10 Things You May Not Have Known About Monk

I've been called a lot of things in my career: cool, quiet for a radio guy, intimidating, hard to read, and annoying to name a few. One that keeps coming up is "mysterious."

Huh? I've heard it so many times before. People comment on how hard it is to "figure me out." I mean, it's hard for me to understand why people would think I was a mystery because I feel like I live my life out on the radio.

Regardless, I thought, for those of you who consider me a mystery, I'd give you 10 things about myself you may not have known. Here goes.

1. I have never ridden on nor have I ever driven a motorcycle. Growing up in the countryside of Mississippi, I had friends with dirt bikes and in my adult life have known many folks with official bikes but I've yet to experience it. I think mainly because I don't trust the safety.

2. I have a growing vinyl record collection. Oh yeah, from Waylon to Men At Work to Ozzy Osbourne, I go home nearly every night and crank up my record player! The obsession has gotten much bigger as of late.

3. I'm a cat person. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs but prefer cats. I think this is due to the nature of my job for the past 24 years. Schedules change and fluctuate in radio. Dogs are not as self dependent as cats. I can pile the bowl full of food and not have to worry about my cat until I get home. Typically dogs are a bit different and more co-dependent. "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

4. I was born in Cheverly, Maryland. Mom left Mississippi, moved to Baltimore, worked in the office across the building from my dad, they met, they married, they had Monk.

5. I was born a Washington Redskins fan. Literally. My father always taught me that we liked the Skins and whoever is playing Dallas. This holds true today and I proudly sport a Redskins logo in someway, shape or form, each day.

6. My biggest hero growing up was Hulk Hogan. I was damn near obsessed with Hogan for about 2-3 years of my life. I mean I had the t-shirts, the trading cards, the action figures, ate my vitamins, watched the cartoon, had a Hulkamania weight set, recorded hours of matches, and even a bunch of stuff I can't think of right now. There was a point in time when I wanted to wrestle and be just like Hulk Hogan. I still follow his career today and think he's a great role model.

7. Monk is a nickname given to me many years ago. And that's all I have to say about that.

8. My favorite band of all time is The Doors. One day I heard The Doors. I don't remember what song, I just remember my outlook on the world changing. My musical landscape had suddenly opened up and everything sounded more clear and fresh. I was hooked and still am.

9. I prefer the mountains. When asked the age-old question, "Beach or mountains?" I always respond with mountains. If I lived at the beach everyday, where would I vacation? I want to shoo bears off of my front porch every morning. To me, I've found no more calm in this world than sitting on the back porch of a cabin drinking coffee and overlooking endless acres of forest and hills in the cool dawn hours of the day.

10. I've not always been a Crimson Tide fan. I grew up in Columbus, MS surrounded by MSU fans and every business putting "Bulldog" or "Maroon" somewhere in its name. Much like Alabama where so many start with "Crimson" or "Tide." I honestly never really was much of a college football fan. Well, until October 11, 2003 when I sat in Bryant-Denny Stadium and watched the Tide roll over Southern Miss. Since that day... ROLL TIDE!

Hopefully the veil of mystery has been lifted just slightly and you know a little more about me.