First off a huge THANK YOU to Nita for taking the time to do this review. It's so appreciated and nice to know that there are other Roger Miller fans out there that know that this man was one of the most interesting characters in the history of entertainment. I'm amazed that more people don't know it, there should be TV specials about Roger, movies and tons of forums on this amazing character.
My wife and I were chatting about it this morning that even if another book was never sold, the book has touched some people's lives and there is a sense that all those years of work was worth it. As sad as it is to lose so many of the legends I was lucky enough to spend time with, there is a sense of pride that the book captured many stories that would have gone untold for the fans of Roger and the interviews themselves if the book wasn't published.
Regarding the Merle interview, I landed that the same way I got to meet Johnny Cash. I just used the power of seeing it happen in my mind's eye. I read some books on the power of positive thinking and visualization and it works. I think there are 100 examples in this book alone on how the power of visualization can work. Wayne Dyer really helped through his words of wisdom.
What happened was I just moved back to Winnipeg from Vancouver and I saw Merle was playing in Grand Forks, North Dakota. As I did when meeting Saint Johnny Cash, I told my family and a few friends that I was going to meet Merle Haggard this weekend and do my first interview with him for the Roger Miller book. They asked me how I was going to do that and I told them I'd let them know when I got home.
I just saw it in my mind's eye that I was going to meet him and talk to him about my book idea. I didn't "try" to meet him, I think that's people's biggest mistake in making goals happen, they "try" - either you do it or you don't. You have to say to yourself I KNOW I can do this, for some reason if you even say to yourself "I THINK I can do this", there is an overtone of failure built into that.
Anyway, I went to the concert, spoke to the merchandise people, asked who the road manager was, introduced myself to him, told him about my book (not concept, just the book I was working on). Luckily, he didn't ask "who else you talked to". He introduced me to Merle, Merle was great, he said absolutely that he'd talk about his friend Roger. I didn't even know before hand if they were that close, so I was lucky that they liked each (if the book was on Waylon, I don't think Merle would have spoke to me). Afterwards, Merle gave me his phone number and said to keep in touch, which I did a little but I felt like he was just being nice so I haven't spoke to him in a while. The thing with celebrities is when they say "keep in touch", you really don't know if they're just being nice.
From there on with the interviews, I used an old sales technique of assumptive selling, I never called someone and asked if it would be possible to do an interview, I'd just asked when would be a good time to meet with them and do an interview. For the most part, it worked.
Having Merle Haggard as the first interview probably convinced me the most that I could interview anyone I set my mind to meet up with. And it helped when I told managers and publicists that I already interview Merle. I also knew Waylon Jennings a little and his crew from some shows I did so I knew I could meet up with them and a few others I had contact with like Marty Stuart and some of the Branson guys.
The lesser knowns came from me talking with the 'big names' - they'd tell me, you know who you should talk with is.... and I'd track them down.
Thanks for asking!
Lyle
www.doitwithstyle.com
This thread has convinced me that I need to read your book. Thanks for dropping by here.
I think I originally had something in this review about positive thinking. And that concept may be why we admire Roger Miller so much. During certain times in his life, he was the epitome of the "positive thinker."
I said in the review that Roger was "resilient." I'm fascinated by how you can dissect Roger's lyrics, the content of many of his songs, and you begin to see several different 'themes.' (each one of them a study all by themselves). One of those themes that jumped out at me was Roger's ability to "see the good" in things. I think he must have developed that approach to life quite early, out of necessity if nothing else. Why dwell on the negatives? What point does it serve? Look at the good and just go from there. Build on it.
Walking In The Sunshine (1967?):
Walking In the Sunshine, sing a little sunshine song
Put a smile upon your face as if there's nothing wrong
Think about a good time had a long time ago
Think about forgetting about your worries and your woes
Walking In The Sunshine, sing a little sunshine song
La la la la la dee oh,
Whether the weather be rain or snow
Pretending can make it real
A snowy pasture, a green and grassy field
So what exactly does that mean? What's he saying here? You don't know exactly, that's the thing. You think you know, but you can't be sure. When taken by itself, it says nothing. Even after you add his "Can't Go Skating in a Buffalo Herd" song with it's "you can be happy if you've a mind to", you're still not sure if you could go deeper. Heck, words can mean anything. Maybe it was just a sunny day and he couldn't think of anything else to write. Maybe he just likes to roller skate, like George Lindsay said in the book.
This is why your book is so important. Yes, it's funny and it's fun to read, and all these characters are interesting people, but it also gives a new dimension to Roger Miller's entire discography. All these interviews that make up your book, when taken as a cumulative whole, truly serve as a living document. It gives the historian and other researchers an entirely new way to examine both his work and the culture in which he lived.
In your book, Sheb Wooley told how Roger would be out in the fields working with him, and every time a plane would fly over, Roger would get distracted. He would stand there gazing into the sky, daydreaming, and Sheb would have to bring him back down to earth. Sheb also said that after Sheb got his break and became a singer, Roger wanted to be like him; he wanted to be a songwriter/singer. ("He never wanted anything else in life.")
So, yes, Roger was a positive thinker. Otherwise, he never would have become the success he was. And yes, that song up there does have a deeper meaning.
I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote it on the cloudiest day in Nashville's history. ;-)