Mark On Superfan Roundtable - Thursday, September 20, 2007

I wasn't going to write up this night. I wasn't even supposed to be on Superfan Roundtable, I was supposed to be an alternate. All I really wanted to do was go into the city to hang out with my friend Haydn Porter who had been on Howard's show that morning. When I asked if I could be on Superfan Roundtable with her, I was told the show was booked but I could come down and hang out, and they'd make me an alternate. That's what I expected to happen, just hang out and watch the show from behind the scenes instead of behind the microphone.

I got to the SIRIUS studios a little early and there was no sign of my friend Haydn. I thought she was going to be there early but she was nowhere to be found. I saw Jim Breuer walking out at one point. That was my big star sighting of the evening I guess. Mutt, the host of Superfan Roundtable, showed up not too long after I got there. He introduced me to a couple of the guys, MrJeff and Jet11 from SFN, who were going to be doing the show that night.

We headed to the studio to prepare for the show and I soon found out that the guest list had been shuffled around and all of a sudden I was one of the guests. I wasn't prepared for that, I thought that I was just going to watch. I didn't know what they were planning on covering so I didn't have time to 'study' for the show.

One problem was that Haydn was running late and they were short a guest. I offered to fill in for her and then leave when she got there. Jason told me that I was going to be on for the whole show, I didn't have to leave. I had texted Haydn to find out where she was and she called back a short time later to let me know that she was running a little late and she'd be there soon. I really didn't want to fill in for her, but I was there already and sitting in the studio so I just went with it.

One highlight of the evening was meeting this guy Pedro who was doing Superfan Roundtable that night. Pedro is a Superfan who made me feel like a star. He kept telling me how great the web site is and what an honor it was to meet me. As I always say, I'm not used to that stuff, but I was loving it this time. I've never had my ass kissed like that before and I loved every second of it. Thanks Pedro!

My worst fears came true when Haydn didn't show up on time to start Superfan Roundtable. It was just me, Pedro, MrJeff, Jet11 and Mutt. It was one big sausage fest. I got a couple of messages from Haydn saying she was on her way but it kept getting later and later. We started the show and she ended up showing up about 35 minutes late. We were all happy to see her walking down the hall toward the studio when she did show up.

Quite a bit of the show was about Haydn since she had caused a little controversy with some regulars on Howard's show that morning. We talked about her before she came in and then again when she finally showed up. The show went pretty quick, even though I wasn't prepared for it. Maybe I shouldn't prepare at all from now on. I think I got more nervous in the past when I did try to prepare.

After the show we all hung out in the studio for a short time and then headed out. Some of the guys were heading out to hang out at a bar or something so I tagged along with Haydn and her brother Josh who was waiting out in the lobby after the show. We ended up going over to the Hawaiian Tropic restaurant/bar which wasn't too far from the SIRIUS building.

I got to spend a couple of hours with Haydn and the guys. Mutt treated us to some drinks at the bar and hung out for a while. We had some fun drooling over the girls while we were there. It's a nice place to hang out if you're in the area.

Everyone started to head out after a while. One of my favorite parts of the evening was saying goodbye to Pedro. Pedro was still being very nice and shaking my hand over and over again telling me how great it was to have met me. I think he shook my hand at least 5 times telling me that it had been an honor. So much praise from one man, quite an ego inflator. It made me look like a little bit of a star in this tiny world of Stern fans.

My favorite moment of the night was after Mutt, Pedro and Pedro's friend had left. I was hanging with Haydn and Josh when I remembered something I'd heard on a Howard 100 News report on my way into the city. Ralph Howard quickly mentioned that Haydn Porter had been the number one Google search that morning according to Google Trends. Haydn hadn't heard the report so I was the bearer of good news. I didn't know how great her reaction was going to be. She looked ecstatic to say the least. Her reaction was something I'd expect from a lottery winner. It was awesome and a great way to end the night. Out on a high note.

And that's it for another Brush with Greatness. I had a good time doing Superfan Roundtable, even if I wasn't supposed to be on. Next time I do the show I'm not going to prepare. I figure I did just as good (or bad) with no preparation as I would have with some prep. As I told MrJeff earlier in the evening, my head is full of knowledge about the Stern Show, it's just a matter of trying to extract it from this thick head of mine. Easier said than done.