TUESDAY COMMENTARY – THE SPICE OF LIFE
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
TODAY, A BREAK FROM THE SPORTS TALK.
IT’S NO LIE WHEN I SAY I’VE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED OUR STAY IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA, THANKS ALMOST ENTIRELY TO GREY EAGLE RESORT & CASINO WHO’VE PROVIDED A 17-WEEK RESIDENCY FOR THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW AT THEIR SPORTS BAR.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE SIX WEEKS. THAT’S HOW WELL IT’S GONE.
BUT WHEN YOU’RE ONLY ON AIR TWO HOURS PER DAY ON GAME+ TV, IT GIVES YOU LOTS OF TIME TO TOUR AROUND. AND BOY IS THERE LOTS TO SEE.
SO IMAGINE MY ELATION AT STUMBLING ACROSS GEORGE FOX TRAIL NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA. IT’S A SCENIC ROUTE ALONG THE BOW RIVER DOTTED WITH BEAUTIFUL WESTERN-THEMED HOMES AND LOTS OF FIR TREES. THE PERFECT ROAD, I’D SAY, TO HAVE NAMED AFTER YOU.
MY ADVISORS IN FLORIDA HAVE ADVISED ME TO ALLOW THE LISTENERS AND VIEWERS TO GET TO KNOW THE “REAL ME” SO HERE’S A QUICK STORY ABOUT GEORGE FOX. (HONESTLY, I THOUGHT YOU ALL KNEW).
THE COCHRAINE FARMER’S FIRST COUNTRY MUSIC ALBUM CAME OUT IN THE LATE 1980’S WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. I RECALL THE BIG STORY BEING THAT WHEN THE RECORD COMPANY CALLED FOX’S FARMHOUSE TO OFFER HIM A CONTRACT, GEORGE’S MOM SAID, “WAIT A MINUTE AND I’LL GO GET HIM. HE’S ON THE TRACTOR IN THE FIELD.”
I ALSO RECALL THINKING, “BIG DEAL. WE ALL DO THAT.”
ANYWAY THAT’S ALSO THE SAME TIME I STARTED DEEJAY’ING ON WEYBURN RADIO AND HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF MEETING AND INTERVIEWING GEORGE FOX AT THE CRAVEN COUNTRY JAMBOREE IN 1991.
YOU SEE, ONE OF MY CAREER GOALS WAS TO BE A MORNING MAN AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT A COUNTRY FM RADIO STATION IN SOME BIG FANCY CITY BUT THE SPORTS WORLD JUST KIND OF GRABBED ME AND TOOK ME IN THAT DIRECTION INSTEAD.
BUT I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT AFTERNOON I SPENT WITH GEORGE FOX. HE WAS CLIMBING THE CANADIAN COUNTRY CHARTS BUT HE OPENLY ADMITTED HE WAS FRUSTRATED TO HAVE NOT HIT IT BIG IN THE U.S.
I DISTINCTLY RECALL THINKING TO MYSELF, “BUT YOU’RE DOING WHAT YOU LOVE, MAKING MUSIC AND MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY WITH YOUR MUSIC. THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH!”
I WAS ONLY 18 SO MAYBE THAT’S WHY I JUST SHUT-UP AND LISTENED.
BUT WHILE WALKING GEORGE FOX TRAIL THIS WEEK, A SOUNDTRACK OF FOX’S TUNES PLAYED OVER AND OVER IN MY HEAD LIKE GOLDMINE, MUSTANG HEART, CLEARLY CANADIAN, WEAR AND TEAR ON MY HEART, AND MORE.
SPORTS WAS GREAT FOR A REAL LONG TIME FOR ME, BUT THAT’S NOT WHERE THE STORY ENDS.
I’VE FOUND GETTING OUT AND EXPERIENCING NEW THINGS AND MEETING NEW PEOPLE, IS THE REAL SPICE OF LIFE.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET & 10 pm PT on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
THx for the morning read Rod. Despite what “some” people say there are a tremendous amount of good people in this world. I really enjoy golfing with “strangers” as the great majority of the time they are no different than the rest of us…ordinary folk out to have a day of fresh air on the course and doing their best to enjoy life.
That was a good era for Canadian Country Music – George Fox, Michelle Wright, Patricia Conroy. – For that era it reminded me of Lafleur/Lemaire/Shutt – that was as good as it got. Add in the Canadian rock and in the 1990s it was the glory years.
1995 rolled around and then it was the hat era.
Keep being true to you and the real you is the best you.
Amen Rod. Your now doing what God has intended for you From day one. His Call on your Life.
Ephesians 2:10
Hey Jack – save it. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen, deliver blankets to those who are cold, and take care of the widows and children. You might want to keep it anonymous too.
Virtue signalling is going out of style buddy.
Beat it Randy (Obama), you can save it. Nice how you satisfy yourself on here by creating alter ego’s and blasting people. Let’s meet up in person, maybe you can bully me too