 The
Tahoe Ticker.com
01/17/09
Sunday Funnies - Travelin' men
By Jack Carrerow -
On Thursday, I had the chance to
interview one of the Nelson boys.
No not David or Ricky, but one of
Ricky’s twin sons Gunnar who along with his brother Matthew, do a multi-media
tribute concert to their late father and are coming to the Oregon Coast
next month.
I guess I’m flattered, because their
representative said she was thrilled the boys would be t alking to a journalist
who actually worked with their father and was a big fan of their grandparents’
television show, the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
I did have the privilege of working
on a show that featured Rick Nelson as a guest about six months before
his untimely passing.
It was called "Our Time" and was
aimed at the baby boomers to whom "The Irrepressible Ricky" was a major
part.
He actually performed live on the
show, which included a first-time in 25-year teaming with his back-up vocalists,
the Jordinaires.
Now, as you who have been reading
my column know, I am not the star-struck type. It doesn’t mean I don’t
appreciate or admire the talent of people I’ve been fortunate to cross
paths with.
It’s just that meeting famous people
doesn’t make me gaga. OK, there was that time with Vincent Price on the
phone, but other than that, I’m a rock.
Well, when I found out Rick Nelson
was going to be on the show, it was Vincent Price all over again.
This was Ozzie and Harriet’s kid
the original Teen Idol and I was more than a little nervous.
I was praying I wouldn't step on
his foot or accidentally spit my gum out, because even though I don't chew
gum, I'd pick that time to have some and then I'd spit20it out and there
would be one of "America's Favorite Family" picking Wrigley's off his shirt.
Of course I had a million questions
about not just his music, but about having Ozzie as a dad, Harriet as a
mom and David as a brother.
You see, while a lot of my friends
loved Ward Cleaver, I always felt Ozzie was the superior father because
he played catch with his kids and did something ol’Ward wouldn’t be caught
dead doing. Ozzie made mistakes — a lot of them — which was a running theme
throughout the more than a dozen years the show was on.
Well, for the two days Rick Nelson
was on the show, I mostly asked him about the movie Rio Bravo.
He was quiet, humble but didn't seem
to mind answering my questions about his dad and working with Walter Brennan
(Yeah, I know John Wayne and Dean Martin were in Rio Bravo too, but I love
character actors).
As for son Gunnar, well it was obvious
that the saying "Like father, like son" was more than a perfect description.
It was supposed to be maybe a half-hour
interview, but 90 minutes later, we were still talking enthusiastically
about his Pop, his grandparents and the direction he and his brother were
taking with their music.
It was a great conversation in that
we both learned something. I found out that his family20is in the Guinness
Book for having had three generations score number one hits, Ozzie and
his band back in the 1930s, Rick, in the 1960s and Gunner and his brother's
band "Nelson" in the 1990s. Pretty nice legacy.
What he learned from me?
Well, he found out that his father
once dabbled in the sport of bullfighting.
Talk about your obscure facts.
They loved playing Tahoe a few years
back and sold out at Harrah's a few times. Something for that Stateline
venue to think about.
Well, I think I'll go now and have
a cup of coffee. I just read where experts claim drinking it will help
put off Alzheimer's. Hope I remember where I …What was I saying?
Until next week…
TheNelsonBrothers.com |
