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(So I’m still feeling a little sentimental about this one… sue me.)

You may have encountered this already, but here’s a nifty little video clip that’s making the rounds. It’s a tribute to John Hughes comprising scenes from his best-loved movies set to The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly,” which many people think is called “Teenage Wasteland” because of the refrain. Whoever put it together did a fine job of editing, and I think it’s quite effective:

There’s a lot of memories and associations packed into that five minutes. Personally, every time I hear “Baba O’Reilly,” I find myself instantly transported back to the speech and debate room at good old Bingham High School. (FYI, I was on the debate team for a year.) Somewhere along the way, I’ve lost the context of this memory; I don’t know if the moment I recall so clearly occurred during the day or at one of our after-school prep sessions, or maybe it was in the wee hours after a tournament. I just have the moment of the song itself, the first time I remember hearing it, or at least the first time I paid attention to it. One of those moments when whatever’s playing on the radio seems to have been programmed specifically for you, like the soundtrack of your life. I remember I wasn’t especially happy at that moment. I didn’t really like being on the debate team; it was more work than I’d anticipated, and less fun. I was worried that I didn’t seem to have what it took to effectively compete. And of course I was swimming in all the usual adolescent angst, the insecurity poorly concealed by swagger, the constant preoccupation with the mysteries of sex, and the bigger mystery of why I couldn’t get any. But man, I must’ve looked cool, crashed on the worn-out thrift-store couch in the back of the room, wearing my cheap Ray Ban knockoffs and my ratty old trench coat. Teenage wasteland indeed. Just like a John Hughes movie.

Getting back to him, I’ve collected a few links that fans may find interesting. First up is a brief retrospective of the music in his movies, which was essentially a character in itself and always seemed to be utterly perfect for the mood of the scene. Following that, have a look at where Hughes’ teenage stars are now. I had a big crush on Molly Ringwald back in the day, and I think I kind of still do. Interestingly, the guy who played Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles has completely dropped off the radar, as in reporters are unable to locate him. Rumor has it he’s a carpenter now. Finally, this blog post is a personal remembrance of John Hughes and what he meant to a young woman who became his pen pal. It’s a beautiful piece that gives you a good idea of what he must’ve really been like, and it even includes some insight into why he left Hollywood. (Here’s a big hint: it involved his sons and John Candy’s death.)

And just for a little treat after all that, here is something I never expected to stumble across, the original short story that inspired National Lampoon’s Vacation. The basic bones of the movie are all here, but the overall effect is quite different. It’s a fascinating comparison…