Video published by Daniel’s Music Foundation here on YouTube (link is external)
Smile-o-meter Friday: Episode 2
(Friday, October 9, 2020)
[Upbeat Music – Smile-o-meter Friday Theme Song]
[Image of show’s logo in white text “Smile-o-meter Friday With Daniel & Ken” on a bright blue background with translucent white circles.]
[Image – Caricatures on a white background of Daniel in glasses wearing a white polo T-shirt waving his left hand, with the word “Daniel” above his head on the left side of the screen; and, Ken wearing a dark color suit jacket over a collared shirt and sweater, waving his right hand with the word “Ken” above his head on the right side of the screen. The picture of a bright yellow sun with a smiley face slides down from the top of the screen.]
[Voiceover:] Hosted by an unlikely duo, who are just trying to bring a little sunshine into the world.
[Image - Father and son duo, Ken and Daniel, seated in the “studio” in front of piano against a cheery yellow wall, with a square Smile-o-meter Friday logo on the wall between them. Ken is on the right side of the screen, wearing a burgundy button-down shirt, and Daniel is on the left, wearing glasses and a navy color button-down shirt.]
[Daniel:] Welcome to our second episode of Smile-o-meter Friday!
[Ken:] (Turning to look at Daniel) Man! That first episode was a wild ride! We covered years and years of our lives in about 6 minutes.
[Daniel:] Well, you better get ready and strap on your seat belts, because we’re going about 7,700 miles today to… Zimbabwe!
[Ken:] Whoa! Who are we visiting and checking out today?
[Daniel:] We’re visiting JJ Vibez…
[Image – Photo of JJ Vibez, four young male musicians from Zimbabwe, standing together in front of five music-themed posters on a wall.]
[Daniel:] … and they’re super talented.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] You know, music and singing are really for everyone, and it truly soothes the soul.
[Ken:] Speaking of singing… Remember when I sang that song to you in the hospital?
[Image – Photo of a young Daniel, with a pained look on his face, wearing a baseball hat and a New York Knicks Basketball T-shirt, lying in a hospital bed with a nurse standing over him.]
[Daniel:] Oh yeah, I remember…
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Ken:] It went something like this: (Ken sings) I believe in you…
[Daniel:] (Accompanying Ken’s singing) Doop, doop…
[Ken:] Yes, I do…
[Daniel:] Doop, doop…
[Ken:] No matter how long it takes…
[Daniel:] Doop, doop, doop…
[Ken:] I’ll always be (pointing to Daniel) with you…
[Daniel:] Doop, doop, doop…
[Ken:] I sang that song to you every night because I thought we were really making a connection. And do you remember what you told me?
[Daniel:] Yep. I asked you if you would please stop singing that song.
[Ken:] (Chuckling) And I said: “Why now, after all this time?”
[Daniel:] And I said: “I couldn’t tell you to stop before. I was in a coma!”
[Ken:] You know, that was ice-cold D. But really, what was so bad about my singing?
[Daniel:] It was a little pitchy (holding up his right thumb and pointer finger together in front of Ken’s face). But maybe, if you really practiced…
[Dreamy harp music plays in the background]
[Image – Illustration of Daniel deep in thought with his right hand over his chin, and a thought bubble above his head with the word “HMMM…” in it.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself, while nodding and looking at Ken) Hmmm, as long as no one can hear you!
[Image – Illustration of Ken singing in the shower, covered with soap bubbles, with music notes floating above his head.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Maybe in the shower?
[Image – Illustration of Ken singing while driving in a small yellow car on an empty road lined with trees, with music notes floating around him, and a flock of birds high up in the sky.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Or when you’re driving alone?
[Image – Ken singing in front of a microphone, with music notes floating around his head. Ken is all alone, surrounded by trees in the forest.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Or better yet, in the woods!
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] You could get better, though.
[Ken:] Sounds good! Maybe we can start practicing right after we listen to JJ Vibez!
[Daniel:] (Smiles to Ken and just nods his head)
[Dreamy harp music plays in the background]
[Image – Illustration of Daniel deep in thought with his right hand over his chin, and a thought bubble above his head with the word “HMMM…” in it.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Hmmm… How do I redirect him? OK, I got it!
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] And now, for our first segment: Did You Know?
[Image – The words “Did You Know?” large black letters on a white background slide down from the top of the screen. Illustrations of both Daniel and Ken deep in thought appear. They share the same thought bubble above their heads that includes a “thinking” emoji (a round yellow face with its right hand resting by the chin, with its thumb and pointer finger extended)]
[Ken:] Interesting, historical, and fun facts about disabilities and music.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] And since we’re headed to Zimbabwe, we thought we’d focus on some interesting facts from there.
[Ken:] Did you know that there are approximately 15 million people in Zimbabwe? And it is also the location of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World?
[Short video of Victoria Falls, with the sounds of the waterfall in the background, and a rainbow on the bottom right corner of the screen.]
[Ken:] Beautiful Victoria Falls, which is about twice the height of Niagara Falls.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] Wow! That’s amazing! And you know what else is amazing? Their music! (Daniel turns to look at Ken]
[Ken:] The music of Zimbabwe varies, and includes elements of folk, pop and reggae styles, among others.
[Image – Photo of several different types and sizes of traditional African drums]
[Ken:] And many times incorporates different percussion instruments…
[Short video of a person’s left and right hands striking the keys of a thumb piano, a small round wooden musical instrument with 7 thin metal strips as its “piano keys.”]
[Ken:] …as well as a thumb piano called the mbira (pronounced “em-bee-rah”).
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] I would love to try some of those instruments one day.
[Ken:] Me, too! And, guess what, D? It’s time for the main segment of the episode.
[Image – The words “Adventures with Daniel & Ken” in black type on the top left corner of a white background slides up from the bottom of the screen, Illustrations of Daniel on the right, smiling and sitting with him arms outstretched in the folds of a paper airplane, flying over a green and blue globe of the world below him. Ken is sitting in another paper airplane below the globe on the left.]
[Daniel:] Adventures with Daniel and Ken
[Image – Globe of the world showing a map of the United States, with a round red circle identifying the location of New York City. The globe spins to the right, and a red line travels from New York City and lands in Zimbabwe on the map of Africa.]
[Daniel:] And now that we’re in Zimbabwe, let’s check out today’s featured musical guest:
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] JJ Vibez!
[Slide show of photos of JJ Vibes – Group photo 4 young musicians dressed in silver hooded shirts with purple “JJ” letters on the front, then close-up photos of each individual musician separately]
[Ken:] JJ Vibez is a group of 4 artists, 3 of which are visually impaired, with a reggae and hip-hop style. Plus, they were also one of the Award Recipients from the 2020 Danny Awards.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] And they have released over 20 songs to date, but “True Friends” is my favorite. Let’s check it out!
[Uplifting music with a catchy melody plays throughout the video]
[Music video of JJ Vibez’s song entitled: True Friends. The JJ Vibez artists are singing with a female singer in various outdoor locations in their hometown—in front of a large monument, white van, murals, wooden house—surrounded by crowds of people, young and old, smiling, waving and dancing along to the song.]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] That awesome song is gonna be stuck in my head all day!
[Ken:] I hear you. Love their energy! You know, we were fortunate to be able to catch-up with one of the amazing singers of JJ Vibez, who took some time to answer some of our questions all the way from Zimbabwe. Let’s go to the interview studio and hear what he had to say.
[Daniel:] OK… (With a confused look on his face) Sure!
[Dreamy harp music plays in the background]
[Image – Illustration of Daniel deep in thought with his right hand over his chin, and a thought bubble above his head with the word “HMMM…” in it.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Hmmm… What is he talking about? We don’t have an interview studio. Maybe he means… our small office?
[Image – Daniel and Ken sitting on a black leather couch in the “Interview Studio” (the small office in their apt) with 3 separate panels of artwork on the wall behind them.]
[Ken:] Here we are, in our interview studio. Hey there, Gift! Please introduce yourself and tell us why music is so important to you.
[Video interview with one of JJ Vibez’s artists, Gift Makonke, conducted virtually via Zoom. Gift is sitting in a studio in Zimbabwe surrounded by multiple TV screens, and he is wearing a T-shirt with a baseball hat worn backwards on his head.]
[Gift:] My name is Gift Makonke. I am a member of Jairos JJ Vibez. Music is very important to me because it is a way of spreading messages, like the message of unity, working hard, helping each other and so on. And through shows and donations, we can earn a living. People appreciate our songs.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Daniel:] Hi, Gift. It’s me, Daniel. What is the most giving act you have ever received in your lifetime?
[Video – Interview with Gift Makonke via Zoom]
[Gift:] The chance of going to school provided by my guardians and those who helped them, was the most giving act during my lifetime.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] What is the one thing that people say or do that you would like for them to stop doing?
[Video – Interview with Gift Makonke via Zoom]
[Gift:] People should not segregate or discriminate people living with a disability, because disability does not mean inability.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] And finally, Gift, what’s next for JJ Vibez?
[Video – Interview with Gift Makonke via Zoom]
[Gift:] We as JJ Vibez are aiming to be international artists. Therefore, our lifestyle, our way of living, will change.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Daniel:] Thank you, Gift. We really appreciate you spending some time with us.
[Ken:] Wishing you much continued success in the future! And hopefully one day, we get a chance to meet you, Gift, and the rest of JJ Vibez, in person.
[Daniel:] That was really awesome. And now, on to our final segment: Food For Thought
[Image – The words “Food For Thought” on a white background slide up from the bottom of the screen. Illustrations of Daniel winking, with his face peering through the middle of a bright yellow pineapple, and Ken holding up a big slice of watermelon with a smiley face on it.)
[Ken:] A thought-provoking quote or sentiment for you to reflect on.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Ken:] And this quote is from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
[Image – Photo of an elderly woman with glasses on, smiling as she is making a speech in front of a microphone at a podium. She is wearing a wearing a beautiful gold-colored silk blouse and matching head-dress, with a black and gold scarf draped over her left shoulder.]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Ken:] Former President of Liberia, and the first elected female head of state in Africa.
[Image – White words on a blue background slide in from the left and right sides of the screens: “If your dreams do not scare you they are not big enough”]
[Daniel:] "If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Daniel:] Which means, keep reaching for the stars and one day you might catch one of them.
[Ken:] We truly wish you the best on your life journey. Thanks for spending some time with us today and…
[Daniel and Ken:] (Pointing their fingers towards the camera with big smiles on their faces) See you next time!
[Music – Smile-o-meter Friday theme song]
[Image of show’s title “Smile-o-meter Friday With Daniel & Ken” on a bright blue background.]
[A final slide includes white words on a black background:
THANKS FOR WATCHING!
TO LEARN MORE VISIT DANIELSMUSIC.ORG]