The Bad News Bears

The stern looking fellow above is one Prosper Merimee born this day 1803, in Paris, France. Today's hero post was going to be very short because I thought that M. Merimee's major reason for being my hero was the fact that he wrote the story that the opera Carmen by Bizet was based upon. Of course the Bizet version is a mere shadow of the real story, and its claim to fame (for me at least) is that it was the theme music for the Bad News Bears (the original with Walter Matthau). Clearly this shows you the kind of culture I was exposed to as a child. Limited to say the very least, but still it is a lovely story, and lovely music, and a lovely film. It is also a bit like theme music for my workplace environment. The "unit" to which I am assigned are a bit like the Bad News Bears (I have been assigned the role of Tanner, the foul-mouthed shortstop), and we even have our very own Buttermaker. As I said that was pretty going to be all of M. Merimee's heroic deeds that I knew about, but upon further research (and I do encourage further research), I found out a few more reasons to anoint him a hero. His other claim to fame is that he was appointed Inspector General of Historic Monuments in 1834, a post he held until 1860. His task was to try to preserve France's "history." Which entailed his traveling about the country looking at old shit for a living. He was, in his opinion, very well suited for the job because "it appeals to both my idleness, and my love of travel." That travel was not as much fun as he first thought, bad roads, bad food, bug-ridden beds, and women that remained (much to his dismay, for he loved the ladies) solidly virtuous. Sounds like a traveling horror show, especially when you throw it the massively stupid locals who would turn true works of art into stables, or prisons. Many of the buildings he was supposed to save were near to collapse. His title was in some respects merely that, a title, he possessed "moral authority" but not much else. He stayed in one particular shithole one night, and was plagued by bed bugs. His sleeping quarters were adorned with a spectacular bas relief sculpture of god. Since Merimee was a bit upset about the bed bugs, and blamed god for inventing them he took his walking stick, and knocked the head off of the figure of god. Good stuff that. Part of the irony of his position was that he was a convinced atheist, but was charged with protecting historical buildings that were quite often churches, cathedrals, or other buildings used for religious purposes. That kind of irony might even please an Englishman. So for writing a great story that was put to great music, and for probably saving some building that my stupid ass gawked up at in utter awe on my one, glorious trip to Paris and Nice, Prosper Merimee (September 28th 1803-September 23rd, 1870 at the age of 66), you are my hero of the day.