Grateful for Good Influences

“Influencers” are described these days as social media icons with large followings. Not for me. My heroes influenced me the old fashioned way.

I’ve been told that my humor writing is similar to that of Lewis Grizzard, the Georgia newspaper columnist whose books sold millions of copies.

Okay, I’ve only been told that once, but still it was a huge compliment.

To say that Grizzard was a huge influence on me is like saying Elvis Presley made an impression on a thousand impersonators who dress up like him. No matter how hard they try, there’s only one King.

In fact, even Grizzard’s book titles are hilarious. My favorite is “Elvis is Dead, and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself.” First runner-up is “Don’t Bend Over in the Garden Granny, You Know Them Tater’s Got Eyes.”

I was fortunate enough to be able to tell him how much I admired his work. Not long before he died in 1994, he did a book signing in Chattanooga. I covered the event for my TV station, and I recently looked up the video. I had forgotten how sick he was. He was only in his 40s, but a series of heart surgeries had weakened him considerably.

Like the trouper he was, he signed autographs and posed for pictures, but everyone could tell he was hurting. When I told him I had stolen some of his funny lines for my everyday conversations, he modestly said that he had lifted a lot of his material from family members and acquaintances. Maybe so, but no one else ever put those words together so well.

One of my favorite Grizzard columns was his list of funny country music song titles. It was my first exposure to “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” and “Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart.” If he were here today, he would surely add “How Can I Miss You if You Won’t Go Away,” and “She Got the Ring and I Got the Finger.”

I found that column in a folder I had saved with other clippings from my youth. Every time I open it, I’ll read a column by another classic Atlanta writer, Dave Kindred. I always say, “Oh. This is what good writing is supposed to look like. Be more like Dave!”

I smile when I think of other good influences in my life. It starts with my amazing family. Grandparents, parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and now a wife and sons. All have inspired me in so many positive ways.

As a child of TV and radio, I was strongly influenced by those I heard and saw, both real and make-believe.

I give Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry a lot of credit for any parenting success I’ve had. I know he’s just a fictional character, and Andy Griffith always emphasized that he was not like Andy Taylor in real life. But he and his writers taught me a lot about how to be a good dad.

Professionally, the first voice I ever heard on the radio was also among the most influential. Luther Masingill of Chattanooga was on the air for 74 years. (This is not a typo.) He proved that a radio announcer was good for more than just playing music. He tried to help people between every record. He would find their lost dog, warn them about impending bad weather, or help them if their home had burned down. Best role model ever.

Another influential broadcaster was Bob Todd (Chickamauga Charlie). He was a rarity in radio. He carefully scripted every word he said. Every story and every joke was literate and clever, with a beginning, a middle and an end. He taught me to be prepared.

When I got into television, I tried to be as good as Dick Clark, Bob Costas, Bob Barker, and Charles Osgood. They each did thousands of hours of live TV, often with no script, and they made it seem like nothing ever went wrong. Believe me, things do go wrong. I always strive to be as smooth and articulate as those guys.

And if I can occasionally make you laugh like Mr. Grizzard did, that’s a bonus.