On the web, you can learn all sorts of stuff you didn't know before, even about your friends. One of mine — although I haven't seen him for a few years — is a comedy writer named Rowby Goren. He pronounces his first name as if it rhymed with "Moby," as in "Moby Dick." Why does he do that? For that matter, why did he change his name to Rowby in the first place? It's all just one of the many Mysteries of Rowby. We worked together on a number of TV variety shows years ago, and he wrote on even better programs, like the original Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, without me. (He won an Emmy for his work on Hollywood Squares. Once, this came up in a conversation for which I was present. Someone asked him just what he wrote on Hollywood Squares and he explained, "All those funny things the celebrities ad-lib.")
Anyway, as you may know (because I wrote about it here), one of the great regrets of my life is that I passed up an opportunity to go meet Stan Laurel, one of my two favorite performers. The other was that fat guy he used to hang around with. As a kid, I could have gone to Mr. Laurel's apartment but I cluck-cluck-chickened out and every now and then, I give myself a swift kick for my cowardice. Or should.
I was amazed to learn just now that Rowby, with whom I worked many years, had a similar invite and took Stan up on his not once but twice. Somehow, Rowby never mentioned it to me. But he put up a short video about attending Stan's funeral, which is below, and he wrote briefly on his weblog about going to meet him. Rowby, how come you never told me about this?