Tread Heavily

This past Monday, Robert “Bawb” Varley passed away unexpectedly in his Orlando, Florida home. He wasn’t feeling well, so he laid down to take a nap. Bawb loved his naps. His wife found him a few hours later.

I’ve never actually met Bob Varley, never interacted with him online, and doubt that he even knew I exist. However, his passing has touched me in a way that I never expected. See, Bawb was a member of the Podcast team for the DIS Unplugged. I have listened to that podcast for a while now and looked forward to each week’s shows. Not only because they talk about great Disney reviews, tips, and events, but because the people are extremely likable and sound genuine on their shows. They aren’t elaborate in their presentation and don’t make a huge fuss about their show or themselves as ‘celebrities.’ It is a group of friends sitting around and talking to us about something they love.

On the show, Bawb was the resident quirky old guy and seemed to be the perfect counter to the host Pete and the restaurant reviewer Kevin. He spoke with a thick Mass accent and constantly told long stories that endeared him to you, even while becoming a little irritated that he wouldn’t get to the point. Bawb had a green ECV that he outfitted with ‘Kaht Kham’ and made great videos that they posted on YouTube. If you haven’t listened to any of the podcasts, I’d go there now and listen to a few before continuing. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

The DIS Unplugged Podcast

See what I mean? You can’t help but like him, even if you don’t care about Disney, something about his nature makes you want to hear more from him.

When I found out about his death, I was immediately shocked and saddened. After I thought about it for a while, I was a little bit taken aback that I was feeling that way. What was it about Bawb’s death that effected me more than say; an actor whom I was a fan of, or a musician. Why do I mourn the loss of someone I only know because of a trivial web-based radio show.

I think it has to do with the nature of social media and what makes it different than traditional media and entertainment. When someone gets paid to do something, they usually don’t put everything they have into it, and rarely put their real selves out for everyone to see, judge, and connect with. When something is your job, you always have a barrier to hide behind, even if you are actually using your real name or persona.

When someone is involved in social media, they aren’t usually getting paid for it, and if they are, it isn’t payment for who they are, but for what they know and the time they spend doing it. I suspect that Bawb was an employee of Pete’s and got paid for his time on the podcast. But it wasn’t because he was a journalist or a voice talent. It was because Bawb loved and knew Walt Disney World. You could hear it in his voice.

I will greatly miss listening to Bawb on the podcasts, and I will continue to pray for his family, the rest of the Podcast Crew, and the entire Disney family. We’ve lost a great one, but we’ll never lose the magic that he added to the Most Magical Place on Earth.

* Graphics Note: These graphics are not my own and were taken from the DIS Unplugged Podcast page and the DIS Boards respectively. They are great images that I just had to use.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Filed under: Walt Disney World, Social Media