“OZmosis”, Noel Holston’s latest book, is a hop, skip, and jump through 125 years of wizardry along the Yellow Brick Road. Readers can tag along with Dorothy Gale and the entire crew as Holston stirs up a rich concoction of references to the magical story in art, comics, literature, movies, music, and more. Holston admits that his list is “not all-encompassing, but it is a revealing A-to-Z potpourri”—with annotations and a “Spotify” soundtrack. He includes such real life “Oz-ophiles” as singer-songwriters Elton John, Don McLean, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Melanie, Shelby Lynne, and others. He also includes works by some surprising personalities such as Salman Rushdi, who, as a child, was inspired by the movie and referenced it in his works.
After reading the compilation, the subtitle of which is “The Enduring Popularity & Artistic Influence of The Wizard of Oz”, I had questions, so I contacted Noel.
Myrna: What motivated you to compile this list of Oz-related items?
Noel: The original idea was to do a CD compilation of Oz-inspired songs with a booklet included. I had heard singer-songwriter Alana Davis talking about her album,“Surrender Dorothy”, on public radio and realized I knew a bunch of Oz songs—Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, America’s “Tin Man”. I contacted Alana and did some other interviews. But when I found out how complicated and expensive getting all those rights would be, I gave up on the project. I revived it—and expanded the reach—last year when a writer friend pointed out that the forthcoming premiere of the “Wicked” movie was the best promotional tie-in I would ever get.
Myrna: Do you remember your first reading or viewing of “The Wizard of Oz”?
Noel: Like several artists I interviewed, I saw the MGM movie the first time on a black and white TV set. It was 1956 and I was eight. My mom was a big movie fan, and she couldn’t wait for me and my little brother to see it. She told us when it switched to Technicolor in the movie theater. She also took us to see it on a big movie screen—the Arabian Theater in Laurel, Mississippi—a few years later when it was re-released. I was mesmerized. And the flying monkeys scared me almost as much as the witch in “Snow White.” I didn’t read the original Frank Baum book until I was an adult. I was amazed by how much plot the movie makers left out.
Myrna: Besides writing this book, how has Oz influenced your life?
Noel: Someone I quote in the book called “The Wizard of Oz” a “gateway drug for movies.” I was already hooked on it when I first saw it. Our mom had seen to that. She would have us nap so we could stay up to see favorites of hers on “Night Owl Theater”. But Oz really soaked in deeply because it was an annual TV event. There’s still no other movie I’ve seen so many times. And never tire of.
Myrna: Which character(s) do you personally identify with and which is your favorite?
Noel: I probably identify most with the Scarecrow. I always wanted to be smarter. Still do. But my favorite character has come to be the Cowardly Lion, because Bert Lahr gives himself over so fearlessly to an impossible character. He should have gotten an Oscar.
I have searched my own brain for Oz influences. Unbelievably, I
have no memory of ever watching the movie all the way through! Like Noel, my family’s early televisions were all black and white, so there was no Technicolor to wow me after the initial black and white scenes. And I was probably frightened by the Flying Monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West, so Mama may have shielded me from viewing it.
I am, however, a big fan of both Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, so I do remember seeing “The Wiz” (and loving it). A few Christmases ago, a friend gifted me a copy of Elizabeth Letts’s novel, “Finding Dorothy”, which Noel includes in his compendium, and I realized how much the story and lore have permeated my subconscious.
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” not only plays in my head regularly, but I can envision Judy Garland as Dorothy as she sings it. “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” “I’m melting!” “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too.” “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.” “There’s no place like home.” These lines and others from the movie come out of my mouth and the mouths of my friends with regularity. Maybe even more telling is the fact that my husband and I have for many years referred to Automated Teller Machines, also called ATMs, as “Auntie Ems.”
If nothing else, Noel Holston’s delightful book may remind readers how much influence a good book and/or a good movie can have on cultures and individuals. And despite traumas like tornadoes, wicked witches, and flying monkeys, it might take one back to a simpler, more magical time or even to a more magical place.
Noel Holston, a Mississippi native, lives in Athens with his singer-songwriter wife, Marty Winkler, and their four rescue cats. A Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and critic, Noel is a songwriter and photographer whose photos and those of others are also featured in “OZmosis”. He has previously published two other books: “Life After Deaf: My Misadventures in Hearing Loss and Recovery” and “As I Die Laughing: Snapshots of a Southern Childhood”. All are available via Amazon.com and other online booksellers. You can also follow him as “The Grassy Noel” on Substack, where he writes about popular culture and current events.
Myrna Adams West is a retired English teacher who has led several writing workshops in Athens.
