Steve, Betsy, and Dennis Miller at the Nokia Theater.
About eight months ago, after I had a wreck and my car was deemed “totaled” by my insurance company, my parents gave me use of their 1995 Toyota Previa. Although it had over 200,000 miles, it was in good working condition with one small exception: the radio was broken. An admitted talk radio addict, I decided this was unacceptable, so I was left with the option of paying to get the radio fixed, or finding some other way to deal with this unexpected disappointment. I decided to get an ipod.
At the local Target, an ipod “Shuffle” was $42 and had more than enough gigs for me to download my favorite radio shows. And there was an extra bonus I hadn’t considered: the podcasts had no commercials and the sound quality was far superior to a traditional radio broadcast. Better yet, I could expand my horizons and download shows that didn’t even air in the Austin market. The first show that came to mind was the Dennis Miller Radio Show.
I had long been a fan of Dennis Miller since the 80′s, watching him on Saturday Night Live. He was my favorite Weekend Update anchor. In recent years he had become a regular on the Fox News Channel’s O’Reilly Factor, which I also watched from time to time. When he appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, underneath his name was the website for his radio show, Dennismillerradio.com. I decided to research his website, liked what I saw, and registered as a “premium member” so I could download the show on a daily basis. After just a few days, I was hooked… no longer downloading the local podcast I had been listening to for years on my drive home and instead listening to the Dennis Miller Radio Show.
Fast forward approximately eight months: Last night, Dennis Miller had a show at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie and Betsy and I went up to see him. About a week ago, I had emailed his radio show producer, “Christian,” and asked him if it would be possible for us to meet Dennis at the show. He graciously said “Sure, no problem,” and put us on a list to go backstage. We were told to show up early before the show because Dennis would being leaving promptly afterward.
We showed up about 45 minutes early, went back stage, and met Dennis. He was very friendly and, surprisingly, was already somewhat aware of who I was based on postings I had made on his website. Naturally I was flattered that a guy like Dennis Miller, whom I had admired for years, would be amused enough by posts I’d made on his website that he would remember me. He also seemed happy to meet Betsy (who always makes a good impression), so I asked the local radio station representative from KSKY in Dallas to snap a picture for us. That picture is now a treasured souvenir of a very enjoyable evening.
Today, I thought about our unfinished movie and what a funny and talented guy Dennis Miller is. I wondered: Wouldn’t it be cool if Dennis Miller wanted to come on board and help us get Code Enforcer finished, perhaps play a part in the movie or contribute as a co-writer? Then I caught myself and felt guilty. Why should I always look at things as a possible opportunity to benefit our unfinished movie?
Obvioulsy it would be a dream come true to have the talent of Dennis Miller behind our movie, but the reality was we had a great time meeting him and, I believe , we made a new friend as well. In the end, what more can you ask for?
