The Evenin' Shadders

House Speaker Carl Albert, D-McAlester, center is shown in 1974. To Albert's left is his press secretary, Joe Foote . OKLAHOMA CITY – This is a story about power and politics. A story about the choices men are given and the choices those same men make.   This is also a story about history, a little-known tale regarding one of the biggest political scandals in American. This is a story about Watergate. But it’s not a typical Watergate story: It’s a story that few know and even fewer talk about.    This is a Watergate story about two Oklahomans: The late Carl Albert, then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a young Justice Department attorney named Larry Nichols. One a Republican, the other a Democrat who, at the height of a national crisis, when the country was divided and people were furious and frightened, made an incredibly difficult choice.                  The Scandal That Brought ...

Billy West survived because of the voices in his head. West, whose real name is William Richard Werstine is a voice actor – not just any voice actor, mind you, but probably the most famous voice actors you’ve never heard of. His resume is impressive: Beany and Cecil, Ren and Stimpy, and Futurama’s Professor Farnsworth, Phillip J. Fry, Dr. Zoidbert, and Zapp Brannigan. West has lent his voice to Doug, Woody Woodpecker, Elmer Fudd, Popeye and Shaggy Rogers from Scooby Doo. He also voiced Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film  Space Jam .  And in his spare time, he’s an M&M – the red one. West spoke at Oklahoma's SoonerCon, a long-running pop culture convention. West was the convention’s headliner, telling crowds about his life, his addiction struggles and his career. West had a lot to say. My childhood was traumatic, but it led me to where I am today,” he said. “I just have horrific memories of my childhood.”  Born in Detroit, West, 71, struggled with ADHD and autism.  “They...

She was tall curvy and tanned, like a Vegas showgirl.   She was beautiful; blond with a perfect smile and long, slender legs. I watched her as she moved quietly through the mass of humanity that had invaded the Made in Oklahoma Building at the Oklahoma State Fair. Believe me, she stood out in the crowd.   She was dressed to show off her body—tiny, short shorts, a tube top, no bra. But the more I watched her, the more it seemed to me the choice of clothes wasn’t her idea. She seemed like more of a trophy — like an animal a hunter would tie to the front of the truck.   He was dressed in jeans, boots, a T-shirt and a stained, dirty ball cap. I’m assuming her was her husband -- because they both wore rings. But this was not a mutual relationship. It was obvious that he was the in total control.    Most couples I watched that day talked and held hands seemed to enjoy each other. This couple, though, was different. They didn’t walk together. He pulled her, she was alw...

Twenty-one-year-old Elvis Presley, performing as The Hillbilly Cat, swings his hips during a 1956 concert in Oklahoma City. The photo of Elvis was captured by Tulsa photographer Mandell Matheson. TULSA – The picture is black and white.  Taken 67 years ago in Oklahoma City, it’s a photo of Young Elvis. Slim. Hair in a pompadour. Standing on tiptoes.  Elvis had just turned 21.  His guitar is swung to the right side. His left hand is thrust toward the audience. His legs are doing all the heavy work, call it an early version the pelvic thrust. Behind him, the stage is sparse, a couple of amplifiers and a single microphone.  This was Elvis when he was known as the Hillbilly Cat. He wasn’t yet the king. This was young Elvis, appearing in Oklahoma City at the Civic Center Music Hall.  The photo is an iconic image of early Elvis. But that photo, taken on April 19, 1956, by a 17-year-old photographer named Mandell Matheson, would never be published by the newspaper M...

 Around 12 or 13 years to be exact. Not sure why I stopped writing here. Life got busy, perhaps, or there was something else. Anyway, my apologies. I'll try to do better this time around. It's March 2024, it's sunny and the house is quiet.  I'm sure there's something out there for me to pontificate about. After all, it is Oklahoma...