A Cherokee County native who left home at the age of 19 to pursue his dream, and managed to carve out a career over the span of 35 odd years that probably surprised him much more than anybody else is back for a visit and he stopped by the WEIS Radio studios on Thursday morning:
Pate, who grew up in Sand Rock, shared with us that part of his motivation to move on from his home town and go to Hollywood was, as he put it, “the need to work,”. Pate managed to become part of the huge wave of popularity in standup comedy during the early 80’s working as the opening act for such stars as Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman and the legendary Red Skelton. He dedicated himself to “working clean”, providing family entertainment in a field too often lacking in that particular style of comedy. It also helped land writing assignments for broad audiences such as those courted by network TV:
Pate has put his writing skills to use in a slightly different way and has created a fascinating story based on Civil War history:
“Tears of Gaduhav” book description from Amazon
When you take soldiers, plantation families, slaves, and Native Americans from their common comfort zones and thrust them into a situation where they must live and work together for their very survival, the social experiment of life itself might yield some interesting variables and outcomes such as: biases, hatred, ingenuity, self-discovery, forgiveness, and redemption. What would happen if multiple cultures clashed, purely by accident, during this upheaval in American history? This convergence of destiny, propelled into motion by a series of unexpected events, is precisely what takes place in ‘Tears of Gaduhav’.
It recounts multiple intersections of historical events and struggles, and weaves them together for a compelling result, and perhaps insight into what really happened. More importantly, it forces the reader to come to terms with their own preconceived notions, biases, and assumptions of life during that era, by observing the participants’ struggles through the dilemma facing them. It generates an immediate comparison of the life and culture during that period versus life and culture today. In fact, it may answer more than the reader anticipated through a soul searching of sorts, to accept equality and the value of life at all levels. Tears of Gaduhav attempts to combine a potential disaster with the condition of the human spirit, and the results are left for the reader to ponder.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
John Pate is an accomplished writer in the field of entertainment as well as academia, creating unforgettable imagery through prose, poetry, drama, comedy, music, children’s literature, and more. He has received high praise from all professional fields, including personal testimonies from the late William F. Buckley Jr., founder and chief editor of the National Review, as well as the award-winning British journalist Dan Wooding. Pate’s career spans four decades and includes numerous network television writing credits, over one hundred national television appearances, and thousands of live performances from coast to coast. John Pate credits the legendary entertainment icon, Red Skelton, for introducing and mentoring him in the field of creative writing, and was noted by Mr. Skelton as his favorite young performer and personal opening act over a period of seven years. “Tears of Gaduhav” is John Pate’s first full length novel, and will no doubt intrigue each reader to explore the numerous legends that surround this story, enticing the true southern literary enthusiast to travel with its inhabitants to the very end.
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He’ll be in Cherokee County for two book signings: on Friday at the Cherokee County Public Library, at 310 Mary Street in Centre from 2:00 – 5:00pm, Saturday at the Cherokee County Historical Museum, 101 East Main Street in Centre from 4:00 – 7:00pm.
To hear that interview in its entirety simply click on the link below
John Pate is an accomplished entertainer & writer whose career spans over thirty five years professionally, including numerous national television appearances as an actor/comic and spokesperson, as well as stand-up comedy appearances from coast to coast, as the opening act or performing with the likes of Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams and David Letterman. His most treasured experiences were the final six years of performances with the legendary comic icon, Mr. Red Skelton, whom John credits revealing to him the magic of bringing his stage appearances to life. John has infused that knowledge into his career and passion for honest, open and meaningful communication throughout all areas of entertainment, existence and culture. |
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