[Ed. Note: Talking Bull has answered the call and provided a brief Essay of TED. Please spend a few moments familiarizing yourself with its contents.]
Ah, our good friend TED. Few of us remember the origins of this event staple, but I don’t think it would be a stretch to look back and remember that the idea of TED was first voiced by Talking Bull, in one of his rare moments of clarity. To whit, he said something like this:
“Just wanted to let you know that this bulletin board gives me a certain feeling of closeness with all of you. I feel like we are all in a room together. We need to give this room a name. You know, to really make it special.
“How about Ted? Let’s call this room Ted. “Welcome to Ted”. There, doesn’t that give you chills? TED
“Now that we’ve named the room, let’s get the party going. You see, in TED, we can turn this room into anything we want. Like a hallodeck…… Yea. I might of spelled hallodeck wrong, but that’s okay in TED.
“Anyway, what do you want to turn the room in to?”
This was also the first Walkabout in which TED appeared as an entity, the week following the attack on the World Trade Center. Needless to say, this had an affect on the moods of the warriors assembled. Patriotism was running high, and we were all harking back to simpler, peaceful days. As we sat assembled on Saturday afternoon, in some spontaneous fashion, old songs began to eminate from the stereo as CHLF played a collection of classics know infamously known as TED 1. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this turned into a day we’ll never forget.
The following year, as happens so often with this crowd, TED was back, bigger and better than ever. Not only was a new CD compiled, but this one came complete with a custom commemorative cover, seen at the right. [You can click the image for a closer look.] The second issue of TED (which came to be known as TED, too… jus’ a lil’ bit horny) contained classic hits like “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me?”, “Chevy Van”, “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights”, “Roxanne”, and more. I distinctly remember the ride back from dinner, at least 8 of us in one car, driving around the campground repeatedly with the radio about as load as it would go, singing songs at the top of our lungs, oblivious to the odd looks from assembled campers…
TED became an institution, not unlike the Fookarwie itself.
Still, I think the true relationship of TED to the group is much like the relationship of each member to each other. TED represents a mix of personalities, quirks, and moods all coming together to spend too much time together, drinking, competing, and trading money at the poker tables. Not surprisingly, things can be tense as well as relaxing. I’m alluding, of course, to the infamous “why don’t you just send me a mail bomb and I can stay home” comment, again attributed to Talking Bull. In retrospect, the recipient (me) probably deserved it, and I took it. After all, that’s part of TED too. But in keeping with tradition, I responded the best way I know how. Namely, I don’t intend to ever let him forget it. Which brings us to TED 3.
The latest installment of TED 3, unlike versions past, has been somewhat a group effort, though CHLF continues to do the majority of the heavy lifting. Based on the theme “itchin’ for a fight”, TED 3 promises to bring a unique — and decidedly darker — interpretation of events. I can hardly wait.