My Mom - The Performer
Do you have videos of your mom on your phone? If so, Mother's Day is the time to share them. So I'll start the trend. Here are favorite videos of my mom Doris. You can tell she's a born performer from the unusual letters we share in our Mother's Day podcast episode. Here's more evidence.
Did Doris Change Her Ways? Nah.
But here, in her 80s, she delivers her trademark version of the 1921 song "They'll Be Some Changes Made"
Doris Serenades the Falmouth MA Boardwalk
In her final years, diabetes made her use a walker... slowly
Doris Recites a Favorite Shakespeare Sonnet
From a custom poetry book we compiled for her birthday
Doris's Gym Workout at 89
What a faker, the only thing she liked was being near her spouse
"They All Laughed"
The perfect vehicle for Doris to get some laughs
"Eskihoney"
The poem Doris recited her whole life, from age 7 at camp to 87 at home
Dare to delve deeper into the mind of Doris and other moms? Listen to our Mother's Day episode.
Host
Michael Small, the host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, was a PEOPLE Magazine reporter for 15 years before becoming a manager of websites for Wired, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone, among others. Most recently, he was a product manager at MSNBC.com and NBC News Digital.
Michael can be seen telling stories on Youtube in the NYC storytelling showcase Tale. His plays have been presented in the New York International Theater Festival and The HOWL Festival. He and BT McNicholl co-wrote the book for the musical The IT Girl, which debuted Off Broadway in 2001 and is now performed regionally. His new musical The History of Light, which updates Gilbert and Sullivan songs with pop and hip-hop, was performed in a public reading at L.A.'s La Mirada Theater.
Michael's 1992 book Break It Down: The Inside Story of Rap included interviews with more than 60 hip-hop artists. And, yes, he also ghostwrote the biography of the superhunk Fabio. If you need a copy, let him know.
Missing mom on Mother's Day? This story's for you
