I have a bit of a reputation in the scene. After all, I did get kicked in the face during Cro-Mags at CBGBs in 2002. So needless to say I’m pretty fucking hardcore. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t choke up when I saw Alex Trebek holding back tears on ‘Jeopardy!’ a few weeks ago.
Long before I was punching every 16-year-old in my way to the front of the pit, I was just a little kid watching ‘Jeopardy!’ every night with my family. 6:57pm would roll around and everyone would yell, “Kaitlyn, go turn the TV on!” I would get the pliers and turn the dial to ABC. It was the only time I ever listened to my parents.
Jeopardy! was more than just a show to me. It was a bonding experience for my whole family. We’d sit together and watch the show- it was the only time we actually communicated. We’d watch, play, and discuss things like who would win on the show or who “actually went to fucking college” or who “would never hit the buzzer in time because their brain doesn’t work.”
That bonding over a mutual love of history, the arts, and culture prepared me for the day when I ran into Keith Morris and he started asking me rapid fire questions about all his bands.
I haven’t had cable since I moved out of my parents’ house because I’m under 50 but when I heard that Alex Trebek was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer I have to admit I got choked up. So what if I eat broken glass and shit out bullets? I can have feelings too! The only killing I support is crowd killing, which is exactly how I’m going to express my feelings tonight at this show.