Some of the stories appeared in all 14 Montgomery Newspapers, some appeared in the Ticket entertainment section and some appeared in only those papers that were geographically specific to the topic or interview subject, so depending on which paper you get, you may or may not have read them.
But in 2008, I had a chance to talk to a lot of interesting people:
Brian Wilson – I grew up listening to the Beach Boys on those old 45 rpm records that I played on a portable Victrola. Over the years, Wilson’s writing and music have had special meaning for me. He didn’t say much during the telephone call and I didn’t conduct a very good interview prior to his appearance at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, but the opportunity to talk one-on-one with someone whose work has meant so much to me personally was something I never considered possible. I very nearly didn’t know what to say after Brian Wilson’s voice said “Hi Mike” into the phone.Henry Garza – One of the singing Garza brothers that comprise Los Lonely Boys, Garza spoke to me via cell phone while on his tour bus on the way to Milwaukee, Wis., prior to heading here for a performance at the Keswick Theater. To me, he sounded a lot like a young Cheech Marin of Cheech and Chong fame.
The memorable thing about this interview was that I was speaking with one of the guys who sings, “More Than Love,” which just happened to be the song that The Blonde Accountant and I danced our first dance to at our wedding.
When I told Garza that at the end of the interview, his response was, “Cool.”
Indeed.