Life 2.0

Like A Rock

The anticipation of reconnecting with guys I played college football with back when Gerald Ford was POTUS was off the charts. However, in mere moments, one-half century melted away, and all of us were back in the huddle again, ready to strap it up one more time. But, for me, the lessons of football didn't end when the final whistle blew; in some way, they were just beginning. There are great parallels between the gridiron and real life, and I was once again reminded of how important it is to remember the faces and names that were a part of my life back then, that helped to shape who I am now. 

Cause in Life

They say that death comes in threes, and the past few days, we've said goodbye to Ozzy Osborne, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Hulk Hogan. But those are only the names we know. The average life expectancy is 78.5 years, which is just 28,652 days to find out why you showed up on the planet in the first place. The truth is that 3,500 people die every day in America, and one million around the world per week. Tomorrow, when I attend the wake of a friend who passed away this past week, I will be keeping in mind that how you die isn't nearly as important as how you live.

The Eastland Disaster

110 years ago today, July 24th, 1915, The Eastland was bound for a day trip across Lake Michigan filled with employees of The Western Electric Company. Over 2,500 people boarded the boat, docked on the Chicago River, and less than an hour later,  844 men, women, children, and crew were killed in what was the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes. So, how is it possible that over a century later, the name "Neils Petersen" was broadcast in an edit suite at the Oprah Radio Studios in 2008 on a speaker that wasn't even plugged in? One of the most unbelievable experiences of my life, and it's why every July 24th, I make sure to visit Niels and his son Royal, who also perished.

Reaching for Beautiful

When Sally McQuillen's twenty-one-year-old son died in a boat accident, her greatest fear was realized. Christopher was often drawn to risk and struggled with addiction. In this riveting memoir, Sally captures the wild ride of his jam-packed life and her deep love for him while reflecting on her own childhood and her family’s legacy of alcoholism. 

A powerful conversation with an incredible author and reluctant prophet on what it's like living through unrelenting grief, and finding a measure of purpose in unimaginable loss.

Oprah Radio Rewind

This episode only exists because of a loss. John Keith, one of the most erudite, eclectic, and impressive guys I've ever known and worked with in radio, passed away in May. My first call was to my radio right arm, Katherine Kelly Murphy, with the news about our friend, and that led to a conversation about putting together a reunion in John's memory with some of the original crew that built Oprah Radio. It's a return to an alternate universe of sorts, when eight radio pros from very different backgrounds had the opportunity to create something from nothing and, in doing so, forge friendships and memories that have endured long after the last episode aired. 

John Denver-Behind the Iron Curtain-1985

40 years ago today, on June 29th, 1985, John Denver held the first of eleven public concerts in the former Soviet Union. The cultural agreement between the USA and the USSR had lapsed in 1980 after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Denver, the world-renowned singer/songwriter and humanitarian, used his formidable international presence to build the first bridge between the two countries, thus opening the door to other artists to follow, and played a role in moving President Regan and Soviet leader Gorbachev towards The Geneva Summit. 

 

Those concerts were captured by the brilliant Roger "The Immortal" Nichols on a digital recording rig he built that fit into a couple of suitcases, forever cementing Denver's voice and message into the archives of history.

 

On this podcast, I talk with Roger's daughter, Ashlee Nichols, about how her dad designed and produced the recordings, as well as comments from John's brother, Ron, about the CD that would eventually be produced. Also, Dr. Cheryl Charles joins me to talk about Denver's "Windstar Foundation" that was a pivotal part of that time as a global think tank and action center in the Rocky Mountains, and last but not least, some incredible archived audio from Denver's concert in the USSR and subsequent appearances on American television with Maria Shriver and David Letterman. 

 

"Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the songs."

Bruce

At zero dark-thirty this morning, the boomerang of grief hit me right between the eyes. My brother from another mother-Bruce Hardwick-passed away on June 1st, and for whatever reason, today it was time for me to share a few thoughts about this incredible man. I've known some great people in my time, but none greater than Muk-Ta-The' (Black Striped Wolf), who is the man that held my hand (literally) when life had closed one door and I was struggling to find the open one decades ago. From humble beginnings, Bruce became known to many around the world as a teacher, mentor, and friend. 

JAWS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

In 1975, JAWS was released into 450 theaters, creating the first summer blockbuster and effectively changing the way humans related to open water. I was just 16 years old, and while I had read an excerpt of JAWS in Reader's Digest before it became a best seller, I knew something was up when a friend of mine came back after watching the movie with..."I'll never swim in the ocean again."

 

I've grabbed some audio from previous JAWS episodes, including my pal Jimmy Brinks (who, along with Donnie Scheffler, went with me to watch it the first time). Carl Gottlieb, who played Harry Meadows in the film, as well as being a main script writer, and my friend Richard Kaufman, who played on the original movie soundtrack. And, in homage to Robert Shaw's brilliant USS Indianapolis monologue, I do my own read (in lieu of paying serious coin to use the orginal audio) of that powerful piece of movie history 

 

 

Father's Day

I wasn't actually going to do a podcast today, and then I started getting text messages asking where the podcast was on a Saturday. Well, all the puzzle pieces fell together for a Father's Day episode, and some great memories and lessons of Poppa John, who was a banker by profession, Count Dracula during Halloween, a Friday night bowler, and above all, my dad.

Aruging with Idiots

Many years ago, when I was still bulletproof and could bench press a small car, I worked as a bouncer on the weekends at a local bar. The first lesson the owner gave me was that I should never argue with drunks or idiots- usually the same thing- because the second you do, they win. In the times we live in now, arguing with dimwits, nitwits and halfwits who are drunk with an inflated political sense of self is a reminder that rational people will never convice an irrational person they are wrong no matter the facts, figures or truths.