The Brain Tumor Guy

A few months ago, a friend of one of my children told them "I saw your dad on TV last night on VH-1 playing a guitar." When this news reached me, I was both intrigued and clueless. I did put out a CD a couple of years ago to widespread indifference, but that did not begin to explain how I got on VH-1 playing a guitar. Then I heard from someone else that they had seen a photo of me on the Food Channel, Soon we figured out that the National Brain Tumor Foundation was running TV spots to promote its annual Angel Adventure fundraiser, and they were using a still photo of me playing a guitar, in front of my small collection. The photo was taken by my wife, Ellen, for use in the Foundation's annual report. Apparently, MTV was running the same spot. And both the Food Channel and VH-1 were running it a lot.

More phone calls came in. "Dan, you're famous" said our friends, as they recounted afternoons in which they had seen the spot five or six times. It became sort of a ritual...the Food Channel would be on in the kitchen, and someone would say "hey, Dad's on TV again" and everyone would look at the TV and the photo would be gliding across the screen, along with some others. It was the kind of exposure musicians dream about, and yet: No name, no CD title, no web address, nothing except the Brain Tumor Guy strumming his guitar. It would have been crass to have used the Brain Tumor Foundation to promote my career, I know, but still...if I had known I was going to be all over VH-1, why didn't I sneak the web address into the shot somewhere (www.danreichandfriends.com!) or hold up the CD (Bigger Is Better, Available at CD Baby!)?

Then it began to sink in that I was being "outed" as a brain tumor patient. My friends and relatives have all been aware that for the past 3 1/2 years (or three more than the doctor who diagnosed me thought I would last) I have been a Brain Tumor Guy. But now, anyone who recognizes me from the TV spot probably thinks "Gee, I know that guy. He has a brain tumor?" This could make for an awkward job interview..."Say, aren't you the Brain Tumor Guy with the guitars?" I imagine a perfunctory interview, and after I've left, a conversation like this: "He's talented and a nice guy, but we can't afford to invest a lot of time in someone who's going to die." "Right."

But this is part of who I am, and there's nothing to hide. At least not any more. I collect guitars. There, I said it.