2010/02/21

Potent Words

DaGoddess @ 21:05

Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs and narrator for Deadliest Catch, wrote some potent words about Captain Phil Harris. He absolutely nailed the reason DC is one of the world’s most popular shows, why millions of fans have taken Phil’s death so personally:

I guess it comes down to this. The world is desperate for authenticity. In business and in real life. In work and play. We crave it I think, because it’s in such short supply. Consequently, when we see it, we’ll wait for it. We’ll watch it on TV. We’ll stand in line for a chance to be near it. Fans, fishermen, CEOs – we know authenticity when we see it, even if we’re not looking for it. And Phil Harris had it in spades.

I didn’t know Phil well enough to properly eulogize him. However, I knew him enough to like him, and more than enough to miss him. He was the real deal. Flawed, human, decent, kind, and totally authentic.

And one hell of a Captain.

While Little Dude was here, we talked about Phil, DC, and why and how the death hit us like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the gut. Phil was one of the good guys.

We may have only been shown a small part of Phil Harris on TV, but the fact remains that the bit we saw, we liked and we invited him (and everyone else from DC) into our homes each week, hoping some of that authenticity and spiritedness would somehow rub off on us and our children, rough edges and all. Like cowboys in the Old West, the crab fishermen ride wild waves, get thrashed about, endure brutal conditions, showing us and our children that hard work does bring its own rewards and we shouldn’t and can’t run from it, from life, or from death.

We never want to have to say goodbye, do we? Thankfully, Mike Rowe has said it beautifully for us.

In the last ten days, there’s been a song running through my head. Phil, this one’s for you. May your ride be a good one.

4 Comments

  1. That show really captures it. I come from a fishing town, Astoria, Oregon. Many of my deepest best friends fish every year in Alaska. It’s so very sad when we lose one of our own. I watched the show last night with a heavy heart.

    Comment by DogsDontPurr — 2010/02/22 @ 00:09

  2. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes; not enough to know who Phil was… but love what Mike Rowe said. It’s so very true.

    Comment by Pam — 2010/02/22 @ 06:44

  3. Great tribute to Captain Phil – both from Mike Rowe and from you. And throwing in a little Bob Seger was a perfect touch.

    Comment by diamond dave — 2010/02/22 @ 07:07

  4. When you say Mike Rowe nailed it, you nailed it.

    Comment by Stu — 2010/02/22 @ 09:12

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