So Shy
Posted at 5:29 AM on January 6, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(34 Comments)
Our Radio Heartland listener "T" has requested "The Introvert Song" by Peter Mayer today. It's one of the lesser-known Mayer songs but a fun one especially when you recognize someone you know, or yourself, in the lyrics.
"People bug me when they interrupt me with calls and unannounced visits.
And on top of that when they chat about nothing at all and I ask 'What is it?'
I do have a lot to do. Can you return at two? I will not be here by then.
Just leave what you need me for, on a note on my door so I can ignore it, my friend."
They guy in the song seems rude, but maybe he's just shy. Many people are. In fact, the most public people in the world seem to be unanimously, irrevocably shy. Some of the latest famous people to be identified publicly as "shy" are Kristin Wiig of Saturday Night Live, possible New York Senate appointee Caroline Kennedy, and ... imagine this ... public radio guy Ira Glass, who interviews people for a living but admitted he was "too shy" to approach John Waters.
And of course, back in the earliest days of the Prairie Home Morning Show with Garrison Keillor and Jim Ed Poole, GK talked about "Shy Rights".
Yes, even the guy in red socks is shy.
I am too. I suppose you are as well. Perhaps people who thrust themselves into the most public situations are compensating for their shyness, from the wildest gyrating end zone celebrants in the NFL to the helmet haired Governor of Illinois. We are ALL "the shy".
If you'd like to go on about your shyness in this public forum, I, for one, would be happy to stand off to the side and read it.
Comments (34)
My mother talks about how shy I was as a child. But when I was five, my kindergarten teacher somehow convinced me to sing in a little talent show (not that I have ever been a great singing talent). So I got all dressed up and sang The Goose Song in front of friends and family in the school auditorium. Must have cured me, as I don't think of myself as shy anymore. And it must have been a shedwater, because I still remember the words to the song, decades later. Susie, little Susie, please bring me the news. The geese are going barefoot without any shoes. The cobbler has leather and laces to spare. Why cannot he not make the poor geese a new pair?
The Introvert Song was written for me, I think.
I like people just fine, but please, just one at a time... that is, unless I'm hiding behind one of the rather large musical instruments I play, in which case it doesn't matter how many people are out there, especially if I don't have my glasses on.
Shy? Not me. Not much, anyway.
I was happy to hear the introvert song. I liked it the first time I heard it, but I've been too shy to request a replay.
Susie song is apparently from the Hansel & Gretel libretto by Engelbert Humperdinck. Ain't the internet a grand toy?! I'm guessing even the Heartland library isn't that deep!
My husband says he was the shyest guy in his high school, and would have been voted "Most Shy" for the yearbook, but not enough people knew him to nominate him for the position : )
I,too, am painfully shy, but I'm able to compensate for it with natural good looks and a trenchant wit. Do you have a song in your library to match my ego?
Dale, Its so good to hear your voice live! I may be a bit shy, and definitely was very shy when young, but I have enough courage to ask that the pre-recorded station ID that plays the remaining 21 hours of the day be spiced up some. Maybe the message could be recorded by different people, guest artists and the like? Or you could have a couple of different versions in your voice still containing the needed information? Just a thought to keep us shy folks listening ;>)
Good Morning!
I think just about everyone has a shy gene, some just get more air time than others. I was pretty shy and can still be pretty quiet at times though most folks who know me wouldn't think so. I knew I had over come my outward shyness when I ran into someone I had worked with right out of high school who was amazed that I actually followed her down the store aisle to chat and say hi.
Steve Goodman has a song about two shy people, Donald & Lydia that would be fun to hear.
Keep up the good work!
I don't know why, but the topic makes this shy person think of Melanie Safka's "Brand New Key" . . . .
When Garrison Keillor was in Rochester I met him back stage and realized he was in fact a genuine Shy Person; I recognized the look immediately. He seemed delighted when I told him that I had enjoyed him way back when he hosted the Prairie Home Morning Show.
I think there are two kinds of shy people: those who don't like other people easily, and those who realize that everyone has an interesting story to tell. If you are fortunate enough to fall into that second group, and realize it, I think it's a watershed moment for you. Decades ago I realized that I hadn't met one person who didn't have an interesting story to tell me as long as I let them. It's much easier to be shy if you give the other person the floor and just listen to them, and provide comments at the right time and ask questions that allow you to enjoy their company. And then you realize maybe shy isn't the best word, maybe it's more accurate to call it "socially challenged" - but then of course by that point, you really are no longer either one.
Good Morning All:
Ah yes, I was painfully awkward and shy in grade school and high school, as well as a bad stutter. Luckily, being in theater actually helped me -- oddly enough. After getting my college degree, I was finally able to get over the stutter, and for the most part you wouldn't notice it in my speech now.
Whenever I was on stage, I never stuttered -- not a bit. It's easier when you know who you are and what you're going to say -- which wasn't true for me in real life when I was younger. Just a late bloomer, I guess. Thanks for letting me share ...
Still a bit shy now -- I just prefer to be alone with my family, and maybe a couple friends.
Joanne
I definitely echo Elizabeth's post -- when you're uncomfortable talking or relating, it's easier (and more interesting) to ask questions and listen to others. I spend a lot of time listening.
Although I do have my wild, extroverted moments on occasion when I'm feeling really good (no alcohol needed).
Dale - this has nothing to do with being shy - as I am not. I just wanted to let you know how happy I am to have you back in my morning. I have to admit, I love the music on the new station EVEN MORE than The Morning Show - who would have thought that possible? Not me. I do miss Jim Ed and your banter terribly, I don't joke when I say I wept more than once over the demise of your partnership. The final broadcast was one of the saddest days of my and my families lives. We were there and it was very difficult not to storm the stage and hug you both. My two sons have known nothing else from 6-9. My sweetie bought me an HD radio for christmas (which still seems really a silly thing to have to do to hear this fabulous show). The drive into work is difficult without you - there is absolutely nothing else to choose from in this market. Talk radio suffices in the long half hour into the office. Thanks so much Dale. I'm sure it must be a little freaky, the impact you have on folks lives. But it's real - and we here at this house welcome you each and every day. You complete us.
Yep, you would never know I was shy - in fact, I didn't know it until well into my 30's. Isn't it funny, people think you're stuck up or stand-offish, when really you love them quite fine and would join in or make a friend, if only you knew how...
My friends all laugh at me when I tell them I am shy. I don't seem shy. I am an amateur singer and performer and, frankly, I love the spotlight. In fact, my friends are usually the ones who are behind me when I am in the spotlight, (I sing in a community choir) so I understand why they are so bemused at my declaration of shyness. But when it comes to social situations, I want to steer clear of people I don't know. I prefer to be off in the corner chatting up the people whose company I am accustomed. I force myself to put on a cheerful face and thrust out my hand to introduce myself because my parents drilled their lessons of politeness home and, I guess the fear of going to some sort of discourteous hell is more powerful than my shyness.
Yes, I am discussing this with my therapist....
Have a great day!
Dale-
I'm so glad that opera made it to your new show! I'm not much of an opera fan, but I am a "classical" fan, and I really miss how you used to occasionally mix some in all those years ago. How about some flute in the mix (when appropriate of course)
Thanks for the Peter Mayer piece this morning!
Kathy
OK. Your comments about shyness have given me leave to finally confess something. For several years, my husband and I used to sit in the row behind you and your wife at the original Guthrie Theater. Though I have been a big Morning Show fan for 25 years, I was too shy to say hello and tell you how much I enjoyed the show. So I will finally say it through the safety of the Internet.
Hello, and thanks for the Morning Show memories. I can't count how many times your show sent me into the office with a smile on my face, even when I wasn't really happy to be there. I am glad to have the Dale Connelly Show show to help fill the void. And maybe next time I see you at the Guthrie, I will work up the courage to say hello.
I caught a goose reference in the Everly Brothers tune! This is one of the reasons why I enjoy listening to the show. These little subtleties.
I'm back! After three weeks of no Radio Heartland on my radio, I have finally figured out how to hook up an Apple Airport Express to my JC Penney 1980 receiver in the living room (with the help of a kind young man at Apple). I feel like I've been out of the country since Dec. 11th, and now I'm home again.
It's good to hear your voice again, Dale; it's one of life's little comforts. Thanks for getting up so early in the morning to entertain us. Sometimes coffee and a newspaper are just not enough.
Shyly,
Mary
I work mostly with engineers, who are known for being shy, and I'm reminded of a joke: How do you tell if an engineer is an extrovert? When he's talking to you, he looks at your shoes instead of his own . . . .
Like Joanne & Darcy, I, too, compensated for my shy nature by acting and singing in high school, college and beyond, because I always found it so much easier to "Be" someone besides myself. Because the "off stage" me was not really an obvious social butterfly -- unless prompted by a more comfortable situation and/or partaking of liquid spirits -- many of my acting peers saw me as "snooty" or unapproachable when we were off stage. That is the sad and unfortunate part about being shy/reserved and unsure of what to say and what to do to get involved with the "fun" crowd -- other people just don't see it OR believe it, especially when you are a performer.
To All Heartland Listeners & Potential Voters on Computer Name-
Consider the following when casting you ballot(?): HAL is the perfect acronym for Heartland Audio Library. I realize that it was previously famously used , but who really understood the end of that movie anyway??
Dale,
What do you think of including the 2001 Theme Song in the show tomorrow? Would it be influencing the vote?
Kathy
Just listening to the words in Nowhere Man, made me realize what a perfect theme song it is for HAL!
Kathy
Thanks, Shy Ones, for your confessions.
I know how difficult this has been for you, and I admire you for your bravery. It seems that the whole blog-posting thing is yet another hurdle people face when they ask themselves if they want and/or need to have attention paid. For those who hover a moment over the "post" button, a salute.
I crossed the barrier from being an invisible shy person to being openly, radically, militantly shy when I won the role of King Arthur in our high school production of "Camelot". The moment a teenage boy puts on yellow tights and sings "How To Handle A Woman" in front of his friends, he adopts humiliation as his constant companion. Afterwards, embarassment is still a possiblity, but the ache is so familiar it comes as a comfort.
Perfect preparation for a young broadcaster.
How about HALEY?
Heartland Announcer Liaison Entertaining You
Besides it will be fun to have a female robot for a change!
I'm with you, Dan---
and HALEY could easily be Heartland Audio Library Entertaining You....
it WOULD be fun to have a female robot for a change :-)
How about R2D2: Radio to delight to, radio to dine to, radio to drive to, radio to disco to, etc.
Working off of the R2D2 theme how about W2tF as in washboard to the fretboard
How about Brook (as in stream, as in streaming on line).
Know I will have to pony up soon with some $$ as the stream isn't working tonight and it has already become a winding down from the workday habit...
yet tonight... just not there?!? sniff...
May Day! May Day! BB King's playing and it sounds like the tape has gas.
Here's a shy story for your collection:
I was a Shy One growing up, and my mother (bless her soul) thought that I ought to become a doctor, of the medical variety, because "they didn't have to talk to people much".
No clue what gave her that idea, but as it turns out, I did/have become a doctor - and found out in the process that I am not as shy as some (though perhaps more so than others).
Oh oh and please would you add some Donovan to your playlist? He's a recent discovery for me and I like that he sings (or used to sing) about starfish and magpies.
Another shy person belatedly checking in. I feel like I've found a support group! :) I was just comtemplating increasing my work from home days from one a week to two, because as Peter says, "people bug me!"
It is interesting to see that so many shy people have gone into the field of acting or into public speaking. When I was young, I was very, very painfully shy. The way that I coped was to look at communicating with others as a part in a play; the whole world was my stage. I am now working in a very public position but my innermost self is still surrounded by a shroud that very few people are allowed to penetrate. I wonder if shy people do so well in communication fields because they have had to try so hard and have actually needed to find a way to cope.
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock
