to move up and down
The Awkward Hug.com
Where its ok to "Hug and Tell"
Going back…
Josh from The Afters
Josh and I have some history. As you can tell from the photo, we’re like brothers…i guess in that analogy I’m the stinky brother…that no one wants to get close too. But seriously, Josh was the first artist I really hung out with when I got into radio and his genuine kindness is something I won’t forget…that and sneaking into an Elvis Costello concert in Nashville, good times.
I’ll be your Hero.
John Cooper from Skillet
The headliner (with the best guy-liner) of Winter Jam last weekend was Skillet and John was extra excited to get a hug from yours truly. If you didn’t know, John’s voice is 24/7 ultra-rasp-tastic, even in backstage conversation…its kinda like his vocal cords have a five o’clock shadow. Anywho, Winter Jam was fun and I’m pretty sure there’s a smokey haze from all the explosions during Skillet’s set still floating over the Toyota Center to this day.
He’s a magic man.
Brock Gill
Last weekend my Winter was officially Jammed and before the show started I had a chance to meet Brock Gill. For those who don’t know, he’s an illusionist that was on the tour and he performed some hilarious and pretty amazing…(tricks seems like the wrong word here) well…he did some cool stuff and I really dig this guy. I’m sure you can buy a dvd and check out his work. On top of being a great performer, he’s honestly a easy guy to talk to and clearly has a great sense of humor. This is one of my new fav’s for sure, he’s so magical he can be in two places at once…but the second place was in the way of my patented “foot pop” oops.
Carpe Chicken.
Dan Cathy President and COO of Chick-fil-A
I recently had the opportunity to attend a special Chick-fil-A Press Conference at which Dan Cathy was the main speaker. I could have played it cool and said it was good enough to shake his hand…but I couldn’t waste such an awesome opportunity. (I didn’t create the Awkward Hug for nothing) I was really surprised to see him play along so well, he’s a pretty fun guy and I love his chicken. (Photo credit: Tim McDermott.)
Dunn Deal.
Hawk Nelson
The guys in Hawk Nelson are hands down the most fun band to hang out with…pretty much on the planet. They’re all incredibly nice and completely hilarious. (and completely Canadian) We’ve had some great interactions with these guys and I’m just constantly impressed with their integrity and excitement for what they do. Before it starts sounding like they’re looking over my shoulder watching me write this I’ll wrap this up. Definitely pick up their albums and don’t ever miss a chance to see them live, you won’t regret it. (and you can thank me later)
FF5 Part 2 (Xanadu)
Xanadu
After all the videos of Xanadu with Family Force 5, I was pretty sure he was from some European country and was cooler than my wildest dreams. But, as it turns out only one of those two is true. While Xanadu is probably one of the most interesting, hard working and coolest guys in the world…he was born and raised in Georgia. (and not the country, the state) It turns out he’s just a good ole boy with five crazy friends and the tendency to be a little hard to understand at times. How did I mistake a Kountry Gentlemen for a foreign accent? Was I the only one?? Oh well, I got the chance to chat with Xanadu for a few minutes at the Christmas Pageant and it was easy to see this guy is the secret weapon that keeps FF5 in business night after night. He seriously takes care of a lot of behind the scenes work and he’s just a incredibly nice guy. If you see him on the road with the guys in the future, give him another hug from me.
Awkward Hugs (Family Style)
Family Force 5
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Family Force 5 Christmas Pageant this year and I’ve got to say pageants have changed a lot since my younger days. This time around I’ve got to say there was a lot less embarrassing costumes…makeup…mandatory attendance! It was a great show and of course I had to get my hug with the Family Force guys. Also noteworthy in this picture is how buff Chapstique is getting. (I’m going to do some pushups now)
True Love. (its a song not a man-crush)
Phil Wickham
I didn’t even know Phil was going to be in studio this day, but he was passing through on a radio promo tour and I got the chance to give him one of my copyrighted squeezes. (not really copyrighted…yet) While he was in my clutches I had a few seconds to gush about my love for the Sing Along album. On that note he actually said he was trying to work out a new one but he was still working on getting the permissions to record it from all the artitst/writers involved. Hopefully that will all come together because that is seriously one of my favorites. Until next time…keep it awkward. (that was kinda dumb but I think I could use a sign-off line, any ideas?)
The “K-Hug”
Mike Kankelfritz
I had the extremely awesome opportunity of working with a guy that I respect, admire and will always be thankful for the time we shared…but I never got to hug him so here’s a picture of me with Mike Kankelfritz!!! Alright, I’m totally joking, I absolutely loved working with Mike. He really is a guy I respect personally and professionally, plus he would just constantly crack everyone up with his…lets just call it…youthful energy. Case and point, we had to test out our t-shirt guns and without hesitation Mike offered up his services to help us answer the age old question: Would it hurt if you got shot in the butt with a t-shirt gun at close range? (Turns out, not really. But to be fair, he shot me back and I’m kind of surprised that video isn’t on youtube.) Anyway, I love ya Mike and we sure miss ya. We are excited for your new journey and we’ll be listening. (so make sure the microphone is really off next time)
Finally, I get to hug someone famous…
Liz Jordan
I’ve sat here for 10 minutes rewriting the first line of this post (which probably no one will even read) because it keeps sounding like I’m writing a eulogy and this is definitely not a funeral. The truth is, everyone at KSBJ (and the listeners) are going to miss having Liz around the office and on the air. She made the awesome choice to be a stay at home mom for her baby Jordan a few weeks back and this picture is from her final afternoon show. Liz is an absolute blast to be around and probably one of the most genuinely kind hearted people you’ll ever meet. She introduced me to Arrested Development and for that, I will always have a special place in my heart for her and I know we can always facebook quotes from the show back and forth. (“I’ve mad a huge mistake”) She was actually excited when I asked if I could hug her for the site and this one will no doubt go in the hall of fame of awkward hugs.
