I don't recall ever watching the Disneyfied Davy Crockett programs, or reading much about him. I didn't know what he did for a living; didn't even know until a couple of days ago that he was at the Alamo. I only knew that he was somehow mythical. And I'm not sure how I learned that. Soaked it up somewhere, probably.
He was a pioneer, explorer, storyteller, and politician, and the mythmaking certainly didn't begin with Walt Disney's TV movies in the 1950s. It could have been in full swing during his lifetime, for all I know. But they were at it a while, that's for sure.
While checking out the Wikipedia entry for the man, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_crockett, I learned he was the subject of some entertaining almanacs over the years. They spun tales of his prowess and taste for adventure, and most interestingly, included some speeches he may (or more likely, may not have) delivered in Congress. Here's a bit I lifted from the wiki entry:
"In one word I'm a screamer, and have got the roughest racking horse, the prettiest sister, the surest rifle and the ugliest dog in the district. I'm a leetle the savagest crittur you ever did see. My father can whip any man in Kentucky, and I can lick my father. I can outspeak any man on this floor, and give him two hours start. I can run faster, dive deeper, stay longer under, and come out drier, than any chap this side the big Swamp. I can outlook a panther and outstare a flash of lightning, tote a steamboat on my back and play at rough and tumble with a lion, and an occasional kick from a zebra."
And there's more, oh yes...much more. Go have a look!
True or not, stuff like that reminds me that the classic hip-hop boast has roots that run deep into every era and culture on the globe.
It also makes me long for some genuine entertainment in politics; for a character who could deliver, fearlessly, a stump speech that riotous and ridiculous. The man or woman who does just that gets my vote next time - their sheer courage would stand them in good stead at the helm.
