Here's my Watson Brown story. When I was in college as a student, I was assistant manager of the Vanderbilt stadium club. My job was to setup the room, usually by my self, and to help facilitate whatever the bartenders and caterers needed during the event. One day my boss tells me that there is an event for the Vanderbilt football team, the media, football club, and major boosters. Watson Brown, the head coach at the time, will be speaking and he has reiterated ad nauseum that there can be no hick-ups concerning the microphone; no static, no piercing screeches, etc. It MUST work perfectly and MUST be double and triple checked, so that there are no issues. My boss mentions that he repeated it three or four times and it was the only thing he seemed to care about. So I setup the tables, chairs and podium according to the diagram. He wanted the podium in front of the windows so that the stadium was framed behind him. This means the microphone is on the opposite side of the room from where it plugs directly into it's wall socket and the sound system. I'm pretty worried because a lot can go wrong with 30+ feet of microphone cable weaved through an event where people are drinking, walking around, and chairs are being moved about. I made sure that the cord was tapped down to the carpet, got a new microphone out of the box, and set the tables up so that there was the least possible chance that a chair would squish the cable. Hours later Watson arrived. He ONLY cared about that microphone. He had me show him all about it. I was happy to do so. I asked if he wanted to do a walk through to make sure he knew how it to operate it and that it was perfect. He looked at me like I was a complete moron, despite the fact I had actually gotten into Vanderbilt as a student. I said, there were a couple of things I wanted to go over with him before he used the mike. He said, condescendingly, something to the affect that he at this point in his career knew how to use a mike. The event started and I'm standing off to the side watching that cable like a hawk. I mean no one in the history of an event has kept a better eye on a microphone cable. As the event is about to start my boss calls me back to the office to ask, "You sure that mike is going to work." "Yeah, no problem," I say. "Did you show him how to use it," she asks. "Yeah, I tried that but he said he knew how to use a microphone and had no interest in doing a run through." She said, "Seriously, that damn mike better work. I heard he has a terrible temper." I say, "It's a mike. It's not rocket science." Almost as the words were out of my mouth. I hear Watson yelling about the mike and telling everyone how he'd gone over and over with that kid, me, about the mike and how unbelievable it was that it didn't work. I mean he is super pissed. My boss goes white and says, "I'm sorry. I may have to fire you but you're still going to have to go out there and fix that mike." She legit felt sorry for me. I mean, I was a damn good employee. At this point, I'm over it as only a young teenager can be. I take my damn sweet time and walk at a leisurely pace up to the podium belying the total panic and anxiety pounding in my chest. There is no way I'm going to let these assholes see me grovel in front of a Vanderbilt football coach. F that I'm a still UT football fan and going to Vandy isn't going to change that. I wore orange in the student section at the UT games for 2 years running already but, well, if you've been to those games, so does 3/4th of the season ticket holders. Everyone in the athletic department knew I was a UT fan first and Vanderbilt fan second. Watson's face is red and he's obviously lost his **** and the room is dead quiet. I can't believe the mike isn't working. I tested it like ten times. I get there, step behind the podium, and immediately see what's wrong. With my right hand I reach across Watson's chest and say, "You gotta turn it on and flip the switch." Bam! Perfect sound. I just as leisurely walk out the way I walked in to every one snickering until out right laughter broke out. Even the football players there were laughing at him. My boss is totally red-faced and says, very calmly, "I think it's best you take the back stairs. I'll stay and see the caterers out."
