puttin' on the ritz...

What an evening! I attended the ICON Awards Sunday with my buddy Joe.

It was nice to get all dressed up in a Calvin Klein "chocolate" tuxedo. It was a little strange to hear my voice all evening and not be the anonymous voice behind the scenes, but "exposed" to the audience. However; I made some great contacts and heard a lot of positive feedback from those in attendance. At one point, there was a technical glitch in the playback, and it cut off the last word of a sentence. I was able to instantly recall the phrase and finished it "live". When it cut off I said in my announcer voice "...theme!", with the audience laughing in surprise.

After the awards, Joe and I stayed for a bit and socialized while listening to the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra belting out Cole Porter and Nat King Cole tunes, among others. The band, especially the female lead vocalist Deb, kept looking over at Joe and I, amazed we knew the words to these American Songbook standards. I guess we are not your typical folks...there's a plethora of lyrics and melody's stored up in our brains; me from radio and Joe from his experience as a musician. Of course Joe and I both love karaoke, where we met in 1999. I would say 80% of my friends are a direct result of meeting at karaoke. What's wonderful about it is that you instantly have something in common; love of music!

until next time...