Stan Freberg - Leo Laughmaker

While the Sun remains in the zodiac sign of Leo there's no lack of material for astrologers and astrology bloggers who like to write about entertainers, actors and comedians as birthdays come around. You'd struggle to find a list of birthdays late July to mid-August without some household name from the entertainment world appearing in it. Sun signs are not the be-all and end-all, of course, but in the case of entertainers, having the Sun in Leo certainly gives a person a kick-start!

I'm choosing comedian, actor, satirist, and advertising genius, Stan Freberg. It's his birthday today. Born August 7th, 1926. (Sun conjunct Mercury in Leo along with Neptune, and probably Moon in Leo too. Venus conjunct Pluto in Cancer, trine Saturn in Scorpio.)

I found Stan's autobiography "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" on my husband's bookshelves. In the early chapters he tells how, "radio changed forever the life of this introverted South Pasadena kid". He'd lie with his ear jammed up to the radio for hours on end. He says:

"I knew one thing - I knew I wanted to stand at a network radio mike someday and be able to write just the right line to skewer some of the absurdities I was already observing in the world: the Pasadena rich kids looking down their noses at people they decided weren't worthy of being included in the "in" group; the other boys treating sports with such deadly seriousness; some of my father's overly pious church members with their tight mouths all squinched up to ward off any possibility of "fun" in this world; along with the pompous attitudes I detected in the voices of politicians and public figures on the radio. I knew I wanted to write and perform someday, as my idol Fred Allen did, taking potshots at the pretensions and nonsense all around us."

Yay!! I detect a hint of Aquarius there. I see that Mr Freberg's natal Jupiter is, indeed, in Aquarius, right opposite Neptune in Leo.

It's quite likely that a lot of folks, with less years under their belts than yours truly, may not be familiar with Stan Freberg's recordings and broadcasts. His satire and parodies were a delight - incisive without ever being cruel - he got away with a lot because of an innate charm and an empathy to which most listeners could relate.

Here's a YouTube presentation of one of his recordings "Take An Indian To Lunch". With current focus on the 2008 election, this seems oddly approriate now.("Who are you taking to the witch-burning Saturday night?) Love it!
N.B. "Indian" = Native American, not Indian from India!