The Michael Berry show

J.T. Van Zant is a flyfish from me in Rockport.

The dusted poncho bit down south in town's mouth. Townshendes. Who was born on this day in March, on March 7th,

1940, John Towns Van Zand.

He died January 1st, 1997 at the age of only 52.

Official death was listed as natural cardiac.

On what I was saying.

J.T. the fly fishermen in Rockport

hosted this morning. My dad would have been 80 years old today. He

died at 52 when I was 28. I'm turning 55 this year. Hard to connect the dots between then and now, but I think of him and his

songs every day, along with his sorrow. I grew up around a bunch of hippie cowboys,

complete losers, and a few serious artists who cared only about their craft and worked really hard at it.

No one wanted fame or recognition for the fear it would spoil the well.

Getting attention usually meant that you were in serious trouble. I knew at a young age that I wasn't an artist, at least not on the level that my father was.

That left me lost for a bit, but then fly fishing. I approached flycasting with all the unwritten

poetry and rhythm in my veins that I couldn't express in words or music and thus poured it all

into the art of the presentation.

I was totally obsessed with the beauty of flycasting and I still view it that way now,

35 years in, it's just so damn cool. The key to fulfillment is finding the passion and

discipline required to become really good at some.

Anything worthwhile is a lifetime pursuit.

I learned that for my father.

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