So the Matt Smith Doctor finally makes an appearance… with his fez and bow tie- because bow ties are cool, even if Matt Smith isn’t the Doctor anymore.
See when I was in high school my grandfather came to visit. He lived in Connecticut and came out every once in while (since we rarely would visit the east coast or the midwest or…). I was around sixteen and my grandfather was kind of a rogue when it came to my family, you see he was a liberal (and he baked really great bread). In those days it was more about nuclear disarmament although he also was an environmentalist, he wanted to try to make sure the world he left was in one piece. This was the opposite of how I was raised, you see I was raised that the one with the most toys wins (don’t even ask about what Christmas was like). Being in high school we talked and did a lot of listening- which shaped a little bit of who I am now. One of the fondest memories I have about that trip was when he taught me how to tie a bow tie. When he flew home, he left me one of his ties, I wore that tie every chance I could get- I basically wore out the tie. After college and Sue and I got married, I drove out to see him, it had been a while and I knew his health wasn’t that great, but he was still chipper, still worried about the world I was going to live in, and still one of the wisest men I have ever know. Years later, when he passed away, my grandmother took me into his bedroom and let me pick and choose from all his bow ties. So that’s how I ended up with so many, and how I was wearing them long before Matt Smith. I’m actually working on only having bow ties for my wardrobe, Sue has helped by finding a pattern and making me unique bow ties. I even wore one of hers when my niece was baptized. I hope some day I may be able to inspire Mackenzie the way Arnie inspired and supported me.
As for Matt Smith and the Doctor- I’ve always liked his portrayal as the madman in a blue box.