Survivor could refer to: Gloria Gaynor’s 1970s power ballad, the washed-up CBS reality show (quick Wikipedia check: that thing is still on?!?!), a patient who has triumphed over a terminal illness—or, in my case, the ’80s band behind the song Eye of the Tiger, as made famous by the film Rocky. I appear on a local morning show every week for my job, and in the green room last Friday, I was greeted by a man with a guitar. He had a purple streak in his hair and was wearing snakeskin cowboy boots. This was, quite simply, amazing. When he burst into a set of familiar lyrics—”Risin’ up/back on the street…”—I figured out he’s Jim Peterik, Survivor’s original lead vocalist/guitarist, who now lives in the Chicago suburbs. To be fair, to figure this out, I also had to look at the card he handed me, which also happened to include his cell phone number. I put him in my phone as Jim Rock Star.

Naturally, at karaoke that night, my friends and I decided we had to get him to join us for the best Eye of the Tiger rendition that Shoes Pub has ever heard. I texted him and we put in the song, just in case. Unfortunately, he didn’t text back until the next morning: “Shoot!! Woulda loved it girl! Jp”

One more definition of “survivor:” someone who suffers the disappointment of not singing on stage with a bona fide rock star. Jim, if you’re reading this, I’m holding you to your promise of “next time.”