Arthur would have scoffed at that title. Icon. He wasn’t much for titles, mantles, or even accolades. Too “effete”. He hated pomp or ceremony. Loathed pretension. Back in the late 90’s, the title “Chief Announcer” was suggested to Arthur at Minnesota Public Radio, and he smiled deliciously. That smile spoke a thousand words and you could hear it on the radio. Arthur had been the godfather, mentor, muse, and yes, chief for almost 40 years, not just at MPR, but to countless other broadcasters, and especially his audience. An official title was completely unnecessary.
“The Tweaker”
I had a friend years ago that hired a decorator to come in and arrange his living room furniture. Mind you, nothing new was purchased, the consultant just re-arranged the room with the same pieces of furniture and accessories. Surprisingly, it actually looked really good. I was astounded, as was he. All this familiar stuff was pulled from the room and re-assembled in a way that looked completely new. Vision. Steve Jobs did that with technology. If you haven’t seen the recent Malcolm Gladwell piece on Steve Jobs “real genius,” it’s worth … Continue Reading