Cody is back!
By Cody Gray on Dec. 18, 2007
Alright, so I have definitely been slacking on getting a new blog on The Burg! I could blame the holidays, being sick, things being absolutely crazy at work or a myriad of other things on why I haven’t posted lately. But excuses don’t get you far now do they? Anyways, it was a really cool weekend for me! I had an opportunity to go to Charlotte and audition for a tour with a major cable broadcasting company! I’ll tell you more about that in a minute. But first....
The holidays are quickly approaching as you already know! Do you have all your shopping done? I haven’t even started mine yet! I’m the typical guy I guess when it comes to putting off shelling out hundreds of dollars in gifts. It’s not the fact that I’m a cheap skate; it’s just that I’m a cheap skate! That’s not the only reason though! There is just so much stress, at least for me, in taking on the responsibility of finding that “perfect gift” for my friends and family. I know everyone says, “It’s the thought that counts!” Whatever! There is nothing worse than receiving a gift from someone and putting on the fake excitement for them when you open that gift and find that it’s something you would never ever want or use! It’s very uncomfortable! So when it comes to me buying presents, I’m always worried that I’m going to buy something for someone that is going to cause them to put on that fake excited routine. I worry too much, that’s for sure, but it makes me lose some of the spirit of Christmas because I’m so tied up in the material side of the holiday. With that being said, if you listen to my radio station, The Planet 101.5/97.9, I know that we’ve picked out the perfect gift for you!
Tune into The Planet on Christmas Eve. We are going to give you a Christmas gift that keeps on giving year round! No, we’re not going to change our location on the radio dial like some radio stations have done lately. What is the deal with that?? Those corporate radio stations are good at making it harder for you to listen to their radio stations! Fine with me! I’m rambling here, so I’m going to get to the point. On Christmas Eve, most likely during my show from 2-7PM, we are going to make a big announcement that many of you will consider that best rock radio present you could ask for. I can’t say much more than that, except that if you’ve listened to rock radio in this town for any amount of time, that this is going to be a big deal. So tune in Monday, Christmas Eve for the big announcement/present.
Now, on to my weekend. A couple weeks ago I was just browsing the internet when I found a posting for a really cool job! Am I looking into leaving radio?? No way! If this worked out, I would be able to keep my job on The Planet and experience something really cool! It was a national casting call for Speed TV to work on their “Road Tour” which travels to every NASCAR race in the country and puts on shows for the NASCAR fans, getting them pumped up about the race! Being a huge NASCAR fan and someone who loves to travel, I figured I’d give this a shot. It entailed traveling only on the weekends, so I didn’t have to worry about leaving The Planet. I had to submit a one minute video explaining why I would be good for the job, so I did that and sent it in. To my surprise, the next day I received a phone call from the marketing people at Speed saying they liked my video and wanted me to come to Charlotte and take part in a live audition! I was ecstatic!
After talking a little about the audition with the folks at Speed, I found out I was one of only 40 people being called to Charlotte to audition for the job, after tapes from all across the country were submitted. They then proceeded to tell me they were flying me into town on their dime on Friday night, would put me up at The Marriott in uptown Charlotte and cover all my expenses incurred on the trip. So I said why not? I made the trek to Charlotte, checked into the hotel and proceeded to meet up with the Speed TV crew to find out what was in store for me. After tons of paperwork, I was teamed up with another contestant to prepare for a “team project”. Know what that project was? We had to pick a song from a list they provided, and sing that song karaoke style with my partner. Not only did we have to sing the song, but we had to choreograph the whole thing! Being that my partner was a country music fan, we decided to do Big & Rich’s-Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. Uuuuuggggghhhhhh! I was wondering what I got myself into! So we got the routine together, had a couple drinks and went to bed ready to sing away on Saturday!
We go to the audition the next day and find out upon arrival that the entire audition process was being held outside! The weather in Charlotte was just like it was here on Saturday. About 35 degrees and raining! It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had informed us beforehand that we would be outside all day so we could prepare with some warm clothes, but nope, just one of their nice surprises. So eventually, my partner and I performed our karaoke routine with me being on my hands and knees for much of the song being ridden like horse, hence “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”. Humiliating? Yes! Fun? Yeah, it was fun too! We proceeded to do other team and group events throughout the day, doing dances and Whose Line Is It Anyway routines, all the while freezing our butts off. The day finally ended with an announcement of the final 10 “auditioners” who were going to be considered for the 5 jobs available on the tour. Did Cody make that final 10? Well, no I didn’t. It seems that my lack of singing and dancing skills took me out of the running for a gig that I thought would require more of an Emcee type of talent. Was I disappointed? Maybe a little bit, but I definitely knew by the end of the day that this wasn’t cut out for me. But, I really did have a lot of fun and actually may have had a few doors open to do some work with Speed in the future that is more related to my “entertainment abilities”. It was definitely a weekend that I’ll never forget and I got to meet a lot of great people!
So all in all, things went well. I mean, I didn’t get the job, but if I didn’t go and give it a shot, I would always sit around wondering what would have happened if I didn’t go down and see what things were all about. Now I won’t have regrets about “what if”! Things don’t always work out how you plan, but they always work out the way they do because there is a plan! Am I getting philosophical? Maybe a little! Just be sure to take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. You never know how that one opportunity can change your future! I’ll talk to you again before Christmas! Until then, be good! Santa is watching!
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