Could it be that Utah Attorney General Paul Van Dam is auditioning for a new career Sunday afternoon?
The Democratic incumbent, who is not seeking re-election, will join impresario Eugene Jelesnik as co-host of Utah Showtime Sunday at 1 p.m. on KSL-Ch. 5. He'll not only help introduce acts but play guitar with his band, Rosewood.But Van Dam is quick to quash any notions that he's aiming for a permanent performing job.
"I tried to do this a long time ago," he said in an interview in his office at the Capitol. "I've gone through that period."
A guitarist, Van Dam has been playing in bands since before he entered high school.
"And, in fact, I got real serious about it back in the '60s when we had a pretty good group," he said. "We toured a little bit in kind of the northern California-Nevada-Utah area for about two or three months. It was exciting, and it was exhausting. And I could see that everyone I ran into was a better musician than I was and more talented.
"I mean, it was a great eye-opener. I love music, and I enjoy it, but these were immensely talented people. . . . We found out we were real amateurs."
Van Dam and his band, then called the Villagers ("We're country/western now. We were folk back then.") even played Las Vegas once.
"Not in one of the main casinos or anything but just in one of the small rooms," he said. "It was interesting and fun but even at that point I knew I had to go to law school. I knew I had to get a job, let me put it that way."
But even in his wood-paneled, lawbook-lined office at the Capitol, Van Dam slips easily into his musical persona. Donning a cowboy hat and striking up an impromptu duet with Jelesnik, the attorney general looks instantly at ease.
"I'll attest to this, this is a real musician," Jelesnik said.
As for Van Dam, he had a great time getting musical in that impressive office of his.
"This is the first time I've ever done anything like this in this office," he said. "It gets very stuffy up here. Politically, it's been very strained for the last little while so I'm just as happy to do anything else right now. Here I thought by not running I could get away from all that. There's no escaping it."
He's looking forward to things calming down in January, when he leaves office.
"I'll be in private practice - more than likely," Van Dam said. "Although I'm really not making any definite plans until I see how the election goes. There could be some interesting possibilities if a Democrat wins."
But he may just be ready to hit the road again with Jelesnik.
"If hard times come, you and I can just get together," Van Dam joked.
"Yeah, I've got the hotel picked already," Jelesnik replied.