Juniors

  I suppose it can be hard for a son to live up to the name "Junior".  One has to be thought of as a part of their father and try to live up to the name.  My brother was a junior.  He tried his best to be his own person, but our father would remind him that he was the junior in our family.  Thankfully, I didn't have that problem.  I was just the baby in the family.  

 I met two men who were referred as the "Junior".  One was mostly a military man with a touch of being a politician.  The other was an entertainer.  Both did well in their careers, but they were also compared to their fathers.  In this case, they were together at a hotel dining room in Columbia in the late 1960s.

 The first was Will Rogers, Jr.  He was a burly man whose father had been a famous humorist.  Junior had been in politics in California and served in the Army during World War II.  He was cordial to me, even though he seemed a bit rough.  He looked like a guy you could play poker with, and he would probably beat you.  Or, he would intimidate you to the point that you would have to lose.  His father was much more beloved than himself.  He had a hard time living up to that reputation.

 The second was Emmett Kelly, Jr. He was a circus clown like his father.  His act was much like his father's, and he lived up to his father's reputation.  He was truly a gentleman.  Since I was a teenager at the time I met these two men, Kelly took the time to meet me and warmly greet me.  He wasn't in his clown makeup, so I saw him as a real person.  He was warm to me in the brief time I said hello.  I could tell that he loved his life.

 Juniors can have a tough life living up to their fathers, if they let it consume them.  However they approach it in later life can be the difference between happiness and bitterness.  I got the impression that Mr. Kelly was happier than Mr. Rogers.  

 

Senators

  I have been fortunate, or maybe cursed, to meet a lot of interesting people over the years.  Politicians can be some of the most interesting.  After all, they can be your best friend and your worst enemy all at the same time.  Some can be inspiring, while others can be disappointing.  It isn't so much in their personalities, but rather in their actions.  Here, we have an inspiration and one not so much.

 It was 1959, and my father took me to what would be the last "Big Thursday" football game between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.  Out in the parking lot stood a giant of a man.  He was Olin Johnston who was a U.S. Senator from South Carolina.  My father knew him, because we were somehow related.  I was 6 years old, and I looked up at him.  I could barely see his face.  It seemed like his face was in the clouds.  He leaned down to me and shook my hand.  He said he was glad to meet me.  I don't know if he really was glad, but he came across as he did.  We talked for a few minutes, and then we went into the stadium for the game.  He was the first Senator that I remember meeting.  It was a big deal for me.

 Through the years since that encounter, I have met other senators and congressmen.  In 2009, I met another one whose name was Lindsey Graham.  He also was a U.S. Senator from South Carolina.  I was working for Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in his bid to become the Governor for South Carolina.  I was getting ready to be in a parade and walk the length of it passing out stickers to children.  I saw Senator Graham getting into a convertible to ride in the parade.  I went over to him and introduced myself.  He was very warm in meeting me.  I told him that I was working for Andre Bauer, and he was very complimentary of Andre.  I went back to a fellow worker and told him what Lindsey had said.  My compadre told me that Lindsey would have said that about a dog catcher, if it meant he could get some votes.  

 Our paths would cross a few times after that day in 2009.  I talked with him again in 2018 at my church.  Lindsey and Senator John McCain were close friends.  We all knew that McCain was near death.  President Donald Trump had said some bad things about Senator McCain that didn't sit well with Lindsey Graham.  I saw Lindsey at my church and went up to him after the service.  He said he remembered me.  I guess he did.  I asked him to stand up to President Trump, and he said he would.  After McCain died, Lindsey went back on his word.  It really wasn't unusual for him.  

 Both senators in this story were good politicians.  They knew how to work the voters.  One had integrity.  The other maybe not so much.  Both could tell you what you wanted to hear.  One with respect.  The other maybe not so much.  One had strong convictions.  The other looked to see which way the wind was blowing.  That is the nature of politics.  

Joes

  In the political world, there are many personalities.  Some good and some not so good.  All have egos that need to be pampered by the voters.  One cannot be a politician without having an ego.  Another quality is that you need to be able to press the flesh.  You need to get out and meet the people.  Shake some hands.  Make the voters feel like you care about them, even if you might not.  After all, these people keep you in office, if they think you care about them.  Once they no longer have that feeling, you are out of a job.  That is why voting is so important.  In theory, it is to keep those who care in, and those that don't out.  That is also why you hear some politicians promise the sun, moon and stars to you, so you will vote for them, even though they can't deliver on those promises due to the system we live under.  Some call it "lying".  Others call it "deception".  Still others call it "smoke and mirrors".  It is actually just politics.

 Back in 2008, the senior senator from Delaware was running for President of the United States.  He was at the State House in Columbia to try and get support before the Democratic Primary in the state.  His name was Joe Biden.  I went to the press conference.  He made mention that he started his political life campaigning for George McGovern for President in 1972.  After the press conference was over, I went up to him and shook his hand while introducing myself.  I told him that my first campaign was working for McGovern in 1972.  He laughed and said, "That was the loneliest job".  We both had a laugh over that.  Nixon won almost every state that year.  In case you have lived under a rock for all these years, Obama picked Biden to be is running mate and then became Vice-President.  He later ran against President Trump and became the President of the United States.  He had a really good sense of humor.

 Another Joe on my list is Joe Wilson.  He represented the 2nd Congressional District in the House of Representatives in Washington for South Carolina.  You may remember Joe as the one who yelled out "You Lie!" while Obama spoke to Congress about Health Care.  I had met him on a few occasions throughout the years.  During the service for my pastor's retirement at First Baptist, he came to make a short speech about our pastor.  After the service, I went up to him to say hello.  He was very cordial to me.  I told him that I couldn't vote for him, even though his district was just a stone's throw away from where I lived.  He said with a straight face, that the Legislature should change the District lines, so I could vote for him.  That is called "gerrymandering".  I hope he was kidding, but it is hard to know with Joe Wilson.  I haven't seen him joke much.  

 Two Joes.  One is a Democrat and the other a Republican.  Vastly different politically.  Both Americans.  It would be nice if there was bipartisanship in Washington.  Like in the old days.  That's how things get done.  Politics can be a very messy business.  Votes count.  If you don't like someone, vote them out.  Just make sure that the one coming into that slot will be someone that will work for you and not for themselves.   How many politicians do you know came into office with nothing and left as a millionaire?  Why?  Because they stopped caring about the voters and cared more about the money from lobbyists.  As you are shaking your head and saying, "My vote doesn't count.  That's just the way it is.", it doesn't have to be that way.  We are Americans!  Let's act like it.

Junkie

  As most of you know, I am a political junkie.  I have been addicted to politics for most of my life.  My mother's side of the family had political lives, and I just grew up with it.  As I got older, politics were even more in my life, because I worked on political campaigns for folks from both parties.  I have never been a Republican or a Democrat.  I vote for the person and not the party.  I also believe that a person's vote should be a private matter in the voting booth.  It may be interesting for you to know that I have voted for more Republicans than Democrats who ran for President, but I have voted for more Democrats than Republicans in local races.  It has kind of worked out that way.  

 My brother has been in politics most of his adult life.  He has done public relations for campaigns, and he has written speeches for elected officials.  His main desire has been to stay in the background and let the candidate get the glory.  When Jim Hodges was elected to be the Governor of South Carolina, he nominated my brother to be the director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism for the State.  It was a perfect fit for my brother.  I went to the swearing in at the State House.  I wore my best suit, which was a little tight and worn. I found out later that one could see through it in the light.  Thank goodness for underwear.  The Governor was there.  He was very nice, and I have a picture of the two of us meeting one another.  

 A couple of months later, he and his wife opened up the Governor's Mansion for Christmas.  I was in line to shake hands with the two of them.  I shook hands with the Governor and told him my name.  He had remembered me from the swearing in.  He turned to his wife and said that I was John Durst's brother.  In her Southern drawl, she said:  "Hey, how are youuuuu"?  There was a TV camera there, and my interaction with Mrs. Hodges got on TV.  It was kind of funny and embarrassing at the same time.

 Then, there was Douglas Kiker.  He was a graduate of PC and had come to the school for a lecture on journalism.  He was a political reporter for NBC.  He told the story about being outside in the snow during the Nixon inauguration in Washington.  It was very cold that day, and he had an earpiece connecting him to the NBC control truck.  Doug was freezing, and he was hearing the folks in the truck telling him how warm it was in the truck.  Even though Doug was very mad at what he was hearing in his ear, he had to keep his concentration.  I remembered that story, because it taught me how to concentrate on the stage no matter what was happening around me.  Doug was very easy to talk to, and he had great stories about the human sides of politicians.  He left us too soon. 

Writers

  I have been a writer, since I was five years old.  I wrote a commercial for a cereal company and sent it to them.  They thought I showed promise, as they were just being kind, and told me to check back with them in 18 years.  I never did, mainly because they stopped making OK Cereal.  I started writing songs in the 4th grade.  I started writing serious poetry in the 8th grade, and I began writing plays in the 12th grade.  All that is to say, I like to write.  I also like writers.  My mother was a writer, as was her sister.  So, this story is about writers.

 I had an English teacher in the 12th grade named Mrs. Greene.  Her husband taught Theatre at USC, and she introduced us to James Dickey.  He was a world-renown poet, and he wrote the novel "Deliverance".  He wanted us to call him "Jim", so we did.  Jim invited us over to his house which was crammed with books.  Most writers have a lot of books.  He was very gracious to us, and we picked his brain on how to write poetry.  I already knew, or I thought I did, but he opened our eyes to imagery in poetry.  I also got to know his son Chris who later became a journalist.  He was the first American to be at the site of Princess Diana's car crash in Paris.  

 A few years later, I was a Senior at PC and was taking a class on Modern Poetry.  I hated the teacher, because I felt his interpretations of poems were way off.  I failed the course, because I rebelled against him.  However, he knew Jim Dickey and invited him to come to our school to read some of his works and have lunch with our class.  Jim remembered me from my class in high school, and he invited me to sit next to him at lunch.  He had been drinking, which was not unusual for him, and his breath just about knocked me over.  It was nice to see him, though.  He did sign a book of poetry for me next to one of his famous poems which was "Buckdancer's Choice".

 About three years after that, I was living in Fort Worth across from TCU.  I heard that Jim was going to do a lecture one night, and I went to say hello.  After it was over, I was walking up to him, and he called out my name and gave me a big bear hug.  He was surprised to see me, and we were able to catch up on his family.  His wife and daughter were there, too.  I found a spoken word record at a store of Jim reading his poetry.  I should have had him sign it.  Jim had his faults, but I learned a lot from him.  He was one of my writing mentors.  

 The other famous writer that I met was Alex Haley.  He came to PC to speak about his book upcoming book called "Roots".  We talked about Civil Rights, and the part that my cousin played as a Freedom Rider with Dr. King.  He was interesting to talk to, but his ego was pretty big.  There was just a small group of students around him, including me.  Little did we know that "Roots" would be a best seller and a TV mini-series, which was extremely popular.  

Flying

  The next two people that I have met are pretty different in their music.  One is mostly a gospel singer, and the other is mostly a folk singer.  One is probably only known in gospel circles.  The other is known all over the world.  

 In 2008, I was in Nashville working on the next cd for The Cobbwebs.  We had done a cd in 2001 that was well received, and then the band broke up.  Some would say we took a seven-year hiatus.  We had some new songs, and I had written some lyrics for the cd.  We were recording in Chris's home studio.  One afternoon, a woman came over for a visit.  Her name was Kimber Manning.  I had heard about her from Chris, but I didn't know her music.  As it turned out, she had sung in the Speer Family which was a gospel group.  She was wanting to branch out and record her own songs, and Chris was helping her with that.  She seemed nice, as we talked around the table in the kitchen.  It was obvious that she was a perfectionist in our music.  I guess that's why I liked her, because I have been a perfectionist in my work as an actor and writer.  I learned later that she was a little bit too demanding in her work.  As far as I know, she has released only one cd.

 In 1991, Chris and Del wanted me to go with them to a show at a club in Five Points.  The singer was formerly in a 60's band that became famous around the world.  That band was The Byrds, and the singer's name was Roger McGuinn.  He is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Byrds.  Roger was in Columbia to do a show with his backup band called The Headlights.  We sat two rows from the front, and the show was great.  We had heard that he was going to sign stuff after the show in his tour bus.  Del and Chris had brought record albums for him to sign.  I couldn't find an album, so I brought an article from a Boston magazine about him.  His wife was not the friendliest person in the world and was a bit controlling about how many things he would sign.  When it was my turn, she handed the article to him.  He had not seen it, and he asked me where this had come from.  I told him that it was from Boston.  He asked me if I was from there, and I said no.  A friend gave it to me.  He signed the page and gave it back to me.  I had a one-of-a-kind piece with his autograph.  That was kind of cool.  He was very nice.  When I got back home, I screamed.  I saw the soundtrack to the film "Easy Rider" in my record collection.  Roger recorded a song for that record.  I could have had him sign it, but NOOOOOO!!!

 I kept in touch with Roger after that night.  He gave me some pointers on writing songs.  In 1997, Crosby, Stills & Nash came to Columbia for a concert.  Since David Crosby had been a founding member of The Byrds, I wrote to him and asked if he would be coming up from his home in Florida to see the show.  David and Roger had a falling out over The Byrds, but they were trying to reconcile.  Roger said he was sorry, but he said "Not this time".  We have corresponded a few times since then. When my father died in 1999, the song on Rich's muzak was "Turn Turn Turn" by The Byrds.  It was very comforting.  I told Roger about that, and his words of sympathy were heartfelt.   He was  very nice to me.  A true gentleman.  

Quarrymen

  Two guys from a little band in Liverpool during the 1950's crossed my path in 1995 in Chicago.  Their names were Rod Davis and John Duff Lowe.  You may not recognize their names, but you might recognize the names of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.  They were all in a little skiffle group called The Quarrymen.  Lennon started the group with Davis and Lowe.  McCartney and Harrison joined later.  The group later became The Beatles with Davis and Lowe continuing on as The Quarrymen along with a couple of others.

 I had gone to Beatlefest in Chicago in 1995.  I had also met Denny Laine there, as well as George Harrison's sister Louise.  There were mostly vendors there selling Beatles merchandise, but there were also famous and semi-famous people there, as well.  Rod and John were there promoting their new CD called "Open for Engagement" and signing copies.  Apparently, most people at the convention didn't know who they were.  I did.

 Rod was sitting at his table all alone.  I went up to him and introduced myself.  We talked for quite a while about the four lads from Liverpool and the history of The Quarrymen.  I told him about my connection with Yoko.  He signed a copy of the CD for me, and John walked up.  He was not as talkative as Rod was, but he still was nice.  He signed my CD, too.  We talked about how much John liked to party, and how much Paul was obsessed with the music.  George just wanted to belong to something and learn to play the guitar. I think they liked John more than the other two. He was more mature. It was great talking with them about the old days before Beatlemania.  Check out their music.  It is pretty good.