1 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks. 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,719 Speaker 1: And we continue now a part two of our conversation 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: with Chris Holman right after these brief messages from our 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: general sponsors. My brother in law, who I've been in 5 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: my life since he was eight because that's when I 6 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: met his sister and subsequently married her, has been in 7 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: my life for a long time. Been is third grade level, 8 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: probably special needs. My life has been so deeply enriched 9 00:00:54,640 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: by my experience understanding that people are that suffer with 10 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: intellectual disabilities have an enormous amount going on inside of 11 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: there that they may not can verbalize, but it's just 12 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: as real and just as one hundred percent intact in 13 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: terms of feelings and emotions as they are and what 14 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: we would call normal people. I was so touched by 15 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: a story that you told that I read about and 16 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: I don't know where it was, about an interaction you 17 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 1: had with a special needs person. Would you tell that story? 18 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 2: Yeah? 19 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a really wonderful friendship with his name's Preston, 20 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 3: same last name Olmen. We call him the one l 21 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 3: Olmens and we're the two l Olmens with U l 22 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 3: m An. 23 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 2: So I was. 24 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 3: Preparing for one of the whistling competitions, and the Washington 25 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 3: Post wrote an article saying Chris is going back to 26 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 3: try to win the fifth prize, which I didn't, but 27 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 3: someone saw that article and then called me up cold and. 28 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 4: Said, I read this article. 29 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:11,079 Speaker 3: My son loves to whistle, but he is pretty severely 30 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 3: intellectually challenged and. 31 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: The special needs right, yes was he was he ah 32 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: with the person suffer from downs. 33 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 3: Not downs, but other kind of cognitive and physical challenges. 34 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 4: Can't speak okay, but he could whistle. And she said, 35 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 4: will you call him. 36 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 3: On his birthday and whistle for him? And it was 37 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 3: I think a few months down the road, So I said, sure, 38 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 3: I'd be honored to do that. So I called Preston 39 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 3: on his birthday. And it was a challenge for me 40 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,679 Speaker 3: at first, because you know, I am a professional communicator. 41 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 3: I communicate by speaking to people and listening, of course, 42 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 3: but that's my primary form of interaction and writing. 43 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 4: So here I'm on the phone with the mom on. 44 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 3: Speakerphone with her son who can't speak but can whistle. 45 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 3: So I'm trying to think, how do I connect with him? 46 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 4: How does he connect with me? 47 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 3: And so his mom said Preston, this is Chris, and 48 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 3: he's going to whistle. And I said, Preston, can you 49 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 3: whistle from me? And I just heard his very sweet whistle. 50 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 3: You know, it's still just gives me a shiver, you know, 51 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 3: that initial moment, and so I said, Preston, is so 52 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 3: nice to meet you, and I look forward to getting 53 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 3: to know you. I whistled happy birthday, and it was 54 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 3: just kind of pleasant trees because we really didn't know 55 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 3: each other, said goodbye. 56 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 4: All right. 57 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 3: A year goes by, I call them and she's completely 58 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 3: surprised this time because she didn't think I was going 59 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 3: to do it again. And she's like, oh my gosh, 60 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 3: you know, let me get him. So she gets Preston, 61 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 3: and you know, he whistles for me. I whistle happy Birthday. 62 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 3: We say a few more pleasant trees, and then like 63 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 3: midway or like three quarters of the way through the 64 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 3: next year, her name's Kathy. Cathy calls me up and said, 65 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 3: will you come to Preston's, you know, graduation from his 66 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 3: school to school for special needs kids and so we 67 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 3: can meet and you can whistle for him and his friends. 68 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 4: And I said that would be amazing. So it was 69 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 4: like a homecoming. 70 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 2: So I show up. 71 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 4: I've never met these people. His hugs all around. 72 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 3: I whistle some songs and when Preston saw me, and 73 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 3: then when I whistled, he lightens up and it's all excited, 74 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 3: and he whistles some notes. 75 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 4: From me, you know, And that was I was like 76 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 4: twenty no, what was that was? 77 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 2: You know? 78 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 3: It was twenty two years ago and we've been friends 79 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 3: ever since. His Preston and his parents come to our 80 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 3: house every year. We have a New Year's Eve party 81 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 3: and we're a bona fide friends now, and you know, 82 00:04:54,480 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 3: and it's really and it helped me like learn, you know, 83 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 3: not everyone's a billionaire and not everyone's like you know, 84 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,600 Speaker 3: kind of communicates the way I do, but that doesn't 85 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 3: mean you can't communicate. And it had to test me 86 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 3: and push me out of my comfort zone, and I've 87 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 3: learned a lot. It's a very good and a humbling 88 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 3: experience in a good way. It's not like I'm better 89 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 3: than him, it's just that we're different. But I was 90 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 3: thankfully able to figure out how to connect with each other. 91 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,479 Speaker 1: When if anybody spent a lot of time around people 92 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: with intellectual disabilities, you will find out that many of. 93 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 2: Them are not human. 94 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: Interaction in touch is somehow oftentimes difficult. And I read 95 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: about a time where your hand was held right, Oh 96 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: my gosh. 97 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, I haven't thought about this in a while. 98 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. 99 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 3: We went, my wife and I went to a fundraiser 100 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 3: for the school and the program that Preston is involved with. 101 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 3: And it was a very big black tie type event 102 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 3: and it's a lot of people all around, and there 103 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 3: was a little reception beforehand. So I show up, I 104 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 3: see his parents, I see Preston. I give him a hug, 105 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 3: and I'm just standing there and suddenly like someone's holding 106 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 3: my hand and it was Preston. 107 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 4: And you know, at first I was like, well, you know, 108 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 4: what's the deal with that? 109 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 3: And I thought and I thought, oh my gosh, well 110 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 3: this is his way of communicating. I mean, it's it's 111 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 3: a way for any human to communicate, is to you know, 112 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 3: human touch, but to show that I'm comfortable with you 113 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 3: and that that touch of flesh on flesh is very special. 114 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 3: And it was a real special bonding moment. And and 115 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 3: then you know, we just stood there for like ten minutes, 116 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 3: just holding hands and little whistles to each other and 117 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 3: watching all the hustle, bustle of people coming. 118 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:49,359 Speaker 4: And going and the like. 119 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 3: And you know that doesn't happen in fancy billionaire land, 120 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 3: you know, but it should. 121 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: You know, I will tell you as it pertains to 122 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: an army of normal folks. I don't know Preston, but 123 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: I know simply through billing willing to listen, if that 124 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: kid reaches out and grabs your hand, you have changed 125 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: his life again, a passion and a discipline intersecting an opportunity, 126 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: making massive change for another person. You don't have to 127 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: have a favoh one C three to do that. You 128 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: just have to have a passion and a heart and 129 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: you have to in your words, bond your whistle. 130 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, and now you know we my wife and I 131 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 3: have raised money for this organization that Preston's a part of. 132 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 3: And you know it's it's important, I think, to just 133 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 3: be aware of the different communities that are around us. 134 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 3: And the special needs community is very existent, but it's 135 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 3: so easy to avoid people with those types of challenges, 136 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 3: and I think it's it's good for the soul and 137 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 3: it's good for the ego. I'm to keep it in 138 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 3: check to make sure you're not just with your you know, 139 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 3: able fancy, able bodied people, but people of all types 140 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 3: have intrinsic and deep worth. He's as much a child 141 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 3: of God as I am. He just communicates differently. 142 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: I'm going to ask you a question that's going to 143 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 1: be obvious, but I think I know what your answer 144 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: is going to be. But I think the question and 145 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: the obvious answer make a point. You know, you've whistled 146 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: for a president, You've whistled on national TV. But I 147 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: would say you probably get more out of your relationship 148 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:43,559 Speaker 1: with Preston than any of those. 149 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 4: Absolutely. Yeah, it's a well, whistling for presidents. It's pretty cool. 150 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 4: I'm not going to deny that. 151 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 3: And it's it's presidents. I met Bill Clinton not long ago. 152 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 3: Can I tell you that real quick? 153 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 2: Yeah? Well, hold on, whistle? Did you whistle for Bill Clinton? 154 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 4: I did a post presidency. 155 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: I have some funny thoughts, but I will keep them 156 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: to myself. Go ahead. 157 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 2: What what was that? Like? 158 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 3: I was at an event where my client was interviewing him, 159 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 3: and the event's over, and then the President and my 160 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 3: client went to the green room to say goodbye to 161 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 3: each other, and I was there and then an aid 162 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 3: to Clinton looks at me, and he said, hey, you're 163 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 3: that champion whistler. 164 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 4: You don't want to whistle for the president? I feel 165 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 4: like a monkey. It was like, hey, you call me on, 166 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 4: and I said sure. I introduced myself to the president. 167 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 4: He's like, how did you learn how to whistle? I 168 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 4: whistled for him. He's like, that's amazing, amazing, and then 169 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 4: he walks away and he comes back and said, you 170 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 4: got to do more of that for me. That's just 171 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 4: really good. 172 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 3: So he was very gracious and fun anyways. But in 173 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 3: terms of impact, you know, whether they're a former president 174 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:58,559 Speaker 3: or a current president or you know, just a regular 175 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 3: regular folk, they're all fun to whistle for. 176 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 4: And but the like that emotional impact is much more. 177 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 3: Powerful because it's just like, I'm a firm believer in 178 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:18,719 Speaker 3: it's important to stay humble and if you get too 179 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,440 Speaker 3: big for your bridges as a bad state. If you're 180 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 3: ever in a state where you don't you don't need 181 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 3: anything in life, like say you're financially comfortable, that's that's 182 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 3: a dangerous state to be in because there's a lot 183 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 3: of hurt in the world and a lot of people 184 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 3: do need a lot, and so anything that can keep 185 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 3: me humble is a good thing. 186 00:10:42,160 --> 00:11:09,679 Speaker 1: We'll be right back. So welcomed you to Memphis at 187 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: the top of the show. But I understand this is 188 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,439 Speaker 1: not your first trip to Memphis and one time you 189 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,439 Speaker 1: visited Graceland and found yourself on Bill Street. 190 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 2: M hm, yes, tell me about that. 191 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 3: Well, I'm also an opportunistic whistler and so and this 192 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:31,839 Speaker 3: gets to the heart of if you have a gift, 193 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 3: what do you do with it? So, as you noted, 194 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 3: I've whistled with a bunch of symphony orchestras well. 195 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 4: For the most part, they didn't call me up. 196 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 3: I called them up and said, hey, you want to 197 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 3: have a champion whistler perform with you. Now, most of 198 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 3: them say you're a freak, get away from me. But 199 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 3: some of them say, hey, that's really cool, let's do it. 200 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 3: So there I am. I was preparing for my years 201 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 3: right the nineteen ninety six International Whistling Competition, and I said, 202 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 3: you know, I need to just be with my myself 203 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:03,959 Speaker 3: for a straight week and whistle for five hours a day. 204 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:06,320 Speaker 3: And I said, what's the best way to do that? 205 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,199 Speaker 3: I said, I need a trip. So I said, I'm 206 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:12,199 Speaker 3: going to do a Graceland pilgrimage. So I'm in Alexandria, Virginia, 207 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 3: and I say, I'm going to go circumnavigate the state 208 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 3: of Tennessee. I'm going to go there and commune with Elvis. 209 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:22,199 Speaker 3: And I did whistle at his grave, and people around 210 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 3: it thought it was a little weird, but everything about 211 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 3: Graceland is weird. And so I whistle for five hours 212 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 3: every day for a week and then I come back 213 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 3: and I won every prize in the competition that year. 214 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 4: It was a great year. My lips were on fire. 215 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 4: It was amazing. 216 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 3: Anyhow, So one of the evenings, so I hear I'm 217 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 3: in Memphis, and I say, oh, I got to go 218 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 3: to I'm a BB King, you know BB King fan. 219 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 3: So I said, I'm just going to go to BB 220 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,199 Speaker 3: King's Blues Club and see what's going on. 221 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 4: And so I go. 222 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 3: There and is a really good house band. It wasn't 223 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:59,400 Speaker 3: BB King himself, but it was a just fantastic band 224 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 3: doing the blue and I thought, you know, I need 225 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,680 Speaker 3: to jam with these people. And so at the break 226 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 3: I went up to the it is either the singer 227 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 3: or the guitarist, and I said, you guys are amazing. 228 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 4: I said, do you ever let people sit in with you. 229 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 3: He looks at me, he's like, what do you play? 230 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 3: I said, I whistle, and he's like, yeah, right, okay, and. 231 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 4: He just walks away. 232 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 3: And midway through the next set, I'm standing in the back. 233 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 4: Just I don't drink alcohols. 234 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:36,559 Speaker 3: I was just nursing my glass of water. And then 235 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 3: there's quiet for a moment, and suddenly I hear there's 236 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 3: a whistler in the audience. 237 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 4: Come on up here. I'm like, oh my gosh, it's me. 238 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 3: And so I went up to the stage and they 239 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 3: but you know, I was three feet away. 240 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:53,719 Speaker 4: They start playing a song. I get up there. 241 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 3: They throw me the mic and then you just got 242 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 3: to jump in there and start jamming with a seriously 243 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 3: professional blues. 244 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,959 Speaker 4: Ban and a crowd went wild. I mean it was. 245 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 4: It was really an awesome experience. 246 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 2: You've whistled the blues on Historic Bill Street. 247 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 4: I have that. 248 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 2: Yeah. 249 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 3: You know, so much of life is like this is 250 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 3: that you know, as my my late father said many many, 251 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 3: many times when I was grown up, is that this 252 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 3: is not a dress rehearsal one shot, and every day 253 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 3: that passes is in the history books. 254 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 4: You can't revisit it. At least physically. So what are 255 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 4: you gonna do? What are you gonna do with today? 256 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 3: You know, my daily refrain is this is the day 257 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 3: the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad. 258 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:44,280 Speaker 3: So every day there's opportunity to touch another heart, to 259 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 3: go whistle with the blues band, to do all these things, 260 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 3: and to revel in the wonderment of our fellow humans. 261 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 3: You know, all the gifts that people have, and are 262 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 3: we discovering them and just learning little tidbits about them 263 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 3: and what you know, what they've done in their lives. 264 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 4: I mean, it's I mean. 265 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 3: I tell my twenty year old children, I said, you 266 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 3: live in an awesome time in American in world human history, 267 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 3: in terms of health care and educational opportunities and generally 268 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 3: strong economy and freedom and freedom of speech and all that. 269 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 4: And I said, you should be reveling every day in 270 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 4: that gift. 271 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 3: And when I see people who are kind of young 272 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 3: people who I mentor are just kind. 273 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 4: Of sullen, like, what are you excited about? 274 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 5: Oh? 275 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 4: I do, like, come on, like what a time to 276 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 4: be alive? You know, just get out there and just 277 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 4: be in the game, get your head in the game, 278 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 4: and just revel in the opportunity. 279 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: So the Washington Post asked a question, where have all 280 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 1: the whistlers gone? People don't whistle much anymore. It used 281 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: to be so American, so equivalive of our rugged individualism 282 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: and independence, of a certain Johnny, happy go luckiness. A 283 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: fellow whistled while he worked, whistled a happy tune? Then 284 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: what is whistle with the cold one? And whistled at 285 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: the girls gone by? Jimmy Cricket whistled seven Dwarfs, Gene Kelly, 286 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: Santa Claus, Wouodrow Wilson, Charles Limberg, Albert Einstein. Musical whistling 287 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: went with the dancing in the rain and the sauntering 288 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: down the street, hands and shoved pockets, hat brim. The 289 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,360 Speaker 1: whistled theme of the Andy Griffiths show conjured up small 290 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 1: town coziness that has vanished, if ever existed at all. 291 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: Now people march to a different tune, and the street 292 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: is a horrible, rocous mess of jackhammers and sirens, and 293 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: the beat beat beep of big trucks backing up and 294 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 1: piercing trill or two could sound in protest. Instead, people 295 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,280 Speaker 1: lower their voices and mutter into things like cell phones 296 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: or silence themselves trudging along. Whistling is too weird, like 297 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 1: poke music, too idiocycronatic, like addressing envelopes on a manual typewriter, 298 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,120 Speaker 1: too stubbornly nonconformists, like the mom at the awards banquet 299 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: and fry boots and a fringe jacket. Whistling as a 300 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: relic from a less technological time when folks had to 301 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: amuse themselves. 302 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 2: It's a front porch culture. It's loaner art. He used 303 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 2: to float around the school janitor who pushed a broom 304 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 2: down empty halls. Yet kids still try to whistle, buckering 305 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 2: and huffing to no effect. One day something comes out 306 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 2: and the joy is profound until they are silenced by 307 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 2: modern wars and music videos. 308 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 4: That's very well written. 309 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I have. 310 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 3: Wrestled with the why what has happened? I have My 311 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 3: main theory is that we went from a society where 312 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 3: you had to entertain yourself. You didn't have the TV 313 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 3: on all the time, you didn't have transistor radios. You 314 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 3: certainly didn't have iPhones and things like that. So you 315 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 3: were more inclined to either read or do knitting, or 316 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 3: have a craft or have a piano and people sitting 317 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,639 Speaker 3: around maybe listening to FDR do his fireside chats. But 318 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:25,120 Speaker 3: it was almost like more collectivist, self initiated way of 319 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 3: entertaining ourselves. And then technology, which has lots of pluses, 320 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 3: I think there are lots of minuses, but technology has 321 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 3: forced us or us into more of a kind of 322 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:44,639 Speaker 3: passive entertainment versus active entertainment. So once we could go 323 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 3: into our own world with a transistor radio with headphones 324 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 3: on it or the walkman, and the way things are 325 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:54,639 Speaker 3: now you're just in your own world rather than feeling 326 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 3: you have to be able to make something happen. And 327 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 3: this really knocked me over the head when I performed 328 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 3: with an orchestra in Minneapolis, and each day I was 329 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 3: either going so I was on the campus of the 330 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 3: University of Minneapolis, and as I go from my hotel 331 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 3: to the performance venue, and I went by hundreds and 332 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 3: hundreds of students, and here. 333 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,480 Speaker 4: I am whistling along the way, of course. 334 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 3: And every kid had headphones in, staring straight straight ahead, 335 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 3: no eye contact, in their own world. I think that's bad. 336 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,959 Speaker 3: It's really bad. And I'm not saying I'm perfect at it. 337 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 3: I had headphones in on the plane today, I probably 338 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,399 Speaker 3: should have talked to the young lady next to me. 339 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 3: I did say hi, okay, So I think that's part 340 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 3: of it. My secondary theory is that the Cold War 341 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 3: of the fifties, sixties, seventies just almost put it like 342 00:19:55,160 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 3: a wet blanket over our national personality, and and that 343 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 3: more happy, go lucky feeling kind of got dampened a bit. 344 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 4: I have no proof for either. 345 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 3: Of these, but as a serious whistler and try to 346 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:12,159 Speaker 3: be observer of human nature, those are kind of my 347 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 3: two theories. 348 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 1: When you were five, you found your whistle hanging around, Bob. 349 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: You wrote a book on finding your whistle, clearly not 350 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: encouraging everybody to learn to whistle, but to find their 351 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: personal whistle metaphorically their talent. 352 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 2: What do you say to the. 353 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: To the eighteen, nineteen, twenty five, sixteen, twenty nine year 354 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: old who is going through life but hadn't found their whistle, 355 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: where's their Bob? 356 00:20:54,760 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 3: Well, hopefully they're blessed with loving parents who encouraged them 357 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:08,159 Speaker 3: just in whatever area they either have a nascent interest in, 358 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:10,400 Speaker 3: which is what happened with me. You know, I wasn't 359 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 3: good whistler at first, but my parents encouraged it. If 360 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 3: they don't have a bub or you know, a fran 361 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:23,440 Speaker 3: at my mom's name, then look to people around There 362 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 3: are just so many I think encouraging people out there 363 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 3: got to find them. But I think there's also a 364 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 3: great merit in what I call kind of a journey 365 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 3: of discernment that when I meet and I do a 366 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:42,080 Speaker 3: ton of mentoring with like nineteen to twenty three year 367 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 3: olds through this intern program that I'm involved with, and 368 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 3: I've met hundreds and hundreds of students in the past 369 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 3: twenty five years, and I kind of give them a charge. 370 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 3: And the charge is you need to find your gift 371 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 3: and your skill set and what touches your heart art 372 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 3: as well. And sometimes it hits you like a lightning bolt, 373 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 3: maybe like the whistling did, But a lot of times 374 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:11,639 Speaker 3: it doesn't. So then you have to go proactively find it. 375 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,199 Speaker 3: And so discernment is a journey. It's not something that 376 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 3: happens over a weekend where you say, oh, I'm going 377 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:18,880 Speaker 3: to go figure out my career and I'm going. 378 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 4: To do it this weekend. That's not how it works. 379 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,159 Speaker 3: But for a twenty year old, especially if they feel 380 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 3: a bit adrift, I will say to them, remember, your 381 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 3: life is a quarter over already, and they're like stunned 382 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 3: by that because they haven't been thinking along those lines. 383 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 3: And then I say, listen, my life is three quarters over, 384 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 3: so you should consider yourself blessed. And I say, well, 385 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 3: survey what you have done up to that point. Where 386 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 3: did you struggle, where did you thrive? What excites you, 387 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 3: what tickles your heart in your brain as well from 388 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 3: a skill standpoint, and explore and then find things that 389 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 3: interest you you and then go out there and find 390 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,880 Speaker 3: people who do those things and you interview them casually, 391 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 3: like have coffees and things like that, and it's a 392 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:13,200 Speaker 3: way to learn about what's out there and then see 393 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 3: how it meshes with what's kind of coming up in 394 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,159 Speaker 3: your own heart or brain. 395 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 4: And it does. 396 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 3: It's not an accident, like this is a process in 397 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 3: life where you're discerning and you're growing and you're gathering. 398 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,360 Speaker 3: Because then that's the whole point of getting being having 399 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 3: your head in the game and learning from the people 400 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 3: around you, is that there's so much wisdom and knowledge 401 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 3: out there and are we going to stay in our 402 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 3: own little bubbles or are we going to engage? 403 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 4: And it's that engagement. 404 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 3: I think that can they can set the fire and 405 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:48,400 Speaker 3: like turn up the heat on a burgeoning skill or direction. 406 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: And then when you found that whistle, you can join 407 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,160 Speaker 1: the ranks of the army in normal folks and influence 408 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 1: the world. 409 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,880 Speaker 4: Yes, but you know it takes courage, it does. 410 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 3: That I think is super super important I tell young 411 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 3: people all the time, is that engagement can be scary 412 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:10,880 Speaker 3: reaching out to people you don't know and sharing your 413 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 3: what's special to you with others. You know, you probably 414 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 3: worry about rejection or something like that, and that's natural. 415 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 3: But the more you do it, the more comfortable you 416 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 3: will be and ultimately more confident as well. So that's 417 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 3: why I say get your head in the game, because 418 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:29,880 Speaker 3: this is not a dress rehearsal. 419 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 2: We'll be right back. So crazy story. 420 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 1: A kid learns how to whistle and has an alternate 421 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: life outside of his professional life where he makes seven 422 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: hundred people a year smile for it for just a bit, 423 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: a little bit, and has used this down to write 424 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:10,919 Speaker 1: a book and has had his aha moment where it 425 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: is I need to help encourage other people to find 426 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,479 Speaker 1: their whistle. What a cool, cool story. I gotta ask you, 427 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: what is your favorite thing to whistle. 428 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 4: Let's see if we're. 429 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 3: If it's for younger people, I tend to do bell 430 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 3: from Beauty and the Beast. 431 00:25:35,320 --> 00:26:31,440 Speaker 5: Okay, h h, that's awesome. 432 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:37,400 Speaker 2: Alright, what about older people? You said favor. 433 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,639 Speaker 3: Everyone's young at heart older. I love to do a 434 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 3: train by Duke Ellington. 435 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 4: Let's hear a little. 436 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:27,199 Speaker 2: That's very cool. That's the all right. 437 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 1: I asked you earlier, and it's just because I love 438 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:32,400 Speaker 1: it and I think it would sound cool whistled. 439 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 2: Can you do free Bird? All right? 440 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 4: I don't think ever whistled this publicly. 441 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:41,159 Speaker 2: Oh boy, here we go. 442 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 4: I feel like I'm back in the Oval office here. 443 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 5: Uh. 444 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 3: That's I'm trying to figure out if I should do 445 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,200 Speaker 3: the guitar sol. No, No, that's that's that's way wild. 446 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:24,919 Speaker 4: All that goes on. 447 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 2: That's awesome. That's pretty crazy that you can do it. 448 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 2: All right. 449 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: We Alex, the producer, who is my friend in the 450 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 1: vein of my existence half the time, all the tuff 451 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 1: he's got me doing. We got about ten minutes left 452 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: before you got to go off to an interview on 453 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: some radio or TV show around Memphis. Because everybody's excited 454 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: you're here. I want to thank everybody for showing and 455 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 1: if any of you have any questions or now listen, 456 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: the man didn't show up here with the seven thousand 457 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: tunes in his head. But are you are you open 458 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:07,760 Speaker 1: to taking a request or two if it's something you 459 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: can do. 460 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 4: If it's something I can do, okay, So. 461 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: Does anybody have any questions for Chris? And then if 462 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: you have a request, we'll do it. And I do 463 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: have a sign off. I have a walk off song 464 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: for the end of the show and got ten minutes, 465 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: so we got it. Yes, ma'am, have both a. 466 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 6: Question and a request. The question is have you ever 467 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 6: whistled to. 468 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 7: Help someone in mourning? 469 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:38,680 Speaker 2: And the now, that's a great question. I wish I 470 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 2: had a thought that you sit here, I'll move over there. 471 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:42,240 Speaker 2: That's a great question. 472 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 4: The request is amazing. 473 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 3: Grace, I can do both of those. Wow, all right, 474 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 3: So I all right. The first one about in the morning. 475 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 3: So at my wife's aunt funeral, my mother in law 476 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 3: asked me to whistle a song for her, and I 477 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:04,400 Speaker 3: whistled on Eagle's Wings, which was, you know, very very 478 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 3: touching and the beautiful, beautiful song. There's a kind of 479 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 3: a funny twist to it if I may, so, Hey, 480 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 3: I whistle. So that song, And this is the challenge 481 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 3: of being a whistler and not a singer, is that 482 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 3: the song has four verses to it. 483 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 4: In each verse is different. Now the tune is the same. 484 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 3: So I whistle the first verse, then I whistle the 485 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,680 Speaker 3: second verse, and then I'm I'm up in the choir 486 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 3: loft with the organ, you know. So soone's playing the organ, 487 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 3: I'm whistling, and I see my mother in law on 488 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,400 Speaker 3: like the second row, and she turns around as I 489 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 3: was about to whistle the third verse, and. 490 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 4: She's like, it's like two verses enough, Okay, the eagle 491 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 4: has landed. So yeah, that was very special. I really 492 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 4: love that. 493 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 3: I've whistled at probably twenty weddings, and I've done a 494 00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 3: bar mitzvah. 495 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:00,320 Speaker 4: Chris, tell them who you met up at one of 496 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 4: the weddings. 497 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 2: Who saw you whistle? 498 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 3: Oh, this is very this is very funny, And I 499 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 3: will whistle amazing grace. So I was at a friend's wedding, 500 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 3: so I whistled the processional. I whistled Ave Maria and 501 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 3: the recessional at the ceremony. Then we're at the reception, 502 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 3: and Bill Gates is at this wedding and Bill Gates 503 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 3: comes up to me and says, do you have. 504 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 4: A real job? 505 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: You know what your spots should have been? Yes, sir, 506 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: I do what about you? 507 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 2: Oh? 508 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 4: All right, anyway, that was that was pretty wild. 509 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 3: I said, I do have a day job, I said, 510 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,880 Speaker 3: and and he's like, okay, just walked away. Yeah, he's 511 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 3: a unique kind of guy. 512 00:31:46,040 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 2: All right, amazing. 513 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 4: I could listen to that all day long. Yeah, thank you. 514 00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 2: Someone back here, I think God a question? Yeah, whoever, 515 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:36,720 Speaker 2: Alex find I was. 516 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:39,959 Speaker 6: Just wondering in your competition's how with the percentage of 517 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 6: if you could guess of women. 518 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:48,080 Speaker 3: Uh, yeah, there were I would say it was probably 519 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 3: like one third two thirds one third women, two thirds 520 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 3: men or so. And there's there's no best I can tell. 521 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:00,280 Speaker 3: I have no formal data, but I don't see any 522 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 3: physiological reason why one would necessarily be better or worse 523 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:09,640 Speaker 3: than the other. And so there are lots of wonderful 524 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 3: female whistlers. And I think the best whistler today is 525 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 3: a man named Geirt Shatrue who's in the Netherlands. And 526 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,200 Speaker 3: he and I competed and he beat me in the 527 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 3: classical division. I beat him in the pop division and 528 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 3: he just edged me out for first. He's should look 529 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:29,719 Speaker 3: him up on YouTube. Geart shut true, he's a fantastic whistler. 530 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:30,960 Speaker 4: I'm on all over. 531 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,720 Speaker 3: YouTube of whistled the national Anthem at lots of major 532 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:37,520 Speaker 3: league Major league spoorting events, and which is a lot 533 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 3: of fun. 534 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 2: Hoping we can get Curs to come back here and 535 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 2: do the Grizzlies. 536 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:43,479 Speaker 4: Yeah, that would be a great honor, Chris. 537 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 7: My pursuit of excellence is truly amazing. After fifty years 538 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 7: of whistling, What keeps you going and elevates you to 539 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,720 Speaker 7: keep working on your craft day in month after month, 540 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 7: year after year, and not just you know, I want 541 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 7: to do something else? What what motivates you to keep going? 542 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:06,080 Speaker 2: Well? 543 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:06,440 Speaker 4: Thank you? 544 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,760 Speaker 3: Uh, I'd say, well, it brings me a lot of joy. 545 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 3: I mean, I enjoy whistling for other people and that 546 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 3: when they're happy, that makes me happy. But I just 547 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,320 Speaker 3: love walking down the street. And if I want to 548 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 3: whistle Brahm's Fourth Symphony, I can. If I want to 549 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,240 Speaker 3: whistle some a train, I can, And just the creation 550 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 3: of music brings me joy. And then developing kind of 551 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:35,799 Speaker 3: new techniques I I've learned. This is like easily the 552 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,239 Speaker 3: freakiest thing. I can whistle with my mouth closed. I 553 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:40,600 Speaker 3: can whistle underwater. 554 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:47,400 Speaker 4: I tall, they have a spout hole, so that's right. 555 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:50,600 Speaker 3: I tried to get in the Guinness Book World Records 556 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,759 Speaker 3: for being the first person to whistle underwater, but they 557 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,160 Speaker 3: were uninterested, which I thought was unfortunate. 558 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:58,960 Speaker 4: Can so and then and that I'm fairly competitive person. 559 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 3: So when I hear gear shut true whistle, I'm saying 560 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 3: that guy's got some techniques I don't know yet. So 561 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 3: you try to then figure out. And the great challenge 562 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:11,040 Speaker 3: with being a whistler versus a violinist, for example, is 563 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:15,399 Speaker 3: that I can't see inside gear It's mouth, so when 564 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 3: he makes a sound, I have to figure out, all right, 565 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,560 Speaker 3: I know the mechanics of whistling, so then I have 566 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:27,480 Speaker 3: to kind of deconstruct by experimenting how is he doing that? 567 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:29,680 Speaker 3: But if I were playing the violin, you know, the 568 00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:32,120 Speaker 3: instructor would say, oh, your elbow is a little this 569 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:33,880 Speaker 3: way and your wrist is the wrong position. 570 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:35,760 Speaker 4: But you can't do that with a whistler. 571 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 3: It's you just see puffing cheeks and puckered lips. So 572 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 3: it takes a fair amount of deconstruction to be able 573 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 3: to learn from another whistler. 574 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:47,920 Speaker 4: I have taught people how to whistle. 575 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:52,399 Speaker 3: By telling them explaining the lips, tongue air, and how 576 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 3: the pieces fit together. I do have to deliver bad 577 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:58,480 Speaker 3: news for people who are older who've tried to whistle 578 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:00,759 Speaker 3: their whole lives and can't, and I just have to 579 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 3: say there's no hope for you. 580 00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:09,880 Speaker 4: But that doesn't mean you're not a good person. I 581 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:11,239 Speaker 4: don't know if the mic will pick it up, but 582 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:17,480 Speaker 4: we can try. If you were right next to me, 583 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 4: you could hear it. Oh oh really, oh wow? So 584 00:36:20,719 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 4: what the way it works. 585 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,720 Speaker 3: The way it works is that it's the tongue whistle, 586 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:29,960 Speaker 3: and since it doesn't require lips, if you shut your 587 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,960 Speaker 3: mouth and do the tongue whistle with tiny bursts, that 588 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,680 Speaker 3: you can whistle without your mouth open. So I'm a 589 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 3: firm believer in freaky things. And that's at the top 590 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 3: of the list. 591 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:49,080 Speaker 6: Actually, Chris, the seven hundred people that you reach every 592 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:51,840 Speaker 6: year with your birthday whistle. 593 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:54,799 Speaker 4: Seven hundred and one, and. 594 00:36:56,360 --> 00:37:01,520 Speaker 6: So does that list change every year you add people 595 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:01,880 Speaker 6: to it? 596 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 4: This is a very controversial question, Very all right, all right. 597 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:11,280 Speaker 3: So in all these years, I've only taken two people off. 598 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 3: I will not say who they are, but they were 599 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:14,680 Speaker 3: just turned out to be mean, bad people. 600 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 1: And I just said, so if if you're out there 601 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,319 Speaker 1: listening and he used to whistle for you, no, you 602 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 1: are a mean, bad person. 603 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 2: We're going to put that on the website. 604 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 3: And then if you die, but for people who I 605 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,919 Speaker 3: so I would. There's another thing that makes me tear 606 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 3: up when I talk about it. So I have a 607 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:43,000 Speaker 3: friend whose son had down syndrome and leukemia. I whistled 608 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:46,800 Speaker 3: for him for years, and then he passed away from leukemia. 609 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:51,359 Speaker 3: I did not know he had died, and the friend 610 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 3: and I sort of lost touch. I kept whistling for him, 611 00:37:56,719 --> 00:37:58,719 Speaker 3: and then I found out he and I'm whistling for 612 00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:03,480 Speaker 3: someone's dead child, and I'm about to cry. But I 613 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:06,279 Speaker 3: felt so bad. Oh my gosh, I felt so bad. 614 00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 3: And I then ran into that person and he felt bad. 615 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:12,279 Speaker 4: I didn't know. 616 00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:23,439 Speaker 3: And then he said, will you keep whistling for him? 617 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:23,800 Speaker 4: Sorry? 618 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:29,120 Speaker 2: So I whistle. 619 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 4: I whistled for his birthday every year. 620 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:52,280 Speaker 2: Now it's beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. Yes, sir, this is great. 621 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:56,399 Speaker 7: Do you whistle your own compositions. You put a lot 622 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:59,600 Speaker 7: of the issue in the ones you whistle, So do 623 00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:00,400 Speaker 7: you have your. 624 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,120 Speaker 4: Own, uh compositions that you whistle for? 625 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:08,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, I just cover other people's tunes, so I'm definitely 626 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:08,799 Speaker 3: not a composer. 627 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:13,440 Speaker 4: I did whistle with a symphony, and I had to. 628 00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 3: For those who know concertos, so Mozart's Obo Concerto has 629 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,080 Speaker 3: they have solos in them called cadenzas, and I did 630 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:24,799 Speaker 3: make up my own cadenzas for those. I don't think 631 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 3: they are going to win any awards, but they were fun. 632 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 3: So that's probably in terms of like creating a tune. 633 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:36,960 Speaker 3: I do do lots of you know, improvisational whistling, like 634 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 3: with blues and jazz, and if I'm jamming with the 635 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:44,840 Speaker 3: Grateful Dead Y, I will do that, you know, because 636 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:46,959 Speaker 3: that's just if you can stay in the right key 637 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:50,040 Speaker 3: and you and you can kind of go with the flow, 638 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:52,480 Speaker 3: you can do all sorts of you know, creative things. 639 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:58,799 Speaker 1: Chris, Thank you for being here, Thank you for coming 640 00:39:58,840 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: to Memphis, Thank you for sharing. 641 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:05,960 Speaker 2: You know, a kid that learned to whistle from his. 642 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:10,960 Speaker 1: Dad, who has a life and just uses your special 643 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:12,920 Speaker 1: talent to try to touch people in the way you've 644 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:16,120 Speaker 1: touched everybody in this room. You touch people on a 645 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:19,920 Speaker 1: daily basis with your talent, and what a blessing it 646 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:21,839 Speaker 1: is to others, And I know it's a blessing to you. 647 00:40:22,719 --> 00:40:27,160 Speaker 1: And I want everybody listening to me, go get the book, 648 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:31,640 Speaker 1: Find your whistle. Simple gifts touch hearts and change lives. 649 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:36,719 Speaker 1: And we don't use the show to plug books or movies, 650 00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:40,800 Speaker 1: but oftentimes we have people on that are involved in 651 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:43,960 Speaker 1: different forms of media. But we all need to find 652 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:47,120 Speaker 1: our whistle, and we all need to develop extra whistles, 653 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: and we all need to use our talents and our 654 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:54,000 Speaker 1: discipline to plug holes in society where we can, and 655 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:56,680 Speaker 1: we don't have to be part of some big organization 656 00:40:56,760 --> 00:41:00,560 Speaker 1: to do it. And Chris, you're walking living proof of 657 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:04,560 Speaker 1: how you can affect lives with some of the simplest 658 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: passions and talents you have. And that's the call of 659 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:10,600 Speaker 1: an army of normal folk, millions of us seeing areas 660 00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 1: of need, putting our passion and our discipline to work 661 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:17,839 Speaker 1: to simply help someone who maybe has a bad day 662 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:20,719 Speaker 1: or not be as blessed as us. We're going to 663 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:24,560 Speaker 1: end this way. You said something really cool, which as 664 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 1: you mentoring you say, get your head in the game. 665 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:29,279 Speaker 1: Get your head in the game. That's what we got 666 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 1: to do. Find your passion, get your head in the game. 667 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:36,799 Speaker 1: So something that I think puts smiles on everybody's faces 668 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:41,080 Speaker 1: and metaphorically maybe can send us off thinking about today 669 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:42,240 Speaker 1: getting our head in the game. 670 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 2: How about take us out to the ballgame. 671 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:46,280 Speaker 4: That's great. 672 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:49,320 Speaker 3: Thank you for the opportunity to be here, and I'm 673 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 3: really blessed by everyone's presence, so thank you. 674 00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:20,920 Speaker 2: Are we supposed to whistle too? Thank you. 675 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,000 Speaker 1: And thank you for joining us this week. If Chris 676 00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:34,239 Speaker 1: Olman has inspired you in general, or better yet, to 677 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:38,880 Speaker 1: take action by finding your own whistle and using it 678 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:43,360 Speaker 1: more often, by buying his book Find your Whistle, or 679 00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:47,279 Speaker 1: something else entirely, please let me know. I'd love to 680 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:50,800 Speaker 1: hear about it. You can write me anytime at Bill 681 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,400 Speaker 1: at normalfolks dot us, and I promise you I will respond. 682 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:57,880 Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, share with friends and on social, 683 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:02,480 Speaker 1: subscribe to the podcast and review it. Join the army 684 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:06,560 Speaker 1: at normalfolks dot us consider becoming a premium member. There 685 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,680 Speaker 1: all of these things that will help us grow an 686 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:14,040 Speaker 1: army of normal folks I'm Bill COORDINAY until next time, 687 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:15,319 Speaker 1: do what you can