Hoytus Interruptus is a semi-irregular feature that appears (out of nowhere) during the weekly radio show that my wife Cindy & I do on KVSH here on Vashon Island. In the middle of a song, it’ll appear as though I’ve stepped out of an elevator to tell a story or get something off my chest. I try to infuse these pieces with humor and a bit of attitude. You’ll find a dozen or so other posts on the Story page of this website.
I always try to write down the directions I get from writers and producers when I’m narrating something that I particularly enjoy. In the order of the clips in this video, here is what I was asked to do by the brilliant creatives I worked with in the studio: Quiet satisfaction / Focused determination / Easy and relaxed / A tad sarcastic with an attitude / Bright and conversational / Proud / Aspirational intensity. It’s easy to go where you have to when the words are just right.
For the last few years, it has been a supreme pleasure and an honor to voice the worldwide branding campaign for United Way through the fine folks at BVK/Milwaukee.
I couldn’t have known it at the time but I was introduced into today’s world of ‘alternative facts’ at the tender age of 12. I learned up on the big screen that if you just deny reality long enough, you can break down any resistance you may encounter.
After first pooh-poohing the sport of rowing as an elitist, Ivy League sport, I took it up 17 years ago and promptly fell in love with it. Not only was the workout just what my body needed, but the friends I made on my rowing team are many of the best people I know. I struggled to get past the terminology of the sport, however. It all seemed so…suggestive…when barked at me by an amped-up coxswain. That’s where the idea for Strokin’ came about.
Humans: Are we plucky, resourceful survivors destined to “get it right” in the end? Or are we a noxious weed, fouling things up wherever we take root? David Grinspoon, author of “Earth in Human Hands” takes the more optimistic former view and strikes a more hopeful chord for our future on Planet Earth.
Sometimes inspiration comes from the unlikeliest of candidates. Who knew that our four-year-old daughter could give us a moment that would serve as a reminder to stand up and be heard, especially in the times in which we find ourselves now? Here’s the tale of when little Natalie took a stand of defiance that we’d never forget.
It was my pleasure to voice this TV ad for the National Association of Broadcasters, extolling the critical benefits of local broadcasting. Despite my long-held, family-formed misgivings about the current state of local television news, I shudder to imagine what life would be like without our local TV and radio broadcasters.
Even here on Vashon Island, just a stone’s throw from the Seattle metro area, our little community FM enterprise, Voice of Vashon, has carved out a meaningful place in the hearts of our island friends and neighbors. We’re there when ferry service is disrupted or power outages occur after wicked winter storms. We’re there to give voice to the many island non-profits that can only survive if their messages can reach their intended targets. And we’re a crucible of creative expression, with more than 50 original shows reflecting Island Life in 50 unique voices. Local DOES still matter.
