www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

People I've had the good fortune of meeting (and interviewing at KGNU) a great many interesting people over the years. Unfortunately I didn't start this particular page until I was 50 so I'll never get caught up but will certainly try! Nevertheless, I'll be adding pix, tidbits and info about all kinds of people as time permits - probably splitting it off into sub-pages when it gets too large. Already, Bad Guys is a spin-off that is self explanatory...

"... and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes `Awww!'" - Jack Kerouac
On the Road, p. 8

Interesting People:

It was with great delight that I interviewed the Zen Center of Denver's spiritual leader, Danan Henry Roshi! Although Zen Buddhism is much too beautiful and complex a subject to cover during a short radio interview we gave it a good try! After the program Danan authorized this photograph him, me and his 35 year old VW - thank you Danan!

I was lucky to see Professor Chomsky speak in Boulder on April 5th, 2003. It was very inspirational at a time when many of us were against the war. Nevertheless, I'm always uncomfortable with people like Chomsky who dislike our country so much.

Born Avram Noam Chomsky (December 7, 1928) is the Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, often considered to be the most significant contribution to the field of theoretical linguistics in the 20th century. Chomsky is far more known for his political activism, and for his criticism of the foreign policy of the United States and other governments. Chomsky describes himself as a libertarian socialist and a sympathizer of anarcho-syndicalism (he is a member of the IWW). Again, I'll always wonder why people with so much power, wealth, and fame (like Chomsky) dislike America so much? Nevertheless, he's an interesting person who has brought some awareness and good to the world.

Good People:

"Lennon was somebody who was a born enemy of those who govern the United States. He was everything they hated. So I just say that he represented life and is admirable. And Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represent death. And that is a bad thing." - Gore Vidal, in the documentary, The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

 

Who could be more interesting that His Holiness - the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet? Although I didn't get to meet him up close, we did get to see him speak at Denver's Pepsi Center on September 17th, 2006. I have additional pix and information on my Tibet page...

Luckily I did get to meet Edward Abbey and have more about him, and that encounter, on my Abbey and Thoreau page.

 

Me and Jack Phillips - 2017

This photograph (and this entry!) was posted a couple of months before Jack Phillips' (Masterpiece Cakeshop, Lakewood, Colorado) case was scheduled to go before the Supreme Court. The issue surrounds Jack's refusal to bake a special cake for a gay couple's wedding. Reports had it, at the time, that two gay men came into Jack's shop to request a custom wedding cake with a homosexual theme. Jack's response was that although the gentlemen were welcome to purchase anything in the shop he would not use his artistic talents to create a cake that honored something against his religious beliefs. Apparently Jack has a long history of not using his art to honor a variety of things he doesn't believe in (Halloween being the best example at the time of this entry in late October...). Either way, the two men left in anger with the issue being decided in their favor by the Colorado Court and, as such, now making its way to the Supreme Court...   Anyway, although I'm not a religious person I thought I'd try to meet Jack since his case was so big in the news at the time. Luckily both Jack and his wife Debbie were there, alone, so I asked if I could have a moment of their time (as I know small business owners are always very busy). What I found was a warm, sincere couple who were probably a bit worn-out over the issue. Nevertheless, they chatted with me and even allowed the picture of me and Jack together. Interesting to note that Debbie's take seems to be that even the gay couple, themselves, didn't realize the issue would get so big! She also suggested that she didn't feel their cake shop had been "shopped," that the couple probably just wanted the cake made and hadn't planned on making any kind of political statement. She did add that the two men were angry, giving Jack the finger and uttering some profanities. If I understand it, correctly, the two actually left in different directions so they probably hadn't planned it all out. Time (and the Supreme Court) will eventually tell most of the tale. But, until then, Jack has suffered a huge drop in business over the issue so I hope that in the end they'll be okay...   [Ed. Note: On June 4, 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jack Phillips. But, of course, the bad guys at the Colorado Civil Rights Commission continued harassing Jak and his business...]

"Different" People:

Anything Helps NEED God TENT Bless... Pay Showers at Silverthorne laundromat. Propane Heater Boot's Poles [sic] About $60.00 at a Thrift Store. A - BASIN or BUST Camp to Ski Ski to Live

Only in Boulder! I was driving through town, in our company van (I think you can see it in the reflection of his glasses) and this guy was soliciting money on the corner like at most intersections around the country. His skiing theme was so unusual that I asked if I could take his picture (I just happened to have my camera with me). He readily agreed but wanted to know if I was with a newspaper - I assured him I was not. He chuckled, kind of shrugged, and said he still needed money. I apologized as all I had on me was a credit card. Maybe I'll run into him again?

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