Monday, June 29th
One of the things I like most about my job is that I get to peek behind a lot of curtains. I've followed politicians around, lived in a firehouse, worked on sidelines, in dugouts, and shot tons of stuff with really fascinating people.
For the last nine weeks I've been on tour with Dane Cook and the experience has been fascinating. As a society we owe a lot to comedians because, by making us laugh, they tell us a lot about where we are as a culture. Watching the performances of Dane Cook, Robert Kelly, and Al Del Bene in 37 cities was again ... fascinating. It was also fascinating to watch audiences watch them. Like anyone who makes something look easy, this trio worked very hard to make people laugh and watching that process up close is another experience I won't forget.
Finally, I'd like to thank my "Busmates". Uncle Al is Al Dotoli the Tour Manager for Dane Cook. In short, Uncle Al has been on tour with everybody. I'll never forget the time spent on the bus listening to stories about "Frank" or "Sammy"or any of the countless performers he has toured with. Once in the middle of the night, we were the only people in a bad casino restaurant on the Nevada/Arizona border. The Muzak system was pumping in a bunch of old tunes and we were playing "name that tune". After somebody determined who the artist was, Uncle Al would relate a story from being on tour with them. In this picture he is standing.
To his right is Sari Miller, the only woman on the bus. She was also the smartest of the group and my memory of her will be the expression on her face while she patiently waited for the person she was talking with to catch up to her. To her right is Rob McLaughlin. I would not have made it without Rob. His calm and methodical manner while dealing with stress can't be matched. To his right is Allan Santose. Allan did a great job. If you have ever worked with Allan then you need not close your eyes to imagine what it was like working with him for 9 weeks in a row. It was just like that.
Sonny Brown is to Allan's right. He was our driver. You always had the feeling he was in control of the bus - even while moving 40 miles an hour over dirt roads in Idaho. To his right is John Penkala. John and I started a few political "conversations" that would fizzle out when we both ran out of facts. I would say to him that although we just met, we were going to know each other a long time and that I had many years, not a bus trip, to pull him to my side.
Finally to John's right, in the center of the picture is the man that hired me, Mitch Kansky. Mitch called and woke me up on the last Saturday in February and asked me to think about going out on a tour bus for 9 weeks. Although flattered to be asked, I remember hanging up the phone thinking there is no way I would do that. Well I did it, and although he doesn't know it, he really gave me a gift that morning. He gave me an opportunity to walk away from my life for awhile which for an adult is a rare opportunity. I really think the experience changed me. Thanks Mitch.
I'm back in Boston now. I just woke up from a nap in my favorite chair, next to my favorite window, that overlooks the harbor in my favorite city. Think I'll go to Sully's on Castle Island for a burger ...
