Super Password

Back in late 1984 to early ’85, I was (once again) a journeyman musician, working clubs around L.A. and keeping the rent paid. 707 was over and I was beginning to work on some TV and film productions. Always on the lookout for a way to make a few extra dollars, I looked into appearing on a gameshow.

However, because of my prior TV appearances (Midnight Special, Solid Gold, Mike Douglas Show), I was an AFTRA member. Most gameshows wouldn’t allow unionized actors/musicians to be contestants, since they required a minimum payment scale.

But, the local Los Angeles populace could only provide a limited number of qualified contestants, so the Goodson/Todman production company came to an agreement with the local talent unions and lifted that rule.

I attended my first audition for Password as a lark. I remembered watching the original black and white show with my parents. It seemed like a fun, albeit unlikely, thing to do.

The group I initially assembled with was a cattle call — pretty much everyone who had dialed the advertised number the previous week. We went around the room playing the basic game with the person to our left and right while the contestant coordinator assessed our game-playing abilities. After a short time, we were given a written word-association test. As we turned in our tests, most folk were told “we’ll call you if we need you.” But, a few of us were told to see the coordinator in her office. There, we were invited for a second audition.

The second audition took place a couple weeks later. It was an assemblage of better players. Four chairs were in the center of the room. We were teamed up and began playing the basic game. At the end of that day, we were once again told that we would receive a call if they needed us. My call came that afternoon. They invited me to be a contestant on the show. Filming was in a few weeks.

At this point, I should say that I really enjoyed playing Password. And I was pretty good at it. I went to the first day of filming brimming with confidence. In the morning we were taken to the set, given a rundown of what was expected from us, ate lunch, and took our seats in the studio audience. They filmed five episodes, once week’s worth, each day of filming. It wasn’t until the end of the fifth show of the day that my name was called. After one round, we ran out of time and I was asked to return the next day.

Now, all this time I was playing a regular club gig with some local musicians. Not knowing how long the filming day was going to be, I had arranged a “sub” to be playing my drums that evening. Now it was going to stretch into two days. My sub? A fellow Detroit drummer who had recently arrived in L.A., come over for visit, and asked if I had any connections to get him working. His name was Gregg Bissonette. He had previously played with Maynard Ferguson and later played with David Lee Roth. He is currently touring with Ringo’s All-Star Band, a gig he’s had for some time.

Okay, back to Password. Months after the filming, the shows aired. I didn’t have a VCR in those days and was working on a film set the days they played. I had never seen the shows. Until two days ago. With a little help from X’s Grok, I found them. I had heard from friends that they had played on the Game Show Network, but I never caught them.

To make an already much-too-long story shorter, I got beat. Bad. I did win $300 and a La-Z-Boy recliner. But, as you’ll see, the woman ahead me made thousands of dollars.

I was young. Although it was falling out, I still had some hair. And I was thin. I was 29 here. A guy looking for a path forward.

Enjoy these episodes of Super Password

Embracing the Truth 2024 Notes

Seedology

These four videos started as a series of lectures for the 2022 Sovereign Grace Bible Conference in Mesquite, Texas. This teaching follows the “seed” from Adam to Christ, through God’s unconditional covenant to Abraham. A fuller understanding of how that promise was divided between the tribes of Israel affects our overall understanding, not only of the Bible, but of world history.

I will take you about 3 1/2 hours to get through all four lectures, but I hope it’s a worthwhile journey.

A new video … Fact

Well, I’m back home from Texas, which I believe is the last thing I blogged about. Oh my, was I sick. Came home early and I’m glad I did. Meanwhile, I also know it’s been a while since I’ve made any new videos. Video is time consuming. But, I fired up the webcam and posted this short comment.