Complete text -- "Enter Ruru the Guru"
Posted Saturday 10 March 2007
Enter Ruru the Guru
San Francisco, 1981: It was actually because of Lonesome Cowboy Tim.Lonesome Cowboy Tim was the alternate persona of a disk jockey who'd emigrated from Houston to San Francisco, back back in the days of answering machines, before all this voicemail foolishness.
There was a phone number, and when you called it was answered by Lonesome Cowboy Tim, saying "Howdy, Buckaroos!" and then he'd recount some adventure that he and the prairie critters had experienced recently.
Since it was a single line on an answering machine, after some weeks you'd find the line always busy. Then the number would be changed, and you'd have to somehow find it again. This was a challenge, because it was purely word of mouth, yet somehow we always found Lonesome Cowboy Tim.
When Network started up the Third Ear Telepathic Answering Service, we'd not intended to have a phone number at all, since the answering service was telepathic, but the phonebook rep insisted we had to list a phone number.
So I set up an answering machine with Ruru the Guru. Here's what it said ...
"Hello! And thank you for calling Third Ear Telepathic Answering Service. I am your host and operator, Ruru the Guru, speaking to you direct from our Himalaya Hideaway.
"You know, many people have telepathed in recently, asking me, 'Ruru, just how does one leave a message for Third Ear Telepathic Answering Service?'
"Well, it's very simple. It's just like using a telephone. You just lift your little mental receiver, and you listen for your mental dial-tone ...
"Awwooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!
"Then you just mentally dial my number -- 426 299737 19937 49972 29973 299 503 -- and then I'll answer, any time, any place. Then you just leave your a mental message for anybody, whether you know them or not, and I'll deliver it right inside their head, immediately!
"Just remember: it's mental."
Comments
CamQTR wrote:
I remember Tim, the Poot, and the new brand of coffee, "Caffeine Plus". T'other day I brewed me up a cup. After a few sips, I felt a little jittery, so I wove myself a tapestry. Started out as The Last Supper" but it wound up as The War of the Worlds. That's it over yar hangin' up above the solid oak table fer twelve I whupped out about the sametime.
12/11/03 10:31:22
Ken Clinger wrote:
Howdy, Buckaroos!
I managed to tape several (around 8, I think) of Lonesome Cowboy Tim's messages back then, when I was living in SF. I've always wanted more, but have never found another collector. If anyone has any, or a way to contact Mr. Tim himself, please let me know.
Thanks,
Ken
I managed to tape several (around 8, I think) of Lonesome Cowboy Tim's messages back then, when I was living in SF. I've always wanted more, but have never found another collector. If anyone has any, or a way to contact Mr. Tim himself, please let me know.
Thanks,
Ken
05/07/04 08:55:47
Ken Clinger wrote:
P.S. There are 3 LCT tracks available online at http://www.garageband.com/a...
They originated from me, so it won't help me to contact myself to get more info...
They originated from me, so it won't help me to contact myself to get more info...
05/07/04 09:11:24
bloggard wrote:
Attention: All Lonesome Cowboy Tim fans!
If you have any access to LCT recordings, please contact me by phone or email (both available by clicking "About Adventures of Bloggard" in upper gray panel).
I will create a site with as complete a collection as can be managed.
I have registered the domain "lonesomecowboytim.com" for this purpose. And if that disk jockey who created LCTim shows up, you can have this domain and the website, what with being the rightful owner and whatnot.
If there are any among you who would like to be the caretaker of this site, you also are invited to contact me directly.
Not long ago, I had some email from a retired video DJ named Frank Mitton, now living in south Florida. He used to run a Video Bar called Flicks in San Diego. He had over 20 recordings. Unfortunately, when I attempt to return email to his email address, so far it has failed. So hopefully, Frank will show up again or his email will start working again.
Here's to Darleen Poot and all the prairie critters. Look soon for a site at lonesomecowboytim.com!
If you have any access to LCT recordings, please contact me by phone or email (both available by clicking "About Adventures of Bloggard" in upper gray panel).
I will create a site with as complete a collection as can be managed.
I have registered the domain "lonesomecowboytim.com" for this purpose. And if that disk jockey who created LCTim shows up, you can have this domain and the website, what with being the rightful owner and whatnot.
If there are any among you who would like to be the caretaker of this site, you also are invited to contact me directly.
Not long ago, I had some email from a retired video DJ named Frank Mitton, now living in south Florida. He used to run a Video Bar called Flicks in San Diego. He had over 20 recordings. Unfortunately, when I attempt to return email to his email address, so far it has failed. So hopefully, Frank will show up again or his email will start working again.
Here's to Darleen Poot and all the prairie critters. Look soon for a site at lonesomecowboytim.com!
05/07/04 11:58:16
Kevin wrote:
A teensy bit of data for you.
As a teenage hacker in SF, I used to keep lists of fun phone numbers, computer and otherwise.
In cleaning up a bunch of junk (planning to move from SF to Texas, the reverse of LCT himself), I ran across the following entry, dated 12/20/80:
(415) 661-0621 Lonesome Cowboy Tim San Francisco, CA
It's probably of no use at this late date, but who knows what can be dug up nowadays. Good luck in reviving the memory of Lonesome Cowboy Tim!
As a teenage hacker in SF, I used to keep lists of fun phone numbers, computer and otherwise.
In cleaning up a bunch of junk (planning to move from SF to Texas, the reverse of LCT himself), I ran across the following entry, dated 12/20/80:
(415) 661-0621 Lonesome Cowboy Tim San Francisco, CA
It's probably of no use at this late date, but who knows what can be dug up nowadays. Good luck in reviving the memory of Lonesome Cowboy Tim!
05/15/04 16:02:43
bloggard wrote:
Hi, Kevin,
Well thanks for the number. I called it.
"Hello?" a woman answered.
"I'm sorry, is this the number for Lonesome Cowboy Tim?" I asked.
"Who?" she said.
"Cowboy Tim?"
"Ummm ...?"
"Is Tim there?"
"I sorry. We don' have such name."
"Ok," I said, "Thank you."
Damn!
In the meantime, Kevin, stay tuned to http://lonesomecowboytim.com ...
Well thanks for the number. I called it.
"Hello?" a woman answered.
"I'm sorry, is this the number for Lonesome Cowboy Tim?" I asked.
"Who?" she said.
"Cowboy Tim?"
"Ummm ...?"
"Is Tim there?"
"I sorry. We don' have such name."
"Ok," I said, "Thank you."
Damn!
In the meantime, Kevin, stay tuned to http://lonesomecowboytim.com ...
05/15/04 17:00:15
ken_clinger@yahoo.com wrote:
I came across yet another Lonesome Cowboy Tim recording, "Adjustable Electric Bed" which I put up at SoundClick at:
http://www.soundclick.com/b...
Along with the others I've collected.
Feel free to download and distribute, since I have no more right of ownership to them than anyone else (other than Lonesome Cowboy Tim, himself, of course!).
Ken
http://www.soundclick.com/b...
Along with the others I've collected.
Feel free to download and distribute, since I have no more right of ownership to them than anyone else (other than Lonesome Cowboy Tim, himself, of course!).
Ken
11/15/04 08:09:17
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