Bay area resident and confessed _Diff’rent Strokes _memorabilia
collector Darrin Chameny finds watching episodes of the the show “very
tiring”. “I own every D’ Strokes shirt from the original 1978
marketing campaign.” remarks Chameny, who grew up avidly watching the
show during its original 1978-1986 run. “I love everything about the
show,” Chameny enthused. “I have every episode on tape, and every
episode post-1981 is taped from its original broadcast appearance. Now if
I could only bring myself to watch them.”
“Sometimes I see people wearing nuevo-kitsch reproduction ‘Different
Strokes'(sic) shirts like they own the place,” said Chaemeny.
“When this happens, instead of getting mad, I just feel sorry for
them.” In addition to his shirt collection Chameny also owns a complete
set of an original Diff’rent Strokes lunch boxes with
“What’choo talkin’ ’bout Willis?” thermos.
Although a frequent poster to the rec.arts.tv.dffstrk newsgroup, Chameny
admits to having difficulty sitting through a single episode. “The
show’s conceptual and rhetorical framework were modeled for a
diff’rent era. Such episodes may be difficult to watch today but is
this not true of many of the early works of Cicero? Their lack of present
day viewability means that these episodes are reaching out, straining across
the immeasurable expanse of time which lie between us and the mid
1980’s.” When asked what modern day TV shows he does watch, Mr.
Chameny blankly replied, “Will & Grace.”
