WCVB Channel 5 Boston Covers Mike's Canoe-Commute
Andy Warhol once said that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame.
Well, this summer, I got mine.
It turns out that local media somehow became aware of my kayak-commuting and wanted to do a segment on me for Chronicle, a news-feature show on ABC’s affiliate here in Boston. I figured it might be kind of fun, so I agreed.
Being familiar with the nature of TV shoots, I was prepared to follow their direction…over, and over, and over again.
“Paddle towards the sun.”
“Now, paddle towards the city.”
“Can you raise the paddle a little higher? We’re getting a weird shadow on your nose.”
“Get out of your boat.”
“OK, a little too much grunting there. Do it again, Carl.”
Carl?
Apparently, they had forgotten my first name. It’s one of those awkward situations where you desperately hope that they just slipped, and would start calling you by your real name—as if by magic.
“Ok, Carl, paddle this way.”
I let it happen a few more times before I declared:
“Look guys, I have to tell you, my name is Mike. I’d let you keep calling me Carl because I think that’s a fine name for a man, but in the name of journalistic integrity, I want to help you out here.”
They were apologetic, and then proceeded to interview me. I tried to be charming and articulate, as well as lower my voice a few octaves. At the end of the interview, they shook my hand and told me I’d be on the November 24th segment. That was a tremendous relief to me, as I figured all my friends and coworkers would be traveling or otherwise too busy to notice me acting like a goof on TV.
The day finally rolled around, I anxiously pressed play and heard the segment conclude with these words:
“And as for Mike HODGKIN, our commuter, he says he will go until the river ices over…”
I turned to my girlfriend Caitlin and shrugged.
They had butchered my last name.
