RIP John Majhor: The Majhor Marches On..
When I receive a special e-mail, I usually print it up and put it in a special box. Never really touched, but on the occasion I would check up on some old notes friends sent my way. Crimpled up white pieces of paper with coffee stains and age of beauty stashed in a mini wooden fragment of yesterdays' sentences and good wishes. This past weekend, I had printed up all of my e-mails I received from John Majhor because I knew I won't be getting them anymore.
I knew, his fans and friends knew the time will be coming very soon.
It has.
The Maj has passed on. He died peacefully Tuesday morning at his home surrounded by his family. I tuned into CHUM-AM, where Maj spent 11 years as one of the top jocks on the landmark powerhouse.
I hear those coffee stains and the crimpled pieces of paper within the sound of the station. Age brings beauty, and as they say, Memories. Maj has left us with many years of memories. Like how he introduced us 70's babies to some of the best videos in a land before Much Music. His afternoon Video Singles television show broke ground and had the kids tuning in. So many kids the show at one time gained a 23 share. This of course was leading in to Maj's most known piece of Toronto work, `Toronto Rocks' which put CITY-TV on the rock map. Personal memories will include the first time I met him in the hallway of CJEZ where he stood by reception to voice some station ID's and commercials. There he was. Mr Rock'n'Roll. The man who taught me about pop music while I was eating my after school snack and was flipping back and forth between Video Singles and some cartoon show. I forget which cartoon I watched, but I could never forget Video Singles. Majhor invited me into the Batcave. I guess that was the only way he would've gotten me to move as I was stoned cold silent In awe of a media icon. With that big Majhor grin, he laughed his big laugh and yelled "Come on, Kid. Let's make some Maj Magic". As Majhor and the producer would chat between takes, I sat there and learned. Nothing about the production or how to work the board like I was supposed to, but about talent. How to `be the spot'. How to make it your own and have fun with it.
I never got to Thank John for that. But I learned so much from him those couple of days being stuck in a shoebox room filled of microphones, switches, reel-to-reels and the Legend.
As the Maj marches on, He'll reunite with his old buddies that helped make the memories for us kids and return to the airwaves. This time, I'm sure he'll love The Boss.
If you're by your radio tonight, be a kid again, sneak the radio underneath your pillow and listen to the Voice. 1050 CHUM will be playing an aircheck of Majhor from 1977 starting at 7pm
Now here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Here I go, playing star again.
There I go, turn the page.
Here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Ah here I go, playing star again.
There I go, there I go.
Bob Seger - Turn the Page
-shane alexander famewrites.blogspot.com (Jan 23, 2007)
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