Norm, aka Kevin James
My brother’s name (Theodore) was eminently nickname-able. He went through a few versions of it before settling on Ted, and then woe be it unto you if you called him Teddy.
His friend Norm was similar, except that Norm (presumably short for Norman…I was a kid, I never asked) preferred to go by a completely different name: Kevin James.
Norm, aka Kevin James, was (and still is) a disc jockey. At that time he was on WKYS in Washington, DC. Kevin James was his name on the air.
My brother, at some point in his hospital stay, started staying up all night—it might have been a control thing (he had little control over his life other than things like this), a teenager thing (enough said), or a circadian rhythm thing (living in a “bubble” room means you never go outside and get exposed to natural patterns of daylight).
Whatever the reason, at some point, Ted must have started to listen to the radio, and to Norm, in particular. And either at an invitation to listeners to call in, or because he decided why not? Ted started to call. Regularly enough that, before long, Norm decided to pay him a visit in the hospital.
Central casting could not have produced a more bona fide hippie than Norm. His uniform was cut off denim shorts with the pockets hanging out, and a white tank top, though I seem to recall him turning up in a fur one time. (It must have been winter.) He had long brown curly hair, which he kept in line with a bandana, and wore wire rimmed glasses. He was also the nicest, warmest, person, with a beautiful melodic voice.
Norm, like lots of people, I think, came to pay one visit to the sick kid to be nice, and out of curiosity, and then, drawn in by Ted, kept coming. When my family went to the hospital at night to spend time with my brother, usually after dinner, we never knew who we’d find sitting in the non-sterile half, hanging out. Norm was one of the ones who was there often.
At some point, Abe and Irene Pollin, who owned The Capital Center, a huge venue where big concerts took place (and the local basketball team, The Washington Bullets, played), found out about my brother and started offering him sky suites to attend concerts.
My brother could leave the room wearing an astronaut type outfit with a helmet and an air pack attached, though he didn’t do it often. The Sky Suites allowed him some privacy, because people stared.
The concerts were an adventure that usually involved my parents and me and also a cadre of doctors and friends Ted invited. In this way, we managed to see a lot of the big bands of the 70’s—Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Heart, and Lynyrd Skynyrd (my brother’s favorite), among them.
Sometimes we met them. Once, at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, my brother was sitting in the front row of the sky suite, eyeing the stage, when he was surprised by several guys climbing over the back of the seats beside him to sit next to him. The band. Truly one of the great moments of his life.
Norm took to offering up his van to transport us all to the concerts. This was no ordinary van. Outside it was gun metal gray. Typical. Inside, it was like something out of an Austen Powers’ movie, complete with zebra striped fur lining the floor and walls. I wish I had a picture of it.
We lost track of Norm after Ted died. But not long ago, he tracked my dad down for a long chat. He’s now living in California, still a DJ. He’s changed his name, officially, to Kevin James, in all realms of his life. He’s got a show six nights a week on Snoop Dog’s Cadillac Music on Dash Radio. His specialty is something he calls Slow Jam.
This is how he explains it on his website: “Slow Jams are songs that are Slow & Jam. Although predominantly R&B, other genres like Pop, Blues, and even country can make their mark as a slow Jam. The term ‘Slow Jam’ comes from the song Slow Jam on Midnight Star’s LP, No Parking on the Dance Floor.”
He told my dad he’s writing a book about his career and wants to include some stories about Ted. He wanted to know if it was okay. (My father said of course.) And he was one of the first enthusiastic responders when I reached out to ask if I could interview him about Ted.
And I was just about to call him, when an announcement popped up on his Facebook page saying that he had COVID and was in the hospital. My parents and I are anxiously checking his page for updates and hoping he’s okay. Because, even at so many years distance, he’s family.
His friend Juanita, who is posting updates, put this up: “He asked me to thank everyone for the prayers and well wishes, good vibes and to please continue to do so because he can feel them ”
If you’re of a mind to pray or send energy, please send them Kevin’s way. I’m looking forward to hearing that voice again soon. In the meantime, if you’re curious about his voice (and Slow Jam), I found this YouTube video of an interview with him.