Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524863
• Been buzzed by and/or flown in F14s, F16s, FA18s, F35s, F22s, 747s, C17, C23, Corsairs, B25, P51s, P40s, Zeros, French Fouga trainer, all manner of helicopters, Stearmans, Tiger Moth, Broussard, the B1 Bomber, etc. • Shooting out the open cargo ramp of a C17 next to Michael Bay as parachutists were jumping for one of the Transformers films • Shooting out the open cargo ramp of the C23 cargo plane in Con-Air as we were passing the observation deck of the Stratosphere Tower at eye level while buzzing the Vegas Strip with Cobra helicopters chasing us (which we recorded the next day!) • Multiple space launches in Florida and California • Baseball (I was asked to step back from the batting cage at Dodger Stadium one time while Mike Piazza was crushing balls during batting practice—"Mike doesn't like anyone close to the cage when he's hitting"), football, tennis, soccer, rugby, basketball, skiing, skating, snowboarding, snowmobiles, jet skis, boxing punches, and sweat sprays (a paint brush works great for those) and spent time dodging players in scrums and football scrimmages • I met my wife Jill at UCLA Medical Center where Alan Murray sent me to record for Million Dollar Baby. • Sitting quietly recording the ambience in Nelson Mandela's cell on Robben Island, Capetown, South Africa—unbelievable! • The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and the Queen's Corgis • Recording Russian helicopters with Jay Wilkinson outside of Budapest • Losing my passport and not being able to leave Budapest (thanks for not killing me, Jay!) • Recording lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, camels, wolves, bears, bats, dogs, cats, pigs, zebra, horses, raccoons, cougars, bobcats, eagles, hawks, and even a hitchhiking tarantula! • Recording pretty much every type of car or gun and boats as well • Going everywhere from caves and subways to mountaintops • Freezing my mics on a dogsled ride in Alaska I'm a bit superstitious and while making the jets for Top Gun, channel 13 died on my multitrack. John recording tank at Veluzat Army Rentals, Newhall, CA. John and "friend" recording at Kaiser Eagle Mountain Mine on "Bring your pet to work day" for the video game Overwatch (2016). Photo courtesy of Scott Lawlor. 144 M PS E . O R G