Mama Cass was Different

It has been way too long since my last RTFO.  I miss it!

(Previous RTFOs: Jill Scott, Beth Ditto, of Gossip.)

And I haven't yet taken the time yet to tell you what RTFO stands for.  How rude!  If you're curious, you can take a look at this helpful link to decide for yourself on the best fit.

So for those of you sitting at your desk, wishing you had some delightfully strange, inspiring children's music from the 60s, I am pleased to present Mama Cass on the kid's show, Puff n Stuff.

In fact, I'm going to devote a little more space than usual for an RTFO to one of my all-time favorite singers, since the above song-while not out of character-is not representative of the majority of her work.

All I can say is, what a voice.  Here's "Dream a Little Dream".

I'm a little wary of writing this entry, as excited as I am to share old videos of Mama Cass.  Because I think it's totally condescending to write blog posts about specific fat people and write that they are awesome, therefore lending credence to the idea that fatness and awesomeness are generally mutually exclusive.

So bear with me.  I know of a study, or survey - I wish I could find it - where the subjects said that race and fatness are the first thing they notice about some one when they walk into a room, and the last thing they would want to include in a description about them.  But I truly think that as any of us befriend some one who is outside the norm - either fat, a different race, funky-haired and/or croc-wearing - we eventually become blind to their differences.  Or, at least, we see an entire person.

In that vein, every once in awhile I like to highlight people who were defined by their differences in the public eye, and made every one realize that their differences are not a big deal.  (Every one except, I guess, Internet people.)

credit casselliot.com

Mama Cass was definitely different.  And as a result, she faced discrimination, a drug problem, an unlucky love life, and crash diets that made her very ill.  The ultimate insult to her legacy is the persistent myth that her cause of death was choking on a ham sandwich - it was actually heart failure caused by excessive dieting.  I remember hearing an allusion to this story in Austin Powers.  (Sound clip can be found here.)

But she was upbeat, funny, and charismatic.  In the spirit of the era, she celebrated herself and the wonderful aspects of her physical size and personality that made her unique.  And she inspires me to this day.

BONUS: Cass singing with Joni Mitchell and Mary Travers.  Enjoy!