Originally posted on MySpace on July 1, 2007.It takes a lot of time to keep up with all that goes on in the world of Five For Fighting. One would think that I have a network of people working for me, sending me the lowdown day after day after day. No, it doesn't work that way...I don't have the resources or the clout. It's just me, surfing the 'net, checking my bookmarks, being diligent and a bit obsessive in my efforts to provide you, the Five For Fighting fans, with the stuff you like to see on my MySpace page.
One resource that is also a big help is subscriptions. News alerts, website newsletters and radio station listener clubs...I get emails regularly so I know what's going on. It was from one such email last December that I heard about an online auction to be held by KINK FM radio station in Portland, OR. A number of items were being auctioned off to raise money for the Oregon Food Bank. If there's anything I love, it's charity auctions...the money goes to a good cause, and you get something to boot. The very first item on the list immediately caught my eye...a Schylling toy piano signed by Bruce Hornsby, Jaime Cullum and John Ondrasik!
Now, Bruce Hornsby is my other favorite piano guy...Numero Uno being John. One time, I emailed John and told him that I thought he played piano as well as Hornsby. John's reply...which gave me big laughs...Hornsby can wipe the floor with me. But, John did add he could play Let It Be on guitar, which is cool! But, I digress. This Jamie Cullum guy, I had never heard of. I did some checking, and I found he was a British piano musician and did have a MySpace page, but his music just isn't my taste...pop/jazz. The biggest draw, of course, was John Ondrasik's signature, which just so happened to be the smallest on the piano...almost like an afterthought. Actually, there probably would have been more room for John to sign if that Cullum dude hadn't hogged all the space!
When I found out about the auction, it was the day before the event. The piano was scheduled to be auctioned off live on-air...at 6:00 am! I hate to get up early, but I was happy to that morning. I was awake by 5:00, and accessed KINK FM's streaming audio player to catch the action. I wasn't quite sure how the auction would work, but promptly at 6:00, I called the station's auction phone line to place my bid. Opening bid for the piano was $100, and I was the first one to call in, so that was my bid. At the same time, I got some info on how the auction would progress. Bids would be accepted for the piano for only one hour, till 7:00 am. Every time a new high bid was placed, previous bidders would be notified and their counter bids accepted. The one with the high bid at the end of the hour would be declared the winner.
After firing the opening salvo, I sat at my computer, listening to the stream, and waited to see what would happen. I heard the DJ mention that a $100 bid...my bid...was placed on the piano. At about 6:20, I got a call from the auction line, and was told someone had bid $150, and would I like to bid again. I answered with a $200 bid. That held till 6:50, when I got a call again...another counterbid...$250. At that point, I verified that if I bid again and someone else bid at say 6:59, I would probably be shit out of luck...I would lose. Yes, that's what would happen, the gal on the other end of the line confirmed. OK, I'll bid $400, I replied. $400?!!!, she asked incredulously. Yep, I said. A couple minutes later, the DJ announced the new high bid for the piano. I waited nervously for the next 8 minutes, hoping my bid would be enough. That DJ was actually counting down the seconds toward the end of the hour. Just after 7:00 am, my phone rang, and with bated breath, I picked it up and was told...I won! Whew! That was fun! The radio station gal took my information and said they would mail it off to me immediately. She asked if she could mention my name on the air, and I said yes to that. About 15 minutes later, they announced the winner of the toy piano...it was kinda cool hearing my name on the radio.
Five days later, the piano arrived at my doorstep. It's pretty neat, made of wood and with a red lacquer finish. The Schylling company is known for making classic children's toys, and the piano is representative of their product line. I noted on the back of the piano were notations also written in black pen, recording Bruce Hornby's and Jamie Cullum's KINK Performance Lounge appearances, but none for John. I know for sure that John DID visit the station's Performance Lounge the previous month, but I guess they just neglected to add that to the piano. No matter, I got John's signature, and I have the piano, which is a welcome addition to my growing Five For Fighting collection.
I'm in the process of reorganizing my curio cabinet to make room for all the Five For Fighting stuff I have. Most of the CDs will be going up on the wall...I bought some nice CD display frames for those. So, the piano will soon have a spot in the cabinet...right now, it's sitting on my coffee table, which isn't really a bad place to be. No, I don't play the thing...it IS just a toy, after all. I wonder if John tapped a few of the keys himself when he signed it. I bet he could play 100 Years on it with those magic fingers of his. For once, maybe John could wipe the floor with Bruce.
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