My memory is a little hazy as to where exactly I met him,
but I think it was in the computer room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Louisville , Kentucky
The “he” I am referring to is Simon Cowell, a judge on American Idol--- and virtually everything else American. I hate to use this word because it is so over-used on that show, but I’d have to say our visit was truly “amazing.”
Simon
and I were the only people in that tiny room, and he seemed very standoffish,
much like he is on TV. My mom always
said if you can’t say anything nice about someone, then say nothing at all, so
I’ll just let it go at that.
After
a couple of minutes, however, I decided I would say something to him. I told him my wife and I enjoyed his
show. He seemed pleased by that, and
actually warmed up a bit.
As
we talked more about what I would call “Idol” chit-chat, gone was the pomp and
arrogance, Simon’s usual trademarks on the show, and for at least a short while,
I think he even lost his British accent.
Not that having a British accent necessarily makes you pompous and
arrogant, but in Simon’s case, it seems to work.
In
short, Simon transformed from Simon “Scowl” to Simon “Warm, Friendly, Human
Being.”
Then
our conversation took a more serious tone when Simon mentioned the word
“responsibility.” This was not a word he
or the other producers on the show took lightly. From the initial auditions until the season
finale, the producers realize that they are responsible for making their
contestants famous, and everything good and bad that goes along with that. They understand that fame can bring about
self-destruction in some cases, and they try to manage these kids very
closely. The producers know they have to
be on top of things from the birth of an idol’s career to its eventual end.
I
told Simon I knew what he meant. My wife
tells dog breeders virtually the same thing all the time. If they want to raise puppies, dog breeders
have to accept that they are responsible for each puppy for the rest of its
life---another cradle to grave situation.
If something happens to a puppy, such as a physical or behavioral problem,
or something happens to the owner and the pet needs a new home, the original
breeder must accept that “the buck stops” with them.
I
have encountered a situation of “breeder responsibility” recently with my
favorite breed of sheep. I was appointed
by our association president to chair a committee investigating a potential
genetic problem in our breed. As part of
that investigation, the committee needed to evaluate pedigrees from some of the
sheep involved to see if they had common ancestors.
Boy,
did that open up a can of worms! Several
breeders objected vehemently, and at least one brought up that magical, put an
end to all reasoning word “sue.”
It
is my belief that when you buy a sheep, or any other animal for that matter,
you are buying every ancestor behind that animal as well. As it turns out, our association registration
papers are public records so anybody can look at them anytime, for any reason.
If
you want to be an animal breeder, you must be responsible for what is produced,
both in the past, and into the future.
And, if you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen, or the
barn, or the dog kennel.
Simon
and I finally had to say our good-byes, and then…I woke up. I forgot to mention at the beginning of the
column that the part about Simon was just a dream.
Nevertheless,
dream experts say dreams reveal things about ourselves. But, do dreams reveal things about other
people we dream about? For Simon’s sake,
I’d like to think so.
Author: Dr. John Jones
Image courtesy of James Barker at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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