The Oppenheimer Report 2/3/14

Do something every day that scares you, isn’t that what they say? For some people that might be jumping out of an airplane, or learning Cantonese, or confronting one’s arachnophobia. For me, it is the act of believing in myself.  I did something that scared the hell out of me last Wednesday, and it felt pretty good. Last Wednesday I played seven of my songs (including my marriage proposal song to Shauna) on a radio show called “Talent on the Bay” broadcast by Hunters Bay Radio in nearby Huntsville. Doug McClean, one of my fellow songwriters up here had put in a good word for me at the station, and I was invited by Christine Heron, the host of the show, to come on and perform.

At the end of last week’s report (which 12 people read) I’d mentioned in passing that I would be playing the show, and that was the last I spoke of it to anyone. Ever my biggest fan and promoter, Shauna got busy on her phone and on Facebook spreading the word to as many friends and family as she could contact. People were surprisingly supportive, before and after the show, and I want you all to know that this meant a lot to me.

 I was not sure until the day of the broadcast if I would even make it; so many obstacles conspired against me. Apart from my trepidation about performing, the weather was atrocious, and Wednesday morning, we had not yet been plowed out at the house. As well, at about 5AM Wednesday morning, Shauna awakened me from my much-needed beauty sleep, very upset because we once again had a flying squirrel in our bedroom. That extraction took about an hour and left me completely wired. I sat in bed for the next three hours staring at the ceiling and imagining the hundred ways I could make a complete fool of myself on air. Maybe I’ll fall into a narcoleptic stupor mid song. Perhaps I’ll prove myself to be a musical imposter for all of Muskoka to hear. As I braved horizontal snow-blown Highway 11 to Huntsville, my old companions, self-doubt and fear, swam around in my brain, wreaking havoc on my self-confidence. I wondered how I could have ever agreed to such a potentially disastrous experience. What am I trying to prove here; do my songs really deserve to be heard?? Such arrogance! I arrived at the station early and sat nervously in my car for five minutes, watching the winter storm stir up little tornadoes of snow all around me. Even Mother Nature doesn’t want me to do this! I had rehearsed some songs – I was told to have 4-7 available to play – but I wasn’t sure how I would respond to the questions I might be asked. Thankfully, everyone at the station was great, and Christine was affable and easy to talk to. A fellow singer/songwriter herself she seems to be passionate about music, and she put me at ease almost immediately. The next hour was a blur. While I know I made mistakes in my performances, I did get my songs out there and did not completely choke. In short, I succeeded in presenting a few of my stronger songs to a larger listening audience than I had so far reached. And I have a recording of the event.

Hunters Bay Radio has been around for a while, but is presently only accessible online. That is about to change, because they have received their license from the CRTC and are slated to go on the air as an FM station this Spring (88.7 for anyone in range). I think the station has great potential, and I have offered my services as a volunteer, because I like that this radio station supports  the local music community. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get do a radio show. Go to http://www.muskokaonline.com to learn more about Hunters Bay Radio, or you can do a YouTube search of Hunter’s Bay Radio to see and hear some of the local talent, including artists Christine Heron, Sean Cotton, Lewis and Clarke, Juan Barbosa, and Scott Gilson. All in all, a great learning experience for this wannabe songwriter.  

 
Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has died at 46, the victim of an apparent drug overdose. I never had a clue the guy had a drug problem, probably because his work did not suffer, and he kept his personal life under wraps. Unlike the Lohans and the Biebers of the world, who wreck their trains in the center of town, Seymour Hoffman just seemed to get better and better at what he did. I am sorry that one of the truly talented actors, who did not have his head up his ass, has succumbed to this all too common affliction.

Note to self, when I become famous, I should stay away from the heroin.  

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED