Number 17 of 52 Lifelong Communication Lessons: Doo wop diddy, goodbye
April 27, 2015
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| Rock Hudson (November 17, 1925 - October 2, 1985) |
The year was 1985.
Microsoft releases Windows 1.0. The film, "The Color Purple" is released. Rock Hudson dies of AIDS at age 59. In Vancouver, John Bishop opens Bishop's on West 4th.
The
ad agency I worked for had won a major restaurant chain as a client. One of the
promotions involved rock and roll legends. There was a big concert finale with
many big names of old stars from the 50’s and 60’s. Leading up to the date we
had lots of small weekend promotions. One of the perks, for me, was the
opportunity to drive a 56 T-Bird with porthole windows. Driving that car
elicited many dating offers. There was a contest to win the vehicle and tons of
giveaways. It was a classic promotion of that era.
As
the date of the concert neared, I was to tour one of the “stars” around to the
media and to various restaurants. This guy had definite name and song
recognition but it had been a long time since he had done something new. I am
rarely wowed by celebrity and expect I walk by more superstars than recognize
them. But, this guy I knew about. I sang along with most of his lighthearted
lyrics when listening to the oldies station. I was looking forward to meeting
him.
This
fellow definitely had a stardom ego. As we walked into radio stations he did
that fake kind of greeting to people in the waiting room as if they knew him.
Hey there, hello, how ya doin? Oh my, how embarrassing. These people had no
clue who he was. It was sad more than anything and I felt sorry for him
until…the second day.
We
were driving out to a station in that fabulous little T-bird when he reached
across the back on my driver’s seat and started trying to twirl a lock of my
hair while telling me he would love to make babies with me. Eeek! Aside from
the fact this guy held no sexual attraction for me and I was married….I have
never wanted babies – with anyone! What a turn off.
I
quickly removed his hand and expressed my disinterest and displeasure with his
action. A bit of my East End feistiness came with my comments. For the rest of
the tour he was quiet and tame, especially on the day his wife came to the
contest wrap up event.
Being
comfortable enough to say a firm no to anybody when they compromise your values
or intrude on your space comes naturally to me. I fear my quick retorts, when I
feel threatened or am disenfranchised, have ended in some awkward situations.
Mostly I feel justified in not taking any guff from others but I am still
working on taking a few deep breaths before reacting to negative situations.
I
still felt sorry for him, trying to relive the glory days. Maybe once in a
while a woman would fall for his advances but probably not very often.
Communication Lessons:
- Be
firm about what you don’t want.
- Have
compassion for people who are delusional about their own importance.
- Think
before you speak is a well worn cliché for good reason.
Fast Forward to 2015:
Donald Trump running for US Presidency?
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