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CHRISTMAS IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT

Friday, December 25th, 2020

Well, it’s the day before Christmas and, as usual, I’m cutting it close to finish this Christmas blahg.Today is December 24th, 2020 and I haven’t written a new blahg since my last one, TRACING LINDA KEENE, PART 3: ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD, way back in September. Frankly, that blahg series tired me out and I’ve had other things to keep me busy. Living in the time of a world wide pandemic, Covid 19, hasn’t helped and it’s part of the theme of this blahg. Christmas is a little different this year and we’ll have to make the most of it; any way we can.

Last year’s Christmas blahg, MEATS AND CHEESES AND BABY JESUS, detailed how I had to change some of the plans I normally have for this time of year. I had to miss the live Nativity in Bloomfield last year and had to find a new place to cut down our real Christmas Tree. This year, we’ve had to adapt to doing things differently. Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bloomfield, Ontario still had their Nativity this year but it was a drive-through experience. We waited an hour to drive by all of the stations from the announcement from the angel to Mary about her impending birth, through Joseph’s visit from the angel, to the shepherds, on to the magi, and onward to Bethlehem. There were ten stations in all and at the beginning we were give a CD with 10 tracks to play; one at each station. We were also given a bag of cookies and either hot chocolate or hot cider. I’m glad I didn’t have to miss it and that Emmanuel Baptist found a way to make this season a little bit more enjoyable with us all keeping our social distance.

The hunt for this year’s Christmas tree was also very different. Carol’s Christmas Tree Farm in Napanee, where we cut our tree last year, was closed this season due to the pandemic. That left me no other options than to pursue a tree at a local nursery. My daughter Abbie came home from University on December 9th and I waited until she was home before turning to the tree issue. My wife had suggested Lockyer’s Country Gardens in Picton. I remember years ago, probably close to 20 years ago, I bought one there and paid $30 back then which I thought was pricey. Still, my options were limited so Abbie and I set out on Friday, December 11th and headed to Lockyer’s. We were surprised when we saw no trees outside and even more surprised when we found no trees inside. I asked a young guy who worked there where they kept their Christmas trees. He didn’t laugh but he apologized and said they were all sold out. He also said the local firemen who sold trees by the fire-hall were also sold out. I asked where we might find one in the County, being Prince Edward County where I live and where Picton is relatively in the center. He said he didn’t believe I could find one in the County but there might be a tree farm north of Belleville. I doubted any tree farm would be open during this pandemic and I certainly didn’t want to drive the hour it would take to find the farm he was suggesting.

Abbie and I were a little disappointed but were still determined. Lockyer’s was on the outskirts of Picton so we drove into Picton proper to scout around. The first place we passed was the Metro grocery store and there were about 10 trees stacked against the front door of various sizes. The price at Metro was $45. There were a couple that were over six feet and we thought they might be suitable. We decided to drive around to the other grocery store and by the fire-hall in case the fellow at Lockyer’s had been wrong about the firemen. There were no other trees to be found in Picton. Driving in from Lockyer’s we had passed the No Frills grocery store and Canadian Tire but we could see from the road that they had no trees for sale. As we drove into Picton, we saw some nice ones growing on people’s lawns that looked suitable but I didn’t have an axe nor the inclination to ruin the Christmas of someone else. We settled on a purchase from Metro. When we drove back to the store, we saw someone carting off one of the trees. Luckily, it was not one of the larger ones.

We were able to easily fit the tree inside our Hyundai Sana Fe with the back seats folded down. Carrying in the tree and setting it up was a breeze. It was only after we had it seated in the stand when I cut the twine that was bound around the tree. The tree did not unfold. It probably had been tied so long that it was going to hold its bound shape unless I did something. I searched the Internet about “how to relax a Christmas tree.” I thought about getting it drunk to see if it would relax but someone else suggested “just stick your arms in and push down on the branches. Go around the tree doing that and it should open up.” I still thought that getting it drunk would lessen the tree’s inhibitions. After all, it was more uptight that depressed. I did, however, like one person’s suggestion about trying to make the tree depressed. “If you tell the tree that it’s a very bad tree and it’s mother was a balsam fir so it will never amount to anything the tree will become depressed and it’s limbs will sag.” I opted for the method of massaging the tree. Someone also suggested adding ginger-ale to the tree’s water because their tree seemed to like it. Back to getting the tree drunk again but I don’t drink so the tree just had the ginger-ale water mix. Eventually after the massage and a night sitting in the ginger-ale solution, the tree looked much better. I think the image below speaks for itself:

Here are some pictures of some of our other decorations both outside and inside (click on the pictures for a larger image):

To add to your Christmas delight I’m going to post here something very special. I have mentioned before that from 1993 to 1995 my friend Stephen Dafoe and I, along with our producer and good friend Bryan Dawkins, had a radio show in the Belleville area called “Dead From The Neck Up.” The last show that aired was a Christmas show in 1995. You can check out the 1993, 1994, and 1995 Christmas specials here at http://www.falseducks.com/dead/readdead.html. We were all getting too busy back in 1995 and our lives took different directions. Stephen ended up moving to Alberta in the early 2000s and I wouldn’t reconnect with him until about five years ago. Bryan and I have remained in the Belleville region and keep in touch. So, I’ve been listening to some of our old shows to keep myself amused during this pandemic. A few weeks back I realized that it’s been exactly 25 years since our last show and I got to toying with the idea of a 25th anniversary reunion show. So, I emailed Stephen and he thought it would be fun. I wrote all of the sketches, had him record his parts and emailed them to me and then I contacted Bryan over the Internet and recorded his vocals over Facetime on my Ipad. The result is The Dead From The Neck Up 25th Anniversary Covid 19 Quarantine Special. Of course it’s a Christmas show and I just thought I would share this as it’s amazing with today’s technology what we were able to accomplish and now the Dead From The Neck Up cast is in their late 50s with a good laugh for this holiday season.

I also created Youtube video with some old images of Dafoe, Dawkins, and myself along with some of my Christmas light display.

One thing I should add is a sad note. My daughter Emily and her husband Charlie were set to come down for Christmas but because Charlie is battling a lingering cough, which is not Covid 19 related, they decided to stay in Toronto and not take any chances. This is the first time that Emily has not been home for Christmas. She is thirty now and we’ll just have to do a video chat. We picked up my son yesterday to have him home with Abbie and his mother and I and we went over to Emily and Charlie’s and met them in the parking lot of their building, socially distanced, and dropped off their gifts. They’ll still have to wait until Christmas morning to open them virtually with the rest of us. That’s how we’re making Christmas work for us.

It’s different times and we all have to roll with the punches. Christmas will come again next year and we’ll have a vaccine and hopefully we’ll gather again. Stay safe, stay home and hug those you can. Send virtual hugs to those you can’t and remember to listen to the “The Dead From The Neck Up 25th Anniversary Covid 19 Quarantine Christmas Special”.

Merry Christmas, and I’ll catch you back here in the New Year!

Tags:Christmas, Covid 19, Dead From The Neck Up, False Ducks, Quarantine, Scott Henderson
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WHO I AM

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

Well, there goes another month and here goes, hopefully, another blahg. Recently, I popped in on my friend Bryan, with a colleague of mine, and he referred to me as Mr. Comedy. Of course this was just after me making a joke about something but Bryan had to explain our comedy history and our once famous, in our own minds, radio show “Dead From The Neck Up”. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. The Mr. Comedy is part of the larger “who I am” and I hope to detail more of that in this blahg.

Back in 2000, the singer Jessica Andrews had a hit with a song called “Who I am”. I have to admit that the song has been running through my head as I attempt to write this blahg. The lyrics really give some kind of make-up to the singer and define who she is. It may just be a song but the lyrics and her vocal are quite good. Check out the official video below

I started to wonder what the lyrics to my own “Who I Am” would be; other than Mr. Comedy. If I go back far enough, it would start with being A Son (I know, some would say Son of A Gun or Son of A…fill in the blanks). In the past year I’ve mentioned a great deal about the struggles I had after my Dad fell last June. All that led up to his eventually dying in January of this year. Of course I haven’t talked a lot about what I continue to do as a Son for my Mother who survived my Father. The picture on the left is one of the last pictures taken of my parents. It was on the occasion of my nephew Christopher’s wedding. I guess I’m also an Uncle if anyone’s compiling a list.

Over the past few years I took care of making sure all of my parents’ finances were in order and that their bills were paid. I still do that for my Mother. Five years ago I helped them deal with their insurance company when they lost their old house to an oil spill. I negotiated with the insurance company and the builders and the result is the new home that my Mother still lives in. I joke, of course, that my inheritance is looking sweet! But I don’t do that in front of my Mother because she doesn’t like that type of humor. To her, I’m not Mr. Comedy. I do all of this because she provided for me when I was growing up and I think it’s my duty. That’s what you do when you’re a Son.

Just briefly, I’m also a brother. I have four brothers and one sister. Sometimes it seems like I’m an only child when it comes to doing things for my mother but Christmas is coming up and we usually gather at Mom’s. That’s always something I look forward to. I just can’t talk politics with my brothers.

I’m a husband. I guess that also makes me a son-in-law but more important is the husband part. If you check out the picture on the right you will see Jeanette and I as we were married at the end of May in 1987. Click on the picture to see a larger version and a smaller picture in the bottom corner of what our family looked like 11 or 12 years later. The picture on the left is us 32 years later taken this past June 1st at our daughter Emily’s wedding.

Ok, so to comment about being a husband. Am I a good husband? I’ve tried to be. I’ve never cheated on my wife although I think a few women over the years looked at me in that particular light. It might just be my vivid imagination. Jeanette and I have had our struggles but this past year saw us grow closer as I struggled with the death of my Father, a tragedy at work, and my mysterious illness. I posted this video earlier this year of the Father of the Bride speech I gave at Emily’s wedding. It’s moving and at one point it sums up the love I have for my wife. It’s well worth putting up again:

I am a Father…and now a Father-In-Law.

The above pictures are of my three children on the left (left to right: Abbie, Emily, and Noah). The picture on the right is my son-in-law Charlie. He’s a card. My own children are so distinct but also distinctly like me. Abbie enjoys movies and Tv and comics like I do. Noah enjoys TV and movies as well as old camera and video technology. I believe he got those interests from me. I don’t know what Emily got from me but she’s got Charlie so maybe she inherited the gift to choose the right life partner. She’s also a tech guru and I might have influenced that. Charlie got Emily from me. I gave her away this year at our wedding. No returns, Charlie.

I am a writer. I guess when you get past the personal parts of son, husband, and father then you get to what’s left. I always wanted to be a writer. I continue to write but for some reason it has been limited to Christmas stories over the past few years. Once upon a time, 2007 to be precise, I self-published a collection of Christmas entertainments called “Proof For Believing.” It contains a novella called “Proof For Believing” as well as many Christmas poems, short stories (both fiction and non-fiction), and some left-over Christmas sketches from my once brilliant radio career. The cover design is based on a painting by my oldest daughter Emily. Below, is one of the short stories from that collection. Maybe I’ll draft a new Christmas story this year if the inspiration hits me right.

The Hole

Ben struggled with the Christmas tree all the way to the curb. It was Boxing Day and he couldn’t stand to look at it in the house a moment longer.

“See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya,” Ben mused as he gave the tree one last heave and balanced it against a snow bank.

Ben Miller didn’t mind Christmas but there was only so much a man could take. He was still stuffed from the turkey and the pies from the day before, he’d wallowed all month in the sentiment from numerous Christmas movies, and he’d gotten exactly the gifts he had asked for from his wife and kids.

Ben looked down the block. No other house had a tree out at the curb. All of his neighbours usually waited until New Year’s Day or after to rid their homes of their evergreens. There wasn’t even anyone out on the street either. They were probably still all inside and reveling in the Christmas spirit. Ben didn’t get it. Why hang on to it? What was the purpose? It was time for it all to come to an end and for the holidays to move on.

Turning to look down at the other end of the block, Ben noticed the Hole in his front yard. Immediately he fell back into the tree on the bank. There shouldn’t be a Hole in his yard!

Oh, it wasn’t that there was a Hole in the ground or a spot where the snow had melted to reveal a bald patch in the yard. Rather there was an upright Hole about Ben’s height just standing there in the middle of his lawn. It was pitch black and nothing could be seen on either side of it when you attempted to look through it.

Ben cursed at the scratches he’d received from falling against the tree. Struggling out of its branches, Ben eyed the Hole and wondered what on earth it could be.

“What on earth could it be?” Ben asked aloud. He was more than a little shaken from his first sight of the Hole and from falling into a tree that no other house had leaning against their snow banks.

It took a few minutes for Ben to compose himself as he studied the Hole and rubbed at the scratches on his arms and legs. His robe had fallen open and he stood open in his boxer shorts to any and all. But there were no onlookers. There was just Ben and the Hole and that stupid tree.

“Stupid tree!” Ben wrapped up his robe and tried to think what he should do next. He was sure the Hole hadn’t been there before. He would have seen it as he struggled with the tree out to the curb. Maybe it was a reflection, he thought. Maybe it was the sun reflecting against the snow.

“That’s stupid,” Ben muttered aloud. “The sun wouldn’t reflect a black hole. It’s probably…” Ben stopped himself. “A Black Hole. Like in space maybe. I’ll bet that’s what it is.”

Sure that’s what it was, Ben thought. It had to be. It was some kind of Black Hole like those scientists were always talking about. Only this one was in his yard and not in space.

Explaining it this way to himself made Ben more at ease. Half the terror of a thing is not knowing what it is. That made sense. Well, it made about as much sense to Ben as there being a Black Hole in the middle of his yard.

Feeling the tension easing, Ben decided to check out the Hole a little closer. First he walked all around it. He was right. It was a Hole. It was flat and he couldn’t see through it. “Yep, it’s a Black Hole. Funny, I thought it would has some force that would suck you in.” Ben was enjoying this a little. The thought occurred to him that besides there being no trees against snow banks in front of the other houses, his was the only house that had a Black Hole on the front lawn. Ben swelled up with some pride. He thought maybe he could sell tickets or something or that maybe those scientists who were always talking about Black Holes would probably pay big money to study this one.

Ben walked up closer to the Hole and tried to peer into it to see if he could make out anything inside. It was at this point that Ben felt a hand on his back and was pushed abruptly into the Hole.

It was dark. Ben stumbled forward from the force of being pushed into the Hole. He couldn’t see a thing.

Suddenly there was a blinding light and he shut his eyes against the glare. Opening them slowly, Ben was startled to discover he was standing in his yard again about ten feet behind the spot from where he had stood only ten seconds earlier peering into the Hole.

Ben might have continued pondering this revelation if it wasn’t for the other revelation that he was standing on his front lawn looking at himself peering into the Hole.

Ben started to stumble backward and remembered his earlier backward stumble into the tree. He caught himself quickly and stayed upright.

It couldn’t be. How could he be over there peering into the Hole and here staring at himself peering into the Hole? What was that thing? Was it even a Hole? Maybe it was some kind of Time Portal. Scientists were always talking about Time Portals as much as they were Black Holes.

But why would a time portal only take him ten seconds into the past? What could be the purpose of that? What could you even do with those ten seconds again? It wasn’t like it was time enough to change the world or something. What could you do with ten seconds?

Slowly it dawned on Ben. He hadn’t just been given ten seconds. He’d been given another chance. It was all about the value of time. Not about rushing through it or discarding it like it had no value or meaning. It was a lesson. He could look at things differently. He could make other choices. When looked at that way, ten seconds seemed liked time enough to do anything. It was the perfect gift for someone who thought they’d already gotten everything they’d asked for.

Ben knew what he had to do. He had to live like every second had been given back to him to use correctly. He wouldn’t mess it up. To make it all work he only had to do one thing.

Ben walked purposefully across the gap between himself and his other self who was peering into the Hole. Ben put his hand out and pushed himself into the Hole. Turning, Ben went to the curb to bring the tree back into the house.

The End

Now what about that Mr. Comedy? Well, that hearkens back to our radio show “Dead From The Neck Up”. Even further back than that, my friend Steve Dafoe and I used to make these comedy recordings in my parents’ basement. We thought we were funny and my friend Bryan remembered that when he was working/training at the college radio station at Loyalist College. It began meagerly as a fifteen minute slot on a sunday evening free-for-all music bash hosted by the weird beard himself, Bryan Dawkins. Bryan would later go on to fame as the high mucky muck producer, co-writer, and occasional voice talent on the highly acclaimed but rarely heard “Dead From The Neck Up.” After an initial test as “Two Guys In Short Pants”, Dafoe and I were pulled from the airwaves for making alleged pseudo-insulting remarks regarding the Mayor’s hair and a certain resemblance of one of the Council persons to the infamous Yosemite Sam! “Two Guys In Short Pants” were no more.

After a bit of retooling and two weeks in the penalty box Dafoe and I returned in a weekly 30 minute slot as “Dead From The Neck Up.” Starting out with a set format which included comic sketches, phony commercials, a rotating commentary, and a comedic song, we soon realized our strength was in allowing the format to fall into disarray and in the realization that the commentary was crap and that neither Dafoe or I could carry a tune between us. The show then founded itself as a clearinghouse of sorts for brilliant sketches featuring such odd characters as Two Dead Guys, Stan the Welcome Mat Man and his faithful sidekick Teddy the Topless Dancer, Goody Twoshoes–Actor, John Tirefire–The Man from the Ministry of the Environment, and Wally Wandaleer with things you just don’t see on radio. You can read more about our show at http://www.falseducks.com/dead/. You can listen to some of the sketches and you can check out a few videos of us in the studio. Or you can just watch them here:

I am a music fan. Why leave that to last? It’s because I can play myself out with the music. This has been a really tough year with losing my Dad and having a mysterious illness. I’ll admit I’ve changed. Here’s the segue from “Dead From The Neck Up” to music (not including the badly sung parody song from above). This past weekend I watched a favorite movie that I like to watch during the Christmas season. It is called “The Ultimate Gift” based on the book by Jim Stovall. It’s about redemption and the change in character of the main protagonist. Near the end of the movie is a wonderful song called “Something Changed” by Sara Groves. I’ve become a big fan of her music and highly recommend her as an artist. In fact, her song “Why It Matters” was the song I repeatedly played when dealing with my grief over the lost of my Dad. If you want to listen to |”Why It Matters” hop over to my blahg Me And My Grief and read about my Grief and listen to the song.

On “The Ultimate Gift” DVD is a special feature video of Sara singing “Something Changed”. The video is below. All I can add before the music begins is that I have changed. I was what I was and now I am what I am. What this new am is…I’m still trying to figure out.

Tags:Dead From The Neck Up, False Ducks, Jessica Andrews, Proof For Believing, Sara Groves, Scott Henderson, Who I Am
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ME AND MY GRIEF

Sunday, March 17th, 2019

I know as an English major that the title of this blahg is not grammatically correct. I’m going to ignore that rule because in this scenario I want to come before my grief. I have to have top billing. It’s selfish I know but I’ve had a hell of a couple of months and I need things to be this way. This blahg is about my grief. It’s dirty and sad and all the things I don’t want to put into a blahg but it’s part of my healing process.

I’m going to post a new poem below about my grief. It’s what I want to say and I’ve drafted it to the point where it summarizes, at least for me, everything that I’ve been through. The poem is words expressed the way I want them to be. They’re clipped and short and concise but this blahg will flesh them out for those of you who don’t understand or don’t enjoy my poetry.

Before I start though, I want to point back to a couple of blahgs. Obviously this is about the loss of my Father which you can read about in “The Passing Of George Henderson” but some of this also links back to a blahg from three years ago “The Balancing Act“. It would probably be very helpful to all of you if you read both of those posts because they add a great deal of context and bring things full circle to this blahg.

My Father, George Arthur Henderson, passed away on January 19th, 2019. I had to make the tough decision to let him go because there was no quality of life and dad wouldn’t have wanted that. It was a sad few days and we all got through it but there were things to be done and I powered through them and went back to work. Work was always a place I could go to for the “white noise” of everyone and everything else that I could focus on while I healed. For a time that worked. I got things done at work and at home but all the little things about handling the estate, banking, life insurance, wills, government forms, some of which I’m still working on, began to take a toll on me.

In mid-February we had a tragedy at work where one of the clients I worked closely with killed another of my clients. It was devastating and it sent the world of our work reeling and we could focus on nothing else. A grief counsellor, Yvette, was brought in to meet with our team but I only saw her for five minutes before the call of business as usual pulled me away. I had only started to tell her about losing my Father in January and I was a little weepy. That morning I had to take another client to the hospital for some tests and it was the first time I had been to the hospital since my dad died. It naturally brought up some sad lingering feelings about his passing.

What happened next was something for which I was not prepared. Grief fell over me and for the next few weeks I found myself drowning in sorrow. In my job I do some counselling and sometimes I relate a story to some of my clients who are struggling. I talk about an episode of the early 1990s show “Get A Life” with comic Chris Elliott. The episode is appropriately titled “Pile of Death”. The description for the episode is “To save his childhood park, Chris raises money by trying to break the world record for having things piled on you.” Chris lies on the ground in the park and people come along and pile things on top of him. At some point the representative from the Guinness Book of World Records comes along and tells Chris there’s no record for the most things piled on top of yourself. Chris points out a particular picture in the book but the representative tells him that’s an after photo of when the pile for the most things stacked up fell on top of the person trying to stack them. So I tell my clients there’s no prize for piling things on top of yourself. The prize is for stacking them up to the side and then dealing with them so they don’t fall on top of you.

I thought I was dealing with my pile. I kept working and tackling those things I had to deal with as a result of dad’s death. At some point that pile became unmanageable and it came crashing down on me and trapped me underneath. That’s when the grief kicked into overdrive and I felt sad and angry all of the time and crying because I didn’t know what else to do. With everyone at work trying to make sense of the homicide and how it affected each of us, I found that was something near the top of the pile that I couldn’t process because I still was dealing with dad’s death.

I began to play the same song over and over in my vehicle like a death dirge because I didn’t want to be happy. I wanted to continue to pile everything on top of me even though I knew there was no prize. The song I played was “Why It Matters” by Sara Groves:

I don’t know what Sara Groves meant by the lyrics but in my grief I needed to know why anything mattered. I didn’t have time for anyone else’s pain and sorrow at work and when I came home I didn’t want to talk to my daughter or my wife about any of this. My grief was mine alone and I wasn’t just trapped in it, I gave into it willingly and let it swallow me.

It would be about ten days before I could get a chance to sit down with Yvette again. I had reached out to her myself because I knew I needed something. Her schedule didn’t allow her a chance to meet with me until then so I kept on going. Things kept being added to the pile that was on top of me and I couldn’t tell people to stop because I’d always been a source of strength to others and they needed to give me their stuff. So I accepted all of their stuff but kept telling people I didn’t want to talk about anything because I would just be spewing until I got a chance to talk to Yvette. Little bits came out and people reacted but I kept asking them not to react because I was still processing everything. It was a tough time.

The weekend before I met again with Yvette, I had a bit of a breakdown and told my wife that I needed to spew and for her to just listen to me. She had been sick that week and so physical intimacy wasn’t there. I cried and told her about all the grief and the pain and how I was feeling and she just listened and rubbed my back. It was better for a few days but then I had to go back to work and that chaos came flying at me all over again. Eventually I sat down with Yvette and for two hours I gave her all of the back story of my dad and my sorrow and my grief. There had been no memorial services for dad so part of talking with Yvette was sharing with her everything I felt about my dad and how his death was threatening to swallow me up. I can tell you there’s nothing like someone not connected to your life, listening and hearing what you need to get out.

I felt better after I talked to Yvette. Part of her challenge to me was to find a way to express everything I was feeling. I told her about my blahgs and she said it sounded like writing was a release for me and that maybe I could find a way to release everything else through my writing. I thought about that and I thought a blahg might help but words began to swirl in my brain and I knew they were words trying to come out as a poem. I was at work for two more days and things felt a little better. I was then given a week off to deal with things and I gladly took that time, being Spring Break and my wife being off for that week, to connect with my wife and make that part of my life better. We did. I also allowed the poem to develop and this is how it came out:

when my father died

when my father died
sorrow eluded me

the anger at an unexpected
yet accepted passing
two day decline
to death
shadowed
by the chaos
of this life
and to do
forcing the stack
higher
pushed to the side
hoping for each thing
to be swallowed
as natural compost

when my father died
there were no services
no prolonged goodbye
no chance at words
an anagram perhaps
of a life summed up
rearranged to a sign post
that way onward for him
or this way for the living

when my father died
I carried on
tackled some things
tossed others to the tower
tried facing forwards
sometimes a sideways glance
to the pile
checking that it was still there
all the things that still bound me
to my father

weeks passed
after he passed
and the pile shifted
fell
trapping me beneath
grief appearing
finally
again unexpected
yet accepted
all consuming
a sad song
purposefully on repeat
all things
that were just things
collapsing over me

grief and I became close
buried together
hating and fighting
biting and scratching
hating mostly
everything and everyone
selfishness and pain
my true friends
nothing else

then someone sat with me
learned of
his death
my struggles
heard the spewing
took it all in
listened
to the stories
and all the grief
given out
in gasping breaths
until it had been shared
and the rubble was just
rubble
flotsam
easier to pick through
sort into importance
or not

when my father died
I had no time
no
made no time
to break
to grieve
to fashion truths
into a grave marker
or a trail marker

when my father died
I accepted
what needed to be done
the list
at once unmountable
but somehow
manageable
until that last thing done
releases him from me
and all I have
is memories
and my grief
that guides me
from here to there
this place to that place
where he has gone
and sends his beacon

It took a few days of editing to get it just right. I lived with it for a few more then I went to see Yvette again. She had asked me to see her again before I went back to work after my week off and was to bring my wife. I assured my wife it wasn’t couple counselling. It wasn’t. It was about my grief and how I was getting through it and how my wife was on that journey with me. At the end of the session I pulled out the above poem. But before I read it, I read another poem “the balancing act”, which you can read in my previous blahg “The Balancing Act“. See, everything links back.

In that blahg I talked about attending a workshop in 2016 on Grief and Loss. Yvette had been the main speaker at that event. I found that I wasn’t really connected to the topic because I hadn’t had anyone close die on me in about forty years. Most had been relatives who had aged out or pets that were part of my family but allowed me to open our heart and home for our new pets. The last real death was a friend who died tragically in high-school. I moved past that a long time ago and have had nothing to draw on since. So I didn’t take to the grief and loss section but when I heard about “the tree of life” section I was inspired. I told that to Yvette and then read “the balancing act” and “when my father died”. Both Yvette and Jeanette had tears in their eyes. At last all the spewing and sharing had been summed up and set free. Grief was still with me but more like a companion than part of that great big pile.

I know there will be deaths again in my life and now I’ll have something to draw on when grief looms large again. I’m still pecking away at all of those tasks still to be done but I’ve realized why there was so much anger attached to those tasks. One day, I think next year when I file dad’s last tax return, the final task will be done and all those tasks that bound me to him will be done and it will just be memories of my dad. That’s what the poem says best.

In my first blahg of this year, Welcome 2019…I’m Ready For You!, I said I was ready for 2019. That dip in the frigid lake seems so long ago but it really didn’t prepare me for what was to come. Maybe I’m not ready for the rest of 2019 but having made it through the first three months and an all consuming grief, I’m readier. Is that even a word? When I told my dad that we were going to release him and he would die in a few days, he indicated he was ready. He’s gone on his final journey but I’ve still got more journeys to come. And I’ll draw from the lyrics of one of Paul Quarrington’s last songs, “Are You Ready?” One of the last lines of that song is “Am I ready? I believe I am.”

Am I ready? Hell no, probably not if I think about it. But sometimes it’s not about thinking about it too much. It’s a leap a faith. Some kind of belief that with new experiences I’m readier than I’ll ever be. Am I ready? I believe I am.

Tags:Death, False Ducks, George Henderson, Grief, Poetry, Scott Henderson
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HAVE YOU READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

Tuesday, April 24th, 2018

Here we are April 2018 and the sun has decided to come back to us here in the North; Canada that is. This past month has been brutal with cold and snow and freezing rain and little done by me to advance toward even writing a blahg. Oh, I’ve done a lot of thinking about about it but the motivation just wasn’t there. When you’re rubbing your hands together to try and keep warm then your fingers aren’t really free to type. So, this blahg is a little later this month and is a mish-mash of things; a hodge-podge if you will. Don’t you just love fancy words to describe variety or essentially everything chucked into the pot to make a stew?

So, what have I been up to? Reading. That should impress you but don’t be fooled. Reading was only part of it. I didn’t exercise. Ate comfort food. Watched a lot of videos; both television and movies. Generally did nothing to speak of but writing about it is another thing altogether. The reading part was to advance my mind while my body went to seed. Some of the video watching was actually connected to some of the reading I was doing. If you read on, you will find out more.

I like to think I am an avid reader but the truth is I’m a selective reader. I don’t read many novels and if I do it’s usually not anything new. The last new novel I read was “Go Set A Watchman” by Harper Lee and even that was just a reprinting of a version of “To Kill A Mockingbird” that she had submitted early on to her publisher. Before that, the last novel I read was probably “The Ravine” by the late great Paul Quarrington or “Out of Oz” from the Wicked series of novels by Gregory Maguire. “The Ravine” was 2008 and “Out of Oz” was 2011 so who’s to say which one I read first. I’m not a fan of modern literature and am more likely to be caught reading a classic or something that’s at least 40 years old; after all I was an English major.

If you care to ask, where my passion lies in terms of the bulk of my reading habits are biographies and autobiographies. Let me be clear about that though, again I am not a fan of modern celebrity tell-alls and you’re more likely to catch me reading about stars from years gone by. A couple of months back I read the autobiography “The Million Dollar Mermaid” by swimming star turned actress Esther Williams. It was a fascinating book about a star I knew little about and about the golden age of musicals at MGM in the 1940s and 1950s. After that I read “Growing Up Laughing” by Marlo Thomas. I like Marlo Thomas and am a fan of hers and her father Danny Thomas. The book was an okay read but it tried to analyze comedy too much with interviews by current famous comedians. Some of the interviews worked and some didn’t. The best part of the book was when she talked about her father or when she told of her work in television and movies. I think I have my own ideas about comedy thank you very much.

I should interject here to say that over the past couple of years I have also read some very fine biographies. Not all of the famous movie stars or celebrities got around to writing their own life histories. Sometimes a well researched biography is just as good and can be very enthralling. Case in point, there were three biographies I read over the past few years that were great reads. “Jimmy Stewart, A Biography” by Marc Eliot was fascinating and taught me a great deal about one of my favorite movie stars. As far as actors go, there was never such a wholesome actor with such a great range of acting. I also enjoyed “The Man Who Saw a Ghost: The Life and Work of Henry Fonda” by Devin McKinney. Henry Fonda was another one of those great actors who had a lot going on inside. He was a very intense man and actor. The most recent biography that I read was “Bogart” by Ann Sperber and Eric Lax. Bogart also was one of those fascinating actors who was a complicated individual but had an interesting career and personal life. I highly recommend all three books.

Last fall I found out about a book in which I did not have a lot of faith. In fact, I thought it was probably a totally unnecessary book that would be both boring and a botch job. Boy was I wrong. “The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll K” by Norbert Aping was one of the most well researched and intensely spellbinding books I have ever read about a single film. “Atoll K” was Laurel and Hardy’s last film together and this book is a detailed “study of the chaotic making and marketing of Atoll K”. I lifted that quote right from the cover because I cannot find a better way to describe the contents. If you are a fan of Laurel and Hardy then you have to read this book. I had only ever seen “Atoll K” in butchered prints released as “Utopia”. Fortunately there is a new digitally remastered DVD of the Director’s cut of the U.S. version of”Atoll K” available from FunFactoryFilms. Read the book first and then watch the DVD. I had to watch it a couple of times and pause at points and refer back to information from the book. Both the book and this new DVD are a must for Laurel and Hardy fans; even if you never liked “Atoll K”.

So what have I read lately? That’s a good question and I have a good answer. It will also link to what I’ve been watching lately. I’ll tell you the name of the book before I tell you about it. It’s “Harry Langdon: King of Silent Comedy” by Gabriella Oldham and Mabel Langdon (Harry Langdon’s third and final wife). The book also has a foreword by Harry Langdon Jr. It’s been many years in the making and many had despaired that it would ever be completed. Many of you may be scratching your head and wondering who Harry Langdon was. If you’re a fan of silent screen comedy then you already know. Many, including myself, put him up there among the greats with Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. At least one of those names should ring a bell. Simply put, Harry Langdon was, at his best, as good as those three but uniquely different as well. I can’t really give you a run down on him in 25 words or less. I don’t think even one blahg would be enough to tell you why Harry Langdon deserves his comedy legend status.

What some people will tell you about Harry Langdon is all they know from Wikipedia or repeated hack sources. He burned bright, he was popular, he got a swelled head and made some bad films, and then he faded away. Most of that is very far from the truth. He did burn bright and was popular for a time and some believe his last silent films weren’t very good. Essentially Harry Langdon was a latecomer to films. He didn’t start making films until 1923/1924 after more than 20 years of a successful run in vaudeville. He was almost 40 before he came to the silver screen. Compare that to Keaton who started out with Roscoe Arbuckle in 1917 when Keaton was 22. Harold Lloyd was 20 when he started in 1913 and Chaplin was 24 when he was on the screen also in late 1913/early 1914. Langdon was twice the age of Lloyd when he started out and he would only have 5 years before silent films were out and talkies were in. Keaton had a decade in silent films to perfect his craft and Lloyd and Chaplin had a decade and a half. As I said, Harry Langdon was a latecomer but what he did during that time was both fascinating and groundbreaking.

Harry Langdon only made five silent film features: “His First Flame”, “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp” (1926), “The Strong Man” (1926), “Long Pants” (1927), “Three’s A Crowd” (1927), “The Chaser” (1928), and “Heart Trouble” (1928). “His First Flame” was made around 1925/26 but was not released until 1927. Harry’s other output during this time were silent shorts. Frank Capra worked with him on his first three features but Harry Langdon directed himself starting with “Long Pants” and that’s when some say he got a swelled head and the quality changed for the worse. I don’t believe that’s all true. I think he was getting some bad advice from others around him after Capra left but I think “Three’s A Crowd” was meant to be Harry’s masterpiece like Harold Lloyd’s “Kid Brother” and Keaton’s “The General”. Chaplin had many great films like “City Lights” but I don’t know if anyone would agree which of his films were meant to be his masterpiece. Chaplin would have said they all were. Getting back to Langdon, “Three’s A Crowd” is a very moving picture with some very funny bits. “The Chaser” is a bit of a let down but has some funny moments as well. As for “Heart Trouble”, we may never know because it is considered a lost film. If you want to read a fascinating blog that tracks the last showings of “Heart Trouble” in Australia from 1928 to 1931 then check out http://cablecarguy.blogspot.ca/2013/08/harry-langdon-heart-trouble-in.html.

Harry Langdon didn’t just fade away after sound film came in. He was popular for a time and I think his character adapted well to sound. Check out this promo announcing Harry Langdon joining the Hal Roach studios to make sound shorts:

I don’t know about you but I think his character translated very well and was very funny. Unfortunately “HOTTER THAN HOT” and “SKY BOY”, his first two official sound shorts currently only survive as film only without their soundtracks and are not available for viewing anywhere. Quite a few of Harry Langdon’s sound shorts with Hal Roach, Educational, and Columbia are available to view on Youtube and I’ve been watching them over this past month. Some are better than others but all prove that he continued to work right up until his death in 1944 at aged 60. He made shorts and features in the sound era but would never have the heights of popularity he had for that small window of time during the last half decade of the silent film era.

I think I’ll end this blahg here. I’ve been dwelling a lot on Harry Langdon lately. You could say I’m just wild about Harry. We are lucky, despite the missing lost films, to have a great number of Harry Langdon’s silent shorts and films available on DVD. First we have the great box set “Lost and Found: The Harry Langdon Collection” that contains most of his surviving silent shorts and his first feature, “His First Flame”. The set also contains a great documentary “Harry Langdon: Lost and Found – A Story in Five Parts”. Then there’s the Kino release “Harry Langdon…The Forgotten Clown” which boasts the three features, “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp” (1926), “The Strong Man” (1926), and “Long Pants” (1927). Finally there’s another Kino release of “Three’s A Crowd” and “The Chaser”. Again, I think “Three’s A Crowd” is so much better than most say. Of course, there’s also “The Chaser” which is where we have to end because there’s no sign of “Heart Trouble”. Maybe that too will turn up one day. Anyone want to sponsor my hunting expedition to sunny Australia in search of that lost film? It would make one hell of a blahg when I get back…whether I find the film or not.

Tags:False Ducks, Harry Langdon, Scott Henderson
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R.I.P. JERRY LEWIS 2017

Monday, August 21st, 2017

This blahg is going to be a bump. I know I haven’t written anything in about six months although my intentions have been good. With the passing of Jerry Lewis, however, I wanted to re-post my homage to him. Back in 2002 I wrote a blahg about Jerry Lewis and how I was lucky enough to shine his shoe. I know that is strange but if you continue to read then you will discover that’s a perfectly normal thing…for me at least.

Scott Henderson still thinks he's cool! I am a huge Jerry Lewis fan. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. With a nod to Charles Dickens, from whom I stole that line, I will relate to you something wonderful that happened to me a week ago.

First, let me back up 30 years. I graduated from Quinte Secondary School in Belleville, Ontario, Canada in June of 1982. Nothing about that is really significant but in my High-school yearbook, next to my photo, was printed the caption Scott Henderson is voted “most likely to shine Bob Hope’s shoes”. It was published at the suggestion of my friend Bryan who wanted to see something unique listed next to my mug shot. I guess, ‘most likely to succeed’ or ‘most likely to sire 100 children’ was already taken.

Let me tell you that a legacy to shine a celebrity’s shoes are tough shoes to fill. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. After all, Quinte Secondary School and I were about as far removed from Bob Hope as you can get. The truth is, I never got within 100 feet, kilometers, or miles of Bob Hope within his lifetime and mine. Bob Hope’s lifetime spanned 100 years and he passed away in 2003. The closest I ever got to him was seeing Dave Thomas, of SCTV & Bob & Doug McKenzie fame, at a fan convention in Toronto three years ago. Dave Thomas does the world’s greatest Bob Hope imitation. I actually saw a video interview with Bob Hope and Dave Thomas several years ago where Bob Hope stated that Dave Thomas was the only one who could do a proper imitation of Hope. A further accolade to Thomas is that he was chosen to do a Bob Hope voice over for the Academy Awards a couple years ago when they did a tribute to Bob Hope. When I met Thomas at the convention, he was signing autographs but not interacting with fans.
My son and I stood in line for his autograph and when we got to his table, I told my son, loudly enough for Thomas to hear, that this man was the greatest Bob Hope imitator. Thomas looked up a little surprised then said in his best Bob Hope voice “that’s what the man said.” You can see Noah and I in the photo to the left with Dave Thomas at the very moment I pointed my finger and gave Thomas credit for his Hope imitation. My son and I were very pleased. No one else had received any reaction from Thomas.

I never shined Bob Hope’s shoes. I don’t know why Bryan set me up like that. I was, after all, a bigger Jerry Lewis fan although I have several DVDs of Bob Hope movies and several books by or about Bob Hope. My dedication to Jerry Lewis is probably a little deeper. After Hope passed away, I remember telling Bryan that I would probably have to set my sights on Jerry’s shoes. My fascination with Jerry Lewis has been constant for many years. There are many people who don’t get his type of comedy and don’t see the appeal. They often point to one thing or another about his personal life that they insist should tarnish the image of the man. I don’t really care about all of that. Jerry Lewis, for me, is that image in his films or television appearances.

I’ve read three books about Jerry. The first was by Richard Gehman, entitled “That Kid: The Story of Jerry Lewis”. That Kid: The Story of Jerry Lewis It’s an interesting read but only significant up to its publication date of 1964. It focuses greatly on some touring he did to promote the release of “The Nutty Professor” and more so on preparation for his ill-fated 1960s talk/variety show.

King of Comedy. The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis The second book, “King of Comedy, The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis”, by Shawn Levy in 1997 was a great read. Here was a well researched book that even included excerpts from interviews with Jerry. It’s not meant to be a hatchet job or a fawning opus. There’s dirt and there’s flowers throughout the book and it really delves into who Jerry Lewis is and how he developed into the person he has become. I highly recommend it.

Jerry’s own book “Dean & Me (A Love Story)” is exactly what the title says it is: it’s a love story about the relationship between Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Maybe it’s a little one sided because Dean Martin died in 1995; more than ten years before the publication of this book in 2006. Somehow, though, Jerry doesn’t meander on or give us treacle. The book is heartfelt and it’s an insight into a great relationship from the viewpoint of one of the partners. Maybe it’s colored or jaded or whatever but Jerry does a great job and, if nothing else, it lets us in on the secrets and the success and the problems with Martin & Lewis.

So, I approach Jerry Lewis with bias. I have read two great books and one good one. I’ve also seen almost all of his films. As a DVD collector, 2012 has been a great year so far with the release of several great Jerry Lewis films. The first three months alone, saw the release of “Rock-a-Bye Baby”, “The Geisha Boy”, “Boeing Boeing”, “It’s Only Money” and “Who’s Minding The Story”. The Jazz Singer - Jerry Lewis More significantly there was a DVD release of “The Jazz Singer” which was a 1959 television drama that has never been seen since its original airing. It’s the classic story, done brilliantly before by Al Jolson, Danny Thomas, and even Neil Diamond, of a performer who shuns the interest of his Cantor father to continue in the family tradition at the local synagogue. I came across an audio clip from Jerry explaining why he feels that this type of production isn’t made anymore:

	JERRY LEWIS TALKS ABOUT THE JAZZ SINGER

	THE FALSEDUCKS BLAHG

I could probably go on and on about the great and not so great Jerry Lewis material out there but then this blahg wouldn’t get finished. I am just hoping that the release of material continues and Jerry gets his due on store shelves. One more thing on the release of “The Jazz Singer”, which will bring this blahg back to where it should be going, Jerry Lewis did some promotion for this DVD release and was signing copies of the DVD in Los Angeles. Up to that point, I had not heard that Jerry was actually making public appearances anymore. The closest he ever got to me was about ten years or so ago when he had a one man show “An Evening With Jerry Lewis” that played in Toronto. I’m two and a half hours away from Toronto and I couldn’t swing it at that time.

Jump ahead to 2012. Thirty years had passed since my high-school graduation and that Bob Hope’s shoes remark had been attributed to my picture in the yearbook. I’m driving in the car and listening to the top ten at ten on AM 740. I’ve mentioned this radio station before, out of Toronto, and you can listen to it live at: http://zoomerradio.ca. The top ten on that day was dedicated to 1965 and the announcer, before going to a commercial break, gave a hint regarding the number one song. His clue was that the song was by the son of a famous comedian and that the father would be appearing at Casino Rama in Orillia, just north of Toronto, in April. I quickly struggled to guess the song and the singer before the program resumed. The only name I could think of from the 1960s who had a father that was a famous comedian was Gary Lewis and the song would be “This Diamond Ring.” As I began to think of the possibility, I excitedly wondered if this meant that Gary Lewis’ father Jerry Lewis would be coming back to Canada. After the commercial, my suspicions were confirmed. The top song was that one by Gary Lewis and this meant that I had the possibility of getting to see Jerry Lewis!

When I finally got home and could check Casino Rama’s website, it was confirmed for me. Jerry Lewis was playing Casino Rama on April 13th. I was, to say the least, extremely excited. I called my friend Bryan and mentioned that Jerry Lewis was coming and that he and I had to go and see him. Of course Bryan shared my enthusiasm. The excitement, however, became tainted when I mentioned to my wife about going to see Jerry with Bryan. I was immediately informed that if I was going to go away overnight to see Jerry that I was going to take her. We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year so the request was clearly not a request. Bryan understood but I’m still sure that his disappointment hasn’t waned. He has since said he is not really a big Jerry Lewis fan but I think that’s a lie and he’s just trying to make me feel better about choosing my wife over him. If you think I’m going to rethink my decision….YOU’RE WRONG! (my wife might be reading this).

When tickets went on sale, I was quickly online at the Casino Rama website because I wanted decent seats. I wanted to be able to see Jerry and get as close to him as I could. All sorts of things were going through my mind. Could I get close enough to the stage for him to see me? Would he be signing autographs? What if I could meet him? I’ll be honest, the thought of shining his shoes never crossed my mind. I don’t know what the happier moment was for me: when the tickets arrived by mail and they were in my hand or the moment when I heard Jerry Lewis was coming. I knew that seeing him live or alive would top both of these experiences.

Let me say that attending the event was a joy! We drove three and a half hours and when Jerry stepped out on that stage, I was like a school kid. I remember elbowing my wife and squealing “there he is” with great delight. Jerry’s 86 years old and that did not stop him from putting on a fantastic show. He told some great jokes and sang a few great songs. One of the musical highlights was his version of “Old Black Magic” that he originally performed in “The Nutty Professor”. The crowd went wild. Fortunately, someone captured that moment and it’s available on Youtube.

I didn’t bring a camera myself because I thought they would be banned and I didn’t want to be ejected from the event. Jeanette and I had great seats and we could see Jerry very well and there were two large screens next to the stage that allowed even better views. These were used for close-ups of the performance and to show clips from Jerry’s movies. For some reason, Jerry made reference to Henny Youngman, the king of one-liners, being from a Canada and showed a clip of Jerry, Alan King, and another comic in a salute to Youngman. It was hilarious and I wish I could find that clip online but I haven’t had any success. I’ll keep looking. By the way, Henny Youngman was born in the United Kingdom. Well, Canada is part of the Commonwealth so I guess I can forgive Jerry that inaccuracy.

I mentioned earlier about the release of “Who’s Minding The Store” on DVD. In that film, Jerry did a great gag of typing on an imaginary typewriter while keeping in time with the music and sound effects. It’s a very funny gag and one that Jerry performed at Casino Rama last week. He never missed a beat while performing it last week and the audience at it up. I don’t have video of that performance but here’s a video of the original gag from the movie. The man is a genius!

Jerry Lewis had people in stitches the whole evening. Some of the jokes I heard him do before. There is a great VHS of “An Evening With Sammy Davis & Jerry Lewis” from 1988. Jerry repeated some of the jokes from that appearance. In the video, Jerry and Sammy are a delight. AN EVENING WITH SAMMY DAVIS JR. & JERRY LEWIS Sammy sings and dances and Jerry does his schtick. They have individual sets but when they get together or Jerry interrupts Sammy, the show is the thing. If you can track down a copy of the video, sorry no DVD release yet, then you’re in for a treat. This pairing, like Dean and Jerry, will never happen again.

All of the jokes, gags, and songs Jerry performed at Casino Rama were very memorable but Jerry Lewis did something I have never seen another performer do before or since (although that was last week and I haven’t seen any other concerts in that time). Half way during the show, Jerry sat down in a director’s chair and took questions from the audience! I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t sure I would have the opportunity to get close to Jerry but here was my chance. I wasn’t the first one out of my seat because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to ask Jerry. I got in line because I knew that something would come to me and I certainly wasn’t going to miss this chance of a lifetime.

Many of the questions asked by others that night are a bit of a blur. I do recall that most of them appeared to be fawning idiots who just wanted to thank Jerry for everything he had done. Others asked for autographs and were referred to see Security after the show. None of us knew if these requests would be honored. I had been toying with asking Jerry if there would be any new DVD releases in the near future because I really was interested in knowing the answer.

At some point, while waiting my turn in the long line, the shining of the shoes came back to haunt me. Was this appropriate to ask? What would be his reaction? When it came my turn I stepped up to the microphone and said “Hello Jerry, my name is Scott, and when I was in High School they printed next to my picture in the yearbook that I was voted most likely to shine Bob Hope’s shoes. That bastard up and died on me so I’m wondering if I could shine your shoe?” That’s right, I said ‘shoe’, singular. I was so excited by what I was saying and that I was actually saying it to Jerry Lewis that my mouth went dry towards the end and I could only utter shoe when I came to the end of my speech. Jerry’s reaction was priceless. He had just taken a drink of water and out it came in a spray when he heard my request. He sputtered and said “I had to ask.” I had cracked up Jerry Lewis and the audience. I was laughing too. I never did get a direct answer from Jerry but the interchange between us was palpable.

I thought that was it. I had made my appearance and others came up to the microphone and asked their questions. I don’t think anyone topped my request. But the question still remained: How was I going to get to shine Jerry’s shoe? After the performance, and what a performance, many audience members worked their way to the right of the stage where members of Security stood. Many had brought books or DVDs or records for Jerry to sign. They all were jostling with Security hoping to get backstage to have their items signed. Someone took some of the items backstage and said they would see what they could do to get the items autographed. I just stood among them. I had nothing to sign. I just wanted to shine Jerry’s shoe. After 30 minutes, they began to take a few VIP ticket holders backstage and they eventually came out with small autographed photos. Others who had sent items with Security were allowed backstage to retrieve their items. About 20 of us without items stood in line hoping to get to see Jerry and have our tickets signed at least.

As I mentioned, there was a great deal of jostling from the 50 or so people hoping to be lucky enough to see Jerry and maybe get his autograph. Some Security members doubted that Jerry would sign for long as he was old and tired. I could only hope. Eventually some people got tired of waiting and left. After another twenty minutes, the remainder of us were allowed backstage. We were told at this point that Jerry was very tired and that he would not be autographing tickets nor were photos allowed. What about shoe shining, I wondered.

Jeanette joined me in line and we eventually were led to a room where Jerry sat in his director’s chair. Most walked up and shook his hand. Then it was my turn. I shook his hand and reminded him that I was the one who wanted to shine his shoe. He smiled and gestured to his shoe. I got down on one knee and with my coat sleeve, I began to gently shine his left shoe. I only shined the one shoe because I had only said ‘shoe’ and I didn’t want to press my luck and go for both. I stood up, and without blinking an eye, I extended my palm and said “that will be a dollar.” Jerry laughed and said “get out of here.” It was a moment I won’t ever forget. I had cracked up Jerry Lewis…twice.

Jeanette was behind me in line. Neither of us had brought anything for Jerry Lewis to sign and we knew better than to ask him to sign our tickets after we were warned against it. Jeanette, however, had a small notebook in her purse and quickly offered a blank page to Jerry. No fuss no muss. Jerry signed it! What class! What style! What an end to an extraordinary evening!

I may have never had the chance to sign Bob Hope’s shoes but I think this makes up for it. I signed Jerry Lewis’ shoe. It was only the left shoe but that leaves me with a goal for the right foot. I’ll see him again, don’t you worry. Long live Jerry Lewis!

August 21st, 2017: I guess I was wrong. Well, at least Jerry has one shiny shoe in comedy heaven. R.I.P. Jerry. The world is a little less funny without you.

Post Script: In 2013, Jerry Lewis starred in the film “Max Rose”. It has yet to be released. Here’s a trailer:

Come on people, RELEASE “MAX ROSE”!

Tags:False Ducks, Jerry Lewis, Scott Henderson
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

Well, there goes another two months. I cannot believe how busy I have been. The new job has been exciting but my down time has been either precious or precious little. I had to take a sick day today because I was getting run down and whatever flu like illness that was going through our office caught up with me today. I’m not sure how much of this blahg I’ll get written today because I’m supposed to be resting but the temptation of the available time to write this blahg is getting to me like this flu.

I thought the title of this blahg being It’s Never Too Late would inspire me greatly but it’s really a catch-all to inspire me to write a blahg as much as it is to inspire my readers to read this. Hey readers, how you doing? I always ask the question if I have readers and I never take the time to assume I do have readers and should just acknowledge them and ask how it’s going with them. Again I ask, hey readers, how you doing?

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I want to tell another one my based on my own life stories. I know how you all love those. Way back in 1979 I was, and still am, a fan of the Micronauts. At first it was the comics even though I had a vague awareness that there was a toy line on which the comics were based. I didn’t own any but when the 1979 Sears Christmas catalogue came out, I became fascinated with an item in the catalogue. The item was the Micronauts Rocket Tubes. Here’s the details of that add:

The transportation system of the future. Micronauts are propelled on a smooth, silent cushion of air. Includes 15′ of microtube which makes several fantastic layouts such as a 10 1/2″ vertical shaft or a 6′ x 20″ continuous oval loops. With 2 cargo vehicles and 2 special Microanuts. Wall power pack.

The price was only $59.99 but it might as well have been a million dollars because I was 17 and had no job and no savings.

If you think that wanting something and not having the money for it deterred me then you’d be wrong. It was, after all, a Christmas catalogue, so I thought maybe I could ask for it for Christmas. My Mother said no. I offered to pay half toward the cost even though I didn’t have the half. My Mother said no. That was the end of my dream until 37 years later. Now that I’m working again and have some disposable cash, I thought it was time to revisit that dream. Before I tell you about that version of my narrative, check out this original video for the Micronauts Rocket Tubes:

Wow, wasn’t that fun? Probably more fun than reading my blahg about the Rocket Tubes. Well, I’m going to continue on. Thanks to the modern age of the Internet and Ebay, I was able to track down a Rocket Tubes set for a reasonable price. I still remember the day I came home to tell my wife and my daughter about my online purchase. All I said was that I had bought the one thing that I always wanted. My daughter Abbie guessed it right away and was just as excited that I had purchased the Rocket Tubes. In a previous blahg, My Good Life, I wrote about having once wanted a Rom The Space Knight action figure and how Abbie had used her own money to buy me it for Christmas in 2014. After Rom, that left the Rocket Tubes at the top of my wish list. Of course, if you’ve read previous blahgs, World Peace is always at the top of my list but the Micronauts Rocket Tubes was a close second.

My friend Bryan heard that I had purchased the Rocket Tubes and asked that I make a video of it once I received it in the mail. Here’s that video:

I know, it’s not a great video but it conveys the message I want to get across. By the way, if you missed that message, it’s this: IT’S NEVER TOO LATE.

Before I move off of this topic, I want to draw your attention to something I mentioned in the video. If you click on the image of the Sears advertisement for the Rocket Tubes that I have posted above then you will see that there was an extra bonus that you could have purchased from Sears. Here’s the description:

Glider Launcher. Accessory for item (15). Mounts on a vertical rocket tube shaft. When Micronaut figure ‘blasts off’ up the shaft, it launches up to 3 glides. About 11″ wide x 11″ long x 3″ high.

As you can see from the picture in the Sears Catalogue, the gliders are very colorful and have decals on them. This is of course the gliders that were sold as an accessory in Canada. In the United States, the gliders were very plain looking but at least they were included in the price of the Rocket Tubes. In Canada, our more colorful set was an accessory that would have cost you an extra $10.99. I didn’t even have the $11 in 1979 and I’ve yet to track down a set of these gliders. The gliders were exclusive to Sears so they are now at the top of my wish list after World Peace.

I want to move away from the Micronauts now and back into the realm of Jazz which has been a favorite topic of mine in the past. I recently picked up an album of Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen called “Midnight In Moscow.” I believe this album came out in 1962, which coincidentally was the year I was born. I had never heard of Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen but some research has shown they were very popular in Britain and the title song, “Midnight In Moscow” was one of their big hits. Give it a listen:

I found out that Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen were also favorites on the Morecambe and Wise variety show also out of Britain. I found this great video of them performing “I Want To Be Like You”. You will no doubt recognize that song as coming from the movie “Jungle Book”. Check it out:

So I discovered Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen 50 years later. That’s okay, like the title says: IT’S NEVER TOO LATE.

Tags:False Ducks, Kenny Ball, Micronauts, Rocket Tubes, Scott Henderson
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FRANK’S LAST STORY

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015

I haven’t written a blahg in almost 4 months. Scott Henderson still thinks he's cool! I haven’t wanted to write a blahg during that time. I certainly didn’t want to write this blahg. Read on, it’s a sad one.

I have written here before about our found cat, “Frank”. If you haven’t read that post, you can check it out here: The Christmas Cat. Quickly, the story tells of how Frank found us in 2008 just before Christmas. I say “found us” because he showed up at our house and stayed. Everyone loved Frank. During the time he was with us, we lost four of our older female cats and two kittens. I’ve written about the death of our other precious cats before so I don’t want to go into that again. If you search through the old blahgs, you can read all about it.

Frank was always a great cat and very good-natured. He liked to spend time outdoors and never wandered too far that we didn’t have to worry about him. On those rare occassions when he didn’t answer our calls, I’d go out calling for him. I’d get frustrated and come back to the house only to find him sitting somewhere on the porch. I’d always say something like “you couldn’t call out to let me know you were here all the time?” It was his little joke to watch us scramble around needlessly.

Sometimes Frank would catch mice or birds and deposit them at the back door as a gift for his keep. One time he brought home a dead baby rabbit. I don’t know if he killed it or found it. I guess in his mind, he was trying to pay his way. We always discarded them appropriately so he wouldn’t bring them back again. He never ate any of his trophies. I guess it was like gift shopping for him.

Frank loved to follow my wife around outside. If she was working in the garden or walking in the yard, he’d be right there. He enjoyed the outdoors and I had to blow a path clear from the snow around the garage in the Winter so he could go for a walkabout and do his business. The other seasons saw him outside from morning to evening. He loved rolling around in the driveway and he had his favorite spots to just lie around. He liked lying under the solar blanket for our pool when it was rolled up. It hung on two hooks but it sagged in the middle and created a little tent area. You could only spot him if you were walking in the yard past the deck railing on the outside of where the solar blanket hung. If I went looking for him and forgot to check there, he’d be lying there waiting for me to discover he’d been there all the time.

When Frank was indoors he’d have his favorite spots in the living room or on the bed in our bedroom. He never wanted to be in any of the children’s bedrooms but when my wife and I would go to bed each night, Frank would know it was time and would follow us into the bedroom and jump up on the bed. He also had his favorite spot on the couch and if you were there first, he’d jump up on you to signal that it was time for you to vacate his spot. He also had his spot on the carpet if he was inclined to lie on the floor. The other cats knew that and left him alone unless he was in playful mood. On those occasions he was very entertaining.

About two or three years ago Frank became ill. At first we didn’t know what it was and thought it was best to just let it run its course. His fur was flat and he began to lose weight. He just lay around and after a couple of weeks he didn’t seem to improve. We took him to our veterinarian and they ran some tests and checked his blood. We waited for a diagnosis. We were told it could be feline leukemia or a number of other things that didn’t sound good. Eventually they found that he had a version of FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) which is a version of AIDS in cats. We were told it was treatable by an initial treatment of a special antibiotic and then a continuing regiment of steroids. Apparently steroids are safe in cats but not so much in humans. Frank quickly improved and remained on the dose of one steroid pill a day for the next three years. He only had one bout of a respiratory infection that was cleared up by an antibiotic but the FIV was kept at bay by the steroid. His health was good and his quality of life was even better. He enjoyed his old routines and even put on weight.

Sadly, Frank became ill again in June of this year. He began to slow down and we thought it was more age related because he was around ten years old. After a month, we began to be concerned because he was not as active as before. After a trip to the veterinarian, he was put on an antibiotic to see if it was just some type of infection. He began to decline and he lost weight. A few trips to the veterinarian and different blood tests later, we were no closer to knowing what the problem was.

One day he was just unable to walk on his own. He would get up and immediately fall over. We had to help him to the cat litter box and help him to get to food and water. The veterinarian thought it might be feline diabetes but Frank didn’t have all of the symptoms of that disease. I researched his symptoms online and some websites recommended Methylcobalamin B12 tablets to help with his mobility. I visited a local health store and found a water soluble version and started Frank on those. After a couple of days, Frank was able to walk on his own. He was unsteady at first but began to have more mobility. He even enjoyed going outside again if only to lie in the sun.

The veterinarian was unable to completely diagnose Frank’s illness. Throughout July we struggled to find an answer . We did not treat him for diabetes but we did increase his steroid treatment. Unfortunately Frank continued to lose weight and did not eat much. He lay around indoors or outdoors with supervision. Eventually he lost his mobility again and we knew that his quality of life was suffering. We made the decision to have him put down. We had been hoping for a miracle but even the veterinarian confirmed that there was nothing more that could be done for Frank. We believe the FIV had come back with a vengeance and Frank’s symptoms resembled those I had heard of in humans during the fatal final stages of AIDS.

The day we had to have Frank put down was the saddest day of my life. Everyone in our house was crying but knew it was the right decision for Frank. We could not see him continue to suffer. My wife and daughter and I drove him to the veterinarian. My son stayed home but even he wept. My wife and daughter stayed in the car and I took Frank in to the vet’s office. They took me to a special room where I was able to take Frank out of the carrier and hold him and talk to him. I cried uncontrollably and told him how special he was and how much I loved him. I held him in my arms like a baby and I knew that he was like one of my children and that his was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Even now, my eyes are welling up just writing about this. I can only hope that Frank is in a better place.

I think I want to end this blahg now. I will only add that our other cat Zoey, who has been with us for two years, also loved Frank. She always played with Frank when he was in good health but left him alone when he became ill. After his death, she pined around the house and was very lonely. We had to eventually adopt a playmate for her. A new little black kitten who we named “Annie” joined our family at the end of August. I will write about her another day. She is not a replacement for Frank. There can be no replacement for Frank. We still love him and he will always be missed.

Tags:Cat, False Ducks, FIV, Frank, Scott Henderson
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SOUP & SANDWICH: A LOVE STORY

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

This will be a quick self-serving blahg. Hopefully, I’ll have a longer one for you next week. Presented below is a wonderful video that my 16 year old daughter, Abbie, put together for a school project. I had not seen the video until it was presented at an “Arts Night” at her school and the audience reception was amazing. Proud Papa presents, an Abbie Henderson original production, “Soup & Sandwich: A Love Story”

I, of course, had nothing to do with this production except by nature of being father of the genius behind it. I’ll throw some credit to her mother as well. See ya, next time.

Tags:False Ducks, love story, Scott Henderson. False Ducks, soup & sandwich, video
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I HATES POLLY TICS!

Friday, May 9th, 2014

A big warning up front: this is going to be political and it’s going to Scott Henderson still thinks he's cool! be about Canadian politics so if that turns you off…turn the page. To my readers who live in other parts of the world or other parts of Canada, other than Ontario, I apologize. I try not to be a political person in these blahgs but sometimes you have to speak up. To quote Popeye “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more.” If you don’t believe me, check out this quick clip of Popeye saying exactly that.

The title of this blahg is also a tribute to Popeye-speak because he twists words to his own way of talking and I think he’d say Pollytics but I’ve changed it slightly to meet my own meaning. Politicians can be so repetitive with their dribble and you get tired of hearing the same old promises over and over again. It’s like listening to a parrot with a tic. Now, I bet you get that Polly Tics reference. At least, I hope you do. I try to be funny sometimes but I’m not sure everyone gets my sense of humor.

Last week, the Premier of Ontario announced an election that will be next month. The unfortunate thing about it is that it really isn’t necessary. Premier Kathleen Wynne was forced into calling the election because she couldn’t get either the NDP or Conservatives to back her recent budget and when you have a minority government, like we have in Ontario, without the vote backing from one of the other parties, that’s the ballgame. Her term should have lasted at least another year and we wouldn’t have to go to the polls until then if there had been some cross party cooperation. Unfortunately, the leaders of the other parties also want to be Premier and think nothing of wasting our tax dollars on a premature election. Who’s been voting for these people?

In the last Federal election in Canada, in 2011, I had a sign on my front lawn. I know that other people had signs on their lawns endorsing certain parties but my sign denounced a political party. My sign simply said “WE WILL NOT BE VOTING CONSERVATIVE!” It was a clear message that I believed, and still do believe, that the ruling Conservative party has done nothing for this country and has been rife with scandal. Of course, to be fair, there has been a good share of scandal linked to the leading Liberal party ruling the province of Ontario. My point being, however, that I think it’s time for me to pull out my sign again and let everyone know which party I will not be supporting in the current provincial election.

Far be it for me to tell anyone who they should vote for. Instead, I’m going to tell my friends and neighbours for whom they should not cast their vote. Prior to the current governing Liberals in Ontario, the Conservative party, under Mike Harris ruled from 1995 to 2003. It was a dismal time and Mike Harris jumped ship in 2002 and left his finance minister Ernie Eves to rule as Premier for the final year. The Conservatives ran on a ‘Common Sense Revolution’ platform and it was anything but common sense. They slashed and burned many programs and robbed from the poor to give to the rich. They slashed social assistance rates but 21.8% figuring that the poor were basically lazy leeches who didn’t want to work. They even came up with some crazy food menu that they thought the poor could live on. This crazy menu centered around discounted cans of tuna. Meanwhile, the Premier and his party ate considerably well on the public dime.

The Conservative party also labelled most unions and concerned individuals as special interest groups and began to attack them. Teachers and nurses stood up for what was right and the Conservatives soon found themselves losers in the 2003 provincial election. Never again, the bulk of the province said. We didn’t want these people breaking up our province and attacking the poorest of our citizens. That’s when the Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty took over. It looked like things would change for the better. They did for a while.

I am not going to talk about what went wrong with McGuinty’s leadership. He made some good decisions and he made some poor decisions. Finally, he too, like Mike Harris, stepped down as Premier, and the Liberal party chose Kathleen Wynne to continue on as Premier. Kathleen Wynne is not only the first female Premier of Ontario, she is the first openly gay Premier. I think, on both accounts, it was about time.

Premier Wynne inherited a bit of a mess from McGuinty but I think she’s done a great job trying to fix everything. I think she’s getting this province back on track and it’s time the other parties start to back her up. In a minority government you have to have the support of the other parties to get anything passed or even to get anything done. Unfortunately, Tim Hudak, the leader of the Ontario Conservatives, has gone out of his way to block everything Wynne has tried to accomplish. He even comes out to say he will not support any budget she brings forward…even before the budget is brought forward. His party is actually called the Progressive Conservative Party. Non co-operation and taking a negative stance before things are announced is considered Progressive? Maybe now you will understand the purpose of pulling out my old yellow sign.

Let me be clear that Tim Hudak looks like a weasel and talks like a weasel. What’s the analogy here, “IF IT LOOKS LIKE A WEASEL AND IT TALKS LIKE A WEASEL, IT MUST BE A WEASEL.” That’s not an insult, that’s a fact. This man wants so badly to be Premier and he has even trucked out some of that old Common Sense Revolution clap trap. It’s Polly with a tic all over again. The last time he ran, he wouldn’t promise not to take a possible cut in social assistance payments off the table. His new platform even talks about slashing government programs and trimming government ministries. This is the same thing that Mike Harris did when he was Premier. Let’s not go down that road again. Just say no to the Conservatives!

As I’ve said, far be for me to tell anyone who to vote for. If you eliminate the Conservatives as an option that leaves the Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP). I’ve already said what I will say about the Liberals but I should say something about the NDP. The NDP in Ontario is lead by Andrea Horwath and I think she’s got some great ideas and I have had great respect for her in the past. I think I even voted for her in the last provincial election. However, she was the one that really triggered the current election. She has supported the Liberal budgets in the past by asking for concessions in budgets in order to keep things going. This time, she said her party would not support a budget that many thought was a good budget. Many of her supporters have even come out and said they don’t understand the stance she took this time around. Maybe she wants to be Premier too and thinks she can fare better in the next election. Good luck to her. That wasn’t mean to be sarcastic but take it any way you want.

So I’ve been clear, I won’t be voting Conservative. I’m not sure if my vote will be going to the Liberals or the NDP but at least I will cast a vote. That’s another major problem we have. Voter apathy is bad in this country. So many complain and think that nothing will ever change so they don’t vote. Shame on them. If you don’t vote then you don’t deserve that privilege nor do you deserve the right to complain. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Get out and vote…just don’t vote Conservative.

Tags:False Ducks, Kathleen Wynne, Liberal Party, NDP, Politicis, Popeye, Progressive Conservative, Scott Henderson, Tim Hudak
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I’M PULLING FOR YOU DEB TALAN

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014

Well, I did it. I broke my rule about social media and visited one of Scott Henderson still thinks he's cool! those websites that I revile. If you know anything about me, and I hope you do after reading my blahgs, then you will know that I prefer anti-social media. That means I’m on nothing other than my blahg. My daughter Abbie is the same way and we constantly joke about “Twitter is for twits” and “if you want to find me, I’m in the phone book…not on Facebook.” I know someone else has probably made those jokes before but I’m sure I originated them. Moving on, I visited Facebook.

The Weepies, Deb & Steve

Before you start condemning me or lauding me, depending on your social media viewpoint, let me explain. You should know from past blahgs that I’m a fan of The Weepies and the work of that musical group and their husband and wife team Steve Tannen & Deb Talan. I’ve posted a few songs here and how moved I am by Deb Talan’s voice. “Be My Thrill” was their last album back in 2010 and I try to check and see if there is anything new from them. I constantly check out www.theweepies.com for information but there hasn’t been any news updates for them in a while. So, last week I decided to search the internet for news related to The Weepies or Steve or Deb. Boy did I get a shock. I found a news story that stated that, back in December, Deb Talan had announced she had been diagnosed with stage 2 Breast Cancer. Insert shock or mouth wide open picture or very sad face.

From past blahgs, other than those that mention Deb or The Weepies, you will know that I lost my friend Roni Summer Wickens last year to breast cancer and learned that an old acquaintance, Sherry Cornwall, also lost her fight to a rare form of cancer. I didn’t want to post too late here my admiration of Deb Talan and begin offering up my hopes and prayers that she’ll beat her cancer. The news article that I read about Deb’s announcement also linked to The Weepies Facebook page. There, I learned more about Deb’s brave struggle and saw some updated photos of her going through her chemotherapy. On the Facebook page there was also a mailing address where you could “send Deb a love note or care package or a few words of encouragement via snail mail.” I’m quoting that last part from their Facebook page. Of course, I wanted to send Deb a letter. I wanted her to know how much her music means to me but more importantly that I’m pulling for her. Here’s the text of the letter I wrote:

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Dear Deb,

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and better health. It was with great shock last night that I read online that you were undergoing chemotherapy for stage 2 breast cancer. I frequently check out www.theweepies.com looking for news of The Weepies but had not read any updates on there recently. Yesterday, I decided to google any news of you or Steve and I found an article dated before Christmas about your cancer diagnosis. I do not participate in social media sites like Face Book so I did not know there had been postings there about your diagnosis and your ongoing struggles with chemotherapy. I broke my rule about visiting Face Book and read some of the postings and viewed some of the pictures. My hopes are that you will persevere and you will beat your cancer. I did not sleep well last night thinking about you and Steve and what you must be going through; you especially. So, that’s why I’ve decided to write you this letter.

I am sure you have received letters from other fans and well-wishers but for me, this is a first. I’ll be 52 this year and I live in Demorestville, Ontario, Canada…about two and half hours east of Toronto. If you ask anyone, they will tell you I have very eclectic tastes in music. I don’t listen to the radio much because it’s all top 40 around here from artists who might have some talent but their music is over-produced and their songs have no meaning. On my Ipod I have a strange range of music from Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Judy Garland, Blossom Dearie, some Dixieland bands and the odd rock tune from John Mellencamp or Billy Joel and of course every Weepies song I could find. I grew up on Billy Joel and when he stopped recording that was the time I stopped listening to conventional radio. Luckily, Billy Joel performed in Toronto last month and I took my three children to see him. I had not seen him perform in more than 20 years. Let me tell you, I’d drive twice that far to go see The Weepies and I hope that will happen someday.

So how did a guy like me, with such varied tastes, become a fan of The Weepies? It started with Stargate. You are no doubt aware of the movie that spawned three great television series. I particularly enjoyed Stargate Universe and during one episode, heard you on the soundtrack performing “Comfort.” I enjoyed the song so much that I just had to research you more. Thus my fascination with The Weepies began. No local stores around here carry your CDs so I’ve either had to order them online or download from Itunes. I began gathering all of your music and the music of The Weepies that I can find. I even enjoy listening to “Gravity” and “Navigation” from PBS Kids when they randomly get played on my Ipod. Sometimes it amazes me when one of your songs is played on television or in public. I frequent a thrift store called “Value Village” in Belleville (25 minutes from my home) and they have piped in music. One day, I was surprised to hear “I Was Made For Sunny Days” coming over the store’s speakers. I remember saying, “Hey it’s The Weepies” out loud and getting looks from other shoppers. The looks and stares continued when I began to sing along with the song. Recently, I heard “Big Strong Girl” played at the end of a “Psych” television episode and I said aloud, again, “Hey, that’s Deb Talan.” I like those moments. I sang along during that song, too.

What is it about your songs that I enjoy? First, you can understand the lyrics and the lyrics have meaning and connection. I guess it’s not that easy to describe but I’d rather listen to your songs than anything else played on the radio. I don’t want dance tunes or fluff but something that touches me or makes me want to sing along out loud and get stares. I keep a personal blog on my website www.falseducks.com and a few times I’ve posted about your music or linked to a video on YouTube of some of your performances. I’ve particularly enjoyed the slowed down ballad version of “Be My Thrill” that you’ve performed in concert. I have too many favorites to mention and I always find a particular song to suit my mood. Right now, I’m listening to “Same Changes” and next up it’ll be “Painting By Chagall.” Steve’s well represented as well, as I enjoy his vocals on “Dating A Porn Star” “Love Doesn’t Last Too Long”, and “Living in Twilight.” The “Be My Thrill” album was brilliant and I can’t wait to hear what comes next.

I just wanted to let you know how much your music means to me. I don’t know how many 50+ year old fans you have but believe me, you’ve got one here. I’m pulling for you Deb. I wish nothing but the best for you and Steve and your children. I know you’ll be back and my hope is that you’ll get up here to Canada. And if you do, you’re welcome to come out to my house in Demorestville. It’s rural and we have a great spot and the above ground pool will be open in a couple of months.

That phrase “The Music of Your Life” is so true, your music is the music of my life. You’re going to get through this and the music will keep on coming. I’m ready for it.

A Huge Fan,

Scott Henderson

I know I could probably have written a better letter but it says what I want it to say. I’m pulling for you Deb Talan. I really mean that. We lose so much in this world and it would be tragic to lose such a wonderful voice. I might have been a little forward in writing the letter because I really don’t know anything about Deb or Steve or The Weepies but it doesn’t make my admiration any less genuine. In fact, Deb sings a wonderful song called, appropriately, “Nobody Knows Me At All.” Give it a listen:

The lyrics are so true. Nobody knows me at all. If it wasn’t for this blahg, nobody would know about my musical tastes. I’m not ever sure how well I really know my musical tastes. This morning, I was reminded so much of what I wrote in that letter to Deb about understanding the lyrics and the lyrics having meaning and connection.

I have my Ipod on shuffle when I’m shaving and this morning a song by Fred Eaglesmith came into the rotation. The song was “Crashin’ & Burnin’ ” from his ‘Drive-In Movie’ CD. I highly recommend it because all of the songs are great and there’s a train theme running through many of the songs. Sorry about that running through pun. I know it was a bad pun but listen to the song, it’s very good:

That’s what I mean about songs having meaning. I still remember when I first heard Fred Eaglesmith. I used to listen to a radio comedy show on CBC radio (that’s the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) called “Madly Off In All Directions”. It’s usually a remote concert from some Canadian location hosted by Lorne Elliot. On this particular show, they had Fred Eaglesmith as one of the artists and he sang a very funny song called “How’s Ernie?” It’s a funny song about a guy reminiscing about his old girlfriend and the fact that he misses her father more than her. That started me on listening to Fred’s music. I’ve seen Fred Eaglesmith in concert a couple of times and the last time, at The Regent, in Picton, he performed “How’s Ernie?…much to my delight.

I like music that has lyrics that I can remember or sing out loud. If I had to think back to when it really all started then I’d have to say it began with my brother and Harry Chapin. My brother Tim had the Harry Chapin record, “Greatest Stories Live” and he played that record all the time until I was almost mad. I had to trade him for that record to get him to stop playing it. Fortunately, for me, the record began to grow on me and I eventually purchased every Chapin record I could find. Chapin’s songs were essentially stories set to music and you could understand the lyrics. As I’ve grown older, most of his songs take on more meaning for me. Here’s a particularly endearing song that reminds me so much of my daughters. It’s Harry Chapin’s “Tangled Up Puppet.”

There aren’t that many artists who can write great songs like that or even sing a song that will move you. Harry Chapin and Fred Eaglesmith are among my favorites in that category but now I add Deb Talan to that list. We lost Harry Chapin far too early and we just can’t lose Deb Talan. Her talent and her voice is so rare these days that we should all be pulling for Deb. Recently, as I mentioned in my letter to Deb, I heard her song “Big Strong Girl” played at the end of a ‘Psych’ television episode. It was so moving and I want to close with that song.

Deb Talan, you’re a big strong girl, you can get through this. We need you to get through this. I need you to get through this. I’m pulling for you Deb Talan.

Tags:Deb Talan, False Ducks, Fred Eaglesmith, Harry Chapin, Scott Henderson, The Weepies
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