When I heard about the tiger at the San Francisco zoo this week killing a young man and badly injuring three others it got me thinking. First how did this happen? And then feeling sad for the man and his family. Now the investigation is going to find what it finds, and if there's a penalty to be paid for someones idea of a joke or prank then so be it. They would have earned the wrath.
There may have been some taunting or teasing of the tiger involved. Word is that this magnificent 325 pound animal jumped over a 18 foot mote and somehow scaled a 15 foot high wall and got loose. Think about what I just wrote. 325 pounds, 18 and 15 feet! So with all the official questions hanging over our heads I'm asking one more. Why do humans constantly underestimate things NOT human. Why on earth would someone tempt a tiger? I know we have imposable thumb and the big brain that make us rulers of the world for the moment, but many times we put both to bad use.
Messing around with nature and animals is not ever a really good idea. When big hurricanes are coming....leave, when tornado's are predicted, take it seriously, and when wild animals who are three times are size are involved you better respect them. We seem to have this invincibility thing going. I think this is a phenomenon that is growing more every generation or so. We routinely underestimate the things in life that can harm us. Whether it be nature, animals, addictions, or even the possible consequences of our actions, many times we appear to be our own worst enemy.
Many times too we underestimate the power of the perceived small things in life. You know, the good stuff. The healing power of a touch, the calming of a loved ones smile. The right phone call at just the right time or a child's laughter. These are actually the big things in life and they are underestimated all the time. Maybe it's because we're all just so busy. We with regularity, forget to place the right emphasis on just the right thing.... at just the right time many times in life.
Transversely we tend to overestimate the power and show too much respect to things that maybe DON'T deserve it. Money and fame perhaps. I'm like you. I'd love to have Tom Hanks' money. At least I think I would. I think it's normal to think that it would be easier to navigate our complicated world if we had more "things." BUT that argument doesn't seem to be working all that well for the Lohans, the Simpsons' or the Spears' family.
Maybe if we just took the time to respect the things in life that can harm us a little more, and the same time embracing the things that can benefit us we'd all be a little better off. I guess it's possible, maybe even probable. We can only estimate that if this was practiced in San Francisco the other day, the man and the tiger would both be with us today.
But... one can only estimate.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
A Simple Christmas Song and Story
Every holiday season we all sing along with our favorite Christmas songs. We know most of the words and singers. But we seldom know the story behind the song or the writer and more importantly.....the WHY. I'm thinking that there's no real story behind Jingle Bells, or Sleigh Ride, but there is a great story behind a classic Christmas song that you hear every year or at least know the tune.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day is my favorite Christmas song. It became such three years ago when I really listened to the words when I played it on the air and had to know more. So I googled it. As I read the lyrics on the screen it became my favorite right then and there.
It was a poem written by one of the greatest writers and poets of any time, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day 1864. He had lost his wife two years earlier during the holidays in a fire and his son had just been terribly wounded in the civil war which was ravaging the nation still. He was weary too of the war between the states and prayed daily for it's speedy end. He was alone on Christmas for the first time in his life and as he drank his coffee he heard beautiful church bells ringing proudly announcing it was indeed Christmas morning. You know that sound. I do too. Sometimes that sound really can move you in magical ways and give you hope. I've been there. You too I'm betting.
He was so moved by the beauty of the bells, Longfellow took out his journal and wrote the poem in 30 minutes the legend says. How on earth was he to know that he was writing his most famous piece that morning of all mornings. It was put to music many times in many different tunes. But the tune you know today was given the gift of Longfellow's words in the 1950's. When you hear the song it always sounds so melancholy but the words are anything but.
Amazing people do amazing things under the most extreme conditions sometimes. I can not sit here and tell you I am a huge Longfellow fan. But I will tell you that amazingly 143 years later we still are moved by words written by a legend a century and half ago at the lowest part of a mans life. The poem is worth googling, printing even. Isn't it a miracle of the season that the best in a man, can be brought out by the holiday even when that man is near the bottom.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, is not Winter Wonderland or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Both of those songs I love too, along with Holly Jolly Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman. But it does capture the true spirit of the season in a way that moves me more every time I hear it. And after you know the story, you may be in awe that a simple man dug deep and found the means to be great when it would have been easier not to. Plus the tune that holds Longfellow's words is a perfect musical marriage.
If you have a minute share the words with someone who needs comfort this holiday season. They'll thank you for it. If you know someone separated my miles or life's circumstances this Christmas, Longfellow's moving words can give them hope or maybe you too if it's a tough holiday for you this year. Might be a great gift.
Merry Christmas to you my friend, and thank you Mr.Longfellow. "The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth good will to men." Footnote... the Civil War ended that Spring.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day is my favorite Christmas song. It became such three years ago when I really listened to the words when I played it on the air and had to know more. So I googled it. As I read the lyrics on the screen it became my favorite right then and there.
It was a poem written by one of the greatest writers and poets of any time, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day 1864. He had lost his wife two years earlier during the holidays in a fire and his son had just been terribly wounded in the civil war which was ravaging the nation still. He was weary too of the war between the states and prayed daily for it's speedy end. He was alone on Christmas for the first time in his life and as he drank his coffee he heard beautiful church bells ringing proudly announcing it was indeed Christmas morning. You know that sound. I do too. Sometimes that sound really can move you in magical ways and give you hope. I've been there. You too I'm betting.
He was so moved by the beauty of the bells, Longfellow took out his journal and wrote the poem in 30 minutes the legend says. How on earth was he to know that he was writing his most famous piece that morning of all mornings. It was put to music many times in many different tunes. But the tune you know today was given the gift of Longfellow's words in the 1950's. When you hear the song it always sounds so melancholy but the words are anything but.
Amazing people do amazing things under the most extreme conditions sometimes. I can not sit here and tell you I am a huge Longfellow fan. But I will tell you that amazingly 143 years later we still are moved by words written by a legend a century and half ago at the lowest part of a mans life. The poem is worth googling, printing even. Isn't it a miracle of the season that the best in a man, can be brought out by the holiday even when that man is near the bottom.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, is not Winter Wonderland or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Both of those songs I love too, along with Holly Jolly Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman. But it does capture the true spirit of the season in a way that moves me more every time I hear it. And after you know the story, you may be in awe that a simple man dug deep and found the means to be great when it would have been easier not to. Plus the tune that holds Longfellow's words is a perfect musical marriage.
If you have a minute share the words with someone who needs comfort this holiday season. They'll thank you for it. If you know someone separated my miles or life's circumstances this Christmas, Longfellow's moving words can give them hope or maybe you too if it's a tough holiday for you this year. Might be a great gift.
Merry Christmas to you my friend, and thank you Mr.Longfellow. "The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth good will to men." Footnote... the Civil War ended that Spring.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Picture That Launched These 500 Words
It's Christmas time, and I think it gets us all thinking about things we don't usually think about the rest of the year. I am in my home office where I work on the morning show and this article and today I ran across one of my favorite pictures on my desk. It's there all year long, but the way I look at it a few days before Christmas is very different than I would 5 days before the 4th of July.
The picture is of my dad and his three brothers hamming it up at some function many years ago. It's black and white with a solid white border. They seem to be wearing 50's style clothing and having a big time. Standing is my uncle Joe, John and and my dad, Bob and Hank is sitting on some chair that looks like it's off the set of I Love Lucy. They all seem to be yucking it up after someone said something really funny. It's truly a great candid shot that caught the very essence of who they all were.
Years ago as young adults, we ran across this photo one Christmas and my brother, brother-in-law, Hank (who was still with us) and me decided to recreate the same picture. And we did. It's framed too and it sits on the desk in my office as well. It looks amazingly similar, except it's color and it's not quite as faded. But as I compare the shots side-by-side I can't help but think that's where the similarities end.
My brother, brother-in-law and myself all are living good lives in various cities around the country. Luckily we are all healthy. We enjoy all the up to the minute gadgets and fads that quickly come into favor in today's world and fade. We all live within a few hours drive of each other and get together when we can. Or we simply whip out the cell or the computer and keep each other updated on our busy lives.
The four men in the older picture have all passed away. They all eventually succomed to the same illness in various decades and at differerent stages of life. They all grew up in the depression, shared nickels with each other when they had them and the all went off to World War II together. They were in all corners of the world.... apart.... long before cell phones, GPS, e-mail, or even a phone that could be used to call home from overseas. And.... they all came home to their mom, all healthy and grown up. That was absolutley amazing for the time. The picture was taken long after those days were over in better times. The good time caught in the picture was due to them.
I like the new picture, but I love the old one. Sometimes a moment is just captured and it can't be re-created no matter how hard you try. I have no idea who took the old picture or where it was taken. But I think that's the fun of it. Just four young men enjoying a hearty laugh. And if I know them as I think I do the laugh was at no ones expense. Whatever it was, it was probably just good clean fun. I will keep the picture always.
I'm sure you have that ONE old picture too! I hope you do. It's fun to know where you came from. There's something about an old photo of loved ones that can bring you back to center. It can give you perspective with just a glance on just the right day.
It's been about a year now since the last of the brothers passed on from the old photo. Hank passed away just after Christmas last year. I was there. I think he thought I was my dad. He called me Bob, and I'm good with that. Then he died. It was that simple. Talk about perspective, the last Christmas without one of those brothers in the world was 1908! But I think a Christmas wish was granted as a result. Now the boys are together again and I'm guessing Bob, John and Joe, were just waiting for Hank.... so another longer-lasting picture of the boys could finally be taken.
The picture is of my dad and his three brothers hamming it up at some function many years ago. It's black and white with a solid white border. They seem to be wearing 50's style clothing and having a big time. Standing is my uncle Joe, John and and my dad, Bob and Hank is sitting on some chair that looks like it's off the set of I Love Lucy. They all seem to be yucking it up after someone said something really funny. It's truly a great candid shot that caught the very essence of who they all were.
Years ago as young adults, we ran across this photo one Christmas and my brother, brother-in-law, Hank (who was still with us) and me decided to recreate the same picture. And we did. It's framed too and it sits on the desk in my office as well. It looks amazingly similar, except it's color and it's not quite as faded. But as I compare the shots side-by-side I can't help but think that's where the similarities end.
My brother, brother-in-law and myself all are living good lives in various cities around the country. Luckily we are all healthy. We enjoy all the up to the minute gadgets and fads that quickly come into favor in today's world and fade. We all live within a few hours drive of each other and get together when we can. Or we simply whip out the cell or the computer and keep each other updated on our busy lives.
The four men in the older picture have all passed away. They all eventually succomed to the same illness in various decades and at differerent stages of life. They all grew up in the depression, shared nickels with each other when they had them and the all went off to World War II together. They were in all corners of the world.... apart.... long before cell phones, GPS, e-mail, or even a phone that could be used to call home from overseas. And.... they all came home to their mom, all healthy and grown up. That was absolutley amazing for the time. The picture was taken long after those days were over in better times. The good time caught in the picture was due to them.
I like the new picture, but I love the old one. Sometimes a moment is just captured and it can't be re-created no matter how hard you try. I have no idea who took the old picture or where it was taken. But I think that's the fun of it. Just four young men enjoying a hearty laugh. And if I know them as I think I do the laugh was at no ones expense. Whatever it was, it was probably just good clean fun. I will keep the picture always.
I'm sure you have that ONE old picture too! I hope you do. It's fun to know where you came from. There's something about an old photo of loved ones that can bring you back to center. It can give you perspective with just a glance on just the right day.
It's been about a year now since the last of the brothers passed on from the old photo. Hank passed away just after Christmas last year. I was there. I think he thought I was my dad. He called me Bob, and I'm good with that. Then he died. It was that simple. Talk about perspective, the last Christmas without one of those brothers in the world was 1908! But I think a Christmas wish was granted as a result. Now the boys are together again and I'm guessing Bob, John and Joe, were just waiting for Hank.... so another longer-lasting picture of the boys could finally be taken.
Monday, December 17, 2007
It Really Is Going To Happen
One of the reasons I became a broadcaster is that I am a big sports fan. When I was about 10 I would huddle in bed and listen to the Cavaliers, or Indians games on my transistor radio I got for Christmas. I seemed to get one of those every year from someone. I think at one time I even had a small collection of them. As I remember the radio ran on a 9 volt battery. They had a little earpiece too so no one could hear you have the radio on too late at night. Many a night I spent bending Bob and Barb's bedtime rules listening to 3WE or CKLW.
I was always in awe as the Cavs or the Indians were playing somewhere far away late at night and wondered how it all worked. I like you, grew up listening to Joe Tait and Herb Score. They were my heroes, and I wanted to be on the radio just like them. Joe and Herb and countless others spent years announcing games in Northeast Ohio usually for teams that were less than stellar.
I bet you'll remember it like I do. We really didn't care, it was just the way it was. The Browns were sort of good, the Cavs were new, and the Indians stunk. It was that simple. We cheered for the Miracle in Richfield, the Browns won some divisions and the Indians....well tickets were not a problem. Then we suffered through The Drive, The Fumble, Red-White 88, Micheal Jordan beating the Cavs every year, and the Indians.....well they just watched.
Then the 90's. The Tribe rocketed to the almost top, the Browns moved to Baltimore, the Cavs rode the up and down roller coaster. And we were there to cheer, cry and anguish and hope for REALLY better sports days. They are just about here!
In 6 days the Browns will be handed a center piece by every fan in northeast Ohio. And If they put it where it belongs and beat the Bengals, the puzzle will be complete. If it goes that way, for the first time ever the Indians, Cavaliers and the Browns will all make the playoffs in the same year! HOLY COW!
Is it world peace? No. But it is exciting! This is an honor usually reserved for other cities, and we just watched. Oh ...were watching still alright. These Browns are fun and well coached. Romeo should be coach of the year. I'm not getting ahead of myself and saying Superbowl, but I am looking forward to Sundays game. And you know what??? That feels good!!!!!!!!
Just as I'm looking forward to the Cavs second half, and the Tribe's spring training. We have all waited for so long for a year like this and it's here. All three teams in post season in the same year?? Something I could NEVER have even dreamed of, in my best of dreams under those covers after drifting off to sleep at 10 years old while the transistor radio played the last three innings of an Indians game I would never get to hear.
I was always in awe as the Cavs or the Indians were playing somewhere far away late at night and wondered how it all worked. I like you, grew up listening to Joe Tait and Herb Score. They were my heroes, and I wanted to be on the radio just like them. Joe and Herb and countless others spent years announcing games in Northeast Ohio usually for teams that were less than stellar.
I bet you'll remember it like I do. We really didn't care, it was just the way it was. The Browns were sort of good, the Cavs were new, and the Indians stunk. It was that simple. We cheered for the Miracle in Richfield, the Browns won some divisions and the Indians....well tickets were not a problem. Then we suffered through The Drive, The Fumble, Red-White 88, Micheal Jordan beating the Cavs every year, and the Indians.....well they just watched.
Then the 90's. The Tribe rocketed to the almost top, the Browns moved to Baltimore, the Cavs rode the up and down roller coaster. And we were there to cheer, cry and anguish and hope for REALLY better sports days. They are just about here!
In 6 days the Browns will be handed a center piece by every fan in northeast Ohio. And If they put it where it belongs and beat the Bengals, the puzzle will be complete. If it goes that way, for the first time ever the Indians, Cavaliers and the Browns will all make the playoffs in the same year! HOLY COW!
Is it world peace? No. But it is exciting! This is an honor usually reserved for other cities, and we just watched. Oh ...were watching still alright. These Browns are fun and well coached. Romeo should be coach of the year. I'm not getting ahead of myself and saying Superbowl, but I am looking forward to Sundays game. And you know what??? That feels good!!!!!!!!
Just as I'm looking forward to the Cavs second half, and the Tribe's spring training. We have all waited for so long for a year like this and it's here. All three teams in post season in the same year?? Something I could NEVER have even dreamed of, in my best of dreams under those covers after drifting off to sleep at 10 years old while the transistor radio played the last three innings of an Indians game I would never get to hear.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Best Gift Idea Ever - Time.
Wednesday morning on the show my partner Shannon made mention that her boys and their dad went to Quicken Loans Arena, and watched Lebron and Larry Hughes and the Cavaliers dismantle the Indiana Pacers 118-105. I gathered there was much enthusiasm from the witnesses in the post-game comments to her, and it sounded like everyone had a great time. How fun for them! She didn't know it at the time, but that short story set my memory back on it's heels almost immediately. Not in a negative way at all, but I did stammer for a minute or two.
December 25, 1977. That day was the last day my dad was ever home. He had fought a short battle with cancer that spread like wildfire through him. Things are different today. In those days, there was diagnosis, chemo, radiation, then you died. And he did April 11, 1978. I was 16. I hadn't thought of this in a long time, but I remember vividly going to many Cavaliers games at the Coliseum with my dad! Many on short notice. I can still hear him, "Hey why don't you and I sneak off to see the Cav's tonight!" And we did. Many times in fact. You know he used to take me to opening day with the Indians at the old stadium, and that was fun. But for some reason the Cav's games were days of gold to me.
Come to think of it, my dad and I did a lot of "sneaking off" in those days. Bob Evans, Cav's games, Indians games. Sometimes we'd just drive around in the summer and listen to the Tribe games on the radio. Just the two us. Man, am I lucky. Lucky to have those memories. And until this morning, I hadn't forgotten them, just hadn't pulled them up in a while. Lucky me that I did!
I remember after my dad died, I lost interest in many things that had been important to me before. I think that's normal. I wanted to play football for the University of Nebraska. That was my immediate plan. I have no idea why Nebraska, but I did. My dad used to come watch me play on the fields of Roehm Jr. High and Berea High School, and that too is burned in my memory. Afterwards we'd analyze the game I just played over a Brown Derby steak, another place we'd sneak off to from time to time. Some of this stuff happened so long ago, I'm amazed it is all so vivid to me still, but it is. It really got me thinking.
Christmas time is here, and we're all out looking for the "must have" gifts. Lots of time and money, energy too. I guess it was the same when I was a kid, but to tell you the truth I don't remember. I can't really remember many gifts I ever got for Christmas. Oh I got some, but Hot Wheels and Tonka trucks fade in color and in memory over time. BUT, those "sneaking off' times, those are the best gifts I ever got, and they weren't even for Christmas. How lucky that I decided then that those things were worth doing with my dad, at a time of life that it is reserved for spending time with your friends. These are among the best decisions I ever made in my life to this day.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is that this Christmas, it may not be worth any one's while to agonize over what gift to give. I never do. Oh, I'll joke about it on the radio and have fun with the fact that I really don't know how to Christmas shop. It's the gift of time that matters. It's the best Christmas gift of all time.
It's the time together. I'm not going to say I wish for another day here, or if I could have just one more day with my dad. That to me is senseless. What I will say is that I am thankful this holiday season that when this time of year rolls around, this is the stuff that really matters to me. Not anything else. It's the time. The place doesn't matter. It's the time. I can only speak for me, but I am so thankful that I took the time, and that time was taken with me. RFW 1924-1978. Thank you.
December 25, 1977. That day was the last day my dad was ever home. He had fought a short battle with cancer that spread like wildfire through him. Things are different today. In those days, there was diagnosis, chemo, radiation, then you died. And he did April 11, 1978. I was 16. I hadn't thought of this in a long time, but I remember vividly going to many Cavaliers games at the Coliseum with my dad! Many on short notice. I can still hear him, "Hey why don't you and I sneak off to see the Cav's tonight!" And we did. Many times in fact. You know he used to take me to opening day with the Indians at the old stadium, and that was fun. But for some reason the Cav's games were days of gold to me.
Come to think of it, my dad and I did a lot of "sneaking off" in those days. Bob Evans, Cav's games, Indians games. Sometimes we'd just drive around in the summer and listen to the Tribe games on the radio. Just the two us. Man, am I lucky. Lucky to have those memories. And until this morning, I hadn't forgotten them, just hadn't pulled them up in a while. Lucky me that I did!
I remember after my dad died, I lost interest in many things that had been important to me before. I think that's normal. I wanted to play football for the University of Nebraska. That was my immediate plan. I have no idea why Nebraska, but I did. My dad used to come watch me play on the fields of Roehm Jr. High and Berea High School, and that too is burned in my memory. Afterwards we'd analyze the game I just played over a Brown Derby steak, another place we'd sneak off to from time to time. Some of this stuff happened so long ago, I'm amazed it is all so vivid to me still, but it is. It really got me thinking.
Christmas time is here, and we're all out looking for the "must have" gifts. Lots of time and money, energy too. I guess it was the same when I was a kid, but to tell you the truth I don't remember. I can't really remember many gifts I ever got for Christmas. Oh I got some, but Hot Wheels and Tonka trucks fade in color and in memory over time. BUT, those "sneaking off' times, those are the best gifts I ever got, and they weren't even for Christmas. How lucky that I decided then that those things were worth doing with my dad, at a time of life that it is reserved for spending time with your friends. These are among the best decisions I ever made in my life to this day.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is that this Christmas, it may not be worth any one's while to agonize over what gift to give. I never do. Oh, I'll joke about it on the radio and have fun with the fact that I really don't know how to Christmas shop. It's the gift of time that matters. It's the best Christmas gift of all time.
It's the time together. I'm not going to say I wish for another day here, or if I could have just one more day with my dad. That to me is senseless. What I will say is that I am thankful this holiday season that when this time of year rolls around, this is the stuff that really matters to me. Not anything else. It's the time. The place doesn't matter. It's the time. I can only speak for me, but I am so thankful that I took the time, and that time was taken with me. RFW 1924-1978. Thank you.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Get Ready To Meet Taylor Swift - Fast!
About 18 months ago I was hosting a Rising Star Showcase here at WQMX, and we were lucky enough to have Taylor Swift as our performer. She was 15 at the time, and she had the good fortune to have a hit song on the radio, the song "Tim McGraw." There was a good crowd here, I'd say about 60 listeners, and everyone had a great time. I remember thinking at the time that Taylor was quite poised , and had a nice relationship with her budding fan base.
Taylor put on a good show, and we all thought she was a nice kid. She was here with her record industry reps, and her mom! I remember thinking at the time that having mom here was a good touch, and if I were her parents I'd want to tag along too. I don't think one of us that night thought that Taylor Swift was destined for REALLY great things. In hindsight, I wish one of us had. - ME.
Taylor Swift is a budding young star all of 17 now, and is on the fastest track imaginable to becoming a star that will cross over endless boundaries. She recently won CMA's, and is now up for a Grammy. She's put a few songs near the top of the charts, and it seems right now the sky's the limit. I've been playing country music on the radio for 27 years, it's rare to see someone with a future so bright. Baseball great Reggie Jackson said it so great once about Derek Jeter, "I'd trade my past, for his future!" That applies to Taylor Swift. Many performers I'm sure feel that way about her.
My opinion of Taylor Swift really changed from her award show performances. The ACM's when she walked out and sang TO Tim McGraw with a guitar only, the song that bears his name as they met for the first time right there on TV! And at the CMA's where she performed a song she wrote flawlessly in front of her idols, who were recording songs long before she was born. Such poise! Her use too, of all forms on modern communication with her fan base has been extraordinary.
I asked her mom when she was here, if Taylor was the kid that put on little shows and always told others that she was going to be a country star. Her mom said yes. I asked too, if other kids made fun of her, and she confirmed that as well. After all, every graduating class has a kid like that. But those dreams go up in smoke with the playing of Pomp and Circumstance, and give way to a normal life. Taylor Swift is not going to lead a normal life. Taylor Swift is going to be a huge star. And he hasn't even heard Pomp and Circumstance yet! She will cross over to many kinds of music, and fans. She will win awards, make videos, commercials, record hit albums and songs, and pass virtually very other woman in country music and other forms of music along the way.
I remember too telling her record rep at the time, that I believed every word she sings in the song "Tim McGraw." He said he never heard it put that way before, and he concurred. That is her strength. She is totally believable in all aspects of her young career. Look, whether you like her music or not, the way she delivers it is totally honest. And to be frank, whether you like the songs or not, it's tough NOT to like HER. She comes off as one hundred percent likable, approachable, and humbled by all that's going on in her young life. I feel she handles herself so well, it's a testament to her parents and to her handlers that they have this young superstar in their midst, and no one seems to know it. And for a change.....that is so refreshing!
I liked meeting Taylor Swift, and she has an open invitation to be on the show with Shannon and me any time. I'm rooting for Taylor Swift. Country music could use another superstar. If your not sure who Taylor Swift is, wait about 5 minutes, and you'll find out.
Taylor put on a good show, and we all thought she was a nice kid. She was here with her record industry reps, and her mom! I remember thinking at the time that having mom here was a good touch, and if I were her parents I'd want to tag along too. I don't think one of us that night thought that Taylor Swift was destined for REALLY great things. In hindsight, I wish one of us had. - ME.
Taylor Swift is a budding young star all of 17 now, and is on the fastest track imaginable to becoming a star that will cross over endless boundaries. She recently won CMA's, and is now up for a Grammy. She's put a few songs near the top of the charts, and it seems right now the sky's the limit. I've been playing country music on the radio for 27 years, it's rare to see someone with a future so bright. Baseball great Reggie Jackson said it so great once about Derek Jeter, "I'd trade my past, for his future!" That applies to Taylor Swift. Many performers I'm sure feel that way about her.
My opinion of Taylor Swift really changed from her award show performances. The ACM's when she walked out and sang TO Tim McGraw with a guitar only, the song that bears his name as they met for the first time right there on TV! And at the CMA's where she performed a song she wrote flawlessly in front of her idols, who were recording songs long before she was born. Such poise! Her use too, of all forms on modern communication with her fan base has been extraordinary.
I asked her mom when she was here, if Taylor was the kid that put on little shows and always told others that she was going to be a country star. Her mom said yes. I asked too, if other kids made fun of her, and she confirmed that as well. After all, every graduating class has a kid like that. But those dreams go up in smoke with the playing of Pomp and Circumstance, and give way to a normal life. Taylor Swift is not going to lead a normal life. Taylor Swift is going to be a huge star. And he hasn't even heard Pomp and Circumstance yet! She will cross over to many kinds of music, and fans. She will win awards, make videos, commercials, record hit albums and songs, and pass virtually very other woman in country music and other forms of music along the way.
I remember too telling her record rep at the time, that I believed every word she sings in the song "Tim McGraw." He said he never heard it put that way before, and he concurred. That is her strength. She is totally believable in all aspects of her young career. Look, whether you like her music or not, the way she delivers it is totally honest. And to be frank, whether you like the songs or not, it's tough NOT to like HER. She comes off as one hundred percent likable, approachable, and humbled by all that's going on in her young life. I feel she handles herself so well, it's a testament to her parents and to her handlers that they have this young superstar in their midst, and no one seems to know it. And for a change.....that is so refreshing!
I liked meeting Taylor Swift, and she has an open invitation to be on the show with Shannon and me any time. I'm rooting for Taylor Swift. Country music could use another superstar. If your not sure who Taylor Swift is, wait about 5 minutes, and you'll find out.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
What's The Deal With Frosty Anyway?
On the show this morning my partner Shannon and I were talking about all the Christmas specials that are on TV these days. We were having the usual fun with them, when she made the off-handed comment that Frosty the Snowman, was" a little whiney," and it wasn't her favorite. I decided that was funny, and ran with it. I too recalled Frosty being "whiney," and I think I even threw in a "sniveling" or two. Shannon was right. His voice is kind of whiney, and spineless. Then we tried to track down the actual story from the TV special and we found out we needed help. And the phone started ringing!
Listener after listener called in to tell us the story as they saw it. There was this "evil scientist" that was chasing Frosty. That character turned into a "musician" then a "magician," then a "jokester" and even a "mad scientist." It finally came to be officially confirmed as a magician, who was trying to get his magic hat back, that brought Frosty to life in the first place. So he terrorizes our hero.
Then the debate raged on. Frosty became locked in a "potting shed," that became a "shed," that became a "garage," that became a "barn," that became a "greenhouse," where he began to melt! It was confirmed that it indeed was a greenhouse, that the magician DID lock Frosty in so he WOULD melt so the magician could get his magic hat back.
Speaking of the magic hat, Shannon even mentioned that there was a bird flying around in the hat, and even provided sound effects. Then there was Karen, the little girl that Frosty is traveling with to the North Pole so he won't melt and she gets cold. So Frosty says he'll risk life and limb to take shelter in the warm greenhouse. He then gets locked in by the magician while Karen is warming up. AND HE MELTS, as the magician laughs!!!. Frosty melts into a pool of water on the floor, with nothing but the hat laying on the cold, cold ground!
I don't remember one word of any of this in that silly song I learned in the 2nd grade!
Are we sure this isn't a lost Stephen King novella of some kind???? This whole thing sounds kind of brutal!!! There was so much confusion from so many listeners, this became an interesting study in human communication. How can so many people watch the same old Christmas special for so many years, and have such different accounts of the actual story? And this should be mentioned, most of the calls were from MEN! Might not be a bad idea for a stocking stuffer for the guy in your life.
Look, does Rudolph go through this?? I think not. Charlie Brown? No again. We know these classics cold. NO one gets Rudolph wrong. NO one thinks Rudolph's nose goes on the fritz and Santa's sleigh goes cantilevering out of control and Christmas Eve is ruined. And everyone knows about the stupid, lousy stick tree Charlie Brown buys for some reason and the happy singing at the end. But for whiney, dizzy old Frosty, there is massive confusion. Even though this special has aired every year since 1969.
But in the end, Frosty is fine, Santa saves the day and Frosty has life. But even after all this debate about this rotund ball of snow, Frosty is still a bit whiney. Shannon was right!
Listener after listener called in to tell us the story as they saw it. There was this "evil scientist" that was chasing Frosty. That character turned into a "musician" then a "magician," then a "jokester" and even a "mad scientist." It finally came to be officially confirmed as a magician, who was trying to get his magic hat back, that brought Frosty to life in the first place. So he terrorizes our hero.
Then the debate raged on. Frosty became locked in a "potting shed," that became a "shed," that became a "garage," that became a "barn," that became a "greenhouse," where he began to melt! It was confirmed that it indeed was a greenhouse, that the magician DID lock Frosty in so he WOULD melt so the magician could get his magic hat back.
Speaking of the magic hat, Shannon even mentioned that there was a bird flying around in the hat, and even provided sound effects. Then there was Karen, the little girl that Frosty is traveling with to the North Pole so he won't melt and she gets cold. So Frosty says he'll risk life and limb to take shelter in the warm greenhouse. He then gets locked in by the magician while Karen is warming up. AND HE MELTS, as the magician laughs!!!. Frosty melts into a pool of water on the floor, with nothing but the hat laying on the cold, cold ground!
I don't remember one word of any of this in that silly song I learned in the 2nd grade!
Are we sure this isn't a lost Stephen King novella of some kind???? This whole thing sounds kind of brutal!!! There was so much confusion from so many listeners, this became an interesting study in human communication. How can so many people watch the same old Christmas special for so many years, and have such different accounts of the actual story? And this should be mentioned, most of the calls were from MEN! Might not be a bad idea for a stocking stuffer for the guy in your life.
Look, does Rudolph go through this?? I think not. Charlie Brown? No again. We know these classics cold. NO one gets Rudolph wrong. NO one thinks Rudolph's nose goes on the fritz and Santa's sleigh goes cantilevering out of control and Christmas Eve is ruined. And everyone knows about the stupid, lousy stick tree Charlie Brown buys for some reason and the happy singing at the end. But for whiney, dizzy old Frosty, there is massive confusion. Even though this special has aired every year since 1969.
But in the end, Frosty is fine, Santa saves the day and Frosty has life. But even after all this debate about this rotund ball of snow, Frosty is still a bit whiney. Shannon was right!
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