The subject of celebrity encounters came up on the Just Plain Folks forum, so I thought I would post a copy of my response here.

I had a good friend who was on the Indiana University concert board and then went on to work for Sunshine Promotions, which was THE concert promotion company in the Midwest back in the 80′s, so I got backstage for a couple of concerts. I got to meet a few artists, but they were mostly “Hi, nice to meet you, goodbye” type things, so I won’t count those.

Later I went to work for the Trinity Broadcasting Network where I met and worked with quite a few B-list celebrities like Gavin McLeod (Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Demond Wilson (Sanford and Son), as well as most of the big-name TV preachers. I even had breakfast one morning with Rosey Grier and Meadowlark Lemon.

I currently work at a hotel, where I have met a few celebs such as American Idol’s William Hung and Prince’s former protegee Denise Matthews (AKA Vanity), who is still one of the most attractive women I have ever laid eyes on.

There are three celebrity encounters that really stand out for me. The first was when I met Bob Euchre. My first job after college was working in the sales department of a small radio outlet in northeast Indiana. We were negotiating with the White Sox to carry their games, so the organization sent me to Chicago. I watched a game against the Milwaukee Brewers from Eddie Einhorn’s private box. (Glass enclosed, air-conditioned, with a private bar and bartender. Now THAT’s the way to watch a game.) Anyway, after the game, I got to go to the player’s lounge, where I sat at the bar with Brewer announcer Bob Euchre, who was regaling a small crowd with tales of his days as a player. He was probably the funniest person I ever had the pleasure of meeting.

The next big encounter occurred at a science fiction convention where I sat at a bar with Jonathon Harris, who played Dr. Zachary Smith on “Lost in Space.” He told me an incredibly funny story about helping Arnold Schwarzenegger to speak better English which ended with the very precisely enunciated phrase “… and the son-of-a b%#ch has never said ‘Thank you’”. I literally laughed until I cried.

The third, and most important encounter, occurred in 1993 or 1994 when Dr. Timothy Leary gave a presentation on “How to Operate Your Brain” at a local college. I attended the lecture and sat just a few rows from the stage. As he spoke, I remember thinking about what a good speaker he was, and how it felt like he was talking just to me. When the presentation was over, several people came up to me and asked if Dr. Leary knew me. I said no, and they all pointed out that he WAS talking directly to me.

I attended a meet & greet afterward, and when I when I finally got to actually meet him, Dr. Leary asked me to sit down and we had a very nice talk. He told me that he thought I was the only person in the auditorium who “got” his message. We talked about other authors and philosophers, and he treated me like I was an old friend.

Wow, I’ve never done so much name dropping in my life.

-Kevin

I’m a little late with this week’s message. My youngest daughter had the audacity to celebrate her 16th birthday this week, and that HAS to take precedence. So, on to the blog…

There are two special mothers in my life. One is my wife, Diane, who gave birth to my three wonderful children. The two oldest, Chris and Michelle, are out of the house and on their own. I did not know Diane at the time of their births, but they are still my kids just as much as if I had been there at their inceptions.

I was present for the birth of our third child, Caitlin, who just celebrated the afore-mentioned birthday. Just from being there in the delivery room, I can most assuredly say that mothers deserve our love and respect. If fathers had to go through the birth process, the human race would have died out long ago.

Diane was a trooper through the whole process, right up to the point where she began to levitate six inches above the bed and her head began spinning around. I was doing my best to encourage her, as I was taught in the birthing classes. As I told her that she was doing great, and that things were almost over, she reached up, grabbed me by the surgical scrubs, and in a gravelly, almost demonic voice said, “DON’T BE SO #8% %@^=*% PATRONIZING!”

Things did eventually get better.

I was also present when my mother, Becky, gave birth to her only bouncing baby boy, but my memory of that event is somewhat less clear. ( I was very young at the time.)

Growing up, I never lacked for the necessities of life, and I certainly had quite a few luxuries as well, (although I never did get that minibike I wanted.) Most importantly, Mom taught me to know right from wrong.

If I am a good parent at all, it is because of the example my mother (and father) set for me. Any mistakes I’ve made as a parent, well, I don’t know where they came from. It sure wasn’t from my upbringing.

So, to my wife and to my mother, I love you both, and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

- Kevin

This subject came up in the Just Plain Folks forum, so I thought I would share it here as well.

In October of 2001, I attended the FARM Conference (Folk Alliance Midwest Region), held that year near Battle Creek, Michigan. At that time, they didn’t have showcase performances, but instead held what I believe was called the “Performance Alley”. As I recall, over two nights, 40 performers got to do one song on the auditorium stage, kind of like a big open mic, but with professional performers. As luck would have it, I ended up being the next-to-last performer, with the emcee going last.

As it was only a few weeks after the tragic events of 9/11, there were a lot of sad, navel-gazing type songs performed. There were also a few very memorable songs. One performer sang about a recent scientific invention that induced orgasms at a touch of a button. (Incidentally, this was true.) A young lady sang about about the time she spent in a park in Florence, Italy, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and being homesick. Another young woman sang about remembering how, when she was younger, she used to lay back, look at the stars, and ask herself all of the big questions in life.

My turn finally came. I stepped onto the stage and thanked all of my “opening acts.” (Laughs from the audience). I then began my patter and everything I said just seemed to work. I told the audience that… there are disadvantages to going on this late in the show. I had to throw out all of my planned material. I had to get rid of my orgasm induction song. Then, I also had a song about being at a park in Florence… OK, it was a parking lot at the K-mart in Florence, Kentucky, but still… Finally I too used to lay back and look at the stars and ask myself, “Where the hell’s the roof?” I got big laughs from the crowd and I began to play.

Right up until I was about to hit the opening chord, I had planned to do one of my own songs, “Upper Middle Class Blues.” However, at the very last second, I decided to do the old Scottish ballad, Wild Mountain Thyme. I began to sing and after a couple of bars, I realized that the entire audience was singing along. Remember, this was an audience of a couple of hundred folk music performers. Chills still run up and down my spine as I remember how it sounded. With the recent terror attacks on everyone’s mind, it was a very healing experience. To this day, I don’t remember consciously making the decision to play that song, but I am so glad that I let it happen.