Stuck in the middle, stuck in my head . . .

I suppose when you have a TV show that will become pointless one way or the other on a certain date it makes sense to run it often. The History Channel is getting its money's worth out of a couple of programs that explain the prediction that the world will probably end in 2012. The prediction is based on the Mayan calendar and writings of Nostradamus. It's shelf life is only a couple more years at best. I hope the end of its run is the result of an embarrassing mistake rather than unexpected accuracy.

The narrator's voice, loaded with gravitas, takes a spin on the apocalyptical machine. Then an image of Nostradamus writings is flashed up on the screen. Nostradamus' prediction is clear, the voice says. Max out the credit cards, it's over in 2012.

Nostradamus said, "The huge dog will howl at night." That obviously means the United Kingdom. It doesn't seem so obvious to me, except that we all know that Churchill looked like a bulldog. I admit I have watched the show a couple of times. But ND's symbolism is not as clear to me as it must be to some. Maybe I'm in denial.

Some of the historians say that ND's predictions were couched in strange symbolism to protect him from persecution by Church authorities. He was a bit hard on the Roman Catholic Church. I always assumed he was just communicating in the language of the mystic.

Gerry Rafferty died yesterday. I don't think that was predicted by Nostradamus.

But Gerry did a lot of writing, just like Nostradamus. Except Gerry wrote songs, not quatrains. And some of the references were obtuse.

"Winding your way down on Baker Street."

I don't know where Baker Street is, sort of like I don't know what Nostradamus' "bearded star" really is.

But Gerry, like ND, made a bold prediction of hope later on in the song.

"Another year and you'll be happy. Just one more year and you'll be happy. But you're cryin', you're cryin' now."

I'll take that prediction for 2012 over Nostradamus' anyday.

And Rafferty made another eerie prediction about our political situation in 2012 that has been running through my head for the past two days, possibly because it played on every newscast that covered the story of Gerry's passing.

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you . . ."

Gerry Rafferty left quite a list of pop songs. He had a solo career and played with several bands, the most famous being Stealers Wheel. It would be incredible to write a critically acclaimed piece of music like the classical composers. But I often thought that it might be just as wonderful to write music that made the world smile, even if some critics were more critical than acclaiming. Who doesn't smile when they sing "clowns to the left of me . . ."

Most of the songs that Rafferty gave us were like that. They made us smile. Songs to sing out loud in the car. But like most artists, he gave away a lot more of his life than he kept. Even pop artists do that. He suffered from depression and substance abuse. So, I'm hoping that he is enjoying the relief that he sometimes wrote about in his more obscure songs. Like "Time's Caught Up on You":

"One night -- you’ll stand again in the spotlight
And everything will be all right
And you’ll wake up from this dark night of the soul.
One night -- you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take flight
And everything will be all right
And you’ll wake up from this dark night of the soul."

Here's to hoping he finally feels "home and dry, home and dry . . ."

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