In Honor of our nation's 232 birthday, allow me to present a few recent interviews with a patriotic bent.
First, we have Fritz Klein, an actor who is famed for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Klein's work has been featured in television and film, as well as on the stage and at corporate and educational functions. His website is: www.lincolninstitute.com, where you can see a video of his work.
Next, we have two interviews with Jane Hampton Cook, author of "Stories of Faith And Courage From The Revolutionary War." Ms. Cook was also the White House webmaster from 1998 to 2003. You can find out more about Jane and her work at: www.janecook.com.
I told Dr. Hieronimus that of all the people in the world, he was one I'd most like to get stuck in an elevator with for a couple of hours of uninterrupted conversation. The truth is that a couple of hours wouldn't be nearly enough time to delve into even the most superficial discussion of Dr. Hieronimus' areas of expertise. He's created some of the most iconic images of the mid 20th century. He's mentored some of the most iconic people in American culture. He's one of the world's most renowned muralists and he's written on topics as far ranging as The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" to the esoteric meaning behind America's most important symbols.
We only had a few minutes during our interview to discuss a deep topic, and admittedly, Dr. Bob might be a little fringe for the typical Brownwood radio listener. In fact, the good doctor lost my co-host after, "Good Morning Mike and J.R., how are you?" I was fascinated however, and called him immediately after the interview to suggest another. He agreed to record a follow up interview with me unconstrained by the limitations of time and topic imposed by mainstream radio. I'll edit out some excerpts for broadcast, and post the whole thing here. He also sent me an autographed copy of his latest book, "The United Symbolism of America," and agreed to let me send him a few representative examples of my own artwork. We are scheduled to talk on July 8th, look for that interview to be posted here shortly thereafter.
It is especially annoying when they misrepresent what you say for their own political agenda. Often I find myself wondering what the heck they are listening to, because it sure isn't anything that has come out of my mouth. I shake my head and think "That's not what I said," or "I agreed with you on that." Most of the time I just wonder why they don't change stations if they hate the program so much.
Then there are the scary ones.
Recently on the "Let's Trash The Radio Guys" forum a new user popped up with what I hope is not a literal ax to grind.
From one of his recent posts:
In later posts he refers to the layout of our office building and the number of computers we have inside. He gets bolder still, referencing my wife and the wife of my co-host by their first names. Then he veers into Angel-of-Vengeance territory:Personally I think it’s dangerous for them to continue their constant railings to their own peril. We do live in a day where it is common for disgruntled and disillusioned people to snap! Who end up terrorizing a work place. God forbid that would ever happen. But if it did, my thoughts would be, well it was invited. Research school shootings & you will find the driving force behind the shooter was he felt humiliated & bullied.
It appears to be someone who knows an awful lot about our operation:I posted this scripture for a reason, so that at a later time I can refer to it. The context is not about me laughing, it’s about God laughing. It has something to do with a whirlwind. I’ll let you know what this means when the time is right.
He even knows the comings and goings of management. This was never mentioned on the air:There are enough dead men’s bones in there to produce a skeleton. I can tell you word for word what they say about each other... Even some of the meetings are about changing their hateful image.
He directs this barb toward my co-host, with a little taunt to guess who he is:I hope you don’t get reprimanded by your boss when he gets back from his fishing trip!
Again, he describes the interior of our building:
Could you be viewing the following on the [Our Company Name] Broadcasting computer?
[Link to an inappropriate video]
How is that for having eyes behind the seen [sic]?
Do you sneak off & do this during Sunday school also?
I see you at church all the time! Don’t you see me?
He often ends his posts with some little signature taunt in Japanese or German:Green room? That’s not really a true green. But I do like the new window with the white trim around it. Joe did a great job. And his outside paint job really improved the looks!
Which means, "Do you know how I am?"Sie haben Idee, die ich bin
So if you run into me on the street feel free to stop me and tell me what you think of the show. Just have a little patience if I keep glancing over my shoulder. You never know who's watching.
I'll be part of a live panel discussion on SyFyPortal's Internet radio broadcast beginning about 10:20 tonight (Central Time.) I'll be talking about my experience at the recent Fedcon USA fiasco in Dallas. You can check it out live at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio. If you miss the live show, you can download it from iTunes for free, or get the MP3 from their archives.
Later, back at the ranch...
I went to feed the Outside Feline Denizens (OFD) and noticed something unusual in the grass. It was a mole, lying on it's back-- dead as a hammer. I've never seen a mole in real life before. It was smaller than I thought a mole would be. I don't know if it was a baby mole or some kind of dwarf mole or if that's just what size they are. Maybe I'm thinking of a gopher.
Anyway, there it lay, stretched out on it's back like some sort of mole-Pieta, so I did what any sensible person would do. I grabbed the camera and started taking pictures like a crime scene investigator. I flipped the little bugger over with my foot and didn't see any obvious signs of injury. There didn't appear to be a hole nearby either. I don't know if one of the cats got him, or if he popped up out of the ground, clutched his little chest and keeled over. Poor thing.
For some reason the missus wasn't nearly as impressed when I told her to look in the dumpster at a surprise I had for her. You would've thought I killed the dang thing myself. I had nothing to do with it. It's the circle of life, Simba.
Agamemnon Brown is dead. He left this world at Beltane, and this world is a little poorer for it. He died like he lived, on his own terms. He was one of the strongest, yet most vulnerable men I ever knew. Behind his gruff exterior was a soul as gentle as a kitten. That was a side of him few ever saw, and if you did, you knew it was because you held a special place of trust in his heart.
He threw me over a cemetery fence once, so I could get a glimpse of Clyde Barrow's grave, snuck me onto a restricted airbase and showed me what was really in the briefcase. One summer he planted about a dozen varieties of jalepeno peppers because he knew I liked them. He mixed the plants together in the garden without labels, (on purpose, I'm sure.) When he harvested that little crop he tossed all the peppers together in a big wooden bowl and insisted that I eat at least one with every meal. I never knew whether I would get a mild one or one that would melt holes in my gullet. I think he took a sinister delight in that.
He had but one true love and never strayed from her in thought or deed. He was a Master Mason and would be proud to know that I've petitioned for the Degrees of Freemasonry myself. He knew Truth with a capital T, but couldn't be bothered with the facts, and was as belligerent, stubborn, and opinionated as any creature ever was. He could have confounded Solomon The Wise and gotten his wallet and car keys in the deal. He's probably standing before St. Peter right now trying to bullshit his way past the pearly gates with an expired coupon and wearing a pair of wings that "fell off the back of a truck."
So, here's to you, Aggie Brown, wherever you are. We had many adventures together and my life is richer for having known you. I'll toss one back in your honor today and reflect. May the dwarves of Montania never catch up with you.
The king is dead. Long live the king.
Risking a gnarly spider bite to the face, I gingerly peeked under the seat, but I never saw where the hairy little bastard went. I spent the rest of the day driving around with one eye on the road and one eye on my lap. I just knew that at any minute a pissed-off arachnid was going to run up my leg and bite me on the crotch. It didn't, but he's still lurking in my truck somewhere. He'll have another chance tomorrow when I head off to work, at 4am, in the dark...
To make things a little easier to keep updated, I've added Twitter to my sidebar. Even when I can't find the time for a full-length post, surely I can squeeze out 140 characters worth. Maybe even a nice Haiku. Look for something in my sidebar that looks like this:
Recent Comments
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lauowolf said:
I'll consider it ranted -- now go get that jungle! read more
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tiedyedtehuti said:
I'm glad I could be there for you in your time of sorrow. I was honored to say a few... read more
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Falconmyst said:
[this is good]The flowers are beautiful. I can not Thank You enough for the tearfully moving and proud words you shared at... read more
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Mower jury-rigged to perfection. Jungle tamed without incident. No longer concerned about losing small child in tall grass. read more
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