That Day I Talked to Rachel

As many of you know, I spent four decades in broadcasting. I was a music director, a deejay, and an assistant program director (in that era when few women were promoted to program director); I later became a radio consultant, working with stations in markets of all sizes, all over North America. I had the privilege of meeting a lot of celebrities over the years: Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, just to name a few. Oh, and there was also that rock band from Canada... My point is, for a working class kid who was often told she'd never be anything in life, I sure attended a lot of concerts and met a lot of famous people. I've got lots of memorabilia from my career-- lanyards, backstage passes, t-shirts... and of course, I've got some amazing memories.

But while I am often associated with music, I was raised to keep up with current events, and in our home, we always would read the newspaper. Today, most newspapers and news magazines are online, which is very convenient, but being old-school, I also enjoy reading the hard copy of the Boston Globe when I'm eating breakfast. I can look back at stories I might have missed; I believe it makes me better informed. I also watch the news on TV when time permits-- sometimes online via YouTube, or via my local TV channels, and sometimes on national networks or on cable. I guess you could say I'm a news junkie. And although I tend to be center-left, I try my best to keep up with reputable sources on all sides of the issues. (I was also raised to value good conversation, and if you only know one side of an issue, how can you be a good conversationalist?)   

And that, in a roundabout way, leads me to what happened on Monday. Among the channels I enjoy watching is the former MSNBC, these days known as MS.NOW. I like their news reporters, and I like their commentators (and yes, it's important to differentiate between news and commentary). And while I may not agree with every single thing on the channel, I generally find what they broadcast both informative and worthwhile. My favorite news commentator is Rachel Maddow. I find her knowledgeable and erudite, and as a media historian, I appreciate the historical research she does. Our paths never crossed during my media career (most of my work was in radio and print, rather than TV). But these days, I am perfectly content with knowing there are certain people on TV and online whose work I can enjoy.

I wanted to support the channel, so I became a member. And one of the benefits was the opportunity to ask the hosts questions and have them respond. But when I submitted a question for Rachel, I never expected it would get chosen-- nor did I expect that I'd be invited by her producers to talk to Rachel live, during a segment on the MS.NOW website on Monday. Being a former deejay, I asked her a music question, rather than yet another question about politics. To be honest, I hoped she'd be pleased with my question. And it seems that she was, based on the enthusiastic reaction I got. She could not have been more cordial: we discussed her taste in music, as well as talking about an artist she wished she had met-- but never did-- she mentioned Bonnie Raitt. (In the longer version of the conversation, I had told her that I had tickets to see the Rolling Stones, but I couldn't go because I was on the air that day; everyone else from the station went, but I never saw them. I still have the ticket though-- $12 to see the Stones in 1978.) Anyway, we had a very enjoyable conversation, and I am told you can see a portion of it on YouTube. I still can't believe it happened.       

I understand that some people reading this may not be fans of Rachel's. That's okay. But that's not the point. The point is that even a famous and successful TV host can find some joy talking about music. In my previous blog, I mentioned how joyful Alex and Geddy (and Anika too) look on stage as they are performing for the fans. And when I find myself getting depressed and frustrated by what's happening in the news, my respite continues to be going over to YouTube and listening to some of my favorite songs. It's a wonderful escape, and I recommend it. But since I've got you here, let me ask you what I asked Rachel. Is there an artist you wish you had seen in concert, but never did? I never did get to see the Stones. But hey, I was able to talk music with Rachel. And that was a very cool experience.    

 

When You're With Rush, You're With Family: Some Thoughts About R50 in Boston

There are moments in the life of a Rush fan that stand out. For example, I remember R40 like it was yesterday. It was June 23, 2015, and Annie Zaleski, a journalist friend of mine from Cleveland, joined me at TD Garden in Boston, where we saw Rush perform for what many of us feared would be the final time;  I blogged about it here, in fact: https://dlhalperblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/just-another-mad-mad-day-on-road-some.html 

I also remember the very first time I saw Rush. It was June 28, 1974 at the Allen Theater in Cleveland. I didn't have a blog back then; nobody even knew what the internet was, nor could any of us predict what the future held for these three young men from Toronto. I remember the show, and I remember that they were so young, and they looked really nervous (and John Rutsey was still the drummer); but their manager promised me that night that they'd never let me down. And when they began to play "Working Man," some fans in the audience knew the song and sang along with it, which seemed to give them more confidence.

I remember so many other moments from so many other shows-- I'm still amazed that Rush (and their management) have kept in touch with me for more than fifty years. And that's what I remember the most, far beyond which city I saw them play, or which songs were in the set-list: I remember the friendship. It's a rare commodity in the world today. And I saw that friendship everywhere when I went to TD Garden on Monday night, to attend R50, the show so many of us never thought we'd live to see.  

I saw that friendship in the pop-up Xanadu Lounge, where fans were eating snacks and enjoying looking at Rush photos, artwork and memorabilia. A lot of folks recognized me and came up to ask for a selfie with me; and they thanked me for what I had done for Rush. They didn't need to do that; knowing that I played a role in making Rush better-known is gratifying enough for me. There were lots of hugs, lots of conversation about Rush shows we had seen and songs that meant a lot to us. In most cases, I had never met these folks before, and yet we all shared a feeling of being among people we cared about.       

And I saw that friendship when I went backstage to see Alex and Geddy before the show. They were in work mode and I didn't want to take up too much of their time, so we hugged, and chatted briefly. I told them how proud I was of them, and I conveyed the good wishes of the fans. I also wished Geddy and his family a happy new year. We hugged again, and then they had a show to do, and I took my seat in the mixing booth, next to two old friends-- Cliff Burnstein (I've known him since his days at Mercury Records) and the legendary Howard "Herns" Ungerleider. 

Howard looked wonderful-- so much healthier (he told me he has lost a lot of weight, but he just looked so happy to be doing what he was doing). Cliff and I were reminiscing about Cleveland, and about how record promotion used to be done, and we were both remarking on how wonderful the show was-- it was a privilege to watch this new iteration of Rush, and to enjoy getting together after not seeing each other for a while. Okay fine, they were working, but there was still time to marvel at where we've all been, how many years we've known each other, and what a privilege it is to be at R50.   

I'll let others write about which songs Rush played, but suffice it to say the set on Monday night featured some of their best-known tracks, as well as the entire Moving Pictures album ("Witch Hunt" could have been written yesterday); and the special effects were top-notch. They always are. I was delighted to see a tribute to Neil, and equally pleased to see a tribute to Rutsey; both tributes were emotional for so many of us. Anika was a pleasure to watch. In fact, the entire band seemed like they were really having fun up there. And when they played their encore and we all heard the familiar opening chords of "Working Man," everyone in the audience was on their feet, singing along (or air-drumming or air-guitaring). In fact, people were on their feet doing that all night. It wasn't a rowdy crowd: it was an enthusiastic and happy crowd (and yes, it included female fans, as well as some kids, brought by parents who wanted to share Rush with a new generation). What I saw, as I said, was a community of friends.

And in a world where there are so many reasons to be stressed or angry, it was a wonderful escape to spend some time immersed in Rush's music. Now more than ever, we can all use some joy, and that is what Rush delivered. As recently as a year ago, few of us could have predicted that we would see Rush reunite and perform again. And now, here we are, receiving the gift of an evening with our favorite band. I left the venue feeling grateful. And I don't think I'm the only one. After all, when you're with Rush, you're with family. And it really felt like a family reunion in many ways-- one that we were all happy to attend.