The Tears and Laughter of COVID-19

Cloudscape, Sun, and Contrail, Sugarloaf Mountain, Colorado, 2015

The battle continues… we are now well over a million infected and over 60,000 dead in our semi-locked-down USA–this being just the Johns Hopkins University official count. 

First, a Big Thanks (The Tears)

My sad heart goes out to those of you who have directly suffered the effects of COVID-19. May you and your friends and family get through this horrible time. I have just learned that I have lost an uncle to this virus–so, if it hasn’t reached you in some very personal way, give it time and it likely will.

So I offer a huge thanks to those marching out every day to do battle on the frontlines, sometimes in very trying conditions: the EMTs and ambulance personnel, the police, firemen and women, nurses and doctors, nursing home workers, maintenance workers in hospitals and nursing homes, pharmacies and their workers, those operating power plants and water and sewer systems, and those in the many links of our food chain, from farmers and meatpackers, to short and long-haul delivery drivers, to the stockers and cashiers at our local grocery stores.

We are surviving because of you.

In honor of all those around the world who are still suffering, a link to a We Are the World Tribute Song. Some of the data you’ll see is a bit dated now, but you’ll get the idea–and you’ll need some Kleenex:

This one, with a Sound of Silence soundtrack, is also quite moving:

Deep breath here. Very deep breath again. And another.

OK…

And Now…Why Humor?

Leave it to us human [refried] beans to find the humor in just about any situation, no matter how tragic it may be. On the surface, it may seem, but it is our coping and survival mechanism when faced with a traumatic event… just ask any soldier, cop, or disaster site responder. Without some sort of outlet, some way to release the pressure, we might all slowly slide off into the deep end of the dark pool of insanity.

I don’t consider myself “religious”, that is, as in the follower of a particular Church or specific religion (they all offer a path if you avoid the human corruptions, no?). Even so, I would offer this insightful quote from a Presbyterian theologian:

“Sin and grace, absence and presence, tragedy and comedy, they divide the world between them and where they meet head on, the Gospel happens.”      –Frederick Buechner

To that spiritual end, I’ll post below direct links to what is, IMHO, the Best of Coronavirus Humor… click on, and laugh away your tears…

Let’s start off with the Phoenix (Arizona) Chamber Choir and their Zoom version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Take note of the daughter of one of the singers stealing the kitchen stage at one point later in the video–cute!

Adele fans might like this one by Chris Mann–very well done:

Breaking Bad fans will like this twist on an iconic scene.. in remembrance of the insane rush on toilet paper at the outset of the lockdown:

Some hip-hop play:

Now, for those who like old Broadway musicals–the Sound of Music, in this case:

More superb musical parody by Julia Aks… Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious!

This is a very pro parody rendition of “One Day More” from my favorite musical, Les Miserables, by Matthew Woolever:

Judy Garland, Toto, and Kansas, anyone?

This is a BRILLIANT parody “press briefing” covering the many contradictory rules and the confusing guidance to which we have all been subjected. Genius!

And no list is complete without a traditional Irish ballad. This guy has some serious talent, although he looks a bit hung over:

A newer version of the 1973 classic, Jolene, originally by Dolly Parton:

And a sorta touching Zoom version of Father and Son, by Cat Stevens:

With apologies to Mr. Don McLean… a COVID-19 version of American Pie:

Let’s not forget those young-uns amongst us… an Under the Sea parody:

WARNING: Strong language and a decided political slant in this video clip–but I couldn’t resist. For this one, send the kiddies who enjoyed the above video back to their PlayStation:

Oh, wait! I can’t leave out good ole Randy Rainbow–his videos are always gayly and expertly edited in his very own apartment home studio and they are priceless. This one touches on using disinfectants to cure the virus (to the tune of Just a Spoonful of Sugar), as suggested by… well, you know who, girl!  

Maybe this is a good place for a shameless 2020 Election plug:

Parody version of You’ve Got a Friend, from the Actor’s Fund:

The Holderness Family does I nice job with the pop classic, Billie Jean:

Some of the memes and cartoons circulating around social media (who were the original authors???) have been quite clever. Let’s start with a few dinosaur-themed ‘toons then move on to a dog… and, ultimately, the grim reaper:

And this last by Marc Murphy, puts things into a larger and darker perspective lest we forget the Big Picture:

Finally, for my outdoor sports friends. You’ll find this ingenious and entertaining, a stop motion video that has gotten quite popular on social media these days: