Full-Calorie PCPS Light

Speaker 1 0:02

When you craving a pop culture bite, tune on into PCPs light. It's short and sweet, but packed with fun Gen X memories for everyone, six little sips to keep you keen. So we're back with season 17. Oh, it's PCPs Lite.

Speaker 2 0:22

Welcome to another can of PCPs Lite, a lighter, more refreshing episode without all that research and preparation, we'll be riffing like this temporarily while we record our episodes for season 17. And yes, they're less filling, but we really hope they're just as satisfying. The last few weeks in the life of the pop culture Preservation Society have been a roller coaster of really high highs and really low lows. And we're going to try to talk about all of it, the hard things, the tragic things, the good things and the funny things, because that's just how life is. And what I found in the last week is that crying is very close to laughing. One thing can break out while you're actually doing the other and this happened to me numerous times this week, so do not be offended when we talk about the greatest of tragedies alongside a John Denver loving magician, because that is the absurdity of life right now, and we're just trying to survive it all as we record this, it's been just seven days since we all had friends or neighbors or acquaintances who were directly affected by the shooting at annunciation church. We heard from so many of you, and you were right to check on us. Thank you so much. Proximity wise, it is a brisk walk from my house. Relationship wise, the connections are countless, because this community is a pillar, not just of its neighborhood, but of the entire Catholic school community in the Twin Cities. So even if you don't live nearby, you know someone from annunciation, and when the news rang out, you immediately started texting people saying, are you okay?

Michelle Newman 1:57

I was on I was in the mountains, I was on vacation, and I think I texted you all something like a message about an episode or something, and Kristen just answered, turn on the news. It's a shit show in Minneapolis. And I was like, what? And I felt like I had been socked in the gut. I mean, right? I just sat down like, what's happened? Like, what's what's

Carolyn Cochrane 2:23

happening, much like you Michelle, I was not actually in Minneapolis when this happened. I was also on a trip, and grace is the one who texted me and said, Mom, did you hear about you know what's happened at enunciation? And then, of course, I did the deep dive. And in our case, Grace went to a Catholic high school with a lot of kids who went to annunciation. So she knew, kind of like you said, Kristen people, that even though they might not be there, now, that's a community, and the whole community was affected. And so she was reaching out and people. It was what I want to say. It was just devastating on so many different different levels.

Speaker 2 3:07

I guess there are so many arms of it, and what you say about them being a community there, we can't emphasize that enough, because, just because we don't know anybody at annunciation anymore, let's say the kids that we once knew or have now graduated. But once you're in an enunciation kid, you are always an enunciation kid. And I have another story about that coming later, but most importantly, the kids who are 17, 1819, years old, those kids were they were collapsed. There was one kid that I know who is just starting college, and he calls his mom crying, and there is more than one kid at his school who went to annunciation. And the Dean of the School found out that there were this many enunciation kids at their school and called every single one of them, called every single one of their parents, every single one of those kids. Of those kids was set up with a therapist. And it's just sort of testament to the fact that you don't say, Oh, I went to that school one day. No, you were always a part of the Annunciation community. Forever, forever.

Michelle Newman 4:18

And it's like, I don't know how to react to these shootings anymore, like my first instinct is to just be like, I don't want to believe it, like I don't even know how to describe it the like, I feel like it's not just like I can say, Oh, I'm sick, oh, I start crying. Oh, whatever it's it's like, I want so badly to to say this didn't just happen. Like, this isn't happening. This isn't happening again. This isn't and this isn't going to keep happening because it's because, like so many of us, like, when will it stop? Up like I just feel, I feel so scared, and I feel so horrible, and I feel so helpless, and I just feel so angry, like so angry that it's continuing and and we can do all that we can, and that can be, we're donating to every town, or donating to whatever, or we are marching, or we're writing letters, or we're sending emails, but it's not changing, and I'm just so furious, and I'm so sad and I'm so scared and I'm in such disbelief, and I'm a million things, and I'm so frightened for my own kids, even Though they're adults,

Speaker 2 5:40

I've gotten through the rage period, and now I'm feeling the helpless, numb period, because the eventually life starts to move on, and kids have to go to school, and teachers have to go to work, and we all have to keep doing our things, but man, it's hard to go back to being normal. It's really hard to

Carolyn Cochrane 5:57

can you believe we were having a very similar conversation a couple of what, in June,

Speaker 2 6:04

two months ago? Yeah, right, two and a half months and that this happens,

Carolyn Cochrane 6:07

I guess. How do I want to say this? It's not lost on me that these tragedies have happened in Minneapolis, and yet it's when our city shines the most, or the Twin Cities do in a way that this doesn't break us, it even makes us stronger and brings us together. And that sense of community that you see in the wake of these tragedies that has, I would say, provided a kind of a balm, like watching these of watching these tributes, like the day after and Kristen, you went to the the Capitol after Melissa Hortman was shot, and, you know, and killed and and when was lying in state, and you went there, and 1000s of people show up for each other and for our city, and in the depths of the grief that we are all feeling that, to me, is a sign, a sign of hope. I think,

Speaker 2 7:06

yeah, that we're all clinging to each other. And, I mean, that's no joke. We really do cling to each other. I went to a couple of days after it happened. I went to annunciation as the memorial grew, and it just sort of felt like I needed some kind of closure, you know, I just couldn't resume without doing some something. I didn't know what to do, and so I went there, and I'm not going to fill you in on what broke me, but because I don't want, no, I don't want to, I don't want to re trigger people. Nonetheless, there were things that just really, really broke me, and I'm standing there sobbing, and I'm surrounded by so many people, and many of them are just standing chatting with each other, and some of them are even laughing, and it looked so normal, like they were having normal conversations. And I was like, how can you just stand here and be normal? How can you just stand there and laugh? How can you be here in this place and just be like a normal person. And then I looked across the crowd, and I saw my friend, Amy, and we just like ran to each other, and we wrapped our arms around each other, and we clung to each other, and we cried together, and then we were laughing, and then we were standing there chatting. And then we were the then we were the people that I was so angry at just a few minutes before. But it just shows how crying is adjacent to to laughing. Like, when you're crying, you really need to, you have a need to, like, tip over into the laughter, like, Somebody save me, Somebody save me. And so I don't think it was an accident that I saw my friend Amy there. I think we really needed each other in that moment. And then I saw a post by Luke Russert. He's a he's a news guy. He's the son of Tim Russert. If you remember Tim Russert from Meet the Press, was he Meet the Press? Oh yeah. And he said, Minneapolis has gotten punched in the face. How many times since Prince died, and then he made a list. He was like Prince 2017, Philando, Castile, George Floyd, Melissa Hortman, annunciation, like he just and I thought, what? Why? Why does this rain down on our heads like this? Such a beautiful, beautiful place. It has its problems. It's not perfect, but it is a beautiful place that tries to do the best for its people, and we keep getting rained on like this. It's bad,

Carolyn Cochrane 9:28

but I think to the point about a beautiful city, I think part of our beauty of this city is the way we come together in the wake of tragedies, not that that means we deserve the tragedies, right? But there's something special about this place that doesn't it doesn't break us, and I feel like we do come together at a time when things are so divisive in this country and world, these moments feel collective and as. Togetherness that that I don't get in other situations. And so I'm proud of Minneapolis for its resiliency. And I

Michelle Newman 10:07

do think when something, when a tragedy, like this, and like so many other things, like the list you just read Kristen, when they happen, I think that's what gets that's what you do have to cling through to get you through, is the beauty and the humanity of those around you and the support of those around you, and even if it's just a smile or friendly face, I'm actually weirdly getting a little bit of comfort, and usually I stay away from this kind of stuff on like social media, but I'm getting a little bit of comfort from watching the clips of the children who want to go back to school at annunciation. You know, a lot of the Minneapolis news stations are interviewing some of them that were there, and they're telling their stories, and then they're smiling and they're laughing, and they'll say, are you ready to go back to school? And one little girl's like, yeah, I love school. I really want to go back. And then she did say, they said, Are you going to be a little scared? And she's like, Yeah, because, like, I don't want to have happen again, you know what happened? But I know that it probably, I know that it like, she doesn't say, like, the chances are low she doesn't say it, like, those types of words, but basically, that's what she's saying. Like, but I know it probably won't and, like, I just want to get back to my teachers and my friends and and it's sort of like, out of the mouths of babes, right? Like, I feel like there's lessons to be learned in that. But at the same time, as a parent and as an adult, I'm also thinking about these families of the children who were killed and the ones that are still in the hospital and have a long road ahead of them. And so I'm I'm like, if we're this angry, can you imagine? Like I so I put myself in both places, and then then I don't know how to reconcile it, and I don't know what to do, and then I feel guilty for, like, you know, oh, I'm just gonna go, like, watch a TV show or something. And that's the guilt. I was in the mountains, and that whole day, we were on the most beautiful hike, and I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to enjoy it. And I actually said that to my husband, I was looking at this beautiful mountain, and I said, I don't know. I don't know how these two things can coexist at the same time. How can I be looking at this beauty and feeling how I'm feeling inside for those children that went through what they went through, and the families and how can this coexist? How can such and my husband goes, it always has. And I looked at that mountain that I was looking at, and I was like, That mountain has been here for centuries. That mountain has seen Think of what has been happening in the world when that mountain has been there. And I, I don't really know how to, I tried to, like, put it in words in my journal, and I didn't really do a good job, but it was something about like, I found a little bit of comfort in the constant notes of that like, and I don't even know if that's a word, but it is for me, but like that, that that be there is beauty that is constant in the midst of all the, you know, the tragedy in the world. And I just, but then I feel guilty for enjoying the beauty. And it's just like, how do

Carolyn Cochrane 12:56

you that's the heart, but, but that's the life part. Is that holding both, it's that tension, yeah, whether it's, you know, something just so tragic as the shooting and annunciation, or other things where I'm like, Oh, I feel bad to be excited because, you know, Kristen sad that Liam went to school, or whatever. You know, there can be little things like that, but it can be both. And I think it's meant to be both, and we we're just getting some really, really first hand in the face opportunities to

Speaker 2 13:27

hold and the kids are the ones who are demonstrating that we intellectualize it and go, I shouldn't, or why? Or this feels wrong. And the kids can bounce back and forth between the the two things. They can go out on the playground and be joyful and come back inside and be sad for a minute, and then they can be with their friend at lunch and be joyful, and then they'll be sad for a minute, and they go back and forth effortlessly.

Michelle Newman 13:48

There's lessons in that, for sure. There really are. They're showing us how to hold both, right? Because they're certainly still scared and sad for, you know, their classmates that were injured and that they lost, but they are able to still hold both. And so yeah, maybe that's the lesson is that we need to look to them.

Speaker 2 14:04

I speaking to Carolyn's point about how people come together and you need to look to each other and find each other. I wrote something on sub stack this week that is the perfect example of that, and we'll put a link to it in our show notes. It's if sub stack. If you don't know what sub stack is, it's like, it's almost like a, what is it, you guys, it's a place, right? Stuff? Yeah, it's like, where people put their blogs and and you can go and you can read a whole bunch of stuff. And so I put something on sub stack, and it was about me feeling awkward about needing milk on the day that this happened, and I didn't feel like, is it? Is it okay to go to the store? I didn't. It felt icky. I really didn't want to. It wasn't a should or shouldn't. I didn't. I really didn't want to, but I I somehow gathered myself together to go to the store. And as I'm going through the checkout line, the guy says to me, so how's your day going? And I was like, Are you effing can everyone now you're asking how my day. Is going what? And I saw very inarticulately, says me like of the news. And he didn't really respond, and but the man bagging my groceries, he was an old man. He was he had, like a big gray mustache, and he's loading my bags. And he said, It's the news. The news is bad. And then he says, That's my school. And I was like, What? What? What do you mean? I mean, he's an old man. What do you mean? It's your school. He said I went to annunciation 70 years ago, and then he just kind of collapsed in on himself. And I felt like he needed me to be there so he could do that. And then, and the dudes just keeps ringing my groceries. And the man is like, collapsed into the bag. And then we had this really beautiful moment where he talked about the beauty of that community, and it was the best place to grow up. And if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. And then he just tells me to pray. He's like, just pray. Just pray. And so here's this complete stranger that I really needed, and he needed me at that moment. And then we go our separate ways, and I just like cried all the way to the car. So it, it was, it was an important part of my day, that man with the big mustache,

Michelle Newman 16:20

yeah, you guys were put, you were put in his checkout line for a reason.

Speaker 2 16:24

Yeah, right, because it's a, there is a there's a compulsion, particularly on the part of women, when people ask how you are, to say that you're good. I was like, I'm not doing it. I'm not. Oh, God, no, good.

Carolyn Cochrane 16:37

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 16:38

There's also a lot of people who will need help. Going forward, they'll need money to help them cover medical costs. The school will need money to figure out how they're going to get through this, whether they need to hire, hire more mental health professionals, or, you know, how are they going to get these kids through this? And so we will put some links in our show notes about how you can do that if you want to help out any of those families or help out the school.

Michelle Newman 17:06

Yeah, for sure. Okay, yeah. Should we switch gears a little bit? Okay, so the laughing and the crying are next to each other. So that was the right. Now we're slowly working our way up to the laughing. Now we've got, now we've got some other, some big, monumental life news from Carolyn,

Carolyn Cochrane 17:28

yeah, you guys, I'm gonna be moving from this beautiful city that I just said how much I love and what a great community that it is, and hopefully I can bring some of that with me. Andy and I are relocating to Pennsylvania.

Unknown Speaker 17:42

What?

Carolyn Cochrane 17:50

Yes, no. Thank you to sorry. Thank you for your friendship, because they have listened to me and written this roller coaster of emotions. But Andy and I are super excited we will be in kind of the Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Carlisle area. So I think there's a chance you guys, just the little one, that I may be able to live out my dream. It won't be in Colonial Williamsburg, but there is a chance in this historical part of the country that I might get to dress in some colonial garb our Civil War Irish garb.

Speaker 3 18:23

And this is happening, and there's

Speaker 4 18:28

gonna be some bread in the basket. Listeners

Michelle Newman 18:32

know how this is Carolyn's dream. And we have talked about, like, I mean, I think years ago, probably in season one, when she talked about this was her dream one day to be retired and just be like a volunteer colonial woman, Kristen and I would go, Oh, it's happening. It's happening. We just didn't realize we were manifesting it happening. So soon. I want this to happen, though. I want us to do some sort of event and listeners, those of you who live in that

Carolyn Cochrane 19:00

area. Get excited out and reach out.

Michelle Newman 19:04

Two years ago, I moved to Denver. Now you guys realize our whole the PCPs is based in Minneapolis. It always will be, because that's where we started it. But now all three of us are in wildly different parts of the country. But does it's fine. We still see each other all the time. Don't worry about us.

Carolyn Cochrane 19:19

We're good. Oh yes. So anyway, the next few weeks are going to be wild and crazy. So Michelle and Kristen have been so gracious and being patient with me as I toggle between, you know, PCPs host and woman moving halfway across the country. But ultimately, we're super excited. It's a great opportunity for Andy and a beautiful, beautiful part of the country. So, you know, it's never too late, guys. I think that's another message like to give in this podcast. It wouldn't have even begun this podcast if we thought we were too old to do something like start a podcast. And I think this new chapter, it's we're not too old. And I think Andy and I will have a lot of. Adventures and maybe rediscover each other in a different way with our house,

Michelle Newman 20:05

actually, you know, yeah, let's unpack that a little bit personal. I actually put new chapter on my license plate when we moved to Colorado two years ago, because it was a chapter of our story that I had no idea. I was so blindsided by this chapter, and it has been full of the best kind of plot twists and characters and settings and everything. So I'm so excited for you. And yes, the next the transition months, getting from one to the other is tough, but you've got us to lean on. You got our listeners to lean on. I'm sure. Another good thing is that you've got a lot of a lot of friends in that part of the country too, so that's so fun for you.

Speaker 2 20:46

Yes, like, I think we, we all want to get there so fast, and there's so many details to take care of. And there, you don't have any kids that you have to get in school or anything like that. You don't have to get them signed up for sports. So you can just take this at your own pace. That's the beauty of being in the stage of life that we are. I mean, can you like, when you got married and you like, imagined how your life was going to unfold? We, none of us imagined having none of us mentioned starting over at all the different times that we've started over. Yeah, it's crazy. There's lots of starting over. It just keeps on going, and that keeps us sharp, that keeps us adaptable, that keeps us happy and growing, and it also just

Michelle Newman 21:28

keeps us living. You know what I mean? And I don't mean living like our blood is pumping. I mean living in a whole bunch of different ways. But I think there's so much importance, and that doesn't mean you have to physically move to keep living, right? You can love where you are, and you can be that. You can know that you're going to be in that house or whatever for the rest of your life, but keep living your life. And that could just be from something like noticing things outside on your walk or doing something silly or taking a risk or a chance. It's just, I have found that to that that's something that I think has surprised me a lot, or making new friends, yes, trying new things make and making mistakes still too, yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 22:04

yeah. And being okay. And I just had an idea, because Michelle, you brought up what you put on your license plate. And I, when we were recently on a house hunting trip, was thinking about, Oh, what, what can my license plate be? And I was like, do I put PCPs on my license or, then will people think I'm like a drug dealer, right? So I think I'm going to come up with three options, and maybe I will let our listeners, they can vote on Carolyn's new license plate,

Michelle Newman 22:32

really, Pennsylvania? Well, I will tell you that you have to have a lot more than three, because when I went in, it was going to say next chapter, and I had it all figured out, what the amount of letters I could use, but that one was taken. So I had also had a backup. I had 70s kid, and that was not taken. So when I got there, the way I did new chapter and 70s kid were both available, and I think I had two others that weren't. And then I was like, which one do I use? And then I was like, You know what I think, I think it has to be, this is my new chapter. It has to be new chapter.

Carolyn Cochrane 23:02

Yeah, that's great. Well, I love three and make sure that they're not already taken. And then listeners, you can be a part of of this new adventure too, by letting me know they

Unknown Speaker 23:12

probably have some good ideas for you too. Oh, that's

Carolyn Cochrane 23:14

true. Send in some ideas as well. I love some idea. Well, I thought I could be, as Michelle likes to say, I could be driving around and I could be ABC, which Michelle says is always be closing Michelle, no matter where Michelle goes, she'll text us. I was getting my oil changed, and I would just basically talks up the podcast wherever she goes, Kristen's book, Exactly, yep. So, same thing. I'm gonna, I wanted to do something where I pull into, you know, the grocery store parking space, and someone says, whatever, Gen Xer or Sean Cassidy, yeah. I want to, I want that to be a conversation,

Michelle Newman 23:59

well, and the ABC that comes from Glengarry. Glen Ross So, and there's, like, a really great Alec Baldwin has, like, the best scene with ABC. I think it's Glengarry. I'm not positive, but yeah, it is, yeah, and it's the greatest scene. And just go watch it on YouTube. The ABC always be closing. Yeah.

Carolyn Cochrane 24:17

So that was my exciting news. Now, Michelle, I know you're probably going to top it. What do you have something exciting

Michelle Newman 24:23

you want to share? Oh, yeah, we're moving. We're really moving up the dopamine. Oh, I'm like, you're moving. We're moving up the dopamine. You guys, after something that happened last week, I am one degree away from John Denver, and not at all in a like an oh, I went to Aspen where he lived, kind of way. So I was in Aspen with my husband on a little mountain getaway, and I'd been dying to get there since we moved to Denver two years ago, mainly because I had to get to that John Denver sanctuary. And Aspen is beautiful, as you might imagine. Imagine, and I will admit, John Denver sanctuary was a little bit underwhelming, but it was still super lovely and a very peaceful place and a really, really nice tribute to him. But it's just some it's on a stream, and there's just some big boulders that they've etched in song lyrics, but it's very quiet, and I was whispering to Brian as we walked around, just because that's the type you felt almost like this was his grave, even though it's not Wow. Anyway, that is not what this story is about. So when we checked into our condo, we discovered that on Monday night, there was going to be a close up magician at the restaurant, and as you guys might imagine as a former magician myself, I was out of my mind with excitement. And you guys know what I'm like when I'm out of my mind with excitement. You guys, there's not much that I love more than magic, truly. So I read The Magician's bio. Of course, I'm prepping for my dinner. I read the magician's bio, and I discovered he's lived in Aspen for 48 years. And I casually say to Brian, like on Sunday, I wonder if you knew John Denver, right. So cut to Monday night. I was brimming over with anticipation. I was like, sitting on the edge of my chair at we just sat, like, in this little corner bar table because we were just having dessert and, like, drinks would already eat dinner. And I'm like, watching the magician go from table, like, When's he coming here? When's he coming here? When's he coming here? And his name is Doc Eason, and so I'm like, when's doc gonna get here? When's doc gonna get here? And he comes to our table finally, and he has to sit down because he's like, 79 years old, and he's moving kind of slow, takes out a deck of cards, does the standard card tricks, but I don't care. They blow my mind. I'm like, oh. And literally, Satan was like, has anybody been this excited about a card trick in your life? And they're just the basic, like, the backs of the cards change from red to he's like, What color were the backs of the cards? And we're like, red, and then he's like, and they're blue, you know? And I'm like, anyway, and he has this little shtick going, like many magicians do, right? He's like, playing with you, telling stories. And so he says something like, Well, yeah, I visited Aspen 48 years ago and never left. And I just kind of casually say, like, John Denver. And he just kind of stops, and he looks at me, and he goes, Oh, I have stories. And of course, I freak out. My husband's like, what? And he says, hang on. And he leaves us to go do some more card tricks for some other people. And then he comes back to our table about 20 minutes later, I think he was done with magic. I think he was like, You know what? I want to go talk to them. Because one, she is a good audience, and two, I can regale like they like John Denver. So he comes back and you guys, he regales us with stories of John Denver and listeners. I have not told Carolyn and Kristen any of this yet. No. So are you guys ready? Ready? Oh, no, am I okay? So I'm just going to start the stories that I remember him saying, okay, so John Denver and some friends owned a fondue restaurant in Snowmass.

Speaker 4 28:09

That alone is a great story. John Denver and some friends owned a fondue restaurant

Michelle Newman 28:15

in 1975 how 1975 Wait? Is it going to get more 1975 Hang on. The fondue restaurant in Snowmass called John Denver's tower restaurant, and it featured magic, okay, fondue. John Denver and magic. This is so 1975

Unknown Speaker 28:31

do this again. I want to go, Yeah, and it was

Michelle Newman 28:33

just right up it literally from where the little restaurant at our condo. It was like a three minute walk because he's like, you know, the tower restaurant up there in the snow mass mall. I mean, it closed down. It closed down in 1997 after John Denver's death, but I guess you can still see it there or something. I don't know. So doc was the house magician there at the restaurant. He has, of course, okay, so we're talking like he wasn't just a mere acquaintance, like he was with John Denver all the time. He went on vacations with him. He his kids called Doc's kids called John Denver, Uncle John. This is how close they were. Okay, so here's a few of the good stories. And I'm just gonna, I'm not going into detail on these, because also, Doc, God bless him. I loved him so much. He would start telling you a story, and then he would just kind of look off. And then he'd go, what was I saying? And I'd go, you were in the plane with that, you know, because or one of us would make a comment to a story, like, no kidding. And he'd be like, yeah. And then he'd just kind of look up. It's funny, after this night, Brian goes, you're gonna get doc on the podcast? And I was like, I don't think so. Okay, so John Denver took him up in his bi plane one time. He's like, I don't know why I agreed to it, but he said he did loops, he did rolls, and Doc says he had to do. Everything in his power not to puke on the rock star. That's like, that's how he said it. He just kept saying, Doc, don't puke on the rock star and his boss, basically, all right, I love this one in 1970 or nine or 71 he wasn't sure, Doc's okay. You stay with me here. Everyone. Okay? Doc's current wife, Jeannie. Now, Doc got divorced from his first wife, and then she died of cancer in like, the 80s or 90s. But Jeannie had been his friend for a long time because she worked at the tower fondue restaurant, John Denver's tower restaurant, and they'd been friends forever. They actually got married like 12 years ago at the John Denver sanctuary, because both of them were so close with John Denver. So this is a very late, obviously, a late in life marriage for both of them. So in like, 1970 or 71 Jeannie was living in an apartment with some guys, Doc's, like it was the 70s, you know, talked to us a lot about the weed and the cocaine and everything too, and kept going. It was the 70s. But anyway, Genie's in this apartment, knock at the door, opens it, and it's John Denver, who they don't know. And he holds out, I'm unclear, but holds out like an album, I guess. And he says, I'm John Denver, and I just recorded this song. Do you guys have a record player I could listen to it on? I guess his was broken or something. And so Jeannie and John sat and listened to the first recording of Rocky Mountain High. Because what did we're like, they

Unknown Speaker 31:24

recording it in the seat in the

Michelle Newman 31:26

parking lot. He said it. He called it something because I asked Brian later. I was like, what did he call he didn't say he had an album. So I'm wondering, in a demo something, reel to reel to read, yeah, it was something that he said his like recording, like the publisher or something had sent him, and he wanted to listen to it, and he didn't know how to listen to it, but Jeannie happened to have whatever it was anyway. Were they neighbors? They were neighbors. He lived, so him and Annie must have lived in that apartment, the same apartment, and so he's like, knocking on doors, going, who has a reel to reel? And that's how Jeannie meets him. Now Jeannie is then going to eventually work, because this was in Rocky Mountain High came out, I think, in 71 the John 10 verse tower restaurant and fondue and magic and comedy wasn't open until 1975 but Jeannie didn't work there forever. Well, not long after that, he comes back to the apartment one day, very excited, and tells Jeannie and her roommates that he wrote a whole song on the chair lift that day. And you guys, I was so excited that we had done research for our John Denver episodes, because I shout out, and he goes, Yes. Like, like, Doc was kind of impressed that I knew that. And I was like, yeah, it's Annie's song. Okay, so let's see. Once there was a big, important wedding at John Denver's tower fondue restaurant, and John was singing there, and I don't know who I he might have told us who was getting married, but it was a very big deal. But Doc's wife, not Jeannie. This was his first wife, and like the 70s, her water breaks, so they have to rush to the hospital and leave this very important wedding. And after his son was born, Doc is sitting in the big hospital, like nursery Rockingham, and he looks up into the big viewing viewing window, and there's John Denver just standing there. He left too and came to make sure everything was okay. And like he went.

Speaker 2 33:19

And so that baby is our age, and that baby was watched over in the nursery by John Denver.

Michelle Newman 33:26

And that baby, and then his other two kids have all they're all performers of some sort, or in the industry. As children, they all sang with John Denver at different events and stuff, and called him Uncle John. First, I told him about the podcast and how we had done an episode of closing ABC. And I mentioned how we loved Annie, the three of us, and we were not happy about that Christmas special with Anne Murray, where his new wife was showcased. And I said his new wife, I forgot her name, and he goes, Oh, you mean the crazy Australian psycho bitch?

Speaker 4 34:01

Oh, it's not us. It's not us. We're not just bitchy people. We're just not it's not that we're resistant

Michelle Newman 34:07

to change. And then he's like, that'd be Cassandra.

Speaker 4 34:10

Oh my god. I feel so valid. I feel validated.

Michelle Newman 34:13

Well, he's very good friends with Annie, because I'm saying something else about Annie and you guys are gonna just die. He says, Oh yeah, she was just here out on the patio. Points behind me to the patio a few nights ago. I'm like, Schmidt, Donna Schmidt, God bless America. Came on the wrong night, but I didn't because I came. I wouldn't have known that was Annie. That's right, right? You would have no idea. Well, he also told us that when Annie and John were in the middle of their divorce, John took a chainsaw to their butcher block because Annie wanted half the house. And I guess he was like, You're telling me you want half this house or whatever? And I say something like she was a little entitled. And he goes, Yeah, he had a lot of demons. And Brian, I love Brian. Goes, we all do, yeah. Annie. She's a psychologist. She was Doc's psychologist when John, as Doc put it, I love how he said, This fell from the sky. So he's like, he was, like, working very closely with her during that time, and it was 97 Yeah. So doc has written a book. Here it is. It's called cocktails and docktails. And this is Doc. And you guys, the best thing about this book is that, like when he said to us, oh, I've got stories, hang on. Just here for a minute, he comes back with this book. He goes look through this while I'm doing magic for other people. Well, as he's doing magic, there was at least five other people who would go and be like, Doc, thanks for the book. And they'd be like, Doc, did you get my Venmo? Because it's a $30 book, right? Or they'd be like, Okay, Doc, I gave you. I left the cash with the bartender, so he is pushing this book. And you guys, while he was out doing the other magic, and I was flipping through it, it's written so perfectly. It's just like someone's chatting with you. And there's so many more stories about John Denver and his friendship with him in there. One I just love. They're in Mexico for some Doc's there for some conference. Also, I should tell you that Doc is conferencing. Doc is a, he's a world class magician. He's been, he's gotten, you know, the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, which is, like, really hard for he's gotten like five, like, big awards from them, and he's, like, an honorary member of the magic circle in London. He was at some other type of conference, and there's always entertainment. Well, it was John Denver. I mean, who makes that shit up, right? So they're in, they're in Mexico, and he and John invites doc to stay for a while, and they're out on the boat. They're swapping stories. They're all like eating, drinking, whatever. And it says we docked for lunch in a cove that was enclosed on all sides by steep cliffs. Securing the boat, we climbed a press a precipitous staircase that led up 100 foot cliff to a restaurant on the rim. They're served dinner. There's may or may not have been a little bit of tequila involved, he says, following our meal, as we pushed back from the table, John walked to a low wall that meandered around the dining area. On the other side of the wall was a cliff that went straight down to the water, climbing onto the wall. He called back to us, see on the boat. Oh, my God. He then turned, launched into a perfect swan dive and vanished from sight. What knocking over our chairs, we all scrambled where he had disappeared, and got there just in time to see him slice into the water as he surfaced, his hearty laugh and famous catchphrase far out echoed around the cove. Once we saw that he was safe, our little group collectively exhaled. It made for much boisterous laughter when we all reunited at the boat, reveling in John's ever present philosophy of living life to the fullest.

Speaker 4 37:48

Risk taking behavior. Risk taking behavior. Well, interesting.

Michelle Newman 37:53

This John Denver, you know, and we all know how he how he died, and his glider, he didn't have a will, Doc told us, and he was someone who, like risked everything anyway. I just wanted to say that what he says about his death is just this one little page. And I just he titles all his little chapters. Lots of pictures in this book too. But he says, lost a friend, but kept his memory, which I love, because that's part of his song. The very he talks a little bit about the memorial service, but then he says John was bigger than life. It was often said that any time spent with him had an almost mystical quality that seemed to lengthen and become more meaningful. It's hard to describe, but anyone who has spent time with him knows what I'm talking about. My kids called him Uncle John. He knew them by name and asked about them every time I saw him, I miss him dearly. Anyway, it was just a really surreal and cool experience. And meeting, yeah, I kind of think I summoned it because, you know, the day before, I was like, Maybe he knows John Denver, but I just felt so full of it. No pun intended here, but I felt so full of magic when I left that dinner. I really did. I got so much more than card tricks from that dinner, and I felt like there was something I don't know. It was like, how did, how did we all end up in the same room? And, you know, it's cosmic, yeah, I told my husband. I was like, you know, this is not the first or the last time you will be grateful that I'm an oversharer. Because, of course, when he sat down and he's telling me he moved here. I was like, like, John Denver, did you know like, and had I not said that? He wouldn't have known

Unknown Speaker 39:26

that you're welcome. Brian, yeah. Oh,

Michelle Newman 39:28

it was just so cool. I love doc. He gave he's like, so my emails in the book, and so let me know what you think of it, and

Speaker 4 39:35

cocktails and Doc tales. So great. I know I'm gonna

Michelle Newman 39:41

put a picture of it and in our Weekly Reader this week. I don't know if you can order it anywhere but cocktails and Ducktales, Rocky Mountain magic.

Speaker 2 39:49

I'm having extreme FOMO about having never gone to John Denver's fondue restaurant that just seems like a miss. Like, if I had known, maybe I would have, like, made my parents. Drive us to the Rocky Mountains for a vacation, like a national park vacation, we'd stop at the fondue restaurant,

Michelle Newman 40:07

well, and and the fact that it's fondue, which I love, and there was a house magician over that place, right? Maybe, should we open it back up?

Carolyn Cochrane 40:19

You could do the magic.

Speaker 4 40:22

Michelle, you'll be the colonial woman carrying bread, and Michelle will

Carolyn Cochrane 40:25

be in the magic puppet, magic

Unknown Speaker 40:30

part of the show.

Carolyn Cochrane 40:32

Yeah, and I will be delivering bread. I just amazed he didn't have a will

Unknown Speaker 40:39

that seems like risk taking behaviors,

Carolyn Cochrane 40:41

right for all the music and stuff like, I guess, just whoever you were, like, you're,

Michelle Newman 40:47

yeah, I started thinking about, like, all Yeah, all his all the rights to his music, all his guitars. And then I said to Brian, what about all this Muppet memorabilia? Because, you know, there was a really good Muppet memory,

Unknown Speaker 40:58

real important thing.

Speaker 2 41:02

All right, guys. Is the perfect example of of the absurdity of life right now,

Michelle Newman 41:07

I know and we probably wasn't a light episode we went over, and it wasn't light content wise, really, either, but I think it was, it was important. It was

Speaker 2 41:16

important, and it's bringing you into our world a little bit, and we appreciate all of you being on this ride with us. Once again, we really appreciate hearing from you and all the wonderful words that you sent to us. We know that you're supporting us, and we really feel it, and we really appreciate it. Thank you.

Carolyn Cochrane 41:30

Yeah, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 41:33

Should I toast? Yeah, let's toast. Let's toast. In the meantime, everybody, let's raise our glasses for a toast courtesy of the cast of Threes Company, two good times, two Happy

Michelle Newman 41:45

Days, Two Little

Carolyn Cochrane 41:46

House on the Prairie. Cheers, cheers.