Friday, August 30, 2013

Behind the Scenes with Ricki Lake

Not long ago we posted a small teaser about our appearance on the Ricki Lake Show (which aired in March). We are happy to now be able to post the entire interview for those of you that missed it, along with the story behind the event. It was quite an experience for Rain and me. Here's a rundown of what it was like to be on a daytime talk show.

We received a call asking us to be guests on the Ricki Lake Show. We were excited but we were also pretty worried that they may try to make "The Wave" out to be something really bad (ie: what NOT to do to your kids, etc).  They assured me they would not "ambush" us on the show and would show the positive side of our story.  After discussing it with Rain we decided to give it a go, and let the chips fall where they may. Once we agreed we started receiving all sorts of information about our appearance, including what to wear. I personally was dismayed to see that wearing short pants was a no-no, and that wearing  flip flops ("slippers" in Hawaii) wouldn't be appropriate. As a surfboard carrying Hawaiian, I was horrified to say the least. But I took a deep breath and accepted this indignity with class (actually I just said "bummer" and took another bite of my doughnut). This also brought up a whole new problem; I now had to go shopping for "dress casual" clothing! What joy it is to go shopping for clothes! So with my son and our secret weapon (my beautiful wife Rochelle), we went shopping. It was pointed out to me that the shirt I needed had to have a collar AND sleeves. So resigned to my fate, I gracefully accepted this and happily (read: whining and grumbling) tried on whatever Rochelle handed me. Rain on the other hand, skipped merrily along the aisles, gleefully trying on armloads of fancy threads, all the while saying "I make this look GOOD!" The producers also mentioned that bringing a costume or two would not be a bad idea, so I started planning. I made a decision not to bring any female style costumes, since those of you that follow this blog know I just don’t do justice to a gown. It's also very possible I didn't want to appear on national TV in a dress. Our shopping done, we were off to Los Angeles!

We were met at the airport by a limo, and our driver showed an uncanny talent for texting while whipping back and forth down Southern California freeways. It's nice to have such a leisurely drive with no concerns. I don't know how many people use the rear seat belts in Limos, but I found they were easy to use and quick to get buckled. Upon arriving at our hotel (the Culver Hotel) we found that our driver had left my carry on bag on the cart in the parking lot. Not to worry, it only contained my tablet, contact info with the studio, car keys, flight info, and other non-important stuff. Thus began a four hour odyssey of tracking down my bag, which fortunately was picked up by another limo driver who managed to contact us. My bag finally showed up at 2 am, delivered by our embarrassed limo driver, leaving me plenty of time to sleep till 6:00 am. Nothing like being bright eyed for the cameras! 
  
In the morning we met one of the show's producers in the hotel lobby. She walked us around the corner, right into a back gate of the studio, and we were taken to our private "green room" to get ready. After getting settled we were taken to hair and makeup (nothing like a little pampering), where Rain was fussed over by the crew and made to look "hot." I on the other hand, received a quick glance that told me pretty clearly that there's "not much we can do over there with that guy." So I just sat quietly in the corner as Rain received the STAR treatment. 
Star treatment
Lookin' good
We were then taken to set and shown where we would enter, how we would sit, etc. We then had a chance to meet Ricki Lake, who was gracious, very nice, and genuinely interested in our story. We returned to our dressing room to wait, and the producer said that putting on a costume would be great. 
So as I readied myself in my Pirate regalia I fondly thought of all the time and "fun" I had shopping for those "special" clothes for the show. TOTALLY WORTH IT. It was explained to us that we were to be the final guests on the show, so we waited backstage for our moment in the lights. We were ushered to the edge of the set, where we could hear Ricki setting up our appearance, and we could hear the audience laughing at the pictures of the costumes, and then it happened. Ricki called our names.  We walked out to the sound of applause and laughter, and as we walked I could only think of one thing. Don't trip. Rain took it in stride, cruising along like he was made for this. I stumped to his side, plunked my behind down next to him, and you can see how it went in the VIDEO: 

In retrospect I think it went well. We were told afterwards that they really found they wanted to talk to us more on the show, but they ran out of time. The producer said in hindsight if they were to do it over again we would have had much more time, due to the reaction and interest of the audience and Ricki. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. We all know how that feels, and really, how many people get a chance to make people laugh and smile with their story? Rain and I have memories together that shine like brilliant moments in time. For you, I hope that we have been able to brighten your days a little and put a smile on your face.
Signing away our 4th born child
Snacks included
Just in case anyone forgets why they are there
Vengeance?

Green Room - wearing the new new shirt
Filming live before a studio audience



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Wave at the bikes?

Rain's no longer on a bus, so Dale did a special edition first day of school wave for Ryatt. 

"Go get 'em, Champ!"
Ryatt and friends ride their bikes to school
First day of 4th Grade. Who "bunny ears" themselves? Our kid.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Track 10 - The Bus

Wave at the bus THE SONG? Yes, it's true. We didn't write it, but we endorse it wholeheartedly. I asked Dale and Rain to each put together their thoughts on it. Here's what they say:

Dale:
I think every one of us have at one time or another in our lives dreamed or thought about having a song written about ourselves, or our lives, recognizing the fact that it will most likely never happen to us. When such a day unexpectedly arrives, emotions and apprehensions that you never knew were there start appearing. So while in the midst of this crazy "Waving" chapter in our lives, we were contacted by Mark Bruce, of the band "The Self Help Group" in England. He had read our story and was touched enough by it to ask if he could write a song about "the Wave." Not knowing what to expect, we excitedly agreed and waited. Over the following months I personally worried about what type of song it would be, thinking that this song once written would be a lifelong statement about what I was doing with Rain. I definitely didn't want to be remembered as a novelty/joke song (i.e. "It's FRIDAY, FRIDAY…" etc). We didn't know what kind of band The Self Help Group was, but Mark assured us he would take care of us, and he did. One day he let me know they had finished their album, and was sending us a copy. He thanked us for allowing him to use our story, but in retrospect I feel I need to thank him for what he has created. I was home alone at the time when the CD arrived, and excitedly I found a song called "The Bus" in the track listing and pushed the play button. A simple melody begins the song, and as two voices join the story begins to unfold, which tells of a small part of our experience and builds to a chorus of "Rain I'll be here, I hope you see, that it's all for love," I sat mesmerized at the sounds I was hearing and the emotions I was feeling, and as the song faded I found unexpected tears coursing down my face. I listened to it again and again, and found I had the same reaction every time. Their lyrics and music had captured the words and love that are in my heart, that I've never been able to say out loud. Mark Bruce and the Self Help Group had indeed taken care of us, and our story. And have given our family a priceless gift that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. I still have a hard time listening to our song, since my tears still flow every time I hear it. But it helps me to remember just what an incredible experience Rain and I have had together, and that yes, it was all worth it. Thank you for putting my heart into your beautiful song.
CD Cover

I'm just a regular guy, and I found I truly enjoy the music of The Self Help Group. Having been a child of the 80's, a musician (a lousy one), and in a few bands, my musical tastes are varied and diverse, so I wasn't sure how I would take to their style of music. Upon receiving the CD I was impressed by the beautiful cover art, and center fold out pictures/info were a very nice addition to it as well. I don't know what genre this style of music is listed as (I'm sure some uppity critic somewhere has made something up) but I found it beautiful in its simplicity. Being able to actually hear all of the individual instruments and the individual vocals allowed me to connect to each song (no sweeping studio effects or heavy beats that are so prevalent in today’s music). The Self Help Group has real talent with songs recorded in such a way to lift one's soul to the heavens. This is the most honest and aching music I have heard in years, and it is simply wonderful.
-Dale

You can listen to samples (and buy the CD!) on Amazon. Click here for a listen. Or learn more on their website.
Inside CD Case
Rain:
I received a package in the mail addressed to "Rain Price" from the UK. I thought that was pretty odd, because I don't get mail often, let alone from the UK. But what was inside it? A CD! A pretty great one, too, written by The Self Help Group. Track 10 is titled "The Bus," and it talks about the feelings behind the wave. It felt pretty odd at first to hear my name in a song (in actual reference to me--we all know that the word "rain" is in a ton of songs, as my mom so aptly demonstrated here), but it was really cool to listen and hear their interpretation of the meaning of the costumes and the waving.

My dad and I have tried so hard to express the true feelings behind his waving, be it in television interviews, radio interviews, or casual talking, but this song connects for me because it's another medium that shows the intentions behind my dad's waving. The song is written from my dad's perspective – his thoughts as he waves to me. I've always loved music, and this song is a great expression of how my dad and I feel about his waving. "It's all for love." It really is. He waved because he loves me, not because he wanted to restrict my life and not because he wanted to just embarrass me. He wanted to be there for me during my high school years, when I began going off on my own, and to show that he cares. It's neat to see how he interacts with Ryatt (my little brother) and that makes me see how he couldn't show that he cares the same way with me, because I was in high school, which is why he waved. He thought of a super creative way to show his caring, and I appreciate that. This song addressed those feelings, and I liked it. The rest of the album is good, too!

-Rain