One Photo: One Story; Lenny's Hat

January 5, 1994, My son Devin was born in Natick, Massachusetts. Three months later we moved to the New York City area when I took a job with GAF Broadcasting’s Q104.3, New York’s Pure Rock station.

Had I stayed in the Boston area, Devin very well could have been a Red Sox Fan. If I tease him about that today, he bristles. “No way!”

I was born a Yankee Fan in 1961 during Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris’ 61-homer race. My mother loved Babe Ruth and Dad was a heartbroken New York Giants fan who loved Johnny Mize. He was never cared for baseball after the Giants left Coogan’s Bluff in 1957. He never really liked the Yankees.

In the late summer of 1995 some colleagues of mine and I went to Yankee Stadium. It was the summer Derek Jeter made his debut and the Yankees were on the doorstep of another dynasty.

Lenny Kravitz was about to release his new album, Circus. He met us there for drinks and to talk about his record. The single “Rock and Roll is Dead” was a song about his thoughts on the music industry at the time. We were about to play it on the radio.

I had a few minutes with Lenny and we talked about our families. I told him about Devin and how amazing it was to be the father of a one year old.

Lenny was holding a Yankee Cap. He handed it to me and said; “Give this to Devin from me, good luck you’ll be a great dad”.

For years Devin wore that cap. He would say, “Lenny gave me this hat, um Lenny who Dad”?

“Lenny Kravitz, rock star”. I would say.

As the years have gone by we still talk about that hat and Lenny Kravitz. I have no photo of my brief meeting with him. This was the time before smart phones. There was one official camera that the radio station staff would have. The chances of us getting a copy of the photo were slim to none.

I once had doubts about my recollection of the game and my conversation with Mr. Kravitz. I asked a group of my radio colleagues if they could recall and they were unclear of the events as well.

A few months back at a dinner with my friend Ron Valeri who was my Program Director at Q104.3, I asked him if he remembered and he said; “Hell yeah, at Yankee Stadium! Sure and he gave you a cap to give to Devin, that was awesome”.