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A Groundhog Day Look Back at Two of My Bill Murray Stories
Can we all just agree that it’s Bill Murray Day now?
“What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?” — Bill Murray, Groundhog Day
I have said for years that Bill Murray is a prophet, and the past two years have proved it. We’ve all been stuck in a global version of the classic 1993 film Groundhog Day for more than 700 days, and though that pales in comparison to the 12,395 days that math wonks estimate Phil Connors was trapped in a time loop in Punxsutawney, it’s still pretty damn demoralizing. To add insult to injury, this morning the little rodent saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter.
All of this makes today the perfect day for a look back at two articles I wrote about Bill Murray and the impact his films have had on my life. You can have Citizen Kane and On the Waterfront; I’ll take Meatballs and Stripes over both of those any day. Try to imagine Marlon Brando playing Carl Spackler in Caddyshack and you’ll see what I mean.
But before we get to those two stories, in case you were thinking “thank God, an article with no Springsteen reference,” don’t be silly. Since even on Bill Murray Day I can find a Springsteen connection, here’s a photo of…
