My Story...
You know, when people put up a bio on the internet you don't get to know a whole lot about them really. I am just a regular guy living my life, but this life has some interesting twists as I'm sure all lives have. So instead of a generic bio...this is my life.
My screen name is Reverend Desert Rat but my real name is Anthony. It was never easy for me, I was born a poor black child...no wait that was Steve Martin as The Jerk...sorry. Ok now, seriously...I discovered a lot about myself at a young age as a lot of us do. My life began on February 9, 1975 around noon...that's right...lunch time. I grew up most of my life in Roswell, a then unknown town in southeastern New Mexico. That was before all the psychos, UFO buffs, and Trekkies discovered our town but that is a different story. My mother took on many jobs while I was growing up. She worked in medical records at a hospital, computer tech, nurse, and is currently working in blueprints for a bus company. My dad was the general manager for a radio station in Roswell and also a well known local on air personality.
In the mid 1980's, my mother, her husband (my mom and dad divorced when I was 5 but I stayed close to both parents), along with me and my sister moved to Mounds, Oklahoma. Its a small town about 25 miles south of Tulsa. It was in Mounds where I decided to give band class a shot. Severe asthma and all, and everyone said that I coundn't do it. And they were all wrong. I set out to be the best I could be on the cornet (version of the trumpet) and I suceeded. At the time I didn't know it but my band director was having me play high school music during lessons.
Anyway...Oklahoma...we stayed there for a year and a half, and it was a wonderful part of my life. I had the chance to get to know my mother's father and he taught me the art of electronics, including operation, hook up, and repair. This was very important knowledge to have later on in my life. Anyway we found ourselves back in Roswell. It was around this point in my life, late grade school (5th - 6th grade) that I discovered something about myself and that was I loved to make people laugh. And as time went forward I also discovered that when doing a presentation in front of a classroom I was not nervous in the slightest. As a matter of fact I was more comfortable in front of the classroom then I was being a part of it. So now what do we have? A young Anthony who likes to make people laugh, speak before an audience, and play a trumpet. If it wasn't for the fact my face is just pretty enough for radio the world could have seen its next big actor. But no...not this boy.
Moving forward to 1989...I just completed middle school and got a call from my dad who told me to report to work on Monday, June 1 at the radio station. Let's go ahead and make a long story short. I discovered what I was meant to do...radio. I mean I had the personality, the knowledge to repair, and the cheesy sense of humor. Hell I found my calling!!!
On May 4, 1990 my father was killed in a plane crash in conjunction with a radio station promotion. Needless to say a 15 year old should never have to go through that. But I have somewhat managed to pull myself together and move forward. My dad was to work for a new station in town...instead, in December 1990 they got me. I stayed in radio until May 1993.
I was sick of it. I had friends who made burgers and pizza. What did I make? Who was listening? Screw it I quit!!! Then I tried the restaurant business for a little while. By the first of August I was back in radioland. That "real job" stuff sucked!!! I stayed in radio for a while longer, moving my way all the way up to assistant manager at age 19. It was at this time when I got married (lasted from 1994 - 1997) and had a baby girl, and a baby boy 18 months later.
In the summer of 1996 I left the radio business and tried my luck in the world of television. I got to learn a lot about weather, photography, as well as basic master control. In January 1998, we were all called in for an "important meeting" where I first learned the meaning of the words "corporate cut backs". So I figured to hell with TV, its time for this boy to be cak on the radio. I also missed Oklahoma and had always had a love for Oklahoma City. In February 1998 me and my girlfriend were in OKC. Shortly afterwards, me and Denise got married.
Working on the air in Oklahoma City was fun and I felt like I was where I belonged. My wife and I went to Frontier City once and saw a magic show which resparked an interest. Shortly afterwards the infamous FOX show "secrets of magic revealed" came out and as I watched it my interest became dead again. I needed more money so I took on a second job as a salesman at Gordon's Jewelers. About a year in Oklahoma City I was back in Roswell. Don't ask, ok?
Time passes and I work for RadioShack, and then Zale's Jewelers. I decide after broadcasting 10 years the time had come for a change so I went full force with Zales and now I am a manager in training. It was at Zale's where I met Terry Reddoch, a magician who preformes all over the area. He and I have become good friends and he resparked my interest in magic again, especially when I found out that the masked magician from the FOX show exposed the tricks wrong!
Longing for the chance to entertain again, make people laugh, but in a different way I have been studying magic and thats where I am today. I studying magician, a studying bench jeweler, and a manager in training for Zale's. Life is going well for me. I will have some pictures of me preforming magic on this site soon as well as some stuff showing my family, including my wife Denise, the two kids Bridgette and Tony, and the newest addition to my family Keith, who was born on July 31, 2000.
Well...that's about it. That who I am and what I do. Musician, magician, radio entertainer, jeweler, salesman, father, and on and on...its kind of tough being me, but hey someone's got to do it right?
UPDATED 02/20/02
Since I wrote the preceeding a lot more has changed. I was relocated back to Oklahoma for six months until October 2001 when I was promoted manager of Gordon's Jewelers in Topeka, KS.
