Day 14 - Didn’t We Almost Have it All
Whitney Houston
1987
Disclaimer: All perspectives, opinions, and memories in this entry are mine and mine alone. Some content is rugged, raw, and - sometimes - NSFW, but it's all authentic and included with purpose.
Why It’s On The List:
When I went back to college and was pursuing journalism, a family friend introduced me to a guy that was trying to launch a magazine that covered high school and college sports in our area. I was immediately hooked and took every assignment I could get. My buddy Paul was in the same spot I was in - kinda done with school, kinda looking for the next thing - so I got him writing as well.
Within a few months, Paul and I were doing as much as we could for the magazine. I was editing and we got set up to do a Saturday morning radio show and eventually a Saturday afternoon TV show. It wasn’t paying much, but it was the time of our lives and we knew that if we kept putting out enough quality content, the money would come.
Two years in we had office space. I was the editor of the magazine that had continued to grow and Paul was helping with sales. We were so close to “making it.” We had an agreement to be bought out by a large local media conglomerate and that was going to be it. This was going to be our careers. We had done it.
But then the conglomerate started ghosting us and stopped returning calls. We couldn’t figure out what was going on our get any answers.
Then it happened.
I will never forget the day or the moment. I woke up one morning and got the paper off the front porch (you know, like you did in the olden days). Front page headline: Due to the 2008 recession, our large media conglomerate was selling off parts and had issued a new acquisitions freeze.
I died a million deaths in that minute.
We tried to make it work on our own for the next few months. Paul and I even worked for free so that we could pay other writers and photographers with what we had. But then came the day we all knew was coming. We officially closed down the magazine.
Paul I drove the back woods and streets of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach that night.
Gonna sound hilariously ridiculous to you now but at some point that evening I put on Whitney’s “Didn’t We Almost Have it All” and then we just left it on repeat for the rest of the night. Sometimes we belted it out along with her. Sometimes we listened in silence. Sometimes we sobbed as we sang.
You don’t really know someone until you go through war with them.
Paul and I lived in the trenches together for those few years and got sooooooo close to living our dreams. No we didn’t make it but we did it together. Wouldn’t trade those memories - or even that night with Whitney - for anything.
Listen to "Didn't We Almost Have it All" here:
Favorite Line:
Within a few months, Paul and I were doing as much as we could for the magazine. I was editing and we got set up to do a Saturday morning radio show and eventually a Saturday afternoon TV show. It wasn’t paying much, but it was the time of our lives and we knew that if we kept putting out enough quality content, the money would come.
Two years in we had office space. I was the editor of the magazine that had continued to grow and Paul was helping with sales. We were so close to “making it.” We had an agreement to be bought out by a large local media conglomerate and that was going to be it. This was going to be our careers. We had done it.
But then the conglomerate started ghosting us and stopped returning calls. We couldn’t figure out what was going on our get any answers.
Then it happened.
I will never forget the day or the moment. I woke up one morning and got the paper off the front porch (you know, like you did in the olden days). Front page headline: Due to the 2008 recession, our large media conglomerate was selling off parts and had issued a new acquisitions freeze.
I died a million deaths in that minute.
We tried to make it work on our own for the next few months. Paul and I even worked for free so that we could pay other writers and photographers with what we had. But then came the day we all knew was coming. We officially closed down the magazine.
Paul I drove the back woods and streets of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach that night.
Gonna sound hilariously ridiculous to you now but at some point that evening I put on Whitney’s “Didn’t We Almost Have it All” and then we just left it on repeat for the rest of the night. Sometimes we belted it out along with her. Sometimes we listened in silence. Sometimes we sobbed as we sang.
You don’t really know someone until you go through war with them.
Paul and I lived in the trenches together for those few years and got sooooooo close to living our dreams. No we didn’t make it but we did it together. Wouldn’t trade those memories - or even that night with Whitney - for anything.
Listen to "Didn't We Almost Have it All" here:
Favorite Line:
“We'll never lose it again.
'Cause once you know what love is
You never let it end”
RIP to The Gameday Guys. Love ya brother.
While We're Here:
RIP to The Gameday Guys. Love ya brother.
While We're Here:
1 So many good songs sum up this era. Could have chosen Snow by RHCP after Paul came up with “Karl Malone is the Red Hot Chili Peppers” (and yes, I did track down the original post to link!!!). Could have gone with Augustana's Boston after our epic intro to the radio show the day Kevin Garnett got traded to the Celtics. Also could have gone with My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade.
2. It would have been borderline impossible to pick from Whitney Houston songs without the connection to this story. She obliterated the phrase “bursting onto the scene” when she dropped “Saving All My Love" on Letterman. But others of my personal favorites would include I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Greatest Love of All and Where Do Broken Hearts Go.
2. It would have been borderline impossible to pick from Whitney Houston songs without the connection to this story. She obliterated the phrase “bursting onto the scene” when she dropped “Saving All My Love" on Letterman. But others of my personal favorites would include I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Greatest Love of All and Where Do Broken Hearts Go.
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