Rambling

It's not everyone who can say they sang in a backup trio for a very famous group.

I can say that because I did. That group happens to be someone you will recognize instantly. 

Veggie Tales.

Please, please, hold your adulation for later. I get enough of that stuff from my neurologist when he looks at my x-rays. (Because I'm still walking around.)

Yeah, I've done a lot of really cool stuff.

I role played (many years ago, when I was in my twenties) an angry, rebellious teenager.  I did such a good job the rest of the folks attending the workshop didn't believe I was just pretending. I tried to tell them what a nice person I was, and had never, ever behaved that way as a teen. But they never really believed me. It was a very uncomfortable rest of the week. They mostly avoided  me. Sheesh.

I've fallen up the stairs, down a mountain, tripped over my own two feet (and yours too if you get close enough). I've run into walls, furniture, other people and cars.

I've talked to some famous people and people who haven't bathed in years. (and no, they weren't the same people)

I've sung in front of a lot of people, and I've sung in the shower. Guess where I did  my best singing?

I've loved, I've been loved. I've cried and laughed and laughed till I cried. 

I have had great joy in my life, and I have had great sadness in my life. Lots of pain, but a lot of pleasure, too.

So, what am I trying to say here? 

Just that we are a lot alike, aren't we?

Well, except for the Veggie Tale part...

Famous People I Have Known

Jesse James, Michael Fox, William James, Michael Nichols (but not Diane Sawyer), Henry James, Tim Rice (but not Andrew Lloyd Webber), John Hancock, James Taylor, Betty Crocker, Johnny Cash, James Bond.

I was discussing the budget with my boss one day at work, so when my phone buzzed saying I had a call, I ignored it. The secretary, thinking I was wandering around the building somewhere, came on the building intercom speaker and announced, "Kathi, James Bond is on line two for you."

My boss raised an eyebrow and said, "By all means!"

I answered the call in a cool voice, "Yes, Mr. Bond?"

I listened for a moment then replied, "That's correct. It is the men's toilet that is stopped up."

Maybe my title should have been people I have known who have a famous name.

The James Taylor I know doesn't think it's funny when people ask him if he can sing.

Betty Crocker always smiled and said yes, she could cook, but probably not as good as the other one.

Jesse James was my great-great uncle. I always thought when I was a kid how cool it was that I had an honest to goodness outlaw in my family.

Well, obviously he wasn't the Jesse James, anymore than his brother, Henry James was the famous writer of realism, nor the other brother, William, the great philosopher and psychologist (the famous Henry and William were brothers too!)

I don't think it would be much fun to have a famous name, especially a very famous name. Hey, I get annoyed when I google my name, Kathi Harper Hill and get Hill Harper, the actor/writer. I can only hope  that I show up when he googles himself sometimes.

I'm sure it can't be helped occasionally. After all, some famous people have common names: Will Smith, for instance. I bet there are a boatload of them around, and all but one get kidded about their name.

However; if you are expecting a little one in the near future, do them a favor: name them something that doesn't have a famous ring to it.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

A Star is Born

A friend sent me a YouTube video of a children's program of some sort. I guess it was graduation day from Christian kindergarten. There were probably twenty children on stage. Most of them looked bored out of their minds, or were fidgeting with their hair or shoes or picking their nose. Not really in the moment, so to speak.

Then one little boy stepped up to the mic, and with a big grin on his face, began to recite the books of the New Testament. Of course he had a lisp, which made it cuter. "Mafyou, Mawk, Wook and John and he ended with "Jude and Wevuhlashun." With a satisfied look on his face, and before the audience could applaud, the boy took a deep breath and began to wail, "All my exes wiv in Texas."

Of course the audience roared and a very embarrassed mama rushed the stage and took the mic away from him. She was mouthing, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" But she was laughing too.

This boy obviously did not have stage fright. In fact, it was quite clear as to why he had been chosen to recite in the first place.

I've seen the type all my life. Before a play or a recital, everyone is a nervous wreck except for one person who is cool as a cucumber. The one who is the star, usually. Their voice skill is way above everyone else's, or their ability to play an instrument. They can charm the audience in a heartbeat.


It's as if they are born to be on stage.

I can speak publicly now without nerves most of the time. It's fun for me. But singing, I usually get nervous. Sometimes worse than others, and for no reason I can discern.

Shirley Temple, probably the biggest child star in history, was obviously at home behind the camera or in front of crowds. She was a true natural. They said she memorized the whole script the first read through or so, and when adults would forget their lines, she'd whisper them to the actor from off stage.

There are also celebrities who are very comfortable on stage and not comfortable anywhere else.

Their star usually burns brightly and burns out quickly.

I worked with a woman whose daughter showed a lot of singing ability at a very young age. The child was eager to perform, and so the parents put in a lot of money and effort. She made some CD's and appeared on stage with some pretty famous county singers.

Then in high school she decided she was tired of it all and dropped it entirely, leaving her mother addled.

It was probably for the best.

Who wants to be a star, anyway?