Why I Love My COOLEY Shirt

[John A Arkansawyer]

I wore it to church today and was entirely prepared for what happened next:

Fellow congregant who shall go unnamed: "Who's that on your shirt?"
Me: "That's one of the great spiritual leaders of our time."
Congregant: "No, the other guy."
Me: "Oh. That's the Dalai Lama."

Okay, almost entirely prepared. When I got the stinkeye, I should've said, "Then why did you ask when it says COOLEY right there at the bottom?"

[walthers]

That's funny!

[John A Arkansawyer]

So the place where we have our annual family camp has as one of its main administrators a man named Mike Cooley. Last night I spoke with him briefly for the first time in these years I've been attending.

This morning, I decided my Cooley shirt was the right thing to wear and, when I saw him headed toward his office, I stopped what I was doing and stood and made reference to the shirt. This started us onto an actual conversation and I mentioned the old false rumor about our Mike Cooley being related to Spade Cooley. As it turned out, this gentleman here is related to Spade Cooley. His grandma helped raise him (but, as he pointed out, his grandma lived from 1900 till 2004 and she helped raise a lot of Cooleys) and his uncle--still ranching and pulling horses at just short of ninety--traveled with him some and has stories to tell.

The things you get to hear by not being introverted!

[Flood18]

What's the shirt look like? I must have missed these. Any still available?

[The Avon Lady]

There are photos of it on the Mike Cooley Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/cooleymusic?fref=ts

It's of Cooley with the Dali Lama (and him holding his CD).

And a post that indicates that there are only a few left (with sizes listed).

[Flood18]

Thanks, Avon!

[John A Arkansawyer]

I just put this shirt on to head to my first recording session in, um, decades? This century, at least.

If my friend brought my shirt from the TDU tour that got left at his house in Iowa City, I might change into it. But for now, I'm taking Mister Cooley and his buddy with me. Let's hope they don't wince when they hear me play.