How Soul Train Ruined my Concept of TV

As most of you know or have figured out my Father is a professional musician. For the longest time I thought ALL Dad's went to work for month's at a time and wore incredibly tight pants all the time. I thought everyone went to a studio and the whole world had rehearsal. With that said and done I grew up in what to me was normal, but the rest of the world would consider an alternative environment.

I know I must have been VERY young when this occurred but can't pinpoint what age. IF Dad had to go on the road or even out he'd ALWAYS say goodbye and give me a hug. One morning Mom walked in and woke me up saying, hurry up, get up, come to the bedroom, your Dad's on TV and I immediately threw a temper tantrum and cried when she looked at me crazy and asked why was I crying I said, "DADDY DIDN'T TELL ME GOODBYE!!!!"

What's funny about this story. Until this point my concept of technology was that people ON TV were somehow beamed into the TV, the concept of recording people DID NOT EXIST. So my child mind assumed that if Dad was ON TV, he had to have left, and heaven forbid he did so without saying goodbye.

Mom calmed me down and said your Dad's here, but hurry up and come to the bedroom and wandered out the door. I sat there stunned, completely unable to understand Dad could be home AND on TV, I thought he was some magicman or superhero because he could be TWO places at once. Then I thought, Mom's lying, he CAN'T be here AND on TV. So I raced into the bedroom about to pitch a fit and sure enough. He was there. We piled onto the bed (oh, now this is hilarious, lemme give you a quick rundown of the surroundings, orange and yellow SUPER LONG shag carpet, you'd lose whole Lego villages in that stuff and forget about getting any type of toy with wheels to work anywhere with carpet. One wall completely covered with mirror squares, you know, with the GOLD FLECKS, and the bedroom...THIS HUGE WOOD MONSTROSITY WATER BED, I know I was small enough at the time that I had to make quite a jump to get up there, and Dad's pride and Joy, the ZENITH COLOR TV, HUGE BOX, tiny screen, but it was COLOR with BUTTONS, not KNOBS!!!) and on came Soul Train. I HATED Soul Train, why? Because whenever it came on I was kicked outside to play and had to stop watching cartoons. But i survived the intros and sure enough there before my eyes was my superhero Dad on TV, but sitting right next to me. Wow.

The End

Have no idea why I remembered that, or chose to write it. Maybe I didn't want to forget. TV has never been the same since. I do know that after that for a LONG time I thought my Dad was the ONLY ONE who could be TWO places AT ONCE!!! Now that I think of it, he still is. Physically away but ALWAYS in my heart and head.


Soul Train Shirt