Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

Music reflects Henry Winkler’s love of the arts and their beauty. It also allows Winkler to escape from stressful events, such as his parents’ yelling. He states:

So when they were screaming at me, I would listen to arias. Tebaldi. Corelli. It didn’t even have to be opera, as long as it was dramatic: Finlandia, by Sibelius. I would wave my arms, pretending to conduct. And sooner or later I would stop feeling bad (12).

Despite the insecurities engendered by his parents, his love of the arts gave him happiness. Performing drove him to confront the challenges in his life, including his dyslexia. This led him to succeeding in both stage and screen acting despite his dyslexia and trouble with school, especially reading.

As an adult, Winkler continued to use music as an escape. In Chapter 2, he illustrates how music soothed him. He recalls listening to Electric Light Orchestra and Dan Fogelberg while smoking marijuana to relieve the stress of his new life in Los Angeles and the entertainment industry. He “drift[ed] off to a place where [he] didn’t worry so much” (42).

Music also made him emotional, such as when pretending to conduct for the children’s band on the set of Here Comes the Boom. The experience reminded him of retreating into music as a child and enjoying the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Stacey. The experience moved Winkler “to tears.” In this moment, music was less of an escape and more of a sense of joyful nostalgia (167).