When I first saw this on television I thought the man was having a stroke a la Serene Branson this past February. But from the lack of follow-up coverage I’m assuming Al just flubbed his lines…

Friday Fact: Did you know that Al Sharpton once served as James Brown’s tour manager?

If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life.  It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being.  There are no limits.  There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.  If it kills you, it kills you.  A man must constantly exceed his level.

And now for something really cool:

Have a great weekend, and I’ll hopefully see you back here next week when my posts will hopefully have a bit more tiger blood in ‘em…

Here we have a man saying things that go against the conventional line of thinking in mass media. He isn’t hiding behind a thin veil of a political correctness, concerned about protecting his image or kowtowing to dissenting voices that proclaim him to be a ‘train wreck’ with the combined gusto of a flock of frightened ewes. Charlie’s mashing words, forming them into blunt objects of destruction, thumbing his nose at conventional wisdom and daring all naysayers to jump off the nearest tall building. His incoherent actions in an otherwise button-down straight-laced world are quizzical, entertaining, disturbing, and more than a little bit contrarian.

In his own way Charlie Sheen is fighting the power of a combined media that claims to know what’s best, and isn’t that what a vast majority of us wish we could do? Hell, songs have been written about this very idea. Now along comes Charlie Sheen, and he’s saying ‘outlandish’ things such as (and I’m paraphrasing here) “I know what’s best for me”, “I don’t agree with your solution”, and “I’m doing great in life, who are you to say otherwise?”

…and the media seems to have an issue with this.

He’s one man, with a well known substance abuse problem.

Knowing this I have to ask, if the media has such a negative opinion of a television actor, why are they so bunged up about his health and state of mind?

But that’s a rhetorical question now, isn’t it? This is just an example of an animal (the media) openly nursing a blood meal from a complacent host (Sheen). The end goal? Money, power, fame.

But wait, haven’t I been led to believe that money, power and fame are at the root or Charlie Sheen’s issues? Hmmm….

I guess, in the end, this is all just show business as usual. In a reality T.V. world it’s difficult to parse fact from fiction. Who’s playing a role and who isn’t. When is an actor not acting when the camera’s on…and if he’s not acting how are we to tell?

I say let the man talk. Let him have his non-sequiturs, his wordplay and his diatribes. The man’s got the nation in a Charlie Sheen fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. No matter how much I might rail against such a public display of a supposed meltdown, I can’t argue with the lowest common denominator.

To quote Russell Crowe in The Gladiator, “Are you not entertained?”

Is there anything the man can’t do?!

I am on a drug.
It is called Charlie Sheen
It is not available
because
if you try it you will die.
Your face will melt off
and your children will weep
over your exploded body
– Charlie Sheen

I’m tired of pretending I’m not special
I’m tired of pretending I’m not
a total bitchin’ rock star
from Mars
– Charlie Sheen

I got magic
I’ve got poetry in my fingertips
You know
Most of the time
And this includes naps.
I’m an F-18, bro
– Charlie Sheen

I’m tired
I’m so tired of pretending
like my life isn’t perfect
and bitching
and winning
every second
and I’m not perfect and bitchin’
and just delivering the goods
at every freakin’ turn
– Charlie Sheen