Ernie Kovacs

Back in the mid 1980's... technically... last century... I moved to NYC to become a famous entertainer. Well actually I moved there because that's where my girlfriend Pam wanted to move, but that's a totally different story. Anyway, we lived in Greenwich Village/The Village in Manhattan on Spring Street. It was quite an experience to drive all the way to New York City jammed packed into a tiny Ford Escort with everything we owned - including cats - from the mean streets of Florence, Alabama only to arrive at our 5 story walk up apartment... get out of the car and there's a guy standing there peeing on the sidewalk. Hey cool... Welcome to New York... make a note... it's okay to pee on the sidewalk. Actually it's NOT okay to pee on the sidewalk, but that also is a different story. Anyway... I had a few bucks in my pocket when I arrived and spent the first few months in my new home walking around the streets of New York. I would just wander around and see what I could see. One day, I stumbled on to the Museum of Broadcasting. It was magic. I went inside and there was an exhibit about a guy named Ernie Kovacs. I'd never heard of him. Apparently, he was a tv guy in the 50's... so I sat down and watched reels of his stuff. I was blown away. I kept looking around at the other people in the museum trying to see if they thought he was as hilarious as I did. He was so silly and funny and at the same time what he was doing contained some real substance and art. That day I became an instant Ernie Kovacs fan. I have in some ways, tried to be as much like him professionally as I can be... mostly because... my life feels sometimes like his tv show KOVACSLAND - scattered, silly, funny, but mostly never makes any sense. I wish I'd gotten to meet him. God Bless You Ernie Kovacs.