Dave, Bill and William

Dave Pell, an interesting if overly self-deprecating fellow, has switched his news links and commentary email newsletter to a web-based format, transforming himself simply by a change in technology, into a blogger, voila!

His latest essay is a penetrating if somewhat meandering look at the meaning of his favorite reality show, Faking It, from the Learning Channel:

Those in the know would’ve immediately recognized Bill Krejci when he was introduced as the latest contestant on The Learning Channel’s reality show called Faking It. This show pulls a participant from one walk of life and then requires that person to train nearly nonstop for a month in an effort to convincingly play the role of an entirely different character (I’d like to see Freddie Prinze Jr. try to pull that one off). Krejci is a self-described poster child for beer drinkers across America. Beyond merely the symbolic, Mr. Krejci is the captain of the U.S. Beer Drinking Team. Over the years, he has transformed the basement of his home into a full bar (full of beer, anyway) complete with several couches and big screen television around which he and his friends gather weekly to watch their beloved Chicago Bears. Bill also manages to maintain a wife, kids, a job and a life. In a word, whazzup.

In his episode of Faking It Bill Krejci was required to travel to San Francisco where he had one month to pass himself off as a sommelier at one of the city’s finest restaurants.

….Amazingly, Bill Krejci managed to fool a well-known sommelier into believing that he was William, a master of the craft. But it didn’t come easy. And William could never have done it alone as Krejci explained during a quiet moment only days before the curtain was raised: “I miss myself. I really miss Bill. I haven’t seen Bill for awhile. I know it’s a role. I know it’s a game and I know it’s not real. But if I lose Bill, I lose the challenge and that’s what they don’t understand. Bill plus William equals victory.” The last line of this telling monologue could have easily been the slogan for Clinton’s second term election.

The thing I like best about Pell is his ability to survey the news scene and link seemingly unrelated phenomena, as in his classic line about Clinton above: that isn’t merely clever wordplay, it’s real insight.