NOTE — In the horrid aftermath of the Connecticut elementary school shooting, my talk with actor Ken Wahl (“Wiseguy,” “The Wanderers”) seems all the more poignant to me. We discuss Ken’s upbringing, how he learned his work ethic and how he was taught discipline by his parents. Discipline, respect for authority, focus, hard work, and self-restraint … virtues so distant and foreign to what seems like a chaotic and value-less culture of today.
This interview was conducted days before the tragic shooting. Ken wishes to extend the following statement re: the shooting:
“My heart breaks for those little kids, their teachers and their parents. My prayers go out to all of them.” – Ken Wahl
This is the first in a multi-part series.
Gary Graham: How’re you guys doing?
Ken Wahl: Far as I can tell we’re doing okay?
Graham: Excellent.
Wahl: All things considered …
Graham: Speaking of PBS … and public radio …
Wahl: (laughs) No affiliation with PBS at all.
Graham: I had a buddy in college … he pumped PBS into every room of his house 24/7…we were both liberals, then later I turned right …
Wahl: Isn’t everybody [liberal] when they go to college?
Graham: I think so. I think it’s mandatory now [in college] that you smoke a bong-load and become a socialist.
Wahl: (laughs) I missed all that, I dropped out of high school.
Graham: You were a smart guy.
Wahl: I got my ‘H-S-D’ degree, my High School Drop-out. When I was younger, I used to sign my name that way.
Graham: (laughs) Ken Wahl, ‘H-S-D’?
Wahl: I’d sign my name, like you do with PhD, upper-case, lower-case, upper, case … and that’s how I’d sign my name. HsD. And nobody ever had the balls to ask me, “What the hell does that stand for?” They were always thinking, “What is he some kind of weird doctor or something?” But yeah – it stood for “High School Dropout.” I used to sign my name that way.
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