The song “Convoy” holds a special place in my childhood memory.

You remember the song, of course.  It came out in 1975, during the CB radio craze, and centered around two truck drivers:  Rubber Duck and Pig Pen.  I’m not sure how Rubber Duck got his name, but Pig Pen was named so because he was hauling a load of hogs.  There were numerous references to the hogs, and their smell, during the song.  That’s why it is surprising that 9-year old me was so convinced that C.W. McCall was singing “Big Ben” and not “Pig Pen.”  It was like I never even listened to the lyrics.

One day, my brother and I started arguing about whether it was “Pig Pen” or “Big Ben”.  Kids nowadays have it so easy.  Any 9-year old can just google the lyrics to any song.  To settle our argument, instead, my mom suggested that I call the local radio host, specifically Larry Stewart on WDWS’ Penny for Your Thoughts.  I took up the challenge, cowering on the phone behind the recliner in the front room, while my mom and brother listened in the kitchen.  The host knew the song but, surprisingly, couldn’t definitively say what the lyric was.  It was disappointing because, up until then, I thought Larry Stewart was the smartest man in the world.

It didn’t take long, though, for the calls to come flooding in.  One after another, Central Illinois listeners settled the argument for good.  “Pig Pen” the first said, followed by another, and another.  It seemed like the rest of the show was dedicated to the dumb kid in Philo.  There were even a few sarcastic comments mixed in, like “Why in the world would he think it was Big Ben?  Like in London? That makes no sense.”

42 years later, I just wanna say “Screw you WDWS listeners.  I was 9 years old. Give me a break.”  Back then, my only dealings with 18 wheelers was standing in the front yard, pumping my arm up and down, trying to get the drivers to honk as they drove by.