We all love a great story
The best storyteller in the Ozarks: Clarence Monroe Wieners, my grandpa.
Newsletter #008
This blog was adapted from my monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
The leaves are changing on our street, and summer schedules are finally winding down. I don’t know if it's the changing seasons or getting older or just the craziness of our life right now, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the art of storytelling. What makes a great story? Why do we do it? Why do we love it?
Here are 10 of my favorite stories, some personal and some just for fun:
You know when you’re watching kids play a sport and there is one giant “early bloomer” on the field, twice as tall as the rest? That was 13-year-old Andy Reid in the 1971 Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition. You honestly have to watch this.
-“During one of the final sessions, knowing this was near the end, I mentioned to Tom (Petty) that he always provided a great cup of coffee, better than what I brought myself…. ‘You know, Warren,’ he said, holding my gaze, ‘you’re not the first person to say that.’” Warren Zanes tell the story of Tom Petty and his quest to make the perfect cup of coffee.
-There’s a lot of wisdom in this story from The Serviceberry:
“A hunter had brought home a sizable kill, far too much to be eaten by his family. The researcher asked how he would store the excess. Smoking and drying technologies were well known; storing was possible. The hunter was puzzled by the question…
’Store my meat? I store my meat in the belly of my brother.’”
-My grandpa, Clarence Wieners, is probably the reason I am fascinated by storytellers. His stories are artful and hilarious, a master craftsman. One of my favorites is about visiting his friend, Henry Lewis of Waynesville, Missouri:
“I went down there and knocked on the door. From inside I hear him yell, ‘Who’s there or I’ll blow your damn head off?! … Oh, Clarence. Come on in.’ So we go in there and he has all these chickens, all over the house, see? Inside the house! Henry says ‘Have a seat, Clarence. But watch where you sit – I haven’t gathered the eggs yet!”
-Vin Scully, the greatest baseball broadcaster ever, got his start by sending a letter from college to the legendary Red Barber. “Red said, ‘I’m gonna take that red-headed kid, and I’m gonna make him an announcer.’”
-George Brett may not be as eloquent as Vin Scully, but you can’t deny that he’s a great storyteller. One year at spring training, George was caught on mic telling this zinger about eating crab legs in Las Vegas. “When’s the last time you sh*t your pants? I’m good for it ‘bout twice a year.” (Put your headphones on, George is the pinnacle of NSFW)
-I was captivated by this story about The Old Leatherman, a wanderer in the 1880’s who never said a word but became a folk hero in the northeast. A newspaper described his schedule at the time: “So regular are his habits that it is often said that he is the only sure thing that farmers can depend upon in this age of uncertainty.”
-We made a book of stories with Kate’s Grandma Marcille using Storyworth (you should try it with a family member!). One story that gives me goosebumps every time is about the end of WWII. The President had declared victory on the radio and told everyone to go outside and ring their dinner bells to celebrate. Grandma’s dad said “go out and ring the bell, and ring it until you can’t ring it anymore.” She did, and she could hear bells all over their Ohio town. She rang it as long as she could, and then her dad came out and took a turn of his own.
-Have I ever told you the one where the creators of Topps baseball cards dumped a boat load of Mickey Mantle rookie cards into the ocean? “By 1960, Berger and Gelman found their warehouse still filled with case after case of the ’52 Topps second series. Having marched on from their failed business venture, and needing more storage space… Berger and Gelman waved to the bullpen for a garbage barge.”
-We have spent the last several weeks (with a few more to go) rebuilding our bookstore after a fire. It’s been a rough few months, but it will certainly be a great story in a few years. Progress is picking up and we hope to open again in November. Read my blog to learn more.
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If you have a great story to share, shoot me an email. I’d love to hear it.
See you next month 👋
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