Power Plant Music To My Ears

I’m sure just about everyone does this.  When they look at someone, they occasionally hear music.  Some sort of song that is inspired by the person.  For instance when I look at my mom, I suddenly begin to hear Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (sorry about the advertisements.  Nothing I can do about that).

For those with older browsers that are not able to view video links, I will include the link below the video:  Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

A few years ago when I was working for Dell, after I had given a thumb drive loaded with the songs I liked to listen to, to a friend of mine, Nina Richburg, when she left our team, she came up to me later and said she had never heard such an eclectic selection of music before.  I told her I knew what she meant.  I had included classical, rock and roll, electronic, movie soundtracks, country, easy listening, and just about every other genre in the book.

I didn’t explain to her how I can come to the point where I listened to so many different types of music.  The answer of course is that I had worked at a Coal-fired Power Plant in North Central Oklahoma for 20 years and I had learned to listen to the music that played in my head while working alongside some of the most diverse set of humans that comprised the Power Plant Men and Women at the plant.

I think it began while I was a janitor working with Pat Braden.  When I would work with him, I hear a certain song in my head.  So, I began to associate that song with Pat.  I’m sure many at the plant heard the same song playing in their heads while interacting with Pat.  He was such a nice guy:

The direct link is:  Sesame Street Theme Song.

I guess you can call it Power Plant Theme Songs, since the songs that usually played in my head represented the type of person.  This wasn’t always the case.  For instance, when I looked at the electric Foreman and my close friend, Charles Foster, I would usually hear this song:

The direct link is:  GhostBusters.

I would hear this song, because when the movie came out, and the song would be played on the radio, Charles’ son Tim Foster thought the song was saying, “Who ya gonna call?  Charles Foster!”  So, I can’t hear this song without thinking of Charles Foster.

Charles Foster

I have told stories about Gene Day (formally known as Victor Eugene Day — I didn’t misspell “formally), and how it was always fun to play jokes on him.  The main reason is because Gene Day was always so easy going.  When you look at Gene, the obvious song that pops in my mind is this:

The direct link is:  Feelin’ Groovy.

Aren’t they cute?  If you took Garfunkel (the tall singer) and shrank him down to the size of Simon, then you would have Gene Day.  It was worth the trip to the control room just to encounter Gene Day, so that the rest of your day, you could go around the Power Plant, performing your feats of magic while you were “Feelin’ Groovy!” just for looking at Gene Day.  That’s the effect he would have on passerby’s.

Gene Day is the one standing on the right with the Orange shirt.

My bucket buddy Diana Brien had her own theme song.  This song would come to mind not because the song itself reminded me of her, but because she remarked one day when the song was playing on the radio that she really liked it.  So, from that point, this was Dee’s song:

The direct link is:  Desperado.

My Bucket Buddy Diana Brien

I had some songs in my head when I looked at other Power Plant men because it actually sounded like they were singing the song themselves.  This was the case with Bill Bennett, our A Foreman.  He had a gruff Cigarette voice so I could easily hear Bill Bennett singing this song.  Actually, ZZ Top was probably inspired to write this song by Bill Bennett:

Direct link to:  La Grange.

Bill Cosby trying to look like Bill Bennett

The Extreme Power Plant character of some Power Plant Men that I was inclined to “Hero Worship” because of their tremendous talent led me to hear music of a more epic nature.  This was true for both Earl Frazier and Andy Tubbs.  Earl Frazier was a welder of such talent and when combined with his loyal country nature, even though his occupation was different than this song… This is what usually came to mind when I would look at Earl Frazier:

Direct link:  Wichita Lineman.

 

Earl Frazier

Andy Tubbs had the same sort of “epic-ness” that Earl had.  He was “Country” like Earl also.   At the same time, Andy was one of the most intelligent Power Plant Man that graced the Tripper Gallery by his presence. That is probably why this song would come to mind when I would look at Andy:

Direct Link:  Good Bad and the Ugly.

Andy Tubbs – True Power Plant Electrician

Notice the resemblance to Andy’s picture and the song.  You could hear the Good Bad and the Ugly Song start up every time Andy would leave the foreman’s office and step out into the shop.

I have covered the “Power Plant Genius of Larry Riley” in a previous post.  He was another “Epic Hero” of mine.  There was not a lot that Larry couldn’t do.  His epic-ness was more like a knight from the time of King Arthur.  I think that’s why I would hear the song that I heard when I would look at Larry.  The movie Excalibur included the perfect song for a knight riding out to meet the enemy just as Larry would step out of the Labor Crew building each morning when I worked for him as a laborer.  I would hear the following epic song go through my mind (try singing along with this song):

Direct link:  O Fortuna.

Flashbacks of Latin Class!

Larry Riley in all of his epic-ness!

If you look at Larry’s picture while listening to O Fortuna, you can actually picture him dressed in armor riding on a backhoe just as if it was a War Horse, heading off into battle!

There were other epic characters at the plant that would inspire similar songs.  Toby O’Brien, as a Power Plant Engineer, though, not “epic” in the Power Plant Man sort of way, still inspired music when in his presence.  I think it was his calm demeanor even when faced with those who may disagree with him (to put it mildly), and it was his deliberate resolve to focus on tasks at hand that left me with this music running through my mind when in his presence:

Direct Link:  Moonlight Sonata.

Power Plant Engineer and Good Friend – Toby O’Brien

The music fits, doesn’t it?

Scott Hubbard, my partner in crime (not literally…. it felt like a crime sometimes having so much fun and getting paid for it at the same time), was always such a hard worker.  Like most industrious Power Plant Men, Scott was always running around (not literally again…) with a smile on his face working away on one project or other.  That’s probably why this song was always going through my head when we were working together.  It always seemed like everything was going like clockwork:

Direct link:  Miss Marple Theme Song.

Scott Hubbard

When I would go to the tool room to get parts, if Bud Schoonover was working there, I could usually hear his song even before I arrived.  I don’t know if it was some kind of psychic ability I had, or it was because I would observe the faces of others as they were leaving the tool room, that would queue me in that Bud was on Tool Room duty.  Either way, when this song would start up in my head, I knew that Bud Schoonover was near:

Direct Link:  Baby Elephant Walk.

It wasn’t because Bud reminded me of an elephant that this song would come to mind.  I think it had more to do with Bud’s carefree attitude about things.  This song just seemed to come to mind while I would wait at the tool room gate while Bud would search for the parts I had requested.  I don’t have a picture of Bud.  He was big like Paul Bunyan, but he had the expression of Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son, as I have often mentioned.  It was the squint and the jutting jaw when he spoke…

Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son

Johnny Keys was another True Power Plant Man that had his own theme song.  This one came to mind just about the first time I met Johnny.  I could tell right away where he would rather be.  This song actually came up with a lot of different Power Plant Men, including Ben Davis and Don Burnett.  Don and Johnny were working together as machinists when I first met them the summer of 1979.  Ben Davis was good friends with both Don and Johnny, so this song would come to mind whenever I encountered any of these three Power Plant Men:

Direct link:  Daniel Boone.

 

Johnny Keys

There are some Power Plant Men that sort of reminded me of a bear.  Ronnie Banks was that way, and so was Dave McClure.  Ronnie reminded me of a bear because he walked like one.  Dave reminded me of a bear because he was a big scruffy Power Plant Man.  He was gentle like Gentle Ben in the TV show Gentle Ben.  I didn’t hear the theme song for Gentle Ben when I worked around these two.  Instead I heard this song because this song captured their personality much better:

Direct Link: Bare Necessities.

Dave McClure

Ron Kilman, the Plant manager (yeah.  I have a song for him too).  But I wanted to say that Ron Kilman had his own clerk (secretary) that sort of acted like a receptionist when you entered his office.  Her name is Jean Kohler.  She was the same age as my mother.  Unlike hearing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony as I do with my mom, when I would have the opportunity to talk with Jean Kohler, she was such a lady that the following song would immediately come to my mind:

Direct Link: Lady.

I don’t have a picture of Jean Kohler, so you will just have to picture a very nice prim and proper lady with a perfectly sweet smile.

Ron Kilman’s theme song was The William’ Tell Overture.  I guess because of the pace that he usually had to work.  I listen to this song often because it helps me work.  The song is longer than most people are used to hearing, so, I’ll just send you a link to the part that most people are familiar:

Direct Link: Lone Ranger.

Ron Kilman

In the Power Plant there were a few “sour apples”.  In my posts I generally like to focus on the True Power Plant Men and their accomplishments.  Occasionally when the topic is right, I may mention those of a less savory character…. Without saying much more than that, whenever I would encounter Jim Arnold, who was the Supervisor over the engineers, and later the head of Operations and later, the head of Maintenance, several songs would come to mind.  The theme of the songs were songs like this one:

Direct Link: You’re So Vain.

I searched everywhere for a picture of Jim Arnold and this was the only one I could find:

Jim Arnold in all of his awesomeness

What more can I say?  I will leave it at that.  Now you can see why someone would think that I listen to an eclectic selection of music.  Because I worked with such a diverse bunch of Power Plant Men and Women!