Just a little something that makes no sense...if you care...

In FL, 7 people a day die from prescription pill overdoses due to abuse.  We all know users and victims of users, and if you dont know one, you just arent looking hard enough.  Florida is rife with pill mills called Pain Clinics.  You can go into them with enough cash and a good story and get what you need, then drive to the next one.  This makes FL a haven for users, and dealers to obtain stock to resell, use or take to other states.

A step toward curbing this activity is to database drug transactions so that one pharmacy knows that another has already served that person, which would stop dealers and users from being able to stock up.  This would come at no cost to the state, the cost would be absorbed by the drug companies.  This plan has the support of law enforcement, and those in the drug counseling/recovery fields.

This plan does NOT have the endorsement of Gov. Rick Scott, and a few of the other lawmakers in the state who deem it as too big brotherish, and not the place of government to get involved.  Keep in mind, these are the people who say gays cant adopt children.  I am in favor of a little less government, but this is an arena that deserves to be monitored.  No one is keeping drugs from those who legitamitely need them, or abuse them in a reasonable fashion, this would merely curb dealers.

Maybe a note to your representative to let them know where you stand, afir or again, is in order.  It just seems to me that it makes more sense NOT to endorse drug dealers than to give them free reign.

Just my opinion...    

Looking At Noise Issues From Both Sides...

Today I heard a local watering hole has to face City Hall tomorrow in regard to a possibility of being denied permission to have outdoor entertainment.  The knee jerk reaction is that the bar and its entertainers are the victims, and that the complainers should get over it.  This is an argument that I can see both sides of, being both an outdoor entertainer, AND one who enjoys my quiet.  Allow me to present both sides for your review...

It is my belief that this issue and your opinion on it should be tempered by the location of the venue in question.  Every location has its own issues and challenges, and that is why cities have zoning laws.  What does happen occasionally is that the zoned area has a border, or some geographic anomaly that causes a problem.  If your business is in the heart of the commercial zone, you can probably be assured that you will have no problems or complaints.  If your commercially zoned business is in close proximity to residentially owned property, and you create noise, therein lies the rub.  Now you must face complaints and opposition.

Some cities are more fair than others in determining fair times and decibel levels for public outdoor music performance.  Any outdoor performer SHOULD be carrying a cheap decibel meter, such as I do, to be able to argue with no guesswork as to what is loud.  Noise is subject to opinion, but if the law states a number and you have a meter showing compliance, well then there is no argument.  Lets face it, performers do ramp up the volume to get over the crowd.   Concerned entertainers should monitor this so as to not be a problem for the employer...or venue managers should have a meter on site if the performer does not.

Whereas I do believe the venues should be able to have outdoor entertainment, and the performers should have a right to play, I also believe that homeowners and renters of residential properties adjacent to the entertainment have a reasonable expectation of peaceful existence.  If that peace is breached by excessive noise, or loud music, etc..., then the residents have a legitimate gripe.  This is where the history of the location comes into play...I mean, if you build your house next to a known outdoor stage, and then complained, that is on you.  If you build your bar in a residential area and add an outdoor stage, and complain that the residents revolt against you, then the bar is the bad guy.

Tomorrow, Hurricane Patty's will have to go to City Hall...just like Mad Dogs did...just like Dockside did...and every other tenant of the under the bridge location they inhabit in Flagler Beach.  They are directly on the river, in a residential neighborhood, the only business there.  Unfortunately their sound will travel over the water, and the complainers are probably the folks who live on the other side of the river...BUT, these are folks who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their homes on the river, and have a reasonable expectation of peace.  Maybe they are being overly sensitive in complaining too much, or maybe they are being bombarded with noise...that would be for those who enforce the ordinances to decide.  I don't believe Pattys should be denied permission to have music, but should be good neighbors in policing their noise levels, both from entertainers, and patrons at the waterside bar.    

Personally, I wish them luck and hope that things happen in their favor.  BUT I also hope that they are sensitive to the fact that they are sitting in a residential neighborhood, and that every business there before them has faced the same problem.  With a little thinking, and cooperation with the police, city and the area residents, they CAN coexist with no real problems.  But, don't be fooled into thinking that the complainers are music haters or whiners...if that is your reaction, imagine a school for rappers opening next to YOUR house, open til 10pm, LOL!  Food for thought....

          

THIS is ridiculous and REALLY pisses me off...in "free" America...

This is not second hand information, this is the adventure of someone I know personally.  He has been a Mr Mom for many years, raising his child, putting his career on hold since his wife had a stronger job and was able to support them.  As his kid got older, he took part time jobs for cash, and eventually opened his own business once his child was old enough.  His business failed, not by any mistake on his part, but an unfortunate zoning issue his landlord was unwilling to correct.

His child is now old enough for the most part to take care of herself, so he is actively either trying to get a job or start some kind of business, but the reality is, his domestic situation has changed, he is not being supported and he does not have any money...no money, no job.  He would LOVE to work in a field that is enjoyable, or that he is experienced in, but is willing to take ANY job...ANY job.

Unfortunately, he lives rurally in a small town, and there are limited jobs close to the house.  He has exhausted most of the close resources and has been burning up the gas and his car by going and putting in apps and attending fruitless interviews.  He recently saw a job offer on the internet, and called me to feel me out about it.  I was kind of against it...seemed shady and too far to travel, but left it that maybe some money short term was better than no money at all.  I then said that marketing wise, it seemed a better idea to present himself to the greatest number of people by either using the net, or even better, standing on a street corner with a sign that said "READY TO WORK...Not Homeless" or something like that.  He is THAT desperate.  I figured maybe someone with connections would get his info, or a job offer would come out of it...or at a minimum, the TV station or newspaper would pick up on it.

So waiting to hear back from him today to see how the adventure went, I got this email (edited for privacy):

I went out to do what we talked about. I was in a shirt and tie, I parked off the highway, I was at a very busy 3 point intersection at the edge of ******* where a ton of motorists get stopped.   I was off the highway, I had the sign, it was simple it said,

LOOKING FOR WORK

NOT LOOKING FOR HANDOUTS

I NEED A REAL JOB

HELP ME

Well I made it about 20 minutes and the  ******** police came, they gave me a rash of shit, they checked my license, registration, the whole bit, then they asked if they could search my car. I don't have anything illegal in there and I figured they'd do it anyway so I let them. They found nothing. So they told me I couldn't do what I was doing, apparantly they have an ordinance against those people begging for money. I told them  wasn't begging and my sign was clear that I wanted no handouts.

I told them everything we talked about last night.

Anyway, I asked them if it would be cool to do it on private property. They didn't actually say yes but they couldn't say no. So I moved to a plaza up the road. Well I was there ten minutes and they showed up again and said stop and leave or they would have to arrest me.

So I left. I should have gotten arrested. That would have made a good story on the news. I was scared though.

I seriously think they were just f****** with me, I cannot see how I was any great threat to them.

I seriously think it is a shame when a normal respectable person, willing and able and ready to work, cannot get a job, and is not allowed to make a desperate plea to the public without being arrested.  This just really chaps me.

A Note About My Blog...

The World According To Harryoke Blog was started in 2008, but left dormant with one post. I have recently resurrected it, and plan to use it as a home for my new posts, and my old MySpace Blog posts. It appears with the new MySpace, the blogs were migrated to a new format and all of my HUNDREDS of comments and follow ups have been lost. MySpace has (had) been my blogspot of choice until the format changed and everyone went to FaceBook. Now I find myself blogging less and facebooking more.

Enjoy looking thru my posts, dating back to 2005. Watch for new posts. I did not bring all of my posts over from MySpace, just the ones that appeared somewhat relevant or interesting. If you want to attempt to see the MySpace blog, it is located at http://www.myspace.com/harryoke/blog.

Please consider subscribing to my blog, and feel free to share any posts that you find interesting. THANKS!

H.

The Story Of Tiny - 1995 - 2010 - A Good Dog

On Monday, November 22, 2010, I had the unfortunate responsibility of having our loving dog Tiny put to sleep due to complications from old age. Many of you have heard of her, or met her during visits to my home. Now that she is gone, she will never be forgotten. Her story deserves to be told.

“Tiny” was a German Shepherd – Border Collie mix born on January 24, 1995 in Gloversville, NY, of a litter of 6 pups. Her owner put the pups out for adoption, and Tiny was adopted by a man that ended up being an irresponsible pet owner. He did not treat her very well, and kept her tied up in his kitchen. She would break free and run away.

In May or June of 95, Lori and her 3 kids were walking through Gloversville on their way home, when they met Tiny standing on the corner of the main intersection in town. Tiny followed them home, and at the insistence of the children, was taken in. With the 4 of them living in a 2 bedroom apartment, there was not a lot of room for a dog, not to mention the cost, so Lori put an ad in the Pennysaver to try to find the owner. A woman responded to Lori’s ad, and mentioned that the dog sounded like one from her litter, and asked her to call her “Tiny”. When Lori called, Tiny came bounding into the room confirming her identity. The girl mentioned that the owner was not the best, and asked if Lori would consider keeping the dog.

In August of 1995, Lori, the kids and Tiny packed a Uhaul trailer and were picked up by Loris parents in their cargo van (the spare cargo van that I now own). They took up residence in a rental home in DeLand, and Lori got a job working at the same place that I was working at the time; that is how Lori and I met.

Around January of 97, I started hanging out at Lori’s house…watching movies and eating dinners. I was not really impressed with the dog so much, as she had a bit of a crazy streak, no training and was not really fond of men. Tiny had never been given the luxury of training, obedience, a regular consistent routine, or the presence of an “alpha dog” in her life. This is where I came in. I was consistent in my treatment to her and she began to warm up to me. I began taking her for regular walks…she would pull madly on the way out, and then calm down on the way home. Tiny had NEVER been outside off of a leash except for the times she would get out of the house and run away. Lori had neighbors with fenced German shepherds and Tiny used to love to run out and aggravate them…crossing a busy road in the process. Once, Lori had neighbors keeping chickens in the yard, and Tiny got loose and legend has it she allegedly killed one. To this day, we joke about the 2 children that lived there, who were the only English speakers, relaying the story of the super dog that killed the chicken, LOL! (One of those “yahadda be there” things, LOL).

In June of 98, I bought the house that is basically across the street from where Lori was renting. I moved her, the kids, the dog and myself in shortly afterwards. The first thing I did was to fence off the back yard, securing an area for Tiny to be out without a leash. This was the only time she had ever known being off a leash, yet under control. I also continued with daily walks and routines. She became known at the neighborhood convenience store where I would take her, tie her up at the front door and the customers that would not be intimidated would visit with her. I shocked Lori when she came home with the kids and found me washing my car in the front yard, with Tiny off the leash lying in the grass watching me. This was the start of the payoff of my efforts. She was really responding well to me and her new routine and freedoms. Lori’s parents and family, who had heard the wild stories of a wilder Tiny even had to comment on this when they came over to visit and saw the new calmer Tiny. I like to joke and say that Tiny was the Lulu to my Sidney Poitier, referencing the movie “To Sir With Love” in which Sidney’s character transforms bratty British school kids into more proper ladies and gentlemen.

Tiny was never what you would call an affectionate dog. She became less aggressive for sure, but was never the cuddly dog that would get on a couch with you or lay in your lap, BUT she was playful with those she loved. She had the best bond with Jacky, Lori and myself. Jacky was always Tiny’s greatest champion in her youth, Lori had always been the provider and the mommy, and I was the alpha dog. One of my favorite pictures of Tiny is one I took in the yard while I was winding her up, and getting her into an attack pose, and then I shot her picture. It is very definitive of her in her youth.

In August of 2003, Foster, our Catahoula, came to join us. Tiny had always kind of ruled the roost, and it was interesting to see how this was going to pan out. After about a day, they seemed to be getting along famously. We decided to keep Foster, and Tiny had a good hand in showing him the ropes. He became very respectful of her. They shared food and water bowls and never argued over portion or dominance. They became a very good team, him being more of the rock star and attention seeker, and her more placid to be in the shadows observing. Given that she was already 8, going on 9 years old when Foster arrived, I am sure that his being around kept her young much longer.

Life together was great, and for the most part uneventful. Tiny, Foster and I went for daily walks. I never even put Tiny on a leash. She would walk all around with me and stay close enough and be obedient enough to trust off leash. Everyone in our neighborhood knew the three of us from our daily walks. Many of the people at the local businesses would come out and visit us, or ask about the dogs if they saw me without them. They loved going for rides in the van with me, and in the pickup truck around the neighborhood. When we would have the bonfires at the house, the dogs always stuck around and played host to the strangers in our backyard! That amazed me.

The year 2010 was not a great one for Tiny. Her years were catching up to her. She was slowing down physically…the will was there, but the body was not as able. She suffered a few seizures. Each time she had a seizure, we were sure that she was either going to die, or that we would have to euthanize her. The seizure days were very sad times for all of us. Remarkably, she recovered each time. The last time, she appeared to lose the ability of wagging her tail, which bugged me out a little. I always loved her tail wags when I came home, and it was odd not seeing them. I was still spending outdoor time with both dogs 3 times a day; when I woke up, before leaving for work, and when I got home from work. Tiny was also beginning to have issues with her back legs freezing up. Occasionally, she would be dragging her legs while walking. When I had to carry her back home part of the way, I stopped taking her on the daily walk with Foster.

On one of the walks after her last seizure, someone said something to me very profound, worthy of repeating. I had taken Tiny outside with no intention of taking her for the walk, and she decided on her own she was going. I grabbed Foster and allowed Tiny to walk with us. She was a little wobbly, but she wanted to do it, and she did it. A neighbor came out and said, “I thought she just had a stroke?” I explained that she did indeed and he said, “Well, I guess no one tells dogs they are supposed to be sick.” That was absolute pure truth.

Toward the end, Tiny was having a harder time navigating on the smooth wood floors…her muscles having a harder time lifting, and holder her up. Most of the time once she got going and outside, she would respond better…but needing help up the steps, etc… This regressed more than progressed. When she got to where she was unable to get up to ask to go out, and falling over outside and unable to get up, we knew a decision had to be made.

I called Lori’s Mom who works at the Vet we go to, and made an appointment for Tiny to get some peace and dignity. I spent the last hour with her in the front yard with her and Foster. She for the most part just wanted to lie in the grass. When the time came to leave, I put Foster in the house, and carried Tiny to the van. She rode on a blanket, and was alert for her last ride…seemingly enjoying being in her van one more time. I documented this with my camera, taking pictures of her smiling…a look I had not seen for awhile. I carried her into the exam room and had a final visit…hugging her to keep her warm from the cold of the table. Rosemary and Doc came in and took their positions, while I remained in front of her eyes, bidding her a final farewell, and assuring her everything was cool. She had a placid look on her face when she drew her final breath.

There is a void in my home and my heart. There has never NOT been a Tiny with Lori, or in my house, or in Foster’s world. I know I did the right thing, but that was much harder than if she had passed in her sleep. No one wants to make that decision, or take that drive. I would not wish it on anyone. I was really hoping to avoid it, but now that all is done, I am sure I did the right thing…not happy about it, but I am happy that I have given her the dignity to not have to suffer or lose her quality of life in her old age by making her linger.

That is the story of Tiny, a good dog… thanks for letting me tell it and for hearing it.

HARRYOKE - HARRY SMITH - 15 Minutes: Personal Insights on a Brush With National Recognition

In 1968, Andy Warhol was quoted observing that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. This has become a pop culture reference used to define a phenomenon of everyday people being thrust under a spotlight. The spotlight can be placed because of deserved honor, because of a great accomplishment, exemplary talent, newsworthy good fortune, being in the right place at the right time, or just for a reason as silly as having the same name as someone famous. My light was lit by the latter.

Several months ago, a producer from CBS contacted me in regard to this project, which came to be known as “Namesakes”. Each of the four anchors/personalities on The CBS Early Show found a “namesake” that shared their moniker, and visited them to see what a day in their life was like.

The project was put on hold during heavy news cycles of oil wells exploding and what not. Once things in the world slowed down, I was contacted again, and a date was set for the filming of the segment. An interesting observation I make in regard to this is that the evolution of what the segment started out to be versus how the final product appears is the result of fortunate changes in plan that ALL worked out in my favor. What started out as a field of Harry Smith namesakes being visited by film crews turned into a single Harry Smith being visited by the REAL Harry Smith. On Oct 1, CBS sent a producer from NYC, a cameraman from Atlanta (complete with all the gear as checked luggage) and a soundman from Miami. The crew arrived the night before and came out early to set up, shoot some B roll and get things ready for Harry, who flew out after his Friday broadcast. He came into Orlando, and headed for my house without benefit of GPS, so my first contact with him was on the phone giving him driving directions.

FEARS ASSUAGED

Once the date for the visit had been set, I did have a fear that because of the karaoke angle, there was a chance that there may be some opportunity for ridicule or levity. Karaoke takes a bad rap socially, and many times when it is mentioned, people (especially those not intimately familiar with karaoke culture) think toward the ridiculous and silly, or picture drunks singing on poor sound systems. There is a social stereotype that exists over karaoke that admittedly does exist for a reason. I try to overcome that stereotype, and was very afraid for myself, and my following, for how we may be portrayed after the footage went to a New York editing room.

I had let several people in on the news of what was going on, BUT I really was keeping it kind of low key. One reason, in case they cancelled I did not want to look like an ass, and another reason, I wanted things to appear genuine…no artificially large crowds at work…nothing out of the ordinary at home. I dressed how I usually dress and did things just as I normally do. Once the cameras got here things got a little more “real”, but even as the filming was going on, I had a fear of how the final product was going to look. Weird things can happen in editing rooms. I did not want to put on a show for them; I would rather have them document the reality of being me.

One happy accident that I was very grateful for was Harry’s late arrival to Halifax Plantation from my house (via checking in at the hotel). I know it stressed the producer out a lot, and threw a wrench into the works a little, but I firmly believe that mistake made the project go in a different direction altogether. Where Harry and I did have time to talk about things before the Harryoke show, he had not yet seen the show, or heard me and the singers perform. There was an initial plan that he was supposed to interview me on camera BEFORE I started my show. Because he was late and the sun had set, that plan changed, so they had me start my show and he interviewed me later toward the middle of the show when I threw on some dance songs and disappeared outside. Because of his delay, this interview went in a direction that it could not have gone to had he talked to me before the show. Having insight not only into what I was doing, but why…and the psychology and business reasons for my doing what I do definitely had an impact on him, and when I got up from that interview, I had a lot of confidence that the piece was going to be positive and that he “got it”. As the crew packed up their gear, Harry stuck around and mingled and took in the show before leaving later.

THAT’S A WRAP – WAITING FOR THE AIR DATE

The post-filming buzz kicked off immediately. With pictures on the net from the show, and pictures online from the filming at the house, people knew there was something going on and the reaction was strong and positive. I don’t think a day went by that I was not asked about an airdate. The more time went by, the more anxious everyone got. I am certain that EVERYONE was more excited FOR me than I was for myself. I was still feeling a little skeptical as to what the outcome would be. Many people kept asking me if this could go on to bigger things or be a path to discovery. I always quickly shot down these notions. This was just going to be a mention on television. Hundreds of people get mentioned on television each day without having a ripple effect of repercussions following them.

At last, the segment was scheduled to air on Monday November 8. When I went to work on Friday
the 5^th, people were already saying how they had mentioned it on the Friday show and shown clips from my house and Halifax Plantation. They played the segment in commercials all weekend and on the Saturday Early Show as well. All weekend the buzz was buzzing. I got the word out on the social networks and at my website and mailing lists to be sure anyone who wanted to see it would be able to.

AT LAST THE SEGMENT AIRS

The morning the segment aired was a busy one! Lori was preparing to go to work and I had an appointment to keep as well, so we were hoping it would air early enough that we could see it live! When the show came on, I became worried it had been bumped because they were showing “breaking news” of Obama’s trip and had made no mention of the segment. Thankfully, it appears the first hour is the heavier news, and the lighter segments go on the second hour. I was relieved to see a commercial tease for my segment, assuring me that it was indeed going to air. Like Tom Petty said, the waiting IS the hardest part! I was really kind of looking forward to having it air just to clear the anticipation.

As I viewed the segment, I was REALLY pleased to see that the editing conveyed the precise sentiment I had hoped it would. I was really hoping for nothing tacky or overly and needlessly inaccurate. They had gotten their facts correct, and conveyed properly what it is I do and what I am about. My only regret was that more of the interview content was not used, but I am happy that the sentiment of the interview was conveyed by Harry’s comments and reaction. As soon as the segment was complete, we literally shut the TV off and got into the car. We got about a mile away and I checked my email and found about 70 or so emails…got just further up the road and had 110. As fast as I could read the messages more appeared! People from all over the country had gotten up to watch it live, and were also chatting with each other on Facebook.

As the dust was settling, Monday became a day of ups and downs. On the high of the morning, had some downs in the afternoon, and in the middle of it all I had misplaced my drivers license…could not find it anywhere. Personal drama and problems don’t go on hold just because you were on TV that morning!! I went to work Monday night and already the word had gotten around and people started ribbing me about being a celebrity.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER…

Tuesday morning, I was restless and could not sleep in, so I got out of bed and decided to go to the drivers license office in person to get a duplicate of the DL I had lost. I came home to work in my office and catch up on things. Later in the afternoon, I got an email from CBS, asking what the possibility of my being in Manhattan on Thursday morning would be. Thinking it out, I actually told them no, because of the difficulty involved in covering the schedule and the logistics involved. They contacted me back to ask me to try, and that they would do what they could on their end to make it easy. I also emailed Lori at this point. Surprisingly, she twisted my arm in insistence to go. I explained the “effort vs. reward” reasoning for not going, and the cost of missing work and the substantial effort involved in covering the gigs. After telling her I was not going, I began working the phones in search of substitutes to work for me TH and FR. With less than 15 minutes to spare, I was able to finally find fill-ins for both nights. I have a close group of “go-to” people that are my first tier to call when I need help. Because of the rush, I was calling outside of that circle to find someone available. It was amazing me, and frustrating me, that people who are in business can change their email addresses, and change their phone numbers without letting anyone know...along with having NO internet presence! I hit dead ends a few time, or called numbers with no voice mail…a few people said they would call me back and still have not called me back. Others were working or otherwise unavailable. This was definite reinforcement to me on the value of marketing…keeping an Internet presence and staying approachable. Not being able to be found does NOT equate to more business for you! This was about the point in the day I had realized that had I not had the presence of mind to get my drivers license, I would not have been able to travel anyway!! I called CBS and let them know I was all theirs.

I put the word out on Facebook once I was sure all was a go. Earlier in the day, I talked to my friend Katie who lives in the city. As luck would have it, she happened to be available to hang with me ALL day Thursday. I was going to try to connect with my friend Cueball and some others that I know in the city, but my time was very short and compressed, and since I was getting in so late it would be difficult to make plans.

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

Tuesday I got up and did some laundry and waited word from CBS on what my travel plans would be. I told them I could leave ASAP and wanted to come home as late as possible TH night. Had I been able to cover Friday, I probably could have stayed until Saturday, but that did not happen. Had a couple of things to do and errands to cover when I got the word that the travel plans had changed slightly and a car would be at my door at 1:30 to pick me up. I hustled and got packed and the car only had to wait a couple of minutes on me. In my rush, I managed to remember most everything except for deodorant, LOL! Believe it or not, that is easy to find in NY. I got to the Daytona Airport and prepared to board for the first leg of my flight to Atlanta. It was really neat seeing the power of Facebook as I not only could see the comments of others in real time as I moved around, but also could see who else in the airport was on Facebook at the same time as well, making this a much more interactive experience. As I sat on the plane during boarding, a woman walking by stopped and said she had seen me on TV Monday. I thought that was so cool. Turned off the phone and landed in Atlanta. Taxiing in, checked the messages. I called Cueball to check in and talked to my friend Paulie in NY. As I was leaving the plane talking to him I had the realization that my connecting flight was really far away and I needed to hustle, so I hung up and got to the concourse with about 5 minutes to spare. So much for a layover and a chance to eat. Shut off my phone and headed to JFK. Got in there about 7:35 and headed toward the baggage claim, where my driver was standing with a board with my name on it. He took my bag from me and whisked me into the city.

INITIAL IMPRESSION OF NEW YORK

The initial impact of the city by car was overwhelming. My driver was very adept at navigating the city. The combination of enjoying his speed and driving skill, combined with trying to sort out landmarks and what road I was on was really a daunting task. Once we got into Midtown, my reaction led me to this thought: Remember when they were building the Amway Arena in Orlando, and they had all the hullabaloo about the reader board they were installing…and how it was going to be such a distraction that people would keep crashing? OBVIOUSLY no one complaining had ever been to NYC. NEW YORK is a distraction, LOL! The combination of road signs, conditions, barricades, pedestrians, traffic, sights and lights and attitude are ten times worse than ANYTHING that reader board on I-4 could create. My driver dropped me off at my hotel, Le Parker Meridien in Midtown on 56th, close to everything!! That was around 9ish. I checked in went to my room and unpacked, freshened up and called Lori to check in. As I was speaking to her I had realized that other than a handful of peanuts and a sip of ginger ale, I had NOTHING to eat or drink for over 31 hours! I had no time to eat! I hung up the phone and walked out of the hotel. I headed to 6^th Ave and across from the Radio City Music Hall I found a cart selling Middle Eastern halal food. I ordered a lamb gyro and a bottle of water, and proceeded to sit on a bench and enjoy every bite!! These carts are on EVERY corner, sometime several per block. You wont go hungry in Midtown.

I know my look was an oddity in that city, but it really was funny how much I stuck out that first night. It was just about 47 degrees and I was wearing blue jeans, sneakers a black t-shirt with a short sleeved black dressy shirt over the top, unbuttoned. I was completely comfortable, yet I was getting a lot of looks from the natives. I walked several blocks then cut over and headed to Times Square. THAT is pretty incredible at night…bright bright lights!! Everyone was so bundled up. I was really getting the looks because of my light clothes, LOL. A beggar asked me for some change then said, “ah, if ya had some you ought to get yourself a coat” LOL!! Made the rounds around Midtown, then had to get back to the hotel, check in on the emails and get ready for the day on Thursday, as I had a 7am pickup. I called Katie, and she was planning on meeting me at CBS, so I told her to meet me at the hotel in the AM and ride in with me.

THURSDAY: START AT CBS

I awoke about 5:30 to prepare for my 7:00 pickup. Katie called from Starbucks and arrived with coffee in tow. I checked out of my room, and Katie brilliantly suggested checking my luggage with the concierge…THE best suggestion of the day. Had I left in the car with that bag, I would have lived to regret it! We then hopped in the waiting Mercedes and were whisked to CBS. Traffic was a bit confused because of road closings for the Veterans Day parade. Our driver dropped us off at the courtyard of CBS where they do the outside broadcasts. A producer met us there where we were taken through a nondescript door into the hallway leading past the studio, to the green room. There was a smaller green room, a makeup room, and then a larger green room where we chose to wait with the producers. The producers introduced themselves, and then some of the on air personalities came in during the commercial break and introduced themselves. Everyone seemed genuinely pleasant and enthusiastic to see us. I grabbed a banana from the fruit basket and commented about bananas as a food, and then how a good job for me would be dealing with celebrities since I am largely unaffected by the cult of personality. After I finished my banana, I decided to get a picture of Katie in the green room, with the TVs and some of the food in the background. After taking that picture, a producer came in and said “Bobby, they are ready for you”. Sitting next to us the whole time was Bobby Flay, and we were so preoccupied that we just really ignored him. To be fair, I did not recognize him right away. Katie had recognized him, but she thought it might be bad form to grab a picture. We had a good laugh (which continued all day…) about him scratching his head trying to figure out what THAT was all about, LOL! I must say that was a great banana. (In the picture at Facebook, you can see his shoes are tagged, LOL!!)

The other namesakes then began to arrive, so we spent time in the green room chatting and getting acquainted before we were all taken to makeup, then to a small room to have microphones attached. We were then instructed to turn off our cell phones and enter the studio. Katie was able to enter the studio with me, which worked out perfectly as she was able to take pictures from behind the camera. A taped segment was airing so we were able to speak and move around. We were then staged on the couch for a promo, but they decided not to do that. The anchors then were staged on the couch with us to prepare for the live broadcast. Interestingly, given that we were about to go LIVE on national TV, we were given NO instructions at all about anything…what to do, where to look, what not to do…it was all really organic. Some people said that I looked nervous, and the reality is, I was not in the least bit nervous, but once we went live, you were not really sure of where to look, or what to do with your hands, so everyone seemed to affect this “legs straight, hands in lap” pose. The entire segment was less than 5 minutes for all of us to be represented, so there was not much talking involved at all…I think I said one entire line in regard to the reaction to the airing of my segment. Once the segment was over and we went to commercial, it was all over. We had our microphones removed and returned to the green room so the producers could accommodate our transportation needs. I completely deferred the rest of my day to Katie and asked her to make all of the decisions. My only request was to be back at the hotel by 5:30. She suggested we walk the town, so since we had a car at our disposal, we had them drive us to Battery Park to the entrance of the Staten Island Ferry, and we started walking from there.

WALKING THE CITY

To think you can absorb all of New York in 8 hours is craziness, so we decided to just take bite size samples…not doing any one thing but seeing a bunch of things quickly and just getting an overview of the city. We were looking at the Statue Of Liberty around 9 am then walked on thru the financial district seeing whatever we could along the way…Walking down Trinity at the corner of Cedar, Katie saw Russell Simmons crossing the street, so I went over and introduced myself, and engaged him in conversation as Katie got her camera ready. He agreed to a pic, so we got one quickly, shook his hand and went on our way. Katie was pretty star struck and said she was jealous of me for that, because even by New York standards, THAT was a pretty good celebrity sighting.

We made the rounds, checking out some of the landmarks and famous places in the area…stopped in the park and Katie had a bagel and some coffee, took a brief jump on the subway and made the rounds of Midtown, seeing Madison Square Garden and Times Square and all the sights during the day. The weather was PHENOMENAL!! Everyone said it was the best weather they had seen in awhile. Super sunny, 55 degrees, just a great day to walk and walk!!

Lunchtime approached and we were trying to decide what to eat. I told Katie I did not care as long as it was not corporate, not anything I could get in Florida, and uniquely New York. We opted to go to Juniors, famous for their cheesecake, but also for their deli sandwiches. I got a pastrami/corned beef combo on onion rolls, with coleslaw. That really hit the spot. From there we made the rounds and ended up on the subway to head to the North Bronx where Katie lives. We went to her house and charged the phones, freshened up and got her car. She drove me back to midtown on the roads, which gave me a nice perspective of the area from a local point of view. The traffic on 56^th going to the hotel was pretty miserable, so I bid goodbye to Katie, jumped out of her car so she could hit a side street and get out of traffic, and proceeded to walk back to the hotel. A few blocks from the hotel, I heard someone yell my name, but I kept walking. I heard them yell again, so I turned around and a gentleman was standing on the sidewalk. He said “hey, I saw you on TV Monday…that was cool! You all going anywhere to sing tonight?” I was floored to be recognized in Manhattan, LOL!!

DEPARTURE

Got back to the hotel and picked up my bag, with the reality of having to leave evident. I was a little concerned about the traffic, and the car was about 10 minutes late. In my mind I was going over plan B’s, since I knew my flight was the LAST flight out for the night to Florida, and if I missed it I would be stuck. Fortunately all worked out fine. LaGuardia is a TINY airport compared to JFK. Took a smaller commuter jet from NY to Charlotte, then from Charlotte to Daytona, where they had a driver waiting for me to take me to my house.

SUMMARY

It was a lot of fun working with the CBS crew on the segment, and it was a pleasure to be asked to come to the studio, and be afforded the opportunity to see a little behind the scenes procedure, and to see some of the city (although it WAS stressful getting the jobs covered on short notice). I am really pleased with the outcome of the segment, and the reaction to the segment by the public. The number one question I get is “what do you think this will lead to?” My answer is “nothing”. In honesty, I think it was a great opportunity, but it is not going to mean “discovery” or more money or more work, etc… In theory, I cannot work any harder than I do already, so the only option would be to get paid more for working as hard as I do, and in THIS area in this economy that is not going to happen. I could possibly get a private party or booking based on someone seeing this segment. I know a martini bar in Brooklyn that will hire me for a night or two but that commute would kill me. The one thing I guess I do realistically get to walk away with is a little more street credibility. Were I ever in a position to be looking for a job, or if I were to ever move to a different area without a following, this segment would be a decent reference point to include in a resume. Also, how many times does an average person get to be on national TV? I will take that in the win column with no expectations other than bragging rights. This visit to NY also got me on page 2 of the local paper, which is the closest to the front page I have gotten yet, so that is a score for the win as well, LOL!

I do realize and point out the randomness in my being chosen for this project, BUT, I do recognize and appreciate the fact that Harry saw the truth in what I do, and responded to it in a manner that was complimentary to me, in a piece that was not necessarily thought out to do that. For that especially, I am very grateful to Harry, his producer Paige, and all of the folks at the CBS Early Show who made this possible for me. I am also thankful to Lori for supporting this and twisting my arm harder than anyone to go to NY after I said NO twice, to Katie for being my guide there, and to all of my friends and supporters for being there and making it possible for me to continue to do what I do.

For those who missed the segment, here are some other links, while they are valid:


THE FULL VIDEO AT YOUTUBE:  CLICK HERE TO SEE DeLAND and MANHATTAN APPEARANCE

Pics from the shoot can be seen here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=503208&id=631650531&l=cdfc1929ed

On November 8, the Namesakes piece aired on the Early Show. Here is a link to where you can view it all on YOUTUBE:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjgBNUZIgDg

A briefer narrative is available at CBS - Text only: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/08/earlyshow/series/main7034367.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

After the airing, I was taken for a brief tour by a good friend of mine who lives in the city. Random pics are available at my Facebook page. If you are not a Facebook member, you can use this link to view them: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=569615&id=631650531&l=199be1c710

So You Want To Be A Karaoke Host...And You Want My Advice?

No less than twice a week, I hear of someone who wants my advice or guidance in becoming a karaoke host. Usually this is focused on what gear to buy and how to use it. Then, the subject of "what are you going to use for music" comes up. THIS is where you lose me...

I started in the 90s...in that era, and before, it took THOUSANDS of dollars to start a music library, then buying a PA system, etc... The day I walked out the door to do my first show, I had about $7500 invested, and continued to have to reinvest money to upgrade equipment and add music to the library.

Along the way, I generated a following and years of experience.

Now, technology has replaced the archaic CD, and we are going to computer based shows, and copying and sharing song files has NEVER been easier...and is STILL just as illegal. So twice a week, or more, people want my help starting a business to compete with me with stolen, pirated music, gotten by them with little to no overhead.

If you are that person, please, dont ask for my help. I am not one to shoot myself in the foot. New karaoke hosts are popping up right and left, and none of them seem to have legal libraries. They all say they are not coming after my gigs, but guess what? My singers will be coming to your gigs, and my attendance numbers are going to fall, and my revenues generated for my employers are going to fall, and I am going to be asked to work for less money IF my show stays alive. I cannot help you do that to me.

This is my reality at this time. I am seeing this, in real time. Now at this point, if you think I am whining, feeling sorry for myself, being preachy or ridiculous, well I guess that is your right...and if you are out booking gigs (public or private) for low money, bar tabs, for the fun of it or otherwise bringing down the industry you wish to join by watering it down, then I ask you to do this... Squint and look at the competition around you and when you wonder why you cant get that many singers to your show, ask yourself how many singers are out at pirated shows. OR if you have a lot of singers at your illegal show, ask yourself where they would sing if you were not in business. THAT is probably the show suffering because of your piracy.

IF THE PLAYING FIELD IS LEVEL...and everyone spent thousands on music legally, we could all make better money and there would be far less of us out there. As long as people want to illegally compete against legal operators, the pay is going to get lower, and the attendance will get lower at each show.

And last night, another friend came to me for advice, which is the impetus of this post. Just wanted to put my opinion out there without getting all preachy, and also to reprint my stance on piracy which is posted at my website. I advised him NOT to host unless he were doing it legally. He told me whose show he wanted to buy, and I told him which host that host copied the hard drive from, and how much he wanted to copy it for me...


That post follows here (reprinted from my website):

_______________________


SHARING MUSIC:

(PREFACE: Some will read this and say I am full of crap...and if you are talking about home use or personal use, you may be right...my comments and opinion are tempered for public and professional use, as I am a public professional...THANKS!)

Many customers ask me if I want to copy their discs onto my computer…or they ask me to copy my music onto a disc for them. Both of these practices are not only illegal, but also detrimental to the industry. People say to me all the time “you have a great version of “XXXXXXXX “, can you put that on a disc for me? No I cant…because number 1) I paid for it, 2) It is likely that you will then take that disc and go to another show and sing from it, and THAT host will copy it. What benefit is there to me to not only support another hosts show illegally, but also costing the manufacturer of the disc a sale? I encourage folks that like my versions to come to my shows and sing them, LOL.

To be legal with a computer, if you work in public, you must have a legal disc for each track that you have on your computer, and be operating no more than one copy…meaning I cannot make multiple copies of my hard drive and run concurrent shows.

LARGE LIBRARIES OF MUSIC FROM THE INTERNET

Many people visit my show, see the laptop on top of my rig and say “Oh, you have a computer, you can get any song you want now” or “oh I see you switched to a laptop, so I guess you have a LOT more music now Huh?”. The answer is no. Having a computer simply means that I am playing the SAME music that I bought legally thru a computer now, instead of a player. I do still have a player to play discs, and I have a disc for each song on my computer. I am also still happy to play discs owned by my customers.

Many many hosts are switching to computers, then adding to their libraries of music with illegal tracks downloaded from the internet, or acquired thru other bootleg means such as buying or copying a preloaded hard drive. Even worse, some NEW hosts are starting with completely illegal libraries and own little to no legal karaoke music.

WHY THIS IS BAD

FOR THE HOST

You may ask “who cares?”. Well, way back when I started out, as well as other long term karaoke hosts, there were no computer players or internet downloads. CDG burning and copying was still a new technology so most all hosts had legitimate, legal karaoke music libraries. This meant having to spend a lot of money on music. You ask any legitimate host what the biggest obstacle to going into the business is, and they will tell you that it is the cost of the acquisition of music. You remove THAT cost, and all of a sudden, EVERYONE wants to be a karaoke host. Competition is always good and always welcomed… BUT, the playing field has to be level. A guy trying to be legal, buying music and paying taxes on income has to charge a bar a fair wage to make a living AND cover expenses. A guy who steals all his music and works under the table can work far cheaper and have the same profit margin…so bar owners are finding hosts willing to work FAR cheaper than legal hosts. This is causing karaoke hosts to earn less each year due to unfair competition. Also, it is frustrating to have singers criticize the host for not having a song because “so and so” has it, and you know so and so has an illegal library of 100,000 songs or more.

FOR THE BARS

There are only so many singers to support karaoke in a community. Admittedly, not everyone is a fan of the same bar…but if in a small town there are multiple hosts competing for the same singers, non of them are going to have a very successful night. A successful night is gauged by how much business the host brings to the bar owner. If the bar does not make money, they cant pay the host that much…and if the host is legal and has to charge a fair wage, they wont be around long, and will be replaced by a pirate host. If the pirate hosts did not operate, there would be less shows, more attendance at the legal shows and the bars and karaoke shows would both be more prosperous.



FOR THE SINGERS

Dwindling karaoke disc sales are a big problem in this industry. When a disc is released, it ends up on the internet and more people share it than buy it. This has forced many of the companies that make karaoke discs out of business, cutting down on the availability of songs. The biggest producer, Sound Choice, recently had 75 employees and produced 5 discs a month. Lately all of their discs have lost money, as they could not even recoup the cost of licensing and production. They have less than 10 employees now, and have slowed production to an almost standstill. They are now placing their efforts into combating piracy and recouping some losses.


MY STANCE and SUMMARY

I am choosing to operate legally. I have a smaller library than many of my competitors, but it is well thought out, and I am willing to add to it with requests and new hits. Do not ask me to share my music, and understand why I don’t have 100,000 titles even though everyone else in town seems to.

Sound Choice and other companies are getting together and have begun filing complaints in criminal court against karaoke hosts using illegal libraries. This is resulting in some pirate operations becoming legal or shutting down. Ultimately others will possibly be facing a day in court.

Thanks for your reading and understanding of my position on this subject.