A few attempts to explain some of the inexplicable in rock
[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca. – AC]
Here’s something we all do without asking why. When we’re gathered together for a group picture, the person behind the camera will probably try to get smiles by demanding everyone say “cheese.”
It’s a surefire way to have everyone’s mouth form in a smile. But why “say cheese?”
It’s a bit of a mystery. In the early days of photography, it was considered undignified to show teeth, probably because of bad dental hygiene. The command from photographers was “Say prunes.” This kept the lips tight and explains why so many people posed with duck lips.
One of the earliest references to saying “cheese” comes from a Texas newspaper report in October 1943, when Joseph E. Davis, a former ambassador to Moscow, gave away his secret to looking pleasant no matter what the circumstances. “Just say ‘cheese’ silently over and over again,” he said. He said he learned the trick from an unnamed politician.
This might have been then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was known to say “cheese” before his picture was taken because he knew the “ch” sound would form his lips into a smile.
Did the “cheese” command begin there? Maybe.
Rock has its own strange quirks, customs, activities, and behaviors that we all do because … well, just because. We accept these things, never bothering to find out everyone is talking and acting this way. Let’s change that right now.
