David Letterman

I met David Letterman in London.

He had taken The Late Show there for a week and I went there to interview him and to help get the word out. The show was broadcast out of a theater and he was onstage with Paul Shaffer and his Late Show Band. 

David's guests were The Abfab Girls, two actresses from the hit show Absolutely Fabulous. I saw most of his show before I went upstairs to  prepare for David with two cameras, mics, and lights. The show ends and up the stairs he comes smoking a cigar.

"Great show," I say.

"Piece of shit," David responds. I remember thinking, "This might be different."

That's how I met David Letterman.

As they're putting the mic on him I say, "nice cigar."I didn't know it then but it was a Cuban cigar. "Oh, you like?" he answers with a devious smile, "here have one." I was ready to try one to attempt to warm the room up and that's when I made a bad mistake. When I lit it up I inhaled. A very bad mistake. All of a sudden there were three David Lettermans. That coupled with the fact he was not very warm and friendly and that coupled with the fact he didn't know me or care to know me made for an interesting time.  The interview was a lot of yeps and nopes and sweat on my fevered brow.

.
The second meeting was a couple of months later at The Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. I forget what it was for but I expected David to be not so friendly and I expected him to figuratively punch me in the face during the interview. Didn't happen. In fact it took almost the whole time to put my imaginary dukes down and realize I didn't need to put them up in the first place.  He was warm, funny, and smart. David couldn't have been nicer. When the interview ended he hung around and chatted with me and the crew for a while before he left. 

I remember thinking, "This is sure different than the first go round."

Turns out his head writer did stand up comedy at Catch a Rising Star. I did stand up comedy at Catch a Rising Star. He saw me, told David, and because of that I was 'in the club.' 

That changed the whole thing.

Cut ahead to the 'The Blizzard of '96' and that was the third time we got together. It snowed so much in Manhattan that they were dumping snow in the East River and cross country skiing down 5th Avenue. My friend Howard Grufferman drove me to Dave's studio to read the Top Ten List. Being the weatherman on CBS This Morning and Dave being on CBS, there I was. It was a wild night to say the least. The audience, which usually numbered in the hundreds, was much smaller. It didn't even fill the bottom seats and there was no one in the balcony.

The Top Ten List was Blizzard Safety Tips.

There I was..."Number 10..." As David read the number I would read the list. It was a hoot. Finally he said, "Number 1," and I wrapped it up by saying the Number 1 Blizzard Safety Tip, "Flannel Condoms From L. L. Bean."

Great time.

We shook hands on the air and as I was leaving I heard a loud whistle from David's direction. 

I turned and he threw me a cigar.

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There Are Things We All Say That Made Me Wonder

Fit as a fiddle.

I'm watching lots of heads nod up and down as people know what you're talking about. Are fiddles in good shape? Do they work out? Who was the first person ever to say that? I've been saying that a long time.

A sight for sore eyes.

It's usually preceded by 'you're' but you guys get the picture. What are sore eyes? If you have them you might have a problem.  Makes me take off my glasses and rub both eyes. Did notice you can't see when you do that. Just saying.

Eggs show up a lot in our sayings. Don't think so? Here we go.

Not the warmest egg in the bunch.

First of all if you have a warm egg in the carton or one that hasn't been cooked or boiled? That's not  good. And eggs don't come in a bunch. Actually this saying isn't even about eggs yet we all know what it means and I've been using it since I was knee high to a grasshopper. 

He's a good egg.

This is also one that's been going around forever and also one that has nothing to do with eggs. It's the flip side of the above saying. If you'd never heard it before you might not know it was about someone you want to hang with. But it is.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Repeat-peat-peat-peat-peat not about eggs at all. Who decided that putting all your hopes and dreams in the big city, in college, in a job, would be talked about that way? It's something you hope someone doesn't say to you.

And this one which isn't officially about eggs but fits.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

Again not about chickens but you've used it. How many times have you told a friend, a relative, a loved one, to not get their hopes up over something? We all have used it. We all know what it means.

Now back to those sayings that aren't eggs or chickens.

Pretty as a picture.

We all know why we say it but what does it mean? When you're standing in front of a mirror with your young daughter with bows in her hair, a dress she picked out with shoes to match? That is a picture of what it means. Might be a hug and kiss in there too.

Salt of the earth.

Everyone wants to be called this.  It's a place of respect and honor but where the heck did that come from? I wonder if the first time a person said that about another person was there a fist fight or close to it? Say it out loud. Sounds so good and is so weird.

Naked as a Jay bird.

I see a vision in my head of a diaper-less infant laughing and running around holding on to couches and coffee tables. I've never seen a Jay bird much less even know what one is. Is it a Blue Jay? And if we're talking about birds they're kinda already naked.

I need a hobby.

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Things I Eat

I was thinking of my favorite foods. And it's a goofy list.

Let's start with stuff I don't like.

Steak. I'm not a big steak guy, in fact never was. Steak rare? Yuck.There are people out there who think I'm crazy for saying that but I don't care. I haven't had one in over thirty years. Don't miss it.

Vegetables.

Oh, I'll eat them but I don't really seek them out. Does mashed potatoes count? Vegetables are very healthy and everyone should eat some every day. I tell myself that every day.

Oysters and clams? Not in my house. I tried oysters once and that was enough. You know that taste you get when you have a cold and  clear your nose? To me that's oysters and that stopped me from having clams.

Coconut anything and hot dogs. Hamburgers yes but hot dogs no.

Just a few but here comes the good stuff.

If you told me I'd ever go to the Wing House I would have thought you were out of your mind. Well, guess what, I go and love the boneless chicken wings. Tasty.

This pasta/lasagna dish I make is yummy too. First of all I'm a lousy cook but I'm learning.  You boil the Angel Hair pasta and cook up the vegan ground beef. Add onions, chili pepper and marinara sauce. Then layer it with cheese and there you go.

Banana and peanut butter wraps are one of my favorites. I've liked PB forever, Jif, and bananas have always been way up there for a long time. Fruit. Healthy. I like apples not oranges so much. Grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and more. I'm a fruit guy.

Okay cuisines.

Southern  cuisine I can't eat being a stroke survivor. Everything is tasty but everything seems to be fried and that's a no no.

 

I love Mexican food. Quesadillas, tacos, queso, rice and beans, I could go on. I've always said if they could melt cheese on wood I'd eat it. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a frozen margarita. Love them too.

Italian food. One of my favorites, Lasagna and spaghetti and garlic bread? So good.

And now stuff I like but stuff I should stay away from.

 I've always had a sweet tooth but not candy so much other than Reece's ,but there are things I eat way too much. Like ice cream. Ben and Jerry's Tonight Dough? Too tasty. All Ben and Jerry's ice cream is trouble it's that good. I also love cookies, chocolate chips, and eat them way too much. Especially if they're baked at home. 

Just a few things about a few things.

After reading this off to the gym I go.

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Tony Bennett

                                                     My friend, my dear friend, Tony is gone.

I was running around doing things and I got a text from my friend Karen that told me what you now know is true. I was flabbergasted and began to cry. We all knew it was coming but that doesn't make that news any easier. 

These last couple of years have been hard but let's go back in time. 

I first met Tony, I first interviewed him, at The Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center. It was for CBS This Morning. Remember I was a former rock and roll DJ but I sure knew who he was. He was kind, he was decent, he was smart, and I don't have to tell you he was talented. Later on, I found out how talented Tony really was.  

Keep in mind although he was Tony Bennett he wasn't yet THE Tony Bennett that was his second act. We have his son Danny to thank for that as he managed his Dad and took him to Mount Everest, the Grammy for album of the year, and more without changing what made Tony famous in the first place.

His voice.

And those songs. 

He had Tony touring colleges and a new audience found out what the old audience knew. He was special.

But let's go back to my early days with Tony and what an influence he was on my life. I had him on my show a number of times and one time he said I reminded him of Ed Sullivan. He said that on national tv and I don't have to tell you that went a long way.

That was Tony.

Okay, Live By Request on A&E. 

I hosted that show and Tony got that for me. You've heard the story but if you haven't it went like this. He did that show on the radio. People would call in, tell him what a certain song meant to them and Tony would sing it. They decided to bring it to television and the show was scheduled for Valentine's Day. They wanted a female host to go along with Tony and he said no. He wanted Mark McEwen. They said, "Who?" He said, "Mark McEwen."

Three times he said my name and three times they demurred until he put his foot down and they got me as the host.

That show won an Emmy and it ran for seven years. Tony got me that job.

Over the years our friendship grew.  Remember I mentioned his talents? Plural? One time I was interviewing him at his old dwelling and saw him painting, doodling actually, a plant and I said, "You paint?" He said, "Yes." And then Tony said, "I should paint you." I hemmed and hawed and by the time I was in the hall I thought, "What did I just do?"

A year went by before I saw him again and I said,"Remember when you said you'd paint me?" Tony smiled broadly and said, "Sure." Well, another year went by and on Live By Request he presented me with his painting.

It hangs in a place of honor in my home.

\

When I had my stroke Tony called a lot. His conversations meant so much to me. One day he called as I was finishing up my book. Tony asked what I was doing, and I told him. He quietly said,"I'd be happy to give you a quote for your book." And he did. 

Uber Driver

I am an Uber Driver. And I love it.

How’d that happen?

First of all you know I substitute teach but as Alice Cooper sang,”School’s out for the summer,” and that J-O-B dried up. My wife said I needed something to do and brought up the fact that I also needed to get out of the house and suggested Uber. 

My first thought was,”Do I need a hat?”

After applying and giving them my license and make of car and my plate number and a photo of me (gasp gasp) I was good to go.

My first week was abysmal.

I made so many mistakes.

 See, the way it works is you get the app, go online and it dings if there is a rider. You can accept or not but if you do you’re in your car with the GPS guiding you to the pickup.

After picking up the rider the GPS guides you to their Dropoff location. Sounds easy right?

What I did wrong was you have to hit a certain button to signify the drop off of your passenger. I didn't do that so the first four rides were free. Not good. I learned fast, had to, so that whole thing was fixed toot sweet.

Since then? Smooth sailing.

Things I've learned by Mark McEwen. Some passengers don't say anything so as the driver you don't say anything. BUT.  Some talk and the conversations you have are just wonderful. “Are you from Florida?” Many are many are not. If not,” How long have you been here?” “Sure is hot.” “ What do you do?”

And on and on.

I get to say things like,”It’s real hot in the summer here but it’s fun watching winter on teevee.” That kind of stuff gets a chortle.

I’ve learned that the bigger the dollar amount the farther you drive. How’d I learn that? Picked up a big money fare and they wanted to go all the way to Tampa. Not only is it an hour and half drive, one way, you come home empty. You don’t want to do that.

You have repeat customers that you get to know like old friends. That’s cool. I’ve also been to the airport more times than I care to mention. I’ve also learned to, ahem, tinkle before I leave.

As they say in Shrek,”Better out than in.”

The things you learn.

My parents taught to me to be polite and taught me manners.

 Goes a long way.

I’d write more but my Uber app just dinged with a new rider.

I’m off.

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Women Sports Announcers

When I was younger women didn't announce sports. They just didn't.

We all heard the story, or maybe you didn't, of what happened when Jayne Kennedy announced the scores on the NFL Today as, 15 to 10, 35 to nothing, 27 to 14. Didn't say the teams just the scores. 

Now, I don't know if that's true but that's the kind of stuff we heard.

Guys were used to sitting around the telly, hollering at it, drinking beer and getting their info from male announcers. Football games, basketball games, baseball, hockey.  

Soccer wasn't even a thing then but that's another story.

What changed that perception? ESPN.

Bristol, Connecticut. 

At first they showed junk like penguin racing (I'm being facetious but you get the idea). See, we never had a sports network. And like many things it started slow. No SportsCenter, no Top Ten plays, no,"He could go all the way." 

And then it began rolling.

And with it came women who knew their sports. 

At first I, like most men, had to be on that learning curve. BUT. If you go to games you'll see women yelling just as loudly, their faces painted just as much, and their number one fingers held just as high.

At first there were just a few women. It wasn't a tidal wave. Yet. But here it came. What began as just women has turned into gorgeous women. Who all know their sh@t.

Turn on SportsCenter now and that's what you'll see, pretty women who all know their sports.

Anchors and reporters.

.

And then there's Doris Burke.

You might say who?

She was the first female commentator to call a New York Knicks game on radio and television. The first woman to be assigned a full NBA regular season role. She was the first woman to host the NBA Finals on ESPN radio.

That's just a few of her firsts.

I'm very used to her thoughts and insights and am used to seeing her behind the mike at NBA games.

We've come a long way.

Yes we have.

 

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Some Thoughts

File this under' Am I dumb to just now notice this or what?'

Remember hub caps? 

As you're driving around look at the tire rims of cars, suvs, jeeps and pickups. Check them at a red light or in the parking lot of your supermarket. They have these kinda spoke like rims and here's the catch many have a variation of that theme but theme it is. Most of them have the same kinds of rims which begs questions. 

First why are they all pretty much the same? 

And second who decided that was the way to go? And what made everybody follow suit?

Plus what is the company that benefits from all this?

You check and see if I'm crazy.

How come teenage girl students call each other 'bro? Last I checked 'bro was what you called your 'bro.

Kids also think we were never young once. Like they invented staying out late, fake IDs and hooking school. I'll say this, I did things then they would never do now.

Like hitchhiking.

They play that Jaws like music in movies if that ever comes up. And you can bet the killer is behind the wheel of that car.

Plus it's different being a parent than it is being a kid. As a kid you worry about nothing. As a parent you worry about everything. My Dad used to say he'd jump in front of a train for his kids and I was like riiiight.

I'd jump in front of a train for my kids.

One thing I had to get used to in the South was praying before public meals. Now, I was raised Catholic and we prayed before every dinner,"Thank you Lord for these Thy Gifts..."

Just not in public.

Had to get used to it.

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Thoughts

We live in a golden age.  Of insurance. 

Say what?

You'd think so the way their commercials on television are everywhere. 

No? Let's play a little game.

Who is Flo and that lizard with the British accent? You only pay for what you need. Who's that belong to? Which insurance has a host who's an Oscar winner? Hint: We know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two.

I've got more.

How about I say Jake from...I bet you can finish that sentence. Last one...to save you from mayhem like me. What insurance company is that? Can I say I love that guy?

A Golden Age.

Look around you and you'll see guys with beards. I know what you're thinking-no big deal right? Beards used to be kinda short but what I'm talking about is guys these days who have beards like they're in ZZ Top.

You see them all over the place or at least I do. You know the old joke when you have a beard that long. Something about finding parts of your dinner in it. 

Dinner from two days ago.

I ain't gonna lie to ya...whenever I would go to the grocery store I would ride around until I got a close parking space.

Which got me to thinking.

People who work out...do they purposely look for a space further away so they can get that extra bit of exercise when they walk from the car to the gym then back to the car?

I deal with news differently now.

You've heard me say I like knowing things and that I read three newspapers a day. I do. However the way I read them has evolved. There are parts I sometimes skip over.  I never used to do that but the news these days is wearing me out. 

Nowadays sports, the newest show to stream, Carolyn Hax on advice and the newest artist I should know. That kind of stuff gets a lot of play. 

Oh, I read hard news so I know what's going on but just.so.much.

Since we're talking, the news on television is a lot of opinion journalism which means they rehash the same things over and over. And over. 

You ever watch golf on tv? 

The next time watch when the golfers shake hands on the 18th green and take their caps off. Am I only one who notices how stone cold white their foreheads are?

I get it, you're in the sun all day but the first time I saw that I thought what the...

A pet peeve of mine is that there are speed bumps in parking lots here.

One of my favorite things to do is go 80 miles an hour through one.

Just kidding.

Truth is I couldn't if I wanted to.

There are speed bumps all through them like that reality is the real reality. I've always wondered if the shock guys and the speed bump guys are in cahoots.  

This next tale will sound familiar to some of you. 

I have a stepdaughter, Jenna, who told me very strongly at fifteen that she was never going to have kids.

I reminded her that when you say that at fifteen you're allowed to change your mind.

Nope. Ain't gonna happen for sure.

What about if you meet the sun, the moon, and the stars, and he wants to start a family with you?

Wouldn't budge.

Well, ladies and gentlemen meet the sun, the moon, and the stars. His name is Austin. Not only is he a great guy but he's all that and a bag of chips. Jenna is now deep in talks with Austin, ahem, about you know what.

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My Son Miles

I have a son named Miles, you know that. He's a senior in high school, is 18, and drives himself to school. And to work.

 

It's great when the dinner check comes and your kid says, "I'll get that."

I also have a dog who answers to the name of Lola. She gets asked the same question all the time, "Who's a good girl?"

Now here's where we take a bit of a turn and why it's so great being a dad. One day I'm sitting at the kitchen table playing the who's a good girl game with Lola when Miles said something I'd never heard before. "We call them dogs," he said kissing Lola. "That's a human term. I wonder what they call themselves. If anything."

You know how you cock your head when you have a thought you never had before? And you make a sound that goes up at the end?

It had me go to a place I hadn't been before and my son led me there. How cool is that?

Do elephants call themselves elephants? Do cows call themselves cows?  Do snakes call themselves snakes? It goes on and on and...I wonder what they call us?

Things your son made you think about.

Miles and I do things that only he and I do. Like go see the latest Batman movie. I get the tickets he gets the snacks we get father son time. Oh the movies we have seen...A Quiet Place, Iron Man, The Joker, The Batman Trilogy, the one with Christian Bale and Star Wars. Star Wars? Do you know how surreal it is to talk about Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and C3PO with your kid? 

It came out in 1977!

Needless to say we've seen all the Star Wars movies since.

Never forget he is a twin. For people who don't have twins they think they're exactly alike. For those that have them they know they're not.

Miles and Griffin grew into Griffin and Miles.

Couldn't love them more.

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Winter In Florida

I always say that if you told me I'd be living in Florida...

But I do.

This is the time of year I get to use the phrase I say maybe three or four times a year. "It sure is cold outside." It says it right on our license plates that Florida is The Sunshine State. It should say the Hot As Hell State because a lot of the time that's what it is.

But it is winter here and the happiest one about that is Lola the Dog who has a coat and can't believe how much fun now is. Man, she's 13 and to see her running around like when she was younger?

So very cool.

And I used the play on words on purpose.

Meanwhile to see people in wool hats, gloves and zipped up jackets? Different. It's so unusual and happens here so rarely that you forget how different it is to live in the land of no blizzards.

Let's talk about that blood thins thing. I disagree. I think that you don't see real cold often that when it does happen, and you're used to it being 80 degrees and up, it affects you differently. They say your blood thins. I used to live in New York and you get used to wind chills and snow. In Florida not so much.

I do say this.

If people from Buffalo came down right now, they'd be in shorts, Hawaiian shirts and flip flops. As I watch people in scarves and trench coats when it is 50 I think to myself, "You have no idea."

And they don't.

We've all heard the term snow bird and for the very few who haven't, someone who lives here in the winter to avoid the cold. All together now,"Mwah ha ha!"

So it's cold here and it's actually colder in my house than it is outside. That's because most of us have trouble finding the heat button. We use it so rarely.

Soon it will go back to being hot as heck with the air conditioning on full blast. And the cold will become a hazy memory.

But for now? 

Cold.

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What I remember

Here are my 9-11 memories.

Although I lived in Manhattan,  I was in Los Angeles. I was doing CBS This Morning and that day was to be the first Latin Grammys. I was there to cover that. That morning I broadcast out of Television City. Whenever I went anywhere we always broadcast on the shows' time-7 to 9 a.m. Eastern. So of course we had to be up and at 'em to be on the air at 4-6 L.A. time.

That morning was pretty uneventful. 

On my end, in addition to doing the weather, I interviewed an artist from Columbia named Juanes. He was up for multiple Grammys that evening and not only did he agree to the interview he was kind enough to perform. When he was done and they cut back to New York I asked him to autograph his CD. He did and I still have it.

After the show ended we went across the street to Katz' Deli to get a bagel with a schmear before going back to bed. 

Here's where it all began.

Our waiter as he was taking our order casually said, "You're from New York, right?" I nodded yes and he continued, "A plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers." My first response was like so many,"A Piper Cub?" "No, a jet airliner. And another airliner just hit the other tower." What?

We (I say we because it was me and my dear friend Barbara Dally makeup person extraordinaire) hustled back to the studio to watch on the monitors and the first words I heard were from Bryant Gumbel. He said, "Oh my, The Pentagon is under attack." That definitely got my attention.

Like most of America we were transfixed in front of the television all day. Again, memories.

I remember they had a video that somebody had shot from a balcony in Newark on their cell phone. It showed the second plane hitting a tower and you could hear the voices in the background reacting in horror. Get this, they freely used curse words, which you could hear, and still it was shown over and over again. Now we are used to hearing and reading those words but back then that was definitely something I had never heard on television before.

I was worried about my wife and daughter but because the cell phone antennas were on top of the World Trade Center it all went dark. You couldn't get through.

That day was full of images. Holes, big holes, in each tower where the planes had hit. People being shown jumping out of windows to their deaths which made me wonder what was so horrible behind them to make them choose that alternative. People covered in soot staggering away down streets. Firemen and first responders heading towards the flames. We're used to 24/7 news channels now but were not used to news all the time then.

By the end of the day both towers had collapsed.

And you could have wrung me, and America, dry.

A day I will never forget.

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My Dad

My Dad used to say something to me as a kid.

He'd say he said he jump in front of a train for his kids and I thought, "Yeah, right." Now I'm the father and I understand that now. I tell my kids, well, you know, and I mean it like my Dad did. 

My Father passed on Valentine's Day and I've been struggling with his passing ever since. I thought it would be easier and it's not. What did I know?

Odd things make me think of him. 

Odd? How about Jethro Tull?  

 I was walking my Lola, had my headphones plugged in to my iPhone, listening to music. "Cross Eyed Mary" came on and all of a sudden there I was misting up. My Dad never, ever, listened to rock and roll, or pop, or r&b. He was an opera guy, a symphony guy, a Lambert, Hendricks and Ross guy. Tull had a flute and I brought that to my Dad.

Orchestras had a flute, right?

I loved my Dad and thought it would fit right in... To his credit he smiled and listened to Jethro Tull and made his son feel ten feet tall.

How about Mike and The Mechanics, "In The Living Years?" The line, "I wasn't there that morning when my father passed away," is hard just to write much less listen to. Man, there are so many.

My wife's Mother died a year ago January when my Father was still very much alive. I didn't quite grasp the enormity of that moment and she said, "I mean no ill will but just wait. You'll see."

Turns out she was more than right.

My Mom's been gone for over twenty years and I miss her every day but I always had my Dad. And now I don't. 

I hope to see both of them again.

This is my favorite picture of me and Pop.

Favorite one.

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Willie Nelson

                                                             Willie Nelson



There’s a story behind the first time I met Willie.  

I had just started with CBS and we went to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry to get some interviews. The Country Music Awards were broadcast on our network and this was for a set up piece.

I’m up in the seats watching Kris Kristofferson onstage and my producer says, “Go down there and get Willie for an interview.” I said okay and proceeded to head down to talk to his tour manager.  

Willie was back on the tour bus.

When I got down to the stage I politely asked his tour manager if I could talk to Willie.
“No,” she said, “N-O,” she spelled just in case I didn’t hear her the first time. I  turned tail and went back to my producer and told him what had just happened.

“What!” he said, “You’re from CBS. Get your ass down there and get that interview!” "Goll-ee," I thought, "This guy is kinda mean," but back down I went. Here was one of the first times that knowing music as opposed to being a news guy helped me. 

When Willie came off the bus I said, “My name is Mark McEwen, I’m from CBS. Two of your songs, Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain and Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground are two of my favorite songs. Can I talk to you?”

He stopped, smiled, and said, “My time is your time.”

And that’s how I met Willie Nelson.

In my younger days I knew who was but had never met him. Over the years I had heard stories about him though.

Like this one.

Willie was one of the founders of Farm Aid, a concert event that gave all the monies raised to charities that helped farmers. It attracted all kinds of big name people and was broadcast on cable, so we're talking big dough. Over the years he owed a bunch of money to the IRS, due to bad tax advice, and they seized his properties. When they had an auction for his stuff farmers bid for his houses and things, bought them, and gave them back to Willie.

They thought that much of him.

Hearing stories like that will make you cry.

Okay one more.

I did a Live By Request on A&E with him. He couldn't have been nicer and by now we were old friends. The show went well, his performance was great, and the audience loved him. After the show I went back to his bus to thank him for everything. On that bus he had a joint as long as my arm (doesn't make you a bad person) and he cupped it behind his back. I used to do that with my ciggys back in the day. The bus reeked of you know what. 

Willie shook my hand, we hugged, and off I went.

Willie Nelson. A great, great, man. And I've told everyone.

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Gary Wordlaw

Gary Wordlaw changed my life. Pretty bold, huh?  But true.

Let's jump in the Way Back Machine.

I first met Gary when he was the GM of our CBS affiliate in Syracuse. He was doing a huge promotion with his station where viewers could enter a contest to fish in a lake. Oh yeah, I should mention he's pretty gosh darn smart. If a viewer caught a special fish he put in there they would win a million dollars.

Well, my show sent me up to Syracuse to put the whole thing on national tv and that's how we met.

Great guy.

It's now 2019 and I hear from him about the Black News Channel that is going to launch in 2020. Gary was its' Vice President of Programming and News and asked me would I be interested in being a part of it. Uh, yeah. We, he and his lovely wife Marjorie, agreed to meet for lunch.

One of the best lunches I've ever had.

See, this was post stroke and while I had done a few things since they weren't exactly banging down the front door. During that lunch we talked about all kinds of things and then Gary asked me what did I think about doing drop ins for Men's Health.  I didn't know then, but men, Black men, are notorious for not going to the doctor. 

You know the old saying if you can help one person...

So I said yes I was more than interested. He said, "I'll be in touch," and off he and Marjorie went. About a month later I get a call from him and Gary said something that is one of my favorite things that anyone has ever said to me.

"My wife said if I don't offer you a job she's gonna kill me." He continued with a twinkle in his voice,"And I don't want to die!"

And that's how I got on the Black News Channel.

A month later Gary called again to tell me I had a show that would cover all things men...cooking, teaching, doctors, health, music, and on and on. He said it needed a title and I said, "How about All Things Men?"

So here we are. I'm so excited that I'm back on national television and so excited to have the show I have. It was pointed out that women have shows, think The View think The Talk, but there isn't a show about men.

We hope to change that.

Gary Wordlaw changed my life. Pretty bold, huh? But true.

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Random Thoughts

They have movies now that show the life of musical legends. We didn't have that when I was younger.

Jamie Foxx won a well deserved Oscar for playing  Ray Charles in Ray. There is a movie about Elton John (Rocketman),  a good one, too.  Rami Malek also garnered an Oscar for portraying Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. And here comes Aretha and the movie Respect.

I've got a new game I play when I'm driving. 

I count how fast it get's me to see ten pickup trucks. You might be surprised. Sometimes it takes awhile and I'm not talking that much, but sometimes it's the wink of an eye. Is it because I live in Florida that there are so many? 

You try it and let me know if it's just here or is it everywhere.

I wonder if dogs think of themselves as dogs or call themselves something else.

A question that's been asked a thousand times. Does anyone cook in their microwave?

You ever watch golf on tv? The next time watch when the golfers shake hands on the 18th green and take their caps off. Am I only one who notices how stone cold white their foreheads are?

I get it, you're in the sun all day playing but the first time I saw that I thought what the...

I heard Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes Bad Luck on my headphones today and that made me realize how much I love Teddy Pendergrass. Remember him? 

You should.

And does What I Like About You by The Romantics ever get old?

Not for me.

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Going To Chicago

There's a story behind this picture but before I tell you that let me tell you who's in this picture.

Left to right--my dear friend Howard Grufferman, Gene Siskel (of Siskel and Ebert), a Chicago Bulls cheerleader, and me.

This was taken in the United Center home of the Bulls. Gene was a movie reviewer along with Roger Ebert and their TV show Siskel and Ebert gave us the phrase, "Two Thumbs Up." Gene, a huge star, was on CBS with me. We became fast friends and he gave me two ringside seats so we could see Michael Jordan play. 

My guest was Mr. Grufferman and off we flew to Chicago. 

Like giggly school boys we were, so excited to see MJ. In person. Gene met us outside the arena, took us in, and on our way to the seats we took this picture. That's Scottie Pippen over Howard's shoulder. I always say I'm old, 'cause I am, but I can remember when Jordan was on TV just about every week. So like giggly school boys we were.

Gene said that he and Oscar winner Spike Lee were tight and that it went back to Do The Right Thing, Spike's first big feature. Turns out Gene gave it a sterling review and a friendship was born. Gene used to trade court side seats with Spike's court side seats in Madison Square Garden. The New York guy came West the Chicago guy went East.

Back to the game.

We were vibrating actually seeing Michael in the flesh, I hardly remember the game. I couldn't tell you who they played or how many points MJ scored but I remember this. Every time he shot free throws the Arena lit up from the flash bulbs from the cameras people had in their seats. It was like seeing diamonds.

I had never seen anything like it. It's a memory that has stuck with me forever.

There's more to this story.

Howard and I had a late lunch with Gene. We went to the famous restaurant Gene & Georgetti known for it's tasty steaks and tasty seafood and tasty Italian dishes. And then we flew back to New York and the second part of this story unfolded.

On the jet Howard and I were chatting like magpies and I forget how Marilyn Monroe came up but she did. We were talking about her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, who wrote Death of a Salesman.

We're talking and a guy right behind us gets up to go to the bathroom. Didn't see his face. On the way back I did see his face only because he was glaring at us.

Arthur Miller.

What were the chances of that?

Both Howard and I were stunned into silence the rest of the flight.

Flew to to see Jordan play saw Arthur Miller on the flight home.

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I Remember When

I remember when you had to have a camera, an actual camera, to take a picture.

Selfie wasn't even a word back then. It is now. In that same vein I used to memorize phone numbers because you kinda had to. Ask someone now if they know your number. I bet they don't. Now, if you lose your phone you also have lost all your numbers.

I remember when there wasn't a girl I couldn't beat in basketball. Now? They won't even take their high heels off as they're beating your butt. The center of my high school basketball team was 6'5" and we thought that was tall. Nowadays there are guards that are taller. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, back when he was Lew Alcindor, was the first seven footer I saw who could actually play. Back then tall guys were just tall. 

Now they shoot threes.

I remember when gas was thirty cents a gallon. My Father saw me wrestle once, I pinned the guy, and Dad ran down to the mat and gave me five dollars. That doesn't sound like much now but back then I could put gas in the car and take my girl to Mickey Dees for a Big Mac. They were all of sixty cents then. Cigarettes were also 30 cents. A pack. These days a pack will set you back ten bucks or so. And everyone smoked back then. 

If you need an incentive to quit price is a good one.

I remember when rock and roll was rock and roll before it became classic rock. If you want to feel old that's the ticket. Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Journey, U2, AC/DC, it seems like you were swimming in a pool of rock bands. 

Look around now, not so much.

I remember before there was rap. Younger people today gasp like you're speaking to them in another language when you mention that. When it first came on the scene they had different genres back then. Funny rap, dance rap, inspirational rap, and more. Lots more. Turn on the radio now and it's pretty much all the same thing. Next time you're at a red light listen to what is blasting out of the car next to you. 

You'll see.

I remember when movie stars didn't make commercials. Turn on the tv now and they are all over the place hawking things like they were always doing it. And you'd never see them in a tv series or on a movie of the week. Sounds quaint now doesn't it?

And speaking of quaint.

I remember when you couldn't tell which way a newsman was leaning. I was taught at CBS News to hold your cards close to your vest, ask hard questions to the left as well as to the right; and the viewer shouldn't know which way you leaned. If you're looking for a newsman or a news channel that agrees with everything you do they're out there.

Yep, quaint is a good word.

I remember when candy for us was a 'hope it's chocolate.' Snickers, Milky Way, bunnies in Easter baskets that were solid not hollow. There were SweetTarts but that was pretty much it for tangy candy. Nowadays things like Sour Patch Kids and Starburst are everywhere. Don't get me wrong chocolate still rules the day but there's a lot more tangy competition.

And while we're at it Reese's Cups should be outlawed.

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Flags At Half Mast

Where I live we have flag poles at either end of our main street.

They seem to be at half mast all the time. So much so that I have to think why are they like that before I remember why. For those who don't know a flag is at half mast when someone dies.

We were just beginning to process Atlanta and now here comes Boulder.

Man, those flag poles get a lot of work. Am I getting numb to why it's like that? Are we getting numb? Can I ask, along with many other people, why don't we do something about this? Yeah, yeah, I've heard that they're coming to take our guns and the Second Amendment and all that.

But. 

I don't remember any uproar over seatbelts in cars. They long ago made that the law. Here the phrase is 'Click-it or ticket.' Even whisper the words gun control and stand back and watch the uproar.

People aren't saying take your guns away they're just saying to license them plus have stiffer background checks so people who shouldn't have guns don't get them.

Is that such a big deal? 

Tell people who've lost their father, their mother, their husband, their wife, their children. Losing them is a forever thing. Something you think about every day, every night, all the time, thinking about the person who is no longer here.

I see people in a dark room crying.

Imagine if it was you. Imagine if it were your daughter, your father, your mother, your son. I don't know about you but if it were me? I'd be the one in the dark room crying.

And while we're at it I'm not talking about taking away hunting rifles or guns that a person uses for protection. But a question that I and many others ask: What are you hunting with an assault rifle?

The answer is people.

In my humble opinion you shouldn't be able to do that. I feel for the people in Boulder who were just shopping for bread, for dinner, for groceries. And then everything changed likethat. 

Where I live we have flag poles at either end of our main drag. It seems they're always at half mast.

So sad. So very sad.

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Jenna

I got interviewed by my Stepdaughter Jenna in our house. And this from a very proud Stepfather. 

It was for Stroke Awareness Month and we all know it's May so we were getting a jump on things. Jenna graduated from college and unlike many of her peers got a jay-oh-bee.

She works at Ivanhoe Broadcast News a place that makes pieces for television news.  They go to local stations all around the country and are shown in, all together now, over 50 million homes.

That's a lot of eyeballs.

I'm married to her Mom and I first met Jenna when she was five. I've known her a long time and it's been so much fun to watch her grow and blossom.

She was a news anchor on her middle school and then high school TV channels. When she went to college she did that and much more. She learned how to edit, how to produce, as well as being an on air reporter. During the whole time she would show me tapes and I was very impressed.

Because of the pandemic times are a bit different and graduating now and looking for a job can be very difficult. But all her life difficult has been just a word. So every morning, Monday thru Friday, Jenna leaves the house, gets in her car, and off she goes. It's great to see her in work clothes and great for me to say, "Bye Bye."

Meanwhile do you know what it's like to see a camera crew coming up your sidewalk with your Stepdaughter leading the way? It touched this guy's heart and this guy's chest was puffing way out.

She asked great questions. Listened and followed up on things I said and just did a bang-up job.

Normally a family member this time a great interviewer.

Lights, camera, action.

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