I took my boys to the Ron Thon Memorial wrestling tournament a few months ago up in my old hometown of Riverton. While I was in town, I stopped at a gas station and went inside to get some snacks and drinks for the trip back to Cheyenne.
They were playing the local radio station over the speakers in the store, and while I was in there, The Great Outdoors came on. I chuckled to myself as I picked out a root beer and some Dot’s pretzels, and I stepped up to the counter. The young lady behind the counter asked me a question, and I responded. I don’t remember what she asked or what I said, but I must have replied with more than just a “yes” or “no,” because the lady stopped scanning my goods and looked up at me.
She said, “wow, you sound just like that guy on the radio.”
For a minute, I didn’t know what to say. I just stared back at her for a second, then for once in my life, the perfect response came to me at the right moment.
I told her, “I get that a lot.”
When my boys were younger, they used to make a big deal out of the fact that my voice comes on the radio from time to time. They used to think that meant I was famous. I would always laugh and tell them that was a bit of an exaggeration. And it still is, but I suppose the radio has given me a certain variety of fame. Maybe more of an almost fame, actually. I once heard the skateboarder Tony Hawk say someone ran into him somewhere and said, “Hey, you look like an older version of Tony Hawk.” This is sort of like that. Not famous enough to actually be recognized, but just enough that someone thinks, in my case, I “sound like that guy on the radio.” I’m OK with that.
