Look like you care

This year, my college band director, Dr. Johnny Long, is celebrating 60 years as an educator in the state of Alabama.

One of his memorable sayings is, “look like you care when you play”.

I found myself thinking of him recently, as our band prepared for competition. To the students who seemed like they were adrift in space while I was charming them with one magnificent teachable moment after another, I could only hear those words – “look like you care” – in my head.

And our students, once again, proved that they do indeed care, as all of the Tallassee bands scored an Excellent rating at contest last week.

The Divas show choir from Tallassee High School spent the past weekend in the icy frozen tundra that was Indianapolis, Indiana.

I would say that I went along for the ride, but through an amazingly complex sequence of events, my wife and I wound up renting a car from Hertz to make the trip separately from the chartered bus.

Despite the memorable television commercials, I didn’t see O.J. Simpson racing through an airport terminal when I signed the dotted line to rent the car.

We left Alabama on Thursday afternoon, and had no difficulty with driving until we reached northern Kentucky.

Then, as we approached Louisville, the roads became very slippery, as a massive ice storm tightened its grip on most of the Midwest that evening. The large bridges that span the Ohio River stood silently frozen, as I was behind the steering wheel while we crossed them.

My wife, Sena, alternated between sprinkling Holy Water and threatening divorce while we crackled across those dark, frosty roads. Snow, sleet, frozen rain, and pellets of salt blew across the windshield, making driving miserable. The words “white knuckle suspense” are barely adequate to describe the sheer terror I felt as I drove 35 miles per hour down the interstate. Transfer trucks roared past us like we were tied to a post beside the road.

Trying to be The Man, I made very soap opera-esque statements such as, “I would never let anything happen to you,” and so on, knowing deep down inside that I had little control over this 2008 Pontiac we had rented.

But we made it into Indiana safely, and the weekend wound up being a beautiful, snowy, postcard-perfect snapshot of Midwestern life. And that’s where the “look like you care” point was driven home in such dramatic fashion.

Everywhere we went – the restaurants, the shopping centers, and particularly the high school where the choral competition was being held – there was genuine friendliness and good old American values. Flags on every porch. Average Joes clocking out from work to go bowling. The school itself was awe-inspiring, and resembled a modern college campus.

And for those things, the drive, scary though it was in the beginning, was all worth it.

Our choral director, Mr. Cunningham, continuously places our students in national-level competitive situations every year – not to show off how wonderful our choral program is, but to allow our students to experience listening to better groups, and to give our students a chance to see the world outside of Tallassee, Alabama. He always makes it happen in a positive way, and everything always turns out for the best. And for that, I am truly grateful to be a part of such a department.

Reality set in when we were on the way home, and stopped at a Taco Bell in Birmingham.

My wife and I, on the search for the Chilito – strangely missing from the menu at most Taco Bell restaurants in the Montgomery area for the past few years – chose to stop there for our last meal on a long trip.

Right away, we looked at one another and said, “welcome home”.

The guy behind the counter was more worried about adjusting his doo-rag and making inane wisecracks to his co-workers than he was about treating customers with any kind of respect.

I noticed that an elderly man was in front of us in line, and the Taco Bell employee was cutting him off mid-sentence while he was placing his order, telling him about items that were unavailable. Then, he turned to a co-worker and made some lengthy remarks about something that really didn’t matter, and took our order.

What we thought would be a quick meal turned out to be one of the longest stops on our excursion. We waited at a table for our number to be called, and it took way too long despite the large number of people working in the restaurant.

Our man behind the counter, instead of getting the food ready, was laughing like a hyena over nothing, then took a cell phone call that everyone in the building could hear. We finally got our food, but couldn’t get back to the house fast enough.

I was reminded of that famous Johnny Long phrase. Look like you care. And you know, what I learned on this show choir trip is that, in many places, people at least try to act like they do care about whatever job they are performing, no matter what that job may be.

In this era of Presidential election bickering, asinine celebrity gossip, ridiculous reality shows, and a culture where rudeness is considered a virtue, Dr. Long’s gentle words hit home more now than ever.

State of the Union, Oakdale Style

And now, a 4000-word rant on AS THE WORLD TURNS, a show I've followed for most of my life...

This reminds me of the first week of March, 1993.

News came out that Michael David Morrison (Caleb Snyder) died under mysterious circumstances. Later that week, it was revealed that the marvelous Douglas Marland, head writer of "As The World Turns" since 1985 and one of daytime's legendary scribes, passed away. Right behind all this bad news, ATWT fired HIV-positive powerhouse actor Joseph Breen, who brilliantly played Scott Eldridge, Lisa's secret son from her "Our Private World" spinoff era.

Those weeks in spring 1993 were a bad omen, for ATWT nearly spun off its axis in the mid-1990s, with a revolving door of producers, writers, and perhaps most unfortunate, actors who barely made it out of modeling academy.

Sadly, March 2008 is not looking so good for Oakdale.

I just can't understand it. Scott Bryce comes back to revisit the Craig Montgomery role, gets handed some of the crappiest story of the character's long history on the show, and he hits it out of the park -- only to be unceremoniously dumped over Christmas break by a show his family had called home for so many years.

Ah, Grayson McCouch, we hardly knew ye. Dusty Donovan was a one-of-a-kind character, and the one of a few on-screen reminders of longtime favorite John Dixon (still at Starbucks with Ben Harris and Jessica Griffin, I presume?). Dusty's potential was never fully realized, but the way he checked out was a slap in the face to longtime viewers, not to mention the character. After bailing out nearly every female on the show from the world's troubles -- you know, methamphetamine addiction, prostitution, diet pill addiction, whatever -- and doing it with style and class, how do things go? He is stabbed with a syringe filled with Memo 21 or some other crazy concoction, kicking off a "murder mystery" that lasted, oh, three days. My only question to The Powers That Be is, was it really worth it?

Cady McClain resurrected the Rosanna Cabot character, once a strong and feisty heroine, only to see the story take a terrible turn, when she was sacrificed on the altar of Paul (Stenbeck) Ryan. The day that Rosanna was shown begging in the interrogation room, not for freedom for inexplicably changing DNA results, but for Paul to stay with her -- words cannot describe how angry and sad I felt for that character, and for the actress who had played her so beautifully over the years.

I can handle strange plot twists and turns, even evil dummies named Cowboy Jack or the occasional unhinged serial killer, but this truly is getting ridiculous. The actors do all they can to make this stuff work, but I am having a hard time negotiating this material in my brain as someone who has spent over two decades watching Oakdale's citizens every day. Whereas, throughout most of the past 20 years, most of the action came out of character -- these days, it's just plot driven all the time, and these people are behaving so strangely compared to how they were only a few years ago.

It's sad to say, particularly since there are good things still happening, like Lisa being the first to approach Barbara about her speech impediment (it made perfect sense, given their history), or any day Brad is on. I guess ATWT raised its own bar so high, those of us who have been around watching for a while feel nothing but crushing disappointment when things don't go our way.
And now, Martha Byrne is gone. Lily and Holden were once this show's signature supercouple. They made the most of what they were given in recent times, but maybe the sun has set on this pair for the last time. My question is this -- how can Martha Byrne and Scott Bryce, two of the biggest ATWT cheerleaders on that whole team, become so disgusted with their own show?

Does anyone remember when John Clarke left the Mickey Horton role on DAYS OF OUR LIVES after 40 years? I don't think it was for medical reasons. I contend that he felt his character, and show, had been compromised far beyond what was acceptable to him as an actor.

Perhaps that is what we are seeing these days on AS THE WORLD TURNS -- a final farewell to anything resembling Irna Phillips or Douglas Marland. And it makes me very, very sad!

This show was something special. Now it's just a soap opera.

Leap Day

Well, it's Leap Day again.

Four years ago, we were celebrating the birth of our daughter, Danielle - born on the 28th, but could have just as easily been the 29th.

I had some students a few years ago who had a Leap Day birthday. I think they are 21 now, but does that mean they would be 5 today? Is that right?

In the past month, we had band and choral competitions all over the place. The high school choir traveled to Auburn, Opelika, Homewood, Laurel (MS), and Indianapolis (IN). The bands went to Opelika. Everyone came home feeling good about our excellent performances and positive representation of the school system.

February is a busy month, but it always seems worth all the trouble in the end.

This was printed in the "Alabama Voices" section of The Montgomery Advertiser on 07-07-07.



Oh, dear Montgomery, what can be said about you that hasn’t been spoken or written a million times already?

You are the Cradle of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis was sworn in on those beautiful Capitol steps. Montgomery was the heart and soul of a way of life that disappeared as soon as it started coming together.

In between the end of the Civil War and the middle of the twentieth century, Montgomery became an industrial and cultural center of commerce.

Far from the magnolia-scented memories of the Old South, we became the Cradle of the Civil Rights movement. Some of our finest citizens were trapped on the outside, as poor race relations and Jim Crow laws kept African Americans from advancement.

Two of the greatest movements of people in American history began here – the Confederacy, yes, but also the Civil Rights movement.

Can’t a city that gave birth to this blessing – or curse – of our eternal dichotomy somehow find a way to point to a new, better culture?

Montgomery is a pretty big “small town”, and in so many ways, Montgomery should be better than ever. We have the Riverfront, we have the Biscuits, we have Hyundai, we have Gateway Park. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and Museum of Fine Arts all call us home. We are the capital city of a state where mountains tower above the north and beaches flow across the south.

There are more wonderful goods and services provided by the City of Montgomery than I can list in this space. I love my hometown and I am proud to be from Montgomery.

And yet – and yet, despite the best efforts of so many people who have worked so hard to make Montgomery so great, we have a bad reputation. And I can’t say it isn’t deserved in some cases.

If someone passing through town were to stop at some of the various businesses near Interstate exits on their travels in Montgomery, they might experience rude service, where an employee chats on a cell phone instead of helping the customer. Worse yet, a passerby might be in the wrong place at the wrong time and be the victim of a violent crime, such as theft, a slashed tire, or – heaven forbid – a shooting.

I was born and raised in Montgomery, and after an absence of eleven years, I moved back home in 2003 with my wife and children.

Is Montgomery in 2007 better or worse than it was in, say, 1992? Fifteen years is a good gauge of time, and gives a chance for generational perspective.

In these fifteen years, the population of Montgomery has grown, despite the naysayers. There are more businesses, restaurants, and companies located in Montgomery than there were 15 years ago. Montgomery is a lot more diverse in a lot more places than it was in 1992. The citizens like to stay informed, and take part in community forums in their own neighborhoods and in citywide meetings.

But, if someone had said that copper theft would be an epidemic in 2007, who would have believed it? Our neighborhoods are being corrupted by crime. The murder rate is disturbing enough, but violent crimes are actually down from previous years. The small-time stuff is what is running people off.

Gang insignia spraypainted on buildings; areas of town abandoned for the next big thing (or shopping center) out east have become eyesores – just look at Normandale or Montgomery Mall and weep; slashed tires, stolen purses, and teenagers walking around with no purpose are but a few of the things that are most disturbing about the Montgomery of 2007.

What could be done differently, fair capital city?

I may not know much, but as an educator and radio personality I have crossed paths with many people and heard many ideas. So, for what it’s worth, here’s what I think we could do to make ourselves better.

Montgomery Public Schools should consolidate all magnet programs under one roof – 1756 South Court Street, Sidney Lanier High School. All the magnet students could participate in not only their academics at a high level, but also play competitive athletics and have a wonderful fine arts program. Lanier was the model for all schools in the southeast once upon a time. It is the prettiest building in town, with room to grow.
Neighborhood schools need to come back, and crosstown busing needs to end. The reasons for busing (integration) are moot points now that the school system is 88% black. Forcing these children to attend schools so far from home is hurting them, not helping them.
All Montgomerians gather for events such as Jubilee CityFest. We all go to the Montgomery Zoo at various times during the year. Events and locations with heavy traffic need to be clean and have the friendliest personnel available to make our city appealing to people who may be visiting, or stepping out for the rare occasion.
Racial politics on both sides needs to be over. There are enough guilty parties around, and you know who you are – white and black. Stop it. We could be a bright, shining example to the world of how to get along, if we can move past the divisiveness.
Although I understand why he said it, the Mayor telling people to arm themselves was bad public relations in my opinion. Why should we feel so unsafe that we need to buy a gun? Pay these policemen enough money so they will stay on the force, and turn them loose to patrol the neighborhoods.
Elected city officials need to keep their promises and hold themselves to higher standards than just trying to get re-elected. Pandering to a population is as transparent as it gets – again, you know who you are. Didn’t someone once say, “follow your heart”?
Cramton Bowl renovations have been a long time coming, but safety needs to become a priority. As a band director in the Montgomery Public Schools, I spent several Friday nights at the bowl. Uniformed officers telling me to keep the band in place while a gun was found happened too often. My family wouldn’t even come to our games because they were afraid. No one should be scared to attend a high school football game.
The coarse cultural climate needs to be changed from top to bottom. I am not saying we need censorship, but trashy videos that promulgate lascivious or disrespectful behavior seem to be on every channel all the time. Similarly, music that stirs the pot of the gangsta lifestyle seems to be transforming ordinary young people into wanna-be thugs. Someone, somewhere, has to curb all of this before it gets worse. This is not only a problem in Montgomery, but everywhere. Again, however, Montgomerians could stand together on the need for a more positive artistic viewpoint.
What’s wrong with playing up our storied history? For example, I recently visited the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, and was the only person in the building besides the employees. We can do better at showing off the good that came from the Montgomery Bus Boycott and similar struggles of the Civil Rights era, as well as those of Confederate times.

These are but a few points, but anyone who loves Montgomery should consider each of them.
For far too long, we have been divided into “haves” and “have-nots”, and rarely do the twain meet.

With hope and prayer, perhaps someday we can realize our full potential. Ronald Reagan was famous for saying that he wanted the United States to be viewed by the world as “the shining city on the hill”. Wouldn’t it be something if Montgomery became the prototype and role model?

We are already on Goat Hill. I’d like to think we’re halfway to our goal of being the shining city.

A Bird in the Band is Worth . . .

New year, new site, new blog.

Back in the fall, the death of my MySpace blog and my newspaper column gave me precious few outlets to vent, discuss, and theorize on a variety of subjects: the entertainment world, life as a band director, father of five children, politics, religion, radio and records, and other various and sundry topics.

What is foremost on my mind today is where we've spent the past two weekends -- the Tallassee High School show choirs went on the road to Decatur, Illinois and Laurel, Mississippi. I went with them and played trombone in the backing band for the performing groups.

The best word to describe the America I saw from a bus window is great. Farmlands and factories, main streets with U.S. flags protruding from practically every front porch, genuinely nice people everywhere we went. And then, I felt a strange combination of pride, longing, embarrassment, and even fear as we passed through my hometown of Montgomery.

But more on that later.

The children have eaten dinner and had their evening bathtime. We need to read a book before we all go to bed.

Now . . . it's on to the big wide world of blogging, 2008-style.