Screaming Mimes Blog

Do you ever wonder if what you do, no matter what it is, touches others heart, mind or soul. What a great way to start Hump Day. Walking into work this morning, one of our clients (he also works in the same building as me) caught up with me on the street and wouldn't let me go until he passed on this story he had. As you all well know, the Mimes recorded a couple songs for an upcoming Cincinnati Reds Community Fund album. During the time we were recording, my client begged me to hear one of the tracks we were recording at the time. We had a good enough mix going that I felt comfortable enough with sending him an mp3 ... as well as feeling comfortable enough with him that he wouldn't be sending it all over the world as well. He LOVED it. However, along the way, he was talking with a fellow Reds fan who lives out of town now ... not about anything really, just surface talk, when he brought up the Mimes and how much he liked this song we did for the Reds album. Of course ... his friend begged him to hear it and he broke down and sent it to him.

Last week, his friends' Grandmother passed away, which they was very close to each other. They had a common bond with the fact they were both Reds fans. Feeling sad, he turned on his computer to listen to some music to drown his sorrow and our song came on. He began to smile as the song went through the history of the Reds and it brought back memories of his time with his Grandmother. As he would visit her on the weekends, they would sit on the porch together and listen to Marty & Joe on the radio and talk baseball. In just a few short days, our song has brought someone comfort and joy during a time that usually is very somber. His friend can't wait for the album to come out to hear what else it will bring him.

As I talked with my friend about writing this story on our blog site and that I wanted to get the facts right, it reminded me about my own Grandmother and how much she was a Reds fan as well. And how we would sit in the breezeway of her home and do exactly the same thing. We would be breaking up green beans that were fresh out of the garden or shucking corn ... we would never just sit there and listen to the game. But I remember she never made it feel like we were working. I can still smell that breezeway ... I can still see her clearly, with her apron and her hosery that only went up to her knees and her hair in a bun. And if the Reds would lose, she would always say "Oh ... those poor Reds." ... meaning she was just sad they had lost. Any time any one of the players would do poorly, it was the same - "Oh ... poor Tony or Pete or Johnny" ... who ever it was. And as we would leave for the night, she would either be standing at the breezeway railing or barely looking out the kitchen window (she was only 4' 10") ... and she would wave goodbye. Man I miss her. I miss those times. I LOVED sitting with her and talking about her lifetime. There is nothing like the love of a Grandmother. My Son has a relationship with his Grandmother like I had with mine ... only better. Though he does have memories of his Great-Grandmother, my Mother has been a MAJOR influence in his life. He wouldn't be the fine young man that he is today, if it hadn't been for her being there for him as much as she was. Though his time with his Grandfather was short, he still has great memories of him as well ... and thanks to video tape, he is able to preserve them.

My friends' story touched me deeply today. The long hours that we all put into this music ... seems to be worth it when you hear stories like this. The power of music never fails to amaze me.

I hope this brought a smile ... a memory ... maybe even a tear or 2.

peace
Randy (Your Favorite Mime)