My Uncle, Richard Drilling played with Della Reese and other famous
performers. His mother, my Grandma Cleta, was also an excellent pianist who
played many concerts and events!
My Great-Uncle’s Herb and Harry worked for Al Capone. Uncle Herb’s front
was having a plumber business.
Once I was photographed in a tub with a girl and Ron Jeremy.
My Grandpa Hank and Grandma Dode were a song and dance team in
vaudeville. That is why they knew, and stayed in contact with, many
celebrities.
I made animated cartoons with a super 8mm camera when I was 13 years old
My son, Ian Hunter Rouse, was stillborn and it changed my life forever.
Tragically I drove my wife to the wrong hospital.
I recorded popular commercials in the 1970’s for Purple East, Audio
Entertainment and Waterbed Warehouse.
I had famous female magazine models staying at my duplex in the early to
mid 1990’s while I recorded their audio intro tapes and shot promotional
photos for them.
My Grand Uncle, Robert Rouse, was a well known
political cartoonist for the Press.
I spent time with all of the King Crimson band after one of their
concerts, in 1994, getting a get well card signed, by all of them, for my
ex-wife, Vicki.
When my Grandpa Hank was a kid he was a shoe shine boy in Chicago and
had shined Al Capone’s shoes.
I still have my stuffed childhood doll, Buttons. He still cares for me too!
My favorite shows when I was a kid were,
I used to photograph occasional recording artists at their concerts for
a local radio station.
Star Trek
My3rd cousin is the romance writer, Ann Barbour.
Her real name is Barb Yirka.
My Great-Great Grandfather Jesse Bradford drove coach for Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert. He and his wife, Sarah had a total of 18 children
together!
I used to produce, write and act in local movies, then organize the premiers.
by the Hollies. The title song
My Great Uncle Charlie was a famous singer who performed for the crowned
heads of Europe under his stage name of Charles Rousseau. He was known as an
extremely eccentric artist and often went out to public events dressed in
his pajamas and robe, wearing a beret.
Years ago I ran out of gas during a rainstorm, and it was Congressman
Paul Henry who pulled over to ask if he could help. He was scheduled to be
somewhere, but after a moment of thinking about it, he made the decision to
help me. Paul had his own gas can in the back of his station wagon. He took
me to a gas station and then drove me back to my car. Because I was so wet
and cold, Paul filled the tank, and had me get in the car to try to get it
to start. There he was, standing there in his suit in the rain. I thought to
myself, what a great guy! The Congressman waited until my car was running
before he went on to his important appointment. I was with him 45 minutes
and during that time noticed Paul had blinked constantly. It wasn’t a couple
of years later that the Congressman died of brain cancer. Maybe that is why
the Congressman was blinking. I have to add that he was one of the nicest,
and polite, people I have ever talked to. No wonder he has so many things
named after him around here.
I was the art editor of the school paper, The Spartan Echo. I achieved
perfect attendance, got on the honor roll and became a
member of the student council.
My best Christmas gift was boxes, inside of boxes, inside of more boxes,
from my Grandma Cleta.
You can hear me obnoxiously screaming between the live cuts throughout Todd
Rundgren and Utopia’s 1975 album, Another Live 2, because they announced they
were recording it that day at Pine Knob. Sorry Todd!
I made a small, working, sitar in shop class in the 7th grade. I
wanted to be a Beatle so bad!
My first wife, Kim, won 12 milking goats on the TV show, Let’s Make A Deal. Kim is also a
very talented artist!
My favorite shows when I was a kid were, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Ed Sullivan,
Lost In Space, The Man From Uncle, Star Trek, The Prisoner, The Wild Wild West, Green
Acres and Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Oh yea,…sometimes,…Get Smart.
James Doohan, Scotty from Star Trek, once put the make on my ex-wife Vicki, with
me watching. He acted very drunk and smelled like alcohol to her. He was grabbing
Vicki's behind, and bra strap, while they were facing the convention crowd for
pictures. I remember trying to figure out why she was smiling with such a red face.
That is not why she is my ex! As for James, he did manage to sign his name across the
bridge of my Starship Enterprise Model!
