O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A! Oklahoma...okay?

[crazydiamondsue]

Happy Centennial, Oklahoma!

It's the 100th birthday of my home state today! Flist, on behalf of all Oklahomans, you're welcome for The Flaming Lips and Christian Kane. I've already apologized for Color Me Badd and Toby Keith - I can't control everything.

In honor of the 47th state, I've been Googling Oklahoma a bit today, and discovered that, as 1/16 Cherokee and a buttload of mutt + German, I'm pretty much the textbook census ethnic make-up of Oklahoma. Sweet. Besides the waving wheat (it sure smells sweet) and the fact that we're the 2nd largest producer of Natural Gas, we're also a very pretty state -- giving the country (and dare I say the world?) five Miss Americas, in addition to Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard, Kristen Chenoweth and James "Cyclops" Marsden. I'm not sayin' we're like, Texas, or sumpthin', but we're doing our part.


10 REASONS OKLAHOMA KICKS ASS

The world record for largest pecan pie is held by Okmulgee, Oklahoma. I like pie.

The electric guitar was invented in Oklahoma in 1935. Brits, you're welcome.

Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state, allowing Vanilla Ice to have a houseboat on Lake Texhoma. O_o

While opening for Guns'n'Roses in Oklahoma City in the early 90s, Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan interrupted his set to sneer at the crowd, "How does it feel to be standing on stolen Indian land?" Ah, yes, Mr. Corgan, how I remember my anthropology studies regarding your native Illinois and those fascinating western European tribes of Illinois: the Iroquois and the Potawatomi. And secondly, I believe you meant stolen Native American land.

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe "represents" Oklahoma and has provided The Daily Show with endless fodder from suggesting that Global Warming fervor was the fault of the Weather Channel to violating Godwin's law in comparing environmentalists to Nazis to that "No one in my family is gay!" spiel, complete with his family reunion photo-op visual aid.

Belle Star is buried in a pasture grave just outside of my hometown of Porum, Oklahoma. I never poured out a 40 in memory of her, but I do remember accidentally dropping a can of Milwaukee's Best as I shimmied over the fence outside her burial site. It's like Oklahoma's answer to Père Lachaise.

They filmed Twister here, adding to Bill Paxton's "that guy!" cred.

Fan favorite Supernatural episode "Simon Said" (Andy!) is set in Guthrie, Oklahoma (and I can't tell you how often I've visited Guthrie and marveled at its "similarity" to Vancouver. *g*) Jared and Jensen's least favorite episode, "Bugs," is set in the fictional town of Oasis Plains, Oklahoma. (Incidentally, Oklahoma's power company is Oklahoma Gas & Electric, not Oklahoma Gas & Power. It is, however, totally believable that representatives of our power company would be named "Travis" and "Dustin.")

The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art of Tulsa preserves the largest collection of Jewish art in the southwestern United States. It's easy to find - it's right across Lewis Avenue from Oral Roberts' 900 Foot Jesus. (Kidding! I kid. The 900 foot Jesus was just a vision. And the 900 foot highway cross that freaked ladycat777 out is actually in Edmond, Oklahoma.)

Oklahoma's state song is Oklahoma! from, oddly enough, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma! Which makes us the sparkliest, most gay-friendly state in all of the red states. (I provided a dl link for the song; sorry, it's not the Hugh Jackman version.)

I take pride in my state, but Oklahoma continues to struggle beyond a solely agrarian-based identity and find its place in an increasingly technological world -- and, you know, being more than just the Joads of The Grapes of Wrath or that place where Timothy McVeigh tried to blow-up the outside world. Despite standing in the shadow of the "eyes of Texas are upon us" (my suggested Oklahoma travel slogan? "Oklahoma - just like Texas, but without all that Longhorn crap!" Go Sooners!) and Jim Inhofe's consistently cringe worthy sound bites, Oklahoma's a state of surprising diversity, artistry and native culture. It's not all just rodeos and cow chip throwing contests, you know. I mean, *I'm* from here and aren't the first words you associate with me "diverse and cultured?" Right? And, erm, did I mention The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma? Er...Tulsan S.E. Hinton wrote "The Outsiders" here, allowing you to read something cool in your 9th grade English class? Uh...race you to the pig calling contest! Can I get a "Yee-haw!"?

Happy Oklahoma Day, y'all.

Comments

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Where would the world be without "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"? For so long I thought they were just an Oklahoma thang, until I clued in that the rest of the world had clued in. I went back and watched your "Be My Head" vid today - Lips!!!

[vichan.livejournal.com]

Nope, there's quite a following. My friends and I are borderline obsessed with them.

I've been listening to 'Mountainside' a whole bunch lately. And I saw them a little over a month ago when they came to Cleveland (http://vichan.livejournal.com/193736.html). BEST DAMN SHOW OF THE YEAR. :-D

LIPS.