Interesting reading here. Some of these avatars are a little obscure on their face.
However, once you know the history or meaning behind them, they make perfect sense.
My avatar of choice is
Carnac the Magnificent. That venerable sage from the East (in my case, from the west). Johnny Carson played several continuing characters on sketches during the Tonight show's 30 seasons. Carnac was my favorite. Some of his other characters included:
- Art Fern was the "Tea Time Movie" announcer whose theme song was "Hooray for Hollywood". Carson once admitted on camera that this was his favorite character.
- Carnac the Magnificent, a turbaned psychic, could answer questions before seeing them. Carnac had a trademark entrance in which he always turned the wrong direction when coming onstage and then tripped on the step up to Carson's desk. (In one episode, technicians rigged Carson's desk to fall apart when Carnac fell into it.) These comedic missteps were an indication of Carnac's true prescient abilities. McMahon would hand Carson a series of envelopes containing questions, said to have been "hermetically sealed and kept in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnalls' porch since noon today."
- Floyd R. Turbo American (with no pause between words) was a stereotypical common working man, wearing a plaid hunting coat and cap, who offered "editorial responses" to left-leaning causes or news events.
- Aunt Blabby, a cantankerous and sometimes amorous old lady, was invariably interviewed by straight man Ed McMahon about elder affairs.
- El Mouldo, a mentalist, would attempt to perform mind-reading and mind-over-matter feats, all of which failed.
- The Maharishi, whose theme song was "Song of India", was a frizzy-haired "holy man" who spoke in a high-pitched, tranquil tone, greeted announcer McMahon with a flower, and answered philosophical questions. This was a take-off on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
I wanted an avatar that was unique, yet one that needed no explanation. I figured I could have some fun with a Carnac persona. As a "seer", I can step out on a limb from time to time and make some predictions. I was a big fan of the Tonight Show during the Carson years (1962–1992).
