The Fox

This morning I saw a fox trot past my kitchen window! That's a first. I knew they visited the back forty occasionally, because Butters finds scat back there, but I've never seen one down here before. Foxes are extremely pretty animals, I think. In Wisconsin you knew they were around because of the cottontails. A fox will eat the whole rabbit except for the fuzzy white ball of the tail, so a rabbit tail on the grass is a sign of the fox.

The day before yesterday I was out without my B&W camera (bad Mike) and the weather was so wondrous I had to stop and snap a few pictures with my "other" camera," my "color camera," i.e., the phone. The best representation of the spectacular skies was a video, of all things (I say that because I'm not a video guy) because it gave me the whole 360. I sent it to my son and some other relatives.

Here's a frame grab of the start of the video looking back at the car—

And look what's coming from the other direction!

The skies were a-boilin'. A few minutes later there were just sheets of rain dumping out of those clouds. (My cousin Liz from California said, "I am jealous. Water that falls from the sky, you say?") This picture looks less spectacular than it was, because this is the ultrawide lens on the iPhone, which I think is 13mm-e. The really amazing thing was to be out there that day. I drove all over the place happily snapping pictures of clouds and sky. I really don't think anybody on Earth appreciates weather more than I do.

Strange question
Here's a weird question: what would you say is the best-looking animal? For me it's horse for the win, fox for place, and dogs show. Fourth is certain raptors, such as the bald eagle—we have them around here, and I've seen a few. Why we like eagles more than, say, buzzards, is actually kind of a mystery. I think it comes down to the same factor that makes certain singers and rock groups more popular: they're better looking*.

Another random observation: a few evenings ago I was walking the dog and it was almost magically beautiful at dusk. It had rained and the world was wet, but the setting sun was getting through, and the skies were incredible. The air was fragrant and clear. In seven years, among all the beautiful evenings I've seen, only a handful have been as incredible. Butters and I walked past a rental house that had a lot of cars with out-of-state plates parked around it. As I walked past I saw a bunch of people inside...clustered around the television. How about that? Spend thousands of dollars a week renting a lakeside house, one that has a big deck where you can sit out and see everything, and then miss one of the best nights ever. I felt like knocking on the door and pointing out the obvious! But I didn't, of course. I hope they liked their baseball game or talent show or whatever it was. They missed the real show. 

Mike

*I used to wonder why certain music stars didn't seem to be as popular as their talent deserved. Or, the other way around, why certain stars were popular even though their music didn't seem great. I finally realized: it's looks. Robin Trower was never going to be a huge star; he's a bit homely and he makes weird expressions with his mouth when he performs. From the other direction (despite "Glycerine"), I used to listen to Bush songs in the car and wonder why they were so popular. (If you're a Bush fan, I apologize.) Driving down the freeway one day I had the aha moment: the lead singer must be good looking. That turned out to be true. (Gavin Rossdale is now married to Gwen Stefani and they have a passel of good-looking children.) [UPDATE: Sadly for those kids, their parents are no longer together. Thanks to Chico Ruger, Glenn Allenspach, George Davis, Johan Grahn and others for cluing me in. Gordon says Gwen is now married to Blake Shelton, a country star.] Hard to believe music fans are superficial enough to care about mere appearances! Er, not.

Of course, that does explain something else that we reflexively accept but that has always seemed intrinsically weird to me: all those costumes, from Kiss to Ziggy Stardust to Elton John to Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga and all the rest. I never quite got why we expect musicians to dress up in weird costumes. Maybe it's to hide their plainness? Maybe Robin Trower should have performed in face paint, dressed as an alien.

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

HVJ: "Rossdale, Stefani and newly minted child popped backstage at one of the NY shows in the mid-2000s. I was taking a wee break from shooting and got trapped between them and the catering table. All the lenses in the packed room turned to look, the child turned from the flashes to look at me; I didn't know what to do except accept its outstretched hand and hold it. The result was a strange triptych of gurning rock stars, indifferent baby, and hapless photographer. Good times."

Trevor Johnson: "For those musicians you mentioned, it isn't 'to dress up in weird costumes.' David Bowie, for example. The characters he inhabited were as much a part of his music as anything else, so he deliberately took on the physical appearance of those characters. There is an excellent BBC documentary on YouTube."

Dillan K: "The most attractive animal? I'd say deer: mule deer and whitetail. They're elegant creatures."

Keith: "Cats, big, little, in between. Polar bears. Ravens. As for musicians, I think now it's more about the spectacle, the show they put on. Used to be singers just stood there and sang. The Righteous Brothers, for example. Now it seems many performers can't actually sing, they're too busy doing an aerobic workout while 'singing.' Really, it's all lip synch and autotune now. The costumes are one way to differentiate your act from another."

Dan Farmer: "Fun story (that I hope will be read as my interpretation of what I saw, not as besmirching Mr. Rossdale): Some years back I saw Gavin Rossdale perform. If I recall correctly this was under his own name, not Bush, so must have been well past the height of Bush's popularity. A few songs in and he was really getting warmed up, dancing and tossing the microphone back and forth between his hands as he sang into it. Then he dropped the microphone. There was a look of horror on his face as scrambled to recover it. The vocals, you see, had kept going while he bent down for the mic...."

Anton Wilhelm Stolzing: "About the musicians: You can of course enjoy music pure. But I am afraid the Gesamtkunstwerk (a term coined by Richard Wagner) is even more impressive."

Ed. note: "Gesamtkunstwerk is defined as "the total work of art," in the sense of the whole experience, or, a variety of aesthetic aspects or artistic fields synthesized or unified. The dictionary says it has become a loan word into English, but I speak English and wasn't aware of it. Wikipedia says it was coined by K. F. E. Trahndorff in 1827 and then used by Richard Wagner in two essays in 1849.

I would point out that musicians appearing in street clothes and normal haircuts on an unadorned stage without a light show or props or special effects are in a sense making a statement about showmanship too.

Andrew Lamb: "I grew up in the countryside and only ever saw one fox. In London, I see several every day, regardless of the time. My dog goes crazy when she sees one but they don’t bat an eyelid. They know she’s on a leash. Smart."

Geoffrey Wittig: "It's not just musicians. There is an insidious but universal bias in every field of endeavor that unfairly favors conventionally attractive people. In the Internet age it has become much worse, as images are everywhere. My own bête noire is literature and scholarly books; nowadays the dust jacket author photo is a powerful marketing tool. Authors who are brilliant but homely are frequently kicked to the curb while vapid but pretty writers get up-front billing. Makes me crazy. Nowadays a literary genius who is plain may never get a chance."

Comments

[Gordon Lewis]

Gavin and Gwen divorced in 2015. She's now married to C&W singer Blake Shelton who (surprise!) is also handsome.

[Chico Ruger]

Mike,Mike, Mike…I fear you may be suffering from post-Covid fog. Around these parts it’s win, place and show, not win, show and place.

Also, Stefani is now married to a country singer. I believe his name is Blake Shelton.

Sit down, have some iced tea, get some rest.

[darlene]

After watching David Attenborough's series, The Life of Birds, I find birds the most beautiful animals. I love the looks of the Bohemian Waxwing, and there are many beautiful exotic birds of paradise. I also find foxes attractive as well.

As far as musicians' faces helping the popularity of their music, well, I never thought Neil Young was handsome (ouch), but he is one of my favorite singers, songwriters, and guitarists.

[Benjamin Marks]

My dog is certainly a handsome beast.
But my cat is proof that evolution works towards perfection of certain forms.

[Albert Smith]

"Why we like eagles more than, say, buzzards, is actually kind of a mystery..."

Benjamin Franklin tried to make the case to go with the Turkey over the Bald Eagle as the national bird. Sorta glad he lost that argument as the symbolic icon of a Turkey grasping arrows in it's not quite talons wouldn't bring a lot of pride.

FWIW, I'd go with pretty much any canine as the best looking animal. Since they have bonded with humans I'd like to think they have a reciprocal feeling about us bipeds and that makes them pretty cool.

[Dan Khong]

For me, the animal of great beauty and functionality is the dog. If I could have one, I'd opt for the "Hachiko" dog of the Akita breed.

Hachiko is well known for his loyalty and waited for his master everyday at the train station even after he had died for nine years. You can read the rest here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

[robert e]

Glad to see you're out and about, Mike.

Brits seem less taken in by performers' looks than Americans, at least judging (superficially, of course) by rock stars and actors. There are those, too, who are reflexively skeptical of too-pretty musicians. I have a mild case of that affliction, but really it's just another form of judging by the cover, just as superficial and unfair.

Rock star outfit is an interesting topic. Early rock acts, right up to "British Invasion" bands and Motown groups, took pains to dress conservatively to appeal to conservative American audiences. It didn't take long for that to flip completely to favor outfits that expressed anti-establishment cred, individuality, identity, heritage, youth, etc.

No one cares much what a mere musician wears, but rock or pop stardom is about other things, too.

Speaking of musicians, I'm late to the Madison Cunningham party and just diving in, but Wow! Quite often reminds me of Joni Mitchell. https://youtu.be/r-3FAtRZwhg

[Glenn Allenspach]

Um, Mike, the link you shared re: Gwen Stefani is almost seven years old. She’s currently hitched to country singer Blake Shelton.

[Stephen Scharf]

I'm with your cousin Liz. I would love to see water falling from the sky here in California.

If we win the lottery, we might see some rain before....December.

But I wouldn't bet on it.

[John C Longenecker]

I saw Robin Trower in Philadelphia in the 80s. It was the only concert I felt in danger of physical injury. Fireworks and sparklers were flying everywhere. When someone threw what must have been an M80, there was a ten foot circle of fire with a hellish boom, Robin Trower stopped playing and said knock it the F--- off. The concert resumed in some semblance of peace.

[Arg]

Kangaroo

[James]

(Gavin Rossdale is now married to Gwen Stefani and they have a passel of good-looking children.)
Actually now divorced...

"I finally realized: it's looks."
Its a good thing the Stones music's OK with all those ugly mugs...
...And Im a fan!

[Really? Mick isn't conventionally model-handsome, but he has one of the most distinctive faces of the last 60 years. Even John Lennon was jealous of his ability to emote with facial expressions and writhe around on stage. Seems like the quintessential showman to me. --Mike]

[Daniel Gordon]

Not just in the pop world. For a few decades now it has seemed that young classical instrumental soloists and opera singers, especially women, have a decided career advantage if they're also quite good-looking. Young male opera singers (I guess I'm thinking tenors, mostly) can get away with being ungainly if they have truly astonishing heavenly voices, but otherwise we appear to be getting sold (and sold on) young male singers who are handsome and buff. This applies to the women as well, many of whom come across as sexy and gorgeous in addition to being great performers. It seems to be part of their packaging, of how they are marketed, whether by self-choice or by their managers/advisers. (Or maybe that's the way they really are and they love it. What do I know about being a (1) beautiful, (2) supremely gifted (3) young (4) woman? I am clearly none of those ...)

[George Davis]

In case no one else mentions it: Gwen Stefani married country star Blake Shelton in 2021. They're both on the NBC TV show "The Voice".

[Thomas Mc Cann]

We have a fox in our back garden. He was accused of eating the plums off the plum tree. Allegedly they can climb trees.
Prior to the plums episode though we knew he was thre, we left him in peace hoping he would solve the pheasant problem. They helped themslelves to the soft fruit bushes. Years ago I had a shot gun and a 22 rifle but the annual license renewal got so onerous I surrendered them. Foolish me.

[xf mj]

If you think “live performer” rather than “musician” or “vocalist” it is less of a surprise. Even with all the ways we are able to hear music, apparently we still like to watch people perform. And yeah some people are more appealing to watch.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers seem to be making media rounds recently. They are the opposite of my cup of tea, both in music and in performance. I think a lot of people like to see that bassist wriggling, straining, and running around. “What will Flea do next?” they maybe wonder.

We are funny animals.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

“This morning I saw a fox trot …”
That’s the bee’s knees, Mike!

(You must be hanging out with a very mature crowd!)

[I am actually of an age and class that in the natural course of events I went to dancing school starting in 7th grade, and the first dance they attempted to teach me was the Fox Trot. It must have been right before both dancing schools for prep school kids and the Fox Trot went extinct. --Mike]

[Grahn Johan]

Sorry Mike! I need to make you aware of an error in your otherwise excellent text. Gwen Stefani is no longer married to Gavin Rossdale. Shocking isn't it?!

[Chris]

How do you explain the success of Alice Cooper, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne, Genesis, Jethro Tull etc etc. There is something in what you say, but not a complete story. I think it is debatable whether Mick Jagger was particularly attractive too, but the British part provided a novelty feature. I think in the "pop" world the attractiveness factor is probably more significant, but in the "music" world I think it is only tangentially so.

[Peter Wright]

“I used to wonder why certain music stars didn't seem to be as popular as their talent deserved. Or, the other way around, why certain stars were popular even though their music didn't seem great. I finally realized: it's looks.”

As an enthusiastic listener to classical and jazz music, I have noticed that simply being a great musician is not enough any more. Now the musician needs to look great as well. Consider Ofra Harnoy or Diana Krall for example – just two of many. Poor old Glenn Gould would get exactly nowhere today.

[Dillan K]

I don't necessarily disagree with your observations about musician's physical attractiveness, but don't the Rolling Stones disprove the theory? Also, Nancy Wilson should have been a much bigger star, in my humble opinion, if your theory was true.

On the other hand, I think that your theory is much more valid today. The biggest stars, such as Beyoncé, are very easy on the eyes, or visually intriguing, such as Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga seems to be as much of a visual artist as she is an audio artist.

[Tex Andrews]

Random comments in response:
Not so sure about the attractiveness thing. Doesn't explain the Stones, or the Pistols, Janis Joplin, or a host of others...although post MTV I think good looks may be part of the package. Nice you gave a shout out to Robin Trower.

I'm with you on the Glam Rock, costumes, & etc. As much as I love Bjork, I do wish she'd ditch the accessories. But I think you and I are of an age---that stuff came in after psychedelia but also other rock like Neil Young. All that glam stuff just felt very artificial, which indeed it was.

Foxes are cool. I've had a number of encounters. My hound loves them to chase them, we take him to places where he can. But really, in our neighborhood in Baltimore, Hampden, the foxes have come to us. My wife swears our dog was playing with one in the cemetery, the fox and hound chasing each other by turns.

[Speed]

Mike wrote, "In seven years, among all the beautiful evenings I've seen, only a handful have been as incredible."

I'm sure that Mike just hasn't gotten around to posting his iPhone picture of this remarkable sight.

[Alas, it wasn't one sight. It was the whole experience of the evening, watching the changing clouds and the changing light, experiencing the beautiful air, the mood, the lushness of the overwatered plant life, and the strange clarity of the dusk. --Mike]

[Christopher May]

Best looking animal? If you're going for over the top, dessert for every course of the meal kind of cute, a quokka is probably king of the hill.

I personally like the proportions and patterns of the oryx a lot more, though. There's a rugged, powerful element to their form that matches the hard environments that they call home.

[Zyni]

Kestrel (European kestrel) is most beautiful animal of all. I thought I owned one when I was small (really my father owned her) and she was so beautiful it is hard to say. And to watch her fly was very wonderful, the old english term for them (which I will not repeat here) is very apt.

But if you wish to own a raptor (do not, it is much work) get a harris hawk. Less beautiful than a kestrel but it can catch you things bigger than mice and it will acknowledge you exist which a kestrel never will.

If you had as much to do with horses as my ancestors probably you would think them less pretty.

[JTK]

I'd vote Leopard for looks. Magnificent beast in the wild!

[Kenneth Tanaka]

The most beautiful animal? That's easy; a living animal Any living animal.

[Andreas Weber]

Clouded leopard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clouded_leopard,
mantis shrimp https://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp and
hummingbird hawk-moth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird_hawk-moth

[Scott]

The Stones were arguably very attractive when they started out. Brian Jones in particular, but Keith as well.

About 25 years ago I had the opportunity to attend the annual sales-reward meeting for the top producers at my company. I was struck by the overwhelming attractiveness of this group of more than 100 salespeople, along with the attractiveness of their spouses (a majority of whom were woman) - they were way better looking than average. And their average age was at least in the 40s if not 50s, so it wasn’t a youth thing. It seems like being attractive is a key success factor in many customer or public facing roles.

[Chris Rusbridge]

My sister's Burmese cats would hunt rabbits, and bring them in through the catflap into the downstairs shower. They then proceeded to eat the whole rabbit, except the tail. So I would guess seeing your fox is the most reliable indicator, followed by scat (IIRC recognisable by the pointy ends!), with the cottontails being perhaps less reliable (depending on your local cat population!).