Kevin Metheny remembers Bwana Johnny

Kevin Metheny remembers Bwana Johnny

SO - one night, in 1974 I think, the majority of the KJR jocks are hunkered down at

the Benbow hatching some major plot and consuming irresponsible quantities of

alcohol. Bwana was house-sitting for Nick & Gail Anthony in Issaquah and so, driving

Nick's Monte Carlo. I think Nick was off having some work done that he wanted us to

ignore when he returned, but that's another story.

Bwana bails about 20 minutes before his nightly broadcast is to begin. About 20 minutes

AFTER the hour I'm paged to the phone. It's Ric Hansen, who should've already arrived

to join the drinkathon. "Where the hell is Father Duffy?" "I dunno, man. He left nearly an

hour ago," sez I and I drive the hill to 26th SW. I get to the Blew Eagle, and there's Nick's

Monte Carlo ... accordioned into the side of a Burlington Northern flatbed, straddling the

street with no signalman in the moonless, pitch black night. Bwana's already gone in the

ambulance.

Multiple fractures of the arm and shoulder, as I recall. Bad news.

Next day, possibly the day after that, Pat meanders into the studio shortly before the end

of my afternoon show. "Mister O'Brien, I've arranged for you to pick up a nice little steak

dinner and a couple of nummy martinis at Andy's Diner to take up to Father Duffy at

Harborview! He says the food sucks."

Not very sneakily I sneak the boxed beef and booze into the hospital room. Bwana looks

like hell. Like he just got run over by a train. The cast contraption looks really uncomfortable

- he's in plaster from shoulder to knuckles, his casted arm connected to a plaster brace on

his side by a hunk of wood, his upper arm out at a 90 degree angle to his side, then bent

forward at the elbow.

I cut his meat and potatoes and feed him the meal. He handles the martinis himself with

his good hand. The conversation works around to the unlighted train crossing, and the

obvious question. "So, Bwana, you gonna sue?"

"Kevin, when my lawyer's done with the Burlington Northern it's gonna be called the

BWANA Northern!"