Writing Life

A periodic record of thoughts and life as these happen via the various roles I play: individual, husband, father, grandfather, son, brother (brother-in-law), writer, university professor and others.

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Location: Tennessee, United States

I was born on Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina, then lived a while in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before moving, at the age of 5, to Walnut, NC. I graduated from Madison High School in 1977. After a brief time in college, I spent the most of the 1980s in Nashville, Tennessee, working as a songwriter and playing in a band. I spent most of the 1990s in school and now teach at a university in Tennessee. My household includes wife and son and cat. In South Carolina I have a son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Blogging in Madison County

Just a quick note from the public library in Marshall, North Carolina. I'm at my mom's this weekend, taking out the garbage and spraying off the car and getting her groceries. These are usually relaxed weekends for me, although I miss the wife and son when I'm away. We don't work it out enough for them to come with me.

Last night, when Mom was getting ready to go to bed, I left for Asheville, where I visited a club called Chasers. The house band there features two of my old White Water Band compadres--Terry on guitar and Kirk on drums. Visiting with me from Spruce Pine was Jim, the WWB's other guitar player. The table was completed by Terry's wife, Jim's wife and daughter and two of Jim's friends.

We had a great time listening to the music and talking during the breaks. I stayed at the club until 12:45 or so, something I haven't done in years and years.

We're planning a WWB reunion in Spruce Pine for sometime late in May. We had a good time together last night, so I'm betting that this reunion of a band that existed over 30 years ago will be a fun time.

Off to the grocery store!


255.4

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Nashville 1980 (Part II)


From 1972 through 1997, Nashville had a theme park called "Opryland USA." The place featured the usual rides--roller coaster, Ferris wheel and such--and lots and lots of music, and in my early days in Nashville I thought I'd audition to be one of the Opryland performers. I don't remember now how I learned about the auditions, probably a flyer on a bulletin board at Belmont, but I signed up and was given a time on Saturday, 26 January 1980. This would be my first Nashville performance, and I was excited about it. My only previous trip to Nashville before moving there had been a visit to Opryland with the Walnut community youth group. I remember being impressed by the fact that we couldn't get motel rooms any closer to the place than Cookeville, Tennessee, and I remember thinking that the music--although not really my style--was impressive.

Here's a bit from my journal entry from the morning of my audition:

It's Saturday and the morning of my Opryland audition. I'm up no trying to get my voice loosened. I probably won't go over there till about noon. I know there are prayers at home about this and I have turned everything over to the will of God. I'm gonna do my best with all of the talents He gave me and the decision is up to Him.

I don't remember what I sang, but I know it was a song by Larry Gatlin. Here's a bit from my journal entry later that same day:
Well, I suffered my first letdown in the "big city" today . . . one of the biggest letdowns of my life. Obviously, I didn't make Opryland. I did my best, not that I don't think I was good enough. I just think they pretty well had all they wanted and didn't need any more of my style. It was kind of funny though . . . I was getting into it as usual and I hear this small voice "Michael" and I suddenly realized they were through listening. I said OK. [. . .] I don't mind saying I was crushed and hardly knew what to do. I just felt like God had turned his back and walked off on me. I forgot who I was and thought and did some things I shouldn't have. Then I finally realized there is something better down the road for me. Not having that job will give me more time this summer, I only pray the Lord will let me have a regular park job.
Strange that I can't remember what I sang, but I remember standing there after my curtain had fallen, so to speak, and watching the next audition. The performer was a little fellow the judges all seemed to know--maybe he'd been a performer the previous year. He did a little softshoe dance and sang an a capella version of Louis Armstrong's "Lucky Old Sun." The judges loved it. (This is probably the point where I "thought and did some things I shouldn't have," but I can't remember what those were.) It was, I realize now, American Idol, and I wasn't a performer.

Looking back at those days of being 21 from my current perspective at 49, this experience was a harbinger of things to come throughout the next dozen or so years I would be involved with Nashville and trying to make it in the music business.

God did, it seems, see fit to give me a job in the park, which I fairly quickly walked out on with a "No thanks." I was hired to work on the Flume Zoom, the park's main (possibly only) water ride. I wore my hair short and sported a moustache, and more than one smartass passing my station pointed and said, "Hey, it's Burt Reynolds!"

Not long after the park opened for the season--mid March, I think--came a cold and rainy Sunday. I seem to recall hearing that we had about 18 visitors in the entire park. Without any rain gear, I was soon wet and chilled to the bone, watching the empty logs pass my station. I thought that surely the park would close early. But no. We stayed the entire day, and I don't ever remember being so cold. When I got in my car for the drive back to 17th Avenue, I think I knew that I would not be going back to that job, God-given or not. As I sat in the dark and the rain at a traffic light, corner of Wedgewood and 17th, I was so distracted by the chill and depression that when the light turned green I almost hit a runner who crossed the intersection late. It was Willie Nelson. And, for awhile, I was excited about Nashville again.