The
Night I Scared Mitch Albom
by Jody Reeves
5/14/99
Recently, I had the pleasure of being
interviewed for an article that USA Today was doing on the 'spiritual' aspect of the Star
Wars phenomenon. As I have done a couple of articles highlighting the use of mythology by
George Lucas, along with the fact that I had been a volunteer at the Magic of Myth
exhibit, I was eager to participate.
The article, titled "The
Source of the Force," was released in the May 14 edition. Naturally, I
got some good-natured ribbing at work, and I figured that would be the end of it. Friends,
I was wrong. On that fateful Friday, I received a call from the producer of Mitch Albom's
radio show in Detroit. For those of you just tuning in, Mitch Albom is a sportswriter. Not
a film critic, not a social commentator, and certainly not a political reporter. No, a
sportswriter, who by definition should just write about sports. But, someone had put a bug
in Mr. Albom's bonnet and gave him the idea that he should write a commentary that claims
all Star Wars fans are raving, unwashed geeks slavering in anticipation of the release of
"The Phantom Menace." Oh, dear.
Mr. Albom's producer asked me if I would be willing to be a guest on the show. I gave it
some thought, about a whole second's worth, and agreed. After all, I took exception to Mr.
Albom's stereotyping of Star Wars fans, and wanted to contribute a viewpoint that was
contrary to his own. Echo Station's Dave Phillips wrote a magnificent rebuttal to Mr. Albom's column, and I encourage
everyone to read it. However, I hoped to reach a bigger audience, though the thought of my
voice being broadcast to thousands of sports freaks probably wouldn't have done much good.
At 5:00 pm, I get a call from the station and get clicked over to the studio; presumably,
I was on the air. Albom immediately went for my jugular, I was just a helpless woman and a
Star Wars fan, at that. Here was the first exchange (this is all paraphrasing from my
memory, as it isn't "station policy" to send tapes to people who were guests,
and I never dreamed it wouldn't be broadcast into my recording tape deck).
ALBOM (insert whiny, condescending voice): Did you really tell USA Today, "Star Wars
really did change the lives of those of us who were 6, 7, or 8 when we first saw it. We
grew up on this, were immersed in it. It was devastating after the third movie and that
was it." ?
REEVES: Yes, I did say that. It was true.
ALBOM: Oh, come on. There was Disney...
REEVES: Sure there was, but Disney wasn't a marketing powerhouse back then. "Star
Wars" gave us toys, Burger King glasses, all kinds of stuff.
ALBOM: So you were "devastated" when the third movie was over.
REEVES: Yes. I was sixteen at the time. We were told there would be nine films altogether,
so it was a bit devastating when we only had three and that was it.
ALBOM: Most sixteen-year-olds only got devastated when their boyfriend broke up with them.
REEVES: I didn't really have time for that stuff.
ALBOM: Oh, cause you were too into "Star Wars?"
REEVES: Actually, I was busy studying and getting straight As...
Ok, you can see that the conversation was only going to go downhill from there. Especially
when Albom brought up the bit that I said I ask myself what Luke would do in a specific
situation. Oh, please, that was a joke! Like I really have time to sit in my
cube and ponder what Jedi Skywalker would do if three legislative aides simultaneously
jammed the printer.
Finally, when Albom realized that I wasn't going to act like a demented fanboy, he bade me
good-bye and handed me off to an assistant producer. I asked her if I could get a tape,
but was told that it wasn't station policy. Ok, fine.
About an hour later, Dave Phillips called to say that my interview didn't air. WHAT??
Excuse me? I spent 10 minutes, using up time on my cell phone, thank you - and I didn't
get on the air?
Hmmm. Perhaps because I came across as an educated, articulate adult? Did someone with a
real job scare off Albom? I'm not saying that spending time in locker rooms with smelly
guys isn't a real job, but try printing out 99 letters to members of the Senate when
you're on a deadline because the bill your boss has written is about to hit the floor of
the Senate. So again, I say to Mr. Albom "Bite Me".
(Jody Reeves is the Systems
Administrator for a US Senator. She has a degree in political science from UC
Berkeley and spends her time reading books on political commentary and Celtic mythology.
If you try to reach her and she's not at her desk, she's likely either working
diligently on the Senator's website or unjamming a printer.)
The following email was sent to Mitch Albom by the Echo Station Webmasters, and copied to a large mailing list of Star Wars fans affiliated with Echo Station. There has not yet been a response.
Mr. Albom,
As one of your listeners pointed out to you on your show today, you really are acting as
if this matter is somehow affecting you personally in a large manner, and I'd like to give
you the opportunity to speak your mind, in an open forum, since you claim to be so
severely misunderstood.
I was surprised...well, not really surprised to be honest...more disappointed, really...to
see that you refused to include your conversation with Jody Reeves, one of my staff
members from Echo Station, in the broadcast of your show. You were perfectly content to
sit back in your chair and ridicule her, and yet for some reason gave her no opportunity
to voice her opinions on the matter and/or tell her side of the story...which I'm rapidly
coming to believe is a modus operandi with you, sir. She took the time out of her busy day
to speak with your staff and schedule the conversation, and then actually went through
with said conversation (which, for the record, took place at your direct request), all
basically for naught as you didn't feel the need for it's inclusion. We're quite certain
that you found yourself unable to air the interview because it would basically prove
incorrect your opinion that Star Wars fans all need to "Get A Life".
Perhaps you don't think twice about a professional businesswoman, employed in the
California Senator's office in Washington DC, rearranging her schedule to accommodate
appearing on your show. But then again, you've never really had a professional job that
involves a normal workday, have you? So perhaps you did not realize what an inconvience it
would be for someone to attempt to leave an office in the middle of the nation's capital
and attempt to get home in time to make the call to your show. It shows extreme disrespect
on your part that you specifically requested her to appear on the show, and then refused
to air the interview simply because Ms. Reeves managed to prove herself an intelligent,
professional woman, and not the pathetic raving "fans" that you've so latched on
to. We're personally pleased that Jody's interview so proved wrong your misguided opinion
that you couldn't air it without looking ridiculous yourself.
If you consider yourself a fair journalist, you'll consider the following:
You have read, on air, and attempted to ridicule, both copyrighted material from our
website, as well as interviews with one of our staffers on the air. If you'd like to
actually admit that you could possibly be incorrect in your opinion, we will send you four
letters from people that prove wrong your theory, and you can read them on the air. If you
don't feel this is an adequate attempt at a rebuttal (considering you won't air an actual
interview), then it will just prove to everyone that you're unwilling to present any type
of fair coverage on this topic, and merely enjoy the publicity that comes along with
discussing things Star Wars related. Which, of course, would mean that you're
proliferating the very hype that you claim to be ever so much against.
So I guess it boils down to this Mitch...which are you? Hypocrite, or journalist?
I guess we'll have to wait and see what sort of response we get from this email before
making that decision.
Regards,
David R. Phillips
Webmaster, ECHO STATION