I was going to write something clever here but my mind wandered to another subject which I have since forgotten. Why can’t I concentrate? Who’s to blame? The answer can be found in the following story…if you stay with it long enough.

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This is another bit of music taken from my 1991 story about a terrific public radio program called Mountain Stage. It’s recorded live in Charleston, West Virginia. The headliner on the day of our visit was R.E.M.

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I’ve been taking a lot of walks lately trying to clear my mind before the book tour starts in April. I go before sunrise because walking in the darkness allows me to focus my thoughts on questions of great significance. Sometimes I find answers and sometimes I don’t.

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As President’s Day approaches I find myself reminiscing about Abraham Lincoln and the summer weekend we spent together back in 1998. It was something….all Abe all the time. Sure, his constant presence got a bit tiresome but the years have erased any feeling of annoyance and now I just smile when thinking back to that time.

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It was good to hear that Mr. Prine won a Grammy for his latest album Fair and Square. I’ve been listening to John’s music since the mid-seventies and mention that fact in the opening chapter of my book. Here’s an excerpt.

There was little conversation as the Winnebago descended from the mountains that surround Phoenix and the neighboring communities. It was my turn with the CD player and John Prine’s lyrics filled the silence.

The song is relatively new but hearing Prine’s voice bought me back to our Arizona days. Cathy and I moved to Phoenix after getting married and three of our four children were born there. We stayed ten years, spending most of that time struggling to make ends meet while raising our kids and listening to John Prine sing about people just like us. I was the common man doing common jobs; construction, sales, retail, and the list goes on. Before Prine found his niche as a songwriter he was a mailman. We knew that he knew exactly how we felt. My niche would eventually be found, but not until the age of 30 when I landed my first TV job. A year and a half later, NBC came calling and off we went.

My NBC job has been great because of the freedom to cover subjects that interest me…subjects like John Prine. In 1986 I spent a few days in Nashville hanging out with John and his friends and then traveled to one of his show venues. John was friendly, funny and considerate. Here is a scene from a late night impromptu concert in his kitchen. In the coming weeks and months I will have more to share.

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Mike and John in 1986