Retire Already!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was the twentieth century Hollywood starlet Betty Davis, who,
when asked about her sixty year acting career, did you
ever think about retirement? Sure, replied Betty, when I lose
my legs or my makeup case made it to eighty
nine with both fully intact, which means we only remember
the best of Betty Davis. Not all entertainers are so lucky.

(00:22):
This year, I watched two perform and came away feeling
a little sad. Both Lionel Richie, age seventy six and
Anne Wilson, aged seventy five might have done one too many.
Saw Wilson for over fifty years, one of rock music's
truly signature female voices, perform with her sister at Baxter Arena.

(00:43):
Their band Heart has sold over thirty five million records
with hits in four decades. Some of their anthems These Dreams, Barracuda,
Magic Man, What about Love Alone? Moved and entire generation.
She just wasn't the same. She couldn't hit the high notes.
How could she? In her prime? That mezzo soprano voice
range was unlike any other of her time. But it

(01:06):
doesn't stay forever with everyone age and poor health, as
robed Anne Wilson of hers same with Ritchie. She sat
the whole show, needed assistance getting on and off stage.
Cancer treatments and other ailments left her with minimal use
of her left arm. They retooled the arrangements to incorporate
more of her seventy one year old sister's voice, and Nancy,

(01:28):
by the way, still has it. She rocked the electric
guitar on her feet all night, but it left me disappointed.
I kidded myself, thinking that these two hours would transport
me back to high school and college. When each new
vintage Heart song was a must listen driving home, I
wasn't mad, but I thought about all the famous people
who stayed a little too long and how we are

(01:51):
less for it. Sports broadcasters like Kurt Goudie and Pat
summerl and my idol Jack Buck, athletes Willie Mays, Mickey Rivers,
boxer Manny Packet, Arnold Palmer before the Senior Tour, Bob
Gibson's last year with the Cardinals bore no resemblance to
his Hall of Fame. Career politicians Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein,

(02:12):
Robert Byrd, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, coaches like Bobby Bowden,
Joe Paterno, Bob Knight? Do they know? Can they hear it?
Can they see it? Seems there are likely lots of
reasons these folks can't or won't step away. Finances drive it.
A lot of these entertainers blew through a lot of
cash during the salad days. Never saved multiple kids from

(02:35):
multiple partners, Taxes, expensive lifestyles. The bills do have a
way of coming every month. Maybe they need the structure
of the job. Too much free time leads to mischief.
In some cases, they have bad family or bad close associates.
Family pressures entertainers or elected officials to keep going because
it benefits them. See Joe Biden and his blood sucking family.

(02:57):
See Joe Paterno, his toady all the way up to
the athletic director and president of the university, broke laws
to keep him on the sideline. If and when they
leave the stage, or the sideline or the halls of Congress,
what happens to their self worth? Since their entire lives
have been in pursuit of the roar of the crowd,
finding another purpose is just too much. Here's another one,

(03:19):
personal growth. A lot of these folks see their careers
as a craft. It's not like working on an assembly line.
Each day they strive to do a little better. They
haven't done their best broadcast or written the perfect song,
shepherded the landmark legislation, or hit one more home run,
coach one more title. Somehow they've convinced themselves they haven't

(03:40):
yet reached their potential. I haven't arrived. Sounds crazy to us,
but perfectly understandable to them. Chances are they keep going,
keep grinding, because it's their identity and how it's woven
into their ability to perform. Their lives are validated by
their jobs, which to me is sad. The high of
perform or competing trumps every other thing in their lives,

(04:03):
including but not limited to relationships, friends, God, and community,
which often leads to the one thing we should all
fear somebody writing on our headstone. Here lies Jim who
wishes he'd spend a little more time at the office.