So there I was, about an hour before the show, sitting in the green room at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, and the guy who played Fonzie on Happy Days, and was one of the most famous people in the world sat 10 feet from me.
And he was sleeping.
Well, to be fair - I don't KNOW he was sleeping, but he could have just been resting his eyes, or going over his presentation in his head. Either way, it was ok by me. He let me know he would need about 10 min of quiet time at some point before he went on. I said "Henry, if you want me to leave so you can do that, I will certainly do that"- and he said "Oh no, you're fine". It's not unusual for some performers to want to be alone before a show, and I totally respect that. But Henry was so chill and kind, he only cared that I was comfortable.
So I sat there going over my questions, and the audience submitted ones while he rested.
Those are the kind of surreal moments that I notice at times like this. I've known and been a fan of his since I was 12 years old, and if the guy wanted a power nap - I damn well was ok with it!
After the power nap we talked for a long while, and the interesting thing was he asked me just as many questions as I asked him! (That can be rare with some celebs- hahah- it's all about them!)
Months ago, when I heard he was doing a book tour and was coming to the Music Hall, I'm not going to lie- I went after it. I WANTED to be the person to host that Q&A. We've had Henry on with us many times and I've always felt like I got his rhythm. So I thought I could converse with him well. In addition, I've always said out of all the celebs and rock stars we've had on the show- Henry might be one - if not THE- nicest person ever. And I was right. He IS that nice a guy.
That was the stage set up. Simple. I'd come out and introduce him to the crowd, and he'd do a presentation (about 50 min). It was both humorous and very inspirational. VERY inspirational. The guy has been through some shit! He never knew he was DYSLEXIC till he was in his 30's! I don't even know if they had a name for that back then! He just thought he couldn't read. He thought he was stupid. Can you believe that? STILL - somehow he coped and invented ways to deal with it so nobody would know! His is truly and amazing story!
Pretty nice green room!
Working on my notes.....
Ladies and Gentlemen- please welcome Henry Winkler
And later - the Q&A
Here's what can tell you - I really wanted it to go well FOR Henry. I really wanted to do a good job helping him tell HIS story. And if you haven't read his book "Being Henry" - you should because it's a very inspiring story.
And I couldn't be more pleased at how it went. He was SO genuine, and he held nothing back. Told me to ask anything I wanted. Never saw any questions in advance. And I LOVE THAT. It wasn't an interview- it felt like pure conversation,
those are so much better than giving someone questions they know are coming in advance. And Henry's stories were funny, heartbreaking, and surprising.
I'm speaking strictly for me when I say - it was an EXCELLENT night. One I will never forget.
The audience response was great and Henry was thrilled with the evening.
When it was done, we walked off stage and I turned to him and asked- "How was it ? Ok for you?" And he answered -
"It was better than good. It was superb."
I said - "It was MY honor, Henry". And he hugged me.
And it doesn't get any better than that.
Thank you to the Music Hall in Portsmouth for giving me the opportunity to do it, and thank you to the audience that night for making Henry feel how much you appreciated him.
It was a beautiful night.
g