Amy Lu's View

Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed and like there is no way that I can make sense of the situation I”m facing, I think of these immortal Words of Wisdom (no, not “Let it Be”)…

“Just throw the napkin over your head and eat with your hands.”

Okay, this may not be an exact quote, but I’m pretty sure that the character of Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati gave this advice to a caller with a question about table etiquette (as in, what fork should she use when?) Johnny finally gave up and issued the above proclamation. (I can’t find any Google evidence of this so I get to rely on my memory). 

This might not seem like very inspirational or even helpful advice. It might feel like a call to surrender. And it probably is, but in the best sense: Just go with the flow, and stop worrying so much. Hey, it actually is pretty close to “Let it Be.”

And Johnny’s advice is practical too–at least he’s advising the caller to eat.  

I’m certainly learning that one experience of aging is the death of beloved celebrities of your childhood. Sad, yes, but I am a little harsh on people who seem super emotional when a celebrity (or the character they embodied) dies. After all, it’s not like you actually knew the person. 

But I am definitely having lots of feels about the death of Howard Hesseman, who was, for me, Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati. 

I loved WKRP sooo so much. I had a crush on Andy (station manager) with his tight, tight jeans and feathered hair. I totally felt like mousy Bailey. 

And Dr. Johnny was my hero. (As was Kermit the Frog).

I wanted to be a radio DJ because of WKRP.  (The only other career I ever wanted as a kid was to be a “writer”–never clear of what). Yes, it’s HILARIOUS that I wanted to be a DJ because I’m pretty sure that being a DJ requires at least a smidgeon of technical interest and expertise, both of which I completely lack. (The closest I ever came to being a DJ was “deejaying” our school “record” hops–we didn’t literally use records–with my friends Jeff, Jenny and Tim. My role was only to begrudgingly pick out the hair metal to play for our classmates. I had nothing to do with the tech and there was no speaking. It was mostly a way to attend the dances without feeling like a complete loser because I wasn’t successful at the dancing and romancing and what not). 

WKRP just made being a DJ and working at a radio station seem so awesome. I knew/thought that music was very important, and I liked to talk, so it seemed like a good fit.

Besides affirming love for music in me and an obsession with the profession of DJs, I learned at least one other important life lesson from another favorite WKRP bit featuring Johnny–when Johnny is convinced the “Phone cops” are out to get him, when he is actually facing a real, although unknown to him, danger from a bomb. 

How many times do we worry about threats that we’ve exaggerated or even, like the “phone cops”, completely made up? How many times do we ignore the real dangers that we should be concerned about?

I never became a DJ, but I think WKRP really made me yearn to experience teamwork, friendship, family, loyalty, and working together for a common dream (just like another Amy childhood favorite, the “Muppet Show” did)–experiences I have been blessed enough to have in my adult life. 

WKRP was so much more than a show about a radio station and gloriously regrettable 70’s fashion. It was a celebration of misfits and underdogs and being your authentically weird self (yes, yes YES just like the Muppets).

And I am still holding out on my dream to have a podcast–which maybe I can still achieve if I can talk Chad into handling the tech for me.