OUR STORYTELLERS
This week's very special Townie Tidbit, titled MISS UPCHURCH, was written by an amazing Ojai Townie, John Slade, and performed by another amazing Ojai Townie, Malcolm McDowell.
John Slade was a theater professional and musician of the highest order. He was also the finest of drama teachers -- an inspiration and much needed champion for the students of our public high school. He loved his wife and kids and Shakespeare and Walt Whitman. He regularly turned his classroom into an ad hoc sanctuary lunchroom for any students that felt excluded or fringy or like they didn’t fit in. He directed my daughter in her very first play, had an intense and heart-warming stare and an ability to bring out the best in everyone.
John passed away on July 7th. A victim of a hit and run driver, leaving our town -- bereft.
John was a master teacher and he was always a student and he took my class in 2012. Unfortunately it was before we started recording for The Townies Podcast. SO -- in truly hometown, homespun, neighborly style, Malcolm stepped in to honor the wonderful words of the late, great, loving-husband, father and friend John Slade.
To quote John’s beloved Walt Whitman -- and with our deepest condolences to all those affected by the events in Charlottesville and across the nation…
“Of Equality -- as if it harm'd me, giving others the same chances and rights as myself -- as if it were not indispensable to my own rights that others possess the same.”
Thank you Walt and Malcolm and John. And to our fellow Townies across this nation -- we stand with you in grief, equality, equity, loss and solidarity. This is The Townies Podcast. Welcome to the neighborhood.
ELISE by Jemi Reis McDonald: Back again on The Townies Podcast is Miss Jemi, who would choose to walk over driving any day, who adores her lovely cat Ava, who spins poetry out of her fingers. We love her.
Dedicated to elise kroll.
ALRIGHTY THEN by Julia Denney Hamann: Just another one of those small town coincidences where that beautiful New Orleans native from your 1980s acting class in Los Angeles winds up as your neighbor in Ojai 20-years later. What a lovely coincidence indeed.
In loving memory of Randy Denney.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE PT. 1
It's no secret to anyone who knew him that John Slade loved Walt Whitman. It was in Kim's class that he decided to develop a one person show honoring the life and work of Walt Whitman. On his own, John created I Sing Walt Whitman! and toured the show around the country. Our musical interlude this week is John Slade singing his adaptation of Walt Whitman's When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.
DENIM JACKET by Katie Rae Newcomer: Oh Miss Katie, however many of these I write for you (this is your 5th time on the podcast), I’ll never run out of glowing things to say. A masters toting, theater loving, wonder woman -- dedicated to public education… feels like we have always been best friends.
For Kathleen Bridget O'Day.
ELAINE by Trudy Frohlich: When she’s not inspiring us all with her wisdom, sass and humor, Miss Trudy is busy doing any matter of things for any matter of friends in need… and for her dogs. Ah, Trudes. Thank you for being you.
Thank you, Elaine Frohlich.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE PT. 2
The Townies Podcast family bids you adieu, with all our love. We leave you now Perla Batalla’s beautiful rendition of The Water is Wide from her album We Three Kings.
Bios written by Lily Brown & Kim Maxwell
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