Why Uncle Louie Matters

Ok, so I kind of stole the title from a book written by Pete Hamill called, "Why Sinatra Matters", about the great entertainer ( well any East Coast Italian thinks he is), Frank Sinatra, and why he matters to the world. You'll have to read that book to find out, but in this case, and although he is not as much of an icon as Sinatra, I can tell you why Uncle Louie matters. I'm talking about the man here, not the the movie. Of course, the movie matters too, since thats how we find out about the man, but this is about the persona that is Uncle Louie.

Created in the mind of screenplay writers, Joe Izzo and Joe Mangelli, and based upon their real life experiances and plenty of imagination, we find Uncle Louie. He is kind of an everyman, steeped in a life of both good and evil, with an ego that plays big, but is a cover for his shortcomings. He loves big, eats big, talks big, and blankets his personality across the land like the somewhat tattered quilt that covered my late Aunt Edna's large ass. Both can be repulsive, and familar at the same time, and like watching a train wreck, we have to look at it, and acknowledge it. May my Aunt Edna rest in peace, but, haven't we all had an Uncle Louie somewhere in our life?

Opinionated, and at times brash, the Uncle Louies' of the world always have a story to tell. Embellishing at times, we listen, laugh, cry, and miss guys (or maybe girls), like Uncle Louie when they're gone. Why? Because they give the world character. They create a little light where it may be dark, and they make us think about what a bland world it would be without them. If Shakesphere was right right about all the world being a stage, then Uncle Louie is like that one character actor you see in every movie, that makes you say, "I'm not sure of that actors name, but he really lit up the screen for the time he was on".

So that is why he and every Uncle Louie matters. They are the spice in life. I was fortunate enough to have two Uncle Louies, both who have passed, and that big Sunday Italian dinner has never been the same.