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In the army I met some of the guys from the company band. People said you could find the band barracks because of the smell of pot. A couple of those guys, both black, used to come sit in at the Mission Inn la Cantina when we had our Sunday jam sessions and one of them taught me the song, "Saturday Night Fish Fry," by Louis Jordan.
Later in life I worked a couple years as an opening act with Johnny Mathis, who was probably the classiest guy I ever met in show business. Here he was, the son of domestic workers, a high jumper in college and one of the greatest singers of all time. He was also black and gay. Talk about a double whammy. But in the time I knew him, we never talked about race, or being gay, so I missed out on a huge opportunity to learn. He was quiet, thoughtful, and treated the people he worked with really well. He had the same musicians and conductor for years. He sold millions of records, and to see him at his best go on YouTube and watch him sing "Pieces of Dreams" on the Tonight show. Johnny Carson called it the show's greatest singing performance ever. I agree.
Working with him was ideal for an opening act because Johnny would go on first and do three or four songs. Then he'd introduce me and I'd come on to an audience that was already warmed up with a fine introduction by him. Talk about a dream job.
The other great thing about working with him was that he loved golf. You'd be amazed at the courses you could get on if you had a super star calling up for a tee time. We played some of the best courses in the country. The most memorable was the mega private course in Las Vegas, Shadow Creek. There were small brass nameplates on the lockers with names like Michael Jordan, George H. W. Bush, etc. We played there with Steve Wynn, the billionaire who built the course and owned three or four casinos, including the Bellagio and Mirage. I was driving a VW Beetle. For some reason I didn't feel Steve and I had a lot in common.
Steve Wynn suffered from macular degeneration and was losing his eyesight, so he had a pro come along and line up his shots for him. I never was good at being around the rich and famous and it was kind of a weird day for me. I remember impressing people on the range, hitting the ball well, and then going out and playing a lousy round. Johnny, as always, was quiet and kind and shot his usual round in the 80's.
Now I'm married to a Thai lady, Jintana, and I love her deeply. She has given me the twelve best years of my life. We joke about stupid old white people screwing up Thailand and what lousy drivers they are, usually while I'm driving.
So, about race. It's simple. Racism is stupid. It just is. If you're a racist, you're losing out on knowing some of the best people on the planet.