Backwards into the Future

They put his baseball hat on backwards to make him look stupid. The kid was a little slow mentally, and the others in his high school hangout-gang thought the look fitting.

The scenes are from "The Last Picture Show" (early 1970s). And it was right about one thing. Wearing a cap in general looks stupid, especially backwards, or, as it now seems, too big and cocked to one side. That looks like someone put a saucepot on your head and forgot about it

Tony Soprano at least had some taste. Dining out at a mid-to-high level NJ restaurant, Tony is bothered by a guy at the next table wearing a baseball cap. He comes over and says, "excuse me, I don't see any bleachers in here."

The guy initially protests, and says that no one tells him what he can wear anywhere. Tony stands next to him, without a word and with a small smile on his face. The guy takes off his cap.

My almost-80-year old father liked that, as well as anything against the relentless slobbification of America.

All I can say is guilty. I don't have one single suit. Otherwise, there is one courderoy academic guy jacket, and crappy neckties I bought on the street in NY.

I call any group of guys all sporting the cap fashion Duckheads. They look like Ducks or Geese, all in a gaggle of bills going front, back, sideways and noways.

This is all valid if you are actually working in a job that shoots burning rays into your face, like construction.

Otherwise, it is what a friend called, "The Village Idiot Look." The producers of "The Last Picture Show" would agree.