Pranks. Rope-a-Dope Tweets. Misinformation. I’m not the biggest fan of April Fool’s Day. Never have been. I don’t like practical joke played upon me and playing them on others I’m not too crazy about. (One of many reasons a particular joke a few years back pulled on me jumped the shark. Seriously. They aren’t my thing.) Yes, I hate April Fool’s Day.
I hate April 1 even more as one of my best friends, Joe Murphy, passed away on this day in 2007.
For those of you new to podcasting, you might have missed the wit of my friend, Joe Murphy. He was (and still is) an amazing guy, his voice now part of the history of such podcasts, as Wingin’ It, Slice of SciFi, The Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas, and the award-winning The Case of the Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery. He was taken from us too soon, and on April 1 I remember him.
I got to see Joe a month before he died, and it was hard. He was sick. He didn’t sugar coat his condition though, and that was Joe in a nutshell — he never pulled his punches. He never held back an opinion. He also never came across as cynical or bitter. At least, not to me. Joe had a smile that can turn around a bad day, and he always gave you an honest opinion that you could grow from. He was an amazing guy, and I miss him terribly.
On April 1, I remember my friend, Joe, in memories like the one I have posted above. I remember his banter against Michael, Evo, and the crew of the original Wingin’ It. I remember his loyalty. I remember how he pushed me to be a better writer, and a better person. This year, I’m also remembering Joe by retiring the yearly tribute podcast I post.
Why?
Since 2007, Jack Mangan and I have asked that you remember our fallen friend, Joe Murphy, by syndicating a tribute I put together just after his death. This year, as I was reminding myself I needed to report it, I felt as if I heard my friend say to me, “Tee, come on, you’ve made your point. Can we move on please?”
Yeah, that was Joe. He believed in friendship, and he believed in paying tribute, sure; but he wouldn’t want people to dwell. I don’t think he would have wanted Jack and I to dwell. So this is how I remember Joe. The above image is a memory of friendship that I want to share with you all; and if you have such a memory to share of Joe, please do so on your own network. But if you didn’t know Joe, post a moment — a particular blink in your own personal history — that embodies friendship. This is what today should be: a celebration of friendship and a tribute to those lost.
I’m Tee Morris. I’m a blogger, podcaster, and writer. And I remember Joe.