Chili Dogs......

Today, I am going to write about something that was very important in the scheme of influencing my career.

I am going to write about Chili Dogs.

OK, you might be scratching your head a little bit on this one. But, let me explain. As I have written many times over the years, radio was my first love. I began writing as kind of an offshoot of that, and that’s how things developed. But, when I was fifteen, those influences began to intersect a bit.

When I was a teenager, I won a lot of prizes from WSM Radio – CD’s, concert tickets, even a trip to Chattanooga once. However, in 1989, I won a prize which would have a huge mark on me wanting to be a writer – the book Chili Dawgs Always Bark At Night by Lewis Grizzard. For those not familiar with the name – as he’s been deceased for over two decades, he was a prize-winning columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He wrote about his native Georgia, sports, and Southern life with a flair and a humor that captivated me. While some of my writing style I owe to the sentimental leanings of Earl Hamner, Jr. and his work in books like The Homecoming or the TV series The Waltons, I do hope there’s a bit of the smart-alecky side of Grizzard that shows up from time to time.

His book titles were as interesting as his writings – Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You, Elvis Is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself, and When My Love Returns From The Ladies Room, Will I Be To Old To Care? The Chili Dawgs reference is a tip of the hat to the Atlanta and Athens-based eatery The Varsity and their world-famous chili dogs and slaw dogs. And, having gone crazy on their food my first time there, it’s true. They do bark at night. Lewis had a way at looking at life, love, and the mistakes that one makes with a sense of humor (albeit at times a little twisted!) that you couldn’t help but love. To this day, when I am going through Atlanta or Athens, I have to stop at The Varsity and have a chili dog in his honor.

Grizzard was definitely from another time. I don’t know that his writings would have thrived the same way today, with political correctness so much in vogue, and he took no prisoners, whether it be Democrat, Republican, Braves, or Bulldogs. I never met him, so I don’t know how much of what he wrote was tongue-in-cheek. I did talk to him on the phone once. He was a guest on WSM, and I called to ask him if Kathy Sue Loudermilk (whether that was her real name or not, I don’t know, but every school had a Kathy Sue – the one girl who stopped traffic the most!) was as beautiful as he made out. He insisted she was. But, in either case, the impression that he made on a teenager from Tennessee with his whimsical musings was a major one. I can’t say that I totally wanted to follow in his footsteps in all things, but if you’ve ever detected a little bit of a humorous tone in some of my non-journalism work, I would like to think his influence is there.

Which reminds me, I haven’t been to Atlanta in some time. Maybe it’s time for a Varsity run. Anybody with me?

Farewell to the "Mayor of Buddy's"

If you were to ask me about the first time I met Eugene Estes, to be honest, I would probably draw a blank. As it turned out, I only knew him for about eleven years all told. But, his influence on my life was unlike few that I have ever met. Looking back, I must have met him in early 2006, not too long after the passing of my mother. It was a time of a lot of transitions in my life, and there was something about Eugene, who had started coming to Church where I did that reminded me of the past. He was well into his 70s at this point, but in spite of that age difference, something clicked, and we became fast friends.

He ate lunch at Buddy’s, a little restaurant not too far from the house. Most afternoons, unless I was working, the day would usually find me there. It really wasn’t the food, but the ambience. I had made a new friend. As the son of a natural-born agitator, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, and Eugene Estes was likewise. Smart-aleck at times? Sure. Gruff? Definitely. Full of it? Yes, but that was the fun of it. For an hour or so – unless I chose to go back to Buddy’s for the 2pm crowd, which could get kind of raucous – I didn’t have to think about anything. About how life had changed, and was changing around me. I could just enjoy the moment. He was exactly what I needed at the time that I needed it. And, I was grateful.

Over the years, he became pretty much like a grandfather to me. Hold it. I’ve said before that family is a relative term – and sometimes relationships are thicker than blood. He was my grandfather….or better yet, my “Pappy.” Now, if you ever heard a phone conversation between us, you might wonder if that was true or not. We would typically start in on one another with greetings that might get someone else slapped – if they knew the context. But, it was our way. I would call him things that I would never call anyone else…..and vice versa. And, just thinking of all that makes me smile. My time with him was always fun – and was the only thing that completely cleared my mind of the stresses of my work.

Whether it be on the phone, at Buddy’s – or Jeanine’s – where his office later was, I usually was good for at least one lunch a week until he entered NHC last year. He didn’t really want to go – as I found out t last summer when I spent two weeks there, I can’t blame him. But, I still made the effort to try to get to see him at least once a week. Now, I will confess that one of the highlights of being a patient there during my rehab from surgery was the fact that he was just down the hall. He and I would wheel each other down the hallways as if we were going to crash into each other – He was much better at that than me, except when he popped a wheelie, and almost fell out of the wheelchair. (I didn’t witness it first hand, but I heard about it!). We would talk trash about the other in front of the nurses, and I think they got a kick out of knowing just how full of it both of us actually were!

You probably know how this is going to end. This afternoon, Eugene Estes passed away. But, unlike many losses I have felt, I can’t say that I am sad beyond belief. He lived almost eighty-five years, and most of them were pretty good. I just consider myself blessed to have had a friend who came along at a time that I needed one – where I could just be myself. I don’t know how the past twelve years or so would have been without his friendship……and for that I am grateful beyond belief. Maybe, just maybe, Eugene Estes was an angel. If so, a weird-looking one, but I wouldn’t be surprised……Rest in peace, Haystack!

Rejection Isn't Always.....

“Thank you for your submission. I really like your work, but I can’t afford you. Keep it up, though.”

Those were words that I have gotten on a few occasions – particularly early on in my writing career. They sound like a little bit less of a rejection, but still a rejection.

Or, so I thought.

I received such an email in the middle of 2011 upon submitting some of my writing for an outlet. It wasn’t the first, nor the last rejection I’ve received, but I was intrigued by the “I can’t afford you” line. To quote Dumb and Dumber, that made me feel “Maybe there was a chance.” In spite of that email, I attacked writing with reckless abandon in the summer of 2011. In a lot of cases, I wrote for the exposure and not money. I wanted people to become more aware of my work, but I didn’t have a plan to do so other than just do it. I was living in Georgia at the time, and working at a newspaper there. I was going to have to make a decision about what to do with my life pretty quick, but again, there was no concrete plan.

Then, one day while I was at work, I received a rather routine email. At least, I thought it was. It said “Special Opportunity – Billboard.com.” As a member of the CMA and other trade organizations, I got emails from to time offering me special subscription rates to Billboard – which I had taken part of before. So, I didn’t think too much of it. In fact, were it not for the fact that I was about to head out the door for lunch, I might very well have deleted the email and gone about my business. I came back to the office, and got busy and totally forgot the email. That night, as I was covering a football game, I decided to check the email. I opened up the Billboard email.

For a lot of reasons, it was the answer to prayer. More than anything, it provided me an opportunity which I hope I have made the best of since then. I don’t know what M.Tye Comer saw in my writing, but I’m glad something sparked his attention. I have written in the past that I don’t know if I belong in the same company of writers who have been – or are at Billboard, but I do take pride in the fact that I feel that I have grown a lot in those five years. I hope to continue that growth in the years to come. There have been some changes there, editors have came and went. But, I have had a solid base of editors and fellow writers who have encouraged me, such as Thom Duffy, Deborah Price, Serena Kappes, and Joe Lynch. I’ve had to be a little more proactive in promoting myself, but I’m still here. For that, I count myself blessed…and grateful.

So, about that rejection. On one of my first trips to New York after being hired, I went out to dinner with Tye and the superb Marc Schneider, who was one of my editors for about four years. Tye said ‘I don’t think I told you how your name came to my attention.’ I had always thought possibly it was through Wade Jessen, who I had known in the past. ‘It was Beville at The Boot. We were talking about writers in Nashville, and she was very complimentary of your work.’

Beville Darden Dunkerley – the editor who told me “I can’t afford you.” A few months prior, I thought her rejection was like all the others. As it turned out, it was her recommendation that got me a chance to show what I could do. The morale of this story is that if you are wondering of you are ever going to be able to make a mark in the field in which you want to, keep trying. And, “rejection” isn’t always. So, Tye – and Beville, I appreciate your belief in my work….more than you’ll ever know!