Tennessee Bound!

 I am following my woman to Tennessee!! My wife Kerry is a brilliant Physical Therapist and was given an awesome opportunity to further her career in the Smoky Mountains so, she jumped on it. Who couldn't say yes to living in the Smokies???

 I've lived in a vacation destination (Destin, FL) in the past and there is nothing that beats beautiful scenery on the way home from a bad day. It just makes life better. The mood is a bit lighter, the people are a little happier and the activities more plentiful, because it's "Vacationland"! If you love Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, then you know the area where we're going to be and what it's all about.

 I will be leaving radio for good as mentioned in my earlier blog post and pursuing my degree in Speech and Language Pathology. My work with the Blair Batson Children's hospital, being a Shriner and 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason has inspired me to to be involved with children. The Scottish Rite has a wonderful group of clinics called the  RiteCare Childhood Language Program; one of the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Programs is located in  the University of Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center, Knoxville Tennessee.
Learn more here:  http://scottishrite.org/about/philanthropy-scholarships/ritecare/ My hope is to finish my degree and work with this program in some form or fashion. I chose this path because of my past radio job. I've used my own voice to communicate for years and I feel compelled to share the privilege I've had with those who are having difficulty in communicating themselves. Since I act like a kid, I figure children are a no-brainer, lol!

ACTUAL VIEW FROM MY BACK YARD! WOW!!

 I'm excited and nervous all the same! I'll be leaving my security blanket of 26 years in radio and going back to school with students that are old enough to be my own kids. Wow, I'm gonna be the old dude in class. I don't know that I can sing "Rocky Top" or wear that construction Orange with the white T since I'm an Alabama Roll Tide Fan!! I may have to Roll Tide a little quieter...hehe.

 I do know that I'm gonna LOVE THE RIDE!!! The Dragon and the best riding in the country is in Tennessee and I can't wait. If you come up on your bike, let me know so we can go ride (I'll know all the cool places by then)!
 It's gonna be another great adventure, this time in Tennessee!

I can taste that Chattanooga Moon Pie now!!

Sharkey, You're Off The Air!

 When I was younger, I thought it would come like the scene in Good Morning Vietnam: Adrian Cronauer, in the studio on a rant, then a flip of a switch, his levels go dead, meters dark, the power to the board shut down...OFF THE AIR
.

 I've mellowed since those days. I've learned how not to go out that way (but I was prepared if it should come to it...thanks Adrian Cronauer/Robin Williams). No Alan Berg scene, no locked studio, no keys wrapped in a silly box, no Termination Memo (yes with a memo once) no walk with the Box of Shame (ya know the shit from your desk that ends up in the copy paper box you shamefully lug out to the car after being let go...The BOX OF SHAME). None of that glorious, Hollywood style, too good to be true stuff.  It comes to a close on the terms I choose with a fine company that I have been proud to work for.

(drum roll)

 After a rockin' twenty six years (give or take a month or two), I'll turn off the Mic. The On Air light, for me, will go dark. I have to say, I'm a bit nervous about the whole ordeal but, the time has come for a new playlist and some reprogramming.

 December 13, 1984 I received my F.C.C. License. What a day! I was 15 years old and carried a government license! (kinda) I was a glorified button pusher, window washer, trash emptier and FM D.J. Gofer. Meaning anything the DJ's in the KXYL studios needed, I fetched.

 I don't have a huge list of stations that I worked for on a full time basis:
KXYL and KBWD Brownwood TX
WOHT Jackson MS
KTUX Shreveport LA
WMXZ Destin FL
WYZB Ft. Walton Beach FL
WOKK Meridian MS.
I pulled some part-time gigs for a few other stations as well but, part-time doesn't count in my opinion. I enjoyed all of them and was only fired from one (by memo-tacky bastard-still have the memo).
 My favorite? All of them.

 I've had the honor of working with THE BEST JOCKS ON THE PLANET! Put your hands on the radio and feel the warmth and power!! The experiences we shared together will always be kept in my permanent story box (some of them never to see the light of day...i.e. The Midnight Move, The Islands, Conference Room Clothing, Skinny Dip and many more...lol!).  It is because of you, that my career has been so colorful and I thank you. R.I.P. Bwana Jimmy Boyd, The Bull, Valerie Brown, and Taxi Bill.

 Sales Staff. The war goes on, lol!! That is a fact that will never change but, Susan Dillard and I decided that we're both passionate about what we do and it is sale's passion to sell a client and my passion for good radio that makes it all work in the end. I have enjoyed the challenges you continued to provide through the years. Without those challenges my own creativity would have gone stale. Thank you for your passion.

 Managers and P.D.'s. I really should be issuing an apology to a few; now that I look back on things. Having been in the P.D. position, I would have fired my ass a number of times for the shenanigans I pulled back in the day, lol! I finally learned the value of a good lesson and passed it on. The business prowess you taught has made me a much better man and a better community partner.

 Radio Consultants, see the above statement and add this: because my company has the forward thinking to hire the America's Most Wanted of Consultants, I have built a war chest of knowledge (let's hope I don't come back and compete in one of your markets...lol!!)! Having rare opportunity to work with two of Radio's Legends; Charlie Cook and Rusty Walker has been a dream come true. You both have my utmost respect and gratitude.

 Listeners. I never have liked that word. Especially in this context. You may have started as a listener but, soon became some of my best friends. Redneck Jamie comes to mind. I like the term friends better anyway. Thanks for everything. You've taken me into your homes, fed me at your table, checked on me when I was sick....all because you enjoyed listening to me yack between records. I thank you for your time and attention, not just on my behalf but for all of us in this business. We love to entertain. I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to entertain you. Thank you.

 A special thanks to Clay and Eddie Holladay. Thank you for everything. It has been an honor to be the caretaker of your company's flagship station, WOKK. You have always provided the best tools a Program Director could ask for. Because of your family's long commitment to doing good radio I was able to motivate and lead my staff to victory after victory against insurmountable odds. For that I am grateful. I am proud to have worked for the best radio company in America, The Radio People.

 Stay tuned, this blog is my new station from now on. I'm excited to see how life is outside of the public eye and I'll try to post an experience or two here.

 Oh, and if you were wondering what I'm going to do  ..??? Another Blog update on what Todd (Sharkey) Rupe is doing is on the way next on Dead Air-Off Mic!


( I will tell you, it is in Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains...)

OVER THE COUNTER or OLD FAITHFULS?

I took a sick day today. I tried to avoid it, I really did.

I indulged the over the counter "preventative medicine" thing the night prior, but all that did was give me the Nasty Gnome, running through my dreams, throwing marshmallows at my fat, left cheek. I should have stuck with my Old Faithful remedy but, I decided to be responsible and try the mainstream variety. When  I woke and peered from the darkness, I knew this day was doomed. 

So, back to the bed I crawl, begging mercy from the Nasty Gnome to let me be. DInG DoNg, RAp, RAP, CLICK! Door opens.... ugh, the door, the bug man is here to spray. I completely forgot. I told him to do his thing and spray around me as best he could...now my dreams are in Kodachrome...nice! Thanks Gerry Bugman Garcia. Another round of psychedelic sleep, Gnomes and then....I'm up...again.

I can't take another dream of Nasty Gnome vs. Hong Kong Phoey fighting over Alice in Wonderland for the last Mary Jane candy in Willy Wonka's Bar with all the characters from The Beatles Yellow Submarine animated series singing the lyrics of Kum ByYa to Ozzies Ironman. I don't even think Sheen could have handled this alternate world. I've really got to get over this, I really do!!

This time Old Faithful is goin' down the tube. FINALLY SWEET RELIEF!! My passages have opened, my eyes have stopped watering and my voice nearly restored! And those beings that have been chasing me all night and day? They have finally tucked their creepy heads and shuffled their way back under my bed and to the dark closet where they belong.

Sick isn't purty around here, and it may not taste too good either, (the grammar and spelling sucks too, but I don't care right now) at least Sigmond and the Sea Monsters and H.R. Puff N' Stuff aren't dancing around my bed anymore with that little gay kid and that damn talking flute. Old Faithfuls. I think I'll stick with what I know.

The World

 I ride, that's what I do. I love it; my favorite thing in the world! I love my bike; my other favorite thing in the world. Sunday, 2/20/2011, I rode with The Chaney Gang to the world. Oh yes, we rode to THE WORLD!

 In the biker community, when you ride with a group of folks you don't know, it's different than say, being stuck in an SUV with 5 other people for two hours with no stops. You're not with the guy who farts incessantly or that bitchy woman who won't shut the **** up. No, none of that, you are on your own ride. Just you and your passenger; if you happen to bring one. It makes for a great day and better friends. Think about it, in the car with two people you do know for a few hours has it's awkward moments. Traveling in close quarters with some you don't could make for a miserable trip. We've all been there. I think that's why bikers are...Bikers! 

 Women always have to pee and bikes need gas. It's a rule. So,we pit frequently. You get to know one another at each stop. It may be sharing a traffic story or scooter malfunction that happened along the way. (And yes, I had my yearly malfunction on the Chaney ride; my saddle bag popped open in 75mph ass heavy traffic; at least I didn't drop the bike this year). We mantasize over the chrome on our scoots. We trade money saving tips. The more we talk the more we get to know one another. 

 Our right foot would land in the Vicksburg National Military Park. This is an awesome place. It has an aura about it. Every time I visit I get a feeling as if the park reaches out and touches my soul as I ride past the fortifications and trenches. A bike backfire sounds like a 50 .caliber shot from 149 years ago, the bullet whizzing into the future past my ears.

We soldiered past the monuments and toured the  U.S.S. Cairo. That mighty ironclad gunship; the Union vessel that was going to be the final solution to Vicksburg met it's match on the Yazoo river. The first gunship in history to be destroyed by electrically detonated torpedoes. Now preserved for all to see, this impressive beast is still a marvel of human ingenuity.

As we sat on the wall of the Cairo museum, we met another one of our two wheeling brothers, The Park Ranger. He was a cool dude, Slay is his name look him up if you go.

Bikers have to eat. It's the other thing we love to do; well that and drink! So across the Mighty Mississippi River into Cajun Country we haul ass to our feedery. I had no idea where we were going. When I go with the Chaney Gang, I don't ask questions, I just go for the ride and enjoy. We take an exit off I-20 and less than a quarter mile, next to a rail road track, sits a metal shack with a gravel parking lot full of bikes. This, this ramshackle shed, is our eathouse...holy shit, this could be very ugly.

(drum roll)

My Friends I give you

THE WORLD

  Inside this metal building, with it's unfinished, untaped sheetrock walls; all of them scrawled with thousands of names and verses of other bikers before us, is our food. Damn fine food at a damn fine price! Hamburgers $4.25, add cheese; another quarter. Fried mushrooms, onion rings cheese sticks, Kabobs; all the trappings of a good burger joint. The main course, the big reason they probably call this place 

THE WORLD; ribeye steaks!! Oh yes!! Up to 16oz and at least an inch and a half thick! 

My Lord, this is THE WORLD!! 

 Beer stacked along the walls, pool tables in the back, NASCAR on T.V.! It's Biker Heaven! No Frills, No Bullshit. Just Food, Beer, Friends and Fun. That's all we need on a perfect day like this one. Old friends talking about rides past, new freinds planning a ride to come. I watched as people filed in and out of the front door. Biker buds greeting with a hand shake and the bro hug. Women with the big hugs and kisses. Not what you would expect if you were just driving by in your cager. No, you'd think we were sacrficing sheep in here, not hugging like them! 

 We laughed, ate and drank beer for a while till the bills came. It was time to leave THE WORLD. Like little kids, we all made sure we hit the can before we left. We all shuffled out, heads bowed, none of us wanting to go back to the Real World we knew we had to face come Monday. 

 We saddled up, left THE WORLD and rode home.

Re-evaluation

So, there it is on my cd littered desk; the latest issue of 393 Magazine. The premier, social magazine around town.

 This months issue: Surviving Heart Disease / Furnished With Love

Inside these glossy pages are photos and stories from charity events, plays, and some ice memories we'll not soon forget. Plus, a wedding that had the best beer in the world. (Thanks Mr. & Mrs Gibson).

There are great articles about some of the more unique people in our area making a difference. Page 23, The 411, is graced by the beautiful Ashley Hill. She saves dogs...all of them!

Pages 12-17; Heart disease survivors and the doctors that made it possible. 

Page 43; the surgeon who makes furniture. 

People who gave blood, folks who ran for Hope Village and more. 

All contributors to the well being of our fair city.

Then there is page 10:

The other 411 page. Yup, this dude...me. 

I'm certainly honored to be in this publication; I didn't expect a whole page. However, as a radio broadcast entertainer, I've been trying to figure where I fit into this fine cavalcade of givers. 

I do give, by way of voice, money and some time; to as many as possible. None the less, I feel compelled to give in a more complete way as of late.

Thanks for allowing me to be a part of this issue Joy. 

Everyone in it has inspired me.

I think it may be time for a re-evaluation.

Fire Gypsies

   I love my fireplace. I really do. Like most men, I sit for hours and stare. I enjoy the warmth, am mesmerized by the flames and can think of the important things that need to be thought of for hours. It is a peaceful thing.

  But today, all I see in my fireplace are Belly Dancing Gypsies. Yup, gyrating, undulating, twisting, flickering, hip swinging, Belly Dancing Gypsies; like seductive hot flames!

The entire room shimmers from the jewels and coins that bedazzle their Bedlahs; shaking, snaking, and vibrating as they reach for oxygen to the top of the fireplace.
Each spark a chime from finger cymbals. Each crackle a clap of  hands. Each pop a stomp from feet.
Their chiffon skirts, veils and capes rise and fall creating new flames until their stage is burnt to embers and they can dance their Gypsy Dance no more.

   Of course, if you have gas logs like myself, the dance can go on as long as the fuel is plentiful...and I don't plan on running out any time soon! So, dance Gypsies Dance!!

The Amish Don't Die

Aunt Tina's Car-Iowa

My Aunt Jerri called from Ottumwa, IA  to report she is "Surviving The Monster Storm Of 2011!"
     Like most of the U.S., the Corn State is covered in snow; armpit deep and rising.
    She told me how the drifts are coming over the Christmas Chior in the front lawn (still not removed because of the last snow). She didn't figure she would be venturing out anytime soon for the standard bread, milk and eggs because the vehicle is stuck and is sure to become lost in a drift so, she's snowbound.
     We reminisced about back in the day snows. Like the time we all went sledding down hill on a car hood...Oh yes, you think Southern Rednecks are crazy, just wait till you meet their Northern counterparts! (We lived in Iowa till I was 10 then moved to Texas).
    At the end of our conversation, she said she would take some pictures of all the snow and mail them. I told her she should get a computer and join us in this century.
"Naw", she replied "I like the last century".
"Last century!?!" I said "what are ya Amish??"
She came back with "I'm glad I'm not one of those Amish kids, I would've froze to death this week! They don't have electricity ya know and people die in this cold!!"
    We both had a good chuckle and said our goodbyes.
  
     I started to think about The Amish and The Monster Storm of 2011. Come to think of it, you never hear about The Amish people dying in snowstorms. For that matter, when The Big Summer Heat Wave comes and we're dropping dead like a bunch of menopausal women at a Keith Urban concert, The Amish don't...
Maybe Malachi, Ezekiel and Hiram are on to something with their simple, green, no car, no electricity, grow it yourself, make your own clothes and furniture lifestyle. They don't succumb to bad weather but, we do. Yet, we have all the advances they don't. Go figure.
Simply put: The Amish don't die.