I don’t have to tell anyone here that a conversation with Dan Selwyn, a.k.a. DJ Stone, was usually a one-sided deal.  He talked, you listened.  And if you had an opinion, he told you what it oughta be.  And, usually he was right.  And to say that DJ Stone was longwinded is an understatement.  But now, DJ, it’s my turn to talk.

            To quote one of Dan’s heroes, Bob Dylan: “To live outside the law, you must be honest.”  And, as many of his friends know, DJ always colored outside the lines….but he was an honest man.  And though we may not always have agreed with what he said or the things he did, we knew that whatever it was…he meant it.  HE was true to his code… and that’s all any of us should live by.

            As always, with DJ, family and friends came first.  And that’s why, despite his faults like Ralph Kramden, we came to love him.  Today, he’s surrounded by family and friends who have gathered here to remember the father, husband, son, brother, friend, coach, as well as the songwriter, who I once referred to as the Sam Peckinpaw of folksingers…Dan Selwyn, a.k.a. DJ Stone.

            It can safely be said that no one ever had a friend like DJ Stone—because there was only one DJ—and because when he was your friend, he was your friend for life, through thick and thin and back to thick again.

            He and I first met up at the start of the Gulf War, at a café on Broadway called the Boardwalk for a Songwriter’s Night.  Despite the fact that we both were nervous because neither of us had played in public in years, even then he seemed bigger than life.  And despite our different backgrounds, a bond was formed that night; one that has lasted to this day.

            Now it’s been nearly 10 years since I left San Antonio, my hometown, and DJ has remained the champion, the cheerleader if you will, of my songwriting.  HE wanted me to establish a beach head in Nashville from which he and our friend Chuck Ehrmann could all build on.  He always said that whoever hit first would pull the others along behind him, and we’d always share in each other’s success.  Well, Chuck and I are still here, DJ, holding down the fort.

            On his last trip to Nashville, a couple of weeks ago, he blew through like his usual hurricane-like self.  But that time we didn’t hook up like we usually did.  He did, however, leave me a San Antonio stamped gig bag for my guitar that he’d been promising for a long time.  Then he called me just about 10 days ago, one of those late night DJ calls I’d come to expect over the years.  He wanted to see how I was doing after my hand surgery.  We talked about the usual stuff: movies, the Spurs, Chris’ basketball team, of finally co-writing a song, something he said he’d never do with anyone else but me…I’m sorry that we never got to do that.  And of course, we spoke about the finishing touches for his album, “Freedom Bridge,” the one that took longer than Sgt. Pepper’s to complete.  The last thing he said to me in our final talk was, “see you in a couple of weeks.  I love you, brother.”  I called him brother and told him I loved him too.

            I want to finish up here with a paraphrase of what I think was one of DJ’s best tunes, “Eddie,” a song he composed that was inspired by the night club fire near his hometown as well as the death of his oldest so, Matt.  But now that song speaks to me about what my brother in arms DJ Stone meant to me.

            “When anybody asks me what this means to me,

              I tell them not to worry, cause I’ll know where he’ll be

             Cause the train has left the Station, headed toward the sun

            And I know right where DJ is, he’s down there in the front

            Where the lights are bright and the band will always play

            And DJ will be laughin all the way

            Some folks say this town won’t hold together

            They say we are too hurt to even try

            Well, we may be small but we’ve got heart

            We won’t let this tear us apart

            And I’ll just think of better days gone by…

            When we rode the rides down at the Point

            Ended in some greasy joint

            Shared some laughs along the way

            Seems like only yesterday…

            …Whenever I go to hear the music play…

            DJ will be here with me…to stay…”

So long, pal.  Enjoy the ride; you’re finally on the other side.  It’s time for the pipe and puppet show for me.  I’ll never forget you.  Nevah…EVAH!!!