{"id":2493,"date":"2010-01-07T13:26:42","date_gmt":"2010-01-07T18:26:42","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2010-01-07T13:34:24","modified_gmt":"2010-01-07T13:34:24","slug":"six-pack-or-shotgun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/six-pack-or-shotgun\/","title":{"rendered":"Six-Pack or Shotgun?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I’d like to offer a little diversion from the intense work we’ve been doing on cover bands<\/a>, Nektar<\/a><\/strong>, and other Important Rock Topics<\/a>. I’d like to launch a potential series, maybe a monthly event, in which we share our thoughts on a particular Hollywood actor or two according to a particular theory on acting that a Townsman developed years ago, the Six-Pack or Shotgun Theory<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Long ago my close personal friend, E. Pluribus Gergely<\/strong>, explained to me his Six-Pack or Shotgun Theory. It was late at night. Those of us at the table had had much to eat and, in some cases, drink. The topic of Great Acting<\/em> came up. Gergs passionately launched into his belief that our assessment of acting talent has little to do with the actor’s craft or skill, which he was doubtful even exists. <\/p>\n

“There’s no such thing as Acting Ability<\/em>!” he said in typically definitive fashion, slamming his fist for emphasis. “When we watch any any actor in any movie it comes down to one thing: If that actor showed up unannounced at your back door, would you greet him or her with a six-pack or a shotgun?<\/em>” <\/p>\n

In other words, would you welcome this person, as you perceive the actor to be in real life – no matter what character the actor was playing in any movie – into your home, or would you make it clear that he or she needs to get off of your property? To E. Pluribus Gergely, that’s what 99% of us use to base our judgments on an actor. <\/p>\n

Over the years I’ve come to agree with this theory. It’s rare that I think an actor I like for his or her “good egg” or other generally appealing qualities is particularly bad in a movie, even a terrible movie. For instance, I’ve managed to dig Nicolas Cage<\/strong>‘s performances in a dozen horrendous movies. I simply find the guy to project an amusing and agreeable personality. It would be worth my while to hang out with an unannounced Nic Cage. Six-pack!<\/em><\/p>\n

That night, E. mentioned a couple of other actors who project a loveable, easygoing nature as examples of Six-Pack recipients. We agreed with most of his selections, but it was clear from the start that this is a matter of highly personal choice. Your six-pack could easily be someone else’s shotgun. <\/p>\n

He cited one actor who we readily agreed merited the shotgun:
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Don’t stand so Close to me!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sorry I had to spring her on you like that, but really, would you let Glenn Close<\/strong> into your home if she showed up unannounced at your back door?<\/p>\n

Where the Six-Pack or Shotgun Theory gets most interesting are those actors who inspire severely divided or borderline reactions, whether for their work as “actors” or for the “real-life” persona they project. At times the debate that can arise challenges the value of the theory itself. These borderline cases tell us something about the possible value of acting as well as something about each other. For instance, the night E. hatched this theory, the four of us at the dinner table that night all agreed that Robert DeNiro<\/strong> is one of the Finest Living Actors. However, there was disagreement about whether an unannounced DeNiro should received a six-pack or shotgun greeting. We eventually concluded that he was worth the risk, that he should receive the six-pack but that the shotgun should be kept under a nearby table.<\/p>\n

At our recent live gathering of the Philadelphia chapter of Rock Town Hall, we got into a brief discussion of the Six-Pack or Shotgun Theory, and the borderline case who inspired some of the most interesting, englightening debate follows. Conveniently, for Hall-worthy fodder, she just happens to have a “rock ‘n roll” side career:
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Six-pack or shotgun?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Yep, Juliette Lewis<\/strong>, as one Townsman put it that night, “You mean the thumb-sucking chick from Cape Fear<\/em>?” That would be her. What do you say, Six-Pack or Shotgun?<\/em> <\/p>\n

As for me, I think she brings something to a movie. Of course she’s nothing near a “great actor,” if there is such a think, but in terms of this theory, I think she’s worth the risk: Six-Pack with the Shotgun tucked away under the kitchen table, just in case.<\/p>\n