Loudon Wainwright 111.

Way back in my slightly miss-spent Youth, I heard a song that caught my attention both for its content and its singer’s name. The song was “Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road “ and was a sizable hit all around the world. So much so that nearly 15 years later (while I was at Bible College,) I heard the Singer was still touring the world, including Australia, on the strength of that one song some 15 years earlier. Now some 20 years later from even that time, I read somewhere recently that he is still going strong in the entertainment world, having recorded some 20 Albums of his own and has had some bit parts in acting in 11 films, (including, Big fish, The Avatar, 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked up). As well as all that, he is currently the Musical Director of the David Letterman Show. So for a man with a funny name and really only one big song to his name he has done all right for himself. Both then and now. Yet still, the name Louden Wainwright the 3^rd, is still not that well known out side of his circle of fans, is it? I mean had you ever heard of Him?

In fact, to most people today and especially the young, when you mention Loudon’s surname, they repeat it and say, "Don’t you mean Rufus Wainwright?” To which I reply that, “If I wanted to talk about the son, I would have said so! I am talking about his father!”

Yes, despite his ongoing fame and exposure Loudon is best known these days not for his own success, but for the success of his son (& also his slightly lesser known Daughter, Martha Wainright/McGarrigle. Both singer -songwriters in their own rights!)

What about you? Does this sound familiar to you? You have had success in your own right, but long ago, and even while still being successful now, are being overshadowed even by your own Children or someone that you trained or introduced to the world!

Well learn form Loudon. Enjoy your success when it comes, as he did with ‘“Dead Skunk In The Middle Of the Road “ back in the early 70’s (1972). Milk it for all it’s worth as he did up into the 80’s (and probably still), by touring where he could. Yes indeed do all that, but don’t stay there forever. Loudon moved on, and is now the Musical Director for a popular TV Show. So yes Loudon enjoyed his initial success and turned it into an enjoyable and productive life, and one that he is still enjoying the reflected fruits of! But even more, he is also basking in the knowledge that he has also produced two young people, successful in their own right.

Loudon can bask in both his own success and the success of others. Can the same be said of you and me? Walter