2002-01-28 - 2:28 p.m.

I was on my way back to work from getting my accordion fixed when this guy comes up to me and asks,

"Hey is that an accordion in your backpack?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to come on TRL?"

"Okay."

So, I go upstairs to the show and the guy, Elliot, and another fellow, Joel, stop and say,

"Is it cool for you to go back downstairs so it doesn't look set up?"

"Yeah."

I go out to where the kids hold up their signs for B2K and Nick Carter and Carson Daly. Elliot shows me to another nice girl.

"What do you do?"

"I play accordion."

"What are you going to play?"

"Skid Row."

"No."

"Motley Crue."

"No."

"Guns N Roses?"

"What song?"

"Sweet Child O' Mine"

(I know they wouldn't really want me to play one of my own.)

She puts her finger to her ear to listen to her headphone.

"Is that okay? . . . Okay play some of it for me. . . Okay this is Dave (Holme) and look excited. And he's going to ask you some questions and when he asks you if you want to go on up be really excited. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

Then I go on.

"Carson, I've got Corn Mo down here and I don't know what he can do. Now is Corn Mo one word?"

"Two words."

"What are you going to play?"

"Some Guns N Roses"

So I play. And Dave throws his fist in the air. He's really nice.

Carson: "Wow, get that guy a record deal."

Dave: "Let's get on it."

Carson to Audience: "Can he come up?"

of course.

Security is very tight at MTV. Airlines with shitty service and shitty security should take a lesson from MTV. I went through one gate with two guards, signed in with another guard and then with the next set of guards had to rid myself of everything except my clothes and then go through a metal detector.

When I walked into the TRL room all the kids were chanting "Corn Mo". Holy shit I was excited. Everyone was very nice: Elliot, Joel, Carson, Dave, and the other folks.

I sat with very young people and watched videos. Some of the young people danced. It's a fun show. I wish I had been in high school when it happened.

Dave came back up and shook my hand with enthusiasm.

Dave: "I have seen the future of rock and it's name is Corn Mo."

It was the coolest beginning of a week in a long time.