You hear a ton of performers daily, who is your favorite and why?
That used to be a hard question to answer because in this business you hear so many great bands so often that it was hard to ever pick just one. Recent events though have profoundly altered that seemingly chaotic sense of total and utter indecision. Now when this question arises there is only one answer. For now and for eternity my favorite band is Drowning Pool.
That used to be a hard question to answer because in this business you hear so many great bands so often that it was hard to ever pick just one. Recent events though have profoundly altered that seemingly chaotic sense of total and utter indecision. Now when this question arises there is only one answer. For now and for eternity my favorite band is You recently went overseas. What did you do there and what was it like?
Back in June our station approached the USO about taking my show on the road to the troops in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. We wanted to bring a band and the USO literally started drooling when they heard the name Drowning Pool.
Drowning Pools music has been ubiquitous in the various combat zones since their song Bodies came out back in 2001. Their music is frequently used as both motivation and inspiration, so to have the band physically go over and play live for our troops was going to be HUGE.
And it was.
Due to the voter referendums and the ensuing safety concerns, the shows ended up being in Kuwait rather than "in the box". We did three shows for a total of 10,000 U.S. and Coalition troops at Camp Virginia, Buerhing and Arifjan. Every day we were in Kuwait was 16 to 18 hours in length and encompassed facility tours, meeting commanders, meeting and eating with the troops, sound checks and full on, in your face, full blast two hour plus performances.
Each performance was dazzling in it's own right, but it is what happened every night AFTER the stage show that REALLY rocked our troops. Drowning Pool had been going full throttle all day every day, but everyone at each show wanted to meet them. So after every performance, Drowning Pool would come off stage and immediately and quite literally STAND in the sand next to the stage for HOURS.
Over the course of the tour Drowning Pool actually proceeded to meet all 10,000 troops. This meant 4 hours at Camp Virginia, 6 hours at Buerhing, and 8 hours at Arifjan. The band did not just drone a mumbled hello, scribble a non-chalant signature and send a soldier on his way. There were passionate hugs and radiant smiles and photos taken and given.
And if a service man or woman happened to be from Texas then you know the people behind them in line would be waiting a couple of extra more minutes, because Texans LOVE other Texans and we got to say so.
The response to the band was immediate and DRAMATIC.
Drowning Pools astounding integrity and collective character as both artists and men really knocked the socks off everyone including the military brass who in wide-eyed amazement and gratitude bestowed each band member with numerous battalion challenge coins and medals.
Not to be outdone by their commanders, the grunts proceeded to offer their own brand of personal gratitude. Heroes are men who do what they can. One by one and by the hundreds these still sweat soaked and thrilled service-members whipped out their Gerber service blades, cut off the patches and name badges on their uniforms and with trembling hands gave a piece of themselves to the utterly stupefied band members.
It was breath-taking to witness firsthand and a story impossible to relate without a steady stream of tears.
On an intensely personal note let me add that prior to this journey I had always liked Drowning Pools music. But witnessing their incredibly tender and passionate personal attention to each of these men and women in arms forced me to call NASA so that they could help me track the admiration as it exploded into the stratosphere!
Now the only way that I can accurately convey the magic of what occurred, is to equate the generous and tangible spirit of these heavenly human beings in Drowning Pool to the Seraphim, the angels closest to God. They surround his throne with their thunderous music and regulate the movement of the heavens with their songs.
Did one soldiers story in particular touch your heart?
I will always remember the Marine I met on a landing zone in Iraq. After the tour of Kuwait with Drowning Pool ended, I went solo in country with the 206th BOD(Broadcast Operations Detachment) based in Baghdad.
On the second day, we were going to Al Faw Palace and then on to Camp Victory to broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. To get there we had to fly Space A(space available) on a Blackhawk. So while my military escort was taking care of the requisite paperwork at the Washington LZ, I took a seat in the corner to wait. While sitting there, a large contingent of burly Marines came in and one of them stopped in his tracks right in front of me and laughed long and loud...primarily because it was obvious that despite the Kevlar helmet and body armor I was not exactly military issue. He laughed even harder when he discovered that I was being escorted by Army officials but was clearly wearing Marine issue body armor. A ridiculous mistake I did not realize until I was already in Iraq and it was too late to fix. This Marine Lt. Col., was so intrigued by my obvious ignorance to military protocol that with a huge incredulous smile, he LOUDLY drug a chair from halfway across the room, plopped down right in front of me and in a booming voice inquired...COMMANDED "what the hell are you doin' HERE"?
I asked if I could record the exchange and explained that I was a dj from Dallas, here to find out what our troops had to say about their experiences in the combat zone. He didn't hold back. He curled up his lip and practically snarled that he hated the media because they never told the whole story. His demeanor seemed to soften as he scanned me up and down and announced with sheer loyal Lone Star pride that he was from Austin and since I was also from Texas added "you MUST be ok!"
He proceeded to speak about leading his units passionate efforts to assist in the reconstruction process in Iraq and how monumentally frustrated his unit and others were that the journalists they were constantly bumping into only seemed interested in focusing on the discord, blood and mayhem. He started to get audibly and visibly upset so I thought I would try to diffuse the situation by changing course and asking about his family back home and if he had a message for them...it was at this point that the earth beneath us seemed to give way creating the intense sensation of a total free fall .
We were enveloped in a lengthy, palpable silence as he looked at me with a gaping stare that was so deeply haunting that even now I have no words to accurately describe it. The stare seemed to last forever and just as I tried to re-phrase the question, I suddenly saw the tears. They were streaming down his face and he was clearly overwhelmed. He took a moment, looked away then came back composed, but still full of raw emotion. The next words he spoke were full of strength and passion as he talked with tremendous affection about his mom and dad and friends back home. About how much he missed not only them but also the little things. The comforts that most of us take for granted and would have no idea how much we missed until they were summarily revoked and replaced with sand.
It was then time for him to go and we shook hands as he got up to leave...but he walked backwards to the door still staring in curious wonder at the seemingly out of place fellow Texan standing behind and/or in front of him. I will never forget him.
How would you describe the environment there?
I have been to a zillion rock concerts but never one that was this heavily fortified with M16s, 9MM and the occasional M60 sniper rifle. EVERYONE was armed, even the kids in their PT uniforms.
There are no words in this or any other language that can accurately represent the atmosphere..because it was one so unlike earths. The second we walked into the first camp, I felt like we were on an entirely different planet. That sensation was prevalent at all three camps as well as my solo jaunt into Iraq.
The atmosphere in all locales was thick with sand and worry, sand and depression, sand and anxiety. The only time that palpable sense of anguish and potential doom was abated was when the music was blaring.
Did your feeling change about the war after you went overseas?
No, I am still confused by it. But that confusion has no bearing on my love, respect and 100 upport for our troops.
Do you plan to go back again?
The experience of going to Kuwait and then on in to Iraq with the Army's 206th BOD was extraordinary.
Prior to departure my drill instructor at the boot camp fitness program I joined to prepare told me....
WARNED me that this journey, this "mission" would be life changing.
I did not comprehend or appreciate the full weight of his words until I came home and found the previous life I had known was nowhere to be found.
To illustrate the gravity of that point I will confess that I can not bring myself to unpack the bags that went with me over there.
They are still covered in dirt and sand and sitting in the hallway by the door.
Waiting. If the call comes, I'm ready.
crushed 
© 2008