Barney, R.I.P.

"Hey, man, it's f----ng Don Knotts!"
"He's the coolest."
-- Hipsters studying a flea market oil painting in John Waters' movie "Serial Mom"

Barney no longer goes to Raleigh, or anywhere else, to party. Here in Denver, the news of Don Knotts' passing made nary a blip on the collective radar. But as you might expect, this, in North Carolina (where a huge statue of Andy Griffith graces the main city park, thanks to the channel TV Land), was huge. It was, in fact, front-page news today at the old hometown paper -- and written by staff, no less. It gave me occasion to shoot a note to an old co-worker/friend who was obsessed with "The Andy Griffith Show." I also had to inform him that our favorite downtown lunch eatery, Joe's Place Featuring Joe's Mom's Food (yep, that's the name), is closing next week. I was never particularly an Andyphile -- although I was always amused by Mount Airy, where you see "Mayberry Launderette" and "Mayberry Diner," among other things -- but today, on a cool, clear, Coors-commercial day in the Rockies, I feel a little more hollow.