supporting role in my little drama, here. In 1974 The Godfather Part II was released. Another of the greatest movies of all time, it starred Al Pacino and won six Oscars. The network was opposed to the use of the Part II in the title believing that no one who had seen a movie would want to see a part two. This was the first major motion picture to do this and it would seem that Francis Ford Coppola was on to something judging by the number of times this would be done over the years. Over the next decade and a half Al Pacino went on to entertain us in many movies including Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface and one of my favourites, And Justice for All. It could just be that Al had had quite enough of the Godfather genus when it was brought to his attention that he was being sought out to reprise his aging role once again. I can just picture him sitting by his pool and being visited by a studio representative with an offer he 'couldn't refuse'. He explains to the emissary that he really isn't interested. Something like, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in". When Coppola heard this he loved it and wrote it straight into the script. All conjecture, of course.
The Godfather Part III was not as successful as the first two. To say it didn't win any awards would be incorrect though as Sofia Coppola won two Golden Raspberry Awards for both Worst Supporting Actress and Worst New Star.
So, what the heck does any of that have to do with speed bumps? What has it got to do with Mexico? Well, Al Pacino and Robert Deniro were, of course, both in The Godfather and also both starred in the movie Heat. Now, you might suppose that I am going to tell you something lame like when we think of 'heat' we naturally think of Mexico. And, while that is absolutely correct, it is rather fruitless, to be sure. Fasten up, here we go.
History reveals that Speed Bumps were first used in the town of Chatham, New Jersey, around 1907. And who is one of the most famous celebrities to come from New Jersey? Old Blue Eyes himself. A little research also exposes the uncanny resemblance of Frank Sinatra's early career to that of Johnny Fontane. Apparently Frank was really pissed with Mario Puzo for creating the character and told him so on more than one occasion. Frank sure offered us some great music. "And now, the end is near and so...." is a beautiful song that Frank gave us back in 1968. I always believed that he had given Paul Anka, the composer, an offer he "couldn't refuse". Anka dismisses that and says he wrote it, willingly, for Frank. In the mean time I will try to finish this my 'own' way.
Another famous celebrity and, of course singer, from New Jersey is Bruce Springsteen. Seems that Bruce and his dad used to take random road trips down into Mexico at a time when the family lived in California. In 1995 he released the song "Sinaloa Cowboy". I suspect that Mexico would have certainly had its effect on him. An examination of Bruce's biography reveals the following: "Although there were a few speed bumps along the way in Springsteen's career, the wonder of his nearly unbroken string of critical and commercial success is that he achieved it while periodically challenging his listeners by going off in unexpected directions..."
Salud!
(and other things dangerous around Mexico)
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