Marcel

  I always wanted to be a Theatre teacher, but it wasn't in the cards.  I learned a lot from my several drama teachers.  Each had their own style, but they all had one thing in common:  their love for the stage.  Actors are a special breed, especially good ones.  I would like to say that I was one of the good ones.  If that sounds egotistical, then you are probably right.  People have told me all along that I was a good actor.  Sometimes, they said I was great.  There is a saying in the Theatre that you are only as good as your last part.  That is so true.  You might be great, but there is always someone wanting to kick you off of that pedestal.  I have my memories.

 One person who was truly great was Marcel Marceau.  He was the best actor as a mime.  Bip the Clown was his main character.  He could create a scene by just using his body and no words.  He was a genius in that field.  I went to see him perform at The Township in Columbia back in the 1980s.  The auditorium wasn't full, but he played to those of us there.  It was a magical night.  His use of classical music in his mime was so beautiful.  

 Mime is taught in most acting classes, and it is extremely hard to perfect.  To create a square box or pulling a rope with just using your imagination is very difficult.  To control the muscles in your arms and legs is a challenge.  Marceau made it look easy.  It was like watching a master artist at work.  It was a joy to behold.  

Clower

  Our church's Singles group went on a mission's trip to Smyrna, TN in 1982.  Smyrna was just outside Nashville.  We had a free afternoon and evening, so we went into Nashville to look around.  One of the places we went to was Opryland.  I wasn't a huge fan of Country Music, and it played all through the park, but I started tapping my feet to some of it.  

 We went into the Grand Ole Opry auditorium there and saw two acts.  The first was Tom T. Hall.  He sang a few songs.  I wasn't familiar with them, but he was a star.  The second was Jerry Clower.  I had heard of him as a comedian, but I didn't know he was THAT funny!!

 He came on stage and told a couple of funny stories.  One was about a guy who had gotten up into a tree with a wild animal.  I just couldn't stop laughing.  Then, he told a story about a guy on a bicycle who wore suspenders that got stuck on the outside mirror of a car.  I was literally rolling on the floor laughing.  My sides were hurting.  Some comedians make you laugh by something they say.  Clower was so descriptive in his stories, that you could visualize what he was talking about.  He had the audience in the palm of his hand.  

 After the show, we went on the rides and let our hair hang down.  A little strange for a church group or not.  It was a great day!  

George

  My parents and I took a trip to Anniston, Alabama for a wedding, after I graduated high school.  I found a store selling records, and I bought a George Carlin comedy record called "Take-Offs and Put-Ons".  It was very funny.  I had seen him on TV and really liked his humor.  My mother liked the record, too.  Although, I can't say the same for my father.  His sense of humor wasn't as off the wall as my mother and me.  During my days in college and on, I bought every Carlin album.  Yes, some of the language was pretty dirty, but most of it was still funny.

 When I moved to Ft. Worth, there were a lot of acts and theatre that came to that city.  One of them was George Carlin.  I was very excited, because I always wanted to see him in person.  I bought a ticket close to the stage.  He opened his act with some classic bits from his albums.  About 35 minutes into his performance, he excused himself and went offstage.  A few minutes later, a man came out and made an announcement that George couldn't continue.  Some said it was heart-related, while others thought it was drug-related.  I was bummed out, and they wouldn't give our money back.  I don't know the real reason he stopped performing, but it probably was a combination of both heart and drugs.  He was doing a lot of cocaine back then.

 About 30 years later, it was announced that he would be doing a show in Columbia.  By then, he had done several HBO specials along with more records.  It was 2007 at the Township Auditorium.  He had aged a lot, but he was clean of any drugs or alcohol.  Some of his act was very funny, but some was not.  He was having problems standing, so he had a stool for most of the show.  He died about nine months after that show of a heart attack.  He had really bad heart problems.  I have seen a lot of comedians perform.  George was the best.  He had a lot of demons throughout his life, as many of us do.  He overcame them, even though they took a toll on his body.  He was a survivor.

Carpenters

  I had just graduated from college and was trying to save some money to get a car to go to Ft. Worth, but an act was coming to Columbia that I couldn't pass up.  The Carpenters.  I had been a fan ever since "Close to You" affected my life in 1970.  Their music spoke to me, as I was secretly in love with a girl a few years younger than me.  I couldn't tell her how I felt, so the music did it for me.  I also loved Karen Carpenter's voice.  

 My friend Jimmy's brother-in-law invited us to go.  Our seats were on the floor about six rows back from the stage.  It was a magical night.  Karen sang and played the drums.  Richard played the piano.  One bonus was their other drummer.  He was Cubby O'Brien who was on the original Mickey Mouse Club TV show.  They even had some local schoolchildren come on stage for the song "Sing".  We sang all of their songs from the audience with them.  

 Another friend named Sonny was able to get one of Karen's drumsticks and the cup she drank from after the show.  He sealed them in a plastic bag.  I wonder if he still has them.  They would be worth a lot of money now.  

 It is hard to believe that Karen died less than 10 years after that show.  She was a natural talent.  It is too bad that she felt she was never good enough.  Perfectionism will do that to you.  I know from experience.  People will tell you how great you are, but you know the truth.  At least, you think you do.  Creativity can be a positive force, or it can kill you.  That was Karen Carpenter.  

James

  The shortest concert I ever attended was James Brown.  He was being honored by the State of South Carolina for his contribution to the Arts.  The presentation was on the north side of the State House.  There was a jazz band entertaining the crowd.  When James got up to speak, someone from the crowd yelled out to James:  "Give us a song!"  He said that he had to get paid first.  Everyone laughed, but I think he was serious.  After all, he was going through some tough times financially with the IRS.  The jazz band was ready to accompany him.  Everyone in the crowd started yelling for a song.  The band played the first bars of a song, and James belted out three words:  "I Feel Good!"  That was it.  

 On a side note, I was in Augusta, GA one Saturday afternoon.  I had just been to my favorite record store down there.  As I was driving out of town, I saw a bus off to the side in a parking lot.  The door of the bus was open, and a man was sitting on the bottom step of the bus.  I recognized him as James Brown.  He was all alone.  I honked the horn and waved.  He waved back.  I didn't have the guts to drive up to him and say hello.  He might have been in deep thought about another song.  At least, that is what I told myself.  Another regret of my life.  

4427

  I have only been admitted 4 times to the hospital.  The first was a hernia operation, when I was three.  I basically had to learn to walk again afterwards.  The second was to reset my broken thumb in the 4th grade.  They put a cast on it, but I had to stay overnight a few days later to have the thing surgically reset.  The third was for a chemical dermabrasion right after 12 grade to help smooth my skin from acne scars.  The fourth was for a blockage in my colon.

 I was throwing up on Sunday.  I couldn't keep anything down.  Not even water.  I was getting weaker by each passing minute.  That night, I fainted while in the bathroom.  When I woke up, I crawled on all fours back to bed.  I couldn't stand up.  I got back to the bathroom to throw up some more and then crawled to the living room to get my phone and call 911.  The ambulance came rather quickly, and they took me to Parkridge Hospital.

 They told me in the ER that I was going to be admitted, but they didn't have any rooms, so I stayed in the ER for almost two days.  Sleep was impossible.  They brought in a device that was shoved down my throat and into my stomach.  Except for kidney stones, that was the worst pain I had ever experienced.  It worked like a vacuum to suck up my insides.  No food or water.  I had a day nurse who was very nice.  Her name was Hannah.  She helped me get through the trauma of the ER.  When they told me they had a room for me Tuesday night, I was overjoyed.  

 I was moved to room 4427, which was on the top floor of the hospital.  A private room with a TV and a bathroom.  Even though I still had that tube down my throat, they gave me some ice chips which helped.  When daylight came, I could see trees outside my window.  Every two hours, somebody would come in to take my vitals or blood.  David was a soothing tech for the vitals.  My brother came to visit and brought me a phone charger, so I could keep up with the world.  I had two other friends visit me during this time.  Mostly, I watched sports and game shows on the TV.  I also figured out how to install Spectrum on my phone, so I could watch some things not on the hospital TV.  

 By Thursday, the doctor told me that they could pull the tube out of my throat.  The nurse came in and yanked it out.  No pain.  I could breathe again.  I had a hard time swallowing, but I was free of that thing.  I was put on a clear liquid diet, so I was able to at least put something in my stomach.  I am now not a fan of beef broth.  By Friday, I was put on a modified liquid diet, so I could have Jello and pudding.  Still not solid food, but just a little better.  That night, I was trying to sleep, when the nurse came in to check on me.  My right arm and swelled up to twice its size.  That was where my IV was.  I had been getting nutrients for those days I couldn't eat.  She pulled out the IV and had me elevate my arm with pillows.  The swelling began to go down some.  That was a little scary.

 Then came Saturday.  The doctor told me I could try solid food.  If I tolerated it, I could go home.  I had chicken pie.  No problems.  Even though I was still weak with no exercise, I was released and sent home.  Almost a week in the hospital.  I was voted the nicest patient on the 4th floor of the hospital by the nurses.  All of my nurses were great.  One told me that it was her job to be nice.  I hope that she was just kidding, because they were all nice.  I don't recommend you having to go through what I went through, but at least they made it bearable.  When I got home, I slept twelve hours for two days.  No real sleep for a week will do that to you.  

Rhythm

  Presbyterian College had some good shows, when I was a student there.  Livingston Taylor (James Taylor's brother), Lester Flatt, Mac Wiseman, John D. Loudermilk, The Mission Mountain Wood Band, Uncle Walt's Band, and The Atlanta Rhythm Section.  

 The country artists all came on one day for a picnic.  Lester Flatt was the headliner.  He was getting kind of old, but he could still play the guitar.  I fell in love with traditional country music from those acts.  There was a rumor that James Taylor was coming to PC in concert, so some folks were disappointed to find out that his brother was going to play instead.  It was still a good show.  

 The highlight of my years at PC was the Atlanta Rhythm Section.  They had just released "Doraville", and it was climbing the charts.  Their bass player was fat, whereas everyone else in the band was thin.  He sort of stood out.  Some people in the audience made fun of his looks, but he could really play the bass guitar.  Just because someone looks different doesn't mean they aren't talented.  All of that lineup is now dead.  They could really cook on stage as part of the Southern Rock genre.  We had a good time at PC.  The beer flowed, and the grass permeated the crowd.  Pretty good for a "religious" school back in the day.

Climax

  Anderson College didn't have a lot of outside artists performing in concert.  The Marshall Tucker Band used the auditorium to practice for an upcoming tour.  A classical pianist gave a program, but no show for the students.  That all changed when it was announced that the band Climax was going to perform at our school.  

 They had a top ten record on the radio called "Precious and Few".  It was a big deal to get Climax to come to Anderson.  We sold tickets, which were like $3 each.  But for a show in 1972, that was about average.  It was a sell-out.  On the day of the show, a truck arrived next to the auditorium to unload the speakers and equipment.  The band arrived a little later and did a soundcheck.  

 At 8:00, they came on stage and the crowd went wild.  They had long hair and were from California.  They had just released an album plus their hit single.  They opened with "Precious and Few".  We sat ready for a great show.  They played all of the songs from their album including their hit single again.  During the show, they sang "Precious and Few" three times.  They also sang it for the encore.  

 A tip to any band out there who is planning a setlist:  have more than 10 different songs to play for a 90-minute show.  You don't need to play your hit four times in one show.  We got it the first time.  Even if you have to play rock and roll standards to fill up the time.  By the third time of "Precious and Few", many of the folks in the audience were laughing.  I don't know if anyone walked out having felt a little cheated, but I would have if I had thought it couldn't get worse.  The encore proved that it did.  

Who

  In 1989, The Who announced a concert at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC.  It was the closest they would come to Columbia.  A local radio station was chartering a bus to go there.  I just HAD to go.  They had performed at Woodstock, and I knew almost all of their music.  I invited my friend Del to go with me.  

 It was about a four-hour trip to get to Raleigh.  Even though I was into bootleg recordings at that time, I didn't bring anything.  A lot of people did, and all of the camcorders were confiscated at the gate.  There was a big pile of them.  We got there just before the show started.  We were sitting on the left side of the stage in the bleachers about halfway up.  It had rained earlier, but the clouds had cleared.

 The first half of the show was The Who performing "Tommy".  It was great!  They did an intermission and then came out for the second half playing all of their hits.  Pete Townshend was having to play acoustic guitar through much of the show, because he had hurt his wrist in a previous show.  

 There was one downside, though.  Because we were sitting in the bleachers, we had to turn toward the stage to see.  Del was on my left, and there was a guy I didn't know standing on my right.  He yelled the entire time right into my right ear.  I asked him to stop yelling, but he couldn't hear me.  He was yelling.  I was getting mad at him.  Also, the concert itself was very loud even being outdoors.  The Who had the Guinness Record for the loudest concert ever.  Louder than standing next to a jet engine.  Towards the end of the show, I could actually feel my brain moving around in my head.  I was getting physically sick, so I left my seat and walked up to where they were selling t-shirts.  I bought one.  I couldn't escape the noise, so I walked back to the bus and sat inside.  I could hear the encore plain as day.  

 Because of that guy yelling in my ear for almost three hours, I permanently lost some hearing in my right ear.  Was it worth it?  You bet it was!  It was an Amazing Journey. 

Gregory

  I had heard that James Gregory was the funniest man in America.  I have always loved comedians.  They are a special breed of people.  Anybody can get up and sing, but it takes a special person to make someone laugh.  And here is a tip to those people who think they can make someone laugh:  most people laugh at a joke within four seconds.  It takes the brain less than four seconds to tell the mouth to laugh at a joke.  If the brain doesn't think the joke is funny, then it won't communicate that to the mouth.  If no one laughs after four seconds, then the comedian needs to just move on.  That is a secret of the Theatre.  You are welcome.

 I had bought a couple of cassettes by James Gregory and played them in my car.  They were hilarious.  Country humor at its best with apologies to Jerry Clower.  There were times where I would have to pull off of the side of the road, because I was laughing so hard.  When I saw that he was coming to the Township Auditorium in Columbia, I just had to go.  He was very funny.  I can't honestly say that he was the funniest man in America, but my sides were hurting from laughing.  Check him out on YouTube.  Lawn Mower repair and Tax Service all in one place.

Playboy

  When a concert is announced, there are sometimes opening acts leading up to the headliner.  That person or group is who people come to see.  Usually, the opening people are not as well-known as the headliner, and they are being promoted by the organizer.  Sometimes, the opening acts are people you have heard of.  Such was the case in both at this show.  

 It was put on as a benefit for the local firefighters in Columbia.  The acts were The Shirelles, Andy Childs, and Gary Lewis.  I didn't know who Andy was, but I had come to see Gary Lewis.  The Shirelles opened the show.  

 I knew some of their music from the fact that they were on tour with The Beatles back in the day.  I was sitting on the 2nd row with my friends Chris and Del.  During their set, they wanted an audience member to come up on stage and sing "Going to the Chapel of Love".  They pointed at me.  My heart sank.  I kind of knew some of the words of that song, but not enough to perform on stage. My life had passed before my eyes.  As I was about to stand up, the man sitting in front of me on the first row stood up.  I was so relieved!  They put on a great show.

 Next came Andy Childs.  I wasn't familiar with his work, but it was kind of like country rock.  He had the audience eating out of his hand.  He was amazing.  Every song came with massive applause from the audience.  By the time Gary Lewis (formerly of The Playboys) came on stage, the crowd was exhausted.  He sang almost all of his hits from the 60's which were many.  There was one problem:  our hands were sore from clapping for the two previous acts.  Everyone was polite to Gary, but we were exhausted.  By the way, for those who don't know, Gary Lewis's father was Jerry Lewis.  

 After the show, Chris, Del and I stayed outside at the stage door to meet Gary.  He signed the albums and cd's that we had brought.  He was nice to talk to, and we gave him a copy of our music from The Cobbwebs.  He heard it later and emailed us that he liked it.  

Crouch

  I went to Explo '72 in Dallas which was sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ.  It was June in Texas.  Even though the heat and thunderstorms dominated the week, we also got to see some amazing artists.  Among them where two Christian acts:  Andrae Crouch and the Disciples and Danny Lee and the Children of Truth.  

 Crouch was a gospel singer at the time, but he later went on to work with pop acts including Michael Jackson.  His music has been covered by Paul Simon and Elvis Presley.  He started his career with Billy Preston.  When he was there at Explo, he sang soulful gospel music.  It was a blessing to hear him.

 Danny Lee (Stutzman) sang upbeat songs which was referred to as "Jesus Music".  His was more like rock and roll with Christian lyrics.  I really liked his music.  There was a lot of dancing in the crowd, when he performed.

 Both have gone on to be with God in Heaven.  Andrae had a rocky road later in life.  Danny was a little truer to the faith.  But, both knew who their God was and is.  

Heat

  Canned Heat.  They played at Woodstock in 1969.  That was when The Blind Owl (Alan Wilson) was with them.  By the time I saw them in 1972 at Clemson, Alan had died.  The Bear (Bob Hite) was still with them.  They did an impromptu show at Clemson along with Mountain.  There was one problem though.  Canned Heat came in two vans, and one of the vans got lost on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so only half of the band showed up.  Bob Hite was there, along with their drummer and a guitarist.  It really didn't matter.  There was enough Boone's Farm Wine circulating through the crowd.  Mountain was good, too.  Leslie West and company played very loud.  They had been at Woodstock, too.  As some know about me, my hippie name was The Woodstock Kid.  We had a fine, old time that night.  

Zoom

  With the advent of modern technology, it has become possible to meet someone via Zoom without having to be in their physical presence.  The interaction is still there, even if there is no firm handshake or hug.  Being seen and heard by someone else on a one-to-one basis still counts in my book.  Such was the day I met two giants in the journalism field.

 I had been invited to participate in a discussion on mentoring by Ashleigh Banfield.  She has worked for NBC, MSNBC, CNN, Court TV and now NewsNation.  She was hosting a Zoom meeting to inspire young journalists by inviting people to the meeting who had made an impact on TV or Radio journalism.  She would let the participants ask questions of the guests during the meeting.  She was very approachable, as well as extremely funny.  Professionals need to learn to laugh at themselves at times, and then know when it is time to get serious.  

 Her first guest on the program was Shepard Smith.  He had worked for Fox News for many years but resigned over his journalistic integrity.  He later worked for CNBC.  My question to him was about the difference between journalists who just read teleprompters versus those professionals who care about their work and what comes out of their mouths.  I waved to him, when my question was asked, so that he would know who asked it.  He waved back and then called me by name when answering the question.  He said he left Fox just for the reason that my question was raised.  He was very interesting.

 When the Zoom call was over, I gave him a thumbs up, and he gave one back at me.  I have participated with other of Ashleigh's meetings including one with Dan Rather.  I wasn't able to ask my question which was about Texas, which is where he is from, but he was very good.  Ashleigh and I comment back and forth on chat during the meetings, so she knows who I am.  When Dan Abrams was on the call, he would be talking about legal journalism, while she and I were chatting back and forth about how great On Patrol Live was, and how I knew Curtis Wilson on that show.  

 Meeting someone in person is the best way to go.  Meeting someone online is almost as good.  One day, they will invent a procedure to reach through the screen and shake someone's hand for real.  I hope I live to see that day, although it might be kind of creepy.