MM2S022: Season 2, Episode 6
By: Ken Boone Let me begin this post with a big congrats to my Philly friends. It seems like you guys are super busy with gigs and projects. Release dates for new albums are being announced! A couple of weeks ago, I had a follow-up appointment with my cardiologist. Except of a slight adjustment of one of my blood pressure medications, Dr. V told us that my Congestive Heart Failure has completely reversed itself! In other words, my heart function is back to normal. I still have to take a fistful of pills every day for the rest of my hopefully long life. And I have to hit the gym. But these are small prices I'll gladly pay. Celia was in the room with me when I got the results and was tickled pink. A couple of days later, my son Kenny called with his “checking in on Pops” telephone call. He too was over the moon with joy. On the call, we did more than the typical amount of reminiscing about our journey to this good place we're in. He's become much more sentimental when he thought there was a chance that he would lose me a couple of years ago. That's because for most of his life, there was just the two of us against the world. And boy did we have our battles with the world, as well as with each other. He's come out on the other side with a heart for others, a great sense of humor, a healthy competitive nature, a sense of fair play, and a strong work ethic. He has all of those attributes, plus, in the words of Pete, “MOVIE STAR GOOD LOOKS”! And this comes from someone who worked in the entertainment industry for well over 50 years! On Facebook, in Little League through High School baseball.... proud parents extol the virtues and praise the accomplishments of their kids. These proud utterances come complete with pictures in cap gown, walks down the aisle, etc. I'm genuinely happy for you. Anyone who became a parent, then a grandparent, and in some cases, great-grandparents, my hat goes off to you! If I see a post, I'll gladly like and share. I have a child too. He's someone I am so proud of that sometimes I can't contain myself! Difference is, I raised him pretty much by myself with very little hoopla and/or fanfare. I admit that sometimes I have a tinge of jealously and resentment, until I realize that I can hold my head high with very little regret. While I would like a pat on the back from time to time, it's not really necessary because I was simply doing my job! And part of my job description calls for me being a one-man cheering section. I also have to be there to teach, advise and mentor when called upon to do so. Oh yeah... and be Pop Pop to the world's greatest granddaughter! I have to remind myself that it's not the duty of my family and friends to join my son's fan club. They got other people to devote their efforts to. "I tell my son, if he needs me, he can call me. No matter what time. If I'm having problems of my own or if I'm mad at him. His Dad will always be there for you, no matter the size of the problem, I'll be there!" - Anonymous Source I apologize for boring you, but I just had to play the role of the Proud Papa, hopefully exercising a little restrain. While my son doesn't expect the world to toot his horn, he expects it from me, and I must do my job! Today's Quote My father gave me the greatest gift anyone can give a person, he believed in me.” (College basketball coaching legend, Jim Valvano - Deceased)
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MM2S021: Season 2, Episode 5
By: Ken Boone Hard work puts you where luck can find you. I don't know who gets credit for that quote, because it's a great one! Speaking of lucky, I feel fortunate to have friends like Novella and Cheryl. Thanks for liking and commenting on my last podcast episode. It means a lot coming from the two of you. You were the two finest altos I had the privilege of working with. My mother was an alto, which explains why I'm so fond of people who sing in that vocal rang. Can't leave out Fred and Larry for the likes and support! I just got an email from my friend Pete, who needs my help with tax prep for the final tax returns of his label. That'll officially be the end of an era. By the way, of course I said “YES”. After Ralph Carmichael, he's my top music hero! My wife, Celia, always likes to tell people about a quasi-famous choir I belonged to almost 50 years ago. People acted like they were impressed, while I cringed. That's because the perception didn't match up with the reality. I'd like to tell you about someone who could have easily been a hero of mine except for a few little things. Not that he was a bad person, at least in my estimation. It's just that his ambitions were very self-serving. When I was around seven years old, my church started a choir for the young boys. It was long overdue since they had a choir for the girls for as long as I could remember. The director of that choir was one of my early musical heroes, although she terrified me for years! The first iteration of our boys' choir was directed by someone who I'll call Bobby B. The choir's pianist was a very talented, and equally scary woman who I came to consider my musical Mom, although I never told her that. We had done a couple of small non-paying gigs when he left his post to enlist in the Army, leaving us high and dry. After what seemed like an eternity, someone else stepped up to take the reins of the Boys Choir. He was a graduate student from Mississippi enrolled at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. For this narrative, I'll call him Dr T. Dr T had a lot of energy and ambition to go along with empty pockets and an empty stomach. He had the dream of becoming a featured tenor in the Metropolitan Opera company. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. He was great, but there were a lot of people greater than he was. So, he moved on to Plan B, throwing all of his effort and energy into making us a world-class choir. By the time I left for good at age 18, we were well on our way to pulling it off! With plenty of hard work and discipline, we started to look the part of a top-notch choir. One of the drills I remember was us always sitting at the edge of our seats. The stated reason for that was so we could quickly stand up without fumbling around. The life lesson for doing that was for us to “be ready for anything”. That's gone on to serve me well in my everyday life. During my time with the choir, a lot of people came and went. A lot of guys put a stint in the group on their music resumes. To be honest with you, I don't remember a lot of them being there beyond the proverbial cup of coffee. A lot of them bailed along the way, leaving for more reasons than we have time for in this episode. Needless to say, the guys weren't always the heavies. Remember me just saying that Dr T was ambitious? He was also skilled at spinning tales... aka HISTORY vs. HIS-STORY. One instance was the implication that he was responsible for a student getting into a music conservatory. Another was the story of a conspiracy to sabotage the choir along with his reputation. I don't know if the story is true, but since I know the individuals in question, I find it hard to believe. At best, it might be a greatly exaggerated retelling of the facts! When I finally severed ties with the group at the age of 18, the last men standing were Great-Grandpa Fred and yours truly. No hard feeling, we just aged out. In the years that followed, the choir became world-renowned. They appeared on TV, toured the world, had corporate sponsors, and even recorded the soundtrack of a major motion picture. I remember my mother musing that my brother and I weren't around to see the fruits of our labor. It didn't bother me one bit. I was happy for their success. Also, on balance, I felt that the efforts I put in were far greater than the rewards I got out. I learned a lot from Dr T, but the most important thing I learned to do was sit on the edge of my seat (aka be ready for anything). The most important thing I learned not to do was forget about the people who helped you attain your dreams. That's because the people you pass on the way up are the same people you see on the way down! Without going into details, I will say that the choir's demise was public and quite scandalous. Not the way they planned on going out. I got no joy out of reading about their misfortunes in the New York Times no less. I'm sure there was a chorus of “I Told You So” ringing out somewhere, but from me. I wasn't happy that things ended the way they did, but the outcome was totally predictable. It was also avoidable! As I said earlier, Celia likes to brag about the fact that I was a charter member of a world-class, world-renowned musical ensemble, I like to deal in the facts:
On balance, I have no regrets about my time in the choir, especially all the hours sitting on the edge of my seat. Doing so helped me to deal with just about anything that came my way. Today's Quote “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” Dalai Lama XIV |
About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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