You are Vistor #
I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Richard Jeremy Fine on May 5,1956. All my family and friends call me Rick and it is the name I am most comfortable with. Richard is too formal and Ricky was too young. The first six years of my life were in Richfield Minnesota near the old home of the Minnesota Twins.
In 1963, we moved to a Western suburb of
Minneapolis called
St.
Louis park. While there I attended Cedar Manor
Elementary School (Movie Trivia Hint: This was the name of
the school that all the children ran out of in the Coen
Brothers' movie The Hudsucker Proxy). Ethan
Coen
was in school with me there. Then I attended Westwood
Junior High School, now St. Louis park Junior High
School.
In my eighth grade year my parents thought that smaller
classes would help me find myself, so I attended St. James
School for Boys, in Fairbault MN. This was where I had my
first Gay experience setting a tone for the rest of my
life. I guess they were right I did find myself.
Upon return from exile, I attended St. Louis park Senior
High School and graduated with the class of 1974. In 1994
I attended my 20th class reunion
and I don't care what
people say they do change in twenty years. I never
realized I went to school with so many fat bald old men,
myself included.
After graduation, skipping college I spent the next 17
years driving buses of all shapes and sizes. The open road
beckoned to me. Several of my favorite experiences during
this time include, my time as a city bus driver in St. Cloud MN, the
Summer of 1979 that I
spent as a driver/guide in the wilds of Yellowstone
National park (I never once
saw a live bear in five months time), and working for a
local sightseeing company out of Orange
County CA. I'm proud to say I used to give one of the
best Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills Stars' Homes
tours ever. My parents visited me in LA once and took the
tour, they said I didn't shut my mouth for more then 30
seconds from the time we left Orange County until we made
our lunch stop almost three hours later.
I spent many years touring the United States with groups
from all over the world. During this time, I traveled in
46 of the 48 of the contiguous states missing only, Vermont
and North Dakota. The highlight for me will always be The Corn Palace in
Mitchell SD. (If Disneyland is "The Happiest Place on
Earth", then the Corn Palace is the Tackiest, that's why I
love it so much! Where else could you find a leather tooled
key fob with a picture of the Corn Palace and the name
Hiram on it?)
In 1990, Having grown weary of my life on the road I
decided to anchor myself in one place, Los Angeles, and
took a job dispatching trucks. This change allowed me to
search out what I really wanted to do. In mid 1992, I
pursued a total career change by following my other love,
Radio. I attended The
Academy of Radio
Broadcasting, in Huntington Beach CA. My mentor and
teacher there was Bill Hergonson, the former Hergon in
the morning on KGB Radio in San Diego. Of all the
things I took away from radio school my friendship with
Bill is the most valuable.
Upon graduation, I spent the next year and half as the
Wacky sidekick of The Wake-up Crew on KLPZ Radio, "The All
New 1380 AM Country", in the Colorado River Resort
community of parker AZ. (Just south of Lake Havasu City,
AZ). I really got hooked on country music while there. I
had been a fan of country music ever since I heard Reba
McEntire sing Little Rock several years earlier.
It
was in parker that I got turned on to the movie "Pure
Country" and the music of George
Strait.
In 1993, I got a call from Hergon, or Hergie as I fondly
call him, that he had a job for me as his news director at
KMET Radio in Banning CA. The format for this station and
programming was going to be an information Talk format. I
moved to Banning to pursue this new dream. The station
never ended up following the orginal plan and after nine
months both Bill and
I left to pursue other dreams. After a short stay in
Banning looking for work I headed back to LA and back to
dispatching.
While working in Dispatching and just going with the flow
of life, I suddenly realized I was nearing Forty. I met a
friend from Houston, Barry, who knew I wasn't entirely
happy with LA and enticed me to investigate Houston as a
new place to live. Prior to meeting Barry, Texas wouldn't
have been even considered.
As I turned Forty, I bought myself Red High Tops, a pet
snake named Orson,
a Sonoran Desert
King and a plane ticket to Houston to see what the city
was about. I found several interesting leads on jobs and
spent time with some friends I had met through Barry. While
visiting at my friend Wes's Apartment I saw a photo of this
cute redhead I knew I had to meet. Later that weekend
Wes
found a way to get John and
I
together. When I first saw John I felt like Davey Jones of
the Monkees every time he
fell in love little stars appeared in his eyes. I was sure
little stars were twinkling in my eyes. After talking to
John for what seemed like hours I asked him if I could give
him a kiss. It felt like a bolt of electricity shot
through
our bodies. I'd always told myself that when "Mr. Right"
came along, I would just know it! I knew at that moment
that John was the man I
had been looking for for more than twenty years. Good
thing he felt the same way. It was "Kiss-met". This was
proven to me again upon my return to California. I went to
spend a couple of days with Hergie and his wife in San
Diego where they read my Tarot. The cards all pointed to
the fact that a move to Houston (and John) was the right
thing to do! Including the card of TRUE LOVE.
I found a job in Houston, and knew that John would be an
important part of
my life there. In the month that passed between my first
visit to Houston and my moving there, John and I talked
everyday at least once. He knew it too. It was "The Real
Deal". He offered to come to LA to help me move and we have
been together ever since.
It has taken almost four years and some bitter career
disappointments to finally get back to radio. But wouldn't
you figure that in Houston Country Radio is King and I
landed another job as an over-night DJ for one of the
stations here. How it happened was really funny, and
almost never happens in real life. It was strictly a
matter of being in the right place at the right time.
I had been downsized (God I hate that word) from the job I
had moved to Houston for. I was heading home from a job
interview listening to my favorite Country station when I
decided to try to get sympathy Reba tickets for an upcomng
concert from the
afternoon DJ. I told him my sad downsizing story but he
said I would have to win the tickets like everyone else.
Undaunted, I asked him what does a fellow have to do to get
a job at that station. He asked if I had any radio
experience thinking back four years I said: "Yes, I do".
He told me that the station was looking for help and gave
me the name of the Program Director. I drove directly
there and dropped off my tape and resume. Three days later
I was on the air. I spent two wonderful, exciting years
as Jake Roberts working part-time for KILT 100.3 FM.
Houston's number one Country Music radio station.
My first shift was week-end overnights and then I moved up to
primetime (sort of)Saturday nights 7pm to midnight.
The station had a very successful Solid Gold Country show
on Sunday nights from 7pm to midnight and decided to do it on
Saturdays as well, I was told I could stay and run the voice track
of one of their big time DJ's if I wanted, but I told them that I
got into radio so I could talk on the air not play someone else's
voice, so we came to a parting of the ways. If anyone out there
reading this has any connections in Houston, Texas broadcasting
or voice-over work PLEASE e-mail me!!
My day job for the past 3+ years has been as a Travel Consultant
first in Leisure Travel and for the past 2 years in Corporate Travel.
Being a travel agent does have its benefits like cheap or free airline
tickets, cheap rental cars and free upgrades to 1st class when flying,
but you have to put up with a lot also. People who just don't
grasp the meaning of Non-refundable airplane tickets or 7, 14, 21
day advance purchase.
About 2 1/2 years ago John and I bought a house in the western suburb
of Houston called Katy. I love being a homeowner but after so many
years of apartment dwelling I really miss being able to call an
apartment manager to say the roof leaks or the air conditioner
doesn't work, come and fix it.
Shortly after buying the house we bought our boxer puppies. You saw
them pictured with us on the front page. Bay Rum (the boy) and his
sister Roxie Hart are the joy of our lives, besides each other. We both
had boxers growing up and just knew that once we got a house we would
get a boxer. John shocked me when we were originally looking at the
puppies and trying to decide which one to get and he asked the owner
"How much for both of them??!!" You can really tell we're gay, hell
we named one of our dogs after a Broadway show character. (Roxie Hart-
in Bob Fosse's Chicago)
I was born and raised Jewish, but as I grew older I realized it just
didn't fulfill me spiritually. About 2 years ago John and I started
regularly attending Resurrection Metropolitian Community Church (yes
the gay church)and I found something I'd been missing from my life
a belief and relationship in/with God. John had been a member of the
church for years and last April (2001) I was baptized and also became
a member. I never knew what a love for Gospel music I had. We are
both very active in church ministries. We facilitate a home bible
study/social group twice a month and spearheaded a Christmas food basket
drive in December. RMCC was able to give 64 baskets of food to the needy
this past holiday season.
In December 2000, I fell off a step ladder while fixing a string of
Christmas lights on the house. I pinched a nerve in my back which almost
totally incapacitated me. I could get around but other then going to work,
I just vegged out in my easy chair. Needless to say I started to pack
on the pounds. Finally last summer I couldn't stand it any more and
underwent a surgical procedure called a Rouen Y. The surgeon basically
stapled my stomach and re-routed my digestive system. On the day of
surgery I weighed 407 pounds, as of this writing I'm down to 271, a
weight loss of 156 pounds. I'll keep you all posted as I lose the final
71 pounds and reach my goal of 200. Since my surgey I haven't had a
backache!
After 5 1/2 years John is finally going to make an honest man of me.
We are planning a Holy Union ceremony at RMCC in November, the Saturday
after Thanksgiving.
It is because of John's encouragement, support and love that puts
me where I am today.
He's my Babycakes and I'm his Hunkmiester.
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