Old TV interview is transformed into a new John Denver Tribute
April 5, 1998
by Mike Cassidy
San Jose Mercury News

THE HARDMANS were hardly John Denver groupies. But when the 
singer died in October and no major TV tributes followed, they 
thought something was not right. ``Our son reminded us after 
the plane went down,'' says Yvonne Hardman. ``He said, `Folks, 
do you remember that interview?' '' Of course, Yvonne 
remembered. She interviewed Denver in 1986 when she and 
husband Paul were producing the TV series ``Backstage 
Tonight.'' Denver talked at the Concord Pavilion about death 
and flight. He talked about the folly of the weapons race.
   ``They pulled out the tape,'' John says of his parents, 
``and watched and said, `Wow.' '' And it hit them: Why not 
edit the 1986 piece, add a tribute and offer it to the PBS 
stations that carried Yvonne's 1980s interview show?     
``Yeah, but this isn't going to be that easy,'' is what Paul 
told Yvonne.

    Still, Paul, 71, and Yvonne, 69, who live in Cupertino, 
knew production. And son John, 37, was a skilled multimedia 
man. ``I can do it on the Mac,'' John told his folks.  Paul 
cut. John added. They received permission to use Denver's 
music and photographs. Videotransform in Palo Alto offered a 
deal on some editing and production services. John, co-owner 
of Caravan Electronic Publishing in Santa Clara, built two Web 
sites -- one for Denver fans and another for programming 
directors to see samples of the production. He faxed pitches 
to station managers and directed them to the site.
   ``I wasn't a huge John Denver fan,'' John says. ``I think I 
bought his greatest hits album in the '70s, and I played it 
occasionally.'' But the project fostered new respect. John 
concluded that Denver was overlooked in death. Many fans 
agreed. E-mail poured in. ``We did not expect this,'' Yvonne 
says. ``God love you,'' says one. ``I'm going to put you on 
our family prayer list,'' says another. ``My memories of love 
will be of you,'' says another. And many urge the Hardmans to 
make a video of the production available. That's coming. For 
now, the Hardmans are working the PBS circuit. A Wichita, 
Kansas station debuted ``John Denver Remembered'' on March 12. 
San Mateo's KCSM (Ch. 60) aired it last month and will rerun 
it, though no date is set. KTEH (Ch. 54) has scheduled the 
show for midnight May 9, and Yvonne expects the show to run 
eventually on 60 stations.
   The family doesn't plan to make money. They're offering PBS 
stations four airings of the show for $75. They want only to 
cover their production costs.   And to honor the memory of a 
pop star they believe deserved more.
  The Hardmans' John Denver site is 
"http://www.caravan.com/johndenver"


Have an only-in-Silicon-Valley story? Call Mike Cassidy (408) 
920-5536 or send e-mail to mcassidy@sjmercury.com.