I'm totally in shock right now. Like, I just heard on the news that Dick Clark died. He was 82. Eighty-two! It's kind of crazy to think about, because he was always just… there. He was that one celebrity who seemed like he would live forever. I'm just sitting here, trying to get through my last month of senior year at Hudson High, home of the Cobras, and now this. It's so weird. It feels like a piece of history is gone.
I know most of my friends probably don't get it. They're all like, "who's Dick Clark?" and I'm like, "dude, he's only the guy who hosted American Bandstand and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve!" But for me, it's more than that. He was a legit part of so many things I grew up watching. I mean, my parents watched him, and my grandparents watched him. He was on TV for like, a million years. It just feels like a whole era is over.
It's funny, because even though I'm a huge game show fan, Dick Clark was a legit part of that world, too. He produced so many great ones. Like, Pyramid. The $10,000 Pyramid, the $20,000 Pyramid, the $25,000 Pyramid... I've watched so many versions of that show, and he was the one who made it happen. He was a genius at coming up with simple, fun games that people would get addicted to. He had such a chill presence on TV, even when he was just producing.
And then there's The $100,000 Pyramid! I've seen so many clips of that show. He was always so good with the contestants, making them feel at ease. He wasn't just some boring host reading cue cards. He actually seemed like he cared. He made it seem like it was so easy to win. I know that's part of the fun of game shows, but he was just so good at it.
It's just crazy to think about how all this is happening while I'm trying to finish up high school. I'm so over it, honestly. Senior year has been a total grind. With all my hydrocephalus stuff, and the VP shunt, and just trying to keep up with everything, it's been a lot. I just want to get to graduation. I'm so done with the school drama and all the group projects. I just want to be done.
And then this happens. It's a total reminder of how much time has passed. Like, my parents were teenagers when Dick Clark was hosting American Bandstand. And he just kept going. He was on TV even after he had his stroke. He was so legit. He was so determined to keep going. I always admired that. It's like, no matter what happened, he was going to be there for New Year's Eve, counting us down.
I feel like a lot of people just don't appreciate how big of a deal he was. He literally shaped music and pop culture for decades. He gave so many artists their first break. He was the guy who told everyone it was okay to dance on TV. He was the voice of the baby boomer generation, and then the next generation, and the next. He was just always there.
I don't know, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but it's a huge deal to me. It's like a part of my childhood is gone, even though I didn't grow up with him in the same way my parents did. He was just always there, in the background, a part of the soundtrack of our lives.
I think I'm gonna go watch some old episodes of Pyramid. Maybe it'll make me feel a little better. Or maybe I'll just be even more sad. Either way, it's better than doing this stupid chemistry homework right now. Rest in peace, Dick Clark. Thanks for everything. You were the real deal.
