The Ben Maynard Program

EP. 77 "LATE NIGHT WITH BEN"! Seattle Escapades: Family Fun & Brewery Tales

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This episode highlights the importance of personal connections, reflecting on a recent work trip to Seattle, memorable moments with family, and commemorating the legacy of musician John Sykes. We celebrate friendship and impending life changes, while discussing the joys of being asked to be a best man at 59 and the impact of building community ties. 
• Reflecting on a work trip to Seattle and family connections 
• Remembering the musical legacy of John Sykes 
• Celebrating friendship and life at 59 as best man 
• Sharing cookies and laughter during a brewery event 
• The significance of reconnecting with childhood friends 
• Exploring plans for future podcast content and audience engagement

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I also welcome your comments. email: pl8blocker@aol.com

Speaker 1:

Hey there, welcome into the Ben Maynard program. Thanks for being here. It's been a little bit right. Well, we're here and before we get started, we'll take care of some housekeeping real quick. So, as you know and if you don't know, I'm going to let you know there you go. This program is available. Wherever you listen to podcasts. Wherever podcasts are available, this program is available. Just search the Ben Maynard Program. You'll find it. Let's see if you're watching tonight and you're not yet, because nobody knows I'm doing this, but if you happen to be watching on YouTube, greatly appreciate it. I just ask a few things First, subscribe to the channel and then hit the notification bell. And secondly, give me a thumbs up. And last, leave a comment, because I like your comments All right, and I reply to them. Last but not least, follow me on Instagram. Simply, ben Maynard program, all one word. So, with that, plenty of ways to take in this show for your dancing and listening pleasure. And it is Friday night. Yes, we're live and this is late night with Ben.

Speaker 1:

It's been a couple of weeks. The last time we got together, I was my first week in Seattle and I did that from the hotel. It was interesting First time, kind of really on the road right. Last week was not really possible to do it I'll get into that in a minute but it's been a couple of weeks and so I missed this. I needed to get together and needed to do this tonight, and so I had some things going on, but I said doing it, I'm doing it, and so for those it is, let's see. For those here on the West Coast, it's just after 9.30 pm. So if you are up on the East Coast, god bless you. Thank you very much for doing that, for sticking around. Let's see, let's see. You would have probably gotten the notification if you have subscribed to the channel. Then you would know that we're live now. So if you're awake and you're watching, great Thanks, greatly appreciate it, anyway.

Speaker 1:

So what's been going on? Well, like I said, we haven't been on for about two weeks, and so I got back from Seattle last Saturday, I thought I was going to stay an extra week. I thought I was going to stay a third week. I was up there for two weeks, for those who aren't aware, but they said that I wasn't needed, that I could go home. So great, so I came, that I could go home so great, so I came home last Saturday, got home kind of late in the evening, but I made it home and it's all good and back to work. Things are kind of getting back to normal.

Speaker 1:

So my time in Seattle was really cool and I enjoyed it. Good people up there, it's a good area. You know, I don't know Works, work. But I'm not going to bash my company on the podcast. Let's just say that they have some work to do in Seattle. Let's put it that way. But I was happy to be up there, I was happy to help them out and I'll do it again. All they have to do is give me a call and let me know and I'll be up there again doing it. So it was a good time. Like I said, I met some cool people up there, worked with some good people and it was just a ton of fun.

Speaker 1:

And then last Friday, my last night the reason why I didn't do another show from my hotel room was because I spent the evening with my daughter, tess's girlfriend and her boyfriend. I was up there and they knew I was up there and they said we got to get together. So that's what we did we went to dinner, we hung out, it was all good, we had a ton of fun, and so that's what I was doing. So I didn't have the time to put together a show, and not only that, I had to pack all my stuff too, to get ready to leave on Saturday. So that's why no show last week, and the reason why we are late tonight is because I got home from work at actually a really decent hour. Got home, I think it was about 2.30.

Speaker 1:

And we had something that we had to do, catherine and I and my brother. We had something that we had to do, catherine and I and my brother. We are members at a brewery called the Brewery and they had a special event this evening or this afternoon this evening, for members only, and so we went down, had a good time, members only, and so we went down, had a good time. But in doing that, I said I'm coming back and getting in the studio and we're going to live stream this. We're going to do a Friday night live, but it's going to be late night with Ben. So my eyes are like little slits right now, like little slits right now, and I'm incredibly tired. I've been up since 1.30 this morning, so it's been a long one, but it's all good, it's worth it because you are worth it. I enjoy doing this anyway. So that's the way it is. That's what's happening today. That's why we are on so late, and I put out a Facebook notification and said hey, don't know what time I'm going on, but I'm going on. If you subscribe to the channel, you'll get the notification, kind of one of those things. That's just the way it goes, but we're still going to do all the regular stuff that we do on Friday Night Live, so that would include the Malort Challenge.

Speaker 1:

Right here, you see that great bottle of delicious, delicious liquor. You have to call into the show. Let me do this really quick. We all know it's late night now, so let's change the banner. There it is. There's the number to call in. So if you call in, oh, let's go to the comments. Yeah, there we go. So if you call in and I have to take a drink of this delicious stuff right here, oh, in my Mr Spock shot glass that has been sitting in the studio just collecting dust, especially the last couple weeks since I haven't been here. We can also play Stump the Chump. You have to call in, though, and you call in with your music trivia, and if you stump me then you've got to take a drink. So we'll do the fun stuff, yeah, and we'll see where it goes. That's if anybody calls in, that's if anybody cares to call in. But you have to watch first, of course. You got to be watching.

Speaker 1:

Let's see what else has been going on. Let's see Events this week. Well, just kind of back to work, regular stuff. Let's see what else. Well, I guess Monday was kind of a special day. This past Monday, you know, we inaugurated a new president, so that was kind of cool. I enjoyed that.

Speaker 1:

A lot of stuff happening really fast, at a breakneck pace. It's good. It's good, it's going to be good. Just look, if President Trump is not your thing, just relax. Okay, everything's going to be great. Everything's going gonna be great, everything's gonna be great and you'll be very, very happy. Okay, we're all gonna be happy. It's not gonna be perfect, because nothing's perfect, but you'll be happy, I promise you. So that's really the big event.

Speaker 1:

Oh, you know what, though? Actually some sad news, some sad news, some sad news that came about. Oh, by the way, before I get into the sad news, you can see right here I've got a glass of milk and I have some delicious double chocolate cookies that Catherine baked this afternoon, so I'll probably partake right here on the show. As you know, I have the palate of a 12-year-old, so I enjoy my cookies in the milk. So don't be surprised if I get into that a little bit later. But some, yeah, some really sad news in the music world. I think it came in late Monday afternoon.

Speaker 1:

Some of you may or may not be familiar with a musician guitarist by the name of John Sykes was a guitarist. He was a songwriter, really really, I mean just very talented rock guitarist, I would say, primarily known for Whitesnake, and he recorded, I believe, two albums with White Snake. He re-recorded for America I think it was 1984, the Slided In album, and then he also co-wrote just about everything on the big 1987 White Snake album that's the biggest album in their catalog. 1987 white snake album whites that's the biggest album in their catalog. Um co-wrote all most if not all of the songs on the album, played on all of them and then was subsequently fired from the band. In fact the whole entire band was fired and then replaced by um other players. I don't need to get into the names but because the main point is that's who John Sykes is. Also fronted a band called Blue Murder in the late 80s, a rock trio with Tony Franklin on bass and Carmine Apice on drums, with Tony Franklin on bass and Carmine Apice on drums and I guess even prior to Whitesnake he was in Thin Lizzy. I think he recorded one album and did some touring with Thin Lizzy prior to Phil Lynott dying.

Speaker 1:

So John Sykes may or may not be a household name, but known for his greatness. Let me get to it. So he it was announced late Monday afternoon that he had passed away from cancer. I think he was like 65, 67 years old, something like that. So it was really kind of sad, really really kind of sad. But even though he wasn't a household name, he was definitely known to many, many, many musicians, especially guitars, and a big influence on them, and just had an incredible sound.

Speaker 1:

Real quick I'll get back to the Whitesnake deal. So he, you know, co-writes pretty much the whole album, if not the whole album, the 1987 Whitesnake album with David Coverdale and, as I said, then he's fired from the band short while after it's recorded, before the band could go on tour, and then the whole entire band was fired by David Coverdale and and replaced by the likes let's see, of Tommy Aldridge on drums, vivian Campbell on guitar, adrian Vandenberg on guitar, humble on guitar, adrian Vandenberg on guitar and Rudy Sarzo on bass. And those are the guys that you see in the videos for the songs on that album and those are the guys that toured that album, didn't play anything in studio, didn't record anything in studio, but got a lot of recognition for that, because that's the faces that you saw in the video or the videos. So just that kind of thing. And so you know, I think that John really harbored a lot of ill will towards David on that because of what had happened. And in the last 20 years or so he was kind of sour on the music business and did not put out any music, really didn't do anything, recorded a couple of things, never released them, had an album deal, never released anything and, uh, kind of stayed pretty much under the radar and reclusive and um, so it's just kind of sad.

Speaker 1:

A great guitarist, great musician, actually a great singer too. Check out the stuff, um, from blue murder, because you'll hear john on lead vocals and um, that's where you really get to hear him a lot. Just such good stuff. You know, nice, hard driving, rock and roll, great guitarist, um, so rest in peace to john sykes. Uh, yeah, that news did come down on Monday and a lot of people, especially musicians, expressing their condolences and saying a lot of nice things about John and the influence that he had on them. So those kind of a couple of things taking place this week, aside from me going back to work here at home and getting some stuff done. What else we have going on. Let me see.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I think it was, maybe it was right before I left, right before I left for Seattle, um, my uh, friend of mine, uh, his name is Darren. He, um, this is the great thing. This is the great thing. I, I, um, I met Darren through our alumni luncheons that we have once a month and we have one tomorrow. So I'll be going there for a little bit checking that out.

Speaker 1:

But I met Darren through this. He is two and a half, three years younger than me, three years as far as school years, younger than me. So when I was a senior in high school, he was a freshman. I really didn't I shouldn't say really didn't, I didn't know him at all but I met him through these alumni luncheons. And he's just a wonderful guy and just, I don't know, salt of the earth, let's put it that way Just wonderful guy, good Christian guy, salt of the earth, great, great, great guy.

Speaker 1:

He met a girl. He's a single guy and met a girl several months ago and they started dating, of course. And so right before I went to Seattle, he sends me a text. He says, hey, give me a call when you get a chance. All right. So I give him a call. He says, hey, I got a big favor to ask Would you be my best man? Because he says, yeah, rebecca and I were going to get married and would you be my best man? Well, I mean, I was floored. Actually, I was quite speechless at the moment, at that moment. So, of course, I said, sure, you know, I was very touched and honored that I had been asked and so they're going to be getting married in I don't know, I think, like five weeks, six weeks. So I get to stand up and be a best man at 59 years old. How great is that? So I'm looking forward to that. That's going to be a ton of fun. All I need is a pair of black shoes, which I got. Plenty of those. I need some black pants. Got those. I need a black shirt. I have that as well and I'm good. I'm good. So we're going to do it up, we're going to have some fun.

Speaker 1:

And congratulations to Darren and his fiance Rebecca. They're just a great couple. And you know, what was interesting is that he it's I don't know I don't like to say this because I don't really I mean how touching. He said that Catherine and I are a great example of the kind of couple that he wants him and his fiance Rebecca to be. And when he told me that, I just, I mean I had just about fell out because I mean, that's just such a great compliment. And you never know who's watching. You don't know who's watching you, who's paying attention to you when you are out doing your thing. Just, you know carrying on your regular business, and and you know when, when you're with, you know when Catherine and I are out, you don't know who's paying attention. But obviously he is paying attention and has been paying attention, and so that was very, very touching. It was. It meant a lot for him to say that. So I guess maybe Catherine and I are doing something right, right, um, so I'm looking forward to that. And here's the cool thing Now, like I said, that they met just a few months ago, um, and already they're getting married.

Speaker 1:

But here's the thing, and here's my, here's my um line of thinking on that kind of thing too, especially when it comes to relationships, is that you know when, when none of us we're not, we're not 21 years old anymore when you get to be. You know my age, you have a lot of life experience behind you. You know what you're looking for in a partner and you know things that you're willing to accept and things you're not willing to accept, and there's not really much of a feeling out period. Like I said, you know what it is you want when you're young, you're 20, 21, 22 years old. You're dumb, you don't know anything. You know nothing about life. You don't know what you're looking for in a partner Nothing, you're dumb. So that's the cool part about, I guess, dating at an older age.

Speaker 1:

I don't want to say advanced, we're not that advanced. I guess technically, though we're not that advanced. I guess technically, though, I don't really think about this that much because I don't feel like I'm 59. But I guess, by society's standards, I'm a senior citizen, I qualify for senior citizen discounts wherever I go. I've never taken any, but nobody's ever asked if I want one either. I guess that's kind of a good thing, although when you do hit 50, when you hit 50, aarp, they know about it right away, because I think when I hit 50 years old uh, it was within like a week of my 50th birthday I was getting mail from AARP. That's bananas, but anyway. So, um, so, yeah, um, I'm going to be a best man, so I'm looking forward to that. It's going to be great. Um, and hang on, you know what? Before my milk gets too warm here, let me get a cookie here.

Speaker 1:

So Catherine made these double chocolate cookies. I love them. Basically, it's a chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips in them, and these things are just delightful. And, like I said, I dunk my cookies in milk and, uh, because I like to get them like nice and soft I mean, they're soft already, but you know what I'm saying. Come on, let's see. Huh, so I know it's not very professional, but I'm going to eat on the air anyway.

Speaker 1:

No one's watching. So what does it matter? Right, so good though. Oh my gosh. So good, oh my goodness. So, so, so good, love it, love it, love it. It's delicious. Hmm, good stuff. So if there are any night owls out there, call into the show the number's on the screen. And yeah, watch me take a drink of this nasty Malort. That's going to mix really well with these cookies and milk. So maybe I don't want anyone to call in, I don't know. So good, I'll just finish this one up and then I'll put it away.

Speaker 1:

For the moment We've um, I have some really good stuff that I want to do on the show, some good subjects I want to hit on in the future here. But work is getting in the way of this podcast and it's not affording me the time to do my research or just write a show. I should say, just put it all together, because I've got these topics that I can talk about. But I want to make sure that I have my bullet points and my notes in order and it takes time to write that and put it together. So I don't know. I say I have three and a half years before I retire. I might just pull the pin now. I mean because it's getting in the way of this podcast. Work is just getting in the way and you guys are really important to me. My audience is important to me.

Speaker 1:

I love doing this. I love coming into studio and just talking, Talking to you guys, interacting and engaging with you, and you know I'll tell you what the show is really starting to pick up. Okay, it's not picking up a ton of steam, but it's picking up a little bit of steam, so somebody's doing their job, I think. When I say tell a friend, I mean tell a friend. Last few times I've been telling you to tell 10,000 friends. I don't know how many people have 10,000 friends, but tell 10,000 friends anyway. That would certainly help out a lot, a lot. That would certainly help out a lot, a lot, because just if half of those people watched, subscribed to the channel, listened, whatever oh my gosh, I would be huge, huge. But anyway, so I do, I enjoy this and work is getting in the way.

Speaker 1:

So we've got to figure something out right. But there's some good stuff coming up. I just have to be able to put it together so I can present it to you, and I got a couple of people I want to get in here as well and I'm working on that, just trying to figure it all out schedule wise. So we're gonna have some fun, got some good stuff. We're only in January of this year, so, uh, you know, buckle up. We got some good stuff coming and we, we will, we'll have some fun. Not that this isn't fun right here, but you got where I'm going with it. All right, it can't only be you, and I Got to bring some other people into this as well from time to time. So I mean, I love me, some me. So it's all good Right. Yes, it's all good right.

Speaker 1:

Yes, oh, my brother, chuck, who was on the show oh gosh, that was over a year ago, he was on the show. He's coming into town next Friday. He's flying in from Colorado, he lives in Colorado, and he's coming in for the weekend. We're all our childhood friends and we're all getting together next Saturday for breakfast. That's our tough guys breakfast that we started last year. I think we started it in September and it was high time that we did something about it. We've known each other since we were kids, all of us. We all grew up together, and so we do see each other from time to time, but of late it'd been okay.

Speaker 1:

Well, this guy passed away, or you know. That kind of thing you don't want to see your friends just when someone dies. You want to, you know, keep those connections and see each other. I don't know, during happier times I suppose. I don't know if that's the exact way to put it, but you know where I'm going with it. And so it was, it was last year, last summer, I think it was and, um, I'm usually the guy that reaches out. We have a, we have a, uh, a text thread, and so I, I keep everybody up to date on the birthdays and and uh, say, hey, guess whose birthday it is today. And then we wish everyone, or everyone wishes that person, a happy birthday, so on and so on, or special holidays, christmas, thanksgiving, whatever it is.

Speaker 1:

So I mentioned to the guys you know, enough's enough, instead of getting together, you know, once a year or once every couple of years, I mean some of us, you know, we'll see each other from time to time, as you know, spaz, you know, comes on the program, him and I, we'll see each other from time to time, as you know, spaz, you know, comes on the program, him and I, we see each other from time to time, my buddy Matt as well. But I mean us all getting together as a group, you know, all together like you know, like we used to when we were kids. That just doesn't happen, hasn't happened for quite some time. So I was, it's like guys, enough's, enough already. Okay, we're not getting any younger and we've already lost a couple of our guys, so we need to get together, like once every three months, for breakfast or lunch, whatever it is, you guys decide, but we'll pick a day. We're all getting together and that's what it is, and so everybody's like yeah, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in. Okay, good, so everyone's in. We got it started and so that's what we're doing. I told him, I said we get together every three months. That's four times a year. You guys can commit to four times a year. Come on, right? So we got that going on.

Speaker 1:

Next, uh, next Saturday, and Chuck's coming to town, so I'm looking forward to it. Actually, I think it's the first time. Wow, I think it's the first time that Chuck has been here. Oof, um, let me see his daughter. My niece got married in 2020 uh, 21, I think it was and then he moved in 22. So he's been gone for almost three years and I think this is the first time he's been back since. So it'll be good to see him, can't wait. I mean, I see him if I FaceTime him or, like you know, when he was on the program a while back with Brother Jim. So we're looking forward to it. We'll have our breakfast, it'll be a great time. Then we'll come back to the house and have some more fun. So you know, we've got some family that want to see him and so it'll be a good thing, we'll have some fun with it and it'll be a good time.

Speaker 1:

What else is going on? What's happening with you people? Well, I don't know. So that's kind of. I think that's kind of it right now, unless somebody calls in, we're going to cut this kind of short, because it one one, okay, it's late, and two, there's not a whole lot going on. I'm just sitting here talking saying a whole bunch of nothing. And who wants to hear all that? I don't know you do. That's why I do this, because you want to hear a whole bunch of nothing, oh, okay, wait, wait, wait, wait Before I let you guys go. This is funny.

Speaker 1:

So last month when I did the Christmas show, you remember, I took a few phone calls and Tess, my daughter Tess, remember she called in. She was FaceTiming me while I'm reading Twas the Night Before Christmas. Seriously, come on, you can't interrupt Twas the Night Before Christmas, but she FaceTimes me and then I ended up telling her just come in on the show. So I streamed her in and her friend, maggie, was with her, and so it was the two of them. They pretty much closed out the show. I think we took up the last half hour with the three of us. It was funny and it was fun as well. I guess that kind of inspired them.

Speaker 1:

So they've gone out and Tess has two roommates Maggie and Summer is her other roommate. So the three girls have gone out and purchased microphones and are going to start their own podcast. Now, listen, I don't want you guys leaving me for them. You can make time in your listening schedule to fit us both in. You know listening schedule to fit us both in. I don't know when they're going to start it, but I know they've got some equipment and I don't even know what they're going to do, but it inspired them to do it, so good for them. And they'll probably they're probably going to clobber me as far as an audience. They'll get, you know, a million viewers, because I think they're also going to do video as well as audio. So they'll get a million viewers and I'm going to be here with my, you know, 100 or whatever it is.

Speaker 1:

I think I have like 130 subscribers to this channel. We need to up that too. I need to start a campaign. Okay, I need to start a campaign. Okay, give me some suggestions on how we can up the subscriptions to this panel. It costs you nothing. I ask for nothing except for a subscription and a little bit of your time. So you know, I'm not out there asking for money, nothing else, because I don't care about any of that. All I want is your time and your friendship.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, they'll probably clobber me and I'll just keep plugging along doing my thing and probably, you know, within one or two weeks they'll have, you know, thousand, two thousand, three thousand subscribers and all this stuff. That would be something right. That would be something that would just be my luck, yeah. So, anyway, I thought that was that was funny, that um Tess was texting me asking what kind of microphones do you have and what'd you get? This, and that why are you asking? So, yeah, I thought that was that was kind of funny, anyway.

Speaker 1:

So when I know about their podcast, I'll let you know too, and then maybe you've checked them out as well, maybe I'll have them come in studio or stream them in whatever, and we'll talk about their podcast. They can plug their podcast on this one here, maybe I can plug mine on theirs, because when they get thousands of subscribers and viewers and listeners, then maybe some of them will come over here. Yes, there you go, man. See, this ain't no hat rack, this ain't no hat rack here. Anyways, so I'm going to let you go Appreciate your time Short one tonight, but that's okay. Just a few minutes, just to get together and and gab a little bit. It's all good, it's all good stuff and yeah.

Speaker 1:

So, as always, this program is available wherever podcasts are streaming. So all the streaming services, this show is available. Just check it out, subscribe to it. Leave a comment too. Leave a comment. I know you can leave like five-star reviews or comments emails, something along those lines. You can do that when you listen on the various services, so you can do that too. Get it done, all right, but, like tonight, we're streaming live and we're right here on YouTube. So I know some of you may not be able to resist this. I appreciate you for watching, and if you do watch, then please subscribe to the channel, hit the notification bell, give me a thumbs up, leave a comment. All right, last but not least, follow me on Instagram. Ben Maynard program all one word. All right, we're done. Carry on. You can all go to bed now. All right, I will see you next time. See you very soon, guys, behave yourselves, okay. This is the Ben Maynard program. Tell 10,000 friends.