Song For Reid

I am writing a song for my 11 month-old grandson. The inspiration came from the eight page letter I wrote to him last year. The letter is about what I think is important in life. I imagine he could understand what I meant with all this about the time he goes to college. If he ever has children or grandchildren, it might mean even more. The content stems from Martha Graham’s famous line that for artists there is never satisfaction, only a queer divine dissatisfaction. There will be 10 to 15 “chapters” covering topics like sex, religion, mentors, work, groups, ancestry, etc. The chorus will be: 

“Chasing happiness
is total bullshit,
All you really need
is Let ‘er Rip.” 

Here my musical mentor David Garthwaite and I are trying out a few lines.

More to come as the song takes shape.

My Psych “Intake Interview”

I was interviewed recently by Kelly Gulbrantson for a class she was taking for her master’s degree in psychology. The idea was that I was an incoming patient and her job was to get the big picture of my story. (Video on my blog, 3/26/26)

Here are a few of her insights into my character, sometimes funny, sometimes serious… but always accurate.

Identifying Data

RG is 86 years old, male, and white/Caucasian. He feels this interview is a good opportunity to reflect back on his life.

RG was born March 26, 1939, at Peralta Hospital in Oakland, California. His mother was 33 and his father was 36 years old.

Medical History

He had bronchial pneumonia at the age of 6 years old. He stayed in the hospital for a week and benefitted from the recently developed penicillin. He remembers feeling special at the hospital and charming the nurses.

His gross and fine motor coordination are fair. He presents as well kept, clean, and organized. Posture is somewhat stooped and after prolonged sitting he leans to one side, likely related to back pain or fatigue. Gait shows mild shuffling and a cautious wide base on inclines or stairs, suggesting compensatory behavior to avoid falling. Speech is clear and articulate.

He demonstrates keen insight into his development and has thought carefully about his life, with firmly held self-views that are resistant to change.

Interpersonally, RG is cooperative on preferred topics and defensive on others. He described a sensitivity to correction rooted in childhood—his mother’s frequent corrections and a memorable peer correction—that makes him “prefer being wrong to being corrected.” He maintains consistent eye contact, a practice he values highly.

Social History

He describes his father as an “asshole” but also recognizes similar qualities within himself. His father valued success and told RG once, “Don’t worry about being smart. You know, just have a good personality. You can be a salesman.” RG resented this and strived for academic achievement, even with his reading difficulties.

In first grade, he was “humiliated” by his teacher because he couldn’t sound out the word “beautiful.” After that, he thought of himself as a “slow” reader and still identifies with that to this day.

Educational History

He highly values his accomplishments regarding academia and business. Freud would argue that his feelings of inferiority as a child has caused him to overcompensate through achievement.

He had a number of mentors along the way that encouraged him and were very influential on him. This led to his pursuit of a PhD in humanistic psychology where he did his dissertation on the connection between the trends of psychotherapy and rock n’ roll. He got his PhD from the Humanistic Psychology Institute (now called Saybrook University). 

Work History

Now retired, he remains in regular contact with many former employees. He built his company on a people-centered model that treated every team member with equal respect and emphasized the value of employees as the foundation of the business.

He also engaged his shadow side with his work in the morgue, emergency room, and psychiatric ward. These were all his psyche’s way of engaging in an individuation process that produced a meaningful career. 

Psychiatric History

He describes therapy as a transformational experience because it introduced him to the world of Freud and psychology. They analyzed his dreams together and explored his unconscious. He saw his therapist until he was 23 years old. “I was just a neurotic little kid that needed somebody to listen to him,” he reflected.

Leisure Time Activities

RG enjoys gardening, meeting with his men’s group, and making/editing videos he posts on his blog. One of his main interests is interviewing people. He recently interviewed a clown in a local circus and also a helicopter pilot. Notably, he has also interviewed Gloria Steinem.

He also thoroughly enjoys spending time with his daughter and now grandson who is 9 months old. 

+++++++++++++++++++

I truly enjoyed being interviewed by Kelly. She was supportive, humorous, and insightful.

A few takeaways for me,

RG:

• Charmed the nurses
• Presents as well kept, clean, organized
• Speech is clear and articulate
• Has self-views that are resistant to change
• Would rather be wrong than corrected
• Mentors changed his life
• Values former employees who helped build his business
• In therapy at 16
• Enjoys spending time with his daughter and grandson

Kelly did not recommend what therapy might help this elder statesman. Maybe hopeless?