BILL BLOG
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
A Hump Day Wednesday is on us. Sunshine and a high of 76 today here in Music City.
YESTERDAY
I had quite the productive and creative writing day with Andrea Pearson, and Jamie Johnson of the highly acclaimed bluegrass band…The Grascals.
Andrea and I write a lot together, but after a long while of trying, I finally got in the writing room with Jamie, whom I first met as an umpire!
I was playing on a celebrity softball team in Cincinnati, sponsored by WUBE Radio, where I was doing the morning show at the time. One night, we played in the small town of Milan, Indiana, and guess who was calling balls and strikes? Yep, Jaimie Johnson.
Some of the retired Cincinnati Reds played on that team from time to time, including Pete Rose and his brother Dave Rose. The team would go out into different communities, play a game, and raise money for a local charity—a pretty cool experience.
We had a good laugh remembering those days and then got down to work. Andrea brought an idea, as did I, and we wound up writing both of them into full songs. A very full and productive day to say the least. And the best part was the conversation and the fun we had while writing it.
NEW MUSIC
My friend Alex Miller will release his new single this Friday, which we co-wrote. Here’s a little VIDEO TEASE of that song, “Memories and Gin” featuring Alex and his custom-made guitar.
RAY STEVENS
The 84-year-old musical icon took a nasty fall in Nashville and broke his neck. Geez. The good news is that he’s already at home resting and is in good spirits. And he’s still promoting new music of his coming soon. Quite the talent to say the least.
My friend Brent Burns and I will be grateful forever that Ray loved our song “Retired” so much that he recorded it. And I got to stand next to him in his recording studio and listen to it for the first time. An honor. Get better, Ray.
SONG OF THE DAY
I’m selecting the Brent Burns song we wrote, “66 Mustang Summer of 82." It’s like a drive down memory lane for those who love the beach and that culture of all things beach. A “top-down” kind of song. It's got a little "Eagles" kind of vibe to it. Check it out.
HEALTH NOTES
Harvard research has linked higher optimism to better cognitive function, slower cognitive decline, and a lower risk of dementia among older adults.
Estrogen patches are facing a shortage as more and more women seek hormone therapy.
Experts say that detecting multiple cancers and other diseases is possible from a single blood sample.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
So…do you agree?
WHY?
Why do they make some packages almost impossible to open? I don’t get that. Like this guitar battery case bound in tight, unbreakable plastic, or so it seems.
Fort Knox would be easier to open. Some folks say they have “wrap rage” because of it. Don’t ask me how I know that’s true.
MAGIC FIRE
The Magic Castle in Hollywood went up in flames yesterday. Quick-acting firefighters were lucky to limit the damage.
The Magic Castle is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. I was doing my radio show in Hollywood one year to cover the Academy of Country Music Awards from the famed Roosevelt Hotel. The Magic Castle was located just across the street perched up on a hill.
Tickets are very hard to get. You have to know a magician…for real. Someone in the hotel put in a word for our party, and we were granted access one evening. Grateful to whomever that was. When you first enter the Castle, you’re in this room.
And you have to figure out a password that will make that shelf with books on it open up and allow you to see the rest of the place. There’s one room with this piano in it. You can request any song you want out loud, and “Irma” will then play it.
Notice the bird cage in the picture. If you reach over and put money in the bird cage, it starts swinging, and “Irma” the piano breaks into “We’re in the Money.”
And after that, you sit down for dinner, and afterwards, you wander the halls to witness magicians doing their thing, from sleight of hand magic to close-up, to big stage magic, and more. Word is that the late Johnny Carson hung there quite a bit, as he was a practicing magician himself.
If you ever have the chance, go.
ICE CREAM-SORT OF
I blogged about a new treat at Yankee Stadium, “The Chicken Ice Cream Bucket,” in an earlier Blog.
Chicken drumsticks, but it’s actually ice cream. 9 drumsticks, and the bucket costs a baseball fan $109.95. They sold out of them in the first inning of their first game. Wow.
CHATGPT
Folks ask that the AI “search” platform some odd questions and requests. Here are a few:
“Write a story about a vending machine from another dimension that dispenses bottle memories.”
“If animals could talk, which one would be the rudest?”
And, “Why are tennis balls fuzzy?”
I think I’m going to ask CHATGPT, “Why are these SO hard to open?”
TRASH BANDITS
A proposed bill here in Tennessee aims to make raccoon ownership cheaper by waiving the current $31 annual permit fee, effective this July. It’s called “The Panda Act.” Can’t make that kind of stuff up.
I had no idea you could own a raccoon, or that you had to pay for that ownership. Just another reason to love the Volunteer State folks.
THEM AND US
There’s a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship offering up a Family Tree House Suite.
It can sleep up to 12 and is loaded with amenities, including a private whirlpool. And, you can get it for one week of sailing for JUST $200,000! I’m going to have a hard time getting my wife to let me put THAT on my credit card.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From Jim Begg:
“Before you put on a frown, make sure there are no smiles available.”
TODAY
No appointments today, think I’ll try and grab some of the sunshine coming our way.
Have a great Wednesday!
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