# The "Plenty of Sunscreen" Speech from a Few Years Back? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438 "2004-05-16T16:22:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/1 "2004-05-16T16:22:58Z")
A few years ago (1997ish???) there was a bit of glurge going around. It was a series of random statements that seemed silly at first but somehow it all amounted to sage advice. At first no one knew who wrote it or for what reason. Eventually, a song came out with someone reading the words over a synth-pop musical score. I think that at some point the real author was tracked down, and she had written the speech for a commencement address that she had given. All I really remember about it is that the speech began with the advice to always use plenty of sunscreen. Anyone remember this? Can I have a link? Some googling brought plenty of hits with genuine skin-care advice. ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/2 "2004-05-16T16:28:52Z")
Mary Schimch from the Chicago Tribune wrote the “Sunscreen Speech” you can find a copy of the speech [here](http://internettrash.com/users/chainbreak/schmsp.htm) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/3 "2004-05-16T16:42:21Z")
Specifically, Mary Schmich wrote it as a [column printed June 1, 1997](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-970601sunscreen.column?coll=chi-news-col) (free registration required), prefaced with the statement > [@](#): > > Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there’s no reason we can’t entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates. > > I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt. It then took on a life of its own, as detailed (at least in part) [on the Snopes site](http://www.snopes.com/quotes/vonnegut.htm). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/4 "2004-05-16T16:50:18Z")
I’ve posted the snopes link to the article in response to emails that had been sent to my friends and family. A common response by the people who blindly forward this type of glurge was: “I don’t care WHO wrote it. I just like the sentiment.” Pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/5 "2004-05-16T17:04:53Z")
Wow, thanks everybody. From Ignorance to Ignorance Fought in Six Minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/6 "2004-05-18T02:53:47Z")
But trust me on the Sunscreen… IIRC I thought it was more towards 1999. Interestingly enough, I was talking to my mom about it one day, and we then walked into a card store. There was a book that had the entire column (Line a page), and an Intro with the entire scandal explained in it. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/7 "2004-05-18T06:46:41Z")
My mp3 of it is Baz Luhrmann-Everybody’s free (to wear sunscreen), if you’re looking for the recording someplace… ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/8 "2004-05-18T13:34:45Z")
Wasn’t there an actual song of this at some point? Well, more like spoken word but put to sort of a funky beat? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plenty-of-sunscreen-speech-from-a-few-years-back/245438/9 "2004-05-18T16:12:36Z")
> [@Trigonal Planar](#): > > Wasn’t there an actual song of this at some point? Well, more like spoken word but put to sort of a funky beat? Yes, it’s as Garfeild226 mentioned. It’s on the Baz Luhrman album “Something For Everybody”. It also has songs from other Baz Lurman films like Romeo and Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. I think the song is called “Everyone is free to wear sunscreen”.