Random Stories From My Life
And a day which set in motion something unexpected …
They say never to meet your idols … you may not like what you find.
But I’ve met mine — and they’ve been amazingly cool people.
Nowadays, when a new Star Wars movie is released, it’s fun. But back during the original Trilogy, it was a HUGE event. Just imagine having to wait three long years between films.
Flashback, 1980:
Springtime brings the second, long-awaited installment in the blockbuster Star Wars saga — The Empire Strikes Back. And a few months later, there’s the added gift of a TV special, showing the making of the special effects and the film.
Random Stories From My Life
And the whirlwind weekend that made it happen …
It’s 1997. The White House, Washington, D.C.
And no one is more surprised than I am, on being escorted by a Secret Service officer into the West Wing, for an unexpected personal tour.
“And you may ask yourself … ‘How did I get here?’” 🎶
First, a bit of backstory …
One of my several careers was 15 years spent in post-production in Los Angeles, as picture editor on numerous video & television projects.
Here’s one project that was unique and memorable:
In the summer & fall of ’97, I worked with Connie Stevens on a feature documentary she directed, entitled…
Forgotten tales of Boston’s WBCN-FM
A humble piece of electronics, with an alter ego …
Back in the day, WBCN-FM — “The Rock of Boston” — was arguably one of the most influential radio stations in the country.
Today, it’s the stuff of legend.
Plenty of stories have since been told about ‘BCN, its influence on broadcasting, and its colorful cast and crew … in a documentary film, a behind-the-scenes book, a multimedia memoir, and more.
Random Stories From My Life
L.A., the final frontier …
Going through some old papers, I found an interesting letter to friends back East … in the form of a journal entry for Tuesday, April 4, 1995.
At the time, I was an up-and-coming Avid (video) editor doing the freelance circuit in Los Angeles, living the dream of working in the world’s mecca of entertainment production — and loving every minute of it.
And sometimes, I’d visit friends also in “The Biz” to see what they were up to.
That day found me at Lantana Center, a collection of high-end TV & film production companies, located at 3000 W. …
A tale from my misspent youth
Forty years later, it’s still a day I’ll never forget …
It may be coincidence, but two of the more memorable experiences of my life both happened in our nation’s capital.
One was getting a private tour of the West Wing of the White House.
And years earlier, at age 19, I very nearly lost my virginity during a protest at the Pentagon.
I was a late bloomer, in part because I felt very insecure around women. The more beautiful the woman, the more insecure I felt. It also didn’t help that I was a very academic type, and pretty geeky (long before it was fashionable).
So I’d never had much…
Ron Diamond
Personal blog (from a guy who’s made software, and video, and other stuff too). rondiamond.net
