Ever since Motty died (10/2/2012) its like I have had writers cramp and every other cramp too for that matter!. It really hit the wind out of me, although his death was not at all unexpected.
It was around 2am on that fateful Friday morning that his wife Elaine called to say he had gone. To make matters worse, that was the day I had promised the general manager of Power 106 that I would return to help moderating 'Perkins on line" until the station came up with something to fill that "impossible to fill' slot.
I had said I would do Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
You see, I had been sitting in for Motty for years, from he was at Klas FM in Mandeville doing "Straight talk'. He had been living in Malvern at the time at a beautiful home they had bought and restored after being introduced to the area on a visit there to see my late mother. This meant his driving to Mandeville daily to do the programme, but later KLAS built a studio in Kingston so I sat in for him there when necessary.
Then after he relocated to Kingston, he moved to Hot 102 establishing "Perkins on line" as an independently produced programme and I continued being the alternative host. This situation also prevailed when he later moved the programme to Power 106.
Sitting in was no problem as he rarely took a day off and was never ill. So it was basically when he and Elaine took that rare holiday abroad. Then in 2011 he started to call on me much more often. In November he came down with pneumonia but each time he felt better he wouldn't take any extra time to rest but went back to work immediately, so in a few days he would be attacked by the fever again.
I had planned to go to Florida for Christmas to spend the time with friends and Shadrach joined me there.
As Motty usually took a week off during these holidays, I didn't think he would have had a relapse. But he did and no sooner was taken to hospital and felt a little better, he got dressed and went back to work as we were having an election for the first time in the history of independent Jamaica, on a day between Christmas and new years day (December 29th) and Motty was not about to miss it. But his body rebelled even causing the leukemia which he had successfully defeated some six years before, to return.
He still stubbornly kept going from the hospital to work and on more then a one occasion Althea McKenzie had to go into the studio to come to his assistance.
When I returned home on the 6th January, Elaine told me he was very sick and I had to sit in. All that time I had no idea how ill he had become. On the Saturday I went to see him and had the shock of my life as he was in and out of a coma. It was as if something tore out my stomach. I felt I would never be able to do the programme again as it was then that I learnt that the doctor was giving him 3 weeks to live!
After that it was as if I was operating on automatic pilot as I struggled throughout the following week to act normally as I did the programme. Then something said to me that if he only had about 2 weeks more to live, chances are I would have to announce his death on the air and I just could not face that option. So I told the general manager that I could not do anymore, but I did not tell him why!
When I returned to Kingston and he appeared so strong and lucid during those periods he was conscious, I started to hope that the doctor was a quack and agreed to go back on the programme for 3 days per week.
Then the first day, before dawn, came the terrible news. I really dont know how I managed to do then entire programme that day without losing it which I never did until the end of the programme when I asked the producer to play A.J Brown's version of "Time to Say Goodbye' . I guess that when it really hit me that my teacher, father, friend and mentor would not be returning ever again to take over his programme .
That hit me like the tanker that had tried to write me off on Mt. Rosser when I was returning home after the jazz Festival.
As I had given my word that I would resume doing the programme three days per week, that is my waterloo for each time I go to the studio knowing he would never return, it is like a new knife in my stomach, but I must say I have managed to 'crass it".
On Friday Elaine and I went to the printery to vet the programme and pick up his ashes for the ' Celebration of his life' on Saturday 25th February 2012 at Webster memorial church. . For weeks the family had tried to have nothing but a small private memorial service for Motty who had during his lifetime insisted that he never wanted a funeral, but the listeners and well wishers would not accept this option so it was thrown wide open to the public.
It was a wonderful review of his life, not sad of all. This was partly due to the excellent and most often witty tributes given by people like Frank Phipps about Motty's school days and early life. David Dacosta ventured into the taboo by recounting many of the challenges that journalists faced in the 70's and the frightening incidents such as the the Green bay massacre, much to the discomfort of the PNP officials there.
Incidentally, it was most appropriate that the politicians, including 3 former prime ministers, were not given any special privileges in terms of seating but were virtually exiled to the western end of the church as far away from his colleagues and other journalists as they could be seated. Motty would not do doubt have let out one of his contagious laughs at seeing this.
Motty did not earn the accolades that are being heaped on his head by accident. He worked very hard to make his programme the 'thinkinhg persons programme' which led to his having a listenership of just under 400,000 persons. He was a bit of an electronics buff and spent hours daily recording and listening to all news and current affairs programmes. This served him well in the 28 libel cases which were brought against him during his lifetime as truth is the ultimate defence in libel so his antagonists either failed to make their cases in court of saw what was coming early and dropped the cases!
Throughout history, there is recorded the life of the occasional person whose contribution to their profession can never be matched or outdone ever. Our contribution to that phenomenon is Motty Perkins.
Walk good mi fren.
It was around 2am on that fateful Friday morning that his wife Elaine called to say he had gone. To make matters worse, that was the day I had promised the general manager of Power 106 that I would return to help moderating 'Perkins on line" until the station came up with something to fill that "impossible to fill' slot.
I had said I would do Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
You see, I had been sitting in for Motty for years, from he was at Klas FM in Mandeville doing "Straight talk'. He had been living in Malvern at the time at a beautiful home they had bought and restored after being introduced to the area on a visit there to see my late mother. This meant his driving to Mandeville daily to do the programme, but later KLAS built a studio in Kingston so I sat in for him there when necessary.
Then after he relocated to Kingston, he moved to Hot 102 establishing "Perkins on line" as an independently produced programme and I continued being the alternative host. This situation also prevailed when he later moved the programme to Power 106.
Sitting in was no problem as he rarely took a day off and was never ill. So it was basically when he and Elaine took that rare holiday abroad. Then in 2011 he started to call on me much more often. In November he came down with pneumonia but each time he felt better he wouldn't take any extra time to rest but went back to work immediately, so in a few days he would be attacked by the fever again.
I had planned to go to Florida for Christmas to spend the time with friends and Shadrach joined me there.
As Motty usually took a week off during these holidays, I didn't think he would have had a relapse. But he did and no sooner was taken to hospital and felt a little better, he got dressed and went back to work as we were having an election for the first time in the history of independent Jamaica, on a day between Christmas and new years day (December 29th) and Motty was not about to miss it. But his body rebelled even causing the leukemia which he had successfully defeated some six years before, to return.
He still stubbornly kept going from the hospital to work and on more then a one occasion Althea McKenzie had to go into the studio to come to his assistance.
When I returned home on the 6th January, Elaine told me he was very sick and I had to sit in. All that time I had no idea how ill he had become. On the Saturday I went to see him and had the shock of my life as he was in and out of a coma. It was as if something tore out my stomach. I felt I would never be able to do the programme again as it was then that I learnt that the doctor was giving him 3 weeks to live!
After that it was as if I was operating on automatic pilot as I struggled throughout the following week to act normally as I did the programme. Then something said to me that if he only had about 2 weeks more to live, chances are I would have to announce his death on the air and I just could not face that option. So I told the general manager that I could not do anymore, but I did not tell him why!
To make matters worse, the Wednesday before the jazz festival, the doctor told me he did not think he could live out the weekend which made me feel guilty about going and while I was in Trelawny, I fearfuly called every day to see if he was ok.
When I returned to Kingston and he appeared so strong and lucid during those periods he was conscious, I started to hope that the doctor was a quack and agreed to go back on the programme for 3 days per week.
Then the first day, before dawn, came the terrible news. I really dont know how I managed to do then entire programme that day without losing it which I never did until the end of the programme when I asked the producer to play A.J Brown's version of "Time to Say Goodbye' . I guess that when it really hit me that my teacher, father, friend and mentor would not be returning ever again to take over his programme .
That hit me like the tanker that had tried to write me off on Mt. Rosser when I was returning home after the jazz Festival.
As I had given my word that I would resume doing the programme three days per week, that is my waterloo for each time I go to the studio knowing he would never return, it is like a new knife in my stomach, but I must say I have managed to 'crass it".
On Friday Elaine and I went to the printery to vet the programme and pick up his ashes for the ' Celebration of his life' on Saturday 25th February 2012 at Webster memorial church. . For weeks the family had tried to have nothing but a small private memorial service for Motty who had during his lifetime insisted that he never wanted a funeral, but the listeners and well wishers would not accept this option so it was thrown wide open to the public.
It was a wonderful review of his life, not sad of all. This was partly due to the excellent and most often witty tributes given by people like Frank Phipps about Motty's school days and early life. David Dacosta ventured into the taboo by recounting many of the challenges that journalists faced in the 70's and the frightening incidents such as the the Green bay massacre, much to the discomfort of the PNP officials there.
Incidentally, it was most appropriate that the politicians, including 3 former prime ministers, were not given any special privileges in terms of seating but were virtually exiled to the western end of the church as far away from his colleagues and other journalists as they could be seated. Motty would not do doubt have let out one of his contagious laughs at seeing this.
Motty did not earn the accolades that are being heaped on his head by accident. He worked very hard to make his programme the 'thinkinhg persons programme' which led to his having a listenership of just under 400,000 persons. He was a bit of an electronics buff and spent hours daily recording and listening to all news and current affairs programmes. This served him well in the 28 libel cases which were brought against him during his lifetime as truth is the ultimate defence in libel so his antagonists either failed to make their cases in court of saw what was coming early and dropped the cases!
Throughout history, there is recorded the life of the occasional person whose contribution to their profession can never be matched or outdone ever. Our contribution to that phenomenon is Motty Perkins.
Walk good mi fren.
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