Andy Rooney died yesterday, and his passing brings back a lot of memories. Andy Rooney was the original curmudgeon; he could make even the greatest products seem like they needed a complete makeover. I've been called a "curmudgeon" more than once myself, but I really don't think I am. It's more just a style; a style that can be very effective, if not annoying to some. Who doesn't love a curmudgeon? Ralph Kramdon, Archie Bunker. Homer Simpson. Larry David. In a world where "being positive" has become the only acceptable perspective; the curmudgeon often stands alone.
When I was a kid we always watched 60 minutes; Sunday was family night. All in the Family, The Six Million Dollar Man, Alice. I never cared for 60 minutes, mainly because I didn't care about anything in the real world at that point in my life. Before Andy Rooney started doing his epilogue segments in 1978, 60 Minutes used to have something called Point/Counterpoint. Is there anything more boring to a kid than politics? But when Rooney started doing his segments in 1978, I always made sure I was in front of the set at 7:50. We didn't have Tivo in those days.
Since I'm kind of a computer geek myself, my favorite segment of all time was when Rooney took aim at Bill Gates and his Windows computers back on November 16, 2003. I doubt that Andy Rooney had the slightest real animosity towards Bill Gates, but the irony of his words still make me laugh so hard I fall off my chair every time I see it.