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In
Closing
And
so, at long last, we come to the end of this book. From the
beginning it was my intent to carefully go through my life
and to give credit, even enshrine if possible, all the
wonderful people I have been privileged to be associated
with as well as the many exceptional talents I have
encountered in my life's journey. They've shaped me into who
I am today. I've had such good fortune and met such fine
people. To realize one's dream is a rare thing. I thank you
all sincerely for giving me that. In my
efforts to be candid about my "life of rock & roll," it
would not be complete if I didn't include a few of the
everyday occurrences. While
on the road in 1993, touring in an RV with my family, we
pulled off the interstate in Indiana to find a place to eat.
We drove about four miles into a small town and sat down in
a family restaurant. My kids said, "Dad, look at that sign!"
The sign over our booth said, "Have a 3 Dog Night special,"
referring to a 3-hot dog plate on the menu. Perfect! I love
that stuff. What a great life. Those kinds of things pop up
in the strangest, unexpected places -- in football highlight
films, etc. Nowadays I see it more in new movie releases and
television commercials. I
even heard "Shambala" played in one of the old "Buck Rogers
in the 21st Century" episodes. The story was about a guy who
was frozen in suspension for 200 years or so. They thawed
him, and when he played the music in his cabin, a girl asked
him, "Who's that?" He said, "Three Dog Night. My favorite
group," or something like that. People tend to think
recording artists don't get excited over this kind of stuff.
Wrong! It's great fun. About
halfway through this book it came to me just exactly how I
was going to end it. It is about something that happened
last year on tour. Upon
arriving in Toronto on July 15, 2001, for a concert, we
checked into a hotel on Queen Street. I needed to grab a
bite to eat before things closed, so I walked out of the
hotel and, for no particular reason, turned left and walked
up the street. Within two or three blocks I saw something
that kind of wraps it all up as far as what my life in 3 Dog
Night has been like. This one phenomena, above all others,
has reoccurred the most during all the years of music
notoriety. A simple thing, really. Something based in
vanity, but tempered with a great deal of humility. It
confirms to me just how much our music has infiltrated our
society and culture. It epitomizes the wonderful life I have
enjoyed for the last 33 years. Thank
you all for your continued enjoyment of our music and for
the life you have given me. Without YOU we could have never
happened. You have been OUR DREAM COME TRUE. Please
turn the page. It will load a little slow and require some
scrolling, but I wanted this picture to be big so you would
understand how I felt when I saw it.