From: JAZZevangelist_at_aol.com
Date: 2003-02-18 02:32:10
Dearest friends and fabulous acquaintances. . .
(i.e. . .all the mind-blowing singers & musicians, jazz aficionados, creative
promoters, inspiring entrepreneurs, innovative producers & record labels, and
musical enthusiast who happen to be a part of this list). . .
Greetings and affectionately generic salutations!
This letter is similar to a candy heart.
You know. . .those somewhat chalky pieces of compacted sugar with innocuously
romantic messages you might have nibbled on last week?
Well. . .this e-mail is like that -- only this won't give you cavities, it
contains no calories, and won't stick in your teeth. . .unless you print it
out and chew on the corners.
Several years before the invention of the Internet, I was indoctrinated into
the culture and custom of Valentine's Day by my first grade teacher.
She encouraged us to Spam the rest of the class with unsolicited greetings.
These greetings were little cards covered with hearts. . .inscribed with the
peculiar request to "Be My Valentine."
Remember how good it felt to receive those colorful and meaningless little
cards?
Did we delete them?
Of course not.
We saved them in shoe boxes.
Well. . .at least, I did.
But then. . .I was pretty much a dweeb in those days.
So. . .think of this as one of those cards -- but with a lot more sincerity.
As we get older, this Valentine's Day custom goes through a change.
The indiscriminate greetings cease, and the cards tend to come only from
those that take some kind of physical or romantic interest in us. This
leaves some of us hopeful and happy. . .whilst others feel hopeless, hapless,
and possibly lonely.
Well. . .That's just wrong.
I'm sorry . . . but if you can't give a card to everyone in the class --
don't give one to anybody at all!!!! :-)
By the way -- if you have no idea who I am. . .my name is Scott Fugate. :-)
I am currently a resident of Atlanta, Georgia working as a radio station
manager, program director, jazz promoter, college professor, and DJ on 89.1
FM WBCX -- broadcasting from Brenau University in Gainesville.
I am constantly seeking new artists and music. . .and even old music and
artists that I don't know about. I run a non-commercial college radio
station that plays a variety of jazz and classical music.
What type of music am I looking for?
Anything from throughout the jazz continuum -- from rag to swing, blues to
big band, bebop to trip-hop, Dixieland to drum n' bass, straight ahead to
smooth, acoustic to electronic, jazz infused hip-hop & spoken word to silky,
smokey and soulful vocalists, fusion to funk, acid jazz to ambient, deep
house to down tempo, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Latin to neo-soul. . .and
beyond.
So. . .if you want air play -- please send your press kits, CD's and demos
to:
J. Scott Fugate
WBCX 89.1 FM
Brenau University
One Centennial Circle
Gainesville, GA 30501
Now. . .In honor of Valentine's Day, and to insert some sanity and levity
into this contemporary climate of terror, fear, anger, war and rumors of war
-- and to offset the message of hate being spread by mad men -- I simply want
to say something that people do not say often enough. . .
I love you.
That's um. . .that's about it really.
I mean. . .not in a mushy or romantic way;
Or in a hippy, airy fairy, hypocritical fashion,
Nor in an insecure, weird, desperately seeking or stalking manner;
Not even with casual, flirtatious, ego aggrandizing or subtle passion.
I have no agenda, ulterior motive, or desire I am attempting to assuage.
I just love you. . .in a non-threatening, unconditionally accepting sort of
way -- with no strings attached. . .and no reciprocation required.
So. . .just accept it, and shut up. ;-)
Even if I don't even know you. . .it doesn't matter a molecule.
I got nuthin' but love for ya'.
You think that's strange?
Well. . .it could be. . .depending on who it comes from.
But, coming from me. . .it's not strange at all.
Well. . .not really.
Okay. . .maybe slightly. . .but not completely.
I think it's perfectly natural to spread love. . .and far more normal than
the status quo of hate that seems to be all the rage.
I just love you.
I think we should all say this more often.
It gets an interesting reaction.
Try it today, and see for yourself.
Go to the next person you see and say, "I love you."
Ask them their name, and give them a hug.
You might want to carry a camera around so that you can take pictures of all
your newfound friends.
If everyone went around saying "I love you" to everyone they meet -- and
wearing name-tags so that we could call each other by name when we do so --
then this world would be a much nicer place to live.
Don't you think?
So. . .why do I love you?
Well. . .why not?
It's seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
You are human, I am human. . .and we share a common Creator.
Ergo, we are related in some way.
I believe that our purpose here is primarily to love and create . . . and to
share love (creatively, and communicatively) with every other human being
with whom we come into contact.
Thus, I am sharing it with you.
Agape (love without an agenda),
J. Scott Fugate, "The Jazz Evangelist"
Station Manager / Program Director
WBCX 89.1 -- The Jazzical Station
Brenau University
One Centennial Circle
Gainesville GA 30501
******************************
Georgia Association of Broadcaster's
2002 GABBY winner for
"On-Air Personality Of The Year"
******************************
Phone: (770) 538-4708
JAZZevangelist_at_aol.com
sfugate_at_lib.brenau.edu
Jazz is alive -- join the community and spread the word!
http://www.atlantajazz.net