I Had An Opportunity To Sit Down With Singer-Songwriter Harry Chapin in 1981...

Keith Bernstein. Getty Images.

When I was a kid, I was influenced greatly by the song lyrics and poetry of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Jim Morrison. I bought their poetry books and read them from cover to cover. Seeing how their words danced when set to music was impressive. I wanted to do that.

When music began dominating my life in the early '70s, about the same time I started smoking pot and questioning authority, I became a fan of singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, who, in my opinion, was one of the greatest storytellers in music history; his songs Taxi, Cats in the Cradle, and W.O.L.D. being three of my favorites. I found his music to be both musically and emotionally engaging. 

I knew early on that I wanted to be a rock 'n roller, or a poet, or both like the aforementioned. My mother encouraged me to write, but my father didn't consider writing a legitimate profession, and he told me to go to college, get a "real job," and then I could write on the side. Unfortunately, I listened to him when I should've taken a hard stand and pursued the career I wanted. I don't like looking back with regret because there's really no point, but who knows what could've been?

Back in 1980, my mother took a job working for an insurance company in New Jersey, and one of their clients was Harry Chapin. He was taking out a million-dollar life insurance policy at the time, and the beneficiary was World Hunger Year (WHY), an organization he founded, ran, and funded himself by performing benefit concerts. Harry was a true humanitarian and activist and didn't want anyone to go hungry on his watch or after his watch ended, hence the life insurance policy. 

At one time in my life, I experienced hunger, which I define as going to sleep hungry, waking up hungry, and not being able to do a thing about it the following day. I consider what Harry was doing to be the worthiest of causes.

Although Chapin did have some commercial hits in the U.S. and the U.K., he wasn't writing songs specifically for the top 40 charts, he was writing songs that made listeners feel, think, laugh, and cry, and at that, he was very good. Chapin never became a mainstream pop star, and when his name's brought up, a lot of people respond, "Harry who?" It didn't help that Chapin's studio recordings didn't come close to his live performances, which were personal, intimate, and an insight into his generous, colorful, and caring nature. His contagious smile lit up any room.

My mother called me in Massachusetts and told me that if I sent her some of my poetry right away, she would show it to Harry. I was so excited. I made copies of my handwritten poetry and sent it second-day air, which was quite expensive at the time.

When Harry came in to sign the policy, my mother told him about my writing. He was more than willing to take a look, and he read it while my mother sat at her desk close by. Harry said I had some real talent and that on his next trip to Boston, he would make time to meet up with me. Harry and my mother exchanged contact info, and he said we'd be able to meet sometime in late July (1981), which was just a few months away. I was ecstatic, told all my friends, and talked about it every chance I could. Meeting with Harry was a dream come true, it meant everything to me, and I thought it was gonna change the direction of my life…

I was working as an apprentice plumber earning just $8.00 an hour, and needing to supplement my earnings, I took a weekly cleaning job working for Sunset Cleaning, my friend's father's company. It paid $17 for what amounted to an hour and a half's work at a company called Galaxy Carpet on route one in Sharon.

A local radio station had a weekly segment called The King Biscuit Flower Hour that featured one performer. I was working the night Harry was being featured, but I knew I could get home in time to listen to it with my wife and her friend Shellee. It started at 10:00.

It was while I was cleaning that the phone in the building rang twice, and then it rang a second time, my wife's signal that she was calling. I picked up, and my wife said she had some devastating news, "Harry Chapin was killed in a car crash this afternoon." That was on July 16th, 1981. Harry was on the Long Island Expressway on his way to perform at a free benefit concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York, that evening.

Harry had a reputation for being a terrible driver, and when you combine that with his long-winded conversations, Harry ran late a lot and was in a rush, which some reports say contributed to his fatal accident. There is speculation about the exact cause of Harry's death, though. Other reports say he was in the left-hand lane, the fast lane, and traveling at about 65 MPH, and then for an unknown reason, either because of engine failure or some physical problem (possible heart attack), he put on his emergency flashers near Exit 40 in Jericho, NY. He reduced his speed to about 15 MPH and veered into the center lane, nearly colliding with another car. He swerved back into the left lane, then right again, and directly in front of a tractor-trailer truck owned by Supermarkets  General. The truck couldn't brake in time and slammed into the rear of Harry's blue 1975 VW Rabbit, rupturing the gas tank and causing it to burst into flames. 

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The driver of the truck, 57-year-old Robert Eggleton of South Plainfield, NJ, and another passerby were able to get Harry out of the burning car by cutting his seatbelt and pulling him through the driver's side window just moments before the car was completely engulfed in flames. 

Harry was taken by helicopter to a local hospital, where doctors tried for 30 minutes to revive him. Ed Smith, a spokesman for the Nassau County Medical Center, said that "Harry had suffered a massive heart attack" and "died of cardiac arrest," but there was no way of knowing whether it occurred before or after the accident. The news reports first reported that Harry died of a heart attack and later said that death was caused by the impact, which damaged a coronary artery.

His wife Sandy won a 12 million dollar lawsuit against Supermarkets General despite Harry's driver's license having been revoked at the time of the accident.

That night the King Biscuit Flower Hour went from being a featured artist to a dedication. The three of us sat and listened with heavy hearts. 

Harry Chapin was married with two young children and only 38 when he died… 

You see, she was gonna be an actress

And I was gonna learn to fly

She took off to find the footlights

And I took off for the sky

And here, she's acting happy

Inside her handsome home

And me, I'm flying in my taxi

Taking tips and getting stoned

I go flying so high, when I'm stoned…