A Daughter! What The Hell Do You Do With Them.

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Some 40 or so years ago I was sitting in the waiting room of the St. Boniface Hospital waiting for my Son to be born. It all started out rather quietly at my birthday dinner with my folks which was interrupted by the need to rush my wife Lana to the hospital. Now here I was hours and hours later just sitting there dozing, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly I was startled by the sound of a voice saying Mr. Johns, Mr. Johns!
I look up to see a nurse standing in the doorway holding what looked like a wee alien covered all over with some kind of slimy goo. Even it’s head had a very strange shape to it which I later found out had been caused by the Doctor’s need to use forceps during a very difficult delivery. As I hesitantly walked over to them I heard her say, “Congratulations Mr. Johns you are now the proud Father of a brand new baby Daughter” I remember thinking that somehow she sure managed to stretch out the word Son or maybe it was just her French accent. Then it hit me! She didn’t say Son at all she said Daughter. A Daughter! What the hell do you do with them. Hey I had my Son’s life plan all mapped out, I had no plan for a Daughter. Candis was a complete and total surprise which she continued to be throughout her whole life.
She started school in Indianapolis when Jim Hilliard hired me to be the National PD for Fairbanks Broadcasting which was headquartered at Radio Stations WIBC/WNAP. She quickly became an A student and a very good athlete finishing in the top 3 at the Indiana State finals for gymnastics. Much later when we moved to San Diego to start my own business, Candis was just entering High School. She became the Freshman and Junior girl of the year at Coronado High winning numerous scholastic awards including 1st place for individual speech at the Debate Tournament held at Harvard. She was also the lead in Coronado’s big production of the musical South Pacific before finishing up High School in France as an exchange student. She went to college in New York making the Dean’s list at NYU then transferring to UCLA in Los Angeles where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Candis continued to live in LA as a singer/song writer performing many times at both the Roxy and the Whisky as she chased her life long dream of making singing her career. As I drive back and forth to work each day I still love listening to her CD of original songs she wrote about her life and what she was thinking about. She even managed to find a little time in her busy life to run the LA Marathon fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon and also compete in the grueling California Iron Man competition at Camp Pendleton(pix) She accomplished these amazing feats while working all day at her day job as Director of Licensing for WEA and singing all night. Candis was on the fast track at WEA for upper management until giving birth to my Grandson Nathaniel which she is now raising for me full time in her new role as Supermom.
The life plan I had for my Son was much simpler than all of the above believe me. Candis was and continues to be the greatest Birthday present a Man could ever receive. I love her dearly and always will.

Speaking of Daughters my youngest, Cami made me a special Birthday card claiming I was growing up real fast and I had also won the funniest Dad award. Those special homemade cards from my children always bring a tear to my eye but the chocolate covered strawberries that came with it weren’t too bad either.

50 years ago James Bond hit America paving the way I believe for the Beatles invasion 2 years later. Until then most Americans thought all Brits were funny little characters like Benny Hill.

Ambition makes the world go round.

I took a small test a while back that claimed by answering a few questions it would tell me where I am politically. Turns out I’m a Centrist I’m left on some issues and right on others and I suspect I’m not alone here. Recently I discovered though if you are not left on every issue the far left brand you a right wing extremist.

Does it really matter if the glass is half empty or half full. It’s simply a hell of an opportunity to fill it back up with a nice red that gives great nose.

If you are spending too much time searching for answers you may consider taking up drinking just so you can forget the questions.

It is said that if you spend most of your time thinking about the past or the future you may not be mentally healthy. Oh oh!

If you’re not a little bit frightened about what you’re doing everyday you are not living up to your full potential.

Pandora pays millions in royalties but I doubt much of it goes to the artist.

Air talent should take a lesson from old timers like Arnold, Stallone, and Eastwood. In their biggest movies these guys hardly said anything but what they did say was memorable and we still repeat those same lines today.

The first rule of “Show Biz” is be noticed but that might not be too good a thing if you don’t have any talent.

Great personalities are people who exaggerate what they just observed from the World around them.

Speaking of Air Talent a lot of them are more interesting back stage than they are on the air. The Magic Christian comes to mind.

No matter how many people want it to be about the technology it’s always going to be about the “Artist”

Do you think that because we now have cameras in our phones we scared away all the UFOs.

Great Radio is merely a somewhat slightly exaggerated reflection of life.

Lobbyists I feel do a lot more harm than good but unfortunately the only folks who can get rid us of them are the folks who derive some good from them. (cash)

Years ago I took up guitar because I saw Chet Atkins playing on TV and he made it look so easy. Kinda how the great ones like Ron Chapman, Jeff and Jer, Rush, Barsky and Howard make doing radio sound so easy. Good Luck!

Great Radio stations do two great things … They get the ratings and they ring the cash register.

It’s fairly easy to make money you just have to dedicate your whole life to it.

Other than irritating a few people what you think has very little to do with what you know.

I think Women are phenomenal but like most phenomenas a lot of them fall into the category of “if it seems too good to be true it usually is”

Rich people only care about expenses, people who want to be rich only care about making money.

I hate the word no and also the sentence … I don’t know anything about programming but!

PPM does a hell of a job of measuring all the non listening.

Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be somebody. Maybe I should have been a little more specific.

Now that Tiger Woods is free to chase Women I wonder if he still does.

People who change the World are usually viewed as “nut cases” until somebody finally uses the word genius.

According to my old pal Aristotle what you perceive the truth to be has absolutely nothing to do with what the truth really is.

According to Aristotle’s teacher Plato, to be really successful one must become a “principle of influence”

Speaking of Greeks, Socrates once said … It’s what’s above the bottom line that causes the bottom line.

The goal of each Radio station should be to try and become as great as its biggest fans already think it is.

Hey my old friend from Winnipeg Randy Bachman who has a new book out was interviewed by Rich Stevens on Big Talk 8-50 which I work with here in South Florida, check it out.

14 thoughts on “A Daughter! What The Hell Do You Do With Them.

  1. OK, gotta borrow another one: “Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be somebody. Maybe I should have been a little more specific.”

    Don’t worry — I always credit you and your site.

    • Hey Bruce, Don’t worry about it I probably stole it from somewhere. One man couldn’t come up with all this stuff could he. I just realized I’ve been writing since 2009.

  2. Bruce – you forgot to ask George for the order (more cash). He’ll take it to Jim and Jim will say; “As long as he doesn’t ask why Sales Mgrs. make more than Program Directors, okay.”

  3. The thing I liked most about radio, and still do today, was formed when “The Jury” was traveling to various gigs in different towns. It seemed that as soon as you got in range of the local radio station you immediately thought you were coming home. It is great to hear those DJ’s voices casually speaking about all the community events, weather, and playing the songs you’ve loved all your life. It just makes you feel good.
    Take care, Bruce

  4. hey george …love your daughter stories….my girls are 17,13 and 10……my boys are 46 and 43…how’s that for family planning..an aside…why do the wftl and 640 ratings no longer get published…. thanks

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