August 17, 2014
Another crazy, fun day in the land of my fathers. Saw a lot of faces from my past. Like this guy:
State Mining Inspector, radio station mogul, notorious hotrodder and master storyteller, Joe Hart
Before I went on the air at KGMN, Joe's station, we talked for about a half hour and I was kicking myself because Joe added a dozen more Kingman nicknames, just in casual conversation. Guys like "Okie Joe" Foss and "Mule" (Dennis Poyner), "Hole Shot" Logas (Billy Logas' nickname on the drag trip), "Pecker" Chambers, Rick "The Dick," "Fox" Garren, "Duck" Nelson, "Ranger Rick," and "Lola Thunderbuck AKA Lola "Thump-for-a-Buck"). Yes, not only did the names flow but by the time we got ready to go on the air, we needed hip boots to get to the studio door.
Later in the day, this guy wandered in to the Powerhouse:
Coach Cunningham, MCUHS basketball coach
Now Mr. Cunningham was our varsity basketball coach and he and I had a checkered relationship. Once, before a big game he came into the locker room, saw my Beatlesque hairdo, walked over to me and messed up my hair with his hand and said, "We'll have none of this on my team." Frankly, my do was more JFK than John Lennon but he was having none of it. There were other dust ups between us, but yesterday, he told me he always knew I would amount to something because I challenged him. That was weird and somewhat amazing to hear from someone who gave me such a hard time. He also told a story about us being in Phoenix for a basketball tournament and I took several of his key players (I wasn't one of them) to a porno movie and then came back to the hotel and immediately told him (Lutheran guilt). He laughed, as if to say, What the hell was I supposed to do with THAT information? Now the funny part is, it was supposed to be a racy movie at a little downtown theater in Phoenix, I want to say it was the Kiva, and it was in a long shoe store building and they played European films. Although I thought we were going to see an "adult" film it was only a French deal and there weren't even any breast shots. It could play today on the Lifetime Channel and no one would raise an eyebrow. But in the legend, I took Heber Nelson and Delano Havatone to a "porno movie." That probably says more about accurate history than anything I've ever written.
I have more to say about Coach Cunningham, but I've got to go sell the last of my books.
"Grandma was slow, but she was old."
—Coach Les Byrum, who also came by to say hello