Stay Curious, Friends
In our final episode of season one, we look into two pop culture icons created by gentlemen that refused to stand still. Cash Coolidge had a long, diverse career and little formal art training before becoming famous for painting dogs playing poker. Then there’s Jim Varney. Yes, that “KnoWhutImean?” guy. The actor, comedian and writer had a rich career both before and after Ernest P. Worrell fame. Starting at age eight up until the week he passed, Varney collected accolades, awards and of course many fans.
We didn’t necessarily choose these two icons for our “When Pitchman Go Pop” episode because they had busy careers. We uncovered that both refused to stand still or be limited by what they knew. They stayed curious and we could relate.
Think about dog-painter Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. He left farm life in the early 1860s, and between 1868 and 1872 he tried many careers as a journalist, cartoonist, druggist and sign painter. And he even penned an opera, Le Moustique, in 1885 and founded the First Bank of Antwerp in New York State at age 31. Overachieve much, dude?
With a serendipitous bit of “Aha!” we learned he also created “comic foregrounds,“ the painted novelty caricatures found at carnivals and boardwalks which the participants insert their faces for a souvenir picture. (You know you’ve done it at least once. We’re not here to judge.)
Jim Varney was no slouch either. Starting in children’s theatre at eight-years-old, he earned state titles, took the lead roles in local theatre and performed professionally in nightclub before the age of 17. He would go on to study Shakespeare (You read that right. Ernest P. Worrell was a Devotee of the Bard) be a regular cast member of hit shows including the iconic Johnny Cash and Friends show and win a Daytime Emmy Award before being everyone’s nosy neighbor on every television in the country.
Later in his career, he starred numerous films including the 1993 motion picture remake of the Beverly Hillbillies and was the voice of Slinky Dog in the first two Toy Story films.
Those guys, like the two of us, believe in the power of staying curious. While we often hear the success stories of people like Steve Jobs, George Lucas, Elon Musk and many others that never settled by trying, searching, experimenting every day, staying curious doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a success. But it sure as hell helps you pass the time until you get there.