3 Elections and a Question. No Politics Involved!

deco-comp — The Laboratory lights up for the holidays.

No, not the Mid-Terms. There wasn’t much drama in my solidly blue district. But three elections I was involved with in the past month all hit closer to home.

Hometown Hoedown

Want to caucus? I was recently invited to participate on a Nominating Committee picking candidates for 3 Board of Trustee positions in our sleepy little village. We are small enough to fall under the control of a quaint Illinois law calling for a “political” party to choose candidates to run for Village offices. The 13 or 14 local residents invited to be on the Committee became the screening group for the “party.” The public could then caucus and approve our slate, or choose other candidates for the municipal election in the spring. Confused? So were we!

We mailed announcements to every home in the village inviting people to toss their hat into the ring. We created an application packed with tough questions about our Village, its future, and its challenges. We expected four or five applications to be filled in and returned; we were overwhelmed to receive ten!

Our next step was to interview each candidate. The Committee sat at a long table at the front of the room, while one at a time the candidates came to the podium for a grilling. Yes, it felt like a Senate inquiry. No, there were no allegations of misconduct and no heated defense speeches were required. In short, not much drama. We asked, we listened, and then we chose (secret ballot of course.)

We must have done a good job, all three of our choices were approved at the Village caucus meeting last month. Good luck to our candidates next spring.

Neighborhood Knockdown

Talk about a snoozefest. For the last 20 years, our subdivision Home Owners Association Board of Directors elections have been rather boring affairs. A minimal number of homeowners cast ballots for the rare souls interested in accepting the grief that comes with planning snow-plowing, landscaping, road maintenance. Barb is one of those souls and has shared in the usual highs and lows.

But this year, election night was different! Secret slates! Magic proxies! Challenged signatures! Let’s get ready to rumble boys and girls!

It took the Association attorney to sort out the mess. Barb looks forward to another challenging 2-year term.

Delightful Decorating

The final vote of the year was of a cheerier sort. For the first time, our lab held a “Decorate Your Area” contest. We went from drab to dazzling overnight. There are magnificent toy soldiers, angels from on high, and loaded stockings hanging on paper fireplaces. The original plan was to have me as the sole judge. I used Executive Privilege to decide everyone would have a say, and our three winners were selected by the entire lab. But really, the whole lab won in this contest!

What was your favorite moment of 2018? And if you could vote for anything in 2019, what would it be?

Best Comment on Wednesday’s Post:

I love this post! May I print it out and post it for my techs to read? One of my pet peeves is little flecks of paraffin stuck to things. Microscope, counter, desks etc. It seems to migrate everywhere. Finding it on the microscope when I go to check slides is good for a major rant!~Linda Blazek, Dayton, Ohio

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The Pathologist and the Pea

slide-tray — A tray of slides that may demonstrate prostate cancer under the microscope.

You all remember the story of the Princess and the Pea. In the fairy tale, a beautiful young woman of questionable parentage is proven to be royalty when a pea at the bottom of a stack of mattresses disturbs her enough to prevent her from sleeping. (I know, they had weird tests for royalty back before 23andMe made it simple.) Hans Christian Anderson wrote one version, and a young Carol Burnett starred in a Broadway adaptation called Once Upon a Mattress.

As you may have surmised, I have NO royal blood. I usually sleep through the night like a petrified log. You could put a dozen squawking chickens under my mattress and I wouldn’t budge until my alarm clock chirped at 5:05. But at the lab, something smaller than a pea can cause me immense discomfort.

Looking at slides through a microscope for at least 3 or 4 hours a day takes concentration and good equipment. An ergonomic microscope, an equally ergonomic chair, my assortment of favorite pens and markers, and most importantly, well made and expertly stained tissue slides are all I need. And that is exactly what I get most of the time. But all it takes is a speck, be it dirt, paraffin wax, or mounting medium, on the back of a slide to throw me thoroughly out of whack.

Diagnosing prostate cancer is, of course, a science. A small bit of the knowledge is picked up in medical school, more in a pathology residency, and much more in a fellowship or certification training. But as I have learned through years in practice, it is the art of pathology that is the secret to managing a pile of slides with its stack of requisitions. Sure, there are cases where the tumor practically jumps off the slides and writes itself onto the Final Pathology Report. Those are important to diagnose and doing so is essential to the well being of the patient. But they offer little intellectual challenge for the pathologist.

The artistry is in the less obvious cases. Your eyes look through the microscope at the slide, and there are benign glands and stroma, the normal structures you expect to see. But with that first look, some primal scream tells you there is a disturbance in The Force. Something is out of alignment, there is trouble ahead. The abnormality may not show up on that first slide, but extraordinarily careful examination of each millimeter of the patient’s multiple biopsy cores is called for.

Could what appear to be benign inflammatory cells in actuality be small cell cancer? Are those bland, pale cells fading into the background a clear cell variant of prostatic adenocarcinoma? Has a bladder cancer sneaked into the prostate while I was looking the other way? An associate once told me he could “smell” cervical cancer on a pap smear two seconds after starting to look at a slide. I know that he too was talking about a ripple in The Force, some subtle change that he only recognized after looking at tens and hundreds of thousands of slides.

Going back to the tiny speck of wax or mounting medium stuck to the bottom of my slide. That tiny speck is just enough to throw the slide off balance on the microscope stage. All of a sudden the slide and I are both out of focus. The subtle, subconscious clues disappear. I am back to being a first-year pathology resident, looking for the obvious, seeing only what bites me in the behind on my comfortable, ergonomic chair.

It’s enough to make me feel like Carol Burnett with that blasted pea under her mattress. Broadway here I come!

Best Comments on Tuesday’s Post:

“If you host, I’ll watch!” – Lu Leach

“You are smart enough for jeopardy, classy enough for the Oscars but way too intelligent to get involved with show business!”– Jimmy Nuzzo

The opinions expressed are those of the author, not of UroPartners LLC.

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10 Reasons Why I’ll Host Them Damn Oscars!

Dear Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

I hear the Oscar Awards are coming up pretty soon. And I hear you are having trouble getting yourselves a host for the broadcast. The Kevin Hart thing didn’t work out too well. Neither Johny Carson nor Bob Hope is around to bail you out. Well, February is a good month for me to travel, and L.A. is sure warmer than Chicago that time of year, so here I am, waiting for your call.

This isn’t the first high profile job I have applied for. For the sake of the country, I had volunteered to be a Trump Cabinet Secretary (little did I know how over-qualified I was-and how lucky I was to be rejected.) I have volunteered to replace Alex Trebek when he reaches his Final Jeopardy (so far all I have heard from Alex is “Wrong Again Les.”)

But this is different! I am ready! I am prepared! So Oscar Gods here is my application.

TEN REASONS I SHOULD BE THE OSCAR HOST

I have never told a gay joke. In fact, some would say I have never told a joke. Barb did once accuse me of having no sense of humor.
I have never given anyone the wrong envelope unless you count that Valentine I gave to the wrong Debbie back in 7th grade.
I have a friend who is a film critic (of course he tells me why every movie I like is crap.)
I thought it was a great idea to have a “Most Popular Movie” Oscar category.
I bought a new tux for my kids’ weddings. I need an excuse to give it a 3rd wearing.
I promised Barb that someday I would introduce her to Bradley Cooper.
I promise not to drink, snort, or inject my way through the 3 to 4 hours the ordeal takes.
I thought David Letterman’s Uma/Oprah bit was hilarious.
I have always been a fan of Sacheen Littlefeather.
After I do the Oscars maybe I can get a gig on Dancing with the Stars.

So give me a break, guys. I doubt hosting the Oscars can be any harder than my day job!

Our most recent post: Mrs. Maisel Still Rocks!

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Mrs. Maisel Is Streaming Again and You Should Be Watching!

mrs-maisel-2 — Rachel Brosnahan as the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

It has been a year since I offered all of you the Christmas present of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. And thank you Amazon Prime for bringing us this year’s gift of Season 2. The story of the early 60’s Midge Maisel, struggling to survive as a mother, ex-wife, and stand-up comedian is back with 10 streaming episodes.

Barb and I started watching the new season early this week and have only watched the first three episodes. but I have to stop and write, now! The first two episodes were a little slow and philosophical, but with Episode 3, the writer, director, and especially the amazing Rachel Brosnahan as Midge have all hit their very hilarious stride.

The episode, titled The Punishment Room, makes me rethink my position that Veep is the most side-splitting show on television. This episode matches Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and company in laughs and F-bombs from unexpected directions.

The episode includes (you could label this a spoiler alert, but there is no way to spoil this episode):

A wonderful opening set piece in the apartment Midge and her kids share with her parents. It’s better choreographed than some Broadway shows I have endured. And the end of the scene is pure Home Alone.
A spontaneous female conscience raising seminar with inadvertant consequences.
Negotiations (not exactly spiritual) about a wedding reception between our Jewish heroine Midge and a rather dour priest and nun, while a young Catholic student weeps in the background. If you have watched even one episode of the series before, you know who will win this battle of fast-talking.
A stunningly tasteless, unrequested and unwanted bit of stand-up by Midge at a public reception. It is so cringeworthy that those of us watching at home cannot help but laugh through our horror. After all, the shotgun Midg mentions isn’t pointed at us!

Barb and I can’t wait to find out what will happen next. If you aren’t already, I recommend you become a fan of Midge Maisel. Her bootleg albums are going to be big sellers!

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The Three R’s. Doing Some Readin’, Writin’, and ‘Rithmetic.

Yesterday we were political. Today we are not.

Some thoughts, questions, and observations on readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic.

Reading

Fiction or non-fiction? In my case, I am looking for a good plot, good characters, a good climax and denouement. So it is mostly fiction for me. My last non-fiction book was about the Hillary Clinton campaign, and we know how THAT ended.
How do you choose what books to read? Is there a particular reviewer or website or book list that points the way for you?
What grabs your attention, the author or the title? For me, when I’m browsing the library shelves, it is the author that I am keying my selections on.
What if you have decided to read a series of books by the same author. Do you:
1. Start with the first book in the series?
2. Start with the most current title?
3. Choose one title in the series at random?

Writing

The first blog topic? The blog was meant to be a short series focusing on the house Barb and I were building. By the way, the house has turned out just the way we planned it. Well, almost just the way we planned it. We didn’t plan on redoing the deck, but that’s the way it goes.
Other blog topics through the years? Family history, grandparenting, the arts (just heard Mrs. Maisel is back streaming,) politics, pathology (get your PSA checked!) and travel.
TGFK–Thank God for Keyboards. Based on my handwriting, I was born to be a doc.
Favorite note-taking device? Post-it notes. I love em, use them everywhere. I have digital ones on my monitor. And they make nice decorations too!

Arithmetic

About 325 blogs in 3½ years. That’s approximately one every 4 days. But rather than being spread out that way, the blogs come in clusters. Writer’s block followed by the need to get something down on paper.
Two different “Community Managers” for ChicagoNow. Matty Schwer has held the position for the last year or so and has worked hard to keep the blog site a viable entity in the ever-changing Tribune universe. Previous Community Manager Jimmy Greenfield is now the Tribune’s Blackhawks beat reporter. Hey Jimmy, hockey players after a practice or bloggers after a Blogapalooza…which group is smellier?
Other ChicagoNow bloggers I have met? Just one, Kerri K. Morris, gifted teacher and writer of the “Cancer is Not a Gift” blog. And Jimmy G. skated past me once.
Time to write a blog? 60 minutes, with half of that time spent on the tollway doing the mental gymnastics.
10,000. The number of readers of my most widely read blog post.

Keeping it real—reading, writing and adding it up!

The best comment on yesterday’s blog: Rae Schiff: And being ignorant and ruthless about immigration/like many other politicians. And completely being unprepared when it comes to health care reform.

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Reaching Trexit Velocity–It Is Time to Eject Trump

Exactly two years ago I decided to give then President-Elect Donald Trump a chance. I put aside my doubts and fears, shook hands with my one Conservative friend and bit the bullet of inevitability. But I did lay out 10 Commandments for Trump to follow. Simple things like respecting (or at least understanding) the Constitution, putting country above personal and family allegiances, and talking about bridges instead of just talking about walls.

Now, it’s time to list 10 reasons I need to see the end of Trump. Maybe I am over-cocooned in my New York Times/Huffington Post world, but this is what it looks like from here.

10 REASONS TRUMP MUST GO

Ignoring the environment putting future generations at greater risk
Allowing foreign intervention in domestic affairs
Promoting racist ideology
Initiating harmful trade policies
Establishing bullying as the currency of the land
Turning a blind eye to vicious foreign allies and while promoting untrustworthy foreign foes
Lying, exaggerating, and amplifying to suit his needs
Filling his administration with crooks and incompetents
Responding poorly to natural disasters
Lowering the esteem of our country in the eyes of the world

Not each of these is an impeachable offense. Perhaps individually none of them are. But as a record of the first two years of his presidency, they are a blueprint for disaster. The next two years could be worse.

Can we strap President Trump onto the next mission to Mars?

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photo credit: x-ray delta one <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/40143737@N02/26797379889″>1981 … John Young – comm. Shuttle 01</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>(license)</a>

Our Lab Professionals Trump Our Lab Processors

Our histology microwave unit gave out yesterday. Oversimplifying a bit, the instrument removes processing chemicals from our tissue biopsies and replaces it with paraffin wax. This wax infiltrated tissue is then thinly cut by our histology technologists, placed on glass slides, stained, and then turned over to the pathologists to make a diagnosis. So when the processor goes, it puts a crimp, or more realistically a crash, in our operations.

We pamper our instruments, give them routine maintenance, and have the service companies on speed dial. But even so, sometimes parts fail. In this case, it was a heating element in the microwave unit of the processor. We were dismayed to learn it would be a two-day wait to get the service technician and the new part on site. We needed Plan B.

We have contacts at several area hospitals and private labs who have agreed to let us come by and use their equipment when we are in a jam. But some of those labs were having instrument problems of their own and other labs were facing the post-holiday rush and could only give us a short window of time to do our processing. It wouldn’t be enough.

Putting their heads together the histology team theorized a potential, but slow, workaround using a different piece of equipment to boil out the chemicals and infiltrate in the paraffin. I authorized a trial with some sample tissue and we waited to see if the process would work.

The test worked fine, and we decided to could process our patient samples using the workaround. But it would be time consuming and we could see from our electronic ordering system that today we would be receiving an exceptionally heavy load of biopsies.

I was reviewing our staffing options to handle all the biopsies with the section supervisor. Overtime work, weekend hours, and on-call staffers were all options that we considered. And then one of our techs walked over and said in a very matter of fact voice “Don’t worry Dr. Raff, we’re professionals. We’ll get it done.”

Hell yeah! I sometimes forget just how good and tight and willing to do what it takes this lab team is. Not just in histology, but also in cytology and chemistry and microbiology and hematology. The behind the scenes staff, too. I cannot think of a single time they have dropped the ball. In 13 years, neither rain nor snow nor dark of night has ever prevented one of our patients from getting their lab results and diagnoses in a timely manner.

Our accrediting agencies say we are a good lab because we meet a few thousand line items on a checklist. I know that we are a good lab because that is what our staff wants it to be, and they strive for it every day. So I am not going to wait for National Laboratory Week in May to say thank you to this team we have built, to the professionals who never stop making me proud.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays. You never let us down.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of UroPartners LLC.

Yesterday’s blog’s best comment: Helen Peters: Dizzy and Kung Fu Fighting??? Really?? But no Beach Boys, no Eric Clapton, no Tom Petty, no Cars? Even Brittany Spears would be better than Dizzy or Kung Fu Fighting!!!

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Music + Lists = Satisfaction (at Number 7). Thoughts on “The 100 Absolute Best Songs in History”

the-beatles — The Beatles scored 19 hots out of the top 100.

I can’t help it. I love lists and I love music. Put them together, and you can keep me busy for hours. A stray link in a pathology listserve (yes, there are still listserves out there,) led me to The 100 Absolute Best Songs in History, a list put together by website 24/7 Wall Street based on “sales, Billboard performance, number of cover versions and recognition among music fans.” It’s a mixture of stats and opinions made to be disagreed with. I’ve reproduced the rankings below. Here are my comments on the all-time Hot 100.

Artists With Most Songs Listed

Nine acts plated more than one song. The Beatles dominated with 19 songs (20 if you coount John Lennon’s Imagine) including #1 Yesterday. Michael Jackson, Simon and Garfunkel and The Rolling Stones tied for second place with 3 apiece. The biggest surprise of the acts with 2 mentions? Bill Withers, whose pair of hits Ain’t No Sunshine and Lean on Me both cracked the Top 50. No surprise that Paul Simon, in addition to his trio of hits with Artie, also had a solo outing on the list. But 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover? That’s one he could have written on a napkin in a bar.

Female Artists

Fifteen female acts cracked the list, led by the Supremes with a double of Stop! In the Name of Love and Baby Love (no love for Love Child, though.) The songs varied in quality from Adele’s awesome Rolling in the Deep at #3 to the dreadful Brand New Key by Melanie. Girl groups The Shirelles and The Marveletes hit the chart as did mixed gender performing acts Sonny and Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Sixpence None the Richer, and Blondie. The Debbie Harry fronted band made it twice with Call Me and Heart of Glass.

Sickly Sweet

The list had its share of overwrought, tear inducing love songs. Jim Croce measured Time in a Bottle, John Denver worshipped Annie, and John Legend gave Chrissy Teigen All of Me. Olivia Newton-John represented the ladies in this category with I Honestly Love You, while the Association’s Cherish said it for the bands. Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, blasting in at #61 would probably not qualify as a tear-jerker.

The Magic’s in the Movies

At least 13 songs had strong movie ties, from Isaac Hayes hot -buttered Theme from Shaft to The Beatles psychedelic Yellow Submarine. Lulu’s To Sir With Love made the cut as did Georgy Girl by the Seekers. Born to be Wild wasn’t a title tune, but would there have been an Easy Rider without Steppenwolf roaring through?

We’ll Never be Royal

Oh yes, we will. We have the King of Rock’n’Roll (Elvis swiveling with Can’t Help Falling in Love,) the King of Pop (Michael Jackson was crowned with Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller,) a pair of Queens (Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites the Dust,) and Ben E. King asking you to Stand By Me. But the list forgot to coronate Prince. No mention of the Purple One.

One Hit Wonders-Blink and they are Gone

? and the Mysterions-96 Tears
Norman Greenbaum-Spirit in the Sky
Arthur Connely-Sweet Soul Music

Odds and Sods

Most Hated Artist: Nickelback (How You Remind Me)
Gratuitous Neil Diamond Shout Out: Writing I’m a Believer for the Monkees.
Surprise, Surprise: These Boots are Made for Walkin’-Nancy Sinatra, but nothing by Papa Frank.
Missing in Action 2: (Like a Rolling Stone-Bob Dylan)
Missing in Action 3: (Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For-U2)
Missing in Action 4: (Won’t Get Fooled Again-The Who)

What did I leave out? Lots and lots. Here’s the full list (warning, you may need to view this in landscape mode on your phone.)

What are your thoughts?

1	Yesterday	The Beatles
2	Bridge Over Trouble Waters	Simon and Garfukel
3	Rolling in the Deep	Adele
4	Hey Jude	The Beatles
5	All of Me	John Legend
6	Bad Romance	Lady Gaga
7	(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction	The Rolling Stones
8	Bohemian Rhapsody	Queen
9	Let it Be	The Beatles
10	Ain’t No Sunshine	Bill Withers
11	Can’t Help Falling In Love	Elvis Presley
12	I Want to Hold Your Hand	The Beatles
13	The Sound of Silence	Simon and Garfukel
14	Happy	Pharrell Williams
15	Eleanor Rigby	The Beatles
16	Something	The Beatles
17	Help!	The Beatles
18	Stand By Me	Ben E. King
19	Wichita Lineman	Glen Campbell
20	Can’t Buy Me Love	The Beatles
21	These Boots are Made for Walkin’	Nancy Sinatra
22	Come Together	The Beatles
23	Just the Way You Are	Billy Joel
24	Time after Time	Cyndi Lauper
25	Eye of the Tiger	Survivor
26	The Letter	The Box Tops
27	Lose Yourself	Eminem
28	I Can See Clearly Now	Johny Nash
29	When a Man Loves a Woman	Percy Sledge
30	Downtown	Petula Clark
31	Imagine	John Lennon
32	Mrs. Robinson	Simon and Garfukel
33	We Can Work it Out	The Beatles
34	Oh, Pretty Woman	Roy Orbison
35	What a Wonderful World	Louis Armstrong
36	I’m a Believer	The Monkees
37	Will You Love Me Tomorrow	The Shirelles
38	Pumped up Kicks	Foster the People
39	The Rose	Bette Midler
40	Billie Jean	Michael Jackson
41	Penny Lane	The Beatles
42	King of the Road	Roger Miller
43	Honky Tonk Woman	The Rolling Stones
44	Lean on Me	Bill Withers
45	Light My Fire	The Doors
46	I Feel Fine	The Beatles
47	Yellow Submarine	The Beatles
48	Please Mr. Postman	The Marvelettes
49	A Hard Days Night	The Beatles
50	Born to Be Wild	Steppenworlf
51	Wooly Bully	Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
52	How To Save a Life	The Fray
53	Proud Mary	Creedence Clearwater Revival
54	To Sir With Love	Lulu
55	Call Me	Blondie
56	Hello	Lionel Richie
57	Annie’s Song	John Denver
58	50 Ways to Leave Your Lover	Paul Simon
59	Stop! In the Name of Love	The Supremes
60	Gold Digger	Kanye West
61	Whole Lotta Love	Led Zeppelin
62	I Get Around	The Beach Boys
63	96 Tears	? And the Mysterians
64	Nowhere Man	The Beatles
65	Heart of Glass	Blondie
66	How You Remind Me	Nickelback
67	Time in a Bottle	Jim Croce
68	And I Love Her	The Beatles
69	Heart of Gold	Neil Young
70	Let’s Dance	David Bowie
71	Georgy Girl	The Seekers
72	Beat It	Michael Jackson
73	Chain of Fools	Aretha Franklin
74	Theme From Shaft	Isaac Hayes
75	Angie	The Rolling Stones
76	Paperback Writer	The Beatles
77	Green Onions	Booker T and the MGs
78	Baby Love	The Supremes
79	Got to Get You Into My Life	The Beatles
80	Get Back	The Beatles
81	Thriller	Michael Jackson
82	Like a Virgin	Madonna
83	Another One Bites the Dust	Queen
84	Cherish	The Association
85	Fame	David Bowie
86	Crazy	Gnarls Barkley
87	I Got You Babe	Sonny and Cher
88	Dreams	Fleetwood Mac
89	My Girl	Temptations
90	Brand New Key	Melanie
91	Dizzy	Tommy Roe
92	Sweet Soul Music	Arthur Conley
93	I Honestly Love You	Olivia Newton John
94	Band of Gold	Freda Payne
95	Kiss Me	Sixpence None the Richer
96	Africa	Toto
97	Jump	Van Halen
98	Everyday People	Sly and the Family Stone
99	Spirit in the Sky	Norman Greenbaum
100	Kung Fu Fighting	Carl Douglas

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Mitch vs Me. I Take on Trubisky’s Shoulder

By now all of Chicago has heard the news. Mitch Trubisky, the first-place Bears’ second-year quarterback has an injured shoulder and may not play on Thanksgiving against the Lions in Detroit. The city holds its breath in concern.

At the same time, I have an aching soreness in my right shoulder too. Whose shoulder matters more?

	MITCH	ME
Profession	QB Bears	Lab Director
Age	24	(24 x 3) – 10
Frequent Misspelling of Name	Trubinsky	Raft
Nickname	At Least He’s Not Cutler	Doc
Employer	Chicago Bears	Pathology Associates
Working Hours	3.5 hours/week (plus film time)	45-50 hours week (plus commute)
Salary	$6,500,000	Less
Claim on Salary	Agent	Wife
Means of Communications at Work	Yells to teammates on line of scrimmage	Writes gently persuasive e-mails
Injury	Sore Right Shoulder	Sore Right Shoulder
Source of Injury	Slammed to ground by 214 Linebacker	Must have slept on it or something
Result of Injury	Hard to throw touchdowns	Hard to twiddle knobs on microscope
Treatment	Four Star Medical Team	Four Star Hand Therapist and Wife of 40 Years
Status	“Day-to-Day”	“Case-to Case”
People Who Care	Millions of Bear Fans	Me

So who do you think is the winner?

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The Reason This Rocker Recalls Roy Clark

Y’all know that as far as music goes I’m a rock and roll guy. I’ve broken the pattern once or twice, with blogs on Frank Sinatra and Broadway musicals, but one thing I have never written about is country music. I’ve driven by Toby Keith’s (now closed) bar in Rosemont; I’ve enjoyed Keith Urban’s wife in a variety of movie and TV roles; I’ve seen Blake Shelton yuck it up with Adam Levine on The Voice. But I have never played a country album or listened to a country radio station, and Branson, Missouri is not on my bucket list.

So I surprised myself when I stopped browsing and read the Tribune’s obituary of Roy Clark today. He had some big country hits (the song Yesterday, When I was Young, seems familiar,) and had a reputation for being a great guitar player. But like much of America of the non-C&W persuasion, my memories of Mr. Clark were from Hee-Haw, the country-corn television show that debuted in 1969.

’69 was the Nixon Era, peace marches, men on the moon, and the best year in the history of rock music. Time Magazine called Middle Americans the “People of the Year.” For this 13-year-old city boy, Hee-Haw was something very much out of my personal lunar orbit. Yet every week I watched Mr. Clark and his buddy Buck Owens as they strummed and picked and fiddled.

If you never saw the show, imagine a mash-up of Laugh-In and A Prairie Home Companion and you’ll be on the right track. Of course, there were musical guests. Grandpa Jones and Minnie Pearl were on board. The jokes were quick and awful. And there were the Hee-Haw Honeys, though I would need to be older before I fully appreciated them.

I know my interest in the show faded after the first season. That hour of watching was too much too squeeze into my schedule or that of my city friends. I haven’t thought about the show for years. But the mention of Roy Clark brought a smile to my face and a trigger to my temporal lobe. I guess country isn’t that bad. Maybe I will head out to Branson some day. Want to join me?

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