Monday, January 18, 2016

The Oppenheimer Report 1/18/16


My apologies for not posting a report last week. For the past several weeks, Shauna’s mom was our guest up here at Jasper Bark Lodge. We were fortunate enough to celebrate her 91st birthday together, and it was a great visit. That said, with her visit, and my recently added responsibilities as host of the Hunters Bay Radio show Talent On The Bay, I simply forgot to write the report. As well, I was otherwise occupied when I would have normally posted the report.

Last Monday morning, at the crack of dawn, I picked up my buddy James Carroll in Huntsville and drove him down to Barrie to begin his chemo treatments. Just outside of Barrie, we collided with a massive lake effect snowstorm, driving the last few miles in a complete whiteout. Of course, James was apprehensive about the chemo anyway, and I suspect the weather-related delays did not do much to settle his nerves. Still, we made the best of our “adventure,” and James handled his first day of chemo with courage and humor.

I am finishing this report at the radio station, while I wait to air today’s Talent On The Bay show. Last Sunday, I pre-recorded an hour-long interview with James for today’s show. As Program Director, Producer, Host, and Editor for Hunters Bay Radio, for many years, James has been the predominant voice of Hunters Bay Radio, hosting many of the most popular shows, editing shows, recording live musical performances, conducting live interviews, etc. Many people up here are unaware that, prior to his employment at Hunters Bay Radio, James was a successful actor, on stage, television, and in film. Acting since he was a boy, James had acquired his equity card by the time he was sixteen years young, and performed in countless stage productions as he worked his way through university. He sang, danced, acted, and really did just about everything involved in theatrical production. At one point in his illustrious career, he held the position of Stage Manager for Toronto’s prestigious Second City comedy troupe. He has written plays, he has numerous film and commercial credits, and played a major character in the Canadian television series Wind At My Back for all five seasons that the show aired. Shauna and I recently purchased the box set and are presently about two thirds of the way through Season Two. James has never been one to brag about his accomplishments, but they are impressive. It wasn’t until about six months ago that I began to learn how many people have been positively affected by James’ generosity and talents.

We conducted our interview in James’ apartment, the Sunday afternoon before he was to begin his treatment Monday morning. This interview was a distraction, but also an attempt to record this very interesting man’s achievements. He has been in the entertainment industry for well over forty years and has some great anecdotes. While I have no journalistic experience, I know from the interviews I have enjoyed that my job was to ask leading questions and then to shut up. James was such an easy interview – I think I said “So, you’re originally from Philadelphia,” and then just let the tape roll. Always the entertainer, James carried the ball for the entire hour. Nobody knows how long James will be with us – I hope it’s a very long time -- and there have been some miraculous recoveries from Stage 4 cancer. The fact is, some dear friends leave us without having the opportunity to say farewell. Shauna posted and is managing a tribute page on Facebook, so that James’ old friends might reunite, share stories with the group, and to let everyone know about his very interesting life so far. If you wish to hear my interview with James, you can click on the following link: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=james%20carroll%20interview%20hunters%20bay%20radio. R.I.P. David Bowie and Bob Denver. I was a diehard Gilligan’s Island fan. Green Acres too – that Mr. Haney was hilarious. O.K., I love those zany 70s sitcoms.

-Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED-

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