“The
meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical
substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” Carl
Jung (1875 - 1961)
In
reading messages from his friends, it's clear that Dwight brought
people together and transformed lives. According to Dwight, “Freeform
radio is like weaving a tapestry. You start with a song, it transitions
into another song and then another until ultimately you look back
and you’ve woven a beautiful tapestry.” Dwight could certainly
weave a musical tapestry but his finest works of art resulted when
he wove human tapestries. He was a master at bringing people together.
His heart, soul, friendship, talent, creativity, humor, and love
were interwoven into all of our lives. Dwight’s mother Nancy said “the light that burns twice as brightly, burns half as long, and Dwight burned so very, very brightly.” Light is defined as “a natural agent that stimulates sight, and makes things visible.” The stories of Dwight’s life reveal what one man’s life made visible to others. Stitched together by a common thread, they tell us of a man who loved, cared, and shared enthusiastically. This is borne out by the fact that all of us here today feel like Dwight was a friend. That is a gift few people have the opportunity to give. It is a gift that will live on and will never dim. The
outpouring of quotes and antidotes written in tribute to Dwight,
in the past couple of days, were far to numerous to all
be included
today. However, Dwight's the impact on our lives will be evident
by this small sampling. “I
have never known a person of such enormous enthusiasm. At the end
of sixth grade, Mr. Davenport predicted that Dwight would
find his niche “riding an elephant at the head of a circus
parade.” Dwight
often heard notes not immediately accessible to the rest
of us and he always wanted to share.” “All
of us to some extent and some more than others, benefited immensely
from Dwight's generosity and vision. Dwight turned me on
to all sorts of music: Jazz, Classical, Folk, Experimental, and
Rock. He sang
in the church choir and in all of our groups. He loved all kinds of
music and was always enthusick. Dwight sometimes felt like an uncle
to
me, and I'm where I am because of where he was, what he did and who
he is. I'm not sure I ever told him how much I appreciated the
start
in life he gave me. Thanks, old buddy. Sleep well.” “I
don't know why, but I always thought of Dwight as a kid even though
he was only 4 years younger than me. Maybe it was because
of his legendary status as "the kid" who started KDKB
at age 21. More likely it was because of his eternal sense of wonder.
The phrase that I keep
hearing in my head is Dwight saying ‘Isn't that
AMAZING?!! The world remained a place of wonder to Dwight
for all his 56 years. He
had a lot of ups and downs, but I think he always chose
to focus on the ups. And that wonder was contagious… …Dwight
loved music, we all know that. But the thing about his
love for the music
was that it was so strong, it made you want to listen
to whatever he was listening to! I'm making a list in
my mind of musicians that I
recall Dwight crowing about at one time or another, and
that will be my tribute to him…listening, and smiling,
and remembering a guy who just wanted us to enjoy everything
as much as he did.” “Many people who knew Dwight in the 1970’s
immediately think about the Red Rock Drive House. I also am reminded
of the house, as it is a reflection of Dwight himself. The steep curvaceous
and a bit treacherous incline up the mountain was very much like Dwight’s
path to recognition for the opportunity he provided the diversely talented
employees at KDKB and KSML. The surprising and daunting rapid decline
to his front door mirrored the astonishing and overwhelming delights
he enthusiastically bestowed. On any other home, the heavy solid front
door would appear unyielding, yet it was as Dwight himself: warm, open,
and welcoming. The apparently precariously perched timber and stone
structure was in fact, deeply rooted, and intricately engineered replicating
Dwight’s complex, intelligence and devotion to his family and
friends. The spectacular setting and rising suns were in reality only
shallow echoes of the vicarious joy emanating from Dwight. His homes
were vehicles for the giving. His homes were open and bountiful havens
of compassionate and endless generosity. Dwight gave day and night,
breakfast and dinner, and party after party. His handsome and comfortable
beds, couches, and floors were as available to all in need as was Dwight’s
gracious generous nature. His homes were elegantly decorated with taste,
whimsy, and comfort, resonant of Dwight’s immeasurable talent,
intellect, heart and soul. “His heart and his homes were open
to all.” “I
loved Dwight. He was always a great, kind person to me. I remember
the parties at his house on Camelback. The 4th of
July; New Years Eve. What a VIEW! KDKB changed my life. It made
me able to play music in
this town because of the local airplay and interviews
I did on KDKB. Dwight built a great thing there. I will miss him
very much.” “I
met Dwight at the beginning of KDKB. Although I did not know him
as a friend, he was nevertheless an important character
in the lives of Hank Cookenboo, Bill Compton and the rest of the
outstanding human
beings who comprised KDKB and the earlier KCAC
family. Someone said earlier that he was a visionary. I believe
he was and I know his
legacy will be in the lives he touched and changed.” “Dwight
helped start a revolution, the evolution of which is still very
much part of the lives of those of us who were
there when the original KDKB was broadcasting.” “Back
in the early 70's I was a young San Francisco critic for England's
Melody Maker newspaper and the Berkeley Daily
Gazette. I was also doing radio on Pacifica's KPFA and Cal Berkeley's
KALX. I fancied myself
as a sort of young and up-and-coming guy. In
reality, I was just some dumb little kid, trying to get into the
radio business. I had no idea
who the heavyweights of creative radio really
were until I met Dwight. Dwight being a visionary, he had the smarts,
and the guts to hire a
gang of radio outlaws to handle the programming
for his radio stations KDKB and KSML. Many people followed Dwight’s
vision wherever it took him, and Dwight either saw something in
me that no one else
did or he was desperate for an overnight guy
to work for $100 a week…either
way Dwight gave me my first paying job in radio,
a move that would change my life, shape my future, and chart my
course to this very day. ‘Grateful’ doesn't
begin explain my feelings. He gave me an opportunity
that rewarded me with a surprisingly profitable career, hundreds
of stories to
tell and many unforgettable friends who will
stand the tests of time… …
I last saw Dwight at a friend’s wedding-day-that-never-happened
a couple of years ago. Our friend’s fiancé bailed
just days before the wedding...but that didn't
stop friends from everywhere
to come-a-runnin. And Dwight was there like
he was there for all of his friends. Like he
was there for me. Radio was never...and will
never
be the same without Dwight.” “I always enjoyed the times we spent together over
the years: the parties up on Camelback Mountain and then later the
parties at your home at Lake Tahoe; then even later, the parties at
the house up on Camelback Mountain. In the past few years I’ve
enjoyed our conversations on the phone and over lunch. I suppose the
conversation I will remember the most is the one we had last week – when
we laughed together about you getting cancer to copy Danny and me.
I’m so sorry that I didn’t get a chance to come and say
goodbye. I really did think that you were going to turn this around
and be back to your old self in short order. I was wrong. Dwight
Tindle, you lived a life in your first 30 years that that most people
on this
planet would envy. I know it got kind of rough for you near the end
but you handled it well. I will look forward to seeing you again,
my friend.” “Dwight
was a wonderfully modest, casual on-air personality, and he delighted
in the studio visits by local musicians such as Hans Olson
and Early Peas. I still have tapes of some
of those shows, where he really let the local talent shine. In
a way, that was his role at the
station: he made it possible for everyone
else to do their best work…think
of the legendary team of on-air personalities
during the heyday of KDKB: Bill Compton, Marty Manning, Toad Hall,
Hank Cookenboo, Nina
Joy, Scott Niccolson, and many others.
Think of KDKB’s Peabody
Award-winning news team, and all the social
outreach and community service projects that the station initiated
or contributed to. Think
of a radio station that broke all the rules
and succeeded brilliantly, against all odds, here in Goldwater
country during a time of great
national tensions and strife… …Dwight
was the behind-the-scenes guy who assembled
the team, approved the projects, provided
direction
and encouragement and support, and never
seemed worried about who got the credit.
In later years, he never lost his enthusiasm
for the music,
and his "Radio Free Phoenix" broadcasts
with Danny Zelisko in the late 1990s were
the best radio anybody had heard in this
town
since KDKB was in its prime. Thank you,
Dwight, for all of your hard work, your
good will, your sense of fun, your commitment
to your
community, and for reaching out and touching
so many peoples' lives, even those
of us who rarely had the chance to thank
you in person.” “My
wife and I moved to Lake Tahoe from Cape Cod after a four month
odyssey across the US. I had worked in
radio as a broadcast journalist in the New York metro market and
was used to very structured radio.
When we got settled, I heard of this
'experimental' radio station in Tahoe and became a loyal listener
to KSML, 'The Radio Voice of The
Secret Mountain Laboratory'… …We
first met Dwight when he retained us
to design a new station logo for KSML.
Our business
was in its infancy, and the station was
one of our first clients. Dwight was
like no other station owner I had met.
Then again, KSML was no
run-of-the-mill FM station! The control
console was made of carved wood, as was
the DJ's throne. The console had an ignition
key that
literally 'started' the station! I knew
I had found my fantasy station…. …It
was through Dwight that I met many of
the friends I hold dearest. Todd, David
Fenimore, Tom McKoy, (the late) Baba
O'Lear, John Appicella
and
so many others. The parties at Dwight's
home in Talmont, way up high overlooking
Lake Tahoe, were always an adventure,
and I never ceased
to be amazed by his vision and imagination.
My studio walls are adorned with the
original artwork for the station with
cartoon caricatures
of the Tahoe family. Now the visionary
who touched so many is preparing to go
off the air. But the 're-runs' of Dwight
Tindle's life will
air forever in our memories. Thanks Dwight
for nurturing our creativity and allowing
us to be free and crazy on the radio.” “I'm
fortunate to have had one last conversation with an old friend
last week. Of the many very descriptive memories that flood my
mind
are his tales of Woodstock, his room
at Kenyon, visiting him in Cincinnati, in Arizona, hanging out
in that amazing house on Camelback, talking
to him from Tucson and him repeatedly
asking me, "How do I sound?"-
that fringe leather jacket he wore,
and the night he got the puppy who threw up all over the new white
rug in Dwight’s house… …I
remember Dwight’s passion for
philosophy, as well as getting the
worst heartburn of my life after we
drank an entire gallon of fresh
orange juice and ate an entire box
of Dunkin' Donuts together in Phoenix.
Dwight. I'll always remember your unbridled
enthusiasm, passion, and infectious "hic-cup" laugh.
You never did anything halfway. You
were always full throttle ahead. You
will be sorely missed. Here's
to everyone who knew you living life
to the fullest.” “Up
until three years ago, I had never even met Dwight. But after writing
an article in which I had the fun
opportunity to interview him, he e-mailed me a nice thank-you note
that concluded with the salutation,
'Your friend, Dwight Tindle.' It
felt great to be called a friend of a man who contributed so much
to my youth here in Phoenix through the
radio station he founded. I suspect
he's always made friends this easily, but that salutation really
stuck with me. Do one good turn for this
guy - one little thing that's not
even entirely selfless (I did get paid for the article, after all!)
and that's good enough to make
him your friend. That's a rare quality.” “This
email from Dwight sums him up for me. It’s about the Steely
Dan concert (my first!) we saw together in 1996: He said: “Hey! What
a great show! Hearing all those great old tunes Michael McDonald did and the
intricate
guitar work of Walter and Jon Herington, it was astounding! And they seemed
to be enjoying themselves too! Makes you realize that they just aren't writing
songs
like that anymore! (do I sound like an old fogy or what?) Loved it when Jon
pulled out the Gibson. He really got around that guitar. Thanks so much for
saving me
a ticket. I don't get out much anymore (old_and decrepit) but I noticed everyone
there was old and decrepit too. What a _bunch of geezers we are!!_ I had a
fantastic time. Thank you. Love ya, Dwight” “Dwight
was one of the last great Radio Impresarios.” “I
flew Dwight up to Alaska back in spring of 2002 and took him along
on a fiber-optic routing survey through Alaska, the Yukon and Northern
British Columbia. We visited
White Horse, Skagway, Inuvik, Valdez,
Dawson City and dozens of other remote towns and villages along
the route, most of which are steeped in the history
of the "Klondike & Yukon Gold
Rushes". He got to see and experience
things that many lifelong Alaskans have
never experienced or seen. When we were
at the ‘Top of the World Highway’ I
caught Dwight crying in the car, “Its
so beautiful!!!!”” “About
ten years ago I knocked on Dwight's door on Flower Street in response
to a card he filled out while attending a series of Bible presentations
at the Camelback
Adventist Church. He had to leave town
and missed a few meetings, so I decided to drop off some material
for him to read. When he opened the door and welcomed
me in I knew I was going to experience
a new friendship that would enrich my life… …His questions
were sincere and reflected an unusual depth of thought. He told
me he was on a search for deeper meaning to life. His openness
in disclosing his inner self was equaled
by his openness to what the Bible offered him. Then came the day
when Dwight's sparkling eyes danced with joy as he said, "Please
won't you baptize me! I want to follow
Jesus all the way!" When
I lifted him out of the water he beamed
with an assurance and hope that never
left
him, even when he was going through
tough times… …At
one such period in his life, when it
seemed
he had nowhere to turn for a solution,
he said to
me, “In times like these one
has to just hold on, drop your head,
and
move on one step at a time.” Often
our conversations would end in us both
having teary eyes just from expressing
our love for God and how He led us
to meet each
other and to share joy with each other.
I felt closer to Dwight than to a brother.
I shall miss him terribly. But I am
comforted by something he said to me
on the phone from his hospital bed. "I'm
ready to go. And the next thing I'll
see is the face of my wonderful Jesus." And
then, with tears in our eyes and voices
we said, “I love you,” to
each other. By God's amazing grace
I know we will meet again.” “In
the room when Dwight was dying, there was a harpist. She asked
Nancy what song Dwight really loved and Nancy said “Let It
Be.” The harpist
started to play the song, and when
it got to the part that went “whisper
words of wisdom, ‘let it be’.” Dwight drew his last breath.” “God
bless you Dwight. Perhaps we rise up on prayers, as birds on wings
or as drifting smoke or vapors.
Perhaps we really are such things or something we cannot
even see. We emerge like chicks
from eggs and for a time bewildered and confused. Another side
to the Other Side.
A gathering place for those who are born again.” “We
can be grateful that Dwight did not suffer a prolonged battle,
though it is harder to grasp because his death
was so sudden. The breadth of Dwight's magnetism
and generosity astounds me. Even
in death, Dwight is bringing people together.” “I
am so, so incredibly sad. Pain is not a strong enough term. The
angels called to me in my sleep and told me
a mistake was made and they were sending him back,
because he didn't like the
welcome music at the gates of heaven!” Scott Niccolson |