tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261068842024-03-22T00:50:54.848-04:00The Musician... see you among the starsFrom The Inkspots to The Four Tops and Hendrix up until C & C Music Factory, Chuck Harris (chazzsongs) performed and enjoyed life with them all.
An ebook autobiography of a musician, teacher, producer, director, actor, photographer, writer, and songwriter. The 2006 edition, just as Charles wrote it, in Charles's own words-no editing, or changes made by other editors or publishersChazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146124333918478142006-04-29T03:51:00.000-04:002006-12-30T15:28:05.266-05:00The Musician...see you among the stars<p class="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/1600/133706/musician.jpg"
alt="The Musician...see you among the stars" /></p>
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<h3 class="center" style="color:#FF0000">Warning! Contains Explicit Material<br />
<small><em>See more information below and read the disclaimer before reading the material contained herein</em></small></h3>
<h3 class="center">Dedicated to: Marie Dore & Gracie Sammartino</h3>
<p>I would like to thank all the Mafia´s involved, no matter how unjust they
might have been, who put their efforts in making this musical era flourish, and for
personally keeping my neighborhood crime free and safe. I also want to thank the
great men who recognized the music and provided the wax specifically, the great Clive
Davis and Columbia Records, Berry Gordy and Motown Records, and all the greats at
Stax Records.</p>
<p>Thanks to Elva Ray Bergstedt for the inspiration. She put the thought of writing
this autobiography into my mind.</p>
<p>Special thanks go to some of the most helpful and influential in my life; James R.
Bergstedt, Matt Boggs, Marie Dore Granatelli, Val White, Frances, Hugo, Joey "Doe"
Sammartino and Ritchie Wheelchair.</p>
<p class="right">© Chazzsongs Publishing All Rights Reserved without prejudice UCC 1-207</p>
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<p>Chazzsongs Publishing companies are: Chazzsongs Music and Chazz Entertainment Ltd.
For more information visit Chazzsongs Music</p>
<h2>Acknowledgments:</h2>
<p>I was blessed to be born during the years from 1942 to 1950, which created by
birth, some of the most talented group of people that ever existed, and I was among
them, performed with many, and watched most of them perform live. I thank my Creator
for giving me such a wonderful fantastic era to be alive and the gift of music.</p>
<p class="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/1600/837838/stars.jpg"
alt="The Stars" class="entryphoto3" /><br />
<a target="_blank"
href="http://www.chazzsongs.soundbankers.org/blog/thestars.jpg"><small>Click for
larger view</small></a></p>
<blockquote>
<strong>From Top Left:</strong> Otis Redding, Eric Burden and the Animals, Cream,
Neil Sadaka, Al Green, Elvis, Simon and Garfunkal, Sam and Dave, Glady's Knight and
the Pips, Dionne Warwick, Ritchie Valens, Led Zeppelin, Mountain, Debbie Reynolds,
Marvin Gaye, The Ventures, The Brooklyn Bridge, Booker T and the MG's, Traffic,
Crosby, Stills and Nash, Dave Clark Five, The Young Rascals, James Tayler, The
Moody Blues, Earth, Wind and Fire, Richie Havens, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs,
Sal Mineo, Duwane Eddy, Aretha Franklyn, Little Ritchard, Jimi Hendrix, The 5th
Dimension, Fabian, The Isley Brothers, Jan and Dean, The Beatles, Soupy Sales,
Chicago, The Four Seasons, Issac Hayes, Triny Lopez, The Ronnetts, The Big Bopper,
James Brown, Bobby Vinton, The Everly Brothers, Wilson Picket, Peter and Gordon,
Ricky Nelson and Family, Mitch Ryder, Teddy Pendergrass, Frankie Lymon and the
Teenagers, Frank Zappa, Kool and the Gang, The Temptations, The Mamas and Papas.
</blockquote>
<h2>...., <em>but I didn't like this:</em></h2>
<p class="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/560655/dontlike.gif" width=325 height=180 alt="but I didn't like this" /></p>
<h2>Something about this book</h2>
<p>I wrote this book, because I told a lot of the true stories to many people and
especially my friend Jim's mother Elva who just loved the stories and told me that I
should send them to Readers Digest and that many people would like to read my true
stories. That is when she got me thinking. At first, I thought it was a great idea,
you know, maybe making some money. The more I thought about it the more confused I
got. Why, because where do I start and which story would people rather like to hear
and the more I thought about it.... Should I tell the story about when Hendrix and I
almost got kicked out of the Brazzarie Restaurant? What about the story of Jake
Jacobson? That's a classic too. And what about experiencing the country's kaos during
the killing of the president Kennedy and others that followed and the gradual capital
elite corporate takeover of America that proceeded it. I knew it, felt it and lived
it while the people were dieing all around me because of it. This is more than short
stories to Readers Digest which will certainly not accept some of the topics even
though they are real. Nah! I need to write the entire story. Nothing can be left out!
It's more of a documentary of real life, real people, and so it went.</p>
<h2>Something about the layout of this autobiography.</h2>
<p>The book is basically about music but manifests into other areas when my life and
world gets turned upside down. I wanted to talk mainly about the creative things I've
done, and all the fantastic people I met along the way and had great experiences
with. Thus, the stories about my growing up in the beginning of this book are kept as
minimal as possible, although interesting and unique too. My surroundings during my
childhood age is not that important to me until I begin to talk about the way it
leads me into the music business, and then the stories evolve into more detail and
get more intense only because I was brought up in an innocent era which transformed
into a violant era to make way for the twin towers and its ideology.</p>
<p>Thus, it was very difficult writing this autobiography. I had to re-live my life
over and over again. The five years I spent in my wonderful <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">cabin home<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/1600/140970/cabin3.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> in Creel,
Mexico reading, studying, and comprehending the <a target="_blank"
href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/oah/oah/index.htm">OAHSPE</a> Bible during my break
times away from this autobiography certainly made it a much more enjoyable task, but
still, the mental anguish of re-living your life continuously is kind of sad. Then I
had to read the same written material over and over again many times to try and get
it right and comprehensible until I couldn't take it anymore.</p>
<p>When that happened, I took a very long break and actually forgot all about writing
the book purposely, and I didn't think about it again for about another three years.
Then, when I had some free vacant time, I took one third of the the first part of the
book and concentrated on getting its mood as correctly as possible, and once I made
that happened, it renewed my inspiration again and I continued.</p>
<p>As in music, when you're recording one of your songs, the song is never finished.
Every time you do another mix you hear something that needs improvement. It goes on
and on and basically, you just got to say STOP! Go on to the next song. That's the
way it is and that's the way it's going to be. Same with this book, I can add and add
and change and rewrite parts, but NO, this is the best I can get it for now. At
times, I will still add to it and correct it if something new pops-up or something
important develops up until my death.</p>
<p>In addition, I grew up at the early time of the UFO phenomena which showed me that
there was something greater out there. After the killing of JFK, The United States of
America changed drastically for the worst. With it, an entire peace loving movement
of people had been destroyed along with my current career and the entire New York
music scene as the slow moving corporate shift took its place. My goal had then
become to learn who and/or what was responsible for that. It was a wakeup call to
seek truth, and I would learn that the truth was very hard to find. The belief-system
that was mind-controlled and instilled in me made it more difficult. I relied on the
T.V. news and the media in general to inform me. I somehow always knew intuitively,
even when I was little, that something was wrong or something was not right with my
surroundings, my country, and the world, but I didn't know what it was. It was not
until I actually saw the UFOs fly over my head later on in my life that the real
serious truth seeking had come into my mind. The truth seeking built very slowly and
gradually grew as I retained more knowledge. It would manifest greater as more time
went on as more and more information was coming available to me, because I was
seriously looking. I would learn that the further you walk that path of uncovering
the truth, the bigger the path gets so one has to stay
focused. Near the end, I would finally learn who and what destroyed my generation and who continues to do so throughout the world.</p>
<blockquote>
As you walk this path with me, you may also find in these writings, vulgar
language, sexual attitudes, bias, prejudice, conspiracies, hatred, resentment,
depression, ignorance, unpatriotic thoughts, suicidal tendencies, and many other
feelings, thoughts and emotions too numerous to list them all.
</blockquote>
<p>This is a part of life that everyone experiences, but they are afraid to admit or
ever say openly. However, I wanted to write a true autobiography with no holes bared
and so, I exposed everything I experienced and how I felt at the time of the event in
order to present the real truthful picture of feelings and scattered emotions as it
actually happened. We become the product of the people and system surrounding us that
instill it in us knowingly and unknowingly and yet, in life, we try to grow and
hopefully learn to deal with it and overcome them all. I certainly have tried to do
that, but it took all my life to accomplish this thanks to my Creator and spirit, and
my willingness to learn and move on. If I didn't overcome all those things mentioned
above, or at least improved on them, then my afterlife in the spirit world would mean
nothing.</p>
<p>Throughout this autobiography, you will learn about some great music events, music
people some you love and some you didn't know about, and places that you never knew
had existed. So, through all that's mentioned above, try to enjoy the ride.</p>
<p>btw: The term "see you among the stars," was my trade mark that I developed when I
first began writing autographs if you were lucky to have gotten one from me. I would
sign my name and under or next to my name I would write, "see you among the stars."
It has a double personal meaning for me and that is why I chose it. First, because I
performed with many pop stars or hung-out with many top star people in the music
business and maybe you will see me performing again on stage somewhere. The second
meaning is, that if I don't ever see you again then, after we die, maybe I will
bump-into you in the spirit world somewhere...so see you among the stars</p>
</div>
<div class="center">
<h3>Chapters:</h3>
<a href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/musiciansee-you-among-stars.html"
title="The Musician">The Musician</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/disclaimer.html"
title="Disclaimer">[Disclaimer]</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-1-growing-up_114845792833799380.html"
title="chapter-1-growing-up">1</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-2-block.html"
title="chapter-2-the block">2</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-3-judy-weinstein-garage.html"
title="chapter-3-judy-weinstein-garage">3</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-4-chuck-and-mike-to-office.html"
title="chapter-4-chuck-and-mike-to-office">4</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-5-church.html"
title="chapter-5-the church">5</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-6-family.html"
title="chapter-6-the family">6</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-7-change-of-events.html"
title="chapter-7-change-of-events">7</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-8-ralphy-and-joey.html"
title="chapter-8-ralphy-and-joey">8</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-9-four-corners-long-island-new.html"
title="chapter-9-four-corners-long-island">9</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-10-menora-temple.html"
title="chapter-10-menora-temple">10</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-11-greenwich-village.html"
title="chapter-11-greenwich-village">11</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-12-my-brothers-stores.html"
title="chapter-12-my-brothers-stores">12</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-13-cinderella-club-and-trude.html"
title="chapter-13-cinderella-club-and-trude.html">13</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-14-four-tops.html"
title="chapter-14-four-tops">14</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-15-peter-and-gordon.html"
title="chapter-15-peter-and-gordon">15</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-16-florida.html"
title="chapter-16-florida">16</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-17-ray.html"
title="chapter-17-ray">17</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-18-shaded-flower.html"
title="chapter-18-the-shaded-flower">18</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-19-mikie-and-new-girl.html"
title="chapter-19-mikie-and-new-girl">19</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-20-variations-on-theme.html"
title="chapter-20-variations-on-theme">20</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-21-joey-dee.html"
title="chapter-21-joey-dee">21</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-22-raymond.html"
title="chapter-22-raymond">22</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-23-to-vail.html"
title="chapter-23-to-vail">23</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-24-boulder.html"
title="chapter-24-boulder">24</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-25-grand-canyon-race.html"
title="chapter-25-grand-canyon-race">25</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-26-french-chef.html"
title="chapter-26-french-chef">26</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-27-return-to-new-york.html"
title="chapter-27-return-to-new-york">27</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-28-getting-married.html"
title="chapter-28-getting-married">28</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-29-do-you-wanna-love-me.html"
title="chapter-29-do-you-wanna-love-me">29</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-30-disco.html"
title="chapter-30-disco">30</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-31-college.html"
title="chapter-31-college">31</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-32-tommy-napoli.html"
title="chapter-32-tommy-napoli">32</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-33-sam-goodys.html"
title="chapter-33-sam-goodys">33</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-34-los-angles.html"
title="chapter-34-los-angles">34</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-35-cab.html"
title="chapter-35-the-cab">35</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-36-album.html"
title="chapter-36-the-album">36</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-37-ama.html"
title="chapter-37-ama">37</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-38-eddy-and-chris.html"
title="chapter-38-eddy-and-chris">38</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-39-sell-house.html"
title="chapter-39-sell-house">39</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-40-fight.html"
title="chapter-40-the-fight">40</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-41-payback.html"
title="chapter-41-the-payback">41</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-42-kill.html"
title="chapter-42-the-kill">42</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-43-new-life-in-denver.html"
title="chapter-43-new-life-in-denver">43</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-44-raves.html"
title="chapter-44-the-raves">44</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-45-awakening.html"
title="chapter-45-the-awakening">45</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-46-test.html"
title="chapter-46-the-test">46</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-47-new-world-order.html"
title="chapter-47-the-new-world-order">47</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-48a-alien-connection.html"
title="chapter-48a-the-alien-connection">48a</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-48b-interview-with-reptilian.html"
title="chapter-48b-interview-with-reptilian">48b</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-48c-billy-meier-story.html"
title="chapter-48c-billy-meier-story">48c</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-49-awareness.html"
title="chapter-49-the-awareness">49</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-50-revelation.html"
title="chapter-50-the-revelation">50</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-51-mexico-and-thailand.html"
title="chapter-51-mexico-and-thailand">51</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-52-fake-terror.html"
title="chapter-52-fake-terror">52</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-53-implanted-chip.html"
title="chapter-53-the-implanted-chip">53</a> | <a
href="http://chazzsongs.blogspot.com/2006/04/chapter-54-end.html"
title="chapter-54-the-end">54</a> |<br />
<br />
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<br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146124228179746992006-04-28T03:49:00.000-04:002006-12-23T00:54:08.896-05:00Disclaimer<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/216175/disclaimer.jpg"
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<h2>Disclaimer</h2>
<p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> All pages of chazzsongs.blogspot.com [blogger]
including the ebook, - "The Musician....see you among the stars", and the author
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<p>TO: Members of the Faculty, Hoover Institution Fellows,<br />
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Academic Staff, and Library Directors<br />
FROM: Condoleezza Rice, Provost<br />
RE: Copyright Reminder<br />
October 30, 1998<br />
<br />
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<br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1148457928337993802006-04-27T04:03:00.000-04:002007-04-10T09:41:08.022-04:00Chapter 1 - Growing Up<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/1600/349527/citrain.jpg" alt="Coney Island Train Station" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<div id="menu">
<p>I can remember that hot summer day sitting on the little step that leads to the
entrance of the 86th Street train station in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York. Gravesend
is a small area located between two very well known Brooklyn sections, Bensonhurst,
and Sheepshead Bay.</p>
<p>My friend Brother Bill and I were drinking Coca-Cola, and facing the background
view of the gigantic Ferris Wheel called the Wonder Wheel, and the 250 foot tall
Parachute Jump in Coney Island. In the foreground was Barney’s Candy store
where we bought the Coca-Cola. It was very hot, maybe around 90 degrees on that
unknown day in July of 1952. I can remember how quiet and peaceful it was. Brother
Bill and I were thinking of jumping on the train and going that one long last stop on
the BMT Line train to the Coney Island beach, Bay 14. That is where we would go if
only we had two quarters for the train fare. We were thoughten? (That is our Brooklyn
slang word for thinking.)</p>
<p>Brother Bill said let us try jumping the fence. He stood up and I followed him as
he walked across 86th Street to the jungle type lot that I have not yet dared to
enter. We walked a few feet along the barbed wire fence that led down to the outdoor
subway station. Brother Bill was kicking down the dense ten-foot tall weeds. I
followed, but felt like I was in the Amazon jungle. Brother Bill was 10 years old and
I was only seven. He was not my brother. That is was what everyone called him, when I
meet him. Everyone had a nickname but me.... Everyone including my family called me
Junior. I liked Brother Bill. I felt safe with him. When you are small and seven
years old, everyone in the neighborhood tries to pick on you. Not if your friend is
Brother Bill! Brother Bill is tough, and everyone is afraid of him. Brother Bill
likes me and so I followed. As he made this path along the barbed wire fence, Brother
Bill showed me a secret.... He made an open hole in the fence that he had cut days
earlier. He peaked through the opening and there were no cops or anyone else on the
station platform. We then both slipped through.</p>
<p>There we were, standing on the subway platform in the <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">subway platform<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/339587/86th.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> area of the station. 86th Street passes above us. As we were waiting for the subway train to
arrive, we could see off in the distance about three subway stations away. Brother
Bill suddenly jumped off the platform and on to the tracks. I got scared. ‘I
yelled, “Brother Bill... What are you doing?” Brother Bill told me not to
be afraid. He then picked up a rock from the gravel covering the tar of the tracks,
stood on the wood above the third rail, and began writing his name in big letters on
the tunnel wall. Shortly thereafter, I noticed the train front lights in the distance
and yelled to Brother Bill, “The trains coming.” He looked down the rails
with a smile and replied that he had plenty of time. I watched the train getting
closer and closer. I watched Brother Bill’s reluctant attitude as he continued
to complete his name. The train was now at the Avenue U stop, which is just one
station before the <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">subway platform<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/1600/475071/86th2.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
Brother Bill was still scribbling away, and as the train was about one thousand yards
away, he quickly jumped back on the platform. I thought that was very cool how he
waited for the last moment. We then started running to the front of the platform
where we could enter into the front car when it stopped.</p>
<p>I told Brother Bill that this was the first time I rode the train. The engineer
was looking at us as the train pulled in. The doors opened and we went in to the
front window of the car. With all his strength, Brother Bill unlocked the brackets of
the front window and opened the window so we could have a great view of the one stop
long ride to Coney Island. The train pulled out and Brother Bill and I had our heads
slightly out of the front car window. As the wind was blowing our hair back, and
squinting our eyes, we were watching the tracks move below, as the train went through
the train yard on the way to Coney Island. Coney Island was the last stop. Just
before Coney Island, is a major train yard? I was enjoying this moment very much, and
words alone could not express the feeling. As the train came close to Coney Island,
there was a little bridge going over this.... What seemed like an inlet from the
ocean? Brother Bill said, “This is Perfume Bay.” I said, ‘Perfume
Bay?’ ‘Yeah,’ Brother Bill said, ‘just smell it, it’s
polluted and that’s what everyone calls it.’ So as we passed over Perfume
Bay, the part that makes Coney Island an Island. We were approaching the last stop in
Brooklyn, Coney Island. As we were pulling in to the station very slowly, the one
thing I noticed down below in the street was this gigantic crowd by this place called
Nathan’s Famous.</p>
<p>We exited the train station and walked across the street to <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Nathan’s<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/439705/nathens.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
where all these people were eating these 5 cents hot dogs. Brother Bill had ten cents
on him so we bought two dogs, and boy they were great. I could not see much because I
was eating in the <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">mist of a thousand
people.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/986984/EATDOG.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> Brother Bill and I then proceeded toward the boardwalk as we passed the
<a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">House of
Wax<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/596497/WAX.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>.... Then the roaring roller coaster called the <a id="menu6"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Tornado<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/634138/TORNADO3.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, and
past a place called Schrott’s Baths. We continued up the boardwalk ramp and on
to the boardwalk and as I looked around the only thing that caught my eye was the <a id="menu7"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Parachute
Jump<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/389225/parasteeple.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> towering about 250 feet into the air. I became frozen in my tracks as I
watch these people sitting in this seat connected to a closed parachute that was
climbing to the top of the 250-foot tower. Then the parachute hit the top and opened.
In an instant flash, the parachute began descending quickly toward the ground, and
the people began to scream. Brother Bill grabbed me and we entered the beach.... Bay
14. We walked to the ocean through the walls of sun loving people. Brother Bill took
his clothes off and went into the water in his underwear and I watched and did the
same. I only entered the water a few feet, but Brother Bill went in and swam out
there far. The water was cold so I did not stay in long. I sat on the beach waiting
for Brother Bill but I could not keep my eyes off the Parachute Jump. Repeatedly I
watched people ride. I thought that I would never go on that thing.</p>
<p>Living a short distance (one train stop) from Coney Island is a welcome blessing.
Brother Bill took me for a stroll down Bowery Street where all the rides, roller
coasters, shooting galleries, and spook houses are. Coney Island is wall-to-wall
people. I could live here! Brother Bill showed me a spook house called the Magic
Carpet. People would enter this dark spook house that was very freighting on the
inside as Brother Bill explained. When the people came out of the spook house, they
had to sit in this three person wide chair. They sat in the chair for a short moment
while everyone on the outside watched. Then the chair suddenly gave way beneath them
and the people fell upon this fast moving carpet beneath them. The people screamed
loudly as the carpet carried them to the entrance of the spook house. “Someday
I would like to try that”, I told Brother Bill.</p>
<p>We stood there for about fifteen minutes watching these people screaming every
time the chair fell under them and on to the carpet.</p>
<p>Then Brother Bill took me close by to see the <a id="menu8"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Thunderbolt
roller coaster.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/291900/tunderbolt.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> I knew that I would never go on that. It had a very scary first
drop. Brother Bill told me that this roller coaster is faster than the Cyclone.</p>
<p>Then we continued walking along the <a id="menu9"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Bowery<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/826121/bowerycolor.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> to
another roller coaster, <a id="menu10"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Tornado.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/108285/TORNADO.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> I stood
there frozen watching this roller coaster make the embankment turns. This too made me
frightened. I listened as the people in the cars are screaming. Again I knew that I
would never go on this ride either.</p>
<p>Directly opposite the Tornado was the House of Wax. At the entrance to the House
of Wax were figures engaged in brutal slayings. Wax type blood everywhere. It was
disgusting and terrifying, as it appeared very real. The look of it made me nauseous
and sick. I couldn’t look at it very long.</p>
<p>Brother Bill told me to follow him to checkout the <a id="menu11"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Cyclone<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/389659/CYCLONE.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I
followed in amazement. I watched as I walked behind Brother Bill people trying to win
a prize shooting at ducks with this high-powered BB gun. We passed the entrance to
the <a id="menu12"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Wonder Wheel<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/168236/ww.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
and over to the Cyclone. This roller coaster had the <a id="menu13"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">deepest
drop of them all<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/817331/cyclonebestdrop.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I would never go on this ride ever. I would never spend 25
cents to go on the Cyclone. I watch the people getting off the cars as it finished,
and they were very terrified. I don’t know how they got the guts to get on this
ride. A patron asked Brother Bill and me if we wanted to go on with him. I refused,
but Brother Bill accepted. Brother Bill tried to convince me to go on, because it was
free. I told him that I would not…. I’ll just watch. I went along the
side street to catch a better look. As the cars <a id="menu14"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">headed
up the ramp to the first drop<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/333236/cycloneonthewayup.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> Brother Bill and the guy waved at me. I returned
the wave. I watched with much excitement to see the expressions on their faces, as
they were about to enter the drop. Man ‘O Man this is something else. I heard
the screams of the people and thought to my self that this was not a way of having
fun. I would rather play miniature golf…. That is my fun! I watch them go up
and round and over and under. As the ride was beginning to end, I ran to the entrance
to watch them come to a stop. Brother Bill was pumped-up as he exited the ride. He
was breathing heavily as if he ran a mile. “That was something else, I told
Brother Bill. You should have seen the expression on your face. You were very happy
with smiles as you went up to the top, but as soon as you started to descend, you
looked completely frightened. “I wasn’t frightened,” Brother Bill
replied. However, I knew that it had shaken him up. It was getting late so we
returned home.</p>
<p>I arrived home around 6 PM after another great day with Brother Bill, and my
family was sitting in the dining room having dinner. My father, Charles senior, is a
Barber and worked in Rockaway. My mother, Rosalie, is a garment worker and worked in
a sowing factory in Brooklyn. I have three sisters and one brother; Jeannette, age
11; Marie, age 13; Rosetta, age 16; and Thomas age 18; were attending Junior and
senior High School. I sat at the dinner table and devoured the veal cutlets with a
great oil and vinegar and red wine. That's right! Red wine is always on the dinner
table every evening and anyone can drink it. It is a requirement of my family. My
brother, having finished his dinner grabbed the 8mm Kodak movie camera and began
walking around the table taking movies of the family having dinner. After dinner I
ran outside on 7th Street and attended a stick ball game that was just starting. It
was an intense game with a lot of cheating and arguing going on. As usual, a neighbor
named, Eddy, who lived a couple of houses next to mine, came out of his house angry.
With his cigar always hanging out of his mouth, Eddy started yelling, “Why
don’t you goddam kids go down the end of the block and get out of here?”
As usual, we told him to get lost. Every time Eddy talked it was goddam this or
goddam that. We ignored either him or best yet mimicked him. “Why don’t
you goddam kids get out of here,” we would say back to him.</p>
<p>The next week, my father took me to an <a id="menu15"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Army show<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/223814/armykid.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> in Coney
Island. There would be all kinds of Army equipment on display. Tanks; cannons;
rifles; army trucks, and all kinds of equipment having to do with the U.S. Army. It
was kind of interesting to see the real thing after playing along time at home with
the army toys and little plastic solders.</p>
<p>I remembered all this talk about flying saucers, UFO’s. It was mentioned
everywhere in the newspapers and on TV. <a id="menu16"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Life and Look magazine
did many layouts and stories on the subject.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/152556/lookufo.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> There were sightings everywhere. I
can remember the live coverage on TV about the large group of UFO’s that were
flying over the <a id="menu17"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">White House<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/44770/wdcufo1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. It was
most incredible. They had made many movies and newsreels about them. One of the
movies I will never forget. It was called, <a id="menu18"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Day the Earth
Stood Still<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/422111/stoodstill.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I believe that I had a dream about meeting a little alien being with
large eyes. I never knew if it was a dream or the real thing. It stumped me
throughout my life. My interest in UFO’s had grown immensely. I became
fascinated with the subject, and I wished that I would eventually see one someday or
meet with the occupants. <a id="menu19"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">From 1947 to 1955<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/264296/roswell.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
there were UFO’s all over the place.</p>
<p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R9iMcM26XjkmE0BBDUY8BOPTukf4cKndIcaN8EEjKzMn9vbbUiNbyw2T8RTNifXYzKb2HFZHHjssv4Q9cgRU_8SyKFsjco9QRpZlaIIYuD1qP6o9qsSX_Peo3T6RBw8k2MmHXw/s400/95_school1.jpg" width=319 height=210 alt="" class="entryphoto2" />A strange thing happened to me while I attended Public School 95 in Gravesend, Brooklyn. My classroom on the forth floor had very large windows and looking out of those window we could see the inlet to the ocean where all the great large passenger steam ships would enter New York City. Our teacher made it a point to have us all watch for them when we spotted one passing through. They were spectacular to see, because the looked larger than life. One day, I looked out the window from my desk, and I saw a strange light high above the inlet where the ships traveled. The light began to shine a beacon and as I watched the beacon, the beacon of light began to shine toward me and I quickly jumped below my desk to avoid being hit by the beacon and as I quickly looked up again the light and beacon faded and disappeared. The teacher was caught by surprise at my sudden movements and asked me what happened and I told her that a light beacon began to shine on my so I ducked. She smiled and had no idea what I was talking about. I remember that view all of my life so vividly until one day in 2007, I came across a Google Utube video which surprisingly was exactly what I saw:</p>
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<p>One day, my father brought home a present for me. A pump gun that shot out these
3-inch plastic balls. I became so excited, that the next day my friends and I played
war. Some of my friends stood on one side of the street and I and another friend
stood on the other side of the street. They had dart guns that shoot darts with
rubber tips, and I had the larger ball, pump gun. I positioned myself in Eddy’s
small front yard and began shooting my new pump gun balls across the street. I shot
all six balls and then I ran across the street to retrieve them. That was the last
thing I remembered. A car hit me hard. I went flying in the air about 20 feet and
landed on the pavement. Everyone thought that I was dead.</p>
<p>Many people were a witness to the event. They heard a car screeching and then they
saw my body go flying, about 10 feet in the air and fall 20 feet away onto the
pavement. Everyone thought I was dead. My family was in a panic of horror as all the
people were trying desperately trying to revive me. An ambulance responded a short
time later, and I would recover after six long months in Coney Island hospital, which
is the place of my birth.</p>
<p>My family never thought about suing the driver. In those days, people were very
respectful to one another. My family knew that I ran out between two parked cars
without looking, and the driver never had a chance to stop in time. As an example how
people were respectful to one another, my mother once told me how she bought our
house. We had a small house on West 7th Street that had two floors and a basement. On
the first floor, we had a living room, dining room, and kitchen. On the second floor,
we had three small bedrooms and a bathroom. The basement was open room plus a
separate room for the oil burner. One day the oil burner man was fixing the oil
burner and my mother received a telephone call from the woman who owned the house.
This woman was very wealthy and rented the house to my family for $25.00 a month. The
woman owner wanted to sell the house to my mother for $1,000. It seems that this
wealthy woman felt concerned for my family of five children, and she wanted to sell
us the house. The woman became extremely concerned that my family had nowhere to go.
My family could not afford $1,000 so the woman offered the house for $700.00. My
mother had only $50.00 in the bank so the woman offered her the house for $500.00.
The oil burner man, who had been listening to the telephone conversation while he was
working, offered to lend my mother the $500.00. The oil burner man told my mother
that the family could pay it back a little at a time when she had some extra money.
People are always helping one another.</p>
<p>The day I arrived home from the hospital, the man who drove the car that hit me,
came to my house with a present. I opened the present and inside was a small set of
<a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Lionel Trains.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/677774/STEAM4.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
Apparently, my mother told him how I loved trains and so he bought me the set. When I
opened the present, I became incredibly happy. This present ignited my fascination
with model trains. It was a Hudson steam engine with a few boxcars and a caboose.</p>
<p>That evening, my father came home from work and also bought me a present. It was
something that I had never seen before, a remote control car. It was so wonderful. It
had this big doughnut type shape antenna on top, and I took it outside in the dark to
see if it worked, and it did. The next day, I played with it the entire day. Brother
Bill passed by my house to say hello, and he became very impressed with the remote
control car. The next day, I invited my friends to come by and play with the remote
control car. When my friends arrived, I was searching for the car, but could not find
it. I asked my mother where the car is, and my mother said that she gave it away to a
handicapped child that could not walk. I was in shock. I only played with it one day.
My mother’s story was good, but still it was my possession and I felt that it
should have been my choice. It was not my mother’s to give away. I was totally
in shock. I said, “What do you mean you gave it away. It’s is not yours
to give away.” I had argued with my mother and sisters all day long about this
matter, but it seemed that they did not care, and defended my mother's actions. I
would have probably been very open to giving things or possessions away. However,
just the thought that someone, especially my family, could give something of mine
away without telling or confiding in me is a No-No. This action would actually change
my feelings toward certain members of my family, and I won't ever trust them for the
rest of my life.</p>
<p>My father feeling sorry and embarrassed came home one night with a 4x8 piece of
plywood. He told me to come with him to the basement. As I followed, he told me that
he was going to set aside a place in the basement where I could setup a train set. He
assured me that no one would bother me. He gave me money to buy tracks and supplies
and told me to ask someone in the family to take me to get the supplies. I bothered
my mother for a week, and although she was against the idea of a train setup in the
basement, she finally gave in. The following Saturday, my mother and I took the BMT
train and went to Manhattan, a fifty-minute ride. It was the first time I ever was in
Manhattan.</p>
<p>I can still remember that day when we got off the train at 23rd street. We had to
take the BMT “N” train from my house to 14th Street in Manhattan. Then we
had to take the local train one stop to 23rd street. We walk up the subway steps
toward the street, and I can remember the tall buildings as we exited the subway.
There was this <a id="menu21"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">small park called
Gramercy Park area with many trees and benches<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/422169/gramercy.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, and holding my mother’s
hand, we walked across this park to this gigantic office building. We entered this
office building located on 26th street and took the elevator up to the second floor
to the Lionel Train showroom. What a world it was. When the elevator door opened, I
saw this tremendous beautiful neon sign staring me in the face that read, <a id="menu22"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">“Lionel
Trains.”<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/344023/lionelposter.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> My eyes lit up! We walked in and there in the middle of this
gigantic room was the most incredible train set-up I had ever seen. It was heaven.
There must have been about twenty-five trains going on at one time. The gigantic set
had a waterfall with a train going under it. The set also contained mountains with
train tunnels everywhere. The control room situated above it had eight transformers
going at one time. They had passenger model trains ...they had freight model trains
...they had work trains ...I was watching it for about two hours walking around and
around this set that was about 150 feet long. Then my mother took me into another
gigantic room where all the Lionel Train sets were on display. Finally, after about
an hour, my mother said that we had to leave. As we walked passed the main room, we
arrived at this exit counter. The woman at the counter gave me a new Lionel Train
catalog. We exited the building and walked across the park to 23rd street again. This
time we walked to the left by Madison Avenue.</p>
<p>Next to this subway station, located at 23rd Street and Madison Avenue, was a
little store called, <a id="menu23"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">“Madison
Hardware Co<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/174610/madisonhardware.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>.” In the window of the store was a little sign that read,
“Lionel Trains.” We entered. They had every train supply you ever needed
and more. They had train gadgets that were not in any catalogs. They also specialized
in hard to find trains. As I was looking around the store, I looked up and there it
was, <a id="menu24"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">“The
Texas Special.”<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/725912/TEXASS1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> It caught my eye. I do not know why.... For some special
reason, it was the most beautiful looking engine I had ever seen. It looked exactly
like the common Santa Fe, but it was red with silver and had this white star on the
front. It was a combined car set with two engines and a middle car. I stared at it
for about twenty minutes as my mother was talking to the man about the tracks and
accessories. Finally I snapped out of it and began picking out my tracks, switches,
houses, etc. Happy and amazed we left the store and hopped back on the subway to
return home. Once home, I began to build my train set.</p>
<p>I had memorized the way to the Lionel Train Showroom. That following Monday, I did
not go to school. I hopped on the train and went to the showroom by myself....
Something a seven-year-old would not do. I spent the whole day to examine this
tremendous set of trains. I would do this about two days a week. I became obsessed. I
would also go to Madison Hardware and drool over the Texas Special. The information I
gathered by speaking with the workers at the Lionel showroom and Madison Hardware
would prove invaluable in building my set at home.</p>
<p>The next year on my birthday, October 1, I would beg my parent’s weeks
before hand, to buy me the Texas Special, which cost $50.00. I would save some money
and pressure my parents to kick in the rest. Finally, my parents gave in and the
Texas Special was mine. Fifty dollars was a lot of money when you consider a train
ride or a movie was a quarter. Anyway, my train set was up and running and the
“Texas Special,” is my pride and joy.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">^ Top</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102862617756092006-04-26T21:54:00.000-04:002006-12-23T00:55:11.076-05:00Chapter 2 - The Block<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/222921/block.jpg" class="entryphoto3" alt="Chazz at 14 years old" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 2 - The Block</h2>
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<p>West 7th Street in Brooklyn was a very strange block. It was situated between 86th
Street and Avenue V. I knew now that it was a block of the insane, but at my age of
eight in 1953 it was weird. I didn’t know why. It was a block of the strangest
people or maybe it had a curse. I think all of the above. West 7th Street has these
very small-attached houses on one side that was geared toward low-income families.
Yet, across the street the houses were much larger and unattached. If one walks up
7th Street from Avenue V here is what you would see:</p>
<p>The first house on the right was the largest house with the most property. It was
separated into two family dwellings. One family occupied the first half, and one in
the second. The family in the first half was very quiet and almost unnoticeable. The
family in the second half was just the opposite. They were very noticeable. The man
of the house Pete was this big mouth type character. He was always yelling,
especially at his wife. He had two kids, a son, daughter, and a dog. The yelling at
his wife had eventually made her a vegetable. She went crazy after a little while,
but that did not stop him from continuing to yell at her. His children did not dare
to interfere nor did anyone else in the neighborhood.</p>
<p>On the other side of the street was another big house, but not quite as large as
the other side. This family was very quiet, but there was something very strange that
I still do not know to this day. They had this servant named Mary. Mary was out of
her mind. She would do all the dirty work around the house and they would order her
around like a dog. They would even threaten her with force.</p>
<p>Walk up the block a little way, and the next house would be a relative of
Barney’s Candy Store. Barney’s was located on 86th Street, at the other
end of West 7th Street near the train station. They were relatively quiet people who
had a daughter that seemed much protected by her mother. I had never seen the
daughter wander more than twenty-feet from the house. You could always see the
daughter sitting on the stoop everyday.</p>
<p>The next house lived a quiet family that never disturbed anyone on the block. The
next house lived a strange family. The father’s name was Pete, just like the
name of the crazy Pete across the street. They had a daughter who was very cute
except she had a very strangely built. She was sort of a dwarf type. One day, Pete
poisoned this large tree in front of his house. I am not sure why he did it, but I
think that the tree was pilling too many leaves on his property. Anyway, everyone on
the block loved that tree because it shaded our area, and it made the block more
beautiful. After a long while, after he poisoned the tree, he made the City of New
York remove it. I could remember how sad everyone was when the tree was removed. A
strange karma happened following the cutting of the tree. Pete’s wife had
suddenly died, and six months later, his daughter died. I knew it was karma.</p>
<p>The next house was this man and wife with no kids and he had just bought this <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">1963 Chevy Corvair<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/255568/1963corvair.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Neat! Directly across the street and third from my house was a family I
really enjoy, Jenny and Al. They had two sons and two daughters and the oldest son
was my age and my friend. We went to P.S. 95 together.</p>
<p>Next door to my house lives a new resident, a Jewish Family. This was very strange
because my neighborhood is almost all Italian. I welcome a refresher. Besides, they
have a cute daughter my age.</p>
<p>Then there is my house.</p>
<p>Directly across the street lives <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Zitsy Rose<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/62447/ZITSEY.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, one of
my mother’s best friends. She speaks nothing but Italian and is always talking
about somebody. She is the neighborhood spy. She is always spying on other people.
Then she uses that information to start trouble about them. Nasty Gossip! I do not
know what Zitsy means, or if it is the correct spelling? It is Italian for something
like, Aunt. Anyway, that is what my mother calls her.</p>
<p>Next door to Zitsy Rose is another new resident. They are just quiet immigrants
from Italy. Directly across from them and next door to me on the opposite side of the
street is another relative of Barney’s Candy Store, The Marks. They are a
strange couple with one daughter. Next door to the Marks live Eddy and his wife. In
general, they are very nice except for the fact that Eddy is always out in front of
his house with a cigar in his mouth yelling at the kids. He always uses the word
“goddamn,” when he yells at us. Example: “Why don’t you
goddamn kids go play down the goddamn block!” Eddy would yell.</p>
<p>Next Door To Eddy is a vacant space where a house once burned down. Next to the
vacant space live Jimmy and his wife Mary who are very nice people. Directly across
the street live my aunt and uncle. Next door to them is an unknown quiet couple.
Directly across the street and next to Jimmy, live my schoolmate Mikie and his
family. Mikie's three sisters are very hot. Directly across the street from Mikie is
another relative of, you guessed it, Barney’s Candy Store, the Reds. I do not
know why they call them the Reds; I guess it is because they have red hair. Anyway,
that is what everyone calls them. They are nuts, a very strange family. They are
always yelling and fighting out in the open. Next door to the Reds are relatives of
you guest it again, Barney’s Candy Store and relatives to the Reds.</p>
<p>We have now gone half way up the block. The people that I have mention thus far
contain enough insanity on this block to fill <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Bellevue
Hospital<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/73476/Bellevue.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Believe me, as one goes further up the block, it gets worst, and the
people stranger.</p>
<p>I need to mention something about Barney’s Candy Store. Barney himself is
one of the most wonderful man I had ever met. I would to go into his store everyday
for an ice cream float or to get cigarettes for my father. He used to greet everyone
by name. Since my neighborhood was mostly Mafia oriented, no one knew who was in the
Mafia and who was not, or who was connected and who was not, but many people sort of
played the part of being a mafioso. I think no one really knew. This is not to say
that Barney’s Candy Store was connected to the Mafia, but his relatives who
lived on this block of West 7th Street acted as if they all were.</p></div>
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<br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102827039430422006-04-26T21:53:00.000-04:002006-12-20T08:11:32.186-05:00Chapter 3 - Judy Weinstein & the garage<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/199105/garage.jpg" alt=""
class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 3 - Judy Weinstein & the garage</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>The family who lived next to my house on the left side moved. The house was sold
later on to a Jewish family, the Weinstein’s. I noticed that they have a cute
daughter named Judy. All the neighbors didn’t like the fact that Jewish people
had moved into their Italian neighborhood. I told you that this block is very weird.
However, this didn’t bother me a bit. I warmed up to the Weinstein’s
immediately, and I quickly became a good friend with them, and I was responsible for
making them feel welcome living next to me and on the block. Eventually, Judy and I
began hanging-out with one another. Judy came into my house one day, and we were
watching TV. Judy decided to sit on my lap and she began moving her ass back and
forth on my dick. At first, I felt nothing, but then I began to realize that I was
getting sexually aroused for the first time in my life. I did not know anything about
sex or having a sexual feeling. I used to occasionally look at a Playboy magazine. I
had at the time not realized what she was doing, but when I went to bed that night, I
felt and thought of that sexual sensation for the first time. I was thinking about it
in bed, and then I suddenly realized what she was trying to do. She was making a
sexual advance, and I decided that I liked it. I remembered that every time I pushed
her off my lap, she jumped back on it again. She had a wonderful sexy body. The next
time that I’m with her, I will pay more attention, but this time I’m
going to take advantage of the situation, because now I'm turned on. I did not see
her the following day, but we did get together on the weekend on Friday night. I
convinced her to take a stroll with me around the block and she agreed. I had my new
<a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Silvertone
transistor radio<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/456940/transistorradio.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> that my brother just bought me, and I used it to listen to music
every day. My favorite song was, Western Movies by The Olympics. For some reason, the
radio station did not play it much, so I would listen to the radio all the time
hoping to hear it come on. Judy and I went walking around the block with my radio on
medium volume level. I was thinking how I could make a sexual move on her. I knew she
liked me and I felt the same. I also knew she was hot, and that I could get more from
her, like feel her shapely breasts. We were walking, and I was contemplating for the
right moment. All of a sudden, I turned to her and instantly positioned her against
the wall and kissed her continuously. She did not say anything so I fondled her
breasts.</p>
<p>The next day I went to her house and she was with her little sister Ronda. Judy
lured me downstairs to her basement with her little sister Ronda. It was then that I
suggested that we play a special, made-up game of Hearts. I wanted to kiss Judy
again, but her little sister was also there so I invented this game with my own
rules. They didn’t know hher ow to play hearts so it was easy to make up the
rules. I told them that if they were dealt a heart, then they had to kiss me. Judy
agreed and her little sister went along unknowingly. I shuffled the cards and dealt
them in a tricky way to give Judy most of the hearts. We were kissing like crazy.
Occasionally, I had to kiss little sister, but when I did, it was very short. When I
kissed Judy, it was very, very long kiss. We played the game for about 20
minutes.</p>
<p>That night in our backyard, which was an automobile driveway, which is in-between
our houses and the BMT subway, I again cornered Judy. I pressed her against the wall
and kissed her like I did the first night, but this time I rubbed my dick against her
cunt. Again, she said nothing. This type of cat and mouse game continued for a few
months, and without warning her family suddenly moved away. I guess that her family
wanted to live in a Jewish section. I was very disappointed that they moved and that
they didn’t tell anyone. Judy was the first girl who turned me on and made me
think of sex, and how good it was kissing and fondling a girl. However, now that I
know what boys and girls do, there are other girls on the block in which to engage,
but I will never forget Judy Weinstein.</p>
<p>My new radio is a blast. I am now listening to music very heavily. My three
sisters are dancing all the time. Every night I walk into the house my sisters and
their friends are dancing. Every time I walked by to pass them, they would grab my
arm and put me into the dance. They are dancing the Lindy like crazy. After awhile, I
started to enjoy dancing. It was fun. They guided me and I just followed. Soon
thereafter, I was getting extremely good. We had a dance contest in my school and I
entered it and surprisingly I won first prize. My neighborhood church, Saint-Simon
and Jude, began to have dances on Friday nights. It is nice. Everyone is coming
closer together, and some of the kids from my school attended. It became a big thing,
and everyone enjoyed it. New dances were popping up all the time like, The Stroll. At
the church dance, at least twenty people were lined up on each side doing the Stroll.
I developed my own style of The Stroll that caught the eye of everyone including the
girls. Most of this music and dance craze comes from Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
After months and months of dancing, I was beginning to teach my older sisters new
steps. Many girls consistently wanted to dance with me. With all the new attention I
was getting, I wanted to learn how to play the drums. I asked my parents if I could
learn the drums and they said no. They said it was too loud, and that I should find
another quieter instrument. I was very disappointed, because I would be very
interested in playing the drums. I always thought that if you had a desire for
something you would be good at it. Maybe some time in the future. I’ve been
hearing a lot about people hanging out at a neighborhood place called M&M’s
candy store and you can meet a lot of girls at the church dances.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, there are many new groups, and many new hit songs playing on the radio.
Songs, which remained in your memory forever. I didn’t realize it at the time,
but it was the birth of the new songwriters, Leiber and Stoller. Their songs are so
memorable that they are creating a musical revolution.</p>
<p>M&M’s Candy Store is located on Avenue S and McDonald Avenue in my
Brooklyn neighborhood. I met a different group of kids while dancing at the church,
and they all hung-out at M&M’s Candy Store. <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">McDonald
Avenue<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/96356/mcdonaldavenue.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> is the home of the elevated “F” train. From Coney Island to
Church Avenue in Brooklyn, the “F” train is elevated then it becomes a
subway underground.</p>
<p>M&M’s had a great sounding jukebox with all the hit 45’s I enjoyed
including, In The Still Of The Night, Little Darling by the Diamonds, and of course,
Western Movies. I made it a point to go there every night after having dinner with my
family. This was where all the boys and girls hung-out that I met at the church
dance. M&M’s became so crowded that it attracted the cops who passed
repeatedly. After a few months of all these kids hanging out at M&M’s, it
started to become a click-gang mentality. Since M&M’s was the place to be,
it also would attract many outsiders from different neighborhoods. Probably, because
of the many girls who frequent the place.</p>
<p>One of the people that started to hang out with us was Freddie Fry. He was a big
fat guy about 300 pounds. He was not from our neighborhood. He was from Eighth
Avenue. He was trying to break into our crowd and was bragging about many bullshit
things to the girls that hung out with us. After awhile, the girls began complaining
to us about his excessive bullshit. He was very aggressive and refused to leave the
girls alone. So one night, some of the guys went for a walk with him and gave him a
mild beating. Freddie Fry then spread around rumors that he was connected with other
gangs, and that he was going to come to M&M’s for retaliation. He
threatened to come down with three or four gangs to kick the Asses out of all the
guys hanging out at M&M’s. The word got out that Freddie Fry was coming
with the gangs, and everyone from miles around showed up at M&M’s to lend
support. Freddie Fry never showed up, but the cops did. I knew there was going to be
trouble so I took my time eating dinner. I didn’t know what was going to
happen, but I knew it was going to be big. When I arrived close to M&M’s,
about a half a block away, I noticed about ten police cars and everyone at
M&M’s was lined up against the wall. I decided to avoid this by returning
back home. The next day, the police closed down M&M’s Candy Store.</p>
<p>My Cousin Joey‘s family moved into the basement apartment in my
uncle’s house across the street. There was this big garage located behind the
house. We had nothing to do after school so we used the garage to hangout in. We
engaged in some crazy activity, which was mostly instigated by my Cousin Joey. For
instance, we would give each other strangle holds we learned from watching Wrestling
on T.V. until we almost passed out. However, most of the time, we listened and sang
to the music on the radio. Leiber and Stoller are still pumping-out the hits. My
Cousin Joey found this old acoustic guitar. He brought the guitar into the garage and
began strumming on it not knowing any cords. With his body movements and
improvisation it was amazing, but he sounded great. I was so impressed that it
inspired me. I picked up the guitar and I began mimicking as he did. Joey had a knack
of strumming. We would all listen to him strum for hours about nothing. He would be
singing out the hit songs while never knowing a single chord. Again, it inspired me
so much that I wanted a guitar also.</p>
<p>Every time that I was riding home with my family in the car, and we passed Ave T
on West 8th Street, I noticed what appeared to be a possible recording studio. It is
a side-street storefront. I decided that I was going to check-it-out. I went over to
the storefront one afternoon and walked in. Sure enough, it is a recording studio. As
I entered into a dark studio room there were two men listening to music in the
console room, which is located in the rear of the storefront. I stood there silently.
The two men had not noticed me. Finally, one of the men asked me to come to the
console room. I entered the room and they asked me to listen to the music and tell
them which song I liked. I automatically felt very comfortable and sat down on a
chair to listen. They played about four songs on tape. Then they asked me for my
opinion. I told them that I liked the song, Finger Poppin Time. They agreed with me
and began to introduce themselves. One guy introduced himself as a record executive
and the other guy, who looked like Elmer Fudd from the Bugs Bunny cartoon, introduced
himself as the owner of the studio, Mario Rossi. They are both very nice people. I
told Mario that it is very strange having a recording studio in this neighborhood.
Mario told me that he lived around the corner and that this is his hobby. I became
very impressed. I hung out with them for a while and told them about my interest in
music. They both said that I had a good ear for music. Mario told me that I was
welcome anytime here. I thanked them both and returned home very impressed with that
experience. A few months later, the song, Finger Poppin Time became a hit.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/886738/drinkmilk.jpg"
alt="Chazz Drinking Milk" class="entryphoto2" />My birthday would be arriving soon so
I began working on my family to get me a guitar for my birthday. I assured them
everyday that a guitar was all I wanted. There was not a day that went by where I did
not mention it to them. Finally my birthday had arrived and I was so excited that I
was waiting for my entire family to individually arrive home. My father worked, my
mother worked, my sisters and brother went to school, and I was home at 3pm. It was
now 7pm on my birthday. We were all at the dinner table, and no one mentioned
anything about my birthday. I was waiting for someone to say something like,
“Oh, today it’s Junior's birthday,” but know mentioned a word about
it. They were eating dinner as if there was nothing special about the day. So finally
I said, “Today is my birthday!” My sister Jeanette said “O’
yeah. That’s right. We forgot all about it.” My sister looked at my
mother and said, “Today is October 1st?” I became so pissed that I jumped
from the dinner table and stormed out of the house. I ran across the street where my
Cousin Joey was hanging out and Joey asked if they got me the guitar. I said,
“No, they didn’t even remember my birthday.” I started crying a
little. Then I heard my name being called out, Junior ...Junior... I looked across
the street at the front door of my house and an arm exited out with a beautiful
Stella guitar attached to it. I freaked. My family had me going way beyond the line.
It was not funny. However, I was so happy that I ran across the street grabbed it and
ran back to my Cousin and began to strum away. I could not strum like my Cousin, but
I tried very hard. My Cousin, by this time had learned a few chords and proceeded to
show me some chords. He especially showed me how to play the song Finger Popping
Time.</p>
<p>The next day, my Cousin Joey and I were jamming together, somewhat. We both did
not know how to play much, but we tried very hard. We were trying to play the song,
“Finger Popping Time.” With our great enthusiasm, it was beginning to
sound pretty good together. Anyway, we were having a great time. Mikie, who lives
across the street, began hanging out with us. Then a couple of days later something
would happen that would change our lives forever. My Cousin Joey’s Cousin
Jackie showed up at the garage with an electric guitar and amp. He came into the
garage and opened the guitar case. As soon as he opened the case, I stared, and my
eyes lit up as if I seen an Angel. The guitar looked like some instrument from outer
space. Cousin Joey introduced Jackie to Mickie and I saying, “Guys, I want you
to meet my Cousin Jackie.” Jackie pulled out his Gretsch guitar, plugged it in
to the portable Fender amp, and began to play. We were all in ore. I have never heard
such a sound. Jackie was playing, “Walk Don’t Run,” by <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Ventures<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/532683/ventures.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
perfectly. He used the tremolo arm on the guitar, although I did not know at the time
what a tremolo arm was. It was a tiny, long metal bar that stuck-out from the guitar
bridge. When he pulled up or pushed down on it, it would make the strings bend with a
twang. As we watched Jackie play songs of The Ventures, (which were very difficult
indeed) we were all wishing that we could play just like that, as well as having a
guitar like his. Then nicely, Jackie allowed each of us to try holding the guitar,
and it was amazing. It made our acoustic guitars seem like toys. Then Jackie
patiently showed us how to play, “Walk Don’t Run,” and how to use
the tremolo arm. Wow! Then Jackie began teaching us how to play the chords to,
“Walk Don’t Run” so that we may someday accompany him while Jackie
played the lead part. My Cousin Joey and I practiced for weeks together. Finally,
Jackie returned to the garage, and we had a great jam. Now I had to work on my
parents for my next birthday to get me an electric guitar and an amp. Jackie
appearance into the garage with his Gretsch Guitar and amp inspired me into the world
of music.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ?</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102787327893302006-04-26T21:52:00.001-04:002006-12-23T00:55:46.000-05:00Chapter 4 - Chuck and Mike to the office<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/985965/catskills2.jpg"
alt="Catskills Mountain Resort" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 4 - Chuck and Mike to the office</h2>
<p><b>Goodbye to the bullies<br />
My first guitar<br />
John Dean</b></p>
<div id="menu">
<p>Mikie's father knew some people who owned a resort upstate New York. He asked me
if I wanted to work with Mikie at the resort for the summer. I wanted to get out of
New York so I gladly accepted. Mikie and I arrived at this beautiful resort only to
find out that we were going to work as dishwashers. We were introduced to a guy who
hardly spoke any English. I don't know what country he was from, but we had great
difficulty communicating with this guy. He is the man in charge of the dishwashing
section who will be directing us in the kitchen. Then we learned that they didn't
have an automatic dishwasher so we had to wash all the dishes by hand. Mikie and I
freaked and we were wondering how we were going to wash hundreds of dishes by hand.
However, this guy showed us the trick in washing the dishes at a fast pace. We
quickly caught on, but there were lots of dishes. In fact, there were thousands of
them to wash everyday. This guy had a lot of trouble describing things to us, because
of his foreign language and very little broken English. He would say to us, "Do
Dish," but what he really meant is, "Do this!" This led us into great confusion for a
while until we realized what he had really meant. He would want us to wash a coffee
pot and he would point to it briefly and say, "Do dish!" So, Mikie and I would do the
dishes. The guy would see us doing the dishes and not cleaning the coffee pot and he
would yell at us, "Don't do dish, do dish." Meaning do not do the dishes…do
the coffee pot? That is all the English that this guy knew. It is very difficult
working and understanding him.</p>
<p>After the first week, Mikie and I became very tired of doing the dishes. Actually,
after the first few days of working we were exhausted. The kitchen also did not feed
us very well. They gave us only the inexpensive leftover kitchen food to eat. After a
few days of eating the measly meals they gave us, Mikie and I began to take remains
from a dinner's plate, usually Filet Mignon and other steaks, and we would store them
in a private hidden bag in the kitchen for later consumption. We quickly became good
friends with the waiters who also weren't being fed properly and they were taking
remains from plates also. The waiters had a scam going. When a customer orders steak
or Filet Mignon they would continuously fill their table with lots of fresh bread and
butter and serve them many other appetizers not normally served and postpone their
main course for as long as possible. By the time the vacationer were served their
steaks, the costumers could only eat half of it and thus the waiters, Mikie and I
would confiscate the leftovers. This led to many remains on their plate for us to all
take and later consume.</p>
<p>During our second weekend, <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Ink spots<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/401483/inkspots.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
were performing at the resort, and I introduced my self to them while they were
rehearsing. I already knew and loved their songs and we quickly became good friends.
In fact, they took a great liking to me. Their guitarist showed me how to play the
lead intro line from one of their famous songs called, If I Didn't Care. I would hang
out with the Ink spots as much as I could each day, especially when they rehearsed.
They liked me so much that they let me sing the lead vocal part during their
rehearsals and they would back me up with vocals. It was amazing and I loved the
song, If I Didn't Care. They are such a great bunch of guys.</p>
<p>During one of their rehearsals that I was watching, and I always watched them, a
man appeared who was to perform a juggling act for the show. He also liked me a lot
and I watched him practice and he was excellent at Juggling. He decided to teach me
how to do a little juggling. He asked me to stand on the stage and hold my hand up
and as he juggled three bowling pins, he would tumble a pin right at my hand and I
caught it. My catching the pin stunned him and he showed me how to tumble it back to
him. I was so good that he asked me to perform in his show. We practiced a lot and he
taught me how to catch many things and throw them back. He used pins, hoops, and of
course, tennis balls. During the Saturday night show, he invited me up to the stage
in front of a large audience. We would do the skit that we had learned together. I
was excellent as a receiver in whatever he threw me, and the audience gave me a
yelling standing ovation. It is my first experience of being on stage with a live
audience and I remained very Kool. I knew then, that the stage is where I eventually
want to be. I felt very comfortable with The Ink spots and the juggler. The Ink Spots
were my turn-on into the music life. They were, and the experiences with them, were
the height of this terrible job that we had washing dishes.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">dishes were getting out
of hand<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/366123/dishes.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. The resort had hundreds of people having breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The dishes seemed endless. In the morning, by the time we finished cleaning the
breakfast dishes it was about 11:00 - 11:30AM. Then we had a couple of hours off and
then we had to clean the lunch dishes which lasted to 4:00 - 4:30PM. Again we had a
couple of hours off and began cleaning the dinner dishes which lasted to about
10:00PM. Everyday was like that. Not only that, but lunch is a buffet. There are no
waiters. They wanted Mikie and me to bus the tables after lunch in addition to us
washing the hundreds of dishes. Mikie and I decided to hide and disappear after
breakfast to avoid the lunch clean up. As soon as we finished washing the breakfast
dishes, Mikie and I would disappear up until 3:00pm. Way after lunch had been
finished. This way we would sly away from busing the tables and the washing. They
would constantly page us over their mike system, "Chuck and Mike to the office! Chuck
and Mike to the office!" They paged us so much that many people eventually wanted to
meet us, because we sort of became famous. When they paged us the speakers were
everywhere on the grounds of the resort. Eventually, everyone wanted to know who
Chuck and Mike were. I can over hear customers saying, and no one knew us, "I wonder
who Chuck and Mike are?"</p>
<p>During our third week, Mikie and I could no longer take it. We freaked out, and we
lost our minds! The dishes, schedule, and the robbing and eating leftovers completely
overwhelmed us. The resort eventually had to stop paging us and instead sent spies
out to locate us and our hiding spots. They would send people out to search for us,
because they didn't want our names on the paging system any more. It was funny,
because we were becoming very famous, but they would find us, and we were forced to
return to work. Then one day shortly thereafter, we had to bus and clean all the
dishes after this special gathering lunch buffet, and there were 800 people in this
special group who had just finished eating the afternoon brunch. When Mikie and I
walked into the big room and looked at all the tables, we asked each other, "Where
are we going to start?" I room was tremendous. We began by stacking all the dishes on
top of one another after dusting the remains off in a pale on two very large tables.
When we made a tremendous high pile, and they were very high stacks of dirty dishes,
we stood back to take a look at the piles of dishes and said to each other that we
must now clean all those dishes. Mikie and I lost our minds. We thought about Coney
Island and how we would throw the balls to break the dish for a prize. Then Mikie and
I both said that we were not going to wash those dishes. We grabbed beer bottles and
began throwing them at the dishes to knock them off the table. We destroyed a
thousand dishes. When everyone outside the room heard the dishes crashing, we quickly
ran to the table and kicked the legs of the table and we told them that the weight of
the dishes collapsed the table and it gave way. They of course didn't believe us and
quickly called Mikie's father in Brooklyn to take us back home. It would take a few
days for Mikie's father to arrive. In the meantime, Mikie and I lived like kings. We
had our room and didn't have to work or look at dishes ever again. No one bothered us
anymore, because they thought we were crazy. We are!</p>
<p>Mikie and I returned to Brooklyn gladly. The job upstate was a work person's
nightmare. We had no idea whatsoever that we would be working continuously almost the
entire day, everyday. I never have seen so many dishes in my life. When we returned
home to Brooklyn, it was a welcome relief. What we had thought would be a wonderful
working vacation in a quiet resort in the New York Catskills Mountains, surrounded by
available teenage daughters of vacationers, turned out to be just the opposite. Yes,
there were young girls floating around away from their parents looking for something
to get into, but we were continuously working so much we had no time at all to mingle
with anyone.</p>
<br />
<br />
<p>Now back in Brooklyn, Mikie began hanging out with a good musician guitarist named
Jackie Dina. He seemed very nice when I met him and developed a casual friendship
with him, but it turned out that Jackie was not such a nice person after all. I
learned quickly that he had a bully attitude. Jackie lived on the same block of 7th
Street, only a few avenues away between Avenue T and Avenue S. After a while, he
stopped coming to Joey's garage to jam with us, but now that I know him, and he knew
me, our friendship would slowly turn into a nightmare. I used to run into him
sometimes after school during my walk home, and he used to say some arrogant and
threatening gestures toward me for no apparent reason. I couldn't figure-out why he
would suddenly do this without any reason. I guess he wanted to show the other kids
that he was tough and I was an easy target. He would call out to me and when I
answered him back nicely, he would run up to me, grab me, throw me up against the
wall or a parked car and slap me softly in the face. Then he would laugh and walk
away. He enjoyed acting like a big shot. Therefore, every time I walked home from
school, I had to look ahead to try to avoid him. This problem led me to also avoid
Mikie, because they became friends with each other.</p>
<p>I also had eventually learned that my Cousin Joey is also a bully. This I did not
realize for many, many, years. Joey pretended to protect me, but as I got older, I
had learned that he was the instigator responsible for getting many kids in the
neighborhood to pick fights with me. He was Mr. nice guy in appearance, but caused
all the trouble without me ever thinking he was the cause of it all. The biggest
bully on my block is Rudy. Rudy lived at the end of my block and he would try to pick
on me all the time. It got even worse when my Cousin Joey moved onto my block. I
wondered why? I managed to keep Rudy under control for many years, because I was a
good friend with Brother Bill. Rudy, as well as everyone was afraid of Brother Bill.
But now that Brother Bill had moved away, I had to deal with a whole new crew of
bullies. They are the only friends and so I had no choice, but try to deal with it. I
always hoped that my Cousin Joey would be my next Brother Bill, and protect me from
Rudy and Jackie. It appeared that he did protect me, but I could not understand why I
got picked on more often now that my Cousin Joey has moved on the block. I didn't
know it at the time, but I would eventually learn about it and put the pieces of the
puzzle of these happening together, that my Cousin Joey used to tell Rudy and Jackie
to pick on me in his presence so Joey could step in and protect me to win my
confidence. He would tell people to pick on me, watch for a few moments, and then
Joey would step in and say, "Leave him alone." I fell for it line and sinker, but
eventually I realized it all, but I needed to find a way out of this mess to find
someone new to hangout with. I needed to be away from all these bullies if I am going
to gain some peace and tranquility in my life. These guys all live on my block. How
am I supposed to avoid them?</p>
<p>The middle of the summer is approaching, and my Cousin Joey wanted me to go half
with him on a purchase of a locker at <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Steeplechase Park
Pool<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/26150/steeplepool.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> in Coney Island. My Cousin still had my some of my confidence so I talked to
my parents and my father thought it was a good idea. I didn't know it at the time, my
Cousin didn't tell me, but Rudy would also obtain a locker at Steeplechase pool. I
would eventually learn that my Cousin wanted to be with Rudy and couldn't afford a
locker by himself. Thus, my Cousin Joey asked me to go half with him on the locker.
Steeplechase Pool is a wonderful place to be in the summer. It is a lot of fun
swimming, diving, girls and just being in Coney Island. It was the best pool in all
New York. You could walk out on the Coney Island beach and return back to the pool at
anytime, and the girls were plentiful. The first few weeks at Steeplechase Park were
great. Cousin Joey and I walked along the beach with our guitars, and when we saw
some nice girls we would sit on their blankets and begin jamming. The girls were very
impressed and often treated us to some good food. After a couple of weeks, Rudy
unexpectedly appeared into the picture. We ran into him on the beach. That was the
time I learned that Rudy had also obtained a locker at Steeplechase pool. From then
on, my Cousin Joey began hanging out with Rudy all day long at the beach both
disappearing away from me. I am now all by myself and alone. Everyday I would go
there on the train with my Cousin and he would meet up with Rudy and they both would
disappear away from me quickly. After that, they were nowhere to be found for the
entire day. They never hung out at the pool. I would also learn that Rudy and Joey
needed to find a way to get rid of me completely. Shortly thereafter, I returned from
the pool to my locker to obtain my lunch which my mother prepared for me in a paper
bag only to find that the bag my lunch was in had been burned to a crisp, and the
sandwiches were ruined. Someone apparently had set it on fire and placed it back into
the locker. Since my Cousin Joey was the only one who had a key, I confronted him. He
blamed it all on Rudy. Our parents gave us limited money so I had to go without
eating all day. he next day, the same thing happened again, and again Joey blamed
Rudy. Crying in frustration and hunger, I asked my Cousin why he let Rudy into our
locker. He replied that he was with Rudy, and when he opened the locker, Rudy would
set fire to your lunch. I told my Cousin not to let Rudy near the locker. Again, I
had to go without eating for the entire day. The next day it happened again. This
time I got pissed and confronted Rudy directly. Rudy denied it all and told me my
Cousin was doing it. Then I confronted my Cousin and he said Rudy was lying. This
wonderful locker at Steeplechase Park pool has turned into a nightmare.</p>
<p>During the first few weeks at Steeplechase pool, my Cousin and I would bump into
Savario and his mother who were soaking the sun on a blanket at Bay 14 next to
Steeplechase Park. Savario's family you may recall had the first house located on my
block (street). They were the family I described that had this crazy servant/slave
Mary. I never really knew Savario very well. He never hung out with us on the block
or ever participated with anybody. I remembered saying hello to his mother every
morning when I walked to school. Savario also had an interest in guitars and music.
When we had bumped into him on the beach, he saw me carrying my guitar and would say
to me, "That's a nice Stella guitar you have." We started to talk guitars and music
briefly, and then my Cousin Joey and I continued on our way. Savario's mother was
warm and welcoming and Savario seem to be a very nice guy.</p>
<p>Being disgusted now with Joey, Rudy, and the entire situation, I strolled alone
along the beach to where Savario and his mother were parked. I told them what was
happening with Rudy and Joey and I asked them if they would mind if I went with them
and stayed with them at the beach everyday. I told them that I had no one to be with
at the beach. Savario and his mother welcomed me dearly. Savario's mother told me
that the come everyday to the beach rain or shine and they take their car. She said
you are most welcome with us and we will take care of you. From now on, I'm going to
kiss those idiots goodbye. Savario and his mother each had a locker at Schrott's
Baths, which was located at the end of Stillwell Avenue where it meets with the
boardwalk. Savario took me into Schrott's Baths and showed me around the place.
Schrott's doesn't have a pool. It's just a place to have a locker and clean up and
they had great steam rooms. Nice and Hot! Savario shared his locker to me and
everything was set anew. I withdrew my belongings from Steeplechase and put it all
into Savario's locker. I will now go to the beach everyday with Savario's family in
peace. After that, Savario and I quickly became good friends, and I was beginning to
be a regular on the beach and boardwalk. Savario's family knew everyone at Coney
Island. They were regulars.</p>
<p>One night hanging out at Savario's house, Savario took me into his bedroom and
showed me his beautiful electric guitar. We played around on it for a bit. The entire
family was so wonderful. Again, the next day, I went with them to Bay 14 at Coney
Island. It appears that he and his mother were Bay 14 bums. That is, they attended
Bay 14 every day rain or shine, and knew everybody on the beach and the boardwalk.
This turned out to be one of the happiest times of my life. I felt so relieved from
Rudy and Joey, and best of all I could hang out with Savario all the time at his big
house after the beach day ended and continuing in the winter. I would not have to
deal with Rudy and Joey ever again. I met many wonderful people through Savario's
family hanging out at Bay 14. My summer turned out to be the best summer I had ever
had, thanks to them. I also felt like one of the family, and this continued for many
years. Savario and his family became a very important step to my future in my
life.</p>
<p>My Cousin Joey was still was not completely out of the picture, because he lived
across the street from my house and he was a part of my family. My family hung out
with his family all the time. My father participated in Pinnacle games with Joey's
father, my Uncle Joe, so it was unavoidable, but at least I could walk away any time
to go hang out with Savario and his family.</p>
<p>In the fall months as school began, my Cousin Joey's father had just bought his
son a new <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Gibson
Stereo electric guitar and a Fender amp<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/352204/gibsonstereo.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. When Joey first opened the case to show
me the guitar, my eyes stared and gleaned. It was an expensive beautiful guitar. The
guitar itself was about $400.00, but he also got a Fender amp. The amp was maybe,
$250.00? All I know was that I wanted one too. My birthday was coming near so I
pressured my family into buying me an electric guitar too. I talked about it over and
over to them as I did the birthday last year to get the Stella guitar. I had heard
from Savario that there was a great store to buy guitars, Sam Ash on Utica Avenue in
downtown Brooklyn. So the next day, Savario took me to see Sam Ash. When we entered
the store, I could not believe my eyes. I had never seen so many beautiful guitars in
all of my life. Every company, every color, and best of all, they had a private room
where they would be happy to plug in any guitar you wanted to try-out. Savario then
pointed to a <a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Fender
Stratocaster<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/861345/strat.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> that was sitting in the top showcase located about 15 feet off the
ground. I did not notice it when we walked in until he pointed at it. As soon as my
eyes connected with it, I fell in love, as though it was the sexiest and most
beautiful woman I have ever seen. I asked the sales clerk if I could try that Fender
Strat out, and the sales clerk immediately said, "Why sure!" Savario and I went into
this little room and the sales clerk brought in the Strat and set it up to the amp.
The sound was ready and he handed the guitar to me. I started playing and Savario had
a big grin on his face. Then Savario said to me that if I put the three-way switch in
between the notches of the point connections that I could get the sound that the
Strat was famous for. I did not know what he was talking about so Savario positioned
the switch in between the normal connections, and wow. The sound was incredible. We
played the Strat for about an hour, and the sales clerk finally told us that we were
taking up too much time. Savario and I were convinced that this was the guitar to
buy. It was very expensive, $225.00 without the case or the amp.</p>
<p>The next day, I began talking to my mother about the guitar at Sam Ash. My mother
did not want to hear it. She told me that I should finish school and apply for a job
in a bank. She told me that this guitar stuff was getting too much out of hand. I had
no other choice, but to go plead with my father. My father is easier to talk with,
and is very giving most the time. He never avoided a conversation, and if you ever
felt like doing something, he was always encouraging. I talked with him about it and
he said that he would eventually speak with my mother who was the boss. My birthday
had arrived and with the help of my father, my mother took me to Sam Ash to only to
look. We arrived and went through the whole process of plugging the guitar in and
playing it in the little room. My mother asked the sales clerk how much it would cost
with the little Fender amp. The sales clerk came back with the figures and said,
"With the case and amp it would come to $365.00, complete." I looked at my mother and
my mother looked at me in disgust and said, "OK, I hope you're happy?" My dream had
just come true.</p>
<p>That evening, I went to Savario's house to show him the Strat. Savario took out
his camera and he took <a id="menu6"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">pictures of me with
the guitar<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/656441/teengtr1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Savario and I spent the rest of the evening jamming and taking
photos. I plugged his guitar into my amp that had two input jacks, and we strummed
together all night long in his bedroom.</p>
<p>Now my Cousin Joey and I both had a guitar and amp. Meanwhile, Mikie had seen all
this and he proceeded to buy a set of <a id="menu7"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Gretsch
drums<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/885430/gretschdrums.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Now everyone had an instrument except Rudy who began to slowly shy away.
Mikie began setting up jam sessions in his basement, because that was where he kept
the drums, but Mikie was not very good. He had a big timing problem and Joey and I
purposely ignored it, but as Mikie struggled to play on time, he knew something was
wrong when we all look at him every time he went off beat and it was many times that
he went off beat. In any case, it was nice to play with drums. I still did not like
being with Cousin Joey too much although even though we both now had instruments. I
was still mostly hanging out with Savario. Joey eventually met some other musician
friends and they formed a band. Mikie still was hanging out with the bully Jackie.
Jackie was a great funky guitarist and also played the drums. Jackie's father was a
former great drummer. Even though we all had musical instruments now, I continued to
stay away from Mikie and Joey and continued to remain with Savario.</p>
<p>A year had past and after another summer of hanging out on Bay 14 with Savario and
his family, I finally entered Lafayette High School. I was a sophomore. Cousin Joey
was a junior and Rudy was a senior. I did not know it, but my Cousin Joey was singing
A Cappella with a couple of schoolmates. Joey, knowing I was about to enter Lafayette
told me about the singing group and asked me to meet him during the forth period.
When I received my school schedule, my forth period was occupied with an English
class. I told my Cousin Joey, who's forth period was lunch that I had a class at this
time period and he suggested that I cut it. I was very curious about this singing
group; I did not even attend the English class on the first day. I needed to check
this group out. I met my Cousin at the hot dog cart outside the school and he
introduced me to these two guys, Ritchie and Anthony. Ritchie was a trumpet player in
school and Anthony just liked to sing. After exchanging greetings, we all went to the
third floor hallway in the rear of the school by the gymnasium. Joey, Ritchie, and
Anthony began singing and they sounded good. They had been working on their
three-part harmonies for about a year. What they needed was a lead singer. I did not
have a good lead singing voice, but I could sing with a great deal of soul and
enthusiasm. I told the guys to sing something easy like, "In the Still of the Night."
They began singing the three-part harmony, and when my lead vocal entered the
arrangement, it sounded fantastic. I was singing very seriously, and Joey, Ritchie,
and Anthony were all smiles while singing. I sang a mean lead. It was hard for them
to keep a straight face, because it sounded so good with a lead singer. We all sang
together for the entire one-hour period. I was very happy and honored to sing the
lead part, and with the acoustics of the hallway, it sounded very big.</p>
<p>The next day, we did it again. The following day, we changed locations and moved
to the front hallway of the school. A crowd started gathering and even the teachers
were amazed to watch us. The Dean came by and asked us reluctantly to move somewhere
else, because we were keeping postponing the students from attending their class on
time. No matter where in school we sang, there was always one guy who hung out with
us constantly, and his name is John Dean.</p>
<p>John Dean was a Lafayette drop out. He was 19 years old and did not want to leave
the school. He would purposely fail his subjects so he would not graduate. As long as
he was in school, he was happy. John Dean also was a school clown. He was always
fooling around. Everybody knew of him and he was famous in Lafayette. He had a
similar resemblance to the actor James Dean, but this John Dean was famous for his
fake epileptic fit. I encountered John Dean before I actually met him on my first day
at school. After I had sung with the guys, and they returned to class, I had a lunch
period and thus went to the hot dog cart across the road to have a dog. John Dean was
behind me and he asked for one with mustard and onions. The man gave it to him, he
paid the man, and all of a sudden after his first bite, the hot dog went shooting
straight up in the air. The hot-dog vender freaked. John Dean went falling to the
floor and started kicking and jerking. He was making a short squealing sound like one
I had never heard before.... Weeeek.... Weeeek...Weeeek! I became so frighten, I did
not know what to do? This person came running over and yelled, "Leave him alone....
Do not touch him ...he is having an epileptic fit. The fit lasted for about five
minutes and then this person helped him stand up and he acted as normal. He picked up
his hot dog of the floor and he and this other guy who helped him just walked away as
if nothing had ever happened. After school, I told the story to my Cousin and he
started laughing saying, "That's John Dean. The fit is not real. He just does it as a
goof." He continues to say that the guy who ran over when John Dean had the fit is
his partner Ritchie. "Wow!" I told my Cousin, "I thought it was real." My Cousin just
laughed and said that I would be seeing a lot of John Dean. Sure enough, I had John
Dean in my wood-shop class on Tuesday and Thursday.</p>
<p>My wood-shop class was very interesting. For one, my teacher had this beautiful
sexy female student as a so-called secretary of some sort and she was stunning and
sat at his desk quietly all day. I do not know what the girl did, but in a class of
all males, she stood out strongly. All she did was sit next to the teacher. The
teacher did absolutely no teaching in the class. All he did was talk to the sexy
female student. We had two one-hour periods of wood-shop. After the first hour we
would take a fifteen minute break. The teacher made everyone leave the class, locked
the room, leave somewhere with the female student, and returned in fifteen minutes to
re-open the class. A few days later, I saw John Dean with this one-foot long 4X4
block of wood attached to his assigned lathe. Curious, I went over to John and asked
him what he was working on. John replied, "Just wait you'll see." I was working on
building my project, but I was still curious what John was working on. After about 50
minutes, John had this one-foot long 4X4 block of wood to the size of a fat
toothpick. I said, "John, what are you doing?" John replied, "Just watch." The bell
rang for the end of the first period and we went through the usual process I
described above. We all exited the classroom; the teacher locked the door, and left
with his secretary. John Dean took the fat toothpick he was working on and shoved it
into the door keyhole. Fifteen minutes later the teacher returned with his secretary
and tried to put the key into the lock, but it wouldn't work. The teacher tried
repeatedly while John Dean was smirking in the corner. I was trying desperately to
hold a straight face. The teacher turned to all of us and said, "I can't open the
door so you kids should go out to the school yard and play for the remainder of the
second period". All the students of the class were joyous for John Dean who had
already borrowed a bat and ball from the Gym to play softball in the schoolyard.
Apparently, John knew what the next move was going to be just like a great chess
player. John Dean. What a trip!</p>
<p>A few weeks later, I was in my Science class and we all were having a test. It was
about 10:30am, and all was peaceful and quiet. Everyone was concentrating on his or
her test papers. All of a sudden, we all heard this big scream coming from the
schoolyard. Then I heard that familiar sound, Weeeek.... Weeeek.... Weeeek! I knew
it. We all jumped up, including the teacher and we all looked out the window, and
there was John Dean lying on the concrete in the middle of the baron schoolyard,
performing a faked epileptic fit. He disrupted the entire school for about ten
minutes and everyone was laughing as they watched him.</p>
<p>A few weeks after that, I was heading to my next class one afternoon after
returning from lunch, when I saw all this commotion in the hallway. From what I could
tell, it looked like a brawl. I heard voices yelling and screaming at one another
calling each other names. Whom ever was fighting there was a big crowd that gathered
around it. Then I saw the school Deans fearlessly running down the hall to break up
the fight. I also ran behind the Dean to observe what was happening. The Dean broke
through the crowd, and there was John Dean and his partner Ritchie playing patty
cake. I busted out laughing. The Deans were totally pissed and shocked.</p>
<p>It was now the end of the school year, and again John Dean purposely was short
credits for graduating. The Dean had called his parents to school and advised his
parents that if John does not graduate next semester they had no other choice, but to
expel him completely. His parents assured the Dean that John would graduate Lafayette
by the following January. We will wait and see.</p>
<p>My Cousin Joey was promoted to a senior and quickly joined a band that I had heard
was very good, and that they were about to make a record. Rudy graduated and
immediately got involved with his older brother in a jewelry repair business, and
that was great for me, because I would now almost never see this bully again. Our
school singing group had dissipated for the summer. Anthony had graduated, but
Ritchie was interested in forming a group with me during the summer months. He knew
of another guitar player and drummer who would be interested in forming a new group
and I told him that I would be in contact with him, but I was looking forward to
having another great summer at the Bay 14 beach with Savario and his family
again.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102738964000402006-04-26T21:52:00.000-04:002006-12-23T00:48:11.486-05:00Chapter 5 - The Church<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/749371/church.jpg"
alt="The Church" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 5 - The Church</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>The church, Our Lady of Grace, was holding a dance in July, and they were looking
for a band to play a few songs at the dance. I called Ritchie the trumpet player and
asked him if he still had access to the other guitarist and drummer. He said he had
the drummer but not the guitarist. I told him no problem, because I wanted Savario to
play with us anyway. We then arranged to hold practice in Ritchie´s basement.
We all got together to rehearse a few days later one evening at Ritchie´s
house. We were going to learn some of the Ventures tunes like Walk Don´t Run,
Perfidia, and a Santo & Johnny tune, Sleepwalk. I was very excited to play for an
audience for the first time. I had great enthusiasm in seeing this performance get
off to a great start. We practiced and practiced. Savario was a good player and
performer. He moved about during performance as if he was Elvis. He inspired me to
move all with the music. Since the songs we were playing were all instrumentals, I
decided to sing a vocal, LaBamba.</p>
<p>The evening had arrived and Ritchie´s father took all the instruments and us
to the church. We met the pastor and set up the instruments. The crowd started
pilling in, but we could not see them because we were busy setting up on stage behind
the curtain. About 40 minutes later the pastor asked us if we were ready, and we
plugged in our instruments and proceeded to tune-up. We were ready. The pastor
introduced us as the Boys from Lafayette High School. As the pumped-up crowd began
their applause, the curtain opened. I saw the crowd and all the people looking at me
and I went into shock and froze. The other guys were looking at me to start the
count-off, and I had to try to gain my composure. Then Bobby the drummer started the
intro to Walk Don´t Run under Savario´s suggestion, and we began to
finally play. We all kicked into the groove and I now returned back to normal. I was
playing the lead part therefore; I had to force my mind into concentration. Once I
was concentrating in what I was playing, the crowd no longer mattered. After the song
ended, we received a good applause that made me and the guys feel much more
comfortable. Then Ritchie took the solo on Perfidia and the crowd enjoyed it. We then
slowed the pace down with Sleepwalk, so everyone would cuddle close with one another.
It was beautiful to watch from on stage all the kids dancing close with one another.
Then as the slow song ended, I sang the up tempo song LaBamba. The crowd became
surprised and went nuts over my vocal of LaBamba. After we finished LaBamba, we
received a fantastic applause as the stage curtain closed. The Pastor congratulated
us and invited us back again. What a night!</p>
<p>Savario´s father knew some people at a <a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">VFW<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/190626/vfw.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> post on 86th
Street who would not mind paying two guitarists playing live music on Friday and
Saturday nights. They did not want a drummer because then they would have to obtain a
Cabaret License. Savario and I were very interested. We thought that it would be a
great place to practice and get paid at the same time. The people at the VFW were an
older crowd so we had to learn some older music that they would enjoy. We went to the
music store to shop for some sheet music. There was so much music to obtain that we
did not have enough money to buy it all. Savario´s father came across a Fake
Book, which was a black market book of all the old standards. Hundreds of songs in
one book for $10.00! We bought the book and started learning all the songs. Misty,
Beer Barrel Polka, Peg of my Heart, The Breeze and I, Talk of the Town, Sentimental
Journey, etc.</p>
<p>It did not take us long to get it together and we opened at the VFW post two weeks
later. The people really enjoyed us and they told us that we could play their every
weekend. It was a very mellow job. We could play as long as we liked.... We could
take a break as long as we like ... the people just enjoyed having us around. We even
threw in a few Italian songs we had learned from our fathers. Savario and I received
$10.00 each for an evening. I immediately told my mother that I had a paying gig at
the VFW post, and she said, Why are you wasting your life with that guitar? I got
very pissed off and stormed out of the house.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102670124374152006-04-26T21:50:00.000-04:002006-12-23T00:59:38.756-05:00Chapter 6 - The Family<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/989084/family.jpg" alt="The Family"
class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 6 - The Family</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>My family was certainly very strange or maybe it's just typical that famlies are
strange. My mother is an Army sergeant / drill instructor type. My father was a
tranquil wonderful person whom the whole family loved. My oldest sister Rosetta was a
very nice person except she used to bust my balls continuously. My next to oldest
sister Marie was the cream of the crop. She is one of the most beautiful people I
have ever known or met even though she's my sister. My youngest sister, who was about
6 years older than me, was a rat, but she was also very funny too. She would
definitely stab you in the back, and then play dumb. Despite this personality, she
was a clown and fun to watch most of the time. She has the making of a lesbian/dike,
and until this day, I would not know for sure, but I would not be surprised if she
is.</p>
<p>Growing up under this family was very difficult and stressful. To begin with, they
had no respect for my personal belongings, and they always picked on me. I guess that
is typical of being the youngest, but not every where. I was a loner, but not by
choice. My brother and sisters were so much older than I that we were in different
generations. My birth was an accident, or so I was told. My mother did not want
another child, but she became pregnant, and they finally decided to have me. So much
for pro life! I would have preferred not being born actually. If I had to separate
members of the family by demeanor, I would have to say that my Brother Tom and Sister
Jeannette were like my mother. My sister Marie and I are like my father and my sister
Rosetta somewhere in the middle or a life of her own.</p>
<p>My mother hated with a passion anything about playing a guitar or being a
musician. I still do not know why she bought the instruments for me if she was so
against it.... I believe maybe my father had something to do with that decision. She
only knew one thing, and that was the way she lived her life, to achieve something,
you must work very hard. She knew nothing more than that. I personally agree with
that theory, but what did she really mean? She meant that you get a job working for
someone, who provides you the opportunity to exert physical labor, and then you are
paid for it. You continue doing that until you build enough money and then you spend
the money on whatever it is you want.</p>
<p>For me, that is certainly one way to do it and probably the way most people view
life. However, that is certainly not the only way. A bricklayer works very hard,
putting the heavy bricks together and he gets paid for his efforts. A lawyer works
very hard in school, not particularly physical labor, and yet he is paid much more
than the bricklayer. A person works hard regardless of how much he earns. Should a
lawyer earn more money than an artist? Should a doctor earn more than a teacher? The
one thing they all have in common is that they all work hard. The difference being,
the way the American system is structured. Is it Capitalism! My mother and father are
Italian immigrants. When they arrived here, they were, in my opinion, under a
different American system. The American system is continuously changing day by day.
My mother has no conception of these changes. In any event, I do not agree with my
family´s perception in where I should be going in my life even though I welcome
suggestions. My thoughts are that you should raise your child with love,
understanding, and compassion and let them find their way. Your child should venture
in any direction with personal guidance, and if they should venture in a direction of
their choice, then they should have their parent´s full support. That is my
philosophy. Therefore, there is a conflict of philosophies especially in my family.
My older sister Rosetta and my younger sister Jeannette have the same philosophy as
my mother, and therefore do not like my being a musician. My younger sister Jeannette
often remarked to me that if I did not get a normal job, I would be very sorry in my
future years. Maybe that is true, but I would have a much fuller life experiencing
many other things and places.</p>
<p>My brother used to buy me the greatest presents for my birthday. When my birthday
was near, I used to wait patiently for him to arrive home because I knew he was
carrying a big present. He was greatly loved throughout the family although he mostly
was not around or available too much. No one really ever knew where he was so he was
a great mystery.</p>
<p>My father was really a mellow person, but can get tough when needed. As said
before he was a barber. He was not too much of a hassle except at times he did some
very stange and weird things. For instance: On Sunday mornings he used to call us by
individual names and we had to go to the kitchen where he was waiting for us to suck
the yoke out of an egg. That is right! He would poke a hole in the bottom of the egg
and we had to suck the egg out of the shell. It was a horror. If we refused he gave
us a beating, and we would still had to do it. I really believe that he thought that
it was a very healthy thing to do. He used to do it without a problem and liked it.
The other weird thing was that he would take everyone´s temperature every so
often by inserting a thermometer in our ass hole. He did it respectfully, but
nevertheless he did it anyway. Other than those two weird things, he was a loving
father who would do anything for us. My father bought a <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">1959 Chevy<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/681727/1959chevy.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>,
which he took the family around in. It was a hip car and everyone on the block
admired it. One of his kicks was to take the family to the movies every Saturday
night. It was a must. Everything he decided to do was a necessity with him and the
family. Every Friday night, when he returned from work he used to bring us <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">candy bars<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/930284/hershey.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. That
was great, and we all used to be waiting for him. There was not a Friday night that
he did not bring candy bars. My father used to lend my brother and sisters his car
anytime they needed it with out a hassle. He was indeed a great guy. I believed he
was the most loved by the family because my mother was much disliked. If my father
did not behave, my mother would literally beat him up. I have seen my mother grab a
spaghetti strainer and slap my father across the head with it because he did not
behave or do something she wanted. Seeing that was a very shocking and dramatic
experience for me that I will never forget or ever except such behaviour.</p>
<p>My grandparents had a house in a little town called Seldon, in Long Island. It
used to take about two hours to drive there from Brooklyn, and it was one of the
happiest times of my life. It was quiet with dirt roads and the whole family used to
go there. My Cousin Joey and his family also were there. The house had no bathroom or
toilet. It had an outhouse. In the morning, the milkman would bring fresh milk with
the cream on top. My Cousin Joey and I used to walk through the serene peaceful
wooded areas to pick wild berries, and there were thousands of them. We had hammocks
tied to the trees in the backyard, and after lunch, we used to sleep on the hammocks
without hearing a sound except for the wind and the birds. After dinner, our fathers
used to play the Italian songs on mandolins for hours. Our families spent months
throughout the summer together, and it was probably the one event that I looked
forward to always. When I was about eight years old, my grandparents died. The Seldon
house was eventually sold, but that experience would remain in my heart and memories,
and will shape my life for many years to come.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102607483640982006-04-26T21:49:00.001-04:002006-12-23T00:58:16.363-05:00Chapter 7 - Change of Events<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/696650/jr.jpg"
alt="10 year old Chazz" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 7 - Change of Events</h2>
<p>There would be some negative and positive events that would trigger major changes
to me, and for West 7th Street.</p>
<p>My Cousin Joey´s new band had made this instrumental record which was very
impressive called, "Last Stop". When I heard it, I knew it was a great instrumental
and going to be a hit. But before their record company had time to release it,
another company suddenly became aware of it and quickly duplicated it under another
name with a different group artist. The rival company quickly released it and it
became an instant hit. Joey´s band and company were taken by surprise, and thus
my Cousin Joey and his band became extremely depressed.</p>
<p>My older sister Rosetta got married to this very nice man named, Sal. They had a
great and fun wedding. Shortly thereafter, my brother Tom was drafted into the Army.
My family and I went to visit him at Fort Dix were he was stationed, and he looked
great in his army uniform. A few months later, my brother was shipped overseas to be
stationed in Germany. My family and especially myself, missed him very much and the
next 17 months would be very lonely for me. We were very close, and we shared the
same bed...and I was very dependent on him being there. I think his departure in the
Army became a surprizingly dramatic experience in my life, as well as for my
family.</p>
<p>Now my sisters Marie and Jeannette would share the same room, and I would have a
bed in a room all by myself, but it will be a single bed. That is a dramatic
experience by its self. I began this new life by working out in my bed. Every night,
I did 50 sit-ups. When I shared the bed with my brother, we used to wrestle almost
every night. My brother used to put me in a headlock or twist my arm until I
screamed, and still sometimes, he refused to let me go even if I begged him.
Wrestling was a big craze, and many people mimicked it including my brother with me.
He used all these different types of wrestling holds on me. I decided to workout so
that when my brother returned, I would be a match for him. In any case, this is a new
drastic era change in my life.</p>
<p>You may recall, that Jackie and Mikie had begun hanging out together. Well, about
a year later. I heard that something seriously happened to Mikie. I do not know the
true story, but from what everyone is talking about, Jackie and Mikie were doing the
drug LSD, and Mikie sort of flipped-out perminantly. That is what we all, on the
block, had heard. We also heard that Mikie was in the hospital and it would be along
time before he could possibly come home again. That was all anyone knew. Someone did
occasionally bump into Jackie and asked him what had happened to Mikie, but he played
dumb and denied any knowledge or involvement.</p>
<p>In addition, not too long after Mikie became sick, Mickie´s father began
acting very strange and this went on for about a year. He would occasionally dress up
as a woman, and storming-out of his house and began walking up and down the block
talking and laughing with the neighbors dressed as a woman. It seems that
Mikie´s family is taking a big hit! First, Mikie takes LSD and flips out
perminantly and then his father starts dressing up as a woman. Mickie has two of the
most sexy sisters on the block. Very Sexy!</p>
<p>After a bit, my cousin Joey graduated Lafayette High School and started working
full time with my brother-in-law Sal in the drapery business. I have also been
helping my older sister´s husband Sal with the installation of draperies every
Saturday morning since he married my sister Rosetta. He would give me five bucks, but
now I hear that Joey is working with him full time.</p>
<p>And finally, I was offered a part-time job through a friend that worked with this
cabinet delivery man. My friend no longer wanted to do it anymore so he offered it to
me. It was an opportunity to make some extra money so I took it. We delivered
cabinets for this cabinet store on Avenue U, located on the corner of West 8th
Street. The job was from 6pm to 8:30pm and the delivery man, Tony, was a great person
and he gave me five bucks each time he asked me to go deliver with him. It was an
easy job and Tony made it a lot of fun. It was not everyday that I had to work, it
was mostly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The job had no schedule and I never
knew if Tony needed me or not. I just went about my kid-life and when i was needed
for delivery, Tony used to pass by my house to look for me or ask my family where I
was. Then, he would track me down, find me playing somwhere, and I would join him to
work. It´s always nice to have some extra cash. I enjoyed it, and Tony taught
me how to move cabinets through small spaces, without scrtching them, which is a
difficult feat if you don't know how.</p>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102571885796352006-04-26T21:49:00.000-04:002006-12-23T01:07:06.496-05:00Chapter 8 - Ralphy and Joey<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/659285/jrhs.jpg"
alt="High School Chazz" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 8 - Ralphy and Joey</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>During my cabinet delivery work, I had met this guitarist named Ralphy who lived
two blocks away from me on West 9th Street, just one block from the cabinet store. We
became good friends, and we decided to start a band together. Ralphy’s older
brother Joey played a great trumpet and had a wonderful powerful voice. He was very
deeply into music and anxious to take part in the band. He also had a great positive
energy that I have never ever seen in someone before. Joey loved to get things
happening and done. The other great thing was that Ralphy’s family had a big
house, and a wonderful large and spacious basement, which was great for comfortable
rehearsals. To top it off, his mother and father were really nice and mellow, and
most of all very encouraging about music. We began practicing very late up and until
11:30 at night and no one would complain. Not even the neighbors. I also liked West
9th Street. It had met many families, and from being introduced to the people on his
block, it was refreshing to notice that all of them were sort of normal. Unlike where
I lived this was great! Now that my brother was gone, I disliked being around my
family, because they were very negative about my music. It was a welcome relief to be
with a family who loved and encouraged playing music.</p>
<p>Ralphy and I started to put the word out that we were looking for a drummer. While
we were waiting for some drummer to respond, Ralphy’s brother Joey started to
sing for me some of the songs he wrote, and I was impressed. Joey asked me if I could
help him make a cassette tape of his songs since I was a much better guitarist than
his brother was. I helped Joey make his tape. After I helped him make a decent tape,
Joey told me that, starting on Monday, he was going to take his songs, in sheet music
form and on cassette tape, to the record labels to try to get a deal. Joey asked me
if I wanted to come along and I said sure. I asked him how he knew where to go? Joey
said that you just look in the yellow pages under record labels and walk in. I said,
“Just like that?” Joey said yeah! He also added that he also knew of some
buildings that were publishing houses that were also looking for songs, and that if
they liked your song they will give you money for it, sometimes right on the spot. My
eyes lit up. I had school on Monday, but I was willing to cut it and join Joey. This
I wanted to see.</p>
<p>On Monday morning, I arrived at Ralphy’s house about 9:00am, and Joey was
busy going through the phone book writing down the addresses of Labels we were going
to visit. We then hoped on the BMT subway and proceeded to New York. We took the
“N” train to the last stop, <br /><a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">57th Street and
Broadway<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/446860/57thbroad.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. We exited the subway and walked to 51st Street into this big office
building called, <br /><a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The
Brill Building<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/649676/brill.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. The front of the building had a theater marquee that said, The Ed
Sullivan Show. Very Exciting! We went up the elevator to the 23rd floor and entered
RCA records. As we entered, a man came up and greeted us. Joey told him that he was a
singer/songwriter and he wanted someone to listen to the song. The man replied very
nicely that there was no one here today to hear it. The VP was in California and
would be back on Wednesday. However, if you want to leave a tape or come back, he
would be very happy to listen. We got the VP’s name and told the man we would
return. I liked it.</p>
<p>We then proceeded to the 21st floor of Roulette Records. We entered and again a
man approached us with this big cigar and offered a greeting. We replied. The man
also said that there was no one here to listen, but the A&R man would be in about
2pm. We got the A&R mans named and left. We went throughout the building and
continued to visit some Record Company’s and publishing houses with no success
of finding anyone available to listen.</p>
<p>We then exited the building and proceeded back to 57th Street to get something to
eat. Joey walked up to this <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">hotdog stand<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6437/2732/320/hotdogstand.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
and ordered four hot dogs with mustard and onions and two Coca-Cola’s. Boy,
were these hot dogs great.</p>
<p>We then proceeded a short distance to 57th Street and 7th Avenue. We arrived at a
building and checked the directory to see if any record labels were here. We had seen
that Liberty Records was on the tenth floor, and we rode the elevator. We entered the
suite and noticed no one in the reception room. We yelled, “Hello,” and a
voice came back, “Come on in.” Joey and I then proceeded into the next
room where this skinny little guy dressed all in black with dark sunglasses was
sitting in this big chair with his feet stretched up on the desk eating this giant
hero sandwich. As we entered the room, he said, “What can I do for you
guys?” We again used the same reply. He said, “Yeah, I’ll listen to
your music, you guys want to join me and have a sandwich?” We both said yes! He
then got on the telephone and ordered some heroes. He said, “Have a seat while
I get the tape recorder ready.” He then rose-up behind the desk and put out his
hand and said, “I’m <br /><a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Phil Specter<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/28460/philspecter.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>,
President of Liberty Records, what are your names?” We replied. He then invited
us to sit down. Except for us, he was alone in this giant office. We started asking
us where we were from and what we were doing with our careers, and as we replied, the
sandwiches arrived. He fumbled around with the tape deck while holding this large
sandwich in one hand, he proceeded to make these wild remarks about what he was
doing, and he had us laughing. We felt very comfortable. He set-up a tape deck and
inserted a tape and pressed play. The sound started blaring out of these hidden
speakers, and after about ten bars, he dropped his sandwich on the desk, turned off
the tape deck, stood up quickly, and flew over to this upright piano. He immediately
said that the song was great, but it had to be played in a different way, and he
begun to play the song on the piano with some strange chords.... And he went on....
And on.... And on! Joey and I were amazed at this guy’s energy. We were also
wondering is that our song or is he making one up from what we had done? We kept on
eating away and observing. Phil started entering a bridge area of the song and he was
saying ...yeah this is great ...yeah; it has to go over here.... No, I don’t
like that ...I’ll put this here. He kept right on playing and mumbling. Then he
stopped, and stood up and said, “You guys have a great song here.... I can use
it! .... Who wrote it?” That statement was surprising to us because we were
wondering the same thing. Phil had changed the song so much in an instant that we
could not recognize it. Joey replied, “I did.” Phil said, “Great!
Come back on Friday and I’ll have the contracts made up. This is a great song
...it’s a great song.” He then said, “See you kid’s on Friday
around 11:00am.” In another instant we stood up, he shook our hands, and we
left with sandwiches in hand. We were very excited! We proceeded then to hop on the
subway and head home.</p>
<p>We arrived home and told Ralphy’s parents what went on and they said great.
Then Joey and I sat down in the basement and tried to recall exactly what went on
with this guy Phil Specter. As we were hashing it out, Joey and I came to the same
agreement, and that was, that we did not trust him. We could not recognize the song,
and things were happening very fast. It was a great experience for me, but Joey had
been through it before. Anyway, Joey decided to follow up on it anyway.</p>
<p>That Friday Joey and I hoped back on the subway and proceeded to return to Liberty
Records. We arrived at Liberty and this time there was a secretary in the office. She
told us that Phil Specter was no longer the president of Liberty Records, and that he
had moved to California. Joey and I looked at one another with surprise. We then
proceeded to tell the secretary what had happened when we were here on Monday and she
said there was nothing she could do. We then asked her if there was anyone who would
be willing to listen to our song. She said that the company was in transition and it
would be awhile until another president was selected. With the both of us completely
surprised and disappointed, we tried to hit the Brill Building again only to learn
that no one was around because it was Friday.</p>
<p>We returned home, Joey told his mother what had happened, and his mother felt
sorry and told us that these things happened. His mother went on to say that we
should concentrate on putting the band together. I immediately thought that I had
wished my mother talked like that. I did not realize it at this time, but this event
with Phil Specter was the beginning of my frustration the music business.</p>
<p>The next day this drummer arrived to Ralphy’s house and we auditioned him.
His name was Larry. Larry played a good set of drums. He also had a great Ludwig Drum
set, so we accepted him. How we had a band. For the next couple of weeks, we
practiced everyday after school at Ralphy’s house while his brother Joey kept
pounding the pavements of New York trying to sell his music. When we would have the
music down to the songs we were learning, Joey would come in and join us. While we
were practicing, I became very friendly with Ralphy’s neighbors.</p>
<p>Directly next door to Ralphy’s house lived a police officer named Joe and
his wife Carol. They had three cute little girls and two of them were twins. They
were three and five years old. The twins are three. I love children very much, and I
love to play with them. Joe the cop, once a week, used to hold underground card games
in his basement for a house-fee. The house belonged to his old mother who lived on
the top floor of this two-story house. His wife Carol was a 25-year-old beautiful and
very sexy woman. Ralphy and I admired her very much, but we kept our distance because
her husband was a cop. They were all very nice people. Joe the cop also used to drink
a lot. I do not like or trust cops, but Joe was wonderful. Everyday was a routine for
us. We would go to school, and then we would have practice with the band, and the
neighbors would listen to us improve. Then I would have dinner at Ralphy’s
house or sometimes I would go home and eat, and then I would return to Ralphy’s
house to play with the kids and hang out with Ralphy’s neighbors. I disliked
the people on my block very much, but I enjoyed the people on Ralphy’s
block.</p>
<p>When Carol’s kids went to sleep, she and her mother in law would invite
Ralphy, his mom and I in for coffee. After coffee, we used to past the time by
engaging in a friendly card game. We used to play for pennies. Joe the Cop was never
around. Either he was working at the Canal Street Station in Manhattan, or he was
hanging out in this local Mafia bar on the corner of 9th Street and Avenue U, or he
was working a card game in his basement. Whatever he did, he was not a straight cop,
but what cop was straight anyway. In any case, Joe was a wonderful person who was
funny and treated everyone like a brother.</p>
<p>I became very close to his kids and loved them very much. In the process, his wife
liked me very much and I used to help her a lot. This led me to be at his house every
night. I would help put the kids to bed and afterward Carol and I would play cards
and hope someone else would join in. Joe was almost never around. It appears he and
his wife were not getting along to well, but Joe never minded me being around his
wife or his house.</p>
<p>Ralphy was practically in love with Joe the cop’s wife, Carol. He became
very jealous that I became a friend with Carol, that he told Carol behind my back
that I wanted to go to bed with her. I on the other hand had no idea that he had said
that. Nevertheless, Carol decided that she was going to make some passes at me. If I
tried to touch her, then she was going to slap me and throw me out of the house.</p>
<p>So for the next few weeks Carol would make passes at me. She would walk by me in
the hallway of her house and rub her beautiful tits into me as she passed by. I
thought at first, it was an accident. She used to stand real close to me by pressing
her ass against me and I never responded. I never ever thought about doing anything
with Carol. It was the farthest thing from my mind. I loved their children very much,
I liked Carol and her husband Joe, both very much, and I felt very comfortable in
their house. They in turn, felt the same about me. I was very young, naïve, and
innocent. Carols plan was not working so she tried even harder. She had the radio on
one day and the Four Seasons came on singing, “Big Girls Don’t
Cry”, and that was her favorite song and she wanted to dance. I started to
dance with her and every time I turned her around, she would slide my hand slightly
across her breasts. Then she would pull me in against her body. I still never
reacted. Then one night, she became frustrated that I would not react, and she just
gave me a big hard slap across the face, because of nothing. I responded, “What
did you do that for?” She then told me, “That was for telling Ralphy that
you wanted to go to bed with me.” I told her that I had never said anything
like that to Ralphy. She said, “You didn’t.” I said no! She then
came over to me and apologize and gave me a big kiss on the lips. Then she put her
tong in my mouth, and we started making out heavily. We were then making out all
night long. I was now hooked in to Carol and loving every minute of it. The next
night it was the same all over, soon thereafter; I started to feel her breasts and
rubbing my dick against her pussy and ass. It was very difficult to stay away from
her. It was a very playful sexual good time.</p>
<p>In the meantime, our band would occasionally have a gig here and there. We had
this gig at the Marlboro Projects for this Italian dance. They were mostly people who
did not speak English. We were playing at the dance and on our break; this Italian
guy came up to me and introduced himself as Aldo. Aldo said that he wanted to join
our band as a drummer. I told him that we had Larry, but if he wanted, I would be
happy to set -up and audition for him next Saturday afternoon. He then told me that
he really did not know how to play yet, but that he was interested in learning. I
started to laugh to myself and thought, “This stupid gyp.” (Geep, is a
term used to describe a person just off the boat from Italy) Anyway, I thought that
this guy had balls. Therefore, I told him, “You learn to play the drums, you
buy a good drum set like Ludwig, and you call me, and I’ll give you an
audition. If you are good, I will consider you to play with us.” He shook my
hand and said, “Thank you.”</p>
<p>The next day, Carol and I continued our lustful pursuit, but she would never let
me take my dick out nor would she allow me to fuck her, or suck on her tits.
Everything other than that was OK. This relationship was going on for months and
people started wondering what was going on with us since I was there all the time.
Carol and I were very careful in keeping it a secret. People were wondering, but no
one really knew. Others tried to catch us, but they could not. Eventually, people
thought that nothing was ever going on except Joe the cop. It seemed that Carol
stopped having sex with Joe and that opened a complex issue.</p>
<p>About eight months later, Ralphy got a call from the Italian guy Aldo. He stated
that he wanted that audition. So I called him back and asked him if he had a drum set
and he said that he bought a set of Ludwig. Very good, I am impressed. I had set-up
an audition. Aldo came by one Saturday afternoon and set up this beautiful set of <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Ludwig drums<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/320/459049/ludwig.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. We
started playing and Aldo really sounded OK, so I told him that he was our new
drummer. For the next few weeks, we would rehearse our songs with Aldo. One of
Ralphy’s neighbors approached me, and told me that he was in the bar last night
with Joe the cop. Joe told him that he thought that I was fucking his wife, and that
he was going to kill me. Of course, I denied it, but I got scared. I was fooling
around with Carol all this time without ever thinking anything, and without a care in
the world, until I heard what her husband said. I quickly decided to never see her
again. That decision also meant that I would have to stay away from Ralphy.</p>
<p>I called Aldo up and told him that Ralphy quit the band and we had to look for
another guitar player. Aldo said OK. We had talked about this over the next few days.
Then I remembered a guy I met who said he played guitar. His name was Joey. I asked
around and found that he lived right around the block on Ave V. between West 8th and
9th Street. I went to see if Joey was home and I found his mother instead. She is a
wonderful lady. She told me that her son was not home, but she would give him the
message. She invited me into her house and we sat down and chattered over coffee for
a while. Joey eventually got the message and wanted very much to try out. I then
arranged a meeting with Joey face to face. He was a wonderful guy, handsome, with a
great personality. We had a rehearsal at Alco’s house and a new band was
formed. The three of us just clicked together. We were all like one entity.</p>
<p>Joey has a great voice and he was extremely good looking. That would be a plus for
the band. Aldo was becoming a better drummer, and his English language was
continuously improving. We began to practice regularly at Aldo’s house and we
began to become very good. However, we needed a name for the group. After careful
thought, and from our love of The Ventures, we called ourselves, The Van-Dells.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102512380214882006-04-26T21:47:00.001-04:002006-12-23T01:09:25.280-05:00Chapter 9 - The Four Corners, Long Island, New York<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/581654/fourcorners.jpg"
alt="The Fourcorners Area-Long Island NY" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 9 - The Four Corners, Long Island, New York</h2>
<p>Aldo’s parents were very nice. His mother only spoke Italian, and his father
spoke broken English. They had bought a house at the far-east side of Brooklyn. When
they arrived in America they opened a food service business in the East Village in
Manhattan called Jumbo Food Shop, and after a couple of years, they had bought their
first house in America, which eventually became our new place to rehearse.</p>
<p>Aldo is a very determined guy. When I first met him, he did not know how to play
the drums. In a short time he had learned and bought a new set of drums. He had also
learned on his own, how to play the songs we knew. I was shocked that he progressed
this far. With such enthusiasm, I not only affirmed his acceptance in the band, but I
gave him the freedom to take part in any business matters evolving the band if he
wanted. I had no interest in business. Aldo accepted and thus got us this weekend gig
in Long Island. It was a club located in the Five Points area of Long Island. It was
Friday night and we had just finished out second set when we noticed something was
not quite right. It appeared that this was a young gang club. The girls were the only
ones dancing, while the guys were standing around looking very tough and mean. We
began to feel very uncomfortable. Usually in a nasty club no one ever picks on the
band, because the band is their entertainment for the evening. However, we were a
very handsome band. The girls all wanted to be with us, which was not good because
the rough looking guys hanging out here are giving us terrible looks and vibes. The
guys were eyeing us as though they wanted to kill us. The girls in this club were
extremely sexy and attractive. On our breaks, we were very scared to venture outside
the club. I had met a girl who wanted to be with me very badly. I told her that the
tension in this club is growing worst by the hour. I told her that I would meet her
somewhere else if we made it out of this place alive. She told me where to meet her
and the band prayed while we played.</p>
<p>After the last song of the evening, we waited a long time for the gang members to
take off and exit the club. We were waiting for them to get tired of waiting for us,
and we finally made it out. The bad guys ventured off, and I met this girl Julie and
a few of her wonderful friends. I hung out with Julie for a couple of hours; she
hooked me up with her male friend Ira who put me up in his house to sleep so that
Julie and I could spend time with one another. Ira and Julie lived in Hewlett, Long
Island. Hewlett is a prominently Orthodox Jewish community. Very wealthy! Since Julie
could not date anyone that was not Jewish according to her parents, she and Ira gave
me the name, Charlie Weinstein.</p>
<p>The next morning when Ira and I awoke, Ira’s mother had breakfast waiting
for us. I arrived downstairs to the kitchen and I was introduced to Ira’s
mother surprisingly as Charlie Weinstein. Ira’s mother was very sweet and
wonderful, and she prepared us a great breakfast, scrambled eggs on a roll with cream
cheese and lox. Boy was that delicious! After breakfast, Ira and I met with Julie and
we went strolling around Long Island. Ira became a wonderful friend and he and I
would become very close. Julie was very sexy and hot looking, but above all, she too
was a very wonderful person. I was blessed to have met these two people. I was very
different than the typical Italian boy from Bensonhurst. I fit in with the Jewish
crowd perfectly. After the weekend gig, I would spend the next six months hanging out
with Ira and Julie. I slept over Ira’s house almost every weekend I was free
from the band performing. Ira’s family would eventually learn that I
wasn’t Jewish, but they did not care. They loved me very much and treated me as
a member of the family. Everyone in Hewlett loved me very much, but my own family
treated me like shit. I could never understand that.</p>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102459084331322006-04-26T21:47:00.000-04:002006-12-23T01:23:47.816-05:00Chapter 10 - Menora Temple<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/401486/titomenorah.jpg"
alt="The Vandells Billing with Tito Puente" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 10 - Menora Temple</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>I am now a senior in High School, and I am excited that I have only one year left.
I have been playing the guitar now for 2 years and I have progressed very well. I
developed a great rhythm. I have also, along the way, began picking up some funky
licks from watching other guitarists. I had an intensive learning process and my
natural talent had shined through.</p>
<p>My brother is finally coming home from the Army. He is arriving by boat from
Europe at the Brooklyn docks. We had a banner in front of our house that typically
read: WELCOME HOME THOMAS. We had gone to the Brooklyn docks to pick him up, but
there were so many servicemen that we could not pick him out or find him. My family
and I returned home and waited for him to arrive on his own. I was sitting in front
of my stoop hoping to get the first glance at him as he entered our block, and here
he comes. He had turned the corner of 86th Street on to West 7th Street and I had
seen a person dressed in uniform carrying a large duffel bag. I knew it was he. I ran
to him with all my effort and speed, but to my surprise he said without excitement,
“Hey Junior, How ya doing?” I expected him to drop his duffel bag and
grab me to give me a big hug, but he did not. He just walked on toward our house. I
knew then that he was not the same person. It shocked me and caught me off guard. He
didn’t say much. As we arrived closer to our house, my sisters stormed out of
the house screaming. They ran up to him, and started kissing and hugging him. I just
stood there and watched in confusion and disappointment. They all walked him into the
house and I went about my independent usual business as though nothing exciting had
happened. Still in shock, I went to Joey’s house and his family asked if my
brother had returned home, and I just replied calmly answered... yes, and there was
no other talk about it and so I left it at that. After about an hour, I returned home
to all of them at the dinner table having coffee and cake chattering. My brother
brought home some gifts for everyone. First, he gave this gift to my mother. It was a
German Coo-Coo Clock. I began to smile when I saw it, because it was cute, and I
liked the little bird that came out of it. We all examined it carefully, and my
mother excitedly <br /><a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">hung it up in the
dining room<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/785548/KOKOCL%7E1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I watched as they spent about an hour opening gifts, but I did not
receive any. I again left the house and went on about my business. No problem!</p>
<p>I again returned immediately to Joey’s house for a quick pick-me-up.
Joey’s mother was very happy to see me again and made me some lunch.
Joey’s sister Gracie is retarded, she is such a wonderful girl, and she loved
me very much. We sat around the dinner table drinking coffee as I played around with
Gracie. I made faces at her and she made them back. The biggest show on TV at this
time was The Soupy Sales Show. Soupy Sales had a dog-called White Fang, and Gracie
and I used to make faces at one another using the Soupy Sales/White Fang gimmick.
Then Joey arrived home after spending some time with his girlfriend. Joey always had
a girlfriend. He was almost never without a girlfriend. How could the girls refuse
him? Despite that, Joey was having problems with his girlfriend. I believe she was
putting strong demands on him about marriage, and things were beginning to get sour
between them. I liked that, because I was afraid he would get too serious with a girl
and spend less time playing music. I also wanted to develop a more personal musical
relationship with Joey, and his spending so much time with his girlfriend made that
difficult. If we were not rehearsing Joey would be with his girlfriend. I wanted so
much to jam with him other than rehearsals. This would be more musically productive.
Besides, there will be many girls to come if we just had time to practice with one
another. However, things are playing out by it self. Joey‘s relationship with
this girl is quickly falling apart. With that note, Joey and I started jamming
together more often in his room. One day thereafter, Joey’s mother, and sister
Gracie where inside the kitchen, and Gracie was playing her little radio that she
always carried around the house. This new group, with all this hoopla comes on the
radio, and Joey’s mother yelled out to us, “Jooooe...The Beatles are
oooonnn.” Joey and I heard her and quickly listened to the sound. Then we went
into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table to listen more closely, and the song
was great. It was called, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”. The guitar style was
great and very different. We were all immediately hooked on The Beatles. I could not
wait to hear them again.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Aldo was failing to get us any decent gigs. He had got us two gigs back
to back playing for some Italian dances. Joey and I hated these Italian dances. The
people were very un-hip, and they mostly didn’t speak English. I finally
pressured Aldo. I told him that we would refuse to play any more of the dances where
people do not speak English. After all, Joey and I were still in school, and I was
getting ready to graduate. We felt that while we were still attending school, we
really did not want to partake in any gigs that we did not enjoy. I told Aldo that
he’d better get something decent happening soon or I will find an agent to book
us instead.</p>
<p>This Beatle group thing is skyrocketing fast. They are playing their song every 20
minutes, and everyone is talking about them everywhere we go. Joey’s sister
Gracie quickly bought <br /><a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Beatle album.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/867247/beatles.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
Joey and I listened to it, and it was fucking great! We had never heard anything like
it, and we started learning their songs immediately.</p>
<p>Aldo kept trying to find us a descent gig. Joey and I were quickly loosing faith
in him. My family knew nothing about business. My father was a barber, and my mother
was a seamstress. Joey’s family also knew nothing about business. Our families
were all workers. However, Aldo’s family had a business and Aldo knew something
about business. This is why Joey and I agreed to have Aldo the businessman of the
band. Aldo contacted us and told us he got us a gig at the Menorah Temple in Boro
Park, Brooklyn. Joey and I immediately thought, “We told Aldo no more Italian
dances and what he does, he gets us Jewish dances.” We had no idea what this
gig entailed. BoroPark Brooklyn is a Hassidic Jewish neighborhood. Joey and I were
wondering when Aldo drove to the area, “What the neck kind of gig did he get
us?” It turned out to be a very nice dance. Something different! The main group
was Latin and we were the fill-in group when the Latin group was on their break. I
had never seen so many well to do people in one place. Everyone was dressed
beautifully. The women were gorgeous! The Latin band did their first set and they
were fantastic. They were a big band, <br /><a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Eddie Palmieri
and Orchestra.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/243055/palmierimenoah.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> They contained about 20 pieces with horns. The crowd was dancing
with tremendous energy. After about an hour set, we got up on stage for our turn. We
tried to maintain the energy even though we were only three-players, and the crowd
loved us. The promoter of the dance thought we were perfect that he gave us the
steady gig every week playing behind these famous Latin groups. We enjoyed working
along side these Latin groups.</p>
<p>The next week we received our first billing in the newspaper and we were all very
excited. It was a small billing, but hey, better than nothing. Joey mother cut out
the ad of our billing, and Gracie was put it in her scrapbook. It was great! Then
Aldo asked us to meet him down in the Village at his father’s store around
4:00pm. He wanted to take us clothes shopping. Joey and I hopped on the train, we got
off at West 8th Street in the village, and we walked around a bit looking at the
clothes at the massive amount of stores in the area. We arrived at Aldo’s
father’s business, Jumbo Food Shop, and Aldo was working behind the counter
preparing and serving people food. Aldo gave Joey and I some food to eat while he
finished his chores. After about an hour, Aldo guided Joey and I to a warehouse where
there were hundreds of theatrical clothing. Joey and I flipped out when we saw the
clothes. We were like two kids in a candy store. Aldo began laughing at us. We then
all began fooling around making up skits with the style of clothing we were trying
on. They even had replicas of the jackets that The Beatles wore. I said fooling
around, “Hey, we could make believe we are The Beatles, and get all the
publicity. All we need is to buy those Beatle wigs” Aldo and Joey were
laughing. Joey said, “Hey, that’s a good idea.” I said, “Yeah
lets do a take off of them at the Menorah Temple this weekend, we’ll freak them
out.” Aldo was for it. Everyone agreed and we bought a set of the jackets. We
also bought some beautiful dark navy blue sparkle jackets that we all looked great in
and that was going to be our new band image. The next day we went to Aldo’s
house to take some pictures of us with the new navy blue sparkle jackets. We took the
pictures, and developed them quickly, and they came out pretty good. We blew one of
them up and made it our publicity photo. It appears that Aldo was worried that Joey
and I were losing faith in him so he put his efforts into high gear. Aldo paid for
the clothes, which he will eventually deduct from our pay.</p>
<p>The weekend arrived and we were about to play along side, <br /><a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">“Tito Puente
and his Orchestra.”<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/401486/titomenorah.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> Very Exciting! We received a big billing in the
newspaper, and again, Joey’s mother and sister cutout the billing and put it in
Gracie’s scrapbook. We arrived at the Menorah Temple on Friday night and the
place was packed with people. There were all kinds of limousines all around the
Temple. We quickly brought in our instruments and Tito’s band was large, about
25 pieces. Tito’s band was already set-up, but there wasn’t a spot left
to place our instruments. We needed to make room in the front of the stage so that
the people will receive our Beatle act closely. This was the night that we were going
to imitate The Beatles. We had practiced three of their songs. It would be a total
surprise to everyone, and we would need space right in front of the stage. There were
no members of Tito’s band available to talk with. So I went over to Tito
Puente’s drums and moved them to the right so we could bring our instruments on
the stage. Aldo quickly set up his drums, and Joey and I are setting up and placing
our amps. Tito Puente himself comes running over to the stage and begins cursing at
me for moving his equipment. I replied to him, “Who the fuck do you think you
are? You’re not the only band playing tonight.” An argument began over
territory. The Promoter came running over in between us and I told the Promoter that
Tito was hogging the stage and we are performing here also. He wants us to move in
the back and we need the front. The promoter liked us a lot and did not want to lose
us because we were very neat looking clean guys, and we were also very good
musicians. He also billed us in the newspaper as “The Van-dells Society
Orchestra” because he wanted that clean look to capture the Society People,
i.e. the rich Jews. The promoter and Tito went into a heated conference. When they
returned, Tito said that after he breaks he would have his roadies move his
instruments to the side of the stage so that we may perform up front, and we
agreed.</p>
<p>Tito performed and tore the house down, as the expression is. He braked and we got
up and started jamming out. The crowd went nuts, and they really loved us. Tito
Puente came up to the side of the staged and he waved at me and gave me the OK sign.
I personally don’t care who these stars are. I don’t take any shit from
anybody.</p>
<p>We were supposed to only play a half hour set, but Tito asked us to play for 45
minutes. I think Tito really liked me/us. Then Tito played his second set and it was
a monster. He took a 20-minute solo with musical horn arrangements slapping on every
predetermined beat. People kept pilling in front of the stage to watch him closely.
When his song and solo ended, the people responded with ovation. This was our perfect
opportunity to do our Beatle spoof. The day before, Joey bought the Beatle wigs so
that we could look authentic. We asked the promoter to introduce us as The Beatles.
The promoter became shocked. He had no idea what we were doing. We got ready and the
Promoter yelled out on the mike, “Now here tonight. Direct from England...Live
here tonight.... The Beatles. We ran out into the crowd and we had or faces turned
down and the people went nuts. We got up on the stage and Tito Puente even looked
with surprise and confusion and we picked up our instruments and started playing, <br /><a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">“I Wanna
Hold Your Hand.<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/641099/beatlesiwanna.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> “ We sounded just liked them and we were imitating their
actions to the tee. It took people about ten minutes for them to catch on, and then
the crowd began laughing. Then once they knew that we were mimicking The Beatles the
crowd went crazy. The Promoter could not believe it, but he loved every minute of it
and we had the whole place in ore. We played the three songs of the Beatles and
quickly exited the stage and the crowd gave us a standing ovation with yells,
screams, and whistles. Then we went to the dressing room and took off the wigs, we
were laughing, and the crowd was calling us back for more. Tito Puente gave a
fantastic performance, but we then came back to top his previous solo performance. We
got a greater reaction than he had. There was nothing he could do except come back
with performing another great set, which he did! We were very unique that night, but
Tito gave it his all and he went into one of his great long drum solos and the people
went crazy all over again. The night ended and Tito personally came up to me and told
me that he enjoyed playing with us very much and that we were able t0o be recieved by
the crowd as much as he, and that pushed him harder and he wanted to personally thank
me for this night. The Promoter also thanked us for putting on a fantastic
performance and show. It was certainly a night to remember.</p>
<p>We continued to perform every week at the Menorah with all the great Latin groups.
We made many friends with the Latin musicians and performers. The Promoter made a
great deal of money, and the Menorah Temple dances stopped for about six weeks until
someone else would come along and start it again. The success of the Menorah Temple
triggered Latin nights all over the city. We were now known in the industry as the
band that played and competed with all the great top Latin groups.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p> <br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102379132506692006-04-26T21:45:00.000-04:002006-12-24T09:12:49.606-05:00Chapter 11 - Greenwich Village<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/619576/geeenwich.jpg"
alt="Sixth Avenue and Nineth Street-NYC" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 11 - Greenwich Village</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>The Menorah Temple was our bands first great musical experience. It helped our
band get tighter. Latin nights began popping-up all over town. We received many
offers to play them and we did. I wanted to expand the band and add a sax. It would
give us much more versatility. Aldo knew a sax player and invited him to play with us
at another Latin dance at the Hollywood Terrace in Brooklyn. I told Aldo that we got
to get the band out of Brooklyn and into Manhattan. That is where all the real action
is. We tried this new sax player out and he played very well, but he was a fucking
nut. He was an Italian geep who spoke little English and he wanted to be in control
or be the star of the show. He was much older¦ somewhere around 29 years old.
Although the band sounded somewhat better with a sax, this guy wasn´t the one
we were looking for. It will have to wait for another time. I do not think that Aldo
knows anyone who is not Italian. Meanwhile, I kept the pressure on Aldo to get us out
of Brooklyn. Joey and I were growing tired of these Latin nights. It was the same
shit over and over again. Sure we were playing with stars like Mongo Santamaria and
Tito Puente, but we were always second billing. We needed to move on and make a
better name for ourselves. We wanted to grow and expand and do gigs that were fresh
and alive¦not boring. After all, people come to see the Latin groups not us.
We need to break this rut! Therefore, the pressure is on Aldo again to get us
out.</p>
<p>I planned out all the music for the group. I learned all the songs and rehearsed
them with Joey first before Aldo came into the picture. I bought the records and
sheet music and planned out the arrangements. It was a big job, but I enjoyed every
minute of it. I knew every note and every drum beat before I entered rehearsal. I
knew what was missing or needed in each instrument. My expertise was getting the band
to develop a groove. I also knew how each instrument would be tuned for the best
impact and sound. This was my job in the group, as well as keeping everyone in sprit
and energy. This was my job. It was a tremendous responsibility and that is why I
needed someone to handle the business. I could not do both. Therefore, it was my
instruction that Aldo get us out of Brooklyn.</p>
<p>With continues pressure, Aldo got the band our first gig in Manhattan. He found a
little bar on Wall Street that was willing to give us a try. Apparently, Aldo met
many people while working in Manhattan at his father´s business. With my
constant pressure, Aldo asked some of his acquaintances, and thus came up with this
bar. We arrived in this little bar on downtown Broadway and we played about three
sets. It was a dive. There were very few people inside. It seemed like a nice little
place for the daytime crowd, but in the evening it was dead. We got off early about
11:30pm. I had known from asking around that the best club in Manhattan was <a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Trude Heller´s<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/90981/TRUDEM%7E1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> in Greenwich Village. I took this early opportunity to convince
Aldo and Joey that we go there to check-it-out. I wanted us all to see what was going
on. Therefore, we decided to take a drive through the West Village streets to view
some clubs. We entered Aldo´s vehicle and arrived at West 9th Street 6th
Avenue. The first thing that caught our eye was this line of people on the steps
leading into Trude Heller´s. We proceeded to find a parking spot in the area
and as we got close to Trude´s place we could hear some music. We looked up at
the neon sign, which was an outline of a woman´s face with the words, Trude
Heller´s! Aldo is 19, I am 18, and Joey is 17. The drinking age is 18. We
looked at the marquee in the front of the place and it had a picture of The Jimmy
Castor Bunch. They were playing tonight. With excitement, I told Aldo and Joey,
Let´s try to get in. The music sounded good, and I did not want to miss this.
We arrived at the top of the eight step stairs, and we entered the twin glass doors.
A distinguished looking Italian man dressed in a tuxedo waved us in to the bar area.
He gave us the once over quickly, but he let us in without asking for I.D. I think he
knew some of us were under age, but I think he also knew we were Italian and he let
us slide. As we walked briefly to the packed bar area, I could not take my eyes off
the band. I also could not believe the sound they had. The band was only three
pieces, because <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Jimmy Caster<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/788418/jimmycastor.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
played the saxophone, but they sounded very big. I was astonished by how big their
sound was. I´m sure Aldo and Joey felt the same. Aldo, Joey, and I watched
intensively. We watch Jimmy´s performance and we were very impressed. His
professionalism, his bands sound and the way they went through the songs. The songs
were one after the other almost without stopping. Real smooth transitions! We were
pressured by the bartenders to order a drink immediately, and so we did.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/683101/youngman.jpg"
alt="young Chazz" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>It was a small club with a very big sound. The bar area was small and located
directly to the left as you walked in the front door. It had a glass divider that
separated the bar from the small main room. The divider was made of dark glass so
that you could not actually see the band if you did not sit in the main room. It was
sort of a punishment for drinking at the bar. In the main room, directly in front of
this dark glass divider, were these 25-inch round tables with booth type seating
facing the stage. Beyond that group of tables is a tiny isle that one would walk to
the seating area or the bathrooms which was directly to the left. In front of this
little isle were these tiny 15-inch round tables with a little candlelight in the
center. They seated as many as four people each. In the center of the main room is a
small dance floor, but enough to crowd about 60 people if it had to, and mostly it
had to, because the place was packed. To the right of the dance floor and situated in
the corner against the wall was another group of larger tables facing the performance
stage. The stage was about 15 inches off the ground covered with a thick red carpet.
The stage is about six -feet long and four-feet wide. Very small! There was a small
platform located to the left of the stage above the tables against the wall. The
platform was about is an 8-inchs wide. Up on the platform were attractive and sexy
female dancers with mini skirts. Sometimes they had male counterparts. The dancers
were called, The Trude Heller Dancers, appropriately. The place was jumping!!!</p>
<p>We watched Jimmy Castor for about 40 minutes and another band immediately came on
stage. The music is continues. Jimmy band was finishing his last song of the set, the
other band came up and plugged in and caught the same groove. The Jimmy Castor Bunch
was good, but they weren´t great. As my ears adjusted to the room and sound,
somewhere around a half hour, I noticed that they were a little weak at times. If
they had an organ, they would have sounded much fuller. I of course was being very
critical. Creative people react that way when they see other people´s art.
Constructive criticism! It is a normal reaction if you want to learn and understand
art. Jimmy Caster put on a great show and his professionalism really impressed Joey
Aldo, and me.</p>
<p>I was listening to Jimmy´s rap and the words he was saying in signing off
the set and introducing the next band. There were two sets of drums on the stage. The
tall black guitarist plugged in. Jimmy was still talking as the next band was
grooving. While this was going on, two horn players, a sax and trumpet walked up on
to the stage, and as soon as Jimmy walked off the stage, the other band kicked in
immediately into a new song, but they had horns. I could not believe my ears. I have
never in my life heard a sound like this. The horns in this six-piece band had
brought the club to a new height and a new direction. The club seemed to lift off the
ground. Everyone everywhere in the club was moving their body. I could not see
straight. I was so high from the music and drink that my adrenalin began flowing at
an uncontrollable rate. I could not see straight. Then when you thought you
couldn´t get any higher, this 6 foot 3 inch, 260 pound black man came walking
on to the stage and started singing with this incredibly powerful voice and the whole
club went into oblivion. Non-Stop, song into song, the band was incredible! The
guitarist was playing chord structures that I have never heard or ever seen before,
but all the musicians were great. The drummer also impressed me because he was
hitting the snare drum and the bass drum so hard that the groove just jumped out at
you. After about six songs, the band finally introduced itself. They are Benny Gordon
and the Soul Brothers. Aldo wanted to leave because he had his father´s car and
he had to be at work with his father in the morning. On our way out, we thanked the
Italian looking man in the tuxedo, he smiled back, and as we entered the street, no
one said a word to each other as we walked to the car.</p>
<p>Once we were in the car riding home I had spoke the first words, That was the most
incredible experience of my life. Aldo and Joey at the same time, and with a low
voice said, Wow! We were tired.... Or were we drunk¦Or we were high from the
music or exhausted? Aldo and Joey couldn´t believe the experience. We were all
quietly thinking to ourselves. This experience would change my life forever. I went
into that club as one person and exited another, and I was sure that Aldo and Joey
felt the same way. Now I had to restructure. Joey said, How do we sound like that?
The next day, I was still thinking how we could sound like that, and this is what I
thought:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>First, they had a bass player, and we had no bass. There is no bottom to our
group.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Second, we were mostly playing top forty songs and show tunes and the Trude
Heller groups were totally R&B. The R&B radio stations were separate from
mainstream.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Third, they had horns.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Forth, they did dance steps while they played to enhance their appearance and
the music.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Fifth, the club itself had a tight solid sound.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The next night we again played the Wall Street bar and it gave us the opportunity
to reflect on last night. I basically said that we needed a bass player. It really
made the difference. Aldo agreed. I could see Joey thinking, and that is what I
wanted. I planted the seed in Joey´s head and I was hoping it would bloom. We
again finished around 11:30pm, and I told Aldo and Joey that we should walk around
the Village and see what else was going on at some of the other clubs. Aldo and Joey
quickly agreed.</p>
<p>This time we drove the car through the narrow streets of the Village, and as we
were coming down West 4th Street, we noticed a club called, The Cinderella Club. I
said that looks interesting and Aldo began to park. We went into the <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Cinderella Club<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/173778/cindermatch.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, and it was a really dark and funky. We had the obvious look of a band,
because we were dressed up in black suits with skinny ties. The owner came strolling
over, and he said, Are you guys a band? I said yes. We are playing a few blocks away
at this little bar; I then immediately said, Why don´t you hire us. The owner
quickly said OK. I said, Let me get my drummer to speak with you, and I introduced
Aldo to him. While Aldo was talking to the owner, I went to Joey and told him that
the owner might hire us. Joey became very excited. The band on the stage was not too
good, but they had a bass player and he played a Fender Bass just like the two bass
players at Trude Heller´s. We could feel the bottom. Aldo finished the deal,
and he told us that we were playing the gig full time Tuesday through Saturday
starting next month. We flipped out! Aldo is becoming a good businessman, that is,
he´s good at negotiating the money. We then entered Aldo´s car and drove
home. On the way home, Joey decided to stop playing the guitar and learn to play the
bass instead. Aldo and I became exceedingly happy. Joey said he was going to ask his
parents for a loan, and buy a new Fender bass with a Fender bass amp. We had
three-weeks to prepare for the Cinderella Club. Most of all, we were indeed playing
in The Village. It wasn´t the happening part of the Village, but the happening
part is just four blocks away. Better yet, no more Brooklyn!</p></div>
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<br />
<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p> <br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102298039658542006-04-26T21:43:00.000-04:002006-12-24T09:23:03.306-05:00Chapter 12 - My Brother's Stores<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/533675/subway.jpg"
alt="Grand Central Subway Pic" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 12 - My Brother´s Stores</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>My brother, after arriving home from the Army, was rarely around. He immediately
received a job at Peerless Camera Store, in Manhattan. It was the largest camera
store in the New York area. I went to visit him a couple of times to have lunch. We
hardly ever saw each other, because he was hanging out with his girlfriend in Long
Island. They were getting married. I thought that I was going to be with my brother
all the time, but instead I hardly ever seen him. It was if he never arrived home
from the Army. His new attitude was an indication of the way things were going to go.
It was a shock and disappointment for me. Things are happening so fast for him, that
I´m trying to block out the sudden effect it´s having on me.</p>
<p>Two months after he´s home, his wedding begins. It was a surprise wedding.
He married so quickly; it was difficult to adjust to my brother not being around
anymore. My brother and his new wife went to Florida for their honeymoon.</p>
<p>I was getting ready to graduate <a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">High School<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/526305/GRADWDAD.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> and my
family began pressuring me to get a job. I told them that I had a job working with
the band five nights a week at the Cinderella Club starting next month. They
didn´t like it. My mother wanted me to get a job in a bank. That is what her
best friend across the street, <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Zitsy Rose´s<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/62447/ZITSEY.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
son did. My mother´s pressure was so great that when I graduated, I went to
apply at a bank in Manhattan. I did not feel comfortable when I went for the
interview, and therefore, they did not hire me. My mother and sisters were very
forceful. I told them that banking is not for me, and they started knocking the music
again. I tried to explain that music came very natural to me, and that I was very
good at it. I even grabbed my guitar to play some songs for them, but they refused to
listen. They would only made sly remarks and laugh at my playing.</p>
<p>About a month after my brother´s honeymoon, he received an offer to manage
some camera stores that were located in various areas in the subway system in
Manhattan. He was doing well, and my mother was telling him that she was worried
about this music thing with me. My brother told my mother to tell me that I should
consider working for him. My mother then pressured me to work for my brother. I
wanted a car very badly, because Joey had bought this 1959 Pontiac Bonneville
Convertible and it was very beautiful. I wanted so much, a car for myself. My sister
Marie is a sweetheart, and the best person in the family. She had a good job on Wall
Street and made me an offer. She told me that if I would go to work for my brother
that she would co-sign a loan for me to get a new car. It was an offer I could not
refuse, and besides, I could still do my music. If I do not like the job I will open
at the Cinderella club in three-weeks and thus I could pay for the car.</p>
<p>I went to my brother´s main camera store located in the 50th Street subway
at, <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Rockefeller
Plaza<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/518115/rockefella1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. It was a little one-man store. My brother introduced me to the manager,
and I began working, which required doing many errands. My brother told me that he
would soon give me a store to run for myself. I was excited about that, but
let´s see where this takes me. My first few weeks were good. I was hustling
through the massive crowd going from store to store picking up supplies and relieving
people. I was actually having a good time. It was interesting traveling through the
subway system. I was learning all the hidden passageways, and all the shortcuts.
Occasionally, my brother would take me around, and introduced me to many people. My
mother and sister were very happy that I liked the job. I was also doing the band gig
at the Cinderella Club, five nights a week. I was making good money between the both
jobs. I told my sister that I wanted a car and I asked her to follow through with her
promise. She gladly agreed.</p>
<p>I had been looking for the car I wanted, and it was definitely, a <br /><a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">1963 Chevy Impala Convertible<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/534244/impala.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. They were just beautiful. I went to the showroom and talked to the
sales man. I picked out a Canary Yellow Impala with black leather interior. It came
with all the options at a hefty price tag of $3,000.00. The payments would come to
about $265.00 a month. My sister co-signed, and the contract for the car was
completed. They had to special order the car, and it would take about two weeks to
arrive. I was flabbergasted. I was the happiest person in the world, and my first car
would be a beauty. Joey the bass player freaked out, and we would soon be both
cruising around in competing cars. Aldo became very surprised, and slightly jealous.
I had also learned that my brother Tom, behind my back, tried to convince my sister
Marie not to co-sign the loan.</p>
<p>Two weeks later, the car arrived. I walked to the showroom to pick-up the car
alone. As soon as I seen the canary-yellow 1963 Chevy Impala convertible with black
interior, I fell in love. It was so beautiful. I put the top down and rode to
everyone´s house to show it off. Then I went to my neighborhood church to have
a priest bless it. Everyone had his or her cars blessed in our Italian neighborhood.
I thanked my sister Marie with much love.</p>
<p>The band was also doing very well at the Cinderella Club five nights a week. Joey
had learned to play the bass and he bought a new Fender bass and amp. Our band will
improve immensely with a bass. I was now learning R&B tunes to teach to the band,
and I now had a new approach in creating a new sound. I first had Aldo tune the bass
drum to a low A, D, or E note depending upon the sound of the room. I would ask just
the two of them to play. With only the bass and drums playing I should feel the
bottom pouncing on my heart. Then we would tune-up together. When I´m doing
this I´m very serious. When I´m on stage, I am also very serious. I only
can smile when everything is working together in rhythm. I hear every note all the
time. I know when something is out of place. With Aldo, I hear if his snare or bass
drum is not loud enough or punchy, and if he´s not staying ahead of us. I apply
the same to Joey´s bass. However, I had to learn the bass parts for Joey,
because he is lazy. It doesn´t matter. I have to learn the songs anyway. I
would learn the bass part then teach it to him.</p>
<p>When I´m on stage I keep them all on their toes. If someone slacks a bit
they get my body language. If they don´t react quickly enough, then they will
here from me verbally. I might say things like, Pick-it-up, pick-it-up, or, I
can´t here you, I can´t here you. I developed dance steps watching other
groups on stage and the band and I rehearsed them over and over. Basically, we all
know and except each other for what we are capable, and we are good friends. Everyone
would follow me. I called the songs. I counted them off and choose the tempo. I tell
the band when and where to cut the songs by using my guitar neck. Everyone has to
keep an eye on my neck. My guitar neck is my baton. I held the ending crescendos as
long as I felt, and I did most of the announcing. Everyone followed me. When we
learned a song I made sure that it was note for note with the record. This is because
every single record has its own groove. There are maybe similarities with other
records, but each record was already proven by being a hit, so why change it. Some
bands develop a different style to present the song, but most of the time their style
or arrangement isn´t as good as the original. The way it works is this: Once
you play the song exactly as it is for two weeks straight, it either stays the same,
or changes itself to a similar groove that the band develops itself. If it stays the
same, then the groove is happening. However, if the groove changes, then that change
must be better than the original or I will return it back to its original groove.
That´s the way I do it, and that´s the way it works. More importantly,
everyone in the band agrees with my ability to accomplish all this. Thus, The
Van-Dells are now becoming more competitive. God gave me this talent so it comes
natural to me. I felt compelled to do this as if I had knew it all along.</p>
<p>It was tough, but I am working two jobs. My brother noticed that my band was
progressing, and he decided to offer me a manager position with my own store. I
believed he was trying to get me as involved as possible so that I could eventually
stray away from my band and the music business altogether. He gave me a store to
manage in the subway of the East 42nd Street station, otherwise known as <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Grand Central Station<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/627484/grandcentral.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. It was located in a deep passageway underground. This store was a very
small, hole-in-the-ground type of store. This was not the kind of a store that my
perception wanted to manage. I agreed to take it, because I really didn´t want
to say no to my brother. I wanted to stay loyal to him, but the store became very
boring, very fast. It is only 10 feet long by 5 feet wide. What kind of photography
store is this? It was more like a big box. It only was a drop off point for
developing and printing film. This sucks! It is even difficult for me to go to the
bathroom, because no one would come by to relieve me. I had to close the store and
lock it up in order to use the bathroom. I always listened to the radio intensely
everyday. There was nothing else I could actually do. It was a meningless
position</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/578972/Employ.jpg" alt="Ching Chow"
class="entryphoto2" />I had the radio on one day, and I heard that The Beatles were
about to arrive in New York. The airport was packed with thousands of screaming
girls. The Beatles arrived at Kennedy Airport and there was uttered chaos. I would
remember this day for the rest of my life. The Beatle mania thing was happening all
over the country and the world. The Beatles were staying at The Plaza Hotel on 57th
Street and 5th Avenue. The store was very slow and the radio DJ was transmitting
directly from the Plaza Hotel live. The Beatles were traveling in a motorcade of
black limousines from the airport to the hotel. The excitement was building on the
radio. I wanted so much to be there for their arrival. It wasn´t very far from
my store. I began to think¦I could jump on the train, go one stop, and I would
be there. The only way that I could be there was to close the store. Should I close
the store and go? If I did, I knew my brother would flip-out if he found out. The
radio is talking about all the people that were gathering at the Plaza Hotel waiting
for the Beatles to arrive. I then said fuck it! I love music, and this is a
one-time-event to see. This would be my opportunity to see The Beatles in person.
Therefore, I purposly closed the store.</p>
<p>I quickly hopped on the express train one stop to 57th Street, and I arrived at
the Plaza Hotel. There were massive people waiting for the Beatles. I pushed my self
through the front of the crowd, and patiently waited. About a half hour later, the
limousines pulled up, and the crowd went crazy. Paul McCartney got out of the limo
and waved, and <a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">I was right
there<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/977334/plaabeatlesight.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, just across the street. Then I saw the other Beatles exit the limos and
they also wave to the crowd. What an experience! I then decided to quickly return to
the store. I was away from the store for about two-hours, but as I returned it
appeared that no one had noticed. Great! I reopened the store, put on the radio, and
continued to listen to the excitement.</p>
<p>The next day, my brother had learned probably from the ajoining neighbors who had
businesses nearby that I had closed the store for a few hours. He became extremely
mad. He asked me why I left the store, and I told him the truth. I went to see The
Beatles arrival at the Plaza Hotel. He was not thrilled, but he said nothing.</p>
<p>The next week, he transferred me to another store on the opposite side of town,
42nd Street and 8th Avenue. Unlike the other store, this store was extremely busy. My
brother asked me to take the money at the end of the day and drop it in the same
chute where the customers would drop their film to be developed overnight. He said
that he would retrieve it in the morning before I arrived to work. Everything was
going very smooth for about three weeks. The band was forming large crowds at the
Cinderella Club, I had a new car and I was making good money. My bother paid me two
hundred dollars a week off the books and I was making three hundred and fifty dollars
with the band. Together I was pulling in $550.00 a week. Not bad for a 19 year old
kid.</p>
<p>Then one afternoon my brother asked me, Where is the money you were supposed to
drop in the chute last night when you closed the store? I replied that I dropped the
money in the chute as usual. He said that the money was not there in morning. I told
him that I put it in the chute as usual. He said well maybe you forgot to put it in
the chute. I got pissed off and replied, What the fuck do you want me to say Tommy? I
put the money in the chute. My brother said that the money wasn´t there. I
again replied that I put where it was supposed to go¦I don´t know what
happened if it´s not there. What I did not know, was that my brother called our
mother, and told her that I stole the money from the store. He went on to tell her
that I probably stole it because I needed to pay for my car payment. My sister Marie
conveyed it to me about two weeks later.</p>
<p>My mother never said a word about it to me. I then purposely spoke to her, and I
told her that I know that my brother told you that I stole some money, but I
didn´t. I went on to tell her that I wouldn´t steal from anyone. It is
not in my nature. I added that I believed that my brother stole it, and he tried to
blame it on me. In fact, I am sure of it. I don´t need to steal money. I make
more money with the band than I could ever make with the store. My mother confronted
me about stealing the money as if she refused to believe me. That caused me to
explode at her for believing only in my brother. I became very frustrated and annoyed
that my own mother would not believe me. I told my mother to tell my brother that I
quit! I told my mother that I didn´t need the fucking job.... I will make it
with the band. From now on, I´m going to work with the band and concentrate on
the music.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146102212535028242006-04-26T21:41:00.000-04:002006-12-24T09:42:26.743-05:00Chapter 13 - The Cinderella Club and Trude Heller's and the day America died<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/424614/CINERELL.jpg"
alt="The Vandells Cinderella Club Ad" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 13 - The Cinderella Club and Trude Heller's and the day America
died.</h2>
<div id="menu">
The Cinderella Club is great and we are finally playing in the Village. The owner
loved us and after the first week, he wanted us to be the main band at the Cinderella
Club. The club had two bands on Friday and Saturday night, but we were the only band
during the week. The club was slow and there were not many people strolling through
the area. Joey practiced a great deal on the bass, but it wasn´t until our
second week, live at the club, that he really got the feel of it. That was all right,
because we started on a Tuesday when only a few people showed up. On the weekend
everybody was drunk and didn´t care about anything. However, after about four
weeks we were packing in a large crowd, but the crowd sucked. It was mostly a
laid-back atmosphere type club. Know one dressed-up to come to this club. Our band
had to dress down to eventually fit in because normally we always dress well. This is
because The Cinderella Club is located on West 4th Street and not on West 8th Street
where everything is really happening. West 8th Street is the main drag. That is where
we wanted to eventually be.<br />
<br />
<p>For now we needed to use The Cinderella Club to try to create the sound for
Trude´s. We were just a three-piece group, but we all sang and that alone that
made us sound very big. Now that Joey´s playing the bass we needed to work on
our vocal harmonies with Joey´s bass in hand. Then we needed to work on better
songs and since I´m working for my brother in the day it will take a while for
us to accomplish this. We have time and we are all making good money. Most of all
we´re having fun.</p>
<p>Since we were now just a few blocks away from Trude Heller´s, Aldo, Joey,
and I walked over to West 8th Street on our break to see what was happening. We
strolled down <a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">McDougal
Street<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/482220/mcdougalstreet.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> toward West 8th Street, and when we arrived to Eighth Street, we saw this
massive beautiful crowd standing outside this club called, The Eighth Wonder. We
could not get too close to the club because there are just too many people standing
in front of the place. Therefore, we walked over to West 9th Street to take a look at
Trude´s club, whom ever she is! Believe it or not, the club was not too
crowded. It seems the Eighth Wonder club is stealing the show tonight. We walked back
up West 8th and there were other clubs. Some located in basements and others one
flight up from the street level, but they were all not really happening. Then we
proceeded back to the Cinderella and passed the crowd hanging around The Eight
Wonder. I told the guys that next week we have to go into The Eighth Wonder to
check-it-out. They all agreed.</p>
<p>The next week on Tuesday, which was our night off, we arrived at The Eighth Wonder
to check-it-out. We walked in and the bar was located immediately on the left. A man
came to us and asked if we wanted a table. We accepted. He walked us to a table and
we were seated. Apparently there is a cover charge of five dollars per person to sit
at a table. There were only about ten people in the club. The band was good. It was
only a four-piece group and they had a very nice sound. The band was called, Joey
Greco and the Firelites. We called the manager of the club, the same man who seated
us, and began talking to him. I told him that we were a band that was now playing at
The Cinderella Club on West 4th Street, and that we wanted to play at this club. The
manager smiled and introduced himself as Joel Heller. I said, Holy shit, are you
related to Trude Heller Joel laughed at my innocence. He said, Yes, that is my
mother. I enthusiastically told him that we wanted desperately to play at his
mother´s club. Joel went on to say that the only way an unknown band could play
at his mother´s club was to make a mark in his club first. He also said that
his mother was very strict about bands. Hearing this, I then asked for an audition.
He replied, OK. Come do a couple of sets next Tuesday night. It is the slowest night
of the week. Come audition around 9:00pm and if you are good we will talk. Great! I
replied. We shook his hand to thank him. He told us that we didn´t have to pay
the cover charge. We continued to watch the other band to learn some pointers and
then we left. Wow, I said, What a nice guy he is. I told Aldo and Joey that if we get
into this club we would only be one step from a dream come true. Joey and Aldo both
agreed.</p>
<p>The next Tuesday, we showed up at The Eighth Wonder and set-up our instruments. We
played our first set and then we broke and turn the stage over to Joey Greco´s
group. I told Aldo to go speak to Joel and ask him if he likes us. I told Aldo that
this is where we need your business sense. Go secure a gig here. Aldo sat at the rear
bar with Joel Heller for a talk. Aldo returned to give us the good news. Apparently,
Joel liked us so much that he booked us to play along side of Joey Greco´s band
indefinitely. Joey and I were lost for words. Not bad for a three-piece group! We
were now one step closer to playing the main Trude Heller´s club. As it would
turn out, it would be a giant step.</p>
<p>We had to finish our week with the Cinderella Club. We told the owner that we were
leaving, and the owner looked very sad. He asked why, and we told him that we were
going to start at The Eighth Wonder next week. The owner was so very wonderful to us,
but he understood and wished us well. Now we have another full time gig, Tuesday
through Saturday at the Eighth Wonder. I told Aldo that we should now think about
expanding the band. We all agreed, and decided to look for a sax player.</p>
<p>We started our gig at the Eighth Wonder and everything went fine. Everyone liked
us and we were beginning to become very comfortable. Joey Greco and his band are real
helpful to us. They made us feel very comfortable. However, we were anxious to meet
Trude Heller herself. In talking with Joey Greco´s band, we were confronted
with a few disturbing answers to some of our questions. First we learned that Joey
Greco´s band was working at The Eighth Wonder over a year. They were called to
fill-in at Trude Heller´s six times in the past year, and each time they were
returned back to The Eighth Wonder the next day. They never had the opportunity to
play there more than one night. Second, that Trude Heller is gay and she is very mean
and strict with bands. If the band did not lower down their sound when she told them
to, she would fire them on the spot, and were told to pack their gear and get out.
This was while the whole club is jammed packed with people. Wow! To make things
worst, we learned that she rarely ever comes to visit this club The Eighth Wonder. It
was a club to keep her son Joel out of her hair and keep him busy. Thus it seemed to
be pretty depressing news if you ask me. We had hoped that somehow she would get wind
of us, but I also must say that Joel Heller is a very nice guy and enjoyable to work
for.</p>
<p>Joey Greco´s band was indeed correct! We have been playing at the Eighth
Wonder now for over a month, and we had never seen or heard anything about his mother
Trude Heller. However, we are meeting and playing with many beautiful girls. The club
hired these cute little female dancers named, <br /><a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Salisbury
Twins<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/671841/SalisburyTwins.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. The girls looked identical. The twins thought that Joey and I were twins.
In fact, most of the girls we were meeting at the club had been mixing us up. A girl
that Joey knew would come up to me thinking I was Joey, and a girl I knew would come
to Joey thinking he was I. I do not know why, I don´t think that Joey and I
look alike at all, but apparently the girl´s seem to think so. When we would
correct this mix-up, the girls would say to us, Oh, Well you must be brothers. We
would tell the girls that we weren´t brothers, but they would never believe us.
It was such a confusing issue, that Joey and I decided to tell them that we were
indeed brothers. Everyone believed us and therefore the confusing issue was resolved.
The Salisbury Twins thought we were twins and of course we told them that we were.
This made it easy for Joey and me to date them. We needed to change our names because
Joey and I were fooling around so much that we thought it would be good to develop a
stage name. Therefore, I changed my name to Chuck Harris, and Joey changed his to
Joey Martino.</p>
<p>It was easy for Joey and me to fool around with the Salisbury twins. We looked
like double twins when we were all together. The Salisbury twins were very young in
their brains, maybe about 13 years old, but they were very sexy and hot. The twins
had the day off on Tuesday night so they decided to be with us at the club. I had my
car parked in front of the club so that Joey and I and the twins could hangout in it
during our break. That night we were all in my car. I am sitting in the front seat
with one of the twins and Joey was in the back with the other. The twins a spray can
from their purse. They then began spraying this white foam type junk throughout the
interior of the car. I began yelling at them to stop, but they continued spraying it
all over Joey and me, and everywhere throughout the car. It looked like shaving
cream. The twins were uncontrollable. I quickly grabbed the spray can from them and I
began spraying the white foam on the twin´s faces. The twins began yelling and
screaming as Joey and I were laughing. Suddenly, a man came up to the car and knocked
on the window. I looked, and he presented a gold police badge at me. I lowered the
window to learn that they are two undercover police detectives. They asked us all to
exit the car. I was pissed! This is Tuesday night and there is hardly anyone walking
on the streets, and these two dicks come out of nowhere and spoil our fun with the
girls. They asked me for my license and registration. I asked them, What´s up,
were not bothering any one. They did not like that, so they asked to see
everyone´s ID. The twin´s shuffled around through their purse, which was
all covered with the white foam, and handed the police their ID´s. Meanwhile,
Joey is only 17 years old. I was hoping that the detectives would not notice our band
photo on the clubs window. One must be 18 to perform in a club, and have in
possession a cabaret license. Joey told the detective that he did not have his ID. I
tried to steer the cops thought a pattern away from the club window, and then they
asked us what we were doing here. While we were explaining that we were just having a
little fun, the other detective looked at the marquee and noticed we were the band.
After learning that Joey was underage, the cop called Joel Heller out front and told
him about Joey. That triggered a set of problems for Joel, but after a long
discussion they agreed to let Joey play at the club as long as he did not drink. The
cops then walked on their way. Mutherfuckering cops. That is what they were. Give
them a badge and they will play God. Joel used excellent diplomatic tack to get us
out of that unexpected situation. Joel then told us all to get inside, and as we
apologized to him. Joel told us not to worry. Joel loved us, because he finally had
two excellent bands playing in his club. He definitely did not want to loose that.
Joel has a warm heart.</p>
<p>The next Tuesday night was very special evening. Guess who showed up at the club?
Trude Heller herself! She came in on this quiet night and sat in the back where it
was dark. She watched our performance carefully and left just before we were
preparing to break. We were very happy with that, because now she knows who we are.
Joel didn´t mention anything so I guess she came to see the new boys on the
block. Great news! Now at least we know that she knows who we are. Everyone in our
band was ecstatic.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, The Beatles music is changing the world. Music had never been the same
since they came about. There are many England rock bands that are being exposed, and
trying to follow The Beatles footsteps. These new bands are very good. They call it
the English Invasion. However, Rhythm and Blues is also gaining momentum. It is a
wonderful time to be alive and enjoy music. You could see the attitudes changing
throughout the country. More and more clubs are starting to form, and people are
starting to get out more to enjoy themselves in the clubs and the girls are very easy
to be with. It seems that everyone has their guard down feeling very good and
comfortable about their lives, but <i>something is about to drastically happen that
would destroy it all and change the world and America forever</i>.</p>
<p>My life is very good now. I´m very happy. I love the positive progression of
the band and the way life is moving with it. I'm also making some good money too so
things are moving very well. If I could just move and get away from this negativity
toward music and my being in this business from members of my family at just my home,
things will be about perfect. So the next thing to do is that I need to concentrate
on moving out of my house.</p>
<p>I was at home learning some new songs when I heard that President Kennedy was <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">shot and
killed<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/87182/kennedyshot.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I could not believe my ears. I continued to learn songs as though nothing
had happened. I unconsciously developed a mental block toward it. The music scene, my
life is so wonderful and happening that I did not want any thing to disturb it.
Nothing was on my mind on November 22, 1963, but the excitement of waiting to get
back up to the stage and play.</p>
<p>Still not grasping the ramifications of this day or hour, I jumped in my
convertible and turned left on Avenue V to West 6th Street. I made a right and
proceeded up West 6th Street, then another right on to Avenue W, and a quick right on
86th Street. When I got to Barney´s candy store, I made a left and traveled
around the streets curving around the Marlboro projects, which shortly becomes Avenue
Z. When I hit the light at Stillwell Avenue nd Avenue Z, I make a quick left and
right on to Bay 50th Street, which leads me onto the Belt Parkway entrance on te
other side of Cropsey Avenue. Once on the Belt Parkway, the ride takes me past the
Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which is the largest span bridge in the world. The bridge
connects Brooklyn to Staten Island. I pass under it and the view is just beautiful.
As I pass the <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Bayridge area<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/603779/beltpkwy.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> of
Brooklyn.... O´shit! ...A fucking cop....he´s sitting along the side of
the road on the grass.... Here he comes.... His lights are on.... I get a fucking
ticket. 62 in a 50! They see new cars and they love to nail you. I am off again; let
me read this ticket...$20.00. Fuck¦Thank God I am making good money. Another
three points! Now I´ll have nine points altogether. If I get another speeding
ticket I´ll loose my license.</p>
<p>I am now heading on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway that elevates above 3rd Avenue.
It is a long straight stretch, which eventually curves to the left and trestles high
over Redhook, Brooklyn. There is nothing on the radio except information about the
President Kennedy killing. Then after about 1000 yards, the BQE trestles down again
and I now have a choice.... Go straight to enter the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, which
exits into the lower Wall Street area of Manhattan. It is a $1.00 toll. Or bear right
on the continuation of the BQE. I always go that way. Fuck the toll. I continue on
the BQE as it now descends below street level until we hit Park Slope. Then the BQE
glides along the coast of Park Slope with a magnificent view of the East River and
lower Manhattan. As we pass under the Brooklyn Bridge, we take the next exit, which
is the entrance ramp on to the Brooklyn Bridge. Once on the bridge we pass over the
East River, which separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. As I come off the Brooklyn
Bridge, I enter Chambers Street, and after three blocks west, I make a right on
Church Street. I head north on Church Street, which connects directly to 6th Avenue,
also known as Avenue of the Americas. I travel north on Sixth Avenue. I then pass
Soho, which is a short term for South of Houston Street, then I cross Houston Street
and pass Noho, and then into the West Village. I drive to West 8th Street make a
right and there is the Eighth Wonder. I have to get a shirt. I left my house too
fast. I must look good tonight.</p>
<p>This Kennedy killing is now becoming very serious. I am just starting to feel the
effect it is having on me. Joey and Aldo arrived at the club in a state of ultimate
confusion as well. There are no patrons inside the Eight Wonder. Everyone is in a
continuous state of shock. We performed. But Joel let us go home early. The club was
empty and no one ever arrived.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/944487/jfk1.jpg"
alt="JFK's funeral, Arlington, Nov. 25, 1963" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>The next day, I spent the entire day with my father watching the TV and following
the events of the killing of our president. It was horrifying. I can remember that
day with vivid detail. I was walking up the steps in my house, which leads to the
bedrooms.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/856757/oswaldshot.jpg"
alt="Oswald Shot By Jack Ruby" class="entryphoto" />Halfway up the stairs, I heard
that they were transferring Oswald. I hesitated, thinking of turning around to go
back down the stairs to watch this part on the TV. I turned around to look at my
father watching the TV and as I was walking down the steps, I heard a shot. I saw my
father´s body jump in shock. I paused for a few seconds and my mind was in
wonderland. Then I ran down the stairs to look at the TV again. My father and I were
devastated. I will never forget that jump my father did when the gunshot sounded, but
most importantly the facial reaction he had. It was as if his world had ended. For
the next two weeks, every one in the world would be in morning. A depressing state
for the world.</p>
<p>It was the day America died ...forever!</p>
<p>Nothing is or will ever be the same again! My music career just went down the
drain. This country called America that I grew up and lived out in thus far is now
has been officially designated as ENDED!. I will never know or see that country I
knew and loved again. Things will move along very slowly, but within a few years,
nothing I lived through or experienced will ever exist again, because something
inside of me (my sense) is telling me that this ia a takeover. This event is bigger
than anyone can even imagine, except for myself.</p>
<p>OK now, I must try to go on with my life. What else can I do? The band is
happening, and I was enjoying the way my life is progressing up until now. It seems
that every year there is another improving progression in my life. I feel that life
itself was improving and people were becoming more loving to one another and happier.
The only thing on my mind right now should be progressing more effectively with the
band, and improving my guitar playing. I must think positive and stand above it all.
That is all that matters right now. However, this <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">killing of our
president<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/49123/newspaperkennedy.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> is fucking everything up including my thought process, and I'm also
aware that in reality now, everything I said is actually going to regress.</p>
<p>A few weeks later, I was sitting in front of my house relaxing and strumming on my
guitar. Suddenly, a very strange thing happened. I became inspired by Jose Feliciano
record, "Light My Fire". I had learned how to play that song, and I was fooling
around on my guitar picking with my fingers thinking of the <a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Verrazano Narrows Bridge<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/976463/verrazano.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Sometimes, when I was with a girl in my car, we would go park in the
parking area located near the Verrazano Bridge. The girl and I would make out in the
car or we would exit the car and walk around under the lights of the bridge. It is a
very beautiful sight and very romantic. Anyway, I was thinking of this and a song and
melody just shot into my head from out of nowhere. In just five minutes, the song was
completed, as if someone just transferred the lyrics and chords right into my head.
It was the first song I had ever written. To my surprise, I could not believe that I
wrote it. I was always wondering how to write songs, but this way was
ridicule´s. Anyway, I played the song for Joey the bass player and he loved it.
Thus, my first written song was, "The Verrazano Bridge".</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/547234/eighthwriteup.jpg"
alt="Eighth Wonder writeup of The Vandells" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>That evening, when I arrived at the Eighth Wonder, I decided I was going to hang
out at Trude Heller´s club when I was on my breaks to observe. I did this for
two weeks and everyone who works there now knows me. I have been watching everything
that goes on in the club. I definitely know what Trude Heller looks like now, and I
have been watching her actions. She is tough all right and a good business person!
She sits in the corner table near the back by the bar. I watched her one night get
up, and walk silently down the little isle between the tables and looks at the band
as she holds her ear lobe. That is her key for the band to lower down. She then would
walk back to her table and sit down again. I've been watching the movement in the
club and everyone s actions and I'm picking it all up and learning it. If a band did
not respond to her silent hand requests, she would fire them immediately on the spot.
In the middle of the evening, with the place packed, the band would have to pack up
and leave swiftly. Then she would call up the next band and tell them to play a
double set while she summoned a replacement band from The Eighth Wonder. The band at
the Eighth Wonder whom she chose would have to take their guitars without the cases,
walk around the corner, enter Trude Heller´s, and proceed in the kitchen to
wait to be called to perform, which was usually after the next song after they
arrived. Now after playing a set at Trude Heller´s, the replacement band would
then go back around the corner to The Eighth Wonder and play another set. The band
would have to do this, play contiuously all night without a break untill 4am in the
morning. Joey Greco had explained it all to me at one time before. It seems that is
the only way a band is going to play a night at Trude Heller´s unless you are a
well-known accepted group.</p>
<p>Sure enough, the following week, she fired a band, but instead of calling us, she
called Joey Greco´s band as the replacement. We were very disappointed of
course, but we were patiently hanging in there. Meanwhile, Aldo found a sax player
named Ritchie whom he met somewhere in New Jersey. Ritchie came to the Eighth Wonder
for an afternoon rehearsal. We asked Joel Heller if he would tell the janitor to let
us in for practice. He agreed and Joel also showed us how to turn on the lights and
PA system. Joel instructed the janitor to let us in the club for rehearsal. Ritchie
the sax was fucking great! He also was a wonderful young guy and he had a great
voice. He loved to sing background. He knew music and music theory like the back of
his hand. I could tell him to play a part a certain way, and he would do it
instantaneously without a problem. As a bonus, he also played the flute very well. He
was a long standing musician in demand. He was a free-lance musician and making a
good living. We asked him if he wanted to join our group and he quickly replied yes
without any hesitation. Wow! We now have a wonderful new addition to the band, a sax,
flute, and a forth voice.</p>
<p>That night at the Eighth Wonder our first set with Ritchie on the sax, flute and
voice blew everyone away, including Joel Heller. Joey Greco´s band felt very
helpless. We were below them in standing and experience ever since we arrived in this
club, but tonight we jumped way ahead of them all in one moment. In the following two
days getting tighter and tighter the band was smoking. Our vocal harmonies had become
much richer and full with a forth voice. With another lead instrument and lead
singer, not to mention the flute, we expanded our repertoire. We were now
concentrating on learning and playing more R&B tunes. We had quickly expanded our
horizons. What a difference the right person makes. The right type of musician
added.</p>
<p>It did not take long for Trude Heller to hear about our new sound, and doing
something that she is never known to do, she quickly and secretly arrives at The
Eighth Wonder to hear our new expanded band, and she made herself very noticeable to
us. She even asked Joel to invite us to her table for an introduction. We all went to
her table and shook hands with her, but that was all, because her vibes felt very
distant. However, things are looking great! She complimented us on our new sound and
we just smiled. We were still waiting for that big break, even though we somehow knew
now it was eventually coming, and we were very excited about it. The point now is
when and where she will call for us.</p>
<p>The next evening, Trude had secretly returned to the Eighth Wonder once again. I
noticed her sitting in the back end of the Eighth Wonder in a darkly lit corner
table. However, I also noticed, as I was playing that Trude had some personal company
with her. I was straining my eyes to distinguish who was sitting with her. It looks
like <a id="menu6"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Xavier Cugat<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/344716/XavierCugat.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
and some young blond female. I whispered to the guys on stage that Xavier Cugat was
sitting with Trude at the back table. When our band finished our set we were quickly
escorted by her son Joel to Trude´s table. We were introduced to Xavier Cugat
and this young foxy Spanish girl named <a id="menu7"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Charo<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/916073/charo.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. We all could
not take our eyes off of her. Her big breasts were popping out of her dress. Then
Trude told us that Charo is an up-and-coming-singer. Trude asked us if we would like
to back Charo in performing some songs here at The Eighth Wonder. We all quickly
agreed. We didn´t want to refuse any requests by Trude. The only problem was
that Charo spoke no English and she was new to America. We had then set-up rehearsal
schedules. I told Trude that I would be happy to pick Charo up at her apartment on
East 34th Street and drop her off there after rehearsals. Everyone agreed. I wanted
to get into Charo´s pants so badly. She had a most beautiful little tightly
shaped body. Although Charo didn´t speak any English, I was going to try and
put the make on her. The next week as scheduled, I arrived at Xavier Cugat´s
apartment waiting for Charo to enter my Chevy impala convertible. I had the top down
to create a special mood. I bopped the horn, and shortly thereafter she arrived and
sat in my Chevy. She looked fucking hot! Here I was¦driving downtown toward
the West Village with this beautiful Spanish blond in my car. I tried to communicate
with her, but it was extremely difficult. She was so actively alive and fresh with
enthusiasm, and she was extremely friendly and happy. I wondered, as well as the band
members, how she became the girlfriend of Xavier Cugat. I guess in a way it is
simple¦Hey girl; I´ll make you a star routine.</p>
<p>Charo and I arrived at the Eighth Wonder and the band had been waiting for us. We
had a most difficult time trying to find a song that we could do with her. She then
took out her classical nylon string guitar and sang us a song in Spanish that she had
already knew. We tried to develop an arrangement to her song, but it was not in tune
to our style of music. We had eventually developed some sort of guideline, but time
had passed very quickly so we had to continue our rehearsal with her the next day. I
had to return her home. Charo and I entered my convertible and I took a long route
back to her apartment. I wanted to make it with her badly!</p>
<p>The next day, I again picked Charo her up at her apartment. This time I decided to
show her a little of the city during our trip downtown. We drove around through the
Wall Street area. Charo was digging it with much excitement. We tried communicating
with one another, but again it was almost impossible. I knew that if I would pick her
up and drop her off everyday that I eventually would get much closer to her, and she
to me. Oh, would I love to do her.</p>
<p>After about a week of escorting Charo to rehearsals, we were going to perform our
first engagement together on Saturday night. Xavier Cugat and Trude Heller attended,
and both were anxiously observing. As Charo sang, she would often turn to me and
smile. She and I had now developed a nice friendship even though there was a language
barrior. Xavier, watching closely, quickly noticed the little bond that we had both
developed. He showed some jealously as he watched his little sweetheart perform. The
next day, Charo and Xavier were gone. We never ever heard anything from them again.
Trude also had never made a mention about they´re whereabouts or they´re
future intentions. I expected Xavier to sweep Charo away from our band. We were all
about the same age as her, and our band was very handsome. As far as the band was
concerned, Charo actually did not fit in our style of music. With the language
barrior it was more of an aggravation than anything else. The lack of communication
and the undeveloped musical ability of Charo was more of a hindrance to us. We were
actually glad that she was gone. However, she was one of the most beautiful and
friendly young woman that we had ever seen, and what an incredible body she has!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I am digging this new girl Barbara who has been hanging out at the
Eighth Wonder every weekend with her girlfriends. These girls came from and live in
New Jersey. Barbara has got a cute little body and some nice tits. She not great
looking but I think she likes me too. It is something I need to investigate
further.</p>
<p>Our band´s sound is progressing better and better. A month and a half had
gone by very quickly and after Charo, we didn't see her much. We were thinking that
her interest in us was only for Charo and not for her big club. We were feeling a
little disappointed. We thought that something would have happened by now. In the
meantime, our contiuing great improvement is deteriorating Joey Greco´s band
very rapidly. It´s not that Joey Greco´s band sounds any different.
It´s just that we sound ten times better. It is beginning to become an
embarrassment for Joey, and as such, we are feeling kinda sad that we are doing this
to his band because he such a wonderful inspirational guy and a wonderful
guitarist.</p>
<p>One night, while we were performing on stage, I saw Joel Heller suddenly pick-up
the telephone. He doesn't answer the phone unless mother is calling. While he was on
the telephone, he was continuously looking at us and smiling. I knew that something
was up. I turned to Joey and told him that I think that something is brewing. Joey
asked What? I told him to look at Joel. I then turned to Aldo and said, This could be
the shot that we have been waiting for, as I nodded to Aldo to look at Joel Heller
talking on the phone. We just knew that the next time Trude requested a band that it
would be us, but the phone had never rang up until now. No doubt about it! Joel then
hung-up the telephone and gave us the cut sign by sliding his hand across his neck.
In sign language, I asked Joel, You want us to cut? Joel then put out his arm and
pointed to Trude Heller´s. Oh man, we went crazy! We got so excited. We quickly
ended the song in extreme happiness, grabbed our instruments, and before we went out
the door, we each slapped Joel´s hand with a high-five. Joel told us with a big
smile on his face, Well, this is the moment you guys have been waiting for,
knock´em dead! It seems that a top band showed up at Trude Heller´s
incomplete, and she got pissed and told them to pack up and leave. She called us in
to take their place. The big break! We are now about to play a performance of a
lifetime.</p>
<p>Trude Heller´s is known as the biggest and most exciting happening club in
America. Hollywood stars and the jet setter´s frequented her club daily. All
the big names in the business, as well as, the most important and influential people
attended her club. It was the place to be. However, just because a band is filling in
from The Eighth Wonder doesn´t mean that the band would play there again, or
full-time. Almost every band from The Eighth Wonder who had to fill-in at
Trude´s had returned to The Eighth Wonder the following day. However, this is
our chance to get down and boogie and show her what we got and what we can do. It was
the moment we have been waiting for it is a Friday night. The biggest night of the
week! We grabbed our instruments and ran around the block to Trude´s club.</p>
<p>As we exited the club, West 8th Street was jammed with people, and as we were
running through the crowds, with our instruments in hand, everyone stared at us and
thought that we were nuts. Imagine walking along on a busy street in Manhattan and
seeing a band all dressed in blue sparkle jackets running with guitars and a sax pass
you. What would you think? It was weird.</p>
<p>We entered the club and all the workers were waiting for us to arrive. We noticed
the great pleasing expression on Trude´s face that we made it to the club very
quickly, and wasted no time. We were shocked to see that there was no band playing.
We got up on the stage plugged in while everyone in the audience was quietly waiting
and watching, and we quickly began to play. Everyone at first just stared at us for a
moment until they started to feel the groove. As soon as they felt the strong groove
we were laying down, everyone began to move. Once they started to move they began to
smile, and then the place was began jumping. As we got to the third song
instantaneously, (Instantaneously means, As soon as the song ended, one had to
quickly start the next song so that the momentum was never lost, and Trude loved
this.) We were prepared for this moment, the club was jumping and Trude began to
smile openly. I could see that she was very impressed at our attitudes and quickness.
Then in the middle of our fourth song, she did her famous, to the ear lobe,
lowering-down-act. However, we were all prepared for this and she didn't know that we
knew. She got up from her table walked silently down the narrow isle and put her hand
to her ear lobe as if she was going to train us to follow her comands. We had
practiced to instantaneously lower down on command at The Eighth Wonder many times to
get an instant simultanious lower down. Before she could take her hand away from her
ear we freaked her out by instantly lowering the sound a few notches. We can see the
happiness in her expression as she walked back to her table. It was as if we were
playing there for years. After we finished our set we quickly headed back to The
Eighth Wonder to do another forty-minute set then it was back to Trude´s to
perform a forty-minute set again. We did this going back and forth thing for the
remainder of the evening. It was extremely tiring! As soon as we finished our last
set at Trude´s, Trude requested to talk with Aldo in her private office. A good
sign! Aldo was in her office for about a half-hour so we all thought that this was a
positive reaction and something good could come of it! We were all hoping! Aldo
finally exited her office and said, "Well boys, as of the following Monday, we are
now playing full-time at Trude Heller´s!" Bam!!!! We are in!!!! Not only are we
playing at Trude Heller´s, but she wants us to be the main house band. We get
one week off every month, and we all would be earning $500.00 cash a week each. That
is $1,500 a month each! It is our dream coming true. Tomorrow night at The Eighth
Wonder our band will have a great going away celebration with Joel Heller and Joey
Greco.</p>
<p>The next day, I told my family the good news, but they were not impressed in the
least. My sister Jeannette again reiterated that if I continue doing music I would
regret it in my older life. My mother kept asking me to get a real job and
specifically stressed that I should have remained working for my brother. A slight
argument erupted as I tried to defend myself in the mist all this negative energy.
All I know is that I must get away from this house. The TV was on at my house and the
news was very disturbing. It seems that our new <a id="menu8"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">President Johnson<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/63033/johnson.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
is escalating the war in Vietnam. Since the past and current new musical revolution
had made the country happier and more outgoing, no one wants this war. <br /><a id="menu9"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Anti-war demonstrations<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/908107/demostration1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> are beginning to pop-up all over the place. Everyone is now
talking against his bad actions, and this Vietnam War. I´m sure that if enough
people stand against this thing, and it looks as thought this is happening, the War
will dissipate or or I hope it will.</p>
<p>That evening, we all celebrated our last night at the Eighth Wonder. Trude gave us
Sunday evening off so that we could start at her club on Monday. Joel Heller
surprisingly bought us a cake and he gave our band free drinks on the house. Joey
Greco´s band was very happy for us. They were actually glad that we were
leaving, because then they would have their number-one position back at the Eighth
Wonder again. So, everyone was happy! We all had a wonderful time that evening. I
grabbed the girl Barbara and gave her a big kiss, and I asked her to come to
Trude´s to hangout and see me. Barbara pleasantly agreed!</p>
<p>We opened at Trude´s on Monday night. We needed a professional photo of our
group for the Marquee located out front just as the other bands had. I had noticed
that the name Bruno of Hollywood was on all the professional photos of bands.
Therefore, I suggested to Aldo that we do the same. Aldo would set it up!</p>
<p>We were now extremely better than The Jimmy Castor Bunch; in fact, no band could
come hear to us except for Benny Gordon & the Soul Brothers. They were playing
elsewhere and occasionally they would be available for Trude Heller´s. Benny
Gordon´s band was originally a church group. They knew how to get down and
swing and they had two horns. They enjoyed performing in church vesus a club. When
they were not playing at Trude´s, they mostly performed at black clubs. They
were the only band we knew that could out-perform and out-groove us on stage. The
Van-Dells had made the transition. When we obtained Ritchie the sax, we began
focusing on performing more R&B tunes recorded by Wilson Picket, Sam & Dave,
Otis Redding, and Booker T & the MG´s. So now that we´re playing full
time at Trude´s, we must concentrate on adding a trumpet. I believed that if we
added a trumpet, then no one would be able to touch us. It would be the next step in
competing with Benny Gordon´s band when they would arrive.</p>
<p>Trude occasionally had independant guest vocalist that came on the stage to
perform a couple of songs. One of these singers was Monte Rock the III. Monte Rock is
a gay, rich, former hairdresser turned artist/vocalist. I liked Monte. He was very
mysterious unique character. He would get his only fame ten years later when he
received a part in a movie as the DJ in, Saturday Night Fever. Anyway, Monte Rock and
I became pretty good friends.</p>
<p>The next and immediate step was to take professional pictures to place on the
Trude Heller marquee in front of the club. Aldo had set-up a session with the best
theatrical photographer in the business, Bruno of Hollywood. They have taken photos
of all the well known stars. I wanted to look my best for the shoot so I asked Monte
Rock the III, who was also, and originally, a hairdresser, if he would style my hair
for the shoot. Monte said yes and he invited me to his apartment and proceeded to
restyle my hair. I had no idea what he was going to do with my hair. I just had to
trust his theatrical sense. I wanted something unique. When he finished it, I looked
in the mirror and got pissed off and shocked at what I had saw. He had cut it way too
short. I didn't say anything to him. I smiled and just thanked him, but I was
extremely disappointed. I really didn't need him to get a short haircut like that. I
just could have went to a regular barber for a look like that. I had no other
alternative now, but to make it grow back again and continue with the new photos
looking like this. Anyway, we arrived at the studios of Bruno of Hollywood and the
photographic session went well. It was very expensive, but we are playing the big
time now so we had to do it. The following week, the new photos were obtained, and <a id="menu10"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">our new look was born<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/249350/vandell1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, but I hated my short hair style in the photos.</p>
<p>A few weeks later, Benny Gordon arrived to perform at Trude Heller´s to
knockout The Van-Dells, the new R & B white kids on the block. Benny and his band
played the first set and they tore the house down. Our band was no match for
Benny´s group, but we did stand head to head with them. When we played, we were
a great contrast for the crowd. After a few nights of playing together, Benny and his
band developed a great respect for us, because he could not knock us out. They out
grooved us and created a storm, but when we played, we had the crowd almost equally
pleased. When Benny finished his two-week span, it was an unforgetable experience to
remember for us because we stood along side the best R & B band in the city.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146101892493167882006-04-26T21:36:00.000-04:002006-12-24T10:42:06.770-05:00Chapter 14 - The Four Tops<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/204738/fourtops.jpg"
alt="The Four Tops" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 14 - The Four Tops</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>The Guitar player in Benny´s group was Sammy Gordon. He was not related to
Benny, they just shared the same last name. Sammy and I had become good friends. I
wanted very badly to learn some of his great guitar licks. He had a strange way of
playing guitar. When I asked him what chord he was playing, he didn´t know. We
both had no formal lessons. We both learned by ear except I knew the chords I was
playing and he did not. I often tried to examine Sammy´s style of playing. I
would try to pick out some of his lines. Now that we are the main band at
Trude´s, I am becoming close to him. We were able to work together and build a
competing friendship. Sammy also wanted to learn some of my licks. It wanted us to
get together to exchange chords and licks, but it was difficult because when I
wasn´t on stage he was. I'm going to have to find a solutuion. I want to learn
some of his riffs.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I have, since The Eighth Wonder, been seeing Barbara often. On the
weekends after the gig, I drove Barbara home to Jersey City, New Jersey. Once there I
would park my car under this desolate overpass that has barely any street lights, and
Barbara and I would make-out for hours. We would make-out until the sun came out. We
practically did that almost every weekend, Friday and Saturday nights. Barbara had a
great little body, and she liked me very much. When we finally were promoted to Trude
Heller´s, Barbara and her friends could very rarely come to see us, because it
was too packed and a lot more expensive. So I used to tell Barbara to meet me at the
neighborhood bar just up the block from Trude´s on West 9th Street. This is
where the band and I hung out on our breaks. Every weekend up until 3:00am in the
morning, Barbara would be waiting for me. However, A new female was about to enter
the picture.</p>
<p>Trude hired a new female dancer. Her name was Yvonne. She was from France and a
ballet dancer with the Jodfrey Ballet in New York. Yvonne had an apartment in the
West Village at 7th Avenue and Perry Street. She was a tall slim blonde-haired girl
with a most incredible body and looks. She had a beautiful petite mouth with a great
smile. She was very difficult to get to know, but she soon became attracted to me.
One night, Yvonne invited me to her apartment after work for a drink. I accepted of
course, and after talking with her for a while, she asked me to sleep over. We
eventually entered her bed, but honestly, I had never had sex with a girl before. I
did not know exactly what to do? She started to massage my penis and I started to
message her vagina. I was feeling for the opening to where I was supposed to put it.
I felt something, she was very tight, and I did not know if that was exactly the
spot. She positioned her self in a way to guide me. I was afraid of making a stupid
mistake. I just let her be the director. I finally got it in, and boy, it felt
fantastic. She started moaning and moaning and I eventually came inside her. It was a
wonderful first sexual feeling. Yvonne is a very hot and beautiful looking girl.</p>
<p>The next day, Yvonne made me breakfast and treated me like a king. She had a
wonderful little two-room apartment that was very quiet situated on the top floor of
this four-story brownstone. The next night at work, I told Yvonne that I felt very
comfortable at her apartment. She smiled, and asked me to come home with her
again.</p>
<p>The only problem I had was trying to get a parking space for my car in her
neighborhood. My large Impala convertible had problems fitting anywhere. I would have
to drive around and around until I found a place to park. Manhattan is very difficult
if you own a car, but that is not going to stop me being with this French beauty.</p>
<p>We had sex again, and the following morning Yvonne requested that I move in with
her. She handed me a key to the apartment in the evening when we returned to
Trude´s to work. What a score, I am now finally out of my house in Brooklyn.
Thank God I won´t have to drive back and forth everyday and thank God I can get
away from the negativity. I am very happy and proud to have such a wonderful
beautiful girlfriend.</p>
<p>One of the first things I did, now that I was living with Yvonne, was to invite
Sammy Gordon over after work to jam and exchange licks. Sammy agreed and taught me
the black R&B way to play chords and I taught him leads. Sammy was not very good
at lead guitar, and he had much difficulty playing the licks I showed him. He was
more of a rhythm king. We would jam together for hours. After awhile, I was
progressing better than Sammy was. I was enthusiastic about learning and I was
normally very talented in anything I did.</p>
<p>Yvonne was slim, which I liked in a girl, and she was beautiful. She would
occasionally teach me ballet steps. She had a gay Filipino male friend and fellow
ballet dancer named Amadeo. He also began working at Trude Heller´s.
Amadeo´s father was in the hierarchy of government in the Philippines. Amadeo
was a wonderful person who would stretch his heart to anyone. Yvonne and I were the
talk of the town, and everyone told us that we are the perfect match. We were both
very happy and very much in love.</p>
<p>One morning, I went to my car and it had a big deep slash on the side of it. From
what I can tell, I had parked the car on the end of the corner, and a truck was
turning, and the turn was not wide enough to clear me. Truckers seem not to give a
shit about cars. I was devastated that I had this gash on my driver´s side. Not
worth declaring with the insurance company having a $500.00 deductible.</p>
<p>I couldn´t believe how wonderful it is to live in Manhattan, especially the
West Village. It is so quiet and pretty on Perry Street. It is so wonderful to be
there right in the middle of everything. You just walk out of your apartment and
there it is. Yvonne´s rent payment was $99.00 a month. It appears that the
apartment was under rent control and she received the lease from a friend. The
apartment was quaint. As you walked in, on the right it had a bar type counter with
stools and behind that, a tiny kitchen with mini stove/oven and sink. To the left was
a short hallway, about four feet that led to the small bedroom. The hallway area held
the bathroom, which had a tub. Past the bar type kitchen area is a small spacious
living room that faced the street. The two windows facing the street in the living
room had a fire escape in which you could sit out on. I am lucky to be living at 79
Perry Street with such a beautiful sexy French girl. The only problem is my car and
where to put it everyday.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/821048/chazzdrink.jpg"
alt="Chazz Newspaper Interview about the drinking age increase to 21"
class="entryphoto2" /> Meanwhile, at Trude Hellers, a journalist came to me and
wanted to interview me for the New York Daily News about the upcoming raise in the
drinking age from the now 18 years old to 21 years old. I said, "Sure!" The next day
my picture was in the newspaper. Barbara is still coming to watch us perform, and she
wants to be with me very badly. I liked Barbara a great deal, but I wasn´t
going to risk my beautiful French dancer especially since I´m living with her
in the city. Barbara had no idea I was living with Yvonne. I needed to keep it that
way, because I liked Barbara also. Therefore, I needed to make-up excuses to keep our
relationship alive.</p>
<p>Yvonne and I are living together quite happily, and the band received our one week
break from Trude Heller´s.</p>
<p>We now have a new booking agent; the world famous, William Morris Agency, and they
took charge of booking us into another venue during our Trude Heller break. They
booked us at the famous Metropole Cafe in Times Square, 49th Street and Broadway.
This gig has a bazaar set-up. The bands perform high above the bar. The Metropole was
loaded with beautiful Go-Go girls. It was made famous eventually from the movie The
Odd Couple. In a scene in the movie you can see a good friend of ours who we were
about to meet, Johnny Serrano...The Johnny Serrano band. We went over great at the
Metropole and blew the other bands away. The Go-Go girls were fantastic and Joey fell
in love with one of them. Her name is Evie. She was a beautiful Filipino. Apparently,
Evie was almost divorced, and her ex-husband came to Evie´s apartment while
Joey was there and began a confrontation with Evie. Joey stepped-in and settled it
once and for all. No one should ever mess around with Joey. Evie also had a little
girl named Nancy. Anyway they soon feel in love, and her ex-husband never bothered
her again.</p>
<p>The Metropole had a stage about three feet above the bar, and the stage was about
four feet wide. Actually it wasn´t a stage but a platform that extended from
one end of the bar to the next. It had the longest bar in New York, 250 feet long,
and they had continues music from 11am to 4 in the morning. It was located in upper
Times Square just off 49th Street and Broadway. They had 2 bands in the morning, 2
bands in the afternoon, and 2 bands in the evening. People came in and out all day
long to line up at the bar and listen to the music while watching the Go-Go girls.
They employed more Go-Go girls than any other club in New York.</p>
<p>We played at the Metropole for one week and Trude Heller became very jealous and
demanded we return back. When we returned back to Trude's she offered us more money,
but she told us that anytime The William Morris agency had a special assignment for
us that she will give us the time off to perform it. Trude herself had become our
best friend, and we all loved her very much for what she gave us from the very
beginning. She always treated us with a heavy hand, and in another way like gold.
Trude had the best club in town, and nobody ever came close. It is the place to be if
you can afford it. The drinks were 4 bucks apiece and if you wanted to sit at a table
it was 4 dollars per person per set not including drinks. That means if you are a
party of four and you each have a drink and listen to the band for one set, (which
was 40 minutes) your bill would be $32.00.00 per person. We returned to Trude´s
gladly for another month.</p>
<p>Our agent at the William Morris Agency got us this next gig to back-up the Isley
Brothers in concert in New Jersey. <br /><a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Cousin Brucie<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/49588/cousinbrucie.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>,
the famous pop radio DJ at WABC in New York, was hosting the show. We arrived at the
out door stadium and met with the Isley Brothers who saw that we were white. We
assured them that we could play funky black music with the best of them. The band
learned their songs before hand, and when we performed, we kicked ass. The Isley
Brothers loved us and said to us that it was their best performance. During the
middle of our performance, it started to rain very hard. The rain was collapsing the
tarp covering the stage. Therefore, the promoter had to stop the show. Cousin Brucie
decided to transfer the remainder of the show on a TV music program that was going on
live. So we packed up our gear and went to the television studio to complete the
performance. We performed one of <a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Isley Bros<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/659950/isleybros.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>.
greatest songs, Shout, on Cousin Brucie´s TV show from Philadelphia. We
performed so great with The Isley Bros. that everyone was talking about our band. The
agent then booked us to back-up The Four Tops, at the New Jersey State Fair.</p>
<p>The day of the performance, Joey and I hopped in his <a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Bonneville
convertible<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/837763/bonneville.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> and headed out to Trenton, NJ where we would meet Aldo the drummer
and Ritchie the sax player. Joey and I arrived at the Trenton State Fair and learned
that we were going to perform directly on an auto racetrack. So, we headed to the
track entrance area where a race was still in progress. We could hear the racecars
whizzing by and Joey and I looked at each other and said, Oh shit, those cars are
moving very fast. We could not see anything, because we were directly behind a huge
fence, but every time the cars went by, we felt the rumble. We waited, and Ritchie
and Aldo drove up directly behind us. We all got in a circle together around our cars
and were talking about how bazaar it was to be performing at a raceway. Shortly
thereafter, we heard a great roar of people as the sound of the cars reduced. We knew
then that the race was ending. As we were waiting patiently, we notice a line of
limousines forming behind us. We knew who the limos were. Then the fence opened-up
and we were of to the stage. The stage is positioned right off the racetrack, but
before we parked our car, Joey wanted to try out the racetrack with his Bonneville.
There we were progressing speed as we headed around the racetrack. The corners curved
upward as an embankment. We were now doing 110mph and I was scared shit. Joey loves
it. The workers who watched us shoot by were laughing, but the officials began
ordering us to stop. They were waving the checkered flag like crazy. Joey and I were
laughing, but Aldo the drummer got pissed off. We slowed down and parked the car. As
we exited the car, Aldo gave us a story. We entered the back stage and into the
dressing room of The Four Tops. We introduced ourselves and shook hands. We all began
talking with one another. The Four Tops were a great bunch of guys. They then
introduced us to their guitarist and musical director. The director looking at us
(white boys) said, "Did you guys ever play R&B before? Joey and I looked at Aldo
and Ritchie and I replied, No, but we already know the Tops songs. Of course, we were
only kidding, but their arranger and The Four Tops did not know that, and we could
see their sudden worries on their faces. Ask me a stupid question and I´ll give
you a stupid answer. I told the Four Tops, Don´t worry! Just tell us which and
when and everything will be all right. They all laughed except their
arranger/guitarist who then asked me to take out my guitar so that he can go over
everything with me, and I proceeded. The musical director then started strumming the
Tops songs and he was terrible, and not even funky. I watched him make a fool out of
himself to the members of our band and I agreed with everything even though we were
not going to do a thing he said. The Van-Dells was so good and prepared with great
enthusiasm that we were unstoppable. The guitarist/musical director said and done his
piece with high ego, authority, and we proceeded to our dressing rooms to get
dressed. While we were dressing Len Barry arrived and knocked on our door and quickly
said, You guys know my song? We replied, No problem! Len then replied, Great I will
see you guy´s later on stage.</p>
<p>The sky was darkening and the people were coming into the grandstand that is
located about 200 feet in front of the stage with the racetrack in-between. We had
heard that it was sold-out at 5000 people. I looked at the marquee, and again no
credit was due us. Frustrating! Things were getting pumped-up and the energy was
starting to build. Actually, all the performers are wondering what this band of white
boys is going to sound like. We did not know but all the stars were extremely
concerned. They went to the director of the show and asked him to make us open the
show with a song so they could know what was going to go down tonight. The director
of the show came to our dressing room and said you guy´s mind opening the show
with a number? We said sure. Fine!</p>
<h2 align="center">S H O W T I M E!</h2>
<p>It was really dark out in the audience as we approached center stage. Then, as we
walked out on the stage, we saw nothing but hundreds of flash bulbs going off. The
sides of the stage were packed with the artists waiting to here what we sounded like.
We plugged-in our instruments and proceeded to tune up quietly. Everyone became
quiet, but the energy is high, and everyone is anxiously waiting. We looked out to
the audience, but we could only see as far as 100 feet from the stage which was
lighted by the refection of the stage lights. Then, I approached the mike, said hello
to the audience, and introduced us. Then, knowing that everyone was anticipating, I
called out to the band the first song, which was, Shotgun, by Jr. Walker and the
All-stars. Any R&B band knows that this is the hottest funky song at the time. It
opens with only the bass and vocals. I counted it out, Joey began to play, and I
followed singing. Everyone listening was in total shock, and after the opening verse,
Aldo joined us into the cut. We entered the sax solo with a funky groove and Ritchie
began blowing his sax. With the four of us now in full motion, I glanced at the
artists standing at the sides of the stage and all I could see was smiling happy
faces throwing big thumbs-up signs. We ended the song with a great crescendo.
Everyone was so amazed that they all yelled out to us to do another song. I quickly
called out, Land of a thousand Dances, by Wilson Picket. As we started to sing we
could hear the whole audience joining in while the flashbulbs were continually
flashing. The stage was moving up and down with the rhythm. It was certainly a
feeling we could never forget and a moment to always remember. When we finished the
song, the director came out and yelled on the mike, How about this great funky band,
The Van-Dells? The crowd responded amazingly loud. Then quickly he introduced Len
Barry who had the hit song, One, Two, Three, which we were prepared for. Len came out
on the stage and our band made him shine. Len only did one song and prepared the
crowd for The Four Tops coming next performance.</p>
<p>As the director was presenting this long introduction, the guitarist/arranger for
The Four Tops, walked on stage with an ego/authority and plugged in to his little
amp. The Four Tops came out and the crowd went wild.</p>
<p>What nobody knew was that we had special arrangements that would make our
four-piece band sound just like The Four Tops records. We also knew that we were
about to blow this guitarist right off the stage. The guitarist called out, Reach Out
and proceeded to count out the song. As we began playing the intro, the guitarist
started to fumble. The intro of the song has no guitar chords, but instead a melody
and bass. I was able to pick-out in a chord structure the records intro melody. The
arranger/guitarist did not know what to play. He was in shock, because we had all the
music covered. The Four Tops themselves could not believe what they were hearing,
because we were playing the intro so funky and precise that The Tops turned around
and told us to keep on repeating the intro. The Four Tops watched us and we were
smiling. Their guitarist got so frustrated and lost that he just walked off the stage
in disgust. We were repeating the intro to build a momentum. Then the Tops told us to
kick-into the song. Aldo played this hard snare pick-up and The Four Tops then turned
to the audience and started singing. We sounded so great! The music...The
vocals....The dance steps of The Four Tops.... The energy.... The lights...The
yelling and screaming of the crowd. It was totally incredible. The awe of it all!
Then we got to the first hook and the Tops began singing the title.... REACH OUT....
And all chaos broke loose. The audience crowd began rushing the stage. We could only
see about a hundred feet in front of us, and suddenly, we saw this massive rush of
hundreds of people charging the stage. We had only about 30 seconds to react. We
quickly unplugged the guitars and began running of the stage, but the Four Tops were
not as fortunate. They were caught by surprise. All the loving fans clobbered them as
I took a last look before I went backstage. I could see all these people jumping on
top of The Four Tops. The show was immediately cancelled. All we were thinking about
was hiding for cover and protecting our instruments.</p>
<p>The Four Tops did not get hurt. They were able to withdraw before the great
majority of the fans caught them. They were very lucky, and we were very lucky. I
guess this might be the beginning of Stage Security. Our band is very frustrated,
because everything was working just right. We had prepared for this moment for a long
time. We weren´t able to finish one verse with the Four Tops. The Four Tops and
our band were so great together, that the intensive energy ignited the crowd. The
people in the grandstand completely became overwhelmed. Thus, they went crazy and
rushed the stage. What a performance!</p>
<p>Again, I cannot believe how fantastic the band and my musical career are
progressing. I have the most wanted band in New York. We have the best booking
agency, William Morris, and we are backing-up the greatest stars in concert, and at
the same time, playing in the hottest night club in the country, Trude
Heller´s. I have a gorgeous French ballet dancer as my girlfriend and a
ravishing apartment in the West Village. I have a beautiful new Chevy Impala
convertible, and I am making over $600.00 a week. The only thing that could be added
to this is a recording contract.</p>
<p>However, there is an extremely dark cloud hanging over the entire country waiting
to strike and destroy everything and take all this great fortune away from us. The
Vietnam War! I am very scared and frightened. I am also pissed-off and mad at it all.
I am crying out, OH GOD, HOW CAN THEY DO THIS TO ME. MY LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. PLEASE,
STOP THIS WAR!</p>
<p>Yes, the war in Vietnam was increasing now that President Kennedy was killed.
Linden Johnson was sworn-in as our new president. Everyone is in a state of
confusion. The entire country is in protest, and yet the war is still continuing to
escalate. Our government is beginning to institute the draft. There are also many
strange things happening within our government. The day after Kennedy was killed;
someone took the pure silver out of our coins. Why? What is going on? This Oswald
assassination sounds very phony to me. I do not like this entire picture!</p>
<p>With these fears in our minds, Joey and I suddenly received a letter from the
draft board to report for a physical examination next month to be classified. We
became very scared. Our band is happening almost to the peak of where we want it, and
now they want us to stop it all to go fight a war. I told the band members that I was
not going to kill anyone, and that I was willing to run away to hide in Canada if
necessary. Joey told me that he was not sure what he would do, but that he would not
run. Everything is beginning to crumble under our feet!</p>
<p>When I arrived home after the Four Tops gig I learned that Yvonne was commissioned
to perform with the Jodfrey Ballet in Montreal, Canada for four weeks. The band was
enjoying another week off. During the week, Yvonne´s friend Amadeo called me to
say hello, and he asked me how I was doing without Yvonne at home. I told him that I
missed her very much, but it was a time of relaxing. Amadeo said that he had the
coming weekend off and he made a suggestion, Let´s go to Montreal to see
Yvonne. I replied, What are you crazy? He then asked, Have you ever been to Montreal?
I replied, No, I have not. Amadeo continued, You have a car. Let´s take a ride
to Montreal. It would be fun. We could surprise her. I started to laugh, but after a
few thoughts, I realized that is was not such a bad idea after all. I always wanted
to see Canada, especially since I may have to run to it to avoid the draft, and it
would be wonderful to be with Yvonne. I never saw her perform ballet. I told him, OK.
I am up for it. Let´s do it! We left early Saturday afternoon. We were enjoying
the scenic ride through upstate until about two hours before the Canadian border when
a New York State trooper pulled me over for speeding on the baron highway. We had to
wake up the judge at his house to pay the fine. Now I stand to loose my license. This
ticket gives me 12 points and four speeding tickets. Fuck! Amadeo told me not to make
it spoil our trip. He was correct, and I took it out of my mind for the moment.</p>
<p>We finally arrived in beautiful <a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Montreal Canada<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/907763/montreal.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
around nine o´clock at night. We proceeded directly to the Performing Arts
Center where she was performing. We bought two tickets to the ballet, and watched her
performance. It was very beautiful and wonderful. I had never seen her perform a
ballet. She was doing a duet ballet with this black male dancer. I was very surprised
to see a black male ballet dancer as her dancing partner. Black males are rare in
ballet. I suddenly felt a little jealous, because they both were performing as though
they were in love. However, that is the way ballet is. I quickly tried to overcome my
jealousy, and enjoy the performance. I asked Amadeo if he new if her partner was gay.
Amadeo replied, Yes, I know him. I quickly felt a sigh of relief. Yvonne still
doesn't know we are ther watching. However, she will be very surprised, shocked, and
happy to see us.</p>
<p>After the performance, Amadeo, who is a ballet dancer himself, proceeded to find a
way backstage to the dressing room to make contact with Yvonne. I waited outside by
the stage entrance door. He returned with her and she quickly ran over to give me a
hug. As I was holding her with joy, I felt that her hugging me was a little strange.
It somehow felt very distant. I said to her as I was holding her, You looked very
beautiful and I wanted so much to watch your performance. She then gave me a small
kiss. Hmmm, that was not her style, but I quickly realized that she had just finished
her performance and that maybe she was high from all the attention. After all, I
should know. I am a performer also. I know what it is like. She told Amadeo and I
that she had not expected us to attend the performance, and that she had planned an
after performance get-together with some important people from the show. She
continued to say that she had to get to sleep early for a photography session in the
morning, but that she would get together with us tomorrow for lunch. I went into
shock listening to all of this and surprised at the manner of her communication. It
was as if she was purposly brushing us off. I am confused and lost for words. I
looked at Amadeo and he looked at me. Amadeo was confused also. He continued to talk
with her as I listened quietly to her replies. She is not making any sense at all. My
perception was that there was no way she would be with me/us tonight. Her response
made me feel very helpless. I suddenly thought to myself, Wait a minute. I´m a
man. I´m not going to make a woman´s bullshit turn me into butter.
Irritated, I immediately interrupted the conversation and said, Hey, we just drove
all the way from New York City. You are telling your loving boyfriend and your best
friend here that you are too busy to involve us in your engagement? She quickly
responded, You should have called to tell me you were coming! Then, just as she
finished the word, coming, she added, I got to go, and she quickly took off and
disappeared back into the stage entrance.</p>
<p>Amadeo became very helpless. After all, it was his suggestion that we are here. I
said to Amadeo that something is not right here. Amadeo went into defense, No, she is
just overwhelmed from the performance¦ Do not worry, nothing is wrong. I was
trying to regain my thoughts and I reiterated to Amadeo that something is not right
here. I was thinking out loud to Amadeo, This is the woman I live with. This is my
girlfriend. This is the woman I love. I am the man she loves. We just drove eight
hours to talk with her in person for five minutes? Do you really think that something
is not wrong? Amadeo did not know what to say. I began to become uncontrollable. I
said to Amadeo, Look, if you and my girlfriend drove a long distance to see me, and I
was going out after the performance with people, I would invite you to come along. My
girlfriend is the same as if she was my wife. My best friend is the same as my
brother. Who´s going to object? It doesn´t make any sense. I´m not
going to put-up with this bullshit. I asked Amadeo to go back inside, and find out
what it is that is causing this. I told him, talk to her and find out. Amadeo
understood and proceeded inside again to talk with her. He returned again and said
listen, I talked with her and nothing is wrong, she told me to tell you that she was
sorry, but she is busy with all the people. She received many flowers from people
that she has to thank, and everyone in the company is going out together, political
stuff. She said that if we would have called, then she could have communicated all
this to us, and we would not have had to make a wasted trip. I told Amadeo that it is
understandable to a degree, but I still cannot buy it! She is redirecting the blame
on to us, and making it appear as though it was our mistake. I told Amadeo that I
needed to walk around the block alone to think, and that I will meet with him in 15
minutes. Amadeo said, OK.</p>
<p>I proceeded to walk around the block to think about this for a moment alone and
gather my thoughts. It´s been a very frustrating week for me. I´ve been
home alone during the week watching the events unfold with this Vietnam War thing,
and now they are instituting the draft. Joey and I could get drafted into this war. I
received my fourth speeding ticket to arrive here, and I will most certainly loose my
right to drive for six months when I return. And now my girlfriend is playing a game
with me. I was thinking. If I am her boyfriend then why does she not introduce me to
everyone? That would be the correct thing to do. I am also with her best friend, and
he also is a dancer...what is the problem? Why was she not very happy to see us? I
would have been so delighted. What about this black male dancer she was performing
with.... No. It is apparent that he is extremely gay...but they were very romantic on
stage together.... God damn it! I then began to cry into tears out loud. I looked up
at the stars.... Why did you have to make me go through this, I yelled. Then I ripped
the gold chain with the crucifix attached off my neck that my mother had bought me,
and I threw it at the stars as hard as I could throw it and yelled, You mutherfucker!
Damn you! I then fell to the ground in tears. I pouted there for about ten minutes in
agony. I slowly started to regain my composure. I got up and returned to where Amadeo
was waiting. Amadeo asked, Are you all right. I told him that I was, and I said,
Let´s get the fuck out of here. Amadeo asked, Where are we going? I replied,
Back to New York...fuck it!</p>
<p>Amadeo and I had a very encouraging conversation with one another during the ride
back home to New York. He felt as bad as I felt, because she treated him as evasive
as she treated me. Maybe we were over reacting. After all, we did not inform her that
we were coming. What did we expect? Did we expect her to drop everything because we
arrived unannounced? These were some off the wall thoughts that we were bouncing back
and forth to one another. I told Amadeo that something is up with her. I could feel
it. I do not feel the same way about her anymore. I am a man, and I am not going to
make my girlfriend treat me like this. It was an exhausting trip. I received a
speeding ticket to boot. However, Montreal was beautiful. We arrived back home at
Yvonne´s apartment, and I went to sleep in the bedroom while Amadeo went to
sleep on the couch in the living room. We were totally exhausted.</p>
<p>I woke up around 8:00 that Sunday evening to find that Amadeo had prepared me a
dinner that was sitting on the stove. He returned to his apartment and left me an
encouraging note. He had been so wonderful in keeping me on track, and being an
extraordinary friend, especially in time of need. On our way home, he made jokes to
make me laugh, and kept me in Great Spirit. Amadeo is a good friend. I do not look at
him as a gay person. Amadeo had never come on to me in the slightest way. Nor did he
ever do other than wonderful things for me, because he wanted to go to bed with me.
He was an incredible person. He kept his personal affairs private, and I am proud to
have a friend such as him.</p>
<p>I ate the dinner that Amadeo prepared for me, and I needed a pick-me-up.
Therefore, I strolled to bar on 9th Street down the block from Trude Heller´s.
As soon as I entered I saw Barbara and her friends sitting at the bar. I walked over
to them and said hello, but Barbara acted very cold to me. I could not blame her,
because I had been away from her for a long time. She never knew I was living with
Yvonne. However, it took some doing, but it didn´t take long for Barbara to
warm up to me again. The way to quickly forget about a corrupt love relationship is
to quickly find another one. We all talked for over an hour and then I asked Barbara
if she would like to go with me to our famous parking spot in Jersey City. Barbara
agreed. Barbara and I drove to our spot and began making out again. This time I began
to feel her beautiful little breasts. They felt wonderful, and she really enjoyed it.
Before, when we were making out, I had never touched her. This time I made it a point
to progress with her. I was about time. This quickly took me out of my bad mood that
Yvonne´s actions had created. We carried on until the sun came up.</p>
<p>To my surprise, Yvonne returned home, sweet, loving, and excited to see me. She
explained to me that it was just the wrong time to arrive in Montreal, and that the
next day she was wondering why I had never called her at the hotel. We discussed the
situation in great detail for hours, and then we both forgot about it with passionate
sex. The band was returning to Trude Heller´s tonight, and she told me that she
would be dancing there again beginning on Wednesday. She asked that we put the event
behind us. I went along with it and told her OK, but I no longer believed or trusted
her. The situation was way to bizarre to be believed.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/141165/vandell2.jpg"
alt="The Vandells-2" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>The band opened at Trude´s again. It was wonderful to be playing. This is
where all my bad thoughts fade away. It was good to see my brother, Joey the bass
player again. During our break I told Joey the incident with Yvonne. Joey came back
hard and told me that his girlfriend Evie might be pregnant. I was not too happy
about that, but Joey assured me that it wouldn´t affect him playing with the
band. Aldo and Ritchie were still single.</p>
<p>It was Wednesday and Yvonne left early in the morning for rehearsal. She had not
returned to our apartment so I figured I would see her at the club tonight. When I
arrived at Trude´s I had thought that Yvonne was going to be there, but she was
not. I asked Amadeo if she was working tonight, and he said that she was not. I
thought that to be odd and peculiar. Yvonne had been rehearsing all week at the
ballet company, and I saw her quite periodic. Just before my first break, Yvonne
showed up at the club. On my break, she told me that she wanted to talk with me and
suggested we take a walk around the block.</p>
<p>We went outside and walked up 9th Street a little ways. We sat down on a quiet
stoop, and Yvonne said, I had this boyfriend a couple of years ago. The apartment
that we are living in was his apartment. We were about to be married when he suddenly
disappeared. I waited for him to come back, but he never did. I received no phone
calls.... I didn´t know where he was or what to do. I waited...and waited....
no news...no word.... nothing. It was two years ago that this had happened. I met
you, you were wonderful, and I´ve fallen in love with you. Yesterday, he
surprisingly called me. He told me that he wanted to come back to his apartment and
make up for the lost time. He said that he became very frightened to marry me, and
that he didn´t have the guts to tell me. He said that it would have killed him
to see me hurt. So he just left, and went to Europe to find himself. He thought that
I would eventually understand. When he called me, I was shocked to hear his voice and
I began crying, because I told him that I was now in a relationship with someone whom
I really love. He told me that he had found himself and was now ready for the
relationship with her. I didn´t know what to say, because he kept on begging me
to at least give it a try. Yvonne went on, she said, Chuck, I love you very much, but
this man, I was in love with him for four years before he took off. Now that he is
back, and I am now confronted with this.... I have to make a choice. Before I make a
decision, I need to be with him again to find out if I still love him or not. It is
something I need to do for myself. If I find I don´t love him anymore then it
is you who I will return to. However, if I feel I still love and need him then I will
marry him. However, I do not think that is the case... I just need some time to prove
it to myself.</p>
<p>I could not believe what I was hearing, but I can deeply appreciate when someone
is open and truthful. Then I feel comfortable to make an intelligent choice. I told
Yvonne, Thank you for your honesty and openness, at least you´re not cheating
behind my back. Go ahead, see if it is what you want...if it is, then if it is him
that you choose. I completely understand. I´ll pack-up my stuff tonight after
the gig, and I´ll go back to Brooklyn. Yvonne began crying and put her arms
around me and held me for about five minutes while she was in tears. She then kissed
me and said in a quiet voice, Thank you for understanding, and she then walked
away.</p>
<p>I watched her walk away and I was shocked, but not depressed. I thought that she
was open and honest about the situation and there was nothing I could do. I returned
to Trude´s and told Amadeo and the band what had happened, and they both agreed
that there was nothing I could do. The only thing that was bothering me was going
back to that negative house in Brooklyn. One thing for sure, when I´m playing
and singing with the band I am happy and at my best. Nothing bothers me then, but
just having fun and a good time on stage. Besides, I still have Barbara as a backup.
If happiness be the fruit of love, then play on.</p>
<p>When I arrived home, my family was surprised to see me, and welcomed me back. I
also saw all my old friends in the neighborhood. Now that I was living in Brooklyn
again, Joey and I would continue racing our cars home as we always did. We knew all
the short cuts including all the little alleys and streets leading to the Brooklyn
Bridge. Once on the Brooklyn Bridge it was a few hard turns and then on the BQE
(Brooklyn Queens Expressway) which was all highway until we arrived to our exit of
Cropsey Ave on the Belt Parkway. We got caught speeding several times by the Police
and I now have 12 points on my license. I was forced to slow down and take it easy,
because I wasn´t sure if the Motor Vehicle department would recognize that I
had a speeding ticket upstate. With my license in jeopardy, I didn´t want to
risk another speeding ticket for sure.</p>
<p>It has been one week since Yvonne and I separated, but I haven´t heard a
word from Yvonne. I heard that Amadeo was now crashing at Yvonne´s apartment.
Finally, I asked Amadeo what was going on with her. Amadeo replied that he
didn´t know. I asked him to find out for me if he will, one-way or another.
Amadeo suggested that I talk to her instead. He went on to say that she was leaving
at 5:30 for rehearsal tomorrow night, and advised me to go to her apartment before
she leaves to so that I may talk with her.</p>
<p>So the next day, I arrived at Yvonne´s apartment and caught her before she
was leaving. When I looked at her blue eyes, blonde hair and beautifully shaped body,
my heart fell in my hand. I realized again how beautiful she was and how much I
missed all the great moments we had together. I asked her what was going on. She told
me that she was leaving for France shortly, and that she decided to marry the guy. I
felt very hurt emotionally. Noticing the expression on my face she said that she was
leaving the apartment to Amadeo and me. She then gave me a set of keys and told me
that the apartment would be available to me on Monday. She then gave me a big hug and
left the apartment for rehearsal with the dance company.</p>
<p>Since I was in the city early with nothing to do, I decided to follow her, because
I was curious whom this guy was that swept away my girl. I wanted to see the face of
this man in person. Therefore, I followed her unknowingly into the subway station,
and I entered the same train. I was in the car that was directly behind the car she
was sitting in. She exited on 34th Street and I continued to follow her. She stopped
and waited in front of this building. It was now dark so I needed to remain close if
I was going to see what this man looked like. I waited across the street on the same
side, and I watched patiently.</p>
<p>Then a figure of a man came out of the building and I could see her face light up.
They hugged and kissed passionately for a moment. Yvonne then took his hand and they
both began walking north. I did not see who he was nor could I see his face. It was
too dark. So I continued to follow them as I tried to move-in closer. I followed
about a half a block running a little bit each moment to get nearer. Suddenly they
stopped to look at a display window, and this man turned to look at my direction. I
stopped suddenly in shock and starred at his face, but he did not know me. I suddenly
became very angry. I can´t believe it. He is the gay black male dancer that she
was performing with in Montreal. I stood there frozen as they continued walking. I
was thinking as I watched them disappear north into the crowd. Everything made sense
now. My intuitive feelings were correct from the very beginning. I kept on thinking
in shock. Everything she said to me in Montreal was a lie. In fact, the whole story
she gave me on the side street of Trude´s was a lie also. Everything was a lie
from the beginning. I could not believe that someone would go to so much trouble to
make-up a story like that. Holy Shit! In a matter of seconds I was putting all this
together. What really made me angry is that I had lost my beautiful French girlfriend
to a gay nigger. I don´t believe this. Of all things, a gay nigger! I was
furiously angry. Why did this happen to me? I turned around and walked back to subway
to return to the village. The thoughts were slowly coming together in my mind. The
more I thought, the worst it got, because I was thinking how she came home to me and
apologized, and all the while... Oh man, how sad!</p>
<p>Before I entered the subway, I decided to have a quick meal at <a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Tads Steaks<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/573164/tadssteak.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> A
good $399 Tad steak will make me feel better, and I needed a place to think for a
moment. I took a tray and ordered a Tad steak that came with a salad and a toasted
bun. I sat at a lonely table and enjoyed my meal as I thought about everything. After
a half hour of this great meal, I then headed back to the village. I walked into the
bar up from Trude´s, and Barbara was hanging-out waiting for me. I quickly
ordered a Shivers Regal with ice depressingly. Then Barbara asked why I was here so
early. I turned the question around and asked the same question. She told me that she
had the day off from work and decided to catch my show. I did not tell her my story.
Instead I put my arms around her. held her closely, and gave her a long juicy kiss.
Barbara has a great figure. She made me feel very good again, and I needed that
badly. Thank God, she was here. I then told Barbara that I was moving into the
village on Monday. I stayed with her for a while and I needed to prepare for work. I
asked Barbara to meet me inside the club.</p>
<p>I proceeded into the kitchen/dressing room in Trude´s and I told Amadeo what
had happened and what I learned. Amadeo said that he loved me as a friend, but if he
had known what she was doing he would have told me in one way or another. However,
Yvonne kept him in the dark also. We talked about living in the same apartment
together and Amadeo had no problem. "Just keep the place clean", he said. He then
went on to say, If he brings a man over occasionally, just split somewhere for the
night and I will do the same if you want to bring home a girl. OK! I told him that
the arrangement would be great. I asked him if Yvonne was returning tonight and he
said no. She won't return until Sunday night. That is her last night. I asked Amadeo
if I could bring Barbara over tonight and Amadeo said no problem. I´ll find a
place to sleep tonight. Amadeo said have a good time and forget about Yvonne. Wow!
What a great friend!</p>
<p>After the gig at Trude´s, I took Barbara to the apartment. We went up to the
roof of the apartment building and made love all night long. The next morning Barbara
had to leave, because she was living with her strict sister and brother in law, and
she was afraid of getting in trouble. However, I will be with her all weekend.</p>
<p>My mother contacted me and told me to come home. She said that my father was very
sick. It appeared that my father checked into the hospital and did not return. When I
arrived home, my Mother told me that my father had cancer and he was going to die. I
said to her, "Just like that?" "Just like that", she replied. How long does he have?
I asked. My mother said, Maybe two weeks! My father is giving-up on life, and in some
way I do not blame him. I knew that the Kennedy assassination was too much for him.
My father is a sensitive man, and I believe that I possess the same sensitivity also.
I went to see him, and he looked very bad. What am I to do? I visited him a couple of
times and suddenly he was gone. Quick, just like that! We had the funeral, everyone
was present, and he was buried in Long Island. However, I refused to go to the
burial. I did not want to see my father being lowered into the ground. I wanted to
remember him as he was without the burial view in my mind. My heart is shattered now.
He and my sister Marie were the only one´s that appreciated my music. First I
loose my girlfriend, and then I loose the most important person in my life, my
wonderful father. The following week, something worse again happened. Joey and I
received a letter from the draft board to report for classification for enlistment
into the Army. The Army draft call for classification. Ritchie the sax is 25 years
old; too old for classification, and Aldo is still not a Citizen. Our government has
gone crazy and my world is turning upside down.</p></div>
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<a href="http://chazzsongsdisclaimer.blogspot.com/" title="Disclaimer">Disclaimer</a><br><br>Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1146101755385959002006-04-26T21:34:00.000-04:002006-12-24T10:45:03.593-05:00Chapter 15 - Peter and Gordon<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/397635/P%26G2.jpg" width="299" height="208"
alt="The Vandells with Peter and Gordon at The Steel Pier- Atlantic City-NJ" class="entryphoto3" />
<h2>Chapter 15 - Peter and Gordon</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>I arrived at the draft board for my physical and all my high school buddies were
there. All the old faces! My old buddies told me that I used to be a brown nose in
High School and I got away with everything. Everyone was telling me, Let´s see
you get away with this one Charlie Brown? This looked serious, and I was determined
to flunk this physical some way some how.</p>
<p>The first thing the draft board did was to weigh us, and then they gave us a
written test. I learned that the passing mark on this test was 30. The test consisted
of a picture of a hammer on one side of the test paper, and a picture of a saw, a
drill, a screwdriver, a nail, and pliers. You had to circle the one that matched. I
circled the screwdriver on purpose. I did this with all the questions, but I had
answered some of them right to not be too obvious I was trying to flunk the test. I
brought my test to be marked and I received a score of 31. Shit! I fucked up! Now I
had to go on to the hearing test. I told the man that I was slightly deaf in one ear.
He asked me a few questions and directed me downstairs to the basement for a special
hearing test. Once in the basement they put me in an isolation booth and gave me a
switch with a button on top, and they told me to press the button every time I heard
something. They told me to not press the button when everything was silent. Then they
put a set of headphones on me and closed the door. I waited for the first sound and I
purposely did not push the button. Then when it was silent I pushed the button on
purpose. When the hearing test was over they had told me that I passed. What? I was
beginning to get very depressed. I did not want to go to Vietnam. These tests were
the only tests that I had control over. All the other tests were physical standards.
At the end of the physical, all my friends from high school and I were on line
waiting to be classified. As my buddies were classified one by one as 1A, which means
you´ll be drafted soon, I went up for my classification and they classified me
as 1Y, which meant that I would not be drafted. I jumped with joy and asked the man
how that came to be and he said, You are underweight. I said nothing more, but my
school buddies were pissed saying, He got away with it again! I was smiling and very
happy as I left the physical. 1Y means that in the future I might be called back for
another physical to see if I had gained any weight, but realistically, they will
never call me.</p>
<p>Joey on the other hand was classified 1A, and the band and I became worried. You
never know, it could be along time before they call Joey or it could be tomorrow. We
now had to keep our eyes open for a new bass player, and Joey would be a most
difficult guy in the band to replace.</p>
<p>The William Morris agency booked us at the ultimate concert. We were going to
back-up Peter & Gordon in their first United States tour beginning at the <br /><a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Atlantic City Steel Pier<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/50991/steelpier.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. When Aldo told us, we were totally overwhelmed. We had told all of our
friends that we were backing-up Peter & Gordon and they were astounded. We were
supposed to meet with Peter & Gordon at the Steel Pier at 1:30pm on Friday. As we
did with all the groups we backed-up live, we learned and practiced their songs in
advance. This made us very prepared and ready.</p>
<p>Peter Asher, of Peter & Gordon, is the brother of Paul McCartney´s
girlfriend, Jane Asher. The Beatles, Lennon and McCartney, wrote the hit song for
Peter & Gordon called, A World Without Love. Performing for Peter & Gordon is
like performing with The Beatles. It is truly the ultimate concert.</p>
<p>We had arrived at the Steel Pier at about 1:30pm and we were having difficulty
locating the entrance. We needed to drive our vehicles close to the stage to unload
our gear. After asking around a bit, a police officer kindly directed us. As we drove
on to the pier to the rear, we heard music playing and it sounded live. I told the
guys to wait in the car so that I could see if this was the stage entrance. I
proceeded into this big double side door, and when I entered, I saw Peter &
Gordon rehearsing with an unknown band. Confused, I quickly returned to the car and
told the guys that Peter & Gordon were rehearsing with another band. Aldo and I
returned to investigate.</p>
<p>We walked in the giant hall and proceeded to the stage where they were rehearsing.
They were in the middle of practicing one of their songs, and they were having
trouble getting the band to groove to their music. Still confused, I finally
interrupted them and Gordon got very angry. He yelled to me, Whaaat? Can´t you
see we are rehearsing!? I told him that we are the band that was hired to back you
up. Gordon replied, We have a band! Completely confused, I continued to add that the
William Morris Agency hired us to perform with you. Gordon sarcastically replied, We
don´t need two bands. This band is fine and they are already set-up. You should
have gotten here sooner. I told them that we just drove two hours from New York.
Gordon sarcastically again said, You could drive back to New York.... now leave us
alone we have a lot of work to do. Aldo and I with our heads down in disappointment
returned to the cars to convey to Joey and Ritchie the bad news. Joey and Ritchie
flipped out. We were getting ready to drive back, and I thought that if they knew how
good we were and how prepared we were, they would not send us away. I told the guys
to hold on a moment and I went returned to the stage.</p>
<p>I approached them again and said, Listen, we drove a long way to get here.... the
agent hired us for a reason.... if you could be so kind to let us play just one song
with you to give you an idea of why we are here.... if you don´t like us we
will then leave.... please give us the chance to at least show you... we already know
your songs! Gordon looked at Peter disgustingly and Peter replied, OK, just one
song.</p>
<p>I quickly ran back to the car and told the guys... Let´s go.... we got one
shot.... so let´s make it good. We grabbed our guitars and proceeded inside,
and plugged into the other bands amps on the stage. Aldo got on the other bands
drums. I said which song would you like, and Gordon replied, World Without Love. They
counted off the song and we played. Peter & Gordon thus went into shock. One had
to see the look on their faces. They could not believe that we sounded so big and
polished, and that we went through the song completely from start to finish without a
mistake or problem. The other band looked on in amazement. Then Peter said, You guys
are fucking great, you´re in! We responded with confidence. Then Peter &
Gordon told the other band to pack up and leave, and they did. As the other band was
packing-up their gear, the leader of the group began softly cursing to me. I replied
to him that we were sent by the William Morris agency to back them up. I added that
there was nothing I could do! I kind of felt sorry for them. After all, they just
lost the chance to back-up P&G. After the other band departed, we brought our
instruments in to set-up on stage. We then went over two more tunes, and Peter &
Gordon fell completely in love with us. They replied to us that there was no need to
practice anymore. They then invite us to grab a bite to eat, and then join with them
at their hotel. The road manager of Peter & Gordon suddenly arrived. His name is
Keith and we were introduced. Keith is one of the most pleasant persons we had ever
met. He was very warm, and he got a kick out of our personality. We all then got into
their limousine and drove to a really nice restaurant where we all had dinner. This
beautiful, very sexy, blonde girl was waiting for Gordon when we arrived. He was
constantly putting his hands between her legs in front of everyone, and she happily
enjoyed it. Personally, it made me very horny. After dinner, we told P&G that we
needed to book a hotel room. The manager Keith called neighboring hotels to get us
accommodations. The hotel that Peter & Gordon were staying at was sold out, just
as their concert. Keith succeeded in getting us a hotel, and we went there to
check-in and get ready for the evening performance. What Peter & Gordon
didn´t know was that we brought the Beatle style jackets to wear for the
performance. This would make our band look very English. We knew that the jackets
would totally freak them out.</p>
<p>There were two shows scheduled each day, one at 7:00pm, and another at 9:30pm on
Friday, and 4:00 pm and 7:30pm on Saturday night. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs is
also performing. When we arrived for the opening show, Peter and Gordon freaked at
the way we were dressed. They were in complete shock. We American boys looked as
though we were from England. Actually, know could tell otherwise. We fit right in,
and the show went on without a hitch. We even bowed in unison just as The Beatles did
when they finished a song. We acted totally authentic. The crowd totally went wild
during the performance. The show continued on without a hitch. The next day,
Joey´s mother, and sister Gracie arrived to hopefully meet P&G in person
through us and to watch the concert. No one else´s family came to enjoy the
greatness, not even mine. However, Joey´s family is my family and that is all
that counted. We invited Joey´s mom and Gracie backstage to meet Peter &
Gordon. Gracie was completely overwhelmed. Joey´s mother wanted to take a
picture of us with Peter & Gordon, and P&G didn´t mind a bit. So we all
went to the rear of the Steel Pier and Gracie took this photo use above.</p>
<p>During our first break on Saturday afternoon, we tried to roam around the Steel
Pier, but wherever we looked there were girls waiting to overwhelm us. The girls, and
there were hundreds of them, wanted autographs or wanted to sleep with us. We knew we
had to try to find a way around them so we would not feel cooped-up in a cage. Joey
and I found a secret door that lead to a passageway behind the audience area, and we
decided to take that route. When we arrived at the end of the secret passageway,
there was a door leading on to the Steel Pier in back of where the girls were
waiting. We opened the door carefully and began to walk out into the open. Then
suddenly one of the girls spotted us and screamed, There they are! This alerted the
other girls who were waiting for us, and before we knew it the mob of girls were
running toward us. Joey and I began running very quickly while laughing. I was just
like the scene from The Beatles movie, <br /><a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Hard Days Night <img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/88835/harddaysnight.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Joey and I ran like crazy, and through twists and turns.... we lost the girls and ended-up out on the main boardwalk. Joey and I mingled though the crowd.</p>
<p>Joey and I met two girls and the one I ended up with was 14 years old. She wanted
to go with me to my hotel. She was real cute, and I noticed that it would be a
special moment to remember if I took her to my hotel...so I did. Once in the room we
sat on the bed and I kissed her, but wouldn´t have sex with her. I guess she
will treasure that kiss. Actually my purpose was to keep this little girl busy while
Joey played around with his big sister. The girl and I left the hotel and we walked
back to the Steel Pier via the boardwalk. It was a soft beautiful night strolling on
the boardwalk. As I looked at the gigantic marquee on the Steel Pier, which read in
bright lights about 20 feet high: TONIGHT PETER & GORDON.... Then under that with
letters 10 feet high read: SAM THE SHAM AND THE PHARAOHS. I stared at the sign as we
were walking and I thought, Where was our name? We were the heart and soul of the
background music, but our name The Van-Dells was not there. If only we could get some
visual credit sometime. Maybe I´m too anxious, or maybe we have to pay more
dues. I don´t know. Anyway, the 14-year-old girl and I returned to the
boardwalk. We found Joey who was in a quiet cozy spot on the boardwalk with her older
sister. This little girl was real cute and shy and she touched my heart. I really
enjoyed being with her and she will probably tell all her friends for years to come
that she went to the hotel of Peter & Gordon, and kissed one of the band
members.</p>
<p>Joey and I returned to the Steel Pier. There is no way to get around all these
crazy girls waiting for us. We have to give them autographs. The girls had pictures
of Peter & Gordon and we proceeded to autograph them until our hands started to
fall apart. Then Joey and I quickly began running until we arrived in the protected
security area.</p>
<p>After the second show with Peter & Gordon, we all entered the limo and
proceeded to all go out for dinner. Joey and I did not have time to say goodbye to
Gracie and his mother, but we knew they would understand and we would contact them
latter.</p>
<p>Peter & Gordon quickly became attached to us, because not only were we a
handsome group of guys, but we were a great sounding band. They knew how great they
sounded live with us, and we blended right in with their look. They wanted us for
future tours throughout the U.S. We all became good friends. I especially became good
friends with Peter. The weekend tour was very successful and we all had a great time.
Peter & Gordon had to suddenly go back to England for an important TV appearance.
They asked me if I could hold their instruments at my house until they arrived back
in the U.S. Of course I said yes. When we arrived at my block in Brooklyn with Peter
& Gordon, everyone in the neighborhood was shocked to see them in physical form.
We unloaded their instruments into my basement and Peter & Gordon left to return
at a later date. All my neighbors and friends hanging and watching about were in
shock. They knew then that my band was the band of the stars.</p>
<p>My neighbor Joey, who was Jenny´s son, saw me with Peter & Gordon and
came to me and wanted to learn an instrument. He was interested in learning how to
play the bass. He also wanted to know what kind of bass to buy. I told him that the
only great bass was a Fender Precision, and if he bought one I promised to teach him
a few things to get him on his way. He was very happy, but my mother was not and
started to complain about the added instruments in the basement. I told her they
belonged to Peter & Gordon and she replied, Why don´t you get a job in the
bank instead of fooling around with the music. I ignored her with mental confusion,
because she always knew how to work on my head. She never has anything nice to say.
In addition, my brother and sisters felt the same way, except my sister Maria, who
was always very supportive and positive.</p>
<p>A month later, I was home in my house on 7th street and the phone rang. It was
Keith, Peter and Gordon´s manager. He said that they had just arrived and they
wanted to pick-up the instruments. I said OK, see you in a bit. All my neighborhood
friends were playing <a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">stickball<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/922192/stickball.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> in
front of my house on the street and I told them that Peter & Gordon are on their
way here. They all looked at each other in confusion. P&G arrived and a crowd
began forming. All the neighbors were out in front of their houses to look. P&G
remained in the car, but everyone could see them well. Keith and I loaded the
instruments in the car while Peter & Gordon stood patiently waving briefly to
everyone. I asked them where they were going. They were very appreciative that I took
good care of their instruments. They told me that they were staying at a hotel on
61st and Central Park West. Peter said, Why don´t you come down and hang-out
with us tonight. They also told me that they were performing at <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Brooklyn, Fox<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/547354/bklynfox.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> and they were trying to arrange for The Van-Dells to be their backup. I was much
honored, and I told them that I would be there in a few hours. They gave me their
room number.</p>
<p>I returned to play a little stickball on the street and afterward I had dinner.
After dinner, I took a shower, dressed, and then I jumped into my 1963 canary-yellow
Chevy convertible and headed to the city (Manhattan). I arrived at the hotel and
passed through security with no problem after they called and checked. I entered the
elevator and exited the 18th floor where there were cute little chickadees hanging
about, and I entered P&G´s room. As I entered, Gordon was in bed playing
with his sexy girlfriend. He pointed to the entrance of the next room where Keith and
Peter were. I entered the next room to view Peter and Keith eating at a table. They
quickly invited me to join in. We eat and talked for a while then Gordon joined us.
Keith, and P&G began talking about all the little appearances they were doing the
next day and they were trying to plan how many, and how to get there on time through
all the traffic. After all, they can´t take the subway. I told them that I
would drive them around if they wanted. I have a brand new Impala convertible, and
it´s going to be a beautiful sunny day tomorrow. P&G said, Yea, that sounds
like fun.</p>
<p>Since my band had nothing scheduled this week I devoted my time to helping them.
This would be a great opportunity to meet new people in the music business and at the
same time be a spokesperson for my band. Since I was constantly around them, I will
try to get my band in with them if they are going to be performing live somewhere.
The day went off without a hitch. We were able to successfully meet the schedule for
the day.</p>
<p>The next day, they were scheduled to perform on the T.V. show, Hullabaloo, which
was being videotaped in Brooklyn not to far from my house. As a spokesperson for the
band I asked if my band could perform with them. They told me that they would be
singing to the record, but they told me that I could come along if I wanted. Of
course I told them I would. Peter then proceeded to give me the studios name,
address, and what time to meet there.</p>
<p>The next day I arrived at the shooting of <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Hullabaloo,<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/82145/hullabaloo.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
which would air the following Saturday night. I learned that the group, The Animals
is also there to perform on the show. I met and chatted with <a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Animals<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/739873/animals.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, specifically their keyboardist <a id="menu6"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Chaz Chandler<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/520311/chandler.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>,
and we became good friends. He and I talked for a long while. I then watched their
performance of, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, a great song. Hullabaloo set
designers made a great weird backdrop set with smoke, and it looked fantastic. After
their performance, Chaz came to me and asked me for my phone number. He told me that
when he would arrive in town, he would give me a call. I met many people through
Peter & Gordon, but it proved to be worthless in the long run. Then it was
P&G´s turn to be videotaped. I watched in great frustration, because I
wanted my band to perform also. Unlike the Animals backdrop, P&G´s backdrop
is very dull. It would have been livelier if my band was standing and playing behind
them. However, their mimicking of their record went well. After the performance, they
returned to their hotel and I was again invited to join them, which I did.</p>
<p>At their hotel, I learned that they were appearing at Murray the K´s <br /><a id="menu7"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Brooklyn Fox<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/547354/bklynfox.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> on
Friday night. When I heard this, I freaked! The Brooklyn Fox and Murray the K! This
is where it all began for me. This is where I developed my inspiration to perform. I
remembered years earlier when I went to see <br /><a id="menu8"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Ronnettes <img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/745044/ronnettes.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>.
This is where all the stars perform. This is the place to be. I quickly said to
Peter, You´ve got to get The Van-Dells to perform with you. Murray the K has a
great band, but they are mostly R&B. You don´t need a big band to perform
with you. You wouldn´t sound right. The Van-Dells would make you sound just
like the record. Peter replied, You´re right, that´s a good idea! Is your
band available? I told him that we had the weekend off. Peter then said, Call the
band and put them on hold. We will need to arrange for your band to perform with us.
I won´t be able to do it until we talk with the people at the Brooklyn Fox.
Therefore, have your band ready. I´ll call them right now, I replied with
excitement. I quickly called Joey on the hotel phone and gave him the good news. Joey
would contact Aldo to keep the band on hold. I told Joey that it would be a last
minute thing and that I needed everyone in the band to be at the Brooklyn Fox within
twenty minutes when I called to give them the OK. I´m so excited. I can´t
believe that we are going to play the Brooklyn Fox. This is really my dream come
true.</p>
<p>It´s Friday night, and Peter and Gordon are appearing at the Brooklyn Fox
with The Animals and The Moody Blues. I arrived at the stage entrance at 7:00pm. The
show starts at 9:00pm. I was immediately halted by stage security. I told them I was
with P&G. A few of the guards then walked me through these dark narrow hallways
that passed many opened dressing rooms. I could see all the stars hanging out in
their rooms as I passed. I saw The Animals in one room and quickly said hello to my
friend keyboardist, Chaz. Chaz was happy to see me there. I then passed the <br /><a id="menu9"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Moody Blues <img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/475050/moodyblues.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> and said a brief hello and asked how they were doing, but they didn't know who I was so I
told them that I was with Peter and Gordon and then they said oh OK! Then as I
followed the security people, they led me to P&G dressing room and one of the
guards asked Peter, Do you know this person? Peter replied, Yes, he´s a member
of our band. They then gave me a security sticker, which I wore around my neck, and I
was in! What a great experience! I cannot believe that I have finally made it into
the Brooklyn Fox.</p>
<p>I immediately asked Peter, Did you talk with the correct people about The
Van-Dells backing you? Peter replied that he did, and he was waiting for a reply. I
asked, What do you think. Are you going to have any problems getting us in? Peter
replied, I don´t think so. I told them that it would be better for us to use
our own band. Then he asked, Is your band ready? I replied, There waiting by the
phone for my call. They will be here within twenty minutes as promised. I had access
to the entire backstage so I decided to walk around a bit to take a look at
everything.</p>
<p>An hour quickly passed. I returned to P&G´s dressing room and I asked
Peter if he heard anything. Peter said that he was told that the person in charge had
not arrived yet. I told Peter that it was 8:00pm and that we are going to cut it
close. Peter said that the person in charge should be arriving soon. Shortly
thereafter, the promoter arrived in P&G´s dressing room. The promoter said
to P&G as I looked on, So what is it. You want to perform with your back-up band.
Peter replied, Yes, we will sound better with our group. The promoter replied, We
have the arrangements to your songs. I´m sure your going to like the big band.
Peter said, It would be better with our own group. The promoter came back, I
don´t think it would be good to change the format. The format is set. It would
be best if you left things as they are. We would have to re-mike the stage for your
band and that will offset our time schedule. It would create problems that we do not
need right now. Stay with the format. You are going to like the big band. I looked on
in shock. Gordon jumped into the conversation and said, No problem. We will perform
with the big band. We will stay with the format. And that was that! I can´t
believe it. I was very furious with Gordon, but I said nothing. Peter seen that my
heart fell in my hand and said to me that he had tried. I told Peter and Gordon that
all they had to do was insist, and we would be in. You guys are going to sound very
weird with a big band. The Animals have there own band and The Moody blues have there
own band, but you guy´s are going to perform with a big band. It´s that
crazy! You´re not even going to sound like yourselves. Peter replied, I
don´t know? We might like it. It´ll be different. I then told them that I
needed to cancel my bands standby as I exited their dressing room.</p>
<p>I went to the nearest stage telephone and called Joey with the bad news. Joey was
not disappointed and replied that he would contact Aldo. I guess my band didn´t
care very much about this gig. This was my thing. It was I that wanted to perform
here very badly. I tried very hard and desperately to make this dream come true.</p>
<p>As soon as I hung-up the telephone with Joey, Peter, with his guitar in hand said,
Chuck, I have a little time now so come with me, I want to show you something. So I
followed him through this door and up this staircase to a very quiet area and we both
sat down. Peter said that while he was in England, Paul McCartney called him up and
told him that he was doing something very different musically with strings. McCartney
asked Peter to come to the studio to watch. Peter described it with detail explaining
that he was watching Paul with a string quartet recording this beautiful song. Then
Peter put his guitar on his lap, <a id="menu10"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">and began
playing and singing<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/892373/peteryesturday.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> the song titled Yesterday. I listened as Peter began singing
the song. He fumbled the words at times so it was difficult to get the full picture.
When Peter finished singing it, he asked me what I thought. I replied that the song
was very nice and kind of different. Peter told me that Paul was doing the entire
album with strings. It was not until the record came out that I realized the
profoundness of that moment with Peter. Peter was trying to cheer me up, because he
knew how disappointed I was not performing at the Brooklyn Fox, and how much it meant
to me. However, I was feeling much better now that Peter sang that song to me and
shared the story.... It will always be a special wonderful moment that happened in my
life. We then returned downstairs, because the show was about to begin. Peter
returned to the dressing and I roamed around to find a spot where I could watch the
show.</p>
<p>Suddenly, <a id="menu11"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Murray the K<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/999951/murraythek.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> walked passed me to enter the stage and begin the show. I became very depressed again
that I almost began to cry. I didn´t want to return to P&G´s dressing
room in this state that I was in. I began strolling about backstage looking for a
quiet spot to watch the show as the energy began building. Then Murray the K
introduced The Animals. I found a lonely spot on the left side of the stage
in-between two black curtains. I was so close to the stage that it was almost as if I
was performing. I then broke out in tears as I watched The Animals perform. I cried
for about ten minutes. I was alone and no one could hear or see me. I had to let it
all out. Eventually, I regained my composure as I thought how I had tried so hard,
and that I gave it my best effort. I was so close, and I almost had it and after a
few moments, I said to myself yes but I'm here.. Then a few moments later I thought
again aaandaid, No. I was almost here. Then Murray the K announced Peter &
Gordon. The curtain then opened to expose the big R&B band and P&G walked out
on stage. The big band began playing, A World Without Love, and it sounded
ridiculous. P&G began singing as if they were into the music, but I could see
that they were not. It all sounded so bad. Not even like the record. They were
wearing their acoustic guitars, but nowhere could you hear the sound of an acoustic
guitar. The guitars weren't amplified. I was totally ridiculous.</p>
<p>After their performance, I returned to P&G´s dressing room. I thanked
them for everything and said goodbye, because they were leaving to return back to
England the following morning. In one moment, I cherished all the wonderful times I
had with them, and in another moment, I felt so sad that I could not capitalize on
being with them. I did in a way. I gained a great friendship with them and hey took
me many places such as here. They always invited me everywhere they went. So there is
a great positive side of it. It's just the frustration of almost being there that
always hurts so much. We shook hands and gave each other strong hugs. They thanked me
for all my <a id="menu12"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">help<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/105563/pgautograph.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, and for
making them feel more at home in New York. I thanked their road manager Keith, and
then I returned the security pass. As I walked down the passageway passed the
dressing rooms to the stage door, everyone was happy and partying. I felt left out...
alone...not apart of all of it! I then reluctantly exited out the stage door. To my
surprise, there was a red carpet leading to the street with people ropped-off on both
sides waiting to catch a glimpse of the musical stars and they left the theatre.
Everyone looked and stared at me. I knew that they were wondering who I was. As I
proceeded down this isle of red carpet to the street, I thought, I´m a talented
nobody right now, but tomorrow will be another day.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145974309228832932006-04-25T10:10:00.000-04:002006-12-25T04:06:28.406-05:00Chapter 16 - Florida<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/125148/florida.jpg"
alt="miami florida" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 16 - Florida</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>From the Brooklyn Fox, I went directly to Trude´s for a pick-me-up, and to
hopefully to hookup with Barbara. I was hoping she was there so that we could make
love again all night long. When I entered Trude´s, Barbara and her girlfriends
were there hanging out. I went over to her and she smiled at me. I put my arm around
her and her girlfriend said jokingly as they always say to me, "It's about time you
showed up! Barbara has been waiting for you." They laughed! I thought as I ordered a
drink that this girl is always waiting for me. I should marry this girl. She has been
there for me since the beginning of the Eighth Wonder. I've been fooling around with
other girls and at the same time being with her. There were many times that I didn't
see her for a month, because I was fooling around with someone else, but when I
returned to look for her, she was always there waiting for me to return. I asked
Barbara if she wanted to go to my apartment tonight and she replied, "Let's go!" We
hung out for a while listening and dancing to Benny Gordon's band and then we had a
wonderful stroll to my apartment on Perry Street. I escorted her to the rooftop of my
apartment building, and again we made love till the sun came up. What a cute little
beautiful body this girl has. I am blessed with her. I really should marry this girl.
Again, Barbara had to leave in the morning to return home to her sister and
brother-in-law's house. I got very pissed off at her, because I wanted so much to be
with her all day. However, Barbara insisted that if she didn't leave then she would
be in deep trouble. I wanted to tell her that I would marry her, but I could get the
guts-up to follow-up on that commitment</p>
<p>I slept most of that Sunday and awoke late that early evening. Amadeo told me that
he invited some people over, and I told him that I would sleep in Brooklyn
tonight.</p>
<p>The following Monday, I received a letter from the Motor Vehicle Department. I was
requested to report to court on Thursday to review my driving record. I arrived in
court and the Judge looked at my accumulated ticket points and quickly revoked my
license for six months. Devastated, I then proceeded to call my brother Tom in Long
Island to ask him if I could store my car in his garage for six months. My brother
said yes. I then called Joey and told him the bad news. Then, I illegally drove my
car to my brother's house in Garden City, Long Island and parked my Chevy into his
garage. I disconnected the battery and hung out in Long Island for the next couple of
days. It was great playing with my nieces and nephews. It made my feelings seem a
little better. My nephew Tommy wanted to learn how to play the guitar. My nephews and
nieces thought I was the greatest uncle in the world, because I played with all the
big stars.</p>
<p>Aldo called Joey, who then called me, and said that a new booking agency,
specifically The Jack Fisher Agency, wanted to know if we wanted to go out on the
road. We would travel to Florida playing gigs along the way in other cities. I told
Joey that it would be great for me, because I didn't have a car and it would give me
time to burn to get it back. Everyone was for it, because it would be nice to take a
break from New York, which can become overwhelming at times. Since none of us has
ever been outside New York, it was a great opportunity to be paid to see the world,
as it goes.</p>
<p>I have been pressing Aldo for a long time to find a trumpet player so that we
could complete the band and sound the way we always wanted to. We needed a trumpet to
compete with the black R&B Bands. Aldo had been waiting for the right moment
(money wise) to make an addition to the band, and I guess this was the moment.
Ritchie the sax player knew this trumpet player named Joey. We had always wanted a
trumpet player to complete the real R&B sound, and Aldo thought it would be a
great opportunity to break someone in out on the road. We invited the trumpet player
whose name is also Joey, to a rehearsal. The band sounded great with a trumpet. Just
the way we wanted it to sound, but this new guy is a little weird. He's not very hip.
In fact, he's very square, and he doesn't quite fit the image of the band. He's
around the same age as Ritchie the sax, but his image is not way off from what we had
hoped to expect. Anyway, I figured that maybe Joey the bass and I could hip him up a
little bit. We also figured that we were going on the road and that this would be a
chance to work him in. If he doesn't fit the bill when we return to New York, we
could always try to find a replacement. Therefore, it was done. We had a few
rehearsals with Joey the trumpet, and the band sounded great. It was Ritchie's job to
get Joey trumpet up to speed. How we were complete and totally happening. We decided
to change the name of the band. We thought that The Van-Dells name was getting sort
of old and outdated. Therefore, we decided to call ourselves on the road, The Colt
45´s. We took <a id="menu12"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">a new photo<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/121380/colt45s.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> of the band, and bought new uniforms. We rented a U-haul trailer and off we went.</p>
<p>Our first stop was the Jersey shore, as it is called. Specifically, <br /><a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Seaside Heights<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/908006/seasideheights.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>! It is the southern shore of New Jersey. It is about four and a half hours from New York City. We opened at a club located on the boardwalk near the
beach. We blew everyone away with our new sound. We all met many girls, and the girls
are numerous. The next day, the entire band partied on the beach. Surprisingly, Aldo
met a girl. Her name was Jane and they are getting along very well. They are hanging
out with each other most of the day. Fantastic! I in turn, met this beautiful blond
Diane. Joey had Evie back at home so he didn't fool around too much. Ritchie and the
trumpet player Joey also met some cute girls. There were plenty of girls for
everyone, and it was great to play at the beach. It is what our band needed most, a
good holiday. We all were away from home, together all the time, and we are all
getting deep tans. We are all looking beautiful and we feel great.</p>
<p>This girl Diane is fucking beautiful, and she likes me a lot. She's got a slim
body with a great ass and normal size tits. She's got long silky blond hair down to
here ass and stands about five foot ten. She is amazing looking. Her mother is also
beautiful and single. I think that her mother wants to be with me also. I don't know
how to handle this. I think I'll just fight off the mother and work on the daughter.
Apparently, the mother is divorced. So here they are at the Jersey shore looking for
action, and I have the both of them. Then I learn that her daughter was sixteen years
old and still a virgin at least that was what the mother told me. The mother then
said that I would have to take it slow with her daughter, but her daughter wanted me
badly. I assured the mother that I was a good guy and that I would treat her daughter
well. It was all up-hill from there. I would find a nice quiet spot on the beach and
make out with her daughter all night. After a couple of weeks without any hassles or
care in the world, The Colt 45´s were happening. We are very tight, and we
learned a whole new batch of songs. Now with a trumpet there is nothing we can't do.
We have all our options covered. When we get back to New York we should be on fire.
We are going to tear up New York.</p>
<p>Everyone in the band called home to tell their families that everything was moving
well. I contacted my great friend Amadeo. I wanted to say hello to everyone at
Trude´s and to Joel Heller. As I was talking to Amadeo on the phone telling him
that everything was fine, Amadeo said, Guess who's here. I said, "Who?" He replied,
"Yvonne. Hold on say hello to her", as he passed her the phone. "Hi, how are your
doing," said Yvonne. I went into silent shock. I didn't know what to say. It was
definitely unexpected. How's everything out there in Seaside Heights. It must be nice
having the beach everyday. I wanted to say, "What happened to your black fagot nigger
boyfriend, but instead I said, "What happened to your boyfriend?" Yvonne replied that
they had to split for a while. "Oh, that's too bad," I smirchingly replied. She said
that they had to split, because he was in another show. It was not what I wanted to
hear from her. My first thought was that she might have broken-up with him, but now I
see that it is a temporary thing. Therefore, I replied, "The band is doing great and
we are playing here in a beautiful club. We are enjoying the sunny lifestyle, and
there are many free girls. "Are you having fun with the girls?" Yvonne says. I
replied, "You bet I am." "I was about to ask you if I could come there for a few
days, but I don't want to interrupt anyone," Yvonne says. This statement caught me by
surprise. "I have to think about this. Let me see if I could arrange it," I said to
Yvonne. Yvonne replied, "OK.| I told her that I would call her tomorrow, and Amadeo
returned to the phone. Amadeo said, "What did you think of that." I told him that I
did not know, and that I needed to think about this. I told him that I would call
them tomorrow. Wow, that's a freak out!</p>
<p>My mind immediately flashed into the night I saw her with this nigger. She smiled
and kissed him and then walked off holding his hand very excited. All the while, she
was giving me this elaborately made-up story. What balls on this fucking chick? Then
the other side off me said well maybe she wants to get back with you again. Who
knows? I went back and forth with myself. Yea, but I don't think I want her back.
Yea, but she is beautiful, and she has a nice fucking body. But she's a fucking liar.
Hey, I have Barbara in New York and now I have Diane, therefore, who needs this bitch
anyway. OK, this is what I'm going to do. If she doesn't come to fuck me then I don't
need her. The next day, I called Amadeo/Yvonne. I said to Yvonne, OK, if you want to
come here I have my own room in a motel. She replied, "Maybe, I should get my own
room." I said, "Look Yvonne, if you want to come here, but you don't want to be with
me then I don't want you to come. "I want to be with you," she replied, "but I do not
want to impose on you." I reiterated, "You sleep with me in my hotel room and there
will be no problem." Yvonne agreed and she was going to meet me the following day.
This is something else. I can't believe Yvonne is coming.</p>
<p>The next morning, Yvonne arrived. She was somehow very different, but she was
still extremely sexy and beautiful. She seemed plastically warm and very distant. She
immediately began acting as though she wasn't really with me. We went to my motel and
we talked for a short while. I said, "So you're involved with that black dancer. She
replied, "Yea, we have known each other for a long time." I couldn't believe she said
that. She's certainly got a lot of nerve saying that to me. She is actually telling
me that she had been lying to me all the while. I said to her, "Let's go for a stroll
out on the beach." With that, Yvonne proceeded to remove her clothes in front of me
and put on her bathing suit. It was a hell of a skimpy bathing suit and I knew that
everyone would be staring at her. As she was dressing, I had noticed that she must
have gotten her breasts filled with silicone, because they did not appear to be
natural. They appeared to be up-lifted somehow. It immediately turned me off. Not to
mention her little arrogant attitude.</p>
<p>Yvonne and I went out for a walk on the boardwalk. I decided to show her around
the place for a bit before we hit the sand. Yvonne began walking about three feet in
front of me like a high-class movie star. She was pretending and acting as though she
was alone. I ignored her attitude, but I enjoyed watching her beautiful ass, which
was difficult to take my eyes off of. We continued walking, and finally I stopped. I
said, Hey, Where the fuck are you going? She stopped also and walked back to me and
replied that she was sorry. She then began walking beside me, but slightly ahead. I
then grabbed her hand. She held my hand without force as though she really didn't
want to hold it. We then proceeded to the sand to soak up some sun. I tried to lie
close to her at times, but she was unresponsive.</p>
<p>After enjoying the sand and sun, we went to dinner and then back to my motel. I
began getting dressed for my night's performance, and then I decided to give her the
same medicine. After I got dressed, I said to her, "See you at the club", and then I
quickly walked out of the motel leaving her all by herself. She knew no one and she
was completely taken by surprise. She had nowhere to go except meet me at the club.
So how does it feel baby!</p>
<p>Yvonne finally appeared at the club and my band had the club jumping. She sat at
the bar in front of us like a lost girl with no one to talk with. I think she was
very surprised to hear our band with the trumpet, and that we sounded so great. I
ignored looking at her except for a bit, and Diane and her mother were there also.
After our set, I escorted Yvonne to a table. I asked her if she is having a good time
and she complimented the new sound of the band. I then told her that I needed to make
the rounds to say hello to everyone. I went to Diane and we talked for a while. I
told Diane that my ex-girlfriend is here, but I assured Diane that I was interested
in her only.</p>
<p>At the end of our performance, Yvonne and I returned to the motel. We entered the
bed and I put my arm around her, but she was distant. I then began feeling her
breasts hoping that I could turn her on also, but indeed, her breasts were silicone.
They certainly felt strange. She is not the same girl I knew. She continued to act
distant. I touched her beautiful ass as I pressed my dick against her pussy. She
began to slightly get aroused. As I was feeling her as with my hard dick against her,
I began to kiss her. She responded by kissing me in return. I then got on top of her
and my hard dick slid right inside of her. She then went into a zombie stage as her
emotions suddenly went cold. When I felt her lack of further response my dick
automatically got soft. I had it with this girl. She is of no use. I then turned my
back to her and tried to sleep. In the morning I will get rid of this unknown
bitch.</p>
<p>In the morning, we awoke and dressed. I wanted to be mean to her, but I wanted the
village apartment to be there for me when I returned to New York. Therefore, I
handled her very diplomatically. I said to her, I guess you are going back to New
York City? "Do you want me to leave?" she said knowing my disappointment. "I think it
would be best," I replied, "After all, we are not happening." She then apologized to
me for her actions and feelings last night, but her lies (bullshit) no longer matters
to me. I need to get rid of this bitch because she is bringing me down again. I
wasted an entire day with her and got nothing but continued depression and
involvement in psychological games. As we exited the motel, it appeared that Joey met
a girl last night and rented a room in the same motel also. Joey is out front
entering his girl's vehicle. Joey seen me and gave me the thumbs-up sign. I gave Joey
the thumbs down sign as Yvonne watched and he felt sorry for me. I then asked Joey if
he and his girl could drive Yvonne to the bus station. Joey and his girl agreed. I
put Yvonne in the car and told her to say hello to Amadeo and I told her to have a
nice life, and off they went. It is the last time that I ever saw Yvonne. Good
reddens!</p>
<p>I returned to house that was provided for the band and met Aldo, Ritchie and Joey
the trumpet. We all went to the beach near the club. After a few hours of soaking in
the sun, we met up with Joey the bass and afterwards, had a rehearsal to sharpen
things up a bit. We all went out to dinner, then back to the house and performed that
evening. I hooked-up with Diane, and Yvonne was now a distant memory. We finished
performing for the week and now it was off to Washington D.C. Diane, her mother and I
exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and the band was back on the road.</p>
<p>We had many laughs on the way down to D.C. We were acting like little kids, always
playing practical jokes on one another. We arrived at the club, unloaded our
instruments, and created a set on stage. We then went across the river into Virginia
where we found a reasonably priced motel. The owners of the motel didn't like us very
much. They pegged us as hippie, long hair freaks, but they rented the rooms to us
anyway very reluctantly. Anyone with long hair was considered a hippie freak that
used drugs. This is <br /><a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">the South<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/100760/southernflag.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
now. We are considered Yankees. However, next to this motel is a 24-hour dinner, so
it all was very convenient.</p>
<blockquote>
I didn't know it then, but I had learned about it later in my life that the South
was the original American Republic and after the civil war, the United States
became a corporate democracy.
</blockquote>
<p>At our first night at the club, we tore the place up. The people had never heard a
band so funky and tight. The word quickly went out, and the next night, and the
nights afterward, the club would be packed with a line outside to get in. This had
never happened here at this club in Washington D.C.</p>
<p>On Saturday night, we had some unexpected visitors who came to hear our group.
They are actors <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">David Jansen<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/33948/davidjanson.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
who played The Fugitive, actor <br /><a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Barry Sullivan<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/213365/sullivan.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>,
and the incredible <a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Jane Mansfield<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/731116/mansfield.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>.
During our 40-minute break, when the club played pop records, David Jansen invited me
to join them at their table. Actually, I did not know it at the time, but Jane
Mansfield had a crush on me. I was sitting next to her and see was leaning very close
to me rubbing her big tits against my arm. David Jansen is winking his eyes at me and
smiling as if to say, she wants you and it's OK. A moment later, Barry Sullivan
suggested that I dance with Jane on the dance floor. Jane is a wonderful sexy woman
and I am shocked that she likes me very much. I didn't know how to act. So Jane and I
went on the dance floor and the whole group was watching, as well as everyone else.
Then a slow song came on, and Jane quickly put her arms around me to slow-dance. Her
big tits pressed against my chest and made me feel like heaven. She was so soft and
very feminine. Her beautiful hair just melted in my hand, and she smelled like a
rose. I was really in heaven. This went on all night long. We are all drinking and
getting drunk. Jane then asked me to go with her to the hotel, I was scared, and told
her I didn't think it would be a good idea. She continued begging me as David and
Barry was itching me on. I just held her in my arms and kissed her patiently. I told
her to come by again tomorrow, because I was not ready for this. It was too
overwhelming. She loved my honesty and understood, then they all said goodnight and
thanked us for a wonderful time.</p>
<p>I had to put up with all the ribbing from the band members, but the next night I
met a girl who was almost equal to Jane in figure and I took her back to the motel.
The guys in the band also met girls and we had a big party in our rooms. The
following day, everyone went to the lake to swim and I stayed behind with my girl. As
soon as everyone left, I put this girl on the bed and started to take her clothes
off. Then the house cleaner knocked on the door and aggressively wanted to clean the
room by making sounds to enter. We both quickly jumped off the bed and dashed into
the adjoining room. My girl got very frightened. I can hear the house cleaner
fiddling with the keys to open the main room door. So I quickly threw the girl in the
closet and told her to be quiet. The house cleaner entered the room and asked, "You
don't have a girl in here, do you?" The management told us that we were supposed to
behave and they specifically told us, no women. I told the house cleaner "No, I'm
just resting." I asked the housecleaner to please be brief, because I wanted to
return to sleep. The cleaner proceeded to clean the room while the girl was patiently
quiet in the closet. The house cleaner started complaining about the mess, and asked
if we had a party last night. I told her no, and she could tell I was lying about the
party and the girl in the room. I had to protect the closet; I think the house
cleaner knew the girl was there. The house cleaner was taking her time thinking that
the girl would surface. Finally, I got pissed off and verbally attacked the maid and
told her that if she didn't finish up in three minutes I was going to throw her out.
She became offended by my verbal abuse. She thought I was nuts, and she quickly left.
I locked the door and the girl and I resumed where we left off.</p>
<p>I quickly noticed the nasty attitude of America, once we left the New Jersey area.
There seems to be a lot of hate in the way people look, talk, and act to northerners,
if you are not from their area. They stereotype people with long hair as being
unruly.</p>
<p>The next morning, on our way to the motel after the gig, around 2:30 in the
morning, Joey and I decided to get something to eat at the diner next to the motel.
We walked into the diner and sat down at the counter. Everyone began staring at us
with our long hair. Joey and I ordered. There were two big redneck s sitting one
stool away from Joey. We did not dare to look around, because we didn't want to start
a fight. The server gave us our meal with a nasty face and we ignored everything as
we eat. I could feel the nasty vibes. Everything is slightly mellow except these two
redneck s sitting next to Joey. I can see through the corner of my eye that they were
looking at us and mumbling something. Then as we just about finished our meal, the
redneck s began talking louder and louder about the way we looked. The redneck's are
very big and looked very tough. I said to Joey, ˜Let us get out of here. Then
Joey surprisingly turned to the redneck s and said, "How would you guys like to get a
big fat lip?" as he stared directly into the redneck eyes. I completely flipped out
thinking to myself, Here we go. We are going to get our asses kicked. To my surprise,
the redneck s instead of pouncing on us kept their mouth shut and turned away. What
balls Joey had! After a month of performing in Washington D.C., it was time to hit
the road to Florida.</p>
<p>A few of us, including myself, did not like the new name of the band, but that was
the name until someone came up with a better one. We had a long wonderful restful
drive to Florida. When we finally arrived at <br /><a id="menu6"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Cocoa Beach<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/30869/cocobeach.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>,
Florida club, it was closed down. . Aldo contacted the agency, and they gave Aldo an
address of our next performance. We had a hard finding the address. It entered in a
run-down area of the city of Cocoa Beach. We drove around in the dark trying to
locate this address. I asked Aldo, You're sure this is right? Aldo said that this was
the address the agency gave him. Finally, a black man flagged us down. We were a
little afraid of stopping. The man said, "Are you guy's the band?" We happily said
yes. "Where are we playing?" I asked. The man replied, "Over there in the basement."
There is nothing but all black people. We were confused. Aldo, thinking we are in the
wrong place asked the guy, "Do you know Jack Fisher?" The guy replied, "Yea, we
called him for a band." The owner of this run-down house came over and looked at us
and said to his partner, "What is this shit?" He is apparently very pissed off. We
told him that our agent sent us here. The owner said, "I didn't ask him for any white
band." We told him that we played R&B. The owner gave us the once over and saw
how young and cleaned-cut we were, turned around, and walked back to the house
saying, "I got to call this agent and find out what happened. He certainly appeared
very disappointed. We nervously unpacked our instruments and we were escorted into
this basement, which was packed full of black people. I love it! This is the audience
for our music. Everyone seemed extremely disappointed and pissed when we walked in.
We had to squeeze through the crowd to try to find an empty place to set-up. The
people slowly began to move away so that we would have a little area to set-up, but
we could see on the people's faces that they were also disappointed and that the
house had made a mistake. We finished the set-up fast, because we knew what we were
doing, and we are used to setting up quickly. This was actually the moment we have
been waiting for. Our R&B is going to be a test right here and now if we can
really be funky, but we knew we were going to freak these people out. These are the
people of the music we love, and we are going to get down with them tonight.</p>
<p>I got on the mike and introduced us. I said, "We're going to get down tonight." I
softly called out the first song to be 99 and 1/2, by Wilson Pickett to the band, and
I began the guitar intro. The people all stared and watched us. They couldn't believe
what I was playing. The people in the crowd were saying out load, Oh, my God, Oh, my
God. As I began singing the first verse, all the people began to groove to the music
as if we were all at home. The people loved us. When the song ended we immediately
went into Can't Turn You Loose, by my music idol, <a id="menu7"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Otis Redding<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/32699/otis.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. The
place went jumping. The owner ran down the stairs and watched the grooving basement
in disbelief. It was a most wonderful experience playing for the people whose music
we loved, and it was a chance to perform for the real people who knew and loved
R&B. We had it, we were funky and we knew it! The black people were so
overwhelmed that they gave us all kinds of free food and free drinks and treated us
like kings. It was the most rewarding experience we had to date.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/354017/colt45_2.jpg"
alt="Vandells name change to The Colt 45s" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>The next day, the agency asked us to report to a club in Orlando, Florida, about
40 minutes away. We performed there for one month. The club was an older stuffy type
of crowd, and we didn't really enjoy it, especially after doing the down-home black
club, but we had to deal with it, because the money was good, and we needed it when
we return to New York. This gig is a job and it feels like a job and unmemorable and
thus we hated it.</p>
<p>Joey and I rented motorcycles and we drove around the area picking up girls. There
was nothing but older woman in the club. It appeared to be a mafia type of place. One
day, early in the morning, about a week later, while we were sleeping, and all of a
sudden, we heard this loud bang and the walls of the motel shook. Joey and I jumped
up and quickly ran outside to see what had happened. Apparently, Aldo decided to try
to ride one of the motorcycles and he lost control and smashed into the wall of the
motel spraining his wrist badly. We rushed him to the doctor and his arm was put into
a sling. For an entire week, Aldo had to play with only one hand. When the week was
over, Aldo´s sling was removed from his arm. The gig was finally over and it
was time to return to New York. It was time to return to perform again at Trude
Heller's.</p>
<p>Back at Trude´s, our band with the added trumpet player Joey was beyond
comparison. We had not told Trude about the new member and she was trilled to hear us
sounding so enormous, and quickly gave us the extra money for the new member of the
band without asking. She was very happy to have us back. We were packing the place
every night. We were now making so much money, that almost every night before I
arrived at the club, I would stop to buy a brand new $35.00 shirt to wear for the
performance. I wore nothing but brand new clothes. We were all making now about
$700.00 a week each.</p>
<p>It was great seeing my good friend Amadeo again back at our Perry street
apartment. We discussed the Yvonne visit to the Jersey shore. However, it was
wonderful being with Barbara again. We went back to our weekend love affair on the
rooftop at my Perry street apartment.</p>
<p>One night, during our break at Trude´s, a guy came over to me and introduced
himself as Mitch. I said hello to him and he said, "You know, you guys have a great
band." I said, "Thank you very much." He then went on to say that he was a singer
from Detroit; he had heard that New York was happening, and he arrived with his band
to try and get a job. I said to him, "You know, it's not easy thing to get in New
York if your new!" He went on to say that he had asked someone where the most
happening club in the city was, and they recommended Trude Heller's. He said that his
band was outside, but they couldn't afford to come in. He continued saying that he
and his band really needed to make some money quickly because their low on funds. He
asked me if I could introduce him to Trude. I told him, "Why not speak to our
drummer. He's the businessman of the group, and he has a great relationship with
Trude." I asked Mitch to follow me to the kitchen area and I will introduce him to
Aldo. I took Mitch, who seemed like a very nice sincere guy, to the kitchen/dressing
room area where Aldo was hanging out. Mitch and I walked into the kitchen and I said
to Aldo, "Aldo, I want to introduce you to Mitch," I then said, "Mitch what is your
last name?" Mitch replied, <a id="menu8"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">"Ryder"<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/688149/mitchryder.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I
said, "Aldo this is Mitch Ryder, and he just arrived from Detroit with his band.
They're looking for work." Aldo then arranged for Mitch to speak with Trude, and
Trude arranged an audition at the Eighth Wonder. After a week or so, Mitch was
playing the Eighth Wonder, Joel Heller's club, but Mitch's group didn't last very
long at The Eighth Wonder.</p>
<p>A new group emerged in the scene that we did not ever hear about. Apparently,
there was this club located uptown called the <br /><a id="menu9"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Peppermint
Lounge<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/464673/PEPPER%7E1.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, which no one we knew was aware of. This group suddenly had the number one
record on the charts called, The Peppermint Twist. The group, <a id="menu10"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Joey Dee and
the Starliters<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/976383/joeydeestarliters.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> seem to come out of nowhere. The record was hot and suddenly,
someone was giving Trude and us a run for the money. There is a line to get in every
night at the Peppermint Lounge. How could this happen so suddenly? How could
something like this pop-up without some kind of notice? This music business is so
strange. Here we were the most happening band in the city and someone comes out of
nowhere and gets a smash hit record. It sounds like Mafia work to me. Our band tried
to visit the Peppermint Lounge one night, but the line was too long. Strangely
enough, a few weeks later, our agent booked us into the <a id="menu11"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Wagon Wheel<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/100713/wagonwheel.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
club, which was located two blocks from the Peppermint Lounge. During our break we
tried again to visit the Peppermint Lounge without any luck. The lines were so long
that you had to know someone to get in. We did not know anyone around those circles.
However, nothing has changed we are still happening. We are still packing in the
places we perform at. Everything was going normally except for this one club the
Peppermint Lounge, which seemed to exist on its own.</p>
<p>Joey told me that Evie is about to have their baby! I didn´t know what to
say, but I asked him how he felt about it, and he replied that he loved Evie. A few
days later, the worse had finally happened. Joey got drafted into the Army. He was
going to Vietnam. The band went into frenzy. I begged Joey not to go, but Joey had
always been the all American Boy, and he said he was going, no matter what. I became
very afraid for Joey and I felt sorry for his loving family. What´s going to
happen to the band? Then slowly everything began to suddenly fall apart. It was a
snowball rolling down hill getting bigger and bigger. With Joey's bad news, Aldo
speaks out and says that he decided to go into business with his father and marry the
girl Jane from the Jersey Shore. Then Joey followed by saying that he was going to
marry Evie before he enters into the army. I was suddenly caught by surprise. I
thought, What´s going on? Is everybody going nuts?</p>
<p>Joey then made a proposal to Evie, she accepted, and soon they were married.
However, I was very disappointed that Joey didn´t ask me to be his best man.
Instead, he asked an old long time friend, Ritchie, to be his best man. I was
devastated at his decision. Joey and I were really like brothers. I was sure to be
the best man at his wedding. I went to Joey´s wedding at the church very
displeased, but I only attended, because I loved him and Evie. However, I protested
the wedding reception by not going. Very mad, I didn´t see Joey afterward or
attend his departure into the army.</p>
<p>The Van-Dells / Colt 45´s, broke-up! Here I was, lost in nowhere land.</p>
<h3 align="center">"The fucking Vietnam war is changing everyone's lives! What was I to do and
where was I to go?"</h3></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145962967111887972006-04-25T06:52:00.000-04:002006-12-25T04:14:59.580-05:00Chapter 17 - Ray<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/884112/rocyandhisfriends.jpg"
alt="Rocky and his friends" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 17 - Ray</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>I couldn't believe that Joey was drafted, and Aldo cutout and decided to work for
his father. It's probably, because Aldo had enough of the music scene and decided to
settle down with Jane. To top it off, Joey gets married and doesn't even consider the
thought of me being his best man. Like what the fuck is this shit? From the top of
the world to nothing!</p>
<p>There are protests everywhere. Protests against the Vietnam War are happening all
around the country. Protests against civil rights for blacks are happening in the
South with Martin Luther King. Here in New York City there are civil rights
demonstrations for the minority Puerto Ricans. People want to be treated fairly and
most of all, the entire country wants to live in peace. However, it seems that our
government has other ideas. There is a clash between the people and the
establishment.</p>
<p>In the following weeks, I was trying to regroup. I had no money saved and I had no
job. I didn´t need much, but I needed something. I could live at home for free
and I didn't have to pay for anything at Perry Street. Still I need to do something.
My brother's camera stores went bankrupt and he returned as a salesman at Peerless
Camera. I therefore decided to get a job in a clothing store in the West Village. It
is easy to get a job in a clothing store, because the competition amongst the
salesmen is so cutthroat that no one lasts for very long. As such, I didn't last very
long either, but it kept me busy for a month or so. I checked the Village Voice
newspaper every week. This Voice contains its own musician wanted section. When I
couldn't find anything worthwhile like a band needing a musician, then I would check
out the jobs in the Help Wanted section. One week, I noticed an ad in the Village
Voice for an R&B band needing a guitar player. I called and spoke with a singer
named Ray. They were rehearsing at this rehearsal hall located on 49th and Broadway,
and I arrived there at my appointed time of 7pm. I entered inside the rehearsal room
and met Ray, who was the only one there. I said to Ray, "Where's the band?" Ray
replied that he had put an ad in the paper, and that a few people should be showing
up. I thought that this was very bazaar. I told Ray that I was under the impression
that he already had a band and that he needed a guitar player. Ray said that he
wanted to start an R&B band very badly and he was willing to do what ever it
takes.... even misleading people. I thought, "What a pair of balls on this guy. He
dragged me down here for nothing". Then, after laughing at Ray for a moment I told
him, "You got to be kidding!" But after talking with Ray for awhile, I kind of liked
him. Then I found out that he is Johnny Serrano's brother. Johnny Serrano is the main
steady band at the Metropole Cafe. They even appeared in a clip of the famous movie,
The Odd Couple, which was directly shot inside The Metropole Cafe. I asked Ray why he
didn't play with his brother, and Ray replied that he doesn't play, but wants to sing
R&B. Ray mentioned all the pop-groups like Sam & Dave; Otis Redding; Wilson
Picket; that I also loved and enjoyed and I was shocked to hear him mention those
names. I was impressed! I asked Ray who's going to arrange all the music for you, and
Ray said, I don't know? Well, I told him, "If you finally get a few guys, I´ll
do it for you. Ray said great! I asked him to give me a call when or if he found
somebody. When I left, I began shaking my head in disbelief. It was nice meeting Ray,
but I think he is dreaming. However, that is what dreams are about. Dreams do become
true if you believe hard enough.</p>
<p>Ray called me almost everyday just to talk and to let me know what was going on.
Ray and I began liking one another very much. We talked about R&B on the phone
all the time. Eventually, Ray had found a drummer and sax player. He wanted me to
come to the studio with my guitar to meet these guys, and I did. When I arrived at
the rehearsal with my guitar in my black gig bag draped over my shoulder, the first
thing I noticed was this little tiny guy who was in the process of setting-up his
drums. Ray introduced me to him. This drummer is a skinny little puny guy. He was
about 5´1. I took Ray over to the side and said, "Ray, you got to be kidding.
This guy is too small. He has to hit the drums extremely hard, especially the bass
drum". The drummer over heard my comment to Ray, and quickly sat down on his drums
and began to play as hard as he could. I began laughing! It was very funny watching
this little guy pounding on the drums. He was surprisingly very good on technique,
but I told him that he needed to bang much harder and consistent than that. The
drummer yelled out, I´ll do it...I´ll do it. We will see, I replied
laughing, but really, I didn't think he could.</p>
<p>The sax player is Ronny. I asked Ronny to play something and he also sounded very
good. However, he was using a plastic mouthpiece. I told Ronny that if he wanted to
play with us he needed to buy a metal mouthpiece. He asked, "Why?" I told him that a
metal mouthpiece makes the sax's sound, cut through. The plastic mouthpiece is more
for soft ballad work. It sounds soft. Ronny said, No problem, I'll buy one tomorrow.
Well, I thought, everyone seems to have a positive attitude and enthusiasm. I then
told everyone to look for a bass and trumpet, and I will try to peace it all
together. I told them all what records to buy, and I asked them to try and learn what
they could on their own. We broke-up the rehearsal early, and Ray and I decided to go
for a drink at The Metropole Cafe where his brother Johnny is performing.</p>
<p>Ray and I walked down the block to the Metropole, I conveyed to Ray about having
the most wanted group in New York, The Van-Dells, and how the Vietnam War suddenly
broke it up. I told him how we had just added a trumpet player; we were sounding
majestic; my frustrations with loosing it, and everything else that occurred around
me after the break-up. Ray assured me that I could have it all again. I liked his
positive thinking. It is what he wanted, and he thought that together we both could
do it. Ray does have a great positive attitude besides being a great guy, and that
YES, it could happen again. However, it wasn't as easy as Ray thought. I explained to
Ray, that you have to find the right people; they have to play well; they must get
along with each other; they have to all look good; they have to learn how to move on
stage. It's very difficult to find and have all those things.</p>
<p>Ray and I then entered the Metropole and we viewed the crop of go-go girls that
were dancing as we walked toward the other end of the bar. We waved to Johnny Serrano
who was on stage as we walked by. I could tell that Johnny Serrano was greatly
surprised to see me hanging out with his brother. Ray and I ordered a drink and we
discussed Ronny and the drummer further.</p>
<p>I said to Ray, The drummer is married. It is not good to have a married person in
the band. Ray asked, "Why?" I told him that if the drummer's wife starts bitching
that he is not around, because he is out there playing with the band all the time,
then she is goner pull him away from the group. You don't want a married guy in the
band, or a guy who has a steady girlfriend. It's too much trouble and problems. Look
at me for instance, I said, I have some girlfriends, but they are not steady
girlfriends. I won't let a woman tell me what I should do, or what is best for me. I
already know this. I do not need a woman to tell me. That's the way it is and that's
the way it will be. If choice is her or the band it will be most definitely the
band.</p>
<p>During our discussion, Ray's brother walked over to say hello. Johnny said, "Hey
Chuck, I'm surprised to see you here with my brother. What happened to your group?" I
replied that the bass player Joey was drafted, and the drummer Aldo decided to work
for his father and get married. Johnny replied, "That's a shame! What are you guys
doing together?" Ray told him that we were trying to start a new band. Then, Ray and
Johnny began talking privately to each other as I was thinking and watching the go-go
girls sipping on my drink. Ray and I hung out at The Metropole for a while. We then
said goodbye to his brother and then we departed and separated. I decided to head
down to Trude´s and hang out with Rena for awhile.</p>
<p>Rena is Trude´s general manager when Trude is not around. She is a very
stunning beautiful blonde girl. Rena is about 27 years old. I don't know if she is
gay or not, but I never seen her with a man. I met Rena when I began hanging out at
Trude´s during my break time at the Eighth Wonder. I would hang out at the side
of the bar watching the bands, and one day, Rena invited me to sit with her at
Trude´s table. We began talking and eventually we became good acquaintances. I
treated Rena with great respect, although I never really knew what her position at
the club was. Once I had sat down with her, I would not say a word unless she began a
discussion. She therefore enjoyed my company and having me around.</p>
<p>Every time I arrived at Trude´s after that, I was immediately invited to
join Rena at Trude´s table. She always gave me the nod to sit with her. I told
Rena that I was starting a new group. She asked how it was going, and I told her that
we had a great deal of enthusiasm. Rena suggested that I should become a model. She
told me that she could hook-me-up in the business. I wasn't very interested, because
I loved music too much and besides, although I didn't say this to her, but the
modeling business is very gay and I want to stay away from that. She understood! I
waved to Amadeo who was dancing on the platform located on the wall. Then a
photographer/writer entered Trude´s looking to interview someone about the
current drinking age. Rena quickly suggested to the photographer to interview me, and
he did. I hung out with Rena for a few hours and then I hopped on the BMT subway back
to my house in Brooklyn. I didn't want to sleep in the city at my village apartment,
because my money was very low. I could eat at home for free.</p>
<p>Back in Brooklyn, my neighbor's son Joey surprisingly bought a new Fender Jazz
bass. I told him to buy a Precision Bass, but he liked the Jazz bass instead. It was
very beautiful and I hoped he would find a band eventually. I showed him a few licks
to practice with.</p>
<p>A couple of positive things had also happened to me. One, I received my drivers
license back, and two; I had learned that my picture was in the newspaper from the
night before at Trude´s. I quickly returned to my brother's house in Garden
City, Long Island to pick-up my Chevy convertible. The car battery was stone dead
even though I had disconnected it. I had to pay for a new battery to get it started.
Finally, I have a vehicle once again; however, it is not running the same way as when
I bought it. I'm hoping that changing the spark plugs and wires will hopefully
improve its performance.</p>
<p>I had learned that Joey the bass player's mother had moved to Bay 49th Street. I
went to visit her and to my surprise, she was living on the top floor of a house that
was owned by an old friend that I went to school with named, Ritchie. I was not aware
that Ritchie is in a wheelchair for life. It happened to him, because he was diving
with his friends off the Steeplechase pier. He had miscalculated his dive and it
paralyzed his back in the fall. What a shame. He is such a handsome and wonderful
person. However, it is wonderful meeting his family and at the same time meeting
again with Joey's mother, father, and sister Gracie.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, two weeks went by, and Ray still could not find a bass player or
trumpet. We tried to continue rehearsals to keep what members we had, but it was most
difficult to rehearse without a bass. Finally, Ronnie the sax had found a bass player
in Jersey, and we auditioned him. He is very strange looking and he is not very
experienced. Strange looking meaning that he is from the sticks of New Jersey, and
didn't even look like a musician. He had this clean-cut, mid-west type of appearance.
The drummer and the bass player had never jammed with people, and they had never
played in a band before. However, I never have seen in my life, a group of people
with so much positive ness and enthusiasm. So I went for it and tried to put it
together. I told the guys where I've been, what I know, and if they listened to my
guidance, I might be able to put it together if they had what it took. They all
agreed happily to follow everything I say.</p>
<p>I told them all what to play note for note as Ray watched on. We began rehearsing
every night. We all chipped-in to pay for the rehearsal room! Ray provided me with
the titles of the songs he thought he could do, and I taught the guys how to play it.
Ray loved Otis Redding and Otis was my idle in music.</p>
<p>Otis Redding´s back-up band is <a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Booker T. and the MG´s<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/913020/bookert.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>.
Booker T´s guitarist is Steve Cropper and I tried to play like him. Booker T.
and the MG´s also back up Sam & Dave and Wilson Pickett! As the weeks went
on, things began progressing, and after a awhile, we were beginning to sound like
something, and it was very good. It is also a lot of fun except, we were still shy a
trumpet player. You just can't really feel the full potential of the song that
contains horn arrangements if you only have one horn.</p>
<p>Then out of the blue, like a miracle, one night while we were rehearsing, a young
guy walked into the rehearsal and said, "You guys sound fucking great. I was just
walking by, and I heard you guys from the street. I wondered if you needed a trumpet
player." We were all in shock. I looked at this very wild looking young handsome guy
carrying this small black-leather trumpet gig bag. We shook his hand and asked him
his name, which was Joey. I said, Well Joey take out your horn and blow. Joey quickly
took out his horn and began warming up with scales. Just by the power of the scales
he was playing, I knew he was very good. He began to jam by himself as we all watched
in shock. Then he hit a double high C. "Wow", I said, "This guy can play". I couldn't
believe he hit a double-high C, without any problem. Joey went on to say that Maynard
Ferguson is his idol. He practiced to hit the high notes just like Maynard. Then we
all played a song, and when Ronny and Joey blew the horns the rest of the guys could
not believe what they were hearing. It was truly amazing how we sounded. I was a
moment to remember for everyone! Everyone's enthusiasm rose to a new height, and Ray
was astonished. I then quickly told Joey, Welcome to the band! Everyone shook Joey's
hand and the band was now complete.</p>
<p>We rehearsed a few more nights at the rehearsal hall, but it was costing us a
great deal of money. The rehearsal hall costs us $15.00 a night. Our money is getting
very low now. The bass player who came from a nice home in Jersey suggested that we
could continue rehearsing at his parent's house. Thus, the next night, we all headed
out to Jersey to continue rehearsal.</p>
<p>On Saturday afternoon, we were sitting around the kitchen table at the bass
player's house, and we were talking about needing a name for the group. We all began
fooling around throwing out different funny names. After awhile, we could no longer
think straight. As I was looking around the room, I told the guys that this was the
weirdest looking band of people I had every seen. They all began laughing, as someone
yelled, You look weird yourself. I smiled and said, Look at the drummer for
instance.... He looks like Mr. Peabody. All the guys busted out laughing at the
drummer. Mr. Peabody was a character from the underground hit cartoon show, Rocky and
his friends. The cartoon show was supposed to be for kids, but the content was really
for adults. If you watched it, one could not believe the intense story line. Anyway,
the guys were busting out laughing, but the drummer became annoyed and embarrassed.
He replied, Look at you. You look like, Bullwinkle. Then everyone busted-out laughing
again, and Joey the trumpet player said, "Look at Ronny, he looks like Boris Badnov."
Then we all were laughing in tears, and I replied, "You know, he really does." Then
the bass player jumped in saying, "Ray looks just like Rocky." Ray began guffawing.
Then I jumped up and yelled, "Wait, That's it!" Then some one said, "What's that?" I
said, "Rocky and his Friends. What about it?" Everyone looked around the room with
smiles toward one other. Then there is a moment of silence. We all had such different
looks, and because of our diverse backgrounds, we actually did resemble Rocky and his
Friends. I told the band that we could learn the Rocky and his Friends theme song,
and use it on stage to introduce Ray to the stage¦ I mean Rocky! Everyone
liked the idea, and so it was:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Ray the lead singer would be Rocky. <img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/53780/blank.gif" width="8" height="1" border="0"
alt="designspacer" /><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/16498/raf_rocky.jpg" alt="Rocky" /></p>
<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>
<p>I am Bullwinkle. <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/53780/blank.gif"
width="129" height="1" border="0" alt="designspacer" /><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/68015/raf_bullwinkle.jpg"
alt="Bullwinkle" /></p>
<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>
<p>Joey the trumpet is Snidely Whiplash. <img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/53780/blank.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0"
alt="designspacer" /><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/694169/raf_snidely.jpg"
alt="Snidely Whiplash" /></p>
<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>
<p>Ronny the sax is Boris Badnov. <img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/53780/blank.gif" width="38" height="1" border="0"
alt="designspacer" /><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/43727/raf_boris.jpg"
alt="Boris Badnov" /></p>
<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>
<p>The drummer is Mr. Peabody. <img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/53780/blank.gif" width="46" height="1" border="0"
alt="designspacer" /><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/91352/raf_peabody.jpg"
alt="Mr. Peabody" /></p>
<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>
<p>The bass player is Sherman. <img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/53780/blank.gif" width="52" height="1" border="0"
alt="designspacer" /><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/939493/raf_sherman.jpg"
alt="Sherman" /></p>
<br />
<br />
</li>
</ol>
<p>We then continued to rehearse, as we were excited about our new name. A few days
later I made a recording off the TV of the theme song from Rocky and his Friends and
we adapted it as our theme song.</p>
<p>Rocky, (he is no longer Ray) rushing a little with excitement, went to his brother
at the Metropole and acquired an audition for us. I was not too happy about that
since I knew the band was not quite ready yet. We all arrived at the Metropole to
play a set for free so that the manager of the club could hear us. It turned out that
the manager didn't like us, and said we needed more work. We were a little sloppy.
The drummer and bass player have never been in a band before, and the fright of
playing in public to an audience made them sloppy. The band had also not shopped for
new clothes. As it is, the band was not quite ready, but Rocky rushed us into an
audition. Everybody in the band was quite shocked that the manager of the club
refused us, but I was not. I thought it was somewhat understandable.</p>
<p>Rocky and I were in the bass player's vehicle on our way back to Jersey to drop
off the instruments. I was trying to explain to Rocky that he was rushing things. As
I was talking to him I suddenly asked the bass player to stop the car. I noticed this
little bar on 9th Ave. just before 42nd Street. I told Rocky, Wait here I'll be right
back. As I crossed 9th Ave., Rocky yelled, Where the hell are you going? I entered
this little dive bar, and I noticed immediately all the drunken derelicts. I went
over to the bartender as he looked at me as if to say, "What the hell is a nicely
dressed guy like you doing in here?" I said to the bartender, "Who's the manager?"
The bartender told me that this is his place. "What can I do for you?" he replied. I
said, "Hey, how would you like to have a good band for free this weekend." The owner
said, "What?" I continued, "We need to play in front of an audience. You see, some of
the guys in the band have never played in front of an audience. I like to bring my
band in here for the weekend and play for you folks for free. The manager looked at
me very weird and said, "Why sure that would be all right. In matter of fact that
would be great. How many pieces are you?" I said, "Six!" He repeated in shock, "Six?"
I said, "Yea!" He then asked, "How the hell you going to fit a six piece band in
here?" (The bar was only about 25 feet long and 13 feet wide.) I went on, "Don't
worry, we won't take too much space...you'll love it." The bartender said, "No man,
your crazy... we once had two guitar players and a bass at one time, but six
people...no way. I'm not licensed to have that kind of a band." I quickly
aggressively replied, "Hey man, you'll love it...you'll make a lot of money...please
if you think it is too much then we will pack-up and leave.... just us out." The
manager took a deep confusing breath and said, "OK, but I think this is crazy." I
told him, "Right...it is...see you Friday night." I dashed back across the avenue to
the car and told Rocky that we had a free gig this weekend. Rocky and the bass player
freaked. Rocky told me that the place is too small and that it's a dump. I told
Rocky, Yea, it's just what we need. We all need to be right up in front of people
starring us in the face, and no one will ever know in the music circles that we are
in this bar performing. Rocky suddenly became very quiet as we drove away.</p>
<p>Friday night, we arrived at the bar. As we brought the instruments inside the
club, the patrons were all looking at us. One of the patrons said to the bartender,
"What is this shit?" The bartender replied that this band wants to play here for the
weekend. The patron gladly said, "All right!" We started to set-up the stuff and
tried not to take-up too much space. It was difficult but we did it. The
bartender/owner was very helpful and made some suggestions on where and how to
set-up. We tuned-up and started playing and the patrons were shocked. They were
saying things like, "Holy shit!" Everybody was grooving and the bartender loved it.
They had never heard anything like it. The bartender gave us drinks on the house and
after the weekend, the band became nice and polished.</p>
<p>I then went to see Trude Heller and I told her about my new group. She arranged
for an audition on Tuesday evening, and when she heard us, she hired us immediately.
Trude loved the band and she loved Ray's performance. Trude immediately booked us on
the weekend playing along side of Benny Gordon and the Soul brothers. Who needs the
Metropole?</p>
<p>On our first set Friday night, we began our set with an instrumental so that the
band could warm-up our sound to the room. Once we had adjusted to the room we ended
the song. Then I said on the mike, Hello everybody, we are the new kids on the block,
and we want you to put your hands together and give a great round of applause for
Rooooocky! Without a count off the horn players began the introduction and the band
began playing the short Rocky and his Friends theme song, as Rocky came charging from
the kitchen/dressing room area onto stage. Then we went directly went into I Can't
Turn You Loose by Otis Redding, and the club began jumping. All the people had smiles
on all the faces including Trude Heller, and once again I have another successful
sounding band making $600.00 a week. Not bad for our first gig.</p>
<p>Our band is smoking and most enjoyable. I say this, because we were very exciting
to watch. We had our dance steps down and as everyone watched us as the entire stage
was in constant action. We all went shopping a few days before the audition at the
Eighth Street area around the corner from Trude´s to buy some great looking
clothes. We looked very clean and polished. It wasn't that Benny Gordon was not
happening, to the contrary, Benny´ band was great, but having two great
exciting bands playing side by side made it the talk of the town. Two weeks of
playing at Trude´s made us far more superior than The Van-Dells, and again I
was again very happy and feeling good. Everything fell right back into place.</p>
<p>Now that I have a band again and I'm making good money, I moved back into my
Village apartment with Amadeo. The first thing I did on my first break was to return
to the bar up from Trude´s to see if Barbara was still around. Unfortunately,
Barbara was not there. I decided to see if she was hanging-out at the Eighth Wonder
so I took a visit there. To my surprise, Barbara and her girlfriends were there. I
saw Barbara sitting and talking with some guy in the corner by the front window.
Barbara looked at me as I began to talk with her friends at the bar. I told her
friends about the new band and that we are now playing at Trude Heller's. I talked
with them a bit and they were very happy to see me again, but Barbara never came up
to me. She continued talking with this guy. I told her friends to come by and they
replied that they would come to Trude´s in a little while to checkout my new
band. It was a tense moment of time seeing Barbara with another guy. I immediately
said hello to Joel Heller and then I returned to Trude´s to begin my second
set. As I am walking back around the block to Trude´s, I was thinking how it
has been a long time that I didn't see Barbara. What was I to expect from her after
such a long period of time. I should be thankful that I did at least see her again.
That's a miracle in itself that she and her girlfriends are still around hanging out
at the Eighth Wonder.</p>
<p>There are a few changes at Trude´s since I was last here. There are a few
new girl dancers at Trude´s. One new girl dancer is Fina, and she is the
replacement dancer for Yvonne. Another girl is Janice. She is very sexy with large
breasts. The third new girl is Diane. Diane is a very cute blond girl. All the
dancers immediately fell in love with our new band. Amadeo was still there, as well
as the bathroom helper, Stanley. Stanley is very happy to see me with a new group,
and as always, he loved the new band and as always, my guitar playing. A very
pleasant positive guy! There is a new gigantic bouncer at Trude´s and he is
being very obnoxious with me. I don't like this guy at all. He has gigantic hands and
he is very aggressive. He is stationed near the kitchen/dressing room and every time
I walk by him, he jokingly grabs my arm and squeezes it very hard to show off his
massive strength. It hurts, and I don't like this idiot so I try to exit the other
direction to walk beyond him.</p>
<p>That night about 2:00 in the morning, (Trude´s is open until 4:00am) Barbara
and her girlfriends finally arrive into the club, but Barbara is very drunk. I went
up to her and put my arms around her, but she ignores me and angrily shrugs me off.
She is apparently very pissed that I haven't come to see her for a long time. She is
doing a good job ignoring me. Her girlfriend takes me on the side and tells me that
she was very interested in that another guy until I surprisingly, unexpectedly,
showed up tonight at the Eighth Wonder. Thus, she began drinking a lot which is not
her style and thus she is drunk. I then returned to ask Barbara in a serious, but
joking manner, "There is an open roof on top of my apartment. Would you like to see
it again?" Barbara replied with a drunken voice, "Get away from me!" I told her not
to be mad at me, because my not being there is a very long story to tell, but there
is a reason. I also told her that this is not the time to explain it to her. Barbara
is still very arrogant from her drinking and she is not responding at all, but she
did come with her girlfriends to see me and without the new guy.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, for the final hour at Trude´s, Trudy wants Rocky and his Friends
and Benny Gordon and the Soulbrothers to perform together on stage at the same time
together. That's right, two drummers; two guitars, two basses; four horns and two
vocalists. We did it and the club went into an uproar. The sound, lights, and people
are jamming beyond belief. Trude certainly knows how to create the ultimate finality.
All the eight Trude Heller dancers were performing on the wall at the same time with
us. Not only that, but at 3:30 in the morning, there is still a long line waiting to
get into the club.</p>
<p>After the finality ended, Barbara and her friends were waiting on the steps
leading out on the emergency exit of Trude´s located on the 9th Street side. I
went to Barbara who is sitting on the steps very drunk, and I put my arms around her
and forcibly kissed her. For the time being, she became very responsive. I then began
to do what I've been waiting to do for along time. I began to fondle her beautiful
breasts. Oh man, they felt fantastic again. They felt so good that I couldn't let go!
I got very hot and I said to her, "Let's go to my apartment." I could tell that she
wanted to very much, but she was now extremely very drunk. She thought for a moment
and replied, "I want to go home." I responded that it was better to go to my
apartment, which is just a short distance, then to take the train home to Jersey.
Then suddenly Barbara threw-up on the sidewalk. Her girlfriends recommended that they
take her home, but they said that they will return tomorrow night. After kissing her
and felling her breasts, I wanted her so much, but I had to go along with her
girlfriend's recommendation.</p>
<p>The following Saturday evening they did return. Barbara is herself again and
immediately kissed me when I walked over to her. Things are back to normal again, and
yes, Barbara will come to my apartment with me after the gig to pick-up from where we
last left off. Fantastic!</p>
<p>Trude told Rocky, who has assumed handling the business for the band that Rocky
and his Friends is now the house band at the club. The band is thrilled. We are
packing the place once again, standing room only. After a short while at Trade's, we
became very noticeable and talked about around New York City. Rocky was the only guy
who was able to mimic Otis Redding's style of singing. He was very rhythmic with his
voice! We brought the crowd to there feet every time we played. When we did the Otis
hit, Try a little Tenderness, at one point, the whole band went down on our knees. It
was very touching, and the crowd loved it immensely. We actually robbed that skit
from Benny Gordon's band. In matter of fact, we robbed a lot of stuff from Benny and
his band.</p>
<p>We had heard that Joey Dee and the Starliters had a falling out, and some of the
original members of the group had quit. They formed their own group and called
themselves, <a id="menu1"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The
Young Rascals<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/601149/rascals.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. They soon started recording and one of their songs began climbing
the charts.</p>
<p>Joey Dee on the other hand, opened his own nightclub called <br /><a id="menu2"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Starliter<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/656500/joeydeematch.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. Ray and I decided to go check it out. Frankie Lymon was performing
that night and we enjoyed his vocal performance immensely. We met Joey Dee and <a id="menu3"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Frankie Lymon<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/510541/frankielymon.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
and they were wonderful people. They had heard about our group, and they treated us
very special that night, buying us free drinks and presenting us with the best table
in the house.</p>
<p>A week later, I had heard that Rocky had acquired a secret girlfriend. I also
heard that this girl is crazy and obsessed with Rocky. We never saw her too much
although we slowly began hearing about her. She rarely came to see us perform, but
Rocky eventually told me that he had moved-in with her. I made very concerned and
cautious. I was hoping that this girl was not going to start some shit like instigate
ideas or actions that might interfere with the band. So I was very worried about his
situation.</p>
<p>As the popularity of the Rocky and his Friends began to rise, a group of teenage
girls began hanging-out in front of Trude´s almost every evening. Where they
came from I don't know but they pleaded to us to come outside of Trude´s on our
break to spend some time with them. They just loved us like crazy and I never knew
how it all started. We did go out and see them on our break and they were extremely
cute and sexy. The girls began growing in number after a few weeks so we decided to
begin a Rocky and his Friends fan club and appoint one of the girls to handle it. We
printed membership cards and we mailed our performance schedule to all the female
members. I became very attracted to one of the teenage girls named Dee. She was very
sexy. She always wore a short black mini-skirt. She had beautiful long tin legs. I
just couldn't keep my hands of her thin legs. I love long thin legs.</p>
<p>The band received an offer to open-up a gig for The Young Rascals in an afternoon
concert located in New Jersey. We accepted the offer and thus, Rocky and I became
very close friends with the drummer Dino Dinelli. The Young Rascals are the fastest
rising group now on the music charts. The Young Rascals are now enjoying their hit,
Good Lovin. Dino lived uptown in an apartment building, and he had his real phone
number listed in the phone book directory. Every time we went to see him at his
apartment the telephone was constantly ringing with female groupies on the other end
of the line. All we had to do was answer the phone and we could invite the girl/girls
over to fuck. It was that easy. Dino is constantly edging us on to pick-up the phone
to invite some girls over to the apartment. Thus, Rocky and I began hanging out at
Dino apartment almost everyday.</p>
<p>One night, as I arrived at Dino´s apartment, I opened the door to walk in,
and I immediately saw Dino in the kitchen area. I said hello and Dino looked at me
and said, "Chuck, I hate your fucking guts, as he pointed a gun right at my stomach
and pulled the trigger and shot twice. I seen the sparks from the fired gun, I felt
air hitting my stomach, and I immediately bent over in shock. Dino broke out
laughing. Dino always enjoyed playing pranks, but this one was sure a surprise. I
thought it was real and for a moment I thought I accepted bullets. Dino just
laughed.</p>
<p>When Dino performed, his hair looked so perfect. I asked him how he gets his hair
looking like that and he said, "Adorn Extra Hold" hair spray. He then showed me the
can and told me to buy the red can of Adorn, which was super hold. Rocky and I went
into the bathroom to try it. We styled our hair the way we wanted it and then we
sprayed it with Adorn and our hair didn't budge. Rocky and I went to the club to
perform and when we arrived to the club and looked in the mirror, not a strand of
hair had moved during our travels. Our hair style was now looking great all night.
People would come up to us and ask us how we did our hair also, but we would never
indulge Dino's secret. My hair was especially troublesome because it was very long on
top and it would get messed up very easily. So finally, I can keep it looking the way
I want it.</p>
<p>Not only did the band attract all these young groupie girls everywhere we went,
but the groupie girls were attracting all these young would be Mafia guys. Now, we
had a gang of young Mafia guys hanging out with the band everywhere we went also. It
sort of became free protection. They were not in the Mafia, they just wanted to be or
knew people who were in it, and they tried acting the same way as Mafia people would.
Everywhere we played there they were, and they became great bunch of guys and a lot
of fun to be with. They did a lot of crazy things and they made us laugh all the
time. They also made sure that no one fucked with us. They spent a great deal of
money buying us drinks and taking us out afterwards. They had their own group of
female groupies who liked hanging out with them, and the girls they had would do any
thing they asked. It was a lot of fun having all these groupies, male and female,
hanging out with us everywhere we went.... it became like a family.</p>
<p>One night after the gig, the Mafia type guys invited us to join them at this all
night, open 24 hours; French restaurant on 53rd and Lexington Ave called the <a id="menu4"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Brassiere<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/39935/brasserie.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. My
band adopted this particular restaurant through the suggestion of our Mafia groupies,
and soon it would slowly develop into a place for all the performers in Manhattan
after work. It eventually became the in-spot where all the performers went for
breakfast after 4:00 am. It is a very expensive restaurant. Two eggs are $7.00!</p>
<p>There we were, all sitting at a table with all these groupies, including <br /><a id="menu5"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Jimi Hendrix<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/970556/hendrix.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, <a id="menu6"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Tiny Tim<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/793715/tinytim.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>, as well
as, other performers and stars. Hendrix and I were the only ones with guitars in our
gig bags. Jimi and I took out our guitars and began to jam not amplified. I began the
riff of Land of a Thousand Dances, by Wilson Pickett as Jimi began to improvise a
lead. Then Jimi continued the rhythm as I improvised a lead, but during our jam,
every once and a while, Tiny Tim would improvise a singing line. When he did, all the
people at the table began to laugh. Including <br /><a id="menu7"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Chambers
Brother´s<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/83660/chambers.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> who were sitting at the table next to us. Poor Tiny, he so
strange! Everyone was very tired and trying to seduce the girls, but Jimi and I
continued to jam. Jimi then began to play a song off his new English album he had
told me about called, Purple Haze. I watched his position on his guitar neck and I
joined in on the chord structure. Then I threw-in some of my own licks as he began to
sing. Jimi smiled at me while he was singing, because he was enjoying my improvised
licks. Suddenly, the manager of the Brassiere came over to us and told us to quit
playing or he will eject us from the restaurant. Jimi and I played it cool as we both
put our guitars back in our gig bags.</p>
<p>One night after the gig, the Mafia type guys invited us to join them at this all
night, open 24 hours; French restaurant on 53rd and Lexington Ave called the
Brassiere. My band adopted this particular restaurant through the suggestion of our
Mafia groupies, and soon it would slowly developed into a place for all the
performers in Manhattan to go meet and be seen after hors in New York. It eventually
became the in-spot where all the performers went for breakfast after 4:00 am. It is a
very expensive restaurant. Just Two eggs are $7.00! So, there we were, all sitting at
a table with all these groupies, including Jimi Hendrix, Tiny Tim, as well as, other
performers and stars. Hendrix and I were the only ones with guitars in our gig bags.
Jimi and I took out our guitars and began to jam not amplified. I began the riff of
Land of a Thousand Dances, by Wilson Pickett as Jimi began to improvise a lead. Then
Jimi continued the rhythm as I improvised a lead, but during our jam, every once and
a while, Tiny Tim would improvise a vocal singing line. When he did, all the people
at the table began to laugh, including The Chambers Brother's who were also sitting
at the table next to us. Poor Tiny, he so strange! Everyone tried to seduce the
girls, but Jimi and I continued to jam. Jimi then began to play a song off his new
English album he had told me about called, Purple Haze. I watched his position on his
guitar neck and I joined in on the chord structure. Then I threw-in some of my own
licks as he began to sing. Jimi smiled at me while he was singing, because he was
enjoying my improvised licks. Then suddenly, the manager of the Brassiere came over
to us and told us to quit playing or he will eject us from the restaurant. Jimi and I
played it cool as we both put our guitars back in our gig bags.</p>
<p>One night, Rocky, the Mafia guys and I all decided to do something the next early
morning, but Amadeo had scheduled a meeting with one of his boyfriends that night so
I had no place to sleep in the city. Thus my plan was to sleep at home in Brooklyn. I
needed a place to sleep in Manhattan if I was going to join with them when of our
Mafia groupies told this beautiful young black girl with this voluptuous body to
provide her apartment for me to sleep in so that I could join with them tomorrow. She
obliged, and I went to her apartment and she tried to fuck me very good. While she
was fucking me, the new Beatle song began playing on the radio, Lucy in the sky with
Diamonds, a song off the newly released Beatles album. The song was intense and I had
never heard anything like it. It was also the first time I had ever had sex with a
black girl. She was beautiful and had a great body, but the odor of a black person
takes getting used to. I could not stand the way she smelled, and I got very nauseous
while she was fucking me to death. I quickly interrupted the sex, and told her I had
to go to the bathroom. Once there, I threw-up while I flushed the toilet so that she
wouldn't hear me throwing-up. I went back to the bed and told her that I had too much
to drink. We then slept together the rest of the night. The next day we all got
together and went to the beach. I had noticed that the black girl had fallen in love
with me. She wanted to constantly be around me and she began showing-up at
Trude´s. I liked her very much, but I could not stand the black odor. I ignored
the girl as much as possible. If Barbara saw here she would freak and maybe end our
relationship.</p>
<p>I told one of the Trude Heller dancers, Fina, about my problem with the black
girl. Fina suggested that I go out with her and her girlfriend to have breakfast
after the performance. She suggested I tell the black girl that she, Fina was my
girlfriend. Thus, at the end of the evening, I told the black girl that I was dating
Fina and that I was going home with Fina after the performance. I was very difficult
to lie to this black girl, because the black girl is very cute and sincere. It made
me feel very bad and I didn't enjoy what I had done.</p>
<p>After the gig that night at Trude´s, Fina and I strolled out of the club
onto the street. Waiting for Fina was a beautiful red-hair girl in this brand new
black Cadillac Eldorado. I said when I seen the girl pull up in the car, "Woe, what
is this?" Fina replied, "Chuck, this is my girlfriend Barbara!" We entered the
vehicle and I said hello to Barbara. As we were driving to the Brasserie restaurant I
asked Barbara whose car this was. Barbara told me that it belonged to her father. I
replied, "Very impressive!" I then reiterated to Fina how I felt bad for the
wonderful black girl and thanked her for her advice and help. While having breakfast,
I would learn about Fina´s friend Barbara Dayton. Barbara's father is a famous
hair designer who made a fortune having the only 24hr beauty salon in Manhattan. His
name is Larry Mathews. Because of his special hours, all the stars came to his salon
at night to have their hair done. Her father and mother then became one of the rich
and famous.</p>
<p>After breakfast, Barbara invited me over to her house to sleep. In shock I quickly
accepted. I didn't learn about Barbara's wealth until she invited me to sleep at her
apartment with her. After dropping Fina off at her apartment, Barbara took me to her
parent's apartment on 61 Street and Central Park West. The apartment building she
lived in is called <a id="menu8"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">The Century<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/263361/century.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. It was definitely an apartment building for the wealthy. The building looked like a major hotel rather
than an apartment house. Barbara drove the Caddy into the underground parking
facility and we took the elevator up to the ninth floor. The elevator door opened
into a sunken living room. "Boy, this is elegance", I thought to myself. As we walked
into the sunken living room, I asked Barbara where her parents were. Barbara replied
that her parents were mostly living on a yacht that they had at the 79th Street boat
basin. Are you sure that they won't come home tonight, I asked. Barbara replied that
they very rarely come here. Barbara then escorted me into her unbelievable gorgeous
bedroom. Barbara began removing her clothes to expose her wonderful outrageous body.
I did the same and we both entered the bed. As soon as we were under the covers,
Barbara began giving me a blow job then threw back the covers to make me watch her
wonderful sexual performance on me. She stood on top of me and asked me to come into
her mouth and proceeded to suck me off and I splattered my come which began dripping
from her lips, she then proceeded to get on top of me and put my wet cock into her
pussy. She then began to fuck me like crazy. Barbara is so beautiful with her natural
long red hair draping slightly above her ass. After Barbara fucked me we proceeded to
hold each other in bed as we fell asleep. When we began to awake, I heard someone in
the house. I conveyed this to Barbara and she told me that it is the maid. Barbara
then proceeded into the kitchen. Barbara returned and told me that she had the maid
prepare us some breakfast. Actually, it was 1:00 in the afternoon. A short time
later, the maid brought us breakfast in bed. "Wow," I thought again, "This is really
something else. I feel like a king!" After about an hour of enjoying this fine
breakfast, Barbara suggested that we take a walk through Central Park, which is
directly across the street. Apparently, while we were have breakfast, the maid had
washed and pressed all my clothes to perfection. I truly felt like a millionaire.
Barbara and I then went for a walk in the park. It is a beautiful sunny day and it is
very relaxing. Just what I needed! After our walk in the park, Barbara took me out to
restaurant in her neighborhood and she signed the bill for the meal to charge it to
her well-known famous father. After dinner, Barbara drove me in the Eldorado back to
Trude´s, and told me that she would pick me up at 4:00am after the gig. It
seems like I am blessed with a very fine rich wealthy new girlfriend</p>
<p>Back at Trude´s, I told Fina about my wonderful morning with Barbara. Fina
replied, "She's such a beautiful girl," isn't she? I said, "Yes, very!" Fina went on,
"She really likes you a lot so go for it!" With everything I had experienced that
morning I thought about the other Barbara who I also like very much. What was I to
do? I guess I'll just go where the ship takes me.</p>
<p>Barbara and I had developed a great relationship. I began living with Barbara now
almost every night now. Barbara told me that I made her very happy, and she certainly
did make me feel like a king. Not to mention that she is a very beautiful striking
girl. I am a poor musician living among the rich. I really wasn't actually totally
poor, because I am making good money, but I don't really have any savings to fall
back on. However, I quickly enjoyed and I am now adjusted to living in elegance with
Barbara. I soon learned that Barbara had a baby named Kimberly from her first
marriage. Her parents are caring for the baby. It appears that Barbara was married to
a top famous New York radio DJ named Bob Dayton who was now hosting a radio station
in California. I could tell that she was definitely still in love with her
ex-husband, but I knew that their relationship was finished. Barbara baby lives with
her parents on their yacht.</p>
<p>One morning while I was sleeping in bed with Barbara, Barbara's mother suddenly
walks into the bedroom. I had actually seen through the corner of my eye Barbara's
mother coming in to the bedroom, as I pretended to be sleeping. Barbara's mother
didn't like it, and soon thereafter, the maid came to tell us that we had to leave
for good. It was Barbara's mother's orders. Now Barbara has to move out of her
parent's apartment. The mother took all the amenities away from her including the
Caddy. Barbara decided that she was going to rent an apartment at the famous <a id="menu9"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Chelsea Hotel<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/764388/chelsea.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> on
23 on the lower west side of Manhattan. I drove Barbara in my Impala convertible to
acquire the apartment. The apartment is great, beautiful and expensive. Barbara asked
me to move in with her. I told her that I had already had an apartment in the village
that I didn't have to pay for. Barbara told me that I would not have to pay if I
moved in with her so I decided to do it. Barbara brought her little baby Kimberly to
live with us. Barbara, needing a job now, decided to work as a top-less dancer. I
also didn't know that her friend and my friend Fina was also a topless dancer at one
time before she worked at Trude´s. and that was how they both met. This was not
something I liked and since there was nothing I could do about it at the moment, I
just accepted it. However, it was something to be concerned about, and I didn't know
how to handle the situation. I did have some discussions with Barbara about it and
she told me that it was nothing to be concerned about. She told me that bluntly that
she is my girlfriend, and that she loved me very much. Pretty cut and dry? I had to
take care of the baby when Barbara went out working. I had to change the baby's
diapers as well as feed the kid. I loved every minute of it although the baby was
quite defiant at times. Everything was real pleasant and I enjoyed this new life and
Barbara at this time.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Amadeo was getting annoyed with me because I was living with Barbara,
and he didn't know when I would be staying at the Village apartment or not. He told
me that he wanted to have relationships with men, but he was afraid that I would
decide to come home and walk in on them. He did not know what was going on with me
and he wanted me to make a choice so he could feel more comfortable. If I wasn't
going to stay at the Village apartment, then he wanted me to give up the key. Well,
this is a predicament for me. I will have to make a choice. I really don't want to
give up the beautiful village apartment where the old Barbara and I could be
together, but I am enjoying this other lifestyle with the new Barbara and the new
Barbara is incredibly beautiful. I just don't like this go-go topless dancer thing so
I don't know what to do now. I guess I must make a choice so I'll go along with the
ship. I then apologized to Amadeo. I thanked him for his loyal friendship and I
agreed with him that I should give up the key if I would continue living with
Barbara. It was only fair to him, because now I am living somewhere else. I told him
that I am very happy with this new girl Barbara, and that I do not wish to
inconvenience him any longer. I gave him the key and told him to rest easy. Amadeo
then assured me that I am welcome at his apartment anytime if something doesn't work
out. So the village apartment is out and the Chelsea apartment with the new Barbara
is in. I hope this is a good decision.</p>
<p>Rocky and his Friends are now stated as the best band in New York. I finally had a
very beautiful girlfriend with an extraordinary baby, and we were living in one of
the nicest, wealthiest funky hotel in Manhattan. There was nothing more that I could
ask for. Except, I still didn't like or understand why a rich girl with a wonderful
successful musician boyfriend had to go out and dance top-less. I really couldn't
afford to pay the rent at the Chelsea because it was very expensive, but I did make
Barbara a good financial help offer with the rent to get her to stop the topless
dancing. She thanked me for the offer, but said that she needed to build up some
money now that her parents were angry with her.</p>
<p>I then began receiving many parking tickets near the Chelsea Hotel. My car was
towed away twice at $120.00 a pop. It was horrible having a car in the area, or
having a car in Manhattan altogether. My beautiful Chevy Impala was looking like shit
from the pollution and from all the dents I acquired parking in the city. Between all
the parking tickets, towing, and the car payments it was now becoming to be quite
expensive for me.</p>
<p>Barbara met some female top-less dancers during her work. Her top-less dancer
friends, who were very beautiful sexy ladies, also moved into the Chelsea Hotel. They
moved in right down the hall from us, but their apartment is nowhere as elegant or as
nice as ours. The girls enjoyed hanging-out at our apartment most of the time. They
certainly loved the baby and me. When Barbara was or was not around which was quite
frequent, the beautiful girls would help me with the baby. They also enjoyed keeping
me company when I was not performing, or if I was just hanging out at home. I
couldn't believe all the beautiful girls that were around me now every day.</p>
<p>One day, I was not feeling too well. It seamed that my penis is hurting a bit. I
decided to go to a doctor for a check-up. The doctor told me that I had contracted
Venereal Disease, otherwise known as, The Clap. I asked the doctor, "How could I get
that, I have a girlfriend?" He told me that I had probably got it from my girlfriend.
It then dawned on me that Barbara was fucking around behind my back, which I just
could not grasp. I became very angry and I flipped out. When Barbara came home that
evening or actually that next morning, I told her that I had the clap. I asked her
how the hell did I get that except from you. Barbara replied that maybe she developed
it from wearing someone else's costume from work. "Don't give me that bullshit," I
said. I then threw her on the bed and slapped her. I told her that I demanded the
truth. She finally confessed, and told me she started to fool around with one of her
customers, but that it was a mistake. She proceeded to apologize to me. I became
furious. I almost began to cry, because I had suddenly seen my whole living condition
eroding and the village apartment I gave up. I needed to regroup my thoughts. The
following morning, Barbara began crying to me, and continued to apologize over and
over again. I told her that I accepted her apology, and she promised me that she
would never do it again. She wanted to continue to maintain our relationship. I
didn't know what to do. Most of all, I had surrendered my Village apartment. I
certainly didn't want to go back to the negativity in Brooklyn. Everything had been
so wonderful up until now. However, I am not feeling the same way toward Barbara
anymore. I asked her to quit top-less dancing. She replied that she needed to earn
big money, but that she will maintain her control. I felt helpless. If I would have
had my apartment in the Village, then I would leave, but I must stay and go with the
flow in order to avoid going back to Brooklyn.</p>
<p>All of Barbara's top-less dancer girlfriends, who hung out at our apartment,
adored me. All of them came on to me continuously. They would purposely rub their
bodies against me all the time. Occasionally, they would slide their hands against my
ass as I walked by them. However, my loyalty has always been with Barbara, and I had
thought about all the nights I was alone in the apartment with these beautiful women
and did nothing. I was loyal to Barbara and she fuck's with someone behind my back
and gives me the Clap.</p>
<p>One evening soon thereafter, there is two of Barbara's beautiful girlfriends in
our apartment. One is sitting on the couch reading and the other one, Marsha, is
playing a card game with me called, Gin. Marsha asked me if I was holding the Ace of
Clubs. The card deck is almost exhausted. Marsha said, "I bet your holding the Ace?"
I replied, "You want me to show you my cards?" She said, "Yes!" I then asked, "If I
do not have the Ace of Clubs in my hand will you let me take you in the bedroom and
fuck you?" Marsha smiled and quickly replied, "Yes!" I reiterated, Are you sure that
you will let me fuck you? You better not chicken-out when I get you in the bedroom.
She said, "No problem." Let me see your hand. I showed her my hand without the Ace.
The Ace is the last card in the deck. I grabbed Marsha by the arm and said, "Come
with me!" I dragged her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. I began fondling
her beautiful sexy body and then I began to make-out with her. I then pulled her
pants down to expose her pussy, but I couldn't get myself to fuck her. I am still
thinking of my loyalty to Barbara. I then put my fingers in her pussy to feel her
clit. Then I began sucking on her voluptuous breasts. Marsha wanted me to continue,
but I made her stand-up and I told her that we should go back in the living room. And
that we did! I was concerned about the other girl reading in the living room. I hoped
that she would not say a word about this to Barbara.</p>
<p>Marsha and I continued doing this everyday and Barbara finally found out. The
first thing Barbara did was to throw me out of the apartment. Barbara did not want to
hear anything more. That is it! She said, "Get out of my house!" I guess I deserved
it, but I sure did not treat Barbara that badly when she gave me the clap. I gave her
a second chance. I didn't think with my head. Instead I thought with my dick. I
didn't foresee the consequences, and when she threw me out I became devastated. I
tried to plead with her, but she would not respond. I began to cry, because I didn't
want to suddenly go back to Brooklyn. I was crying out side the Chelsea by myself. No
one saw me, but I didn't think of the consequences when I fooled around with Marsha.
Then Marsha came outside and saw me crying. She invited me to sleep with her at her
apartment, which is directly across the hall in the Chelsea. When Marsha and I got to
the room, she fucked me for hours. She did everything imaginable to make me happy and
to help me forget my sadness and it worked!</p>
<p>The next day, I needed to decide what I was now going to do. I had no other
choice, but to go back home to Brooklyn again. The relationship between Barbara and I
is finished. However, I still have ol´reliable waiting for me at the bar up the
block from Trude´s. That's right! The other Barbara was still waiting for me. I
should marry that girl!</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/103735/hipkid.jpg"
alt="Chazz around 22 yrs old" class="entryphoto2" />The first thing that I did when I
returned to Brooklyn was to visit Joey's mother. Soldiers are dying like crazy in
this Vietnam War, and I became very concerned for Joey's status. Joey's mother is
very happy to see me. She was baking Joey a macaroni pie, which is spaghetti and
tomato sauce baked in a frying pan. She also made him her famous meatballs with
raisons. She would send it off to him the next day. However, as far as she knew,
everything is OK with him. She had not heard any bad news. After visiting her, I went
downstairs to say hello to Ritchie who had a new girlfriend named, Barbara. There are
a lot of Barbara's in this city.</p>
<p>It took about two weeks to recover from my break-up with Barbara, but in the end,
I was glad it was all over. I was eventually glad I didn't have a top-less dancer as
a girlfriend. What a relief!</p>
<p>Soon thereafter, a big-time producer approached the band. He wanted to record us
and he had the company of, Coca Cola, behind him who wanted to finance the recording
of the group. The band and I are very happy that someone finally recognized our
talent. The producer and the president of Coca Cola all came to the club one night,
but they could not get in. The club was packed. Therefore, we arranged to meet with
them across the street at a restaurant. We all sat around a big round table during
our break at Trude´s and chatted. The Coca Cola people were interested in
signing the band, but they wanted to take us in the studio to see what develops
first. They asked us if we had written any songs, and we told them that we did not.
They replied that they would try to find some material for us. They told us that
anything we wanted within reason would be provided. They wanted to take us in the
studio with this producer to try to develop a sound. They seemed very nice and
sincere people, and the band is very excited. However, one thing happened that was
very strange. When we finished the meeting, the band returned to Trude´s, but,
Rocky purposely stayed behind and continued to talk with them in private.</p>
<p>When we arrived back to the club, many of the band members had asked me why Rocky
decided to stay behind. I told them I didn't know, but I asked them not to worry.
When Rocky returned, I told Rocky that the guys were concerned, and that they didn't
like the fact that you stayed behind to initiate a private conference. Rocky replied
that he just was trying to put a little icing on the cake. I asked Rocky not to do it
again, because the guys are going to think you're talking behind their back. Rocky
finally agreed that it didn't look good and he apologized to the band and to me.</p>
<p>In the next few days, we entered a recording studio. The producer isolated us to
minimize noise. This technique is used to separate the microphones so that it would
not bleed onto other tracks. Isolating the band in this manner separated us way too
far apart. We had difficulty hearing and communicating with one another, even though
we wore headphones. The whole isolation situation is not good, because we are used to
being close to one another. We wasted about four hours in the studio doing this sound
setup to try to create a pleasant sound. It took such a long period of time that the
band quickly lost interest in playing. We also could not play separated like that.
The studio itself had a bad layout it is an ugly looking studio, and the band and I
felt very uncomfortable. So after all this time wasting, I told the producer that I
understood his method; the more isolated the tracks, the cleaner the sound. However,
I recommended that he must have everything set-up before we arrive to minimize the
waiting time. He needs to get us fresh and alive with energy. I also told him plainly
that this studio sucked. He needs to get a nicer studio with some atmosphere.
Eventually, the producer did find another studio and tried a different approach.</p>
<p>Rocky began conversing with the studio producer in the control room trying to take
charge of the situation while the entire band was in the studio room. They both were
telling us what to do, but we are unaware of what they were trying to achieve. I
could tell that the band members felt left out of the process. Finally, I spoke out
for the band and myself. I said, "Excuse me; we have no idea what you are trying to
achieve. The band and I feel left out of the process. We need to be apart of this
thing if we are going to maintain interest while we are waiting in this studio room.
We are not robots you know. We are people. If you isolate us from the process, then
we may lose interest. But if you keep us constantly informed of where you're trying
to go with this thing, then we will help you achieve your goal." The producer replied
over the studio mike that I am right. He apologized by telling us what he is trying
to do and from then on, he kept the band consistently informed.</p>
<p>It seems that this producer is not really a producer, but an engineer turned
producer. An engineer is one thing and a producer is another. An engineer is a person
who knows how to work the console, as well as all the other equipment in the studio,
and who has experience in capturing a clean sound signal. A music producer is someone
with musical expertise and who can formulate a unique sound and inspire the
artist.</p>
<p>An engineer does not need musical experience. He or she doesn't need to know the
notes in a musical chart. He or she needs not to know how to tune instruments or play
an instrument. The expertise is in the equipment and what constitutes a clean perfect
signal.</p>
<p>A musical producer does not need to know how to work the equipment, although
everything known certainly helps. A musical producer is in charge of creating an
atmosphere conducive to recording an artist. He must have some musical knowledge in
instrumentation, tuning and vocal performance. There are many other qualities that
they both must have, but the important point is that they are separate entities. Now
sometimes these two positions tend to overlap one another, but I definitely look at
them as being separate. It takes way too much concentration to be both if someone had
that ability. This producer is doing both. He is handling the board and supposedly
producing us at the same time. There is only one man in the control room and that is
he. After about four hours of trying to get a basic sound, we accomplished nothing.
Frustrated, the producer then asked us all to perform together, with Rocky, so that
he; the producer could take something back to the Coca Cola people. We obliged, and
the producer rolled the tape without stopping. The band then kicked-off six pop-tunes
that we normally do live. When the recording finished, we asked the producer for a
copy and he postponed the copy of what we did to a later date. What a fuck head
producer this guy is!</p>
<p>Rocky is not a good singer as far as voice wise. But he could perform like a great
front man, and he has the ability to mimic Otis, which is a feat in itself. When you
had a dedicated band that is very tight and very good, the singer is actually is
meaningless. Anyone could stand in front of a great band and sound good. For example,
in Benny Gordon case, it is the opposite. Benny's band is good, but not great. Benny
is great. He has a phenomenal voice and could move the people into frenzy just with
his voice alone. Benny could stand in front of a bad band and the whole band would be
great. Our case it is different. Our band was great. Rocky would be nothing without
us. I conveyed this to the band members for reassurance, and because of this, I told
the band that they needn´t worry about Rocky´s newly developed selfish
attitude. The band members all knew this, but they still complained that
Rocky´s selfish attitude is spoiling things. I agreed, but I told them not to
worry.</p>
<p>A few days later, an agent booked us to perform at New Jersey's Palisades Park, a
giant amusement area. A famous New York black radio D.J <br /><a id="menu10"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Hal Jackson<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/147167/haljackson.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
hosted it. We are the first white band to be invited to play on the Hal Jackson's
set. We are honored! We arrived at Palisades Park for a Saturday afternoon matinee
performance. Most of the band's female groupies attended including Rocky´s
mysterious girlfriend. Also there were the guy's from Coca Cola who have not yet seen
us perform live. It is a beautiful sunny early afternoon. We performed to the large
crowd on a very big outdoor stage, and all the people went nuts over our performance.
Hal Jackson could not believe that we sounded so black. With such a successful
performance in his show, Hal completely fell in love with us. He told the band that
he would have us return to his show next week. Then Hall took us on the side and
thanked each of us individually for giving a great performance. He told us that we
were the best band that had ever performed here with him. Hal immediately booked us
for the following Saturday for more money. He was going to give us top billing no
mater what hit group performed there. It is a great compliment coming from a
much-loved famous radio DJ.</p>
<p>After the show, Rocky immediately ran over to the Coca cola people discarding
Hal's commentary to the band. The band was standing in one spot with Hal, and Rocky
and the Coca Cola guys on the opposite side. The band stared Rocky down as Hal talked
with us. I personally could tell that Hal is confused that Rocky took off like that.
Rocky eventually began to become uncomfortable when he saw the bands body language.
Finally, we noticed that Rocky said something to the Coca Cola guys and then they all
proceeded to come to us and the Coca Cola guys invited us all out to dinner. We all
went out to dinner and we even brought some of our female groupies along with us, but
it seemed that Rocky was leading and commanding the show. I had brought my little
groupie Dee with us to the dinner. The Coca Cola guys loved our performance. They had
nothing but good words for the performance of the band, while the band and I listened
as I rubbed my hands up Dee's skinny long legs under the table. I told the Coca Cola
guys that it is imperative that we obtain new, fresh material for the band to record.
They certainly agreed! I also told them that this producer is wasting our time in the
studio with all this technical bullshit. We need a fresh approach and a far more
luxurious studio with an atmosphere. They replied that they would talk with the
producer. After a positive dinner, the Coca Cola guys gave us a cassette copy of our
recording from the preceding studio engagement. We were all happy about that except
that Rocky took possession of the tape. The band and I returned to Trude´s to
setup the stage again. The band and I had become very agitated with Rocky´s
attitude, and they elected me to put an end to it. Therefore, I called an emergency
meeting with Rocky and the band at Trude´s during our re-setup.</p>
<p>The band, Rocky, and I all sat down and had a talk. I began the meeting by telling
Rocky, "Look, you have been having many private conferences with the producer and the
Coca Cola guys. The band and I do not like it. We had discussed this numerous times
with you, but you seem to continue without any regard to the feelings of the band.
Therefore, I'm going to be blunt on behalf of the group. They elected me to do so.
You are not the leader of this group. Despite the efforts you made to get this group
together, and conducting business with Trude, you are only the front man and a member
of the group. Not the leader! Therefore, if there has to be any discussions in the
future with anyone, the entire band members want to be present. On behalf of the
band, I must tell you that if you proceed on this selfish course then you will leave
us without any other choice, but to replace you. (I needed to threaten him a bit in
hopes of him realizing the seriousness of the situation which he has caused to be
developed) Your actions have caused great resentment in this band. This band is
great, and we can get another new Rocky very easily. Do you understand?"</p>
<p>Rocky replied angrily, Listen you fuckers, these guys like me very much. I am
taking advantage of the situation by dealing in the bands behalf. Not for myself. It
is for all of us that I have been taking advantage of their liking me. It´s for
all of us!</p>
<p>I tried to make Rocky understand, "Look, the band doesn't like separation. If we
are together then we will communicate together. You do not come to us to tell us what
you and they had discussed. You tell us nothing. As if we don't need to know.
Therefore, we all assume you are dealing on your own behalf and not of the band's
behalf. From now on, no one is left out, and no one band member will make a decision
for the rest. That is how this group started, that is how it is, and that is where it
will be! All of us! If it is not, then destruction will eventually happen. You can
avoid this; the band and I are laying down the law. It´s not how I want it,
although I do, but it's the entire band that wants it that way. We can't be a group
if one of the members is dealing on his own, not keeping us informed and so we want
it stopped, now!" Rocky helplessly thought to himself for a moment and said, "OK....
no problem! That's the way it will be." That night, the band performed at
Trude´s flawlessly. There was no hard feelings, and all personal feeling have
seemed to appear mellow out.</p>
<p>The next day, I went to Rocky´s girlfriend's apartment to here the cassette
recording of our performance in the studio. The fucking producer had recorded the
copy at a faster speed. It all sounded very fast. Not like chipmunks, but fast enough
that the groove was lost. It is then that I learned that Rocky´s new girlfriend
is behind this new attitude that he now possesses. She had been pumping him up and
edging him on to take control, and to be independent. I felt it at the apartment and
I heard it in her vocal feelings. She thought that we could not do without Rocky, and
maybe she was right, but when it comes to push or shove, anyone is expendable.
Regardless, I ca tell that this bitch is causing a lot of unnecessary friction in the
band, as many women love to do.</p>
<p>On Friday night, I arrived to Trude´s to learn that Trude had hired a new
band to perform with us for the weekend. The new band had rearranged the stage. They
stacked the amps on top of one another at the rear of the stage to make room for
their and our equipment. This is not a problem, but it was an awkward setup. However,
as we were performing our second set, I had noticed that the amplifiers began rocking
back and forth as the stage began moving from our movements. Whoever positioned these
amps did a bad job, because they appeared that the top amp might possibly fall over
if the stage moves a little harder. I kept my eye on the amp as the club is jumping
with excitement. Then all of a sudden, I saw the top amplifier begin to tip over and
fall. I quickly turned to grab it, and I did just before it hit Ronny the sax.
However, I did not notice the mike stand in front of the amp. As soon as I grabbed
the amp, the amp struck the mike stand, and the stand hit me in the head hard above
my eye. I caught the amp just before it was about to crash on Ronny, and the audience
stood up cheering and applauding. When I turned to the audience to take a bow, blood
began poring out of the top of my eyebrow where the mike stand had hit me.
Trude´s employees quickly rushed me to the nearby hospital. I wound up getting
23 stitches within the next hour.</p>
<p>Then Rocky and the bass player came to visit me on the break. The bass player
said, "Chuck, have you ever heard of Martha Raye?" I said, "The actress." He replied,
"Yes." I said, "Sure! I see her all the time on TV." He said that she was in the
audience when the amp and mike stand hit you in the head. She felt very bad for you
and in your absence, because we sounded like shit without a guitarist, and she
decided to come up and performed a few songs on behalf of your absence. I replied,
"No way!" He said, "Yea, she performed a few songs and the crowd loved it. She saved
our set!" I was very surprised to here this. The bass player continued, "She gave me
this religious medallion, and asked me to bring it to you." He then showed me the
beautiful gold religious medallion and placed it in my hand. I looked at the
medallion and it had some kind of Saints embossed on both sides of the piece, with a
ribbon attached. I could not believe this as the bass player went on, "She said that
the Pope gave it to her personally and that she wants you to hold on to it so that
you will have a quick recovery. She said that she would return someday again soon to
retrieve the religious piece." I was shocked!</p>
<p>Apparently, <a id="menu11"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Martha Raye<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/6192/martharaye.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> was
performing on Broadway staring in the play, Hello Dolly. She had seen me get hurt at
Trude´s and since the band was handicapped, she came up onto the stage and did
a few tunes in my absence. I heard it sounded beautiful. I wish I could have been
there. Martha Raye was one of my favorite actresses. I watched her in movies on TV
late at night most of the time. I thought, "Wow, what a trip."</p>
<p>Two weeks later, Martha Raye returned to Trude´s, and I am the spotlight at
her table. We talked with one another for hours. She is such a beautiful spiritual
person. She bought me drinks all night long, and invited me to the show to see her
perform in Hello Dolly. I went to the show and had provided me with a front row seat.
As I am watching the play, I just couldn't believe that throughout my life the movie
and recording stars had become so attracted to me in someway. I felt very lucky
indeed. After enjoying the wonderful play and Martha's performance, she took me to
the famous <br /><a id="menu12"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Rainbow Room<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/645951/rainbowroom.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>
in Rockefeller Plaza. We had such a joyful dinner with members of the cast. I gave
Martha a kiss and hug and told her that she will always have a place in my heart
reserved for her. I thank God that I had met and enjoyed her.</p>
<p>With that being said, pressures of success began to take its toll on our group. It
seems that Rocky has decided to try to make a move to take control of the group. He
has suddenly changing his acted very suspiciously. I'm getting the feeling that he is
trying to replace me. Our bondage together had slowly dissipated. He began acting on
his own more and more now. I must assume that when he returned to his girlfriend and
told her about the meeting with the band, she must have recommended to him to replace
me. My gut feeling tells me this, because this action is not in Rocky´s nature.
The band also felt that something was going on, but they also didn't know what it is.
However, I'm not an easy guy to replace. My input and musical abilities is the most
important part of the band, and I am sure that the band members would be lost with a
new guitarist. They relied on me for direction. However, with all my personal natural
talents, I was just a regular guy with everyone. I never acted as though I was a big
shot. I never acted as though I was important. I am just a regular guy who treated
everyone with the same respect. That is one of my most important qualities. I knew
that if Rocky tried to replace me that the band would rather see him go then me.
Therefore, I never worried too much about Rocky´s secret goals or actions, but
I don't like what is happening and I'm afraid.</p>
<p>The Coca Cola guys returned for another meeting. It seems that they had got rid of
the producer and they are searching for a new one. At the same time, they told us
that they are stumped in finding new material for us. They told us that they were
still interested in signing us to a deal, but they needed time to work it all
out.</p>
<p>A few British people had approached me personally one night at Trude Heller's.
They told me that they wanted to book us for the following month with all expenses
paid to perform in a club located on the island of <br /><a id="menu13"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Freeport in the
Bahamas<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/708141/freeportresort.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. called the Jokers Wild. They had already spoken with Trude and got the
OK. I returned to the band to ask if they all wanted to do it. Everyone in the group
agreed and thus a contract was signed. However, it seemed as though Rocky became very
insulted that they approached me instead of him. In three weeks we will perform at
the Jokers Wild in Freeport, Bahamas for $700, 00 a week with all expenses paid and a
free house to live in. What a deal! I told one of our Mafia groupies that we are
going to the Bahamas and he said that he is going to buy an airline ticket to join
us. Great! You'll be our bodyguard, I replied laughing.</p>
<p>The following day, Rocky decided to use the Freeport gig to make a move to demand
that he take control of the group. He told the band members that he had started this
band, and if they did not agree that he is the leader and the business person of the
group then he would not join us in the Bahamas. He told us to think about it and make
a decision once and for all. I discussed this with the band member's individually in
the following days. They all agreed that Rocky must be fired. They all were disgusted
with his attitude and didn't want him in control.</p>
<p>What Rocky did not know is that I was keeping my own book of phone numbers of
musicians and singers. In the last four months, I had met many musicians and
vocalists and I made sure that I took all their phone numbers. When Rocky began to
falter, I decided to look for a new singer just in case something might have
happened. It is difficult finding a singer who could perform and sing like Ray.
However, I knew this singer named, Dave, who was looking to join a new band since his
band got drafted into the Vietnam War. Dave sang and enjoyed rhythm and blues. He
didn't have the charisma or the cuteness looks as Ray, but he is a good performer. I
told the band about Dave and they all agreed. I personally didn't want Ray to leave
the group, but his demands were unreasonable. So with the all the band members´
permission, I confronted Rocky.</p>
<p>I took Rocky to the side and told him that we have a singer to replace him if he
decided to not join us to the gig in the Bahamas. Rocky asked who would replace him
and I told him it would be Dave, and he knew Dave. Rocky got pissed and quit the band
immediately. Rocky was not the person I knew and loved. He turned into a monster I'm
sure with the aid and interference from his girlfriend. He would finish up the Trude
Heller's gig, because he did not want to piss Trude off. After all, he might need her
in the future. The band committed to the contract for a month's performance in the
Bahamas.</p>
<p>The following day, the worst had happened. Just what I had feared! The bass player
and drummer's wife refused to let them go to the Bahamas. In fact, the two wives made
them quit the band altogether to get a steady regular job. In a desperate attempt to
save the band and the coming Freeport contract, I consulted my phone directory and
contacted a drummer and a bass player who were willing to go to the Bahamas. The new
drummer and bass player are fantastic players! Much better musicians than the
original musicians we had, but the band is a now a totally different group. The
electrifying abilities and enthusiasm of the original group are no longer present. It
only seemed like a good group put together to do a one-time gig. The look of the band
is totally different and these British people in the Bahamas are not going to be too
happy when they learn that they got something else then what they saw.</p>
<p>When I secured this gig, it was supposed to be a dream comes true. Palm trees;
clear blue-green waters and white sandy beaches. The band is performing on a tropical
island with our own house. How else can one picture this? However, this gig turned
out to be the tool used for the final destruction of Rocky and his Friends.</p>
<p>If that is not enough, another problem suddenly appears. It seems that the new
drummer I got is afraid of flying. He suffers from a bad case of claustrophobia. He
decided that he is going to take a train to Florida and from there; he will take a
boat to Freeport. In order to accomplish this, he needed to leave four days earlier,
which he did. It was all set. The band is ready and we all they remaining members
proceeded to the airport. At Idlewild airport, one of the Mafia groupies, Mikie was
patiently waiting for us. I am very glad to see him, and he had bought a ticket on
the same plane to join with us. We all got on board and off we went.</p>
<p>I had some time to think on the plane. Looking out the plane window as we began
our lift-off, the first thing that came to my mind is that in a couple of hours I
will be in a tropical paradise. Then I thought about The Van-Dells, the killing of
the President Kennedy, and the Vietnam War. It seemed as though the country was
headed upward and then spiraled down. Music was happening and people were becoming
more free and loving. The president got killed and now the country is going
downwards. It seems that there are three wars going on. There is a war in Vietnam.
There is a war within our government, and a war of our government against its own
people. I'm wondering where this all is going to lead. Then I began thinking of the
Bahamas again. This is more important right now. In a short time I will be on a white
sandy beach sitting at the edge of green, crystal clear ocean. I can't wait to see
the island. Then I thought about this new band. We're going to get down! We are
really funky and I know that the people are going to go nuts over the band even
though the band has changed. I'm very confident of its members to be professional and
put on a good show. They all love R&B so I'm not worried too much. It´s not
the original, but we do and still sound great with one another. The new bass player
is great! He is ten times better than the original bassist. This guy is only nineteen
and he could play the shit out of the bass. He is amazing! This kid is very talented.
The drummer has to be the funkiest drummer that I ever played with. He has his own
style of funk and it is extremely good. However, I can't believe that he can't fly in
a plane. Ronny the sax and Joey the trumpet can't wait to get back on stage again.
They are after all, the most important members in the band. They have the looks and
their stage presence and I will carry the band through. The new Rocky is another
story. He is very laid back. He pulls away (steps away) from the mike a lot even
though I tell him to stay upfront. I need him to take charge up front. When he stops
singing, instead of staying with the mike and giving Ooh´s, Aha´s,
Yea´s or, Come on, he moves far back from the mike and grooves on listening to
the band. He's a good singer, but he doesn't sound nearly as good as Rocky on the
Otis Redding stuff. He has a nice voice, but I'm just going to have to push him
harder. I'm going to have to work him.</p>
<p>I can't believe that they are paying us $700.00 a week each with a house and all
expenses paid, to work on an island. The original players are sure going to miss
something. I wished they were all here. It was beginning to get cold in New York for
the month of September so I'm really going to enjoy the warm weather.</p>
<p>We arrived on the island of Freeport. The door of the plane opened, and I
immediately felt the warmth of the sun shining. Two people in separate vehicles met
with us. We were then driven to the club called, The Jokers Wild. On our route to the
club is a giant gambling casino. Gambling is for losers. I'm certainly going to avoid
that place. We finally had arrived at The Jokers Wild. It is certainly a large
beautifully plush club. Yesterday, we shipped our instruments through cargo at
Idlewild Airport. Our instruments had arrived at the club quickly. The band playing
at the club now will be finishing in two days. Then we will be able to set-up our
instruments. I can't wait to hear them to see what they are like and what the crowd
is used too. After viewing the club, we were taken to the house that we will occupy
for the next month. The house is very big and comfortable. We asked the guys who are
driving us around if they would take us to the beach immediately. They happily
agreed. We arrived at the ocean and the sand is pure white and clean. The ocean is
blue-green. I had never seen such beautiful sand. It is no comparison to the sand at
Coney Island. This is truly a magnificent place. Then we returned to the house to get
settled.</p>
<p>We had a few days to kill so the guys and I rented motorcycles. We rode around the
island and found the people of Freeport quite unfriendly. In matter of fact, they
were very rude at us. The people are cursing at us everywhere we went. We suddenly
became very concerned, and we restricted our movement on the island until we learned
what is going on around here. We stayed as close to the club as possible. The black
inhabitancy on this island was very scary. Finally, one of the young drivers who
picked us up from the airport told us to be very careful on this island. He told us
that the inhabitancy of this island hates white people. He also told that the cops
are the same way and are not to be trusted. Luckily, we had Mikie, the Mafia groupie
who joined us on this trip. Mikie made me feel more secure. He's not afraid of anyone
or anything, and he will keep an eye on everyone while he is here. That's the job I
gave him!</p>
<p>We finally received a call from the drummer at the club. He is now in Cocoa Beach,
Florida. I told Mikie to call him back and find out when he will arrive here. Mikie
later returned to the house and told us that the ferry to the Bahamas is not running,
because the waters are too rough. He also told us that the drummer will acquire a
room for the night and that the drummer will try again tomorrow morning.</p>
<p>We settled into the house, took showers and then we went to the super market to
buy groceries. We all had dinner at the house, and then we went to the club to hear
the current band. The band they had sucked. Now we knew that the people are going to
go crazy over us when they hear our music.</p>
<p>The next day, the drummer called and said that the ferry is still not running,
because of the ruff waters. I became very pissed off. Time is running out. We are
supposed to start performing tomorrow night. I told him to stay by a phone until I
find a way to get him here. We quickly asked around, but we could not find anyone who
would make the trip because of the rough waters. Finally we located someone with a
large rowboat that contained two motors. Apparently, this man was willing to make the
round trip for $200 dollars. The Mafia guy Mikie, said he would be willing to go get
him. Mikie is not afraid of nothing. I gave Mikie strict instructions to bring the
drummer back here under any circumstances. Get that fucker and bring him here. Mikie
and the rowboat owner left the following morning at 6:00am and promised that they
will return by 7pm the same day. Two hours before our opening performance. It was a
twelve hour round trip. I called the drummer and told him that we are going to send a
boat to pick him up. I said that Mikie and the boat should be there some time around
noon. The drummer is going to have to pay for all this.</p>
<p>It is now 8:00 in the evening. The band had set-up the stage and now we are
waiting for the drummer and Mikie to arrive. I explained to the manager of the club
the situation and he understood. The band is not going to perform until the drummer
arrives. It is now 10:00pm and still there is no word about Mikie and the drummer.
The manager of the club told us that since the club is dead tonight, we can take the
night off and start tomorrow night. We thanked him for his understanding, but we were
now very worried. We were hoping that nothing bad had happened to them. However, I
have full confidence in Mikie's ability to survive.</p>
<p>It is now 12:00 midnight, and still no word. The band members all went to sleep
except for Ronnie the sax and myself. It is now 4:00am and Ronnie and I are now
frightened. It couldn't take this long to return. Something had definitely has gone
wrong. Ronnie and I passed out on the couch from mental exhaustion.</p>
<p>I am awakened by noise coming from the front of the house. I opened my eyes and
seen Mikie and the drummer walking through the front door. I jumped up with
excitement and hugged Mikie. He and the drummer looked exhausted. They seemed as
though they had just returned from a week long African Safari. The drummer looked
pale as a ghost. I asked Mikie why it took so long.</p>
<p>Mikie told me, apparently, the drummer was standing on the peer glancing out to
the ocean looking for some kind of a big boat to appear. Then the drummer heard some
one calling out his name. The drummer looked down and noticed this small rowboat, and
seen Mikie calling to him. The drummer told Mikie, I'm not going in that boat. Mikie
got out of the boat and physically grabbed the drummer and threw him into the boat
and held him down as they proceeded back toward Freeport. The drummer yelled and
screamed. Mikie told him to shut up, or he will throw him overboard into the ocean.
Mikie was tough and big, and the drummer had no choice but to obey him. They had
apparently run into extremely rough seas on the trip back. They lost one engine in
the process during darkness. The waves were breaking over and into the boat. The
drummer was crying all the way. Mikie wasn't scared as he shuffled water out of the
boat continuously. The boat owner was incredible. He was following the stars back to
Freeport. He is a real seaman, and although it looked very bleak, Mikie was not
scared, because he knew the man knew what he was doing. The drummer on the other hand
was crawled up in the corner of the boat screaming and crying all the way. They had
finally seen the lights on the island of Freeport around 2:00am, but they had
difficulties finding a way in, because of the many reefs. They circled around until
the seaman recognized the lights on land. Mikie reiterated that the man is an
incredible seaman. He was able to slowly find his way back into the island. They
arrived at 5:00am safely. The whole band is laughing as Mikie told the story. I
turned to drummer and said, "So you are you still afraid to fly?" He said nothing and
went to sleep. I told Mikie how proud I am of him, and how happy I am that he is
here. I gave Mikie a big hug for saving us.</p>
<p>Finally, the entire band is here ready to perform. Many of the workers at the club
are black Bahamians. They did not say a word to us. I could tell that they are not
too thrilled about white guys performing. I'm sure that they will change their minds
once they hear us. The band began to play the black R&B songs with total funk.
All the black worker's froze and watched us In disbelief. Then their faces began to
light up with all smiles. After three songs everyone in the club was happy. This club
is very big and there are only two patrons at this time. The rest are all the workers
and bouncers. Soon the word got out that a very funky R&B band is playing at the
Jokers Wild. It took a few days, but then the place became jammed packed. There was
standing room only and a long line outside every night thereafter. The club had to
begin taking reservations for tables. At last, a total success!</p>
<p>As the days went on, everyone on the island is talking about the new band at The
Jokers Wild. The police department even came to see us perform. One policeman said
that he was going to take the band out on Sunday night (our day off) to a prohibited
remote part of the island where no whites had ever been. We were honored and accepted
his invitation. Saturday evening, the original British guys who hired us at
Trude´s arrived at the club during our performance. They watched us in
confusion, but I could tell that they were happy about the clubs success and the
sound of the band. During our intermission, I had explained to them the entire story
about the break up and the reformation of the band. What could they say?</p>
<p>On Sunday as promised, the police came to take us to the remote part of the
island. We were introduced to all the white men hater's as the funky group playing at
the Jokers Wild, and we were immediately accepted with honor. The back country is
primitive and funky. There are old shacks and bars, which are actually broken down
huts. They served us drinks and food, but we had no idea what we were eating or
drinking, except that it was pretty good.</p>
<p>One night at the club, I met a <a id="menu14"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">cute little
beautiful girl<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/909774/bahamagirl.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> who was living in the Bahamas. I began hanging out with her a
great deal. After a while, I began living in the house where she is sleeping. She is
staying with this wonderful person named Keith. She was not having any relationship
with Keith. Keith was just a wonderful man who is not demanding in any way. We all
got along very well, and through them, I met a lot of new friends. One night the girl
and I and another member of the band and his girl got stoned on pot. We all went to
the beach when it is deserted. On the beach, we laid down on the sand to enjoy the
stars. We were all very stoned. It is extremely quiet. As I looked at the stars, they
turned into little teardrops, and I could hear a slight musical melody. I hummed this
melody to myself a few times. I kept repeating the melody over and over in my head so
that I would never forget it. It was very quiet and no one said a word. We gazed at
the stars for over two hours. The following day, I took the melody and wrote a song
of that event called, Music in the Sky. I wrote the song in five minutes. It came so
naturally as if it was already written:</p>
<blockquote>
"I hear music in the sky. Where is it coming from? I hear a soft pretty melody.
Where is it coming from? Strange things are happening can you feel it?"
</blockquote>
<p>Most of my daytime activities on Freeport are now spent with my girl and all our
friends. At night, I would have my own section of people at the club who came to see
me perform. It is a most rewarding experience to have so much love directed toward
me. After the gig I would head off with my little girl and friends. I no longer lived
with the band.</p>
<p>Just before our third week at The Jokers Wild, the bass player's mother called him
at the club and told him that he needed to return to New York on Monday to register
for college. I went into shock! I told the bass player," You got to be kidding. Is
this some kind of joke?" The bass player replied that he had to obey his mother, but
that he would fly back in time for Monday night's performance. I asked him, "What are
you going to college for when you are performing with one of the top bands in New
York?" He replied that his mother supply's financial support and he had to obey her.
Sunday is the bands day off and the bass player did return in time for the gig on
Monday night. All the way back to New York, register for college and fly back to the
Bahamas. Crazy! When the bass player returned he stated that he could only stay for a
week. He said that he is going to start school early, and his mother wanted him to
return home. I couldn't believe it. With anger, I told the bass player that he is
fucking the band, big time. I asked him to please finish out the two remain weeks,
but he replied that he could not. We had two more weeks remaining under this contract
and the bass player will leave. What am I supposed to do? I am in shock! Luckily, I
had my girl and my friends to console with under this deep depression and pressure.
Things are beginning to fall apart again right before my eyes. I begged the bass
player to stay, but he just did not give a fuck.</p>
<p>The band last week became a horror. I had to play the bass instead of the guitar.
We tried playing without a bass, but it sounded too weak. The club began to clear out
early, and after a few days the club became empty for the remaining week. The owner
was pissed, but there was nothing anyone could do under these circumstances. We just
had to fulfill and play out our contract. All the members of the band had become very
disgusted. No one was into performing without a bassist. No one was into it and it
sounded like shit! From great to shit!</p>
<p>It is time to leave Freeport and return back to the Big Apple. I was really
depressed. I weighed the situation:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>The band is mentally beginning to fall apart.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The new Rocky is a good singer, but he doesn´t have the spark or energy
that Ray had.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The new drummer doesn´t have that spark either, although he is real
good.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The bass player suddenly decides to tell us that he going to college. Very
Bad!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I do not want to face the inevitable that I think might happen with the
band.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>I have this wonderful new girlfriend including all these wonderful friends. I
should not leave. I would be a fool to leave such a loving, happy situation here.</p>
<p>Then I thought to myself, "The reason why I have this girl and all these friends
is because I have this really great band. Would they still be as loyal to me if I
didn't have a band?" I thought about this for the remaining days and realized that I
stand correct. Without a band this relationship would certainly fall apart. This is
how they met me, and this is how they know me. That is reality! Therefore, I will fly
home to New York with the band to see if I can salvage the group somehow so we or I
can continue with a band.</p>
<p>The entire band is now at the airport ready to board a plane to New York. My girl
is here crying. She doesn't want me to leave. She is begging me to stay but I know
such a reality is not real without the status under which they were attracted to me
in the first place. There are also fifty of my new friends here to see me off. I am
feeling very distressed, because I don't really want to leave them. I am in a daze
not knowing what to do, but I know what I must do. I said my tearful goodbyes. I
entered the plane. The band could not believe how many people were there to see me
off. They all were shocked. The plane left the ground, and as I looked out the window
at this sea of waving hands. I was in tears for about a half hour. After a while, I
thought about all the days that my girlfriend and I walked down the isolated white
sandy beach. I thought about the sex we had on the isolated beach. I then began to
think of Keith and all his friends, and how he was such a wonderful loving person to
me and made me feel welcome at his house.</p>
<p>When the plane landed in New York, Rocky and his Friends were finished. No one had
the enthusiasm to go on with this band. We decided to be in touch with one another if
any one of them had something going. We all said our goodbyes and we all went our own
ways.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145962277965450772006-04-25T06:50:00.000-04:002006-12-26T09:17:37.983-05:00Chapter 18 - The Shaded Flower<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/327483/shaddedflower.jpg"
alt="The Band-The Shadded Flower" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 18 - The Shaded Flower</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>No one in the band "Rocky and his Friends," wanted to break-in a new bass
player. I guess Rocky (Ray) was an important ingredient to the band after all. All
the drastic changes to the band were just too much for anyone to handle. Changing
the bass player and drummer including a new Rocky was way too much for the new band
to handle. When the bass player suddenly decided to leave a week before the end of
the contract, everyone became disgusted. Now, from my point of view, we
didn´t even look like Rocky and his Friends anymore. The name no longer fit
the band. When the plane landed in New York, no one said anything about continuing
and I agreed with that. Although I had a nice apartment in New York City, I decided
to go back home to Brooklyn to try and regroup my thoughts and feelings.</p>
<p>Back home on Brooklyn´s West 7th Street, I kept thinking how The Van-Dells
was the top band in New York City and we could not get signed to a recording
contract. Know one ever approached us. Then, the killing of President Kennedy and
the war fucked everything up. Rocky and his Friends did become more popular and
definitely much better, and we almost got signed, but a female fucked it up! In
both cases with each band, we were surrounded by so many stars and even were
amongst the most important people in the business, but we could never get signed.
What the fuck is wrong? I kept thinking and thinking about this over and over in my
depression. I tried not to show my sad feelings to my family or my friends in
Brooklyn. I tried to continue to act as though I am still at the top of the world,
and that nothing is wrong. However, what do I do now? Do I continue in music or do
I quit music and get a day job. I guess I will sift through the Village Voice on
Wednesday and the New York Times on Sunday, and see what transpires. Here I am
again in the same position I was before I met Ray. What did I accomplish? All that
time, work and effort and I'm still in the very same position. Very depressing! I
can´t forget the people I left behind in the Bahamas. In just ten days, I
will receive my 22nd birthday.</p>
<p>I did learn some lessons from this entire experience with Rocky and his Friends.
Girlfriends and wives do not mix with music and/or achieving stardom. It also is
very important to write your own songs. If the band had some songs written
beforehand, then maybe the Coca Cola people would have signed us. I´m
definitely going to try to write more songs in the future. That is certainly a void
that I must fill.</p>
<p>The doorbell rang and it is my neighbor´s son <a id="menu1" class="p1"
href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Joey<img class="large"
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/499918/littlejoey.jpg"
title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. He asked to
speak with me and said that he had heard that I had just arrived back from the
Bahamas, and he wanted to know how it was. I told him that everything went
wonderful. I told him that I had heard from his mother that he now had a band. He
replied yes. He went on to say that his band was playing at all these churches that
held some Battle of the Bands, and that they were always coming in last place
everytime they had entered. He then asked me if I would come to one of his
rehearsals to see what they were doing wrong. I told him "Sure, let me know which
night you are going to rehearse and I´ll come and take a look", I said. He
asked, How about tomorrow night? I replied, Sure.</p>
<p>So the next evening around six thirty, we arrived at his<br />
<a id="menu2" class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">drummer´s
house<img class="large"
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/307030/drummershouse.jpg"
title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. He lived behind
the <a id="menu3" class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Marlboro
Projects<img class="large"
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/560769/MarlboroE.jpg"
title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> on Ave. Z and
11th Street just a few blocks away from our block . They were all very cute. They
were called, The Shaded-Flower. They also had some really cute little 16-year-old
sexy girls hanging about with them. When I entered the house everyone including the
drummer´s mother treated me like a king. I felt like a star when I walked in.
Actually, everyone knew that I had been playing with the famous stars, and that I
had the most wanted band in New York. The kid Joey saw Peter & Gordon at my
house, so the word got out and around. The band then played a few songs as I
listened, and they were pretty good, but not tight at all. The singer had a great
voice. He sounded like Gene Pitney. After they played, we talked, and I told them
what I thought they needed. They became very excited, and asked me if I would take
the time to show them. I told them that I didn´t really have the time. I just
came to tell you what I thought was lacking in your sound. They begged me! In fact
the drummer´s mother begged me. Everyone is begging me. So finally, I agreed,
and I began to feel very good and important again. I tried to tighten them up a
little, but it didn´t work. Thus, I told them that we are going and have to
start from scratch. I asked them when the next Battle of the Bands is happening.
They said next week, and they were already scheduled to perform with 25 other
bands. I told them that it wasn't enough time so the best thing that I could do was
to teach you three new songs, but they must follow all my directions to the tee and
if they did then we might have a chance. They were all happily ready. I told them
that we are going to rehearse for three hours every night. After two nights they
all asked me to be their manager. I thought this is nuts, but I accepted after
everyone begged me again. After all, I have nothing better to do at this time and
it took my mind off the depression and it made me feel good.</p>
<p>We were about ready to perform the Battle of the Bands, which was being held in
a nearby church. It is about the only thing available for musical kids who are not
old enough to perform in a club.</p>
<p>Everyone arrived at the church including the bands families, and the cute little
groupies who now had a crust on me. The little girls would get me horny as they
continuously brushed their sexy bodies against me. Then it was their turn to
perform, they gave a great performance. They performed two songs that I had taught
them. We had rehearsed the two songs over and over again for this performance.
After all the bands performed, the priest announced the 3rd place winner. Then the
second place winner, and finally the priest announced that the first place winner
is, The Shaded Flower. Everyone associated with the band went crazy. Their little
girl groupies jumped all over me to hug and kiss me. The mothers and fathers
quickly came to me and congratulated me. Then all the band members jumped all over
me saying...we did it! ...We did it! All of a sudden it became one of the most
happiest and rewarding moment in my life.</p>
<p>The priest brought back the band up to the stage and handed us the beautiful
Trophy. The band handed the trophy to me as I held it up in the air for everyone to
see. It was like winning a World Series. The band´s families had tears in
their eyes. Everyone connected with the band thought I was God. I personally felt
extremely rewarded. It was an encouragement that this is what I love to do, and it
reiterated that my knowledge of the medium is excellent. It was then that I knew I
possessed a natural gift sent by God.</p>
<p>We celebrated all evening, and one of the little girl groupies fell in love with
me... sort of. When I went home to sleep, I felt such a wonderful encouragement and
accomplishment. If only someone would recognize my musical abilities to make me
continue it for the rest of my life without any financial problem. Boy, do I love
what I do with music.</p>
<p>A few days later, I returned to rehearsal with the band to try to tighten them
up a little more. The oldest of the group is 16. For that age, it is most
difficult. Joey is very happy and thankful that I had helped them. There were two
more Battle of the Bands after that, and we again won first place in both of them.
However, there is a very serious Battle of the Bands about to take place. The
winner would receive a $200.00 First Prize with a recording contract. Therefore, I
got real busy with the band preparing for that one. I taught the band one of my
favorite songs with The Van-Dells and Rocky and his Friends. Try a little
Tenderness, by Otis Redding. We rehearsed it continually, and I showed them how and
when to all get down on their knees during the end of the song. They practiced it
very well, but they were lacking in soul. I tried to show them how to develop soul,
but they were too young and inexperienced. In order to develop soul they must
forget about all the people watching them and feel the song in their hearts. They
had trouble with that, but they really tried to do it. They are just too young.</p>
<p>The night for the biggest Battle of the Bands had arrived. There are some record
labels there as well as booking agents who are acting as judges. All the bands that
showed-up for this event were badass. This one is going to be a difficult one to
win. We were all very nervous as we watched the other bands perform. I thought that
the getting-down-on-their-knees event during, Try a little Tenderness. would be the
deciding factor. After a few hours, it was the Shaded Flower´s turn as I
watched on nervously. They performed very well, I thought. When they went down on
their knees, they surprised everyone. It went over very well except; I thought that
they lacked the soul. I could only do so much with kids and I knew that I tried my
best.</p>
<p>After a while, the judges announced the Third Place winner. Then the judges
announced the Second Place winner. Then they said that it is a toss-up between two
groups for First Place. The judges then said that the Shaded Flower´s
performance of Try a Little Tenderness was cute and neat, but it would not effect
their decision. Now I began to worry, because the record labels announcement of
that statement included negative overtones. Then they mentioned the other
group´s performance and the positive things they liked about them. Everyone
in the audience looked on in confusion waiting to hear who the winner is. I then
said to myself as the judges conferred with one another for another five minutes,
Oh well, you can´t win´em all!</p>
<p>Finally, one of the judges stood up and said that it was a tough choice to make.
Our decision, and the First Prize winner of $200.00 and a recording contract is,
The Shaded Flower! Boy O boy, the entire place went nuts. Screaming and yelling...
hugging and kissing ...Excitement... Excitement...Excitement¦
Pandemonium¦Total insanity ¦Sadness from the losers. The band and I
went into frenzy. We all proceeded up to the podium and there is no trophy, but a
check for $200.00 and the record company executive who advised me to contact him
during the week for an appointment. We partied all night long. I again thought that
music is where I belong, and this is what it´s all about. How could I ever
think to get a day job?</p>
<p class="center"><img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/663525/shadedflower.jpg"
alt="The Shaded Flower" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>The following week, I had arrived at this unknown record company to see what
this was all about. I had sensed on the phone that they didn´t like me as the
manager, and I was a little disappointed that I had never heard of their record
label. Thus, I decided to go to their office by myself to learn what they had in
mind. They welcomed me into their office, and told me flat out that they
didn´t like the band. They were interested in the singer, Alex, only. They
wanted to sign Alex. They thought the same as I, that he sounded similar to Gene
Pitney. They told me that there would be something in it for me if I helped them. I
replied that I didn´t want anything except what was good for the band as a
whole. I told them that I did not think that the band would go for it, and that I
would not release the singer Alex˜s home phone number without notifying the
band first. The record company was not too pleased with my response. They began
projecting negative overtones, which pissed me off. I told the execs that I would
talk with the band.</p>
<p>I returned to the band and told them that I thought that these record guys were
full of shit. They were not interested in the band. They only had interest in Alex.
I told this to the band without Alex present, and the band replied that it was good
what I did because they wouldn´t go for it. I left it up to the band members
whether they wanted to tell Alex or not. They eventually did tell Alex, and Alex
decided to leave the band and pursue the record label.</p>
<p>I told the band that this was all that I could do for them. That it was time for
me to return to my music life. I told them that they were real good and they needed
to pursue there future in music on there own. I told them that it is the only way
they will progress. The band and their families became very sad, but they
completely understood. They all thanked me for everything and for all the wonderful
experiences. I told them that I enjoyed every minute of it, and that one day, I
hope to see the band go on to a future in music. Anyway, I´ll be around if
you need me for any advice.</p>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145960769605071802006-04-25T06:21:00.000-04:002006-12-26T09:25:53.563-05:00Chapter 19 - Mikie and the new girl<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/118320/freeport.jpg"
alt="Freeport Bahamas" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 19 - Mikie and the new girl</h2>
<div id="menu">
<p>One of the Mafia type groupies, Mikie, who hung out with Rocky and his Friends,
and who came with us to Freeport in the Bahamas with the group, is still a good
friend and is very much in touch with me. We had, from the very beginning become good
friends. He introduced me to his wonderful mother who lived in Queens. Her name is
Jenny. She is a sweet and very intelligent woman whose husband was in jail, for what
I never knew. Mikie´s mother treated me like gold, and I considered her just as
if she was my own mother. That is how instantly close I became to her. Just like the
instantaneous closeness I quickly achieved with Joey the bass player´s mother.
However, Mikie is a very extremely crazy bastard. We have a lot of laughs together
and it eventually became much fun to be with him. He drove a Corvette that is
extremely quick and speedy fast. One night, we pulled into a gas station to fill up
the tank. As soon as the attendant pulled the gas nozzle out of the tank, Mikie
quickly sped off. The Corvette is so fast that it took the attendant by surprise. By
the time the attendant thought about recording the license plate number we were
far-gone. The first time Mikie did this with me it took me by sudden surprise. I told
Mikie never to do that again when I´m in the car. I didn´t want to have
any trouble or get arrested for nothing or something stupid. Mikie assured me that he
would not and he kept his promise from then on. Otherwise, I certainly wouldn´t
hang out with him any longer, but I like him immensely. Mikie and I would go out
almost every night to the city to visit clubs or to hang out with the other would be
Mafia guys. After the evening is over, we would sleep at his mother´s house in
Queens.</p>
<p>One night, Mikie and I were heading into Manhattan. We had just entered the
Manhattan Bridge. Suddenly, all the lights in Manhattan went out. A total blackout!
Traffic on the bridge immediately came to a standstill. The wait got so long that
Mikie took out his chessboard and we played chess for about an hour under the cars
illumination in the middle of the Manhattan Bridge.</p>
<p class="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/956047/1965_blackout1.jpg"
alt="The 1965 Blackout1" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>The Manhattan skyline had disappeared into the darkness. Finally the traffic began
to suddenly move slowly, and we eventually entered the streets of Manhattan. It is a
robbers dream! The police went into frenzy. We drove everywhere through the streets
of darkness. It is pure chaos. We roamed through Manhattan all night long until the
sunset. I´ll never forget the date, November 9th, 1965.</p>
<p>Mikie and his mother had to go visit the FBI for something relating to his father,
and I went along with them, and waited in the main entrance lobby. While I was
waiting in the lobby, I saw a beautiful girl working behind the candy counter. She
looked to be sixteen years old and had a tight little petite body. She had the body
type that I love. The girl kept on looking toward me over and over with a small
smile. She is young and I am very apprehensive to make a move. I could not keep my
eyes off her little tight body and she just continued to smile at me. I was trying to
think of a way to handle this situation. Then Mikie and his mother returned to the
lobby to leave. As we all were going to walk out the door, I asked Mikie´s
mother if she would do me a favor and slip this girl my telephone number.
Mikie´s mother said no problem. I wrote down my number on a slip of paper.
Mikie´s mother walked over to the girl and gave it to her.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/519110/1965_blackout2.jpg"
alt="The 1965 Blackout2" class="entryphoto2" />That night, I returned home to
Brooklyn hoping that this girl would call me, which she did. I began talking to her
on the phone, and she began moving the conversation toward very sexy and provocative
statements. She made me very horny. I asked her how many guys she had sex with. She
told me that she had attended orgies, and described them in detail. I asked her if
she ever gave a blow job, and she told me that she did try it. The conversation went
on like this for about two hours. I then asked her if she would skip work, and come
to my house in Brooklyn tomorrow instead. She told me that she had dropped out of
school, and that her mother demanded that she work if she wasn´t going to
attend school. She told me that she had got the job at the candy counter in the FBI
building. I asked her again if she would come to my house. I told her that instead of
going to work, take the BMT N train to the 86th Street stop in Brooklyn. It´s
one stop before Coney Island. When you come up to the street level you will see a pay
phone. Then you can call me from there. I just live around the block. She told me
that she might get in trouble with her family. I told her to call in sick and no one
will ever know.</p>
<p>My mother is still working as a seamstress, and my sister Maria worked on Wall
Street. They both leave to work early in the morning at 7:00am. My brother and two
sisters are now married. I have the entire house to myself until 5:00pm. I
didn´t expect the girl to do what I had said, but you never know. Anyway, the
telephone rang in the morning, and it is the girl. She said, Guess where I am? I
asked her, Are you at the train station up the block? She said yes. I got very horny
right away. I told her to walk down 7th Street, and that I will come out to meet you.
She said OK. I only had one problem. It is Zitsey Rose, my mother´s friend who
lived across the street. She is the spy of the block. All this woman did was sit at
her window and look out with the blinds slightly open and spy on everybody. If she
saw something then she would tell everyone on the block especially my mother. Then my
mother will yell and scream at me. I had to try to sneak this girl into my house
without Zitsey Rose seeing us.</p>
<p>I got very excited and rushed upstairs from my basement apartment and ran to the
front door. I opened the door and looked up the block and there she was. Oh man, she
looks very hot. Then I looked closely and wow, she is wearing a short black
mini-skirt and black net-tights. I watched in lust, and then she spotted me. I told
her to hurry and I got her inside my house. I said hello to her and asked her to sit
down on the couch in the living room, which is the first room when you enter the
door. I then proceeded to sit down next to her and she leaned into me very close. I
then put my arms around her as I looked at her sexy legs sticking out of her black
mini-skirt. Wow! Since she had said nothing about my advances yet, I tried to kiss
her and succeeded. She kissed me with her mouth closed, and I told her to kiss me
with her tongue. She then put her tong in my mouth and I tried to feel her tits. She
quickly grabbed my hand and said, Fresh. I laughed and got up and put on the TV. I
said let´s get comfortable and sit on the floor in front of the T.V. I ran
upstairs to the bedroom to get some pillows and quickly rushed downstairs. We both
sat on the floor in front of the T.V. and then I lay down with her and put two
pillows behind our heads. We were lying there talking side by side, and then I
proceeded to get on top of her. She kept her legs tightly closed. I continued to
make-out with her. She is very willing. I grabbed and fondled her breasts. I tried to
force her legs apart with my legs, and once I did I asked her, Do you feel my cock?
She is looking up in a daze type of look. She nodded, Yes. She is happy and I can
tell that she likes it. Then with her legs open and my hard cock pressing against
her, I put my hand under her shirt and fondle her bra. Then I proceeded to pull up
her shirt and her bra to expose her tits. She had nice nipples and I began to suck on
them. She still said nothing. After awhile, I got off of her to give her a break and
I lay next to her quietly. She began to feel more comfortable. Then we began talking
and laughing about what is on the TV at the time. Suddenly, she grabbed my cock and
began squeezing it over and over. This girl is driving me nuts.</p>
<p>She told me that she is thirsty. We both got up off the floor and went into the
kitchen to get some water. Then we returned back into the living room. While she is
standing next to me I took her hand and made her feel my cock again standing up. She
held on to my cock strongly. I said, That´s nice and big? She replied Yea. Then
I began rubbing her cute little tight ass while she is holding my cock tightly. Then
I asked her to come down into the basement. I told her that it is much nicer down
there. The basement is where I lived when I am in Brooklyn. It separates me from my
mother and sister. I had a bed and my stereo as well as a complete small kitchen.
When we arrived to the basement she loved it. She liked my bed and laid down on it.
She replied, It is so much nicer down here. I lay down next to her and turned on the
TV. We were watching the TV and she said to me, Aren´t you going to fuck me?
She caught me by surprise. I turned her onto her stomach, and began putting my hands
all over her ass and her black mini skirt. Then I tried to undress her, but I
couldn´t locate the beginning of the top of her underwear. Therefore, I told
her to go into the bathroom and remove all her under clothes and return with only her
black mini-dress and top. She got off the bed and quickly went into the bathroom.
While she is in the bathroom I removed all my clothes. This girl is making me very
hot. What a beautiful babe she is. After a few moments, she came out with her top on
and her black mini skirt. Her sweet little tits began bouncing under her top as she
walked toward the bed. I asked her if there was anything on under her black
mini-skirt and she replied, Only what you want! I told her that I had no clothes on
and asked her to get under the covers with me and she did. She then cuddled next to
me and slid her knee up onto my cock. My cock is stiff. Then I turned her around and
took my hard cock and shoved it onto crack in her ass. I rubbed it and shoved it into
her ass over and over again. Then I slid my cock between her legs and began to pump
her. After a short while, I turned her around and put her hand on my cock. She pulled
the covers away to take a look at my hard thing that she was holding. I asked her if
she liked it and she replied that I had a nice looking cock. I asked her to kiss it.
She stood silently for a moment and then she kissed it. I told her to put it in her
mouth and she did it. Suddenly, the telephone rang.</p>
<p>I picked up the telephone and it was my sister Marie who always called me everyday
when I am home in Brooklyn to chat. I began chatting with my sister and the girl was
rubbing her tong all over my cock. I was trying to hang up the phone with my sister
without it looking like I had someone at the house. It was hard to end the
conversation. Finally I did. I threw the girl back on the bed and took my hard cock
and shoved it into her pussy as the girl moaned loud. Then I fucked the shit out of
her.</p>
<p>We had lunch and did it again. However, I needed to get the girl out of my house
by 4:30pm before my mother returned home. If my mother caught us here it would be
terrible. My mother is a bitch. She´s a maniac. She would start screaming loud
to scare the shit out of the girl. The girl would never come back. I walked the girl
to the train station and saw her off. Before she left on the train, she asked me if I
liked her shirt buttoned to the top or with a few buttons open, exposing her bra. I
told her to return home with it buttoned to the top, and when she returned to me
tomorrow, to have it open. She said, OK, anything you want I will give you. I kissed
her goodbye and could not wait for her to return the next morning.</p>
<p>The girl came to my house everyday thereafter. This went on for a couple of weeks
until she called me and told me that she is pregnant. I knew that she was lying,
because she wanted me to marry her, but I wouldn´t. I got angry with her
tactics and told her to never call me again. Then she admitted that she wasn´t
pregnant. I reiterated to her to never to call me again and I hung up on her. I
waited to see if she would call me again, but she didn´t. She spoiled the show.
I just had to get rid of her. I never saw the girl again. After a short time later, I
wished that I handled it a different way, because I missed playing with her. The hot
thought of her will live with me forever.</p>
<p>I had heard that Alex returned to the Shaded Flower, and that they were focusing
on playing wedding gigs. The record label that Alex pursued was indeed full of shit
and they took him nowhere. I was very happy to learn that they returned as a group
once again, and that they are making some money with their music. Then I heard from
Aldo, the drummer from the Van-Dells. He told me that Joey the bass player had served
his two years in the Army and should be returning home soon. Aldo also told me that
he and Jane got married, and that he is working for his father who opened a new
restaurant in the city. Aldo told me to come by to visit him sometime. I told him
that I would. It was great hearing from Aldo again. I went to Joey˜s
mother´s house. I had missed her very much and spent two hours talking with
her. Joey´s mother and father were very happy that their son survived Vietnam.
We all are happy about his return. I returned home and put the new Beatles White
Album on and enjoyed the strings that were on much of the songs. I then put on the
Bee Gees album and I am also became quite touched by the string arrangements in their
songs. Strings were now making its way into pop rock music. As I was listening I was
thinking of how wonderful it would be to have a rock group with strings. I thought
about it often. There are no pick-up microphones for violins. I don´t think
that guitar pickups would work, but it would be great to have a rock band with live
strings. Miking the strings would not work. Wow, it would be something if it could be
worked out somehow. I thought about this over and over as I listened to music.</p>
<p>My brother Tom lives in Garden City, Long Island I think I´ll take a ride
out there to see him. His family consists of Ruby his wife and two sons Thomas and
Charles, and two daughters Ann Marie and Denise. I´ll make a surprise visit.
When I arrived my brother was happy and surprised to see me as well as the whole
family who had other friends over. They asked me to play a couple of songs for them
and I did. Their son Thomas had a guitar and I played, The Verrazano Bridge and Music
In The Sky, and they loved it. I also continued playing some standards that they all
loved. I stayed most of the night having coffee and cake and then I returned home to
Brooklyn. It was great to see my nephews and nieces again.</p>
<p>The following day, I decided to visit Aldo´s new house. Aldo lived in a
high-class section of South Orange, New Jersey. I arranged a time to meet with them.
Aldo gave me directions to his house. It is difficult driving around looking for a
particular place in New Jersey. The roads are very weird, and the signs are not
clearly written. It is very easy to get lost. However, I finally found it. As I
pulled up to Aldo house, I had noticed that the house is a mansion. It is definitely
high class. I hung out with Aldo and Jane and they were very hospitable. We talked
for hours, and I told them about my continued life in music. At the end of the
evening, Aldo said that he would call me once and awhile to get together for a
musical jam. He also said that he wanted to throw a party when Joey returns home.
Aldo suggested that we play at the party together just like old times. I told him
that it is a great idea. I wished him luck with the house, and I told him that I
would see them soon.</p>
<p>The day after, I visited with Ritchie Wheelchair who always has good smoke. I got
high with Ritchie and we talked for hours. We ordered an <br /><a id="menu20"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">L&B Sicilian pizza<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/206589/pizza.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. The best pizza I had ever tasted. I´m just chilling out visiting
people and clearing my head to plan my next move. I must say that I am enjoying being
around my family and circle of friends again. It feels real good to be loved and to
have wonderful friends. Manhattan is a lonely place. If I´m working there then
it is good to sleep there. If I´m not working there then it could be a lonely
place.</p>
<p>If the Vietnam War is not enough, <a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">Robert Kennedy just got
killed<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/175412/rfk.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a>. I´m freaking out over all these assassinations. The country is
going crazy. People are trying to console one another, and a powerful anti-war peace
movement is growing larger. There is now a peace movement formed in every University
throughout the country. I know that something is going on within our government. I
believe they are deleting people for some purpose. I´m becoming more afraid of
the future. I don´t believe this lone assassin theory. Why the Kennedy´s?
Anyway, the young generation is forming a new style of dress in protest. Everyone is
growing his or her hair long. The government is labeling everyone with long hair as a
Hippie. Meanwhile, the patriotic citizens for the war are displaying bumper
sticker´s that read: <br /><a id="menu"class="p1" href="#nogo" title="thumbnail image">America, Love it or
Leave it!<img class="large" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/359089/sticker.jpg" title="Enlarged view of image" alt="Enlarged view of image" /></a> Everything is out of control and in chaos, God! The government is not
listening to the people. It has become an entity within itself. Totally
uncontrollable!</p>
<p>In the mist of this countries insanity, I went out to some of the neighborhood
clubs in Brooklyn to see what they were like. It turns out to be a very cliquish
scene. The guys are mostly Mafia type of characters competing for girls. I had to be
careful in the Brooklyn clubs, because if I come on to the wrong girl, I could be
shot. I cruised in my car through the section of 86th Street quit often to check out
the Brooklyn girls who are very hot looking. 86th Street has an overhead-elevated
train, and I can drive on 86th Street that runs below it. The street contains a lot
of clothing stores as well as other type of shops, and it is a place to cruise for
girls. It is great in my convertible. The girls like my fancy vehicle, but they
certainly have a different mind set than the girls in Manhattan. The girls in
Brooklyn like the cugines type of male appearance. Cugine´s are Italian guys
who look and appear to act tough and dress in polyester clothing with their black
shinny hair. That is definitely not I.</p></div>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145960427602749362006-04-25T06:16:00.000-04:002006-12-27T07:52:44.356-05:00Chapter 20 - Variations on a Theme<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/380654/variationsonatheme.jpg"
alt="The Band-Variations on a Theme" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 20 - Variations on a Theme</h2>
<p>Joey had finally returned from Vietnam safely, and he is out of the Army. I went
to see him at his mother´s house and he looked great, but seemed very different. I
hugged him and gave him a kiss. I really love him very much even though he
didn´t ask me to be best man at his wedding. Joey´s wife Evie is there
with his new son Robert. Robert is one year old. I just met him for the first time.
Everybody, friends, and family were there to greet Joey´s return home.</p>
<p>The next evening after all the commotion had finished, Joey and I had a chance to
talk privately. He told me a little bit about his life in Vietnam. I asked him if he
was interested in playing music again, and he said that he couldn´t wait to
play again. He asked me what I had in mind. I told him that I wanted to put a rock
band together with strings if possible. Joey thought that it is a good idea. We
smoked a joint and played around with the thought of putting live strings with a rock
band. I told him that the only problem is, how do you mike violins? Joey replied,
Let´s get together tomorrow and visit Sam Ash music store and lets see what
they have there as far as pickups for strings. I told him that they were not going to
have anything like that. Who wants to have a pickup on a violin, I said. Joey
reiterated, Let´s just see what they have. I replied, OK. Then Joey told me
about the great pot he had in Vietnam. He told me that he was stoned one night
sitting in a tank with this tremendous bag of pot. While he was high, he could hear
the bullets ricocheting off the tank. He also told me that he was a communications
person who handled fixing the radios. He said that he never really saw much
action.</p>
<p>I never got together the next day with Joey, because he was very busy organizing
his return to a new life. Aldo had contacted Joey to welcome him home. Aldo wanted to
throw a party on the weekend. He asked Joey and me to come to play just like old
times. We accepted and on the weekend we all headed out to Aldo´s house for the
party. Aldo´s house is packed with many people from his neighborhood. He had
hired a bartender to prepare drinks. High class! Aldo´s wife Jane had a sister
who is divorced, and I quickly noticed that she is cute and sexy. I got to know her
quite well. Anyway, Aldo had set-up a spot for all of us to play and we went at it.
The people loved us immensely. It is really good to play with Aldo and Joey once
again. We sounded the same as we did originally. We played all night long, and had a
great time with all of Aldo´s friends and family. It was a great night for
everyone to get aquatinted once again.</p>
<p>A week later, Joey and I finally went to the Sam Ash music store. We told the
salesperson that we were looking for acoustical pick-ups. He showed us a few that
were just too big for what we were looking for. Then we went around to some other
smaller stores, and in one of the stores they had mandolin pickups. They were the
size we were looking for. Very small! Joey said lets buy these, and I´ll take
them apart to try to boost them up. We bought four of them at $25.00 each. Joey then
took the pick-ups home and worked out a way to make them compatible with violins.
Joey is a genius with electronics. We then went back to Sam Ash to try and fit one on
a used violin. We tested a spot on a violin and asked the salesperson if we could try
it out. The salesperson replied, Are you guys crazy. Why would you want to put a
pick-up on a violin? Joey replied that it was an experiment. The salesman refused to
let us place one of the pickups on a violin. Therefore, we went to a Pawn Shop to
find an old violin. We did find a violin that cost 50 bucks. I bought the violin so
Joey could take it home to experiment.</p>
<p>A few days later, Joey came up with a masterpiece. I went to Joey´s house
and he showed me what he did with the pickups in fine detail. He had readjusted the
pickups to be more sensitive to the strings without feeding back, and he placed a
special cushion on the back of the pickups so they would not harm the instruments. He
showed me the spot to place the pickups for the best reception. What a masterpiece! I
am extremely happy. With that big problem out of the way, I now had to think of how I
am going to put this all together. I told Joey that we needed a drummer. Aldo is out,
because he is living in high class now. He´s making a lot of money with his
father´s stores.</p>
<p>Joey came to my house one day to introduce me to this drummer named Tommy Napoli.
I talked with Tommy, and he is a wonderful guy. We all smoked a joint together and
talked about my idea of live strings in a rock band. I then arranged for all of us to
jam at my house during the day when nobody is home. Boy, Tommy is great. I
couldn´t believe how good he is. His drums sounded so good that he has a big
sound all by himself. He had all the drums working at once; meaning that the high hat
was constantly going up and down and his technique is fantastic. He has got to be the
best drummer I had ever heard. I had never heard drums sound in this manner. He
definitely knows how to tune them to perfection. Now we are a group! Now, on to the
next hurdle! How do we write string parts? Tommy said that he reads and writes drum
staffs, and if I could write the notes he could write the rhythms. I said great lets
do it. So we practiced rehearsing songs of The Beatles, I am a Walrus, Eleanor Rigby,
A day in a life. We also learned some of the Bee Gees songs like, To Love Somebody.
For the next few weeks, Tommy and I would attempt to write the string charts for
these songs. Tommy and I wrote everyday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. We lived on cheese
sandwiches everyday.</p>
<p>Now we had to find some string players that would be willing to do this stuff. I
called The Village Voice newspaper and I ran an ad for two weeks. The ad said,
Wanted! Three violins and a cello to complete a classical rock band. Within a few
days we were getting some responses. I took the calls and talked with some of these
guys and arranged a rehearsal. I had to make the rehearsal in the evening at 7:00pm
because that is when these string players were available. We got what we needed to
come to a rehearsal, three violins and a cello.</p>
<p>So the next night, Joey and Tommy came by and set-up there instruments in my
basement. I went upstairs and my mother who is watching television. I told my mother,
Mom, I´m going to have a rehearsal tonight in the basement. My mother asked,
Why. I said, That we are putting a new band together with strings and I needed to
audition these string players. My mother replied and screamed, Why don´t you stop this music
and get a real job? I said to my mom very patiently, "Look mom, I´m having this rehearsal. It will
only be for a couple of hours". My mother gave me a disgusted look and told me to play
low so that she can hear her shows on television.</p>
<p>The string players rang my house doorbell. I quickly ran upstairs to answer the door and
to tell the string players to go around to the back entrance and pointed to them where to go. Two doors down from me
live my neighbor, Jenny and Al. Right next to their house is an alleyway leading to
the back of the houses. It used to be a driveway at one time, but the cars got larger
and people decided to turn their garages into basements. So the string players
carrying their instruments went around the back of the houses and I met them and
entered into my mother´s basement. They seemed very classical. Meaning
they all looked like Albert Einstein except for one guy who looked kind of hip. Apparently, he was
the guy that I talked to on the phone. We all introduced ourselves and I proceeded to
show them the charts. Tommy and I were not really sure if they were correct or not, because
we didn´t have a chance to hear what we had written. This is why we invited the
string players to a rehearsal. We wanted to audition string players so we could check
out our charts. The string players looked at them and they replied that the charts seemed
all right. We explained what we wanted to do and they did not reply except for the
hip looking guy who said, "Hmm, interesting!" Then they took out their instruments and
proceeded to tune-up. While they were tuning I looked at Tommy and we both said
isn´t that great. Just the tuning-up sounded so good. Then I said to the players
that I will count it off and give you a tempo and I want you to play it through one
time. They said OK! Then I counted off Eleanor Rigby. They started playing and Tommy,
Joey and I began freaking-out that it sounded so great. As they were playing all the
parts, we knew that the harmonies were perfectly correct. When they finished playing they
commented that it is a great arrangement. These guys are giving Tommy and I all the
credit, because they weren´t hip to The Beatles. I don´t think they ever
heard the song. These guys only listen to classical music and nothing
else.</p>
<p>Then I told them that I wanted them to place pick-ups on their instruments. They
said, "What!" I told them that we wanted to electrify their instruments so they would
not be drowned-out by the band. They all looked at each other in confusion. Then Joey took out the
pick-ups and showed them. The classical musicians asked, "Where you would put it?" Then Joey took
out the old violin and showed them. They asked if it would hurt the wood of the
instrument. We told them no, just try it! In confusiion, they wanted to put the pick-ups
on the instruments by themselves. Joey oversaw their placement of the pickups. He guided them as to
how and where it should be placed, but I can see that they didn´t like doing
this.</p>
<p>After struggling with the pickups for a while, they were ready to make a test.
Joey plugged them all into a separate amplifier and they test the sound. They all became
amazed! They had never heard strings electrified. We all got ready, Tommy on the
drums, Joey on the Bass, and I on guitar. We all tuned-up to each other. Then we all played the
song, "To Love Somebody" by the Bee Gee´s. Joey who had the lead vocal could
hardly pay attention to his singing and playing, because the strings sounded so
great and the band sounded so full and big. I really was amazing! Then my mother came to the basement door and started screaming at the top of
her lungs, "Stop this music! Stop this music! I want all of you to get out of my
house now! Get out of my house. I want you all out of here now!" Everyone freaked and the string players got
very scared; they quickly packed-up their instruments, and exited the house, without
saying a word. I became extremely devastated and embarrassed. I went upstairs to yell
at my mother. I cursed at her and said, "You ass hole, I asked you for just a couple
of hours, Why. Why!" My mother yelled back to me, "I can´t hear my show on TV." I
replied, "Your stupid ass show is more important than my band, and the band members
respect for me. You just chased away the string players." My mother smiled and said
firmly, "Good! Good! I want everyone out of the house!"</p>
<p>I went back downstairs to the basement in disgust. I never have been more
embarrassed in my entire life. However, Joey and Tommy made me feel better. They made
a joke out of it and made me laugh. Tommy said to not worry. Then we packed-up
our instruments and went to a nearby diner to have a bite to eat and talk. We had all agreed that it sounded so
great and that we were definitely on the right track. Now we needed a new place to
rehearse, and we needed to run an ad again to find some new string players.</p>
<p>With luck, when I told Ritchie Wheelchair the next day what had happened and how it sound he told told me that we could use his basement for rehearsal. His family assured us that it was OK. I couldn´t
believe that a friend´s family would welcome us with open arms, and my own family
wouldn´t. Typical of my life!</p>
<p>I placed a second running of the ad in the paper and received some calls. This
time I was going to explain exactly what we wanted to do. This way if someone
didn´t like putting a pickup on their instrument, I won´t invite them to
rehearsal. A cello player named Marty called. I explained in detail what we were
doing and he was definately for it and became very excited. Then a girl called. Her name is
Janice. She played the violin and she was also totally for it. I told the band that it
would be interesting to have a female violinist in the band. Tommy and Joey both
thought that it would be great! Janice said that she could not rehearse in
Brooklyn, but if we wanted, we could rehearse at her place in Manhattan´s, East
Village. She told me that she possessed a large loft apartment. Well, that came as a welcome shock! I talked with the
band and they wanted to go check her place out. So we all drove to her apartment in
the East Village.</p>
<p>When we arrived, the first thing we had noticed is that her loft is immense.
Janice is a sort of hippie girl type, who presented herself very spiritual and beautiful. She welcomed
us with great warmth. There were a lot of children running around the loft although. It was
about 3:00 in the afternoon. She told us that she takes care of kids for money in the
daytime. She made her loft into a daycare center. She told us that in the evening she
would be free to rehearse. Joey, Tommy and I were touched by Janice´s warmth and
spiritually. She then made us some tea and played the violin for us. Her playing
just melted us. I again explained what we were doing, and she reiterated that she was
totally for it. We discussed the pickups and the type of music we are going to do.
Janice was totally aware of The Beatles and The Bee Gee´s. She liked the idea of
playing with a pickup. We were all impressed with her ability, enthusiasm and also her
beauty.</p>
<p>Just then, some hippie guy walks into the loft, and she introduced him as her husband. "Uh, Oh!" I
quickly said to myself, "This I do not like. marriage and music do not mix! Again, another
married person?" However, I didn´t say anything except to inquire further. Then,
I said to Janice bluntly in front of her husband, "Your husband would not mind you
being in a band?" Her husband quickly said, "No. I encouraged her to call you guys. I´m
the one that´s totally for it." I looked at him to get a sense of his
sincerity. I asked him, "Then, how would you feel if your wife is away for the
weekend playing with the band somewhere?" Her husband replied, "No problem. I want
her to do what ever she feels. That would be fine with me." I said, "Well, in that
case...that´s great." Even though I didn't trust the situation, I have heard
all this shit before with married music people. Her husband went on to say that we
were all very welcome here to hangout or to rehearse. Feel free to make our home your
home. We were grateful for his kind remarks!</p>
<p>With that sudden unwelcome surprize over with, I showed Janice the charts and asked what she thought. Janice looked at the
charts and asked why we wanted three violins. She said that she could play all the
parts herself being that the parts were mostly harmonies. Then she picked up her
violin, put the three charts over one another, and played all the parts at once. She
freaked us all out. She sounded fantastic and all the harmonies are being played. I
then organized a rehearsal for the weekend with Marty the cellist at her loft.</p>
<p>We all arrived again a week later and met Marty for the first time. He is a wonderful handsome guy with full enthusiasm and happiness. A great addition to the band and the band's image. As we began to rehearse, the band sounded very powerful and full, and all the time we had
thought that we needed three string players. We rehearsed for an hour and took a
break. It sounded so great and everyone of us was freaked that we had finally pulled this thing off. Everyone was certainly amazed! I walked over to the window for some air to smoke a cigarette and when I looked out her loft window, I noticed, down in the street that a big crowd of people were standing there listening to us. I turned to the guys and said, "Holly
shit look at this!" The band looked out the window and couldn´t believe how
many people were standing there, waiting for us to begin rehearsal again. We all began laughing. Then we talked for
a while. Janice made some food for us and a few of her female friends had also came into the
loft. It became a real big weekend gathering. After enjoying a little food and drinks and everyone introducing themselves, we then continued to rehearse. Suddenly, the
people outside in the street began coming up the stairs and into the apartment. The people could
not believe what they are hearing and they just had to take a look for themselves to be sure it was real and live. We
had to stop the rehearsal, because too many people were gathering into the loft, and we
couldn´t control them. I then told Janice that we had to rehearse during the week,
because we were attracting too many people on the weekend. The Village is very quiet during the week nights, but many people came from the suburbs to visit the Village area on the weekend. We discussed it and we all agreed and I arranged a
rehearsal beginning on Monday evening. Janice said that if we want to come by tomorrow
night she will be having a little gathering of friends. Janice just loved us immensely. The band was a dream come true for her.</p>
<p>The music scene is now leading into the so-called psychedelic age. There seems to
be a big movement forming in the West coast specifically, San Francisco. There are
new groups that are adapting to this movement like: The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin,
and The Jefferson Airplane. I don´t particularly like this movement, because it
seems to be associated with the drug LSD. Meanwhile, here in the East, a new artist
named Bob Dylan and a group called the Byrds is introducing a new style of Folk-Rock. I think Dylan's music
sucks, and I could care less about the Byrds. I think their music is horrible. I can
understand why people like that shit.</p>
<p>Tommy and I decided to take Janice up on her invitation, and we arrived at her loft at
around 8:00 PM. There are some beautiful girls here and everybody seems to be really stoned.
Some are high on pot, and although I didn´t know, maybe some are high on LSD, acid.
We were all hanging out drinking, smoking pot, and eating. Everyone is having a wonderful
time. Tommy Napoli seems very attracted to Janice´s spirituality. They appeared to have a great
communication factor happening together. Janice´s husband is there also, and he
suggested that everyone take a shower together. I was shocked that all these things were happening. So everyone laughingly took his or
her clothes off and pilled into the shower. I just watched on, but I am not into it
and I have trouble adjusting to this style of lifestyle. Little did I know at the time that everyone had done LSD. Then someone accidentally
rubbed up against the hot water knob and the really hot water started gushing out. They all
screamed and fell out of the shower onto the floor. It was very crazy, but also very funny. And although I didn't drop any acid or didn't know at the time time that everyone else had, I just couldn't relate to what was happening and the insanity associated with it. With all their clothes off, they
all proceeded to sit on the floor in the main loft room and an orgy began. Everyone began
making love, kissing and fondling one another which began to lead to sex. I just watched and felt very left out because I wasn't into this type of behaviour and still couldn't understand why all this was happening. It turned into a very wild night. I just stood there stoned on pot as I watched events as everyone now began to switch partners. The neon lights are flashing and the lava lamps are burning, and I did not want to be part of it. Therefore, I left by myself as Tommy stayed behind in wonderland. No one saw me depart, because they were all too busy to notice. I´m just not into orgies so I don't care to even watch.
I´m a one on one type of guy. I need a developed feeling for someone before I
could have sex with her. I just won´t jump into sex with someone that I do not
know. But again, I didn't know at the time it was the acid that was causing this to happen.</p>
<p>The following day, Tommy Napoli told me that he had a great time that night and he had fallen for one of the girls at the
orgy and he told me all about it, but Marty and Joey had not shown up that night.
On Monday night, we continued the rehearsals unobstructed, and after two weeks, we
were really tight. Janice performs standing up while Marty has to sit down with his
cello. Marty is the only one who had to sit. During one of our rehearsals, we plugged
fuzz boxes into the amps for the strings and Janice and Marty really went wild in
their playing. I cannot describe the sound we had, but we definitely achieved our
goal. Now, the question is, what name do we go under and how do we get gigs with this type of new
sound.</p>
<p>There was a new classical group called, The Classics Five, which had formed while I
was putting this group together. They had a record out, but they didn´t have
strings. They were a group of classical musicians who played multiple instruments.
They had incorporated all these classical instruments with a rock flavor. I went to
the music store to look at their album. I noticed the name of their management
company and I called them to introduce myself and the band. I told the management company exactly
what we were doing and set-up an appointment for the agent to come to one of our
rehearsals to hear us. When the agent arrived and heard us, he immediately fell in love with our band. He said that he thought that
we are fantastic. He then told us that he would set up gigs for us and recommended a
name, "Variations on a Theme". We didn´t like it and told him so, but he suggested that we use
it so that he could sell us to a special classical type people gigs he wanted to give us. He the said that after he builds us up, and we get exposure, then we could change the name. We all had nothing
to lose so we went with it.</p>
<p>The first gig that the agency booked us is at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Wow, what a first gig!</p>
<p class="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/71189/LincolnCenter.jpg"
alt="The Band-Variations on a Theme" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>We would be playing along side
The Classics Five. It was a great opportunity, but also a chance to see what The Classics Five were all about and how they sounded and performed. The gig went great, but the audience was extremely stuffy. They
didn´t applaud. They just watched and stared, but it was wonderful to play and be among
and associated with such a famous place of music. It was certainly an honor!</p>
<p>However, we were very surprised and disappointed at The Classics Five. They were great musicians and played many different types of instruments during their performance, but they were not playing rock at all. They billed themselves as a classical rock band, but they weren't playing rock. It was strange because I just could place their style of music. They weren't rock and they weren't really classical and I just could put my finger on their style, but it made us feel great because we sang and the didn't. They were just instrumental and we had strong rhythm and the didn't. So we were all glad that we were unique and nobody else has entered or classic rock style yet. OK, we are coping The Beatles and Bee Gee's, but we are a band with electrified strings so we certainly remained unique.</p>
<p>The second gig was at Radio City Music Hall. Wow! What a second gig. however, the
agent told us that we had to audition at Radio City first before we performed. We didn't pass the audition because we were too loud. At the audition, the people in control of it told us to turn our volume down. As we lowered our volume, they kept on telling us to lower th volume until our instruments were hardly amplified. Then they asked us if we could perform without amplification which was a silly remark and I asked them how could we do that. That would be counter-productive. So, we didn't pass the audition. Our band was dying to play for normal people. I had told the
agent that these gigs were certainly wonderful, but we need a different audience. We are however a new band and we haven't really developed our style playing in front of a real live audience. The agent understood
then hooked us up with another agent that does a different kind style of booking gigs, and
finally we began to perform for normal everyday people. Now it has become great, and the band
quickly started to progress. Except, all the gigs we were getting were all out of town. We had to travel a
lot. We were getting gigs in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, but none in New York thus far.</p>
<p>Tommy and I decided to write some songs together. I didn´t want to be
approached by record people again and not be prepared with material. Tommy and I put
our heads together and came-up with a song called, "How can I believe". I also added
two of my own songs to the repertoire, "Verrazano Narrows Bridge", and "Music in the
Sky". We decided to go into Mario Rossi´s studio on West 8th Street and Ave T
to record the songs. When the song demos were finished, we played the tape to the
neighborhood people, and they all seemed to like it especially, "How Can I Believe".</p>
<p>Our sub agent booked us on the coming weekend in Massachusetts. On Saturday night we were to
play a club which turned out to be a rock concert. We arrived at this gigantic concert hall that was set-up looking very incredible. They had our name, "Variations on a Theme" written on the walls in big graffiti style large neon glowing letters. The theatre became sold out quickly. All of us in the band could not believe it. I was really a surprise to us and we had no idea any of this was happening. We just thought we were coming to a club gig so it was a shock to all of us. This would be a very special performance, because they gave us the top billing and treated us like kings as soon as we entered the place. Thus, I decided to rearrange our performance to be a show rather than a club gig. I told the band
that during one of our songs we were all going to take individual solos, and Marty would
use the fuzz box and Janice would play dry. Everyone in the band agreed and planned themselves as to what they were going to individually do on stage. After a few local bands opened the show for us, they gave us
a long verbal introduction, and we entered the stage while the audience was applauding. We would play about six songs and then
on the final song we would take our own individual solos. During the last song, I
went into my solo so that the other members would follow they idea in the same light. The
audience gave me a standing ovation. Then Joey took a bass solo and the people
welcomed it the same way. Then Janice went nuts on the violin and the audience went
into an uproar yelling and screaming in joy and disbelief. Then Marty began soloing and when he switched on the fuzz box, the people were bustling out of their seats. After Marty´s solo, Tommy went directly into a terrific
drum solo, but Marty forgot to remove himself off his seat that was directly
in front of Tommy Napoli's drums. We were standing at the side of the stage trying to get Marty's
attention to tell Marty that he is blocking the audience´s view of Tommy, but
Marty was in a state of oblivion. Tommy is playing very loud so Marty couldn´t hear us calling
out to him. Marty is just sitting there holding his cello in a dream state. I kept
calling out to him. "Marty.... Marty!" Then Marty in oblivion began to pick his nose.
I said to myself, Oh shit! I called out again loudly, "Marty.... Marty!" Joey called
out to him from the other side of the stage saying, "Marty... Marty." He was still
picking his nose. Then he caught on to a piece of snot, and threw it on the floor in
front as the entire audience watch on. When I seen Marty throw the piece of snot on
the stage floor, I personally went out there and grabbed him. When I did, the
audience began laughing into an uproar, and then they went into applause as I dragged
Marty away. I took Marty to the side of the stage. He looked at me and said, "What?"
I told him that he was directly sitting in front of Tommy picking his nose. Marty replied,
"So!" Marty was a classical musician, who had wild ideas about music, but he is very
innocent in his mind set. He still couldn´t understand what the big deal was.
However, the audience loved it. They might have even thought it was a special funny skit. When we finished our long set, the audience showed how much they loved it all by giving us a long standing ovation while chanting our band name.</p>
<p>It was a great weekend full of great success and inspiration. We returned home and
dropped Marty and Janice off at their apartments. Joey, Tommy and I then returned home to
relax with our families and to create personal time to absorb the astonishment of this performance.</p>
<p>A few days later, an unexpected surprise happened. Tommy called me and told me
that Janice has to quit the band. I said in shock, "What!" Tommy repeated it, but said that he wasn't told very much other than she had to quit the band. I told
Tommy that I was going to pick him up right now and we were going to visit Janice to
learn why. We quickly rushed to Janice´s loft and when we walked in her face
was all wet from crying. I asked her what was going on. Janice replied under great
stress and agony, "You know, the band is the best thing that ever happened to me in
my life." Tommy and I listened carefully and patiently as she slowly continued to speak, "I
wanted so much to play with a band. My husband saw your ad in the paper. He cut it
out and gave it to me. When I looked at the ad I couldn´t believe that he
wanted me to fulfill my dream. He had seen my eyes light up. I said to him, You want
me to call? He replied, Go for it because I want you to be happy. It was to me the greatest expression of trust and
love that he could give to me at that moment in my life. He knew it was what I
wanted. He wanted so desperately for me to be happy. When I arrived home two weeks
ago after the gig, I had walked into the bedroom and saw that there was an unknown
girl with my husband in our bed. I asked him, What is this? He replied that since I am playing every
weekend he had become lonely. Therefore, he invited this girl to be with him. Then my
husband asked me to come to bed with the both of them. I reluctantly did because I didn't know what to do at the time. We then all
had sex together! The other girl is a very nice person and we all got along very
well, but it is not something I should have done. I didn´t know what to do when
I was suddenly confronted with this situation. I guess I am kind of weak. That is why
I joined them in bed. I didn´t want to tell you guys what was going on.
However, eventually I could not deal with it anymore.... that is, the other girl and
I sleeping with my husband. The next morning, my husband and I had it out, and entered into an argument. It was the first time that we had ever had a confrontation. I didn´t want the girl there anymore and my husband´s reply was, then quit
the band. I didn´t want to quit the band, but he put out a situation and said,
If you don't quit the band then that's OK, but then don´t get upset if I have
another girl here when you are not. He put my future with the band in front of my
face. It was an tricky ultimatum. I told him that I would quit the band to save our
relationship. Therefore, I called Tommy and told him that this is what I needed to
do." Then Janice broke down and cried very heavily and with a week voice and said,
"But I don´t want to quit the band!"</p>
<p>I quickly put my arms around Janice as she is uncontrollably crying. Tommy joined
in to help her with her pain. Janice said, "I love you guys so much... you are my
family...I´m so happy with all of you.........I want to play music." Tommy and
I could not hold back our own tears. Then I sat Janice down and became very angry. I
said, "Where´s you husband now?" Janice replied, "I don´t know. He´s
been gone for two days." I said, "Listen Janice, fuck this guy...get rid of him...
what kind of man would let his woman do what she loves and then get another girl to
live with him in her absence. That´s fucking ridicules. The music is your soul
and your life...get rid of this fucker...he´s not worth it." Tommy agreed.
Janice replied in heavy tears, "But I love him." I then walked away in frustration to
look out the window to think and to let Tommy takeover and he began to have a quiet consultation with
her.</p>
<p>Standing by the window, I was thinking how I am always right about marriage and
music and it just doesn´t mix! But this hippie psychedelic mutherfucker is a
son of a bitch. I know why he wanted her in the band so that he could fool around
with all these little chickadees he developed on the side. He´s just a manipulater and fucking
with her head. I know what he´s doing! Tommy also knows what´s going on now.
Then I thought about what´s going to happen to the band now. Janice cannot be
replaced. She is not only an accomplished player, but also she stands-up and dances
while she plays. She is so beautiful on stage with that long brown hair flowing to
her ass. How the hell do you replace someone as great as she? Every time I get to a
certain level of success with a band something happens to fuck everything up. It is
always a relationship that is the cause behind this madness. Then I turned around and
watched Tommy consoling with Janice. I turned to glaze out the window again and
watched the people going to and forth. I was thinking about the gig in the Hamptons
this past weekend and how successfully wonderful it was and now, how are we going to sound without Janice? It´s like
playing without an arm. It will be too weak and I'm not in the mood to begin auditioning violin players again! The band has a gig in the Hamptons this weekend at a club on the beach. I shook my head in disgust and then returned back to Tommy and Janice.</p>
<p>I said, "Look Janice is this what you really want?" (meaning, leaving the group.) She
said, while slightly in tears, "No!" A very long moment of silence followed. I broke the silence by saying to her as Tommy watched on, "It might be a good idea to leave the
group for a while so that you could try to get your marriage back together again." Janice
replied, "OK!" Hmm, finally a positive response! I continued, "Let´s not say that you are quitting the band. We love
and need you too much, you are apart of us and we are your family. Let´s just say
that you´re taking a short break from the band. We will be in constant touch with
you. Anytime you need us we will be there. Just take some time off. Don´t worry
about the band.</p>
<p class="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/281455/westhampton.jpg"
alt="West Hampton NY" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>We will get by on the weekend in the Hampton´s." Then Janice quickly said in
tears, "I wanna go!" I looked at Tommy and Tommy looked at me. We made body language
with one another to talk on the side. Then Tommy and I walked over to the window, and
I said to him, "Have her call her mother in Massachusetts and we´ll take her
there." Tommy had been thinking the same thing. He thought the same as I that she needed
to get away from the city. Then Tommy returned to talk with her. He had convinced her
to contact her mother and to get her things together so that she could spend some
time with her family since she didn't know where her husband was. We then all drove to Massachusetts where Janice´s mother
was waiting for us. Janice´s mother is real sweetheart. We could see that she came
from a wealthy family. Their house is a mansion surrounded by a forest. Nice and
quiet! Her mother made us some refreshments and I could see that Janice had gained
more positive control of herself. We asked Janice to spend some time here to relax her mind
and to get her clear thoughts back again. She should eventually think more clearly.
Before Tommy and I departed, we told her to contact us if she wanted to return to
Manhattan. We then gave Janice a loving hug and kiss. We told her not to worry and we said good-bye to her mother
and we returned back to Brooklyn.</p>
<p>On the ride back to Brooklyn, Tommy and I really wanted to give her husband a beating.
Actually we wanted to kill the fucker. Not really kill him, but we were both pissed. We knew we did everything
that we could do. We just have to wait to see what plays out. I know what is
happening and I told Janet to take time off, because I knew that if she would quit the
band her husband will still fuck other girls anyway and nothing will change. I was
hoping that she would finally realize this and learn then, hopefully make
a decision to dump her mutherfucker low life husband. Tommy also agreed!</p>
<p>The following weekend, we went to the Hampton´s to play. It is a wonderful club
which is situated directly on the beach. We had to play an afternoon and evening gig. The
people loved our performance even without Janice. Marty the cellist was superb. He
tried very hard to sound fuller by doubling his notes, and he succeeded. We had a
blast and wished Janice was with us. However, even though we sounded good, we were still missing the main instument that justified it all. Guitar, Bass, Drums and a cello is pretty bizarre.</p>
<p>At the club, I met a nice cute girl with long blond hair. Her
name is Susan. She is very cute. After our first night performance, I took Susan back
to the house that the club provided for us to stay at. We had wonderful sex together. She is
very hot and she just loved to fondle my dick.</p>
<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/456197/susan.jpg"
alt="Chazz and Susan on the beach at the West Hamptons" class="entryphoto2" />The
next day, Susan and I went to the beach in front of the club to enjoy the day. As we
layed on the beach soaking some sun, a few male groupies had arrived to join us whom we met the night before at the club. I guess that they were either hoping to get one of the girls we didn´t want or hung-out with us, because being a band, we attracted the girls. These male groupies are very nice people, but it is annoying having them around. The only problem is that you had to ask them if you could be alone with your girl, or you have to search for an
isolated spot on the beach. In the Hampton´s that can be quite difficult.
Anyway, Susan and I are enjoying the soaking of the sun. I love having and being with a girl with
long hair. After our weekend performance, the club loved us so much that they wanted
us to return the following weekend. We were honored and agreed to return.</p>
<p>I was home on Monday evening relaxing trying to think about what I was going to do with the band. Even though we are getting gigs, we just can't go on like this. Wedon't relly sound the way it was originally planned. Either we must begin the violin interviews again or we somehow have to get Janice back. Suddenly, I got a unexpected phone call from
Tommy. He told me that Janice had committed suicide! I went into shock and anger!I told Tommy that I was going to come get him right now.</p>
<p>I arrived at Tommy's place with ten minutes, Tommy jumped into my car and we went to Janice´s loft to kill
that mutherfucker husband of hers. When we arrived the loft it was totally vacant. We became
very frustrated! There is nothing we could do. Janice had jumped off a cliff into the
ocean in Massachusetts. The band went into shock and mourned. We all had to find
peace within ourselves and with our friends and families.</p>
<p>The following weekend, the remains of the band returned to the Hampton´s. We
dedicated our weekend performance to Janice´s memory. We shared
our grief with the patrons. We all performed at our highest peak and I had Susan again
to be with who consoled me. I had then learned that Susan is living in
Manhattan´s West Village and that she has a boyfriend whom she said she
didn´t like, and now I don´t know about this situation with her either. She
wanted me, and I wanted her. She´s sexy and maks me forget my pain. I´ll just have to play things by ear, I
guess, for now.</p>
<p>Susan introduced me to one of her best male friends named Ritchie at the club the following night. He was a really
nice guy with a good sense of sarcastic humor. He made me laugh an aweful lot which I desperately needed, but I
also thought that he might have a crush on Susan, but I didn't care. I enjoyed him very much.</p>
<p>The next week, we decided to change the name of the band. The band had never been
the same since Janice died. No one could think of a name so Tommy came up with the
name "Elizabeth", aned we tried using it. We got another gig from the agency in Massachusetts again
for the following weekend. It turned out to be a very dumpy club. During our
performance, I had noticed that Tommy and Joey are not playing up to par. During our
break, I had asked them if they got stoned. They denied getting stoned with a laugh,
and I immediately got pissed off knowing that they did. Joey tended to make many
mistakes, and Tommy seemed to be in another world. I don´t mind members getting
high when they are not performing, but I´m very strict about them or anyone
else getting stoned on stage. I could tell by the way they´re playing that they
are stoned. When I´m performing on stage, I can hear every note and beat. If
someone places a note or beat where it is not supposed to be then I get pissed,
because the groove gets all messed-up which messes my playing and concentration up also.
So, I demand that the band be as professional and tight as possible at all times. It is the only way to achieve success to a good performance.</p>
<p>After the night had finished, we all returned back to the hotel that the club provided
for us. Joey and Tommy were making fun at my attitude by saying nasty sarcastic remarks,
which is very unlike Joey and Tommy. Then, after some discussions about their
attitude they finally admitted to me that they were tripping on acid. I went into a
tantrum. After yelling at them for an hour, they continually laughed at me, I
decided that it was useless and there is nothing I could do at this moment. They are totally incoherent
and Marty is also tripping. I felt all-alone! They all had a certain mindset which was similar to Janice's party in Manhattan and my mindset is certainly not amongst theirs. Thus, I eventually decided to join them, but I only dropped a half-a-tab of acid, which they suggested I do.</p>
<p>An hour had past. I am sitting on the bed next to my paisley-pink Fender
Stratocastor guitar. My arm is situated directly next to the guitar. I looked at my arm and
noticed that the paisley-pink color is reflecting on my arm. Then I looked toward the
guys in the next room and the room light is a yellowish gold. Then after a long
while, the sun rose. I had noticed that the light coming in over the closed shade in
the bedroom is purple. Then I became very tired of being stoned. I didn´t want
to be stoned any longer and I was still by myself and everything was weird. I became tired of viewing all these bazaar things. I tried to snap myself out of it, but I couldn´t. I hate not being in control of myself
or my emotions and that is why I normally hate to get stoned. In frustration, I began to
cry. I didn´t want to be stoned. I wanted out. Once I began to cry, I
couldn´t stop crying. I kept crying for hours, as it seemed. Joey and Tommy
tried to console me, but it did not help. Then, I passed out from crying. When I woke
up hours later, I had regained some control of myself. I swore to God that I would
never do that again. It was the worst feeling that I ever had. I looked around, but
Joey and Tommy were nowhere to be found. I went to the closet to get my jacket and
Marty is in the closet standing on his head which is his kind of meditation he does. I closed the door and proceeded to the
bed to return to sleep.</p>
<p>That night is our last performance at this club, and it would wrap up the weekend.
Joey and Tommy were behaving very erratically and I realized that I had suddenly lost
control of the band. Nothing I said seemed to matter to them anymore. They had
ganged-up on me telling me that I was acting like a boss and being very
authoritative. When we arrived back in Brooklyn, I told them about my deep concern
for music. I told them that if they thought that my actions are authoritative and
bossy, then we should break-up the band. They replied by telling me that I should
lighten up and try to have fun once and a while. I explained that I have fun on the
beach. I have fun during our break to play with the girls and talking to the people.
I have fun with you guys on stage when we are performing at our best, but I don´t have
fun on stage when you guys are stoned-out missing beats and notes. I don´t have fun when
you´re playing what you´re not supposed to be playing. It sounded like a
jam session the other night, I reiterated, there was no groove and timing kept on changing getting faster and slower. Tommy and Joey went on to defend their actions. I interrupted them by saying that I heard enough. That is it for the band! I
put my foot down and I was not going to argue about it anymore. When the band members
begin to attack me for being determined, then it is finished. However, I knew for a fact that the passing of Janice
had a great bad effect with the band. No one really seemed the same thereafter, and the control
was definitely lost. Another great idea and another great band lost!</p>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145960129466977272006-04-25T06:08:00.000-04:002006-12-28T07:17:54.783-05:00Chapter 21 - Joey Dee<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/617806/JOEYD.jpg"
alt="Joey Dee and the Starliters" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 21 - Joey Dee</h2>
<p>So here I am again with no band again. Another big disaster! I am very depressed
again and I'm feeling very down. My entire world is coming apart again along with the
growing resentment toward our government. The music scene is changing rapidly. The
New York clubs especially in the Greenwich Village area are beginning to fold and it
seems as though everything is moving on its way downhill. The Vietnam War fucked
everything up. President Kennedy was mysteriously assassinated and then the Vietnam
War is escalating. Soon thereafter, Kennedy's brother Robert was also mysteriously
killed, and I don't know who will be next. There are many protests against the war
going on right now and there are many protests for Civil Rights. Heavy psychedelic
drugs are also mysteriously spreading throughout the entire country, specifically,
LSD! They are calling it the psychedelic age. The fucking government develops a
special appreciable name for everything they do or develop</p>
<p>I had heard that the CIA was experimenting with drugs for a new weapon. In the
early sixties, the CIA was paying hospital patients $75.00 to take these unknowing
forms of LSD. They wanted to know what effects it would have on individuals. The drug
then made its way onto the streets. I wonder who did that. Was it an opportunity for
the CIA to disrupt a peaceful loving society or are they introducing it to disrupt
the peace movement? In my own mind, I knew that this drug is being purposely
introduced to disrupt the society. People are not supposed to love their brothers and
sisters. People are not supposed to bond with one another. If they did, then they
might use that bondage with each other to change or correct our government.
Obviously, this appears to be going on at this moment in time. In 1964 LSD was legal.
Someone had to bring it into the country on a massive scale. People everywhere are
doing LSD. Then when the government realized that it fucked-up the peace movement
into anarchy, it outlawed LSD, thereby, throwing the offenders in jail. Nice little
trick they have. Now that the Kennedy's are gone they could get away with anything
now. And while I'm wrestling with all these thoughts going through my mind, my hero
and idol, Otis Reading, dies in a plane crash.</p>
<p>I cannot believe that this age of peace and love would ever be destroyed. I now
realize that things have turned the other way downhill, and my dream of being in
music is getting more difficult. Life itself is becoming more difficult. I do not
know what I'm doing, or where I'm going. This country is in high chaos and my mind is
lost in never land. I might have to get a full time job now, because I don't see
anything happening right now in music. Something is seriously going on throughout
this country and I do not know really what it is. I have some kind of idea as to what
I really think is taking place and I know some kind of powerful force is driving it.
It is either the government's control of society or the taking over of large
corporations. It sure feels like: If you do not do what they say, then they will now
kill you. I know it! I can feel it! Throughout my life I always tried to be one step
ahead of everything in the music scene. I also tried to be one step ahead of
everything in life. I feel the country falling and changing into something else. I
don't know exactly what, but I know it will movie in an unpleasant direction. What am
I going to do, and how do I survive it? That is the question right now for me.</p>
<p>Susan called me on the telephone and asked me to visit her at her boyfriends'
apartment in the city. She wanted to discuss something with me. I asked her, "What
about your boyfriend?" She replied that he would not return home from work until
9:00pm. I told her that I would stop by later on. When I arrived, Susan told me that
she was going home to New Hampshire for the summer months to work for her parents who
owned a restaurant. Susan invited me to come there to stay for a month. She said that
she told her parents about me, and they wouldn't mind. We proceeded to make love in
her boyfriend's apartment, and then we took a bath together. Susan is very sexy.
Susan told me in the bathtub that she would be leaving for New Hampshire this
weekend. She begged me to join her in New Hampshire. She went on to say that it is
very beautiful in New Hampshire with lots of trees and many lakes, and that I could
eat like a king for free, because her parents owned and operated a restaurant. If
that wasn't enough, she said that her father owned a big boat, which we could use to
sail on this tremendous lake located near her house. She reiterated, but most of all,
we could both be together for a month. It sounded fantastic. Before I left the
apartment, Susan gave me her parent's phone number and asked me to call her there. I
needed a break from the pressures and depression that were building up around me with
the death of Janice, Otis, the music scene, the uncontrollable government and the
destruction of the band. It sounded like a wonderful opportunity at this time. Susan
said that I could take the train and when I arrived she would pick me up at the
station. After thinking about it for a while, I told her that I would definitely be
there. Susan asked me to give her at least two weeks so that she could prepare for my
arrival.</p>
<p>A week later, while I was hanging-out in Manhattan, I had heard through the
grapevine that a weekend musical event is going to take place in a few weeks. I tried
to learn more about it until someone showed me the ad in the paper. Some promoters
are staging a weekend long musical event at a place called Woodstock, New York. A lot
of the big stars were on the bill. Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family
Stone, as well as some newcomers whom I never heard of like Carlos Santana and Joe
Cocker. The event looked pretty good, but it seemed expensive. It seemed like a nice
thing to do, but I would rather be with Susan in New Hampshire. So off I went!</p>
<p>I finally arrived in New Hampshire. Susan picked me up at the station with her
father's pickup truck. It felt great to get out of the city. As we were driving to
her house, I noticed all the beautiful tall trees. Susan drove me to a little house
that we would be sharing. The house is very nice and cute. Then I unpacked my things
and we had quick sex. Then Susan had to return to work, and we both went to her
parent's restaurant. I was surprised how big the restaurant is. It had a cute little
lounge upstairs. Susan sat me down and brought her parents over to meet me. They were
very nice and friendly and the restaurant is very busy. After having this wonderful
meal I began feeling bored. Susan and her parents are working very hard. I didn't
know what to do. Eventually, I got Susan's attention, and she gave me the keys to the
car and told me pick her up around 7PM. I returned back to the house to lie down for
a while. I picked up Susan at 7pm, and we took a shower together. Then we went for a
walk through the forest.</p>
<p>I stayed in New Hampshire for a month and it was beautiful. I spent most of my
days sunning on her fathers boat. Susan's family and I would go out for a cruise
through the massive ocean style lake on the weekends. It was quiet and peaceful and
Susan and I had been able to have sex every night. During my stay, the Woodstock
event happened and I had heard about it on the TV. I heard that they had to closed
the New York State Thruway, because there were too many cars heading to the event. I
was still happy that I did not attend it. I received a lot of peace, quiet and love
in New Hampshire.</p>
<p>When I returned home to Brooklyn, I immediately received a call from Aldo. He
wanted to know if I wanted to come out to his place for the weekend. He told me that
he also invited his wife's sister Denise, and he thought that maybe the four of us
could have a wonderful weekend together. I told Aldo that it sounded wonderful. I
went to stay the weekend with Aldo and Jane, and on the first night, I had sex with
Denise. It wasn't planned, but it just happened. Aldo assigned me a room and when I
lay in bed, Denise walked into the room to sleep with me. The next day Saturday, we
all relaxed around the house to do nothing. I was lying on the couch with Denise in
my arms, and Aldo's wife Jane, who is a great artist, made a quick sketch of us. It
was another beautiful weekend to add to the former New Hampshire trip and another
girl to play with.<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/603459/denice.jpg"
alt="Drawing of Chazz and Denice relaxing on the couch" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<p>On Monday, I received a surprise call from Benny Gordon and the Soul Brothers. He
was going into the studio to make a record and he asked me if I wanted to play on the
record. I gladly accepted and met the band at the studio. In the process of making
the recording, the band used the same horn break that Sam & Dave recorded on a
song on their first album. The song was, "It's a Wonder." Except, Benny's band played
a bizarre, wrong chord structure. I brought this up to Benny's attention and showed
them the correct chords to use. His band became very confused and they eventually
decided to use the wrong chords anyway. I asked Benny if I could take a funky guitar
solo on the song. Benny suggested that it would not be a good idea. I couldn't
understand why Benny invited me in for the recording if he wasn't going to allow me
to do anything else, but strum chords. I mean, he had Sammy Gordon the guitar player
there. It seemed weird. Therefore, during the ending of recording the song I played a
solo anyway and no one said anything. I got paid and that was that.</p>
<p>Soon thereafter, another black group called me. They are performing at a club in
Brooklyn on Saturday night, and they need a guitar player to fill-in for the evening.
I am much honored that my name is floating around the black musical community. I had
R&B music down, and I guess that I have become the guitarist to call.</p>
<p>I arrived at the club, and it is packed with all black people. I am the only white
guy in the entire club. As I entered, I immediately felt very uncomfortable. The
black patrons are staring at me. I introduced myself to the leader/keyboardist of the
band, and he went over a list of songs with me. Thankfully, I knew everyone of the
songs. This leader is not a very pleasant guy. He seems to be cut and dry with an
attitude. He told me that I would not be taking any solos. He just wanted me to play
rhythm. He also told me that we would be backing-up a featured vocalist named Dee Dee
Warwick.</p>
<p>We went on stage and played and the band is pretty good. When it came time for a
solo, the leader/keyboardist turned to look at me to make sure that he took all the
solos. I am very surprised at this ridicules situation, but I said to myself, "Hey,
what the fuck! It's just for one night." However, I was never in a band that stopped
me from playing a lead solo. We finished the first set, and everything went off
fine.</p>
<p>On the second set I became conditioned to the situation. I would not take a solo
even if they had asked. However, they didn't ask, but I acted that way. Then the
leader introduced to the crowd Dee Dee Warwick. We played her first song and she is
very good. During the first song, I gave her a little taste of some quick guitar
lines. Each time I played them; she turned to look at me and smiled. Her second song
turned out to be a slow blues number. As she sang, I again quickly threw in some more
licks. Again, she turned toward me and smiled. Then I began to answer her when she
sang a line. The leader/keyboard player looked at me in repugnance as if to tell me
to lay back. I ignored him and continued to throw the singer quick guitar lines. She
loves every minute of it. Every time she sang a line I would answer with a line. The
band loved it also, but the leader is now becoming very angry. Then to everyone's
surprise, the vocalist said loudly to the audience, "Lets welcome this guitar player
to come out here and play you some lines." With that introduction, I moved out to the
front of the stage in the spotlight, and whaled out like I had never done before.
During my solo, I was so deeply into its expression that I got down on my knees, and
the black crowd went wild. The singer kept on saying, "Go Baby...Go Baby." Then I
rubbed my guitar strings against the microphone stand as I soloed to give it a slide
affect, and I began blaring. No one could believe the intensity. After the solo, I
received a standing long ovation. The singer said to the audience loudly again, "Give
it to him...Give it to him" Then the singer finished the song and the band ended it
with a large crescendo during which I played super fast crescendo lines. When the
song stopped the audience again went nuts whistling and yelling for about five
minutes. "Thank you...Thank you.... How bout that white boy", she said. Then the band
introduced the female vocalist exit from the stage, "Let's have an another round of
applause for Dee-Dee Warwick." To my surprise the leader/keyboard player said, "And
let's give it one more time for the guitarist!" The audience gave me another standing
ovation. I had never been more happily honored in my life. From then on I was treated
like a king from everyone and I was definitely allowed to take solos from then on. I
could now walk around the club with ease, and as I did, people shook my hand. I went
outside on the break to gather my thoughts alone. As I entered the outdoors, I began
thinking about how much I love playing music, especially Rhythm and Blues. The
audience knew it, but how am I going to make it in this industry? I need to find a
place to hang my hat! It is very difficult being a white guy playing black music. It
is going to very tough to make it in the black music world. There is a lot of racism
in the music world, not only about body color, but in sex as well. I remembered
talking with Jimi Hendrix at the Brasserie. He told me that he had a hard time being
recognized, because he is a black guitarist playing rock (white man) music. But how
am I going to find a place where I could hang my hat. I don't like back people, but I
love their music. I don't enjoy hanging out with black people, because they have a
different life style. They are into all kinds of shit, and they do not trust white
people in any way. However, I enjoy their music, and I enjoy playing for them. They
know how to get down to music. In any case, I'm going to have to think about my
future. I returned to finish the gig. The entire evening went wonderful.</p>
<p>The following day, I decided to visit Jane's sister Denise. I am horny and I want
to get laid and relax at the same time. I drove to her house and spent the entire
evening with her. It was very comfortable. Then I went to visit Joey's mother, and I
was told that Joey had bought a house in Bayonne, New Jersey. I went to see their new
house and it is beautiful. His wife Evie is pregnant again. Even though our band
broke-up and we had misunderstandings, we are still good friends. Almost like
brothers. In fact, we are brothers.</p>
<p>I decided to take a ride into Manhattan to visit the almost dying club, Trude
Heller's. The Cinderella Club is nonexistent. Most of the clubs are beginning to
fold. Therefore, Trude's is struggling. I arrived at Trude's and chattered with Rena
for a few hours. I then decided to visit the Brasserie restaurant to see if I could
locate any one who might be hanging-out. When I entered the Brasserie I saw some of
my friends who designed Jimi Hendrix's clothes. Jimi himself is sitting at the
counter slumped into, what it seemed like a stoned out depression. I joined his
designers at their table and asked what is wrong with Jimi. They told me that he is
very stoned out. We chattered for about an hour. They told me all about Woodstock and
then I departed. Since I am near the 59th Street Bridge, I decided to go to Long
Island and sleep at my brother's house.</p>
<p>I got on to 59th Street at Park Avenue. It is now 3:00am. I am following a garbage
truck that is traveling at 10 MPH. It took me ten minutes to get one block closer to
the bridge. As soon as I found and opening I floored the car and past him on the
left. The truck had his right hand signal on and decided to make a left instead. As I
aggressively passed the truck at high speed, the truck smacked me in the right hand
door sending me into a spin. I spun around in a circle four times and finally came to
a stop. My vehicle is totally smashed. There is nothing I could do at the moment, but
drive it smashed back to Brooklyn. If I had only gone home to Brooklyn, this would
not have happened. I returned to my house in Brooklyn in depression. I immediately
went to sleep. The next day, I went out to view my car. It is smashed beyond repair.
It would be too much to fix it so I had to junk the car. I didn't have the money to
pay off the remainder of the loan so my sister Marie, who cosigned for the car, had
to pay the remaining balance. Again, I am faced with deep depression. When it rains
it pours. No more car! Now, now am I going get around? Shoe leather express! My life
had now changed. With out a car¦with out a band¦with out a job!!! I am
now reduced to the lowest common denominator.</p>
<p>A few days later, I went walking around the Village in Manhattan and bumped into
some people I knew. We all decided to hang out in Washington Park. We smoked a joint
with a bunch of people at the park, and some male stranger invited us over to his
apartment. We went to this guy's apartment and he sat us down in his small living
room and lit a joint. We began smoking in his apartment and he proceeded to put on a
new album that had just been released. He had his speaker's set-up for maximum
fidelity and he put on the album. When I heard the sound of the group on the first
song I immediately became shocked. It is totally incredible! The group and the song
sound so clear and precise. The music is blowing me away. I am a horn man, which is a
slang that means that I love a group with horns. Just like my groups, "The Van-Dells"
& "Rocky and his Friends." and all the soul groups that don't exist anymore. I
freaked out over the music and asked the guy who the band is. I never heard anything
like it. He said the group is, "Blood, Sweat & Tears." I said, "Holy shit! I had
never heard horns sound so incredible." I was memorized for the next hour by the
entire album. This is something that I always wanted to do and always dreamed to
sound like. I had thanked the guy for such a wonderful listening session that I told
him that I would remember this moment for the rest of my life. I thanked him over and
over again and went out to buy the album.</p>
<p>Susan returned to Manhattan and wanted to see me. I asked her to take the train to
Brooklyn, because my car was gone. She agreed and came to my mother's house in
Brooklyn. I took her around the back of the house to the basement entrance and Zitsy
Rose, the spy across the street, saw me take Susan into my house. Zitsey Rose waited
for my mother to arrive home, and she told her that I had a girl in the basement.
While I am sitting on the bed with Susan, my mother came to the basement door and
screamed with a very load scratchy voice, "Charles, Do you have a girl down there?"
Susan totally freaked! My mother had frightened her beyond belief. Susan ran out the
back door and began crying. I angrily yelled, "No, she left because you scared the
shit out of her." Susan is sitting in the backyard in tears. I went to comfort Susan
and told her not to worry. That everything is OK. "My mother acts that way normally",
I said, "She doesn't mean to act that way." Susan could not gain her composure. My
mother had frightened the shit out of her. Susan pleated with me to take her home. I
tried to talk her into staying, but my mother screaming was too much for Susan. I had
no other choice, but to take her home to Manhattan. While we are ridding in the
subway car, I explained to Susan about my mother's attitude. I told her that it is an
Italian thing. Some Italian women act this way. Susan eventually understood. She
began to feel much better. When we arrived in the Village, I told Susan that I wanted
her to be my girlfriend. Susan asked, "Where are we going to live?" I told her that
we could get an apartment somewhere. Susan didn't like the idea. I knew what was
going through her mind. I angrily replied, "Look." I said, "Let's talk truth. You
definitely don't love this fucking guy you're living with, but you continue living
and sleeping with him. This is because he has an apartment in a great location in the
Village. That's the fucking truth isn't it? You're living with and fucking this guy,
because of his apartment." Susan became lost for words and could not believe I nailed
it on the head verbally. Susan shocked and lost for words said, "I have to go in."
She then proceeded into the vestibule. I got pissed. I called her a fucking
prostitute for housing.</p>
<p>I walked a few yards and sat on a stoop with tears in my eyes. I looked around the
beautiful tree lined street. I said to myself, "This is what it's all about! If you
cannot supply a nice refuge for the girl you love then you can't have her. This
boring boyfriend of hers has got a fucking straight job with an apartment in the
Village, and he has a nice girl just because of that. He doesn't have to be good
looking or be a good lover...all it takes is providing a refuge." I glanced left and
right at the beautiful neighborhood again and said to myself, "This is what it's all
about." Then I began to think of how I had nothing. I didn't have a job, I didn't
have a car, and I am broke. All I have is myself, and an abundance of talent. Nothing
more and nothing less! Life is fucking tough. This is what I get for being a
musician. I am all alone! With my precarious occupation, I can't even have a girl for
my own. I sat on this stoop for about an hour contemplating. I felt very sorry for
myself. Most of the clubs in Manhattan had closed down. It is going to be very
difficult to work with a band now. I don't know if I am going to have a future in
music. This country is changing rapidly for the worse. With all this confusion and
sorrow in my mind, I hopped on the train to return home to Brooklyn. When I arrived
home, I had learned that Martin Luther King jr. was shot and killed. I can't believe
that everyone associated with improving our country is being assassinated. It seems
that America is being taken-over, but I do not know by whom. This country is in an
uproar. There is also talk about The Beatles breaking-up. The music scene and my
country are heading into a crash landing.</p>
<p>A few days had past, and I received a call from Ronnie the sax player from Rocky
and his Friends. He started working with Joey Dee and the Starliters and he wanted to
know if I wanted to join the band. He told me that Joey Dee was looking for a new
guitarist so he recommended me. I told him great...Why not! I would be making good
money again. Wow, out of the blue, I'm going to play with Joey Dee and the
Starliters.</p>
<p>I met with Joey Dee and he is a great terrific guy. His band is great and
top-notch. The drummer's name is Gregg Diamond. The bass player is Jim Gregory. The
organist is a Chinese guy named Felix, and Ronnie and Joey, the sax and trumpet
players from my old band Rocky and his Friends. Joey Dee's girlfriend Lois is also
singing with the group. She apparently sings almost as well as Janice Joplin. They
also had a male midget guy named, Frankie, who came out occasionally to sing with
Joey and Lois. The midget Frankie is some kind of a special surprise act. It seemed
great, and I immediately felt that I was with Rocky and his Friends once again. I had
always wondered what the old band members were doing. Now I know! We all started
playing in a club in New Jersey and it felt good to be with a great tight band again.
Gregg Diamond plays a mean set of drums. Jim Gregory is definitely the best bass
player that I ever heard. Felix plays an OK Hammond organ. He is a Chinese guy and he
is very funny. It also is wonderful to have good money in my pocket again. Everyone
in the band is a lot of fun, and we all got along very well. We played this club in
New Jersey for several weeks, and in the process, I met this new girl that went
completely nuts over me. It felt good to have another new girl to be with. However, I
wondered where my old girlfriend, Irish Barbara disappeared to. I'd really wish that
I could see her again. In the myth of that kind of thinking, I wondered what happened
to the other Barbara, the girl who I lived with at the Chelsea Hotel. My mind thought
that maybe I should call my old friend, the Trude Heller dancer Fina, and see what
she is up to.</p>
<p>As soon as I had an opportunity, I gave Fina a call. Fina answered the phone and
she is very happy to hear my voice. Fina is like a breath of fresh air. She gets so
excited and interested when I called. I told her what I had been doing, and asked her
how she and everybody at Trude's were doing. Fina told me that Trude Heller's club is
dying. She said that it is all a matter of time before it will close down. Fina said
that she might have to go back to dancing top-less. Then I asked Fina about Barbara.
Fina gave me her number and suggested that I give her a call. She said that Barbara
would most likely to be glad to hear from me. Then Fina asked me to come visit her at
her apartment when I had the chance. She missed me very much and wanted to
desperately see me again. After hanging-up with Fina, I proceeded to call Barbara. To
my surprise, Barbara is very glad to hear from me. Everything was over and forgotten
between us, and she invited me over to the Chelsea apartment to visit her.
Marvelous!</p>
<p>I arrived at the Chelsea to see Barbara and her daughter again. I had flashbacks
of our life together as I walked into the apartment. It is pleasantly good to speak
with her and be in her presence again. Barbara is an amazingly beautiful girl. As we
began conversing, I remembered her personality that I fell in love with. However,
this time, we are just friends. I told Barbara that I went back to Brooklyn when we
broke-up, but I am now looking for an apartment in the city. I told her that I'm
again making good money working with Joey Dee. Barbara told me that one of her
girlfriend's has a nice boyfriend who is also looking for an apartment. She suggested
that maybe I could share a place with him. She said that if we put the two rent
monies together, then we good get a very beautiful apartment. "I don't really like
living with someone else", I replied. She said, Yea, I could understand that, but
look at it this way. You know how difficult it is finding a reasonably priced
apartment in Manhattan. But there are quite a few expensive places to rent. You and
he could pool your money together and live in a fine apartment." I told her that it
is a thought. She said, "If you want, I'll set-up a meeting with him, and you could
see what he is like. I met him and he seemed like a very nice guy. I won't say
anything to him about the two of you living together. I'll make it very informal.
Meet him, see what you think and go from there. I told Barbara that this sounded OK
and that it would be nice. Barbara had to go to work as a top-less dancer, and she
said that she would call Fina to let me know when we all would go out for
breakfast.</p>
<p>I contacted Fina, after visiting with Barbara again, and told her how it all went.
Fina said, "See, I told you she would be happy to see you again." I told Fina that I
felt very good that Barbara and I are friends again. I thanked Fina and told her that
I loved her very much. Fina replied, "I hope to see you soon. I love and miss you
also very much."</p>
<p>A few days later, I brought the new girl that I met at the Jersey club to meet
Fina. Fina was happy to see me again and to meet my new girlfriend. Fina told me that
she fallen in love with Mitch Ryder. She told me that she and Mitch have a wonderful
relationship. However, Mitch is touring a lot, and they get together ever time he is
in New York. Then Fina gave me a key to her apartment. She knew I hated Brooklyn so
she gave me a key and told me that I could stay at her apartment anytime I wanted.
Wow! Then Fina had to leave for a dance class, and told me to lock up the apartment
when I left. I gave Fina a big hug and told her that she is most definitely, a sweet
and thoughtful beautiful person. With Fina gone, my girlfriend and I made love in her
apartment.</p>
<p>That evening after the gig, I returned to Fina's apartment to sleep. Fina and I
shared her bed. She made me feel very comfortable and welcomed. We are good friends
so sex doesn't even enter the picture. The next morning, Fina made me breakfast and
we shared a wonderful day together catching-up on each other's lives.</p>
<p>A few days later, I returned back to Brooklyn. My Cousin Joey had moved into an
apartment next door to Joey's parent's house with his wife and kid. Their apartment
is across the street from my house. Joey invited me to dinner. After dinner, Joey
showed me a little room that he had set-up in his basement. It is a little room in
his basement especially for listening to music and smoking pot. We entered this
little room and he rolled a joint and told me that he is going to turn me on to this
new album of a new group. He told me that since I liked horns, this album is going to
blow me away. I immediately thought of, "Blood, Sweat & Tears." I didn't want to
tell him that I had heard it a while ago so I just went along with his hospitality.
We began to smoke. We got real high from the pot and then he put on the album. As
soon as the album started, the hair on my head had stood up. I could not believe what
I was hearing. There was so much happening in the music and the horns were so rich
and clear that I was completely floored. I thought that Blood Sweat and Tears had
released a new album, but this sound, arrangements, and vocals are a thousand times
better. I asked him in awe who this group is, and he replied, "Chicago Transit
Authority." I said whom the fuck are they. He said that he didn't know anything about
them except that they were a new pop-jazz group. The album is a double album. For the
next two straight hours I remained in a trance listening to every cut of the albums.
Cousin Joey had freaked me out. He had turned me on to an album of my dreams. I had
never heard anything like this before. Then I had to say goodnight and when I left my
Cousin's house I was hypnotized for three days. I couldn't get the sound out of my
head and it opened up a new world for thinking of music. My mind had changed forever.
I quickly bought the album the following day.</p>
<p>A few days later, Barbara called Fina and set-up an appointment to have breakfast
with her girlfriend´s boyfriend. We arranged to all meet at a restaurant near
Fina's apartment. Barbara's girlfriend´s boyfriend seemed very nice. He dressed
very well and he definitely had a very clean appearance. His name is Raymond. After
bullshiting with him for about two hours, I told him that I was looking for apartment
and that I heard he was also. I asked him what he thought of the idea that we both
live together. He said it is a good idea. Therefore, I told him to start looking for
a place. After a few days, he called me at Fina's house where I was staying, and told
me that he found a real nice apartment on 85th Street between Central Park West and
Columbus Ave. It is a beautiful area and a great location. He went on to say that the
apartment is a duplex. <img
src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/962055/85apt.jpg"
alt="Chazz and Raymonds shared 85 Street apartment" class="entryphoto" />It had two
floors with a spiral staircase. It rents for five hundred dollars a month. Quite
expensive, but we would only be paying two hundred and fifty dollars a month each. It
sounded great. Therefore, we both went to see it and to meet with the landlord. The
landlord lived above the apartment and he occupied the top three floors of the
Brownstone building. It was newly renovated and it had natural brick walls. The
apartment is beautiful and it would be nice living close to Central Park. The owner
liked us very much so we gave him the first and last month's rent. One thousand
dollars! I put in five and Ray put-in five. That was it! We each received a key. It
is all set! Since it is now the middle of the month, the landlord/owner told us that
we could move in immediately rent-free until the first of the month, and we did. Once
again, I had my own apartment in the city. I celebrated by having sex with my new
girlfriend on the first night. Raymond is very nice and polite. After a few weeks we
were getting along just fine.</p>
<p>I called my mother in Brooklyn to tell her that I now had my own place in
Manhattan. She wasn't thrilled of course. I asked her if anyone called the house for
me. She said a guy named Ritchie and she proceeded to give me his phone number. There
are so many people I know named Ritchie that I wondered who it was. Therefore, I
immediately called the number. It is Susan´s best friend Ritchie. The funny guy
I met while playing out in the Hampton's. I still had a crush on Susan and I was
interested in knowing what she was doing. Ritchie is funny as usual. We talked for a
while and I told him what was happening. I told him that I have a new apartment, and
I'm playing with Joey Dee and the Starliters. He became impressed and I hoped that he
would relate that to Susan. I asked him how Susan is doing. He said that Susan is
still living in the same place with the same guy. He also said that he had heard that
I got up-set with Susan and that I called her a housing prostitute. He thought that
was very funny when she told him. He told me that I had a lot of balls for saying
that to her. Ritchie then said that he was going to come to the club to see me
perform. I told him that it would be great to see him again.</p>
<p>Jim Gregory, the bass player, lived on 73rd Street and Amsterdam Ave. I made
arrangements for Jim to pick me up every night and to drop me off at home. I would
chip-in for gas. That was something I needed to settle, because I had no way of
getting to the gig. Susan's friend Ritchie came to see me at the club, and he was
very impressed with the band. After the gig, Ritchie and I went to breakfast, and he
wound-up sleeping over at my apartment. The following day, I introduced Ritchie to
Raymond, and they both got along fine. Raymond came home to change clothes and
immediately left. I told Ritchie that Raymond is very strange. He is never here. He
comes home to change clothes and splits. It's wonderful that I have the apartment all
to myself, but I don't know where he disappears to. I think he is probably sleeping
with his girlfriend. I don't know, but I'm not complaining. Then I asked Ritchie if
he wanted to go visit Susan. Ritchie drove a Volkswagen Beetle and he said, "You want
me to give her a call?" I replied, "Yes, see if she is home and we will go visit her.
Let's see what she says." Ritchie proceeded to contact Susan and she said that it
would be all right for us to visit her for a few moments. Ritchie is the key that
connects Susan and I. Through him I will always be in touch with Susan. We arrived at
Susan's boyfriend's house. I played it cool, but as soon as Susan saw me again I
could tell that she wanted me. She gets very horny when she sees me. She is still
angry about what I had said to her, but since Ritchie is there, she also played it
cool. It is apparent that she wanted to see me again. That is the reason why she said
it is OK for us to visit her for a while. We hung out with her for a little bit.
Ritchie made us both laugh a lot. Before we left, I told Susan that I now have a
beautiful apartment near Central Park and she now has an excuse to leave her boring
boyfriend. Susan punched me in the arm. Then, Ritchie and I proceeded to roam around
the Village on foot taking in the sights. Then we decided to visit Fina. I still had
her keys. Fina was home and doing great. She told me that Mitch Ryder was in town for
a week. I asked her how it was going and she said that they were doing fine and that
she likes him very much. I inquired about Mitch's career. I told Fina that he never
released another record after the first album. Fina said that the Detroit Wheels had
broken up, and Mitch was performing on his own doing pretty well. She told me that he
loved her to death. I returned Fina's keys and Ritchie and I returned to my place and
made dinner. After dinner, Ritchie and I decided to go see the movie Easy Rider. The
beauty of traveling throughout the country overwhelmed us. Not having a care in the
world, even though the ending was violent and sad.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Joey Dee had hooked-up with some people who wanted to make a record.
After Joey Dee made the final arrangements, the recording people came backstage to
talk with the band. They wanted the band to sign a recording contract. We asked what
would be in the contract. They said that the contracts were too technical to convey,
but that they were going to make us stars. All the band members broke-out laughing.
They record people replied, "Yea, we are going to make you stars." We all laughed
even harder. They asked, "What's so funny?" I told him, "Do you want to know how many
people in my career had giving me that line." The guy replied, "You wait and see."
Anyway, it was set with Joey Dee and the band had to all report on Monday to this law
office to sign the recording contracts. Jim Gregory and I both went to the office
together. I really didn't want to sign any contracts, but Jim Gregory told me not to
worry, because he had signed many contracts. He didn't give a shit as to what the
contracts contained. Then Jim reiterated, "Hey, I've signed so many contracts that
one more isn't going to hurt no matter what is says." Therefore, we went in the
office and signed the contracts without even looking at them.</p>
<p>A few days later, we went into the studio to see what we could do. I immediately
became impressed, because the producer is Bob Gaudio of the Four Seasons. He is a
really wonderful guy and extremely professional. He wanted us to record a song we
were doing in our repertoire called, "Big City Hick." We recorded it, and Lois sang
the shit out of it. We recorded the song a few times and then we waited for the next
move. We were all sitting around bullshiting when I heard Bob Gaudio say to Joey Dee,
"Do you have any other tunes?" I quickly jumped-up and said, "I had a tune." Bob
asked me play it for him. I got very excited and picked-up my guitar and showed him
the song I wrote while I was with Variations on a Theme called, "How Can I Believe."
Bob immediately liked it. Bob began to rearrange the song, and I tried to guide him
by saying, "No, the chord is not like that...it goes like this," and I tried to show
him the style in the way that I wrote it. Bob replied, "OK! Maybe we will try it
later." Then Bob quickly ran the tape to play a little mix of Big City Hick. We all
listened and it sounded great. Then we had to leave the studio to start work in the
club.</p>
<p>It was on our way to work that I realized that I had made the same mistake again.
I should have not said anything to Bob Gaudio. I feel that he is not going to
consider my song, because I interrupted him and told him that the chord structure
goes like this. I've should have not said a fucking word. I should agree with
everything. Now I feel like I blew it again. People in this business are so touchy
and temperamental. If you say the wrong thing, or say something in the wrong way, it
turns them off immediately. Ego plays a big role in this business. Here, a guitar
player...a nobody...is telling Bob Gaudio how to arrange. I guess that's what it
seemed like. Damn, I did it again. I had flashbacks when I was with Ralphy's brother
Joey and he told Phil Specter the same thing. "No," he said, "Do it like this." The
same fucking thing! Why didn't I remember? What's most important is that they do your
song no matter how they do it. What a fool I am. Again, I am curled up into
depression. Fuck! I can't seem to stop making the same mistake. It is very difficult
not being yourself.</p>
<p>It took me two days to finally get over that. I had seen Joey do it to Phil
Specter and now I did it to Bob Gaudio. I'll just have to chalk it up as a continuing
education. What else can I do? Now I believe that I had finally learned. I am never
going to do that again. I hope that in my future life, I will have another
opportunity. Please God give me another opportunity!</p>
<p>The following week, Joey Dee and the Starliters will begin a new gig at a club in
the Bronx called The Robin Hoy. It had a classy Chinese restaurant in the basement
and a classy bar/club on the main floor. The last club we performed at appeared to me
to be a kind of a Mafia Club. This new club is definitely a Mafia club. You can tell
the way people look and dress. The people wore expensive suits and dresses with mink
coats, and they didn't smile very much. However, we put on a great show. A few nights
later, Gregg Diamond the drummer didn't show up for work. He had apparently quit the
band unexpectedly. We had to perform without a drummer for about an hour until Joey
Dee got a replacement. The new drummer had finally arrived. He is an older guy, but
he is fucking great. I never heard a drummer like this. I think he might have been
technically faster than Tommy Napoli, but actually, Tommy is still the best. This is
because Tommy has a great deal of taste and finesse with the drums. Anyway, while we
were waiting for this new drummer to arrive I had over heard a conversation with Joey
Dee who was sitting at a table talking to these really heavy-duty looking Mafia guys.
I heard the Mafia guy say to Joey Dee don't worry we will break his legs and he will
never play drums again. I got very scared and concerned for Gregg. Then about an hour
later the replacement drummer showed up and while we were all downstairs in the
basement dressing room I went over to Joey Dee and said that I heard that they were
going to fuck Gregg up. Joey did not reply. I said to Joey don't let them do it. It's
all right. We are better off without him. We should be glad we got rid of him. Joey
was silent putting on his makeup. I said to Joey again, talk to them.... tells them
not to do it.... it's not worth it ...let him meet his own fate.... It will be better
that way. Joey then said I'd talk to them. Later on Joey assured me that he called
them off. I felt so much better. I feel as though I had saved Gregg Diamond's
life.</p>
<p>The midget in the band is very funny, and Joey Dee always picked on him playing
practical jokes. You had to laugh when you were with Joey Dee. He is always fooling
around except when he was performing. I didn't like performing in these Mafia type
clubs with the band. The people who frequent these places are too serious and you had
to be very careful in what you say and do. One thing for sure, don't come on to any
girl in the club, it could mean sudden death. Gregg Diamond almost got killed because
he tried to leave Joey without a notice. Therefore, I quickly became disillusioned
with the group. I had nowhere else to go. I loved the band and I loved Joey and Lois
very much, but I didn't like the gigs. It was Joey Dee's birthday and the Mafia club
had decided to throw us a party. All the heavy Mafia people were there to join in the
festivities. The club is packed with five hundred dollar suits and mink coats.</p>
<p>After we performed the second set, they cleared the small dance floor in front of
the stage to set-up a table. Then the manager of the club brought out this tremendous
cake. This cake was about three Feet Square and about two and a foot high. I had
never seen a cake like this. The inscription on the cake read, "To Joey Dee and the
Starliters for one great month of Performance, Happy Birthday." Then the manager of
the club took out this big knife, and made a speech with Joey Dee standing by his
side. All the band members gathered around the cake. After the speech, the manager
asked Joey Dee to cut the first piece. Joey Dee cut out the first big piece of cake
and put it into a paper dish. Joey Dee then put down the knife and picked-up a
plastic fork. Joey turned to look at me, smiled with body language, and made a sign
to Frankie the midget to come over to him to receive the first piece of cake.
Frankie, thinking something was up immediately said, "No," with a smirk. Joey said,
"No Frankie," meaning that he had nothing to worry about, "Come hear." Frankie was
very reluctant, but proceeded over to Joey, not trusting him. Then Joey Dee smacked
the first piece of cake right into Frankie's face. Everyone started to laugh. In a
split second, Frankie the midget, blinded by the cake covering his face and furious
that Joey Dee made a fool out of him, went to grab a handful of cake to get Joey
back, and he slipped on the cake particles that were on the floor. As he tried to
regain his balance by holding-on to the table, the table gave way and the entire
cake, smashed onto the floor. Frankie still desperate to get Joey finally grabbed a
handful and threw it missing Joey and hitting a Mafia guy on his $500.00 suit. All
hell broke loose. Joey Dee grabbed another handful of cake and before everyone knew
it, everybody is throwing cake. It is like a scene from The Three Stooges. Even the
Mafia women, in their mink coats, joined in and were throwing cake. It became a mad
house. All the heavy Mafia men ran back to the bar area and it seemed that they are
reaching for their guns. While everyone is throwing cake at everyone, I am scared out
of my wits. It is very funny at the moment as the Mafia ladies were picking up cake
off the floor and throwing it. The whole throwing event lasted for about seven
minutes. When it was over, I had finally thought and realized what had happened. The
entire band area, the walls, the tables, the expensive drapes and rugs were drenched
in cake. No one ever tasted the cake. It was all over the place everywhere you
looked. None of the Mafia men were smiling. To the contrary they were very
pissed.</p>
<p>I ran downstairs to the dressing room thinking that bullets were about to be
flying. Joey Dee is laughing like crazy, and as scared as I was, I am laughing a bit
also. I then said to Joey, who is wiping the cake off his face, "There going to kill
us.... they are not going to let us get away with this?" Joey laughed in his funny
smirk and replied, "I don't know?" I told Joey that I am not going to return
upstairs. "Joey said not to worry. I yelled to Joey, "Don't worry? We just ruined
their entire fucking club." Joey laughing again said, "Yea, I know!" I said to Joey,
"You're a crazy mother fucker. I'm scared shit." Joey continued chuckling and he made
me laugh again. I thought that if Joey isn't worrying, then I why am I worrying.
Certainly we could not finish performing the night. We all waited for Joey to go back
upstairs and then we sneaked-out through the restaurant area, and went home. Joey Dee
and Lois stayed behind. We all were laughing on the way to return home. Joey Dee
called me the next day to tell me that it cost him $2,000.00 in cleaning bills, but
that everything with the club was OK. He also told me that we are going to Montreal,
Canada to do a weekend gig. Some of the band members wanted a raise. They decided to
approach Joey Dee for a raise when we began our gig in Montreal. Joey Dee refused and
thus it began abhorrence within the band. When we returned to New York, Jim Gregory
was the first one to quit, and the Starliters began to fall apart. I waited patiently
in my apartment in Manhattan for Joey Dee to pull things back together again.</p>
<p>I looked in the mirror and realized that I am beginning to lose my hair. This made
me very upset. There is definitely a significant loss of hair. I knew it was that
Adorn hair spray. As I examined my scalp more closely, I became shocked to see so
much hair gone. There are many open areas in my scalp. I knew that it was all a mater
of time before it would be all gone. I was not going to use hair sprays ever again. I
made sure that I cleaned my hair regularly, and I hoped that I could prevent any
further hair loss. However, this is a going to be a big problem. If I loose my hair
my entire life will change. I will not attract the girls anymore, and it will make my
life in music very difficult. Plus, if I loose my hair I will look very much older.
Depression!</p>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145959586947056922006-04-25T06:04:00.000-04:002006-12-28T07:21:55.553-05:00Chapter 22 - Raymond<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/63151/police.jpg"
alt="New York City Cops" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 22 - Raymond</h2>
<p>I was with Ritchie in my apartment telling him what had happened with the cake
fight at the Mafia club. We were both laughing very hard. Boy was it funny. Then the
doorbell rang and I answered the door and it was some policemen. I said, Yes, can I
help you? The police asked if Raymond lived here. I replied, Yes he does. Is he home,
the police asked. I said, No he isn´t....I haven´t seen him for two
days......What happened? The police replied, He has been giving out bad checks to
many clothing stores, The policeman showed me the checks and then said, There is over
three thousand dollars in bad checks here. I replied in shock that I didn´t
know where he was or when he was going to return. The police went on to say that they
had run a check on him and found that he was wanted for investigation of murder. I
said, Murder. Yes, they replied. We have been looking for him for months. Then the
police gave me his card and asked me to contact him when Raymond showed up.</p>
<p>I returned to Ritchie who had been waiting upstairs and conveyed to Ritchie what
the police told me. Ritchie could not believe it and conveyed to me that he thought
that I was in the middle of it. Then the landlord knocked on my door and he asked me
when I´m going to pay the rent. I asked him what he meant. He said you guys
haven´t paid the rent for two months. I told the landlord that Raymond asked me
for my half of the rent because he was going upstairs to pay you. I asked, Did he pay
you. The landlord said, No. Again in shock I asked the landlord to wait a few days so
that I could confront Raymond. The landlord who was very nice said OK. Then Ritchie
said that he had never seen someone obtain such great problems in a very short period
of time. Ritchie had a great sense of humor. I laughed at Ritchie and said that I
couldn´t believe this shit. Ritchie asked what I was going to do, and I told
him that I was going to confront this mutherfucker. The I realized that this
mutherfucker took my rent money and made believe he was going to pay the rent and
pocketed my money and that he really doesn´t have a job and that is why he has
all these expensive clothes. He´s writing bad checks. To top it off, he´s
under investigation for murder. Suddenly I felt the world fall between my feet.</p>
<p>Ritchie said, Let´s look at what is in his closet. We walked into
Raymond´s room and opened his closet. Ritchie first saw a tan Cashmere coat and
said, I like this. Ritchie then put it on and said, Wow this is really nice. I said
it´s just a coat. Ritchie said while trying the coat out, You know how much
something like this costs? I said, How much. Ritchie replied, Around $500.00. I said
that it didn´t look like $500.00. Ritchie said that this coat was very
expensive and would cost around $400.00. He said, If he doesn´t pay you just
take the coat. That was an idea, and I proceeded to try it on, but I was too tall for
it...it didn´t fit. We looked around in the closet and saw a lot of silk
shirts, and when we picked up his shoes we found a loaded gun. I freaked out, and
said to Ritchie that this whole mess stinks. Ritchie kept on looking through
Raymond´s pockets and found a Mastercard credit card in someone else´s
name. I told Ritchie that it was probably no good, but Ritchie said since we are
broke, let´s go out and see if we could have a big dinner on it. They
don´t check in the restaurant. I told Ritchie that I was hungry and willing to
try. Ritchie then said that he wanted to get some shaving cream and shave first. I
said OK. Then Ritchie put on Raymond´s Cashmere coat and went to the corner
store to get shaving cream. In what was supposed to be a 5 minute trip turned out to
be 25 minutes. Ritchie returned with all this stuff and an incredible story.</p>
<p>He told me that he went into the store with this Cashmere coat on and when he went
in the clerk said, Good Evening, Mr. Serretta. Ritchie, whose last name sounds quite
similar, was surprised and he wondered how the clerk knew his name. However, that was
not the name that the clerk had said. The name the clerk said was something
unbelievably similar. Anyway, Ritchie said to the clerk, Do you have shaving cream.
The clerk, said Yes Mr. Serretta. Would you like your usual? Ritchie just went along
with it and answered, Yes. The clerk then proceeded to bring out about five items
which were, shaving cream, a fancy razor blade set, after shave lotion, after shower
cream, and Cologne. Ritchie was surprised at all the stuff and the clerk said, Would
that be all, Mr. Serretta? Ritchie still went along with it and said, Yes. Then the
clerk asked, Is this going to be cash or charge, Mr. Serretta? Then Ritchie still in
shock and trying not to laugh thought about the phony Mastercard that he had on him
and thought that this might be the opportunity to try it out and see if it would
work. So Ritchie replied while taking out the Mastercard, Charge. The clerk replied
to Ritchie, That´s not necessary Mr. Serretta I´ll just charge it on your
bill. Ritchie with shock again just went along. The clerk then asked Ritchie to sign
for it and Ritchie put down a mark. Then the clerk said, Since your such a good
customer, Mr. Serretta I´m going to throw-in this special leather case that the
company makes for this product at no charge. Ritchie said thank you and returned to
the apartment.</p>
<p>I couldn´t believe the story. It was so fantastic and I was laughing like
crazy as Ritchie was telling it to me. Then Ritchie said that he was going back to
see if he could get more. I told Ritchie that he was pushing it and that I was hungry
and Ritchie said that he thought it was the coat. He said, It´s the coat, when
I put on the coat I felt something. I know it´s the coat. Then Ritchie, very
excited, proceeded to return to the store to try it again. I told Ritchie that he was
pushing his luck. I waited for Ritchie, and he returned with $200.00 worth of more
stuff. The year, 1969 was nearing the end, and this was a lot of money. All sorts of
nonessential things. Ritchie laughingly said that they didn´t have too much
there, so he got what he could. He said that the clerk was glad that he returned and
tried to give him the entire store. We were laughing real hard. It was a break from
the real shit I had to eventually put-up with, when Raymond would arrive back home. I
then said to Ritchie, Let´s eat. Ritchie and I proceeded to find a place to
eat. I told Ritchie that I did not want to eat in the neighborhood. I said lets hop
the train downtown somewhere.</p>
<p>We took the train downtown and I told Ritchie that our best bet was to get off on
34th Street. We might find a restaurant with the Mastercard logo on the door.
Mastercard was new and not too many stores had carried it yet. As we exited the
station and a funky looking man came up to us and gave us two discount tickets to
attend a Scientology class nearby.. We walked around 34th Street and Broadway looking
for one who displayed the logo. We checked and checked. Finally, the only restaurant
to carry the logo was at this big hotel on 34th and Broadway. Ritchie with his
cashmere coat, both of us looking like funky hippies, walked into the hotel lobby,
and we proceeded directly to the hotels high class restaurant. We walked in and
stopped. The lights were very low, this sweet music was playing, and they had a
beautiful fireplace. The management spotted us immediately and thought that some bums
that mistakenly walked in off the street. They rushed over and tried to throw us out.
We were very hungry. Then Ritchie said quickly and desperately, We are with the show.
I looked at Ritchie confusingly. The manager said, What show? Ritchie replied, Hair.
The Broadway show, Hair, was the hottest show on Broadway. The manager was caught by
surprise and said, You guys are with Hair. Ritchie replied, Yes, we´re staying
here at the hotel. The Manager then apologized over and over again and he proceeded
to give us the best table in the house. The manager then gave us a bottle of
champagne on the house for making a terrible mistake. They had sat us right by the
fireplace and after we ordered our steaks, two violin players came to us and played
some beautiful music. Ritchie and I were cracking up and we did not hide our
laughter. Then Ritchie acted like an arrogant customer, ordering people to get this
and that. We spent about 3 hours eating everything from soup to nuts then Ritchie
asked for the bill. The bill at that time was $78.00 without tip. Ritchie gave them
the phony Mastercard and they became surprised. We watched the manager run it through
the machine hoping he would not pick-up the phone to call for an approval. They did
not. Then they came back for a signature and Ritchie added a $25.00 tip and signed
it. He took the Mastercard and put it in his wallet. I looked at Ritchie and Ritchie
looked at me, and we got up to quickly exit. The manager walked us to the door, and
Ritchie felt the Scientology tickets in his cashmere coat pocket. He took the tickets
out and secretly put the tickets into the managers, hand and said, Here are some
tickets to the show, bring your wife and kids. The manager´s eyes lit-up. The
manager repeated over and over, Thank you, Thank you. As soon as we proceeded into
the hotel lobby to exit, Ritchie and I ran like hell into the train station to head
home.</p>
<p>When we arrived home, Raymond was not there. Ritchie and I decided to go to sleep
from the great meal. That night, late, I heard Raymond walk in the door and go to his
bedroom. Ritchie was sleeping on the floor and awoke. I walked up to Raymond´s
bedroom and knocked on the door. Ritchie followed. Raymond welcomed me into the room
and I said to him, The landlord came to me for the rent, and he told me that you
didn´t pay him. Raymond said, I got the money right here. I said, Why
didn´t you pay him? Raymond didn´t like that kind of direct confrontation
and started to show body language of anger. I then quickly changed the subject and
told him that the police came by the house and were looking for you because of the
bad checks you are writing and that they said you were under investigation of murder.
Raymond then changed his attitude to something much calmer and asked me to sit down.
Ritchie then entered the room and Raymond said hello to Ritchie. Raymond then told us
his story. He said, That one night about a year ago, I had a chance to make some good
money selling drugs. I had hooked-up a deal with these guys who I had arrange to pick
me up. There were four guys, two in the front and two in the back. I sat in-between
the two guys in the back. We went riding and as we disgust the deal they decided to
rip me off and the two guys in the back started beating on me. I was getting hurt
left and right. While I was struggling to protect myself, I had felt a can opener on
the floor of the back seat and picked it up and slashed one of the guys in the face
who were beating on me. The guy ridding shotgun in the front pulled out a gun and
shot me point blank in the stomach. I blanked out and when we arrived at a red light
the two guys in the back seat took off. I was bleeding very badly and I guess they
thought I was dead. I was still coherent, but I could not move. Then I heard the two
guys discussing that they were going to dispose of my body in the Bronx. I heard them
say, Let´s dump his body off in the Bronx. They thought I was dead. I slowly
reached to my leg where I had a gun taped. I pulled out the gun and when they stopped
for a red light I quickly shot them both in the back of the head. I then opened the
door of the car as the car was still moving and I fell out on the street. Cars were
going by, but no one would stop to help me. This was about 2:00am. While I was lying
on the street I looked up at the sign to see where I was, and I noticed that a friend
lived nearby. Shot with a bullet in the stomach and loosing blood drastically I
crawled to his elevator and rang his apartment bell and then I passed out. My friend
called the hospital and got rid of the gun.</p>
<p>The police however was faced with a dilemma. They had me who nearly died, and who
the hospital said was a miracle that I lived. They had two guys´ dead in the
front seat and they assumed that I did it. However, I told them I didn´t and
didn´t know anything. Raymond then said, There you have it. The cops are trying
to pin this on me, and they can´t. Ritchie was in total shock and did not want
to say anything. I showed false sadness of body language all the while thinking that
this fucking guy is nuts and I got to get away from this. I said to Raymond,
I´m sorry about your situation but what about the rent. Raymond looked at me in
pity. I said angrily, Look Raymond, You got to pay the fucking rent tomorrow.
That´s my fucking money you took. And as I continued to pressure him I could
see his body and facial language turn into evil, like he wanted to kill, and suddenly
I remembered the loaded gun in his closet. Raymond quickly looked toward the closet
and I had to think fast. I then said, Raymond, it´s all right. I´m sorry
for coming down on you... I´m upset..... I´ll pay the landlord the rent
due tomorrow and you reimburse me when you can OK? Raymond´s body language
calmed down and changed drastically and he said, Thank you for understanding and
being so thoughtful..... I´ll pay you back. Here I only have 100 bucks...take
it I said OK. Now let´s get some sleep and I´ll see you tomorrow.</p>
<p>Ritchie and I walked back to the bedroom and I told Ritchie in a whispering voice
that I wanted to get the fuck out of here tomorrow. I´m not going to be
involved in this shit. It was hard for Ritchie and I to sleep but we did. The next
morning Raymond had gone off somewhere. I told Ritchie you wanna go somewhere.
Ritchie asked where I wanted to go and I suggested Florida. Ritchie said he was into
it. I said we could drive there and leave all this shit behind. Ritchie said you want
to leave today. I said yes in a couple of hours. Ritchie said that he was going to
get I´m going to get the car ready and change the points, plugs and wires. I
gave Ritchie the money and waited for him to finish the car. I called Fina to tell
her what had happened and that Ritchie and I were going to Florida. Fina was shocked
and agreed that I needed to get out of there soon.</p>
<p>Then my ex girlfriend Barbara who introduced me to Raymond through her girlfriend
called me from Canada</p>
<p>where she was working. She had spoke with Fina and heard the bad news about
Raymond. Barbara apologized and asked me why I picked Florida. I told her it was real
close and it would be good to get some sunshine. Barbara said that Florida was a
terrible place where only old people go to die. Barbara asked me if I have ever been
to Colorado. I told her no. Barbara suggested that we go to Colorado. I told her that
I didn´t know anybody there. Barbara said that she had a good friend that lived
in Vail that Ritchie and I could stay at and that if I went to Vail she would join me
there in about two or three weeks. I then said to Ritchie, Hey Ritchie, you wanna go
to Colorado. Ritchie said, Colorado. I said, yes... Barbara is on the phone and she
is going to give us the name of someone we could stay with....and she said she will
join us later on. Ritchie said, OK. Why not. I never have been out west. Then I said
to Barbara that Ritchie and I had never been out west... it would be interesting.
Barbara said that she had a friend named Jake Jacobson who was a ski instructor in
Vail, Colorado. She told me that once we arrived in Vail all we had to do was go to
the only bar in Vail and ask for Jake. It´s a small town and everyone knows one
another. Jake will hook you up. That´s all you need to do or know. I asked
Barbara, Are you sure? I don´t want to make a long trip out there and get
lost... we don´t have very much money. Barbara said, Hey look, I heard that
Boulder, Colorado is a very happening place right now...a lot of people are hanging
out there. It´s a wonderful beautiful place right off the Rocky Mountains. You
can go to Vail and stay with Jake until I get there, then we will all go to Boulder
to hang out, and meet some wonderful people. It beats Florida, any day! Boulder,
Colorado is happening! Go to Vail, and I´ll see you there in a few weeks. I
said, OK. We´ll see you there. Barbara replied, Say hello to Jake and tell him
I´ll see him in a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>Ritchie had finished the car, and came in the apartment to wash his hands. I had
conveyed everything to Ritchie, and he was very excited. I also became very excited,
and the more I think of it, the more I love it. It´s going to be an adventure.
Fina called back to said that she spoke with Barbara again, and heard that we were
going to Colorado. I told Fina yes and Fina said that when Barbara returns to New
York that she would also be going to go to Colorado to meet us. Ritchie and I were so
delighted that Fina decided to come out west with Barbara.</p>
<p>Then Ritchie went out and started the car, but the car would not start. I asked
Ritchie what the problem was and Ritchie said that the timing is probably off. He
said that he had taken the distributor out to change the points and he had thought
that he had put the distributor back in the same spot. He tried to reposition the
distributor, but each time it wouldn´t work. Ritchie said he needed a timing
light to get it in the right position. I suggested a gas station one block over on
85th Street and down two blocks by the entrance of the Westside Highway heading
north. I told him that we could push the Volkswagen because it is all downhill.
Ritchie said let´s do it. We pushed the car into the gas station and told the
mechanic that the timing was off. We warned him to reposition the distributor. The
mechanic told us that he was real busy, but told us to come back around 5pm. When
Ritchie and I returned at 5pm, the mechanic told us it would cost $85.00. I said,
$85.00. The mechanic told Ritchie that he had to replace the points, plugs, and wires
because they were very old and that was why it wouldn´t start. Then Ritchie
angrily told the guy that he had just this morning replaced all the parts. He
explained that the reason he couldn´t start the car was because he
couldn´t reposition the timing of the distributor without timing light. The
mechanic told Ritchie that the parts he replaced were probably bad, and that was why
he had to replace them. The mechanic told Ritchie it was $85.00. Ritchie and I told
him that we didn´t have $85.00. The mechanic replied that if we didn´t
pickup the car by 6pm, the shop would be closed, and that they charged $45.00 a day
to store a car. Ritchie and I in shock went into conference. Ritchie and I knew that
the guy was snowing us. I told Ritchie that if we paid this guy $85.00, we
won´t be able to have enough money for the trip. I said to Ritchie, Look, the
car is parked directly in front of the place. If they keep it there all night we
could come back early in the morning and steal the car back. Ritchie loved the idea.
I went back to the mechanic and told him that we would not be able to raise the money
until 8PM. If we came back at 8:00 would you charge us for an extra day? The mechanic
said that if we paid at 8PM he would tell the guy who pumps the gas not to charge us
for the extra day. I said, Thank you very much. We´ll be back at eight. Ritchie
and I then went back to the apartment.</p>
<p>On the walk back home, I told Ritchie that the mechanic thinks that we are going
to come back at 8PM. I don´t think that he will lock the car up because he
leaves at six. Therefore, I think they´re going to leave the car where it was,
and we could come back and steal it. Fuck him. I have a screwdriver at home and we
could pop the ignition. I asked Ritchie if he knew how to do that, and he said he
did. We then returned to the gas station at 2:00 in the morning and I was right. The
car was still sitting in front of the gas station. The gas station was open, and the
lonely attendant was sleeping with his head down on the desk. I said to Ritchie
perfect. The guy is sleeping. Let´s be very quiet. So Ritchie and I sneaked up
on the car. We entered the car and released the break, and the car began to roll
downhill toward the entrance of the West Side Highway heading north. On the other
side of the street is the exit of, 85th Street from the north bound West Side
Highway. As we headed to the bottom of the hill which was only about 50 yards from
the gas station, Ritchie quickly turned the car toward the other side of the street
blocking the exit of the West Side Highway. The next sucker car that comes off the
highway must push us, because we had blocked the path. Then Ritchie quickly popped
the ignition to the on position. All we needed now was a push uphill to get it going.
It was very dark and quiet, as we waited for the next sucker to come of the highway.
We waited and waited impatiently. We were afraid that the gas attendant would
suddenly wake up. We were hoping that some car would not come from the other
direction to get gas, and wake the guy up. Then finally we saw some car lights coming
and it turned out to be a police car. Ritchie and I freaked. I quickly ran over to
the cop car, and told him that we had stalled out. We asked, not that he had a
choice, if he would push us up the hill so we could get it restarted. Luckily, the
cop was real nice and agreed. So Ritchie and I hopped into the Volkswagen, and the
cop pushed us with his police car up the hill past the attendant who was still
sleeping. As the police car and we passed the gas station, the Volkswagen kicked in,
and we waved to the police thanks and we returned back to the apartment. I said to
Ritchie as we were both laughing in tears, Could you imagine if the attendant woke up
and saw the police car pushing us away from the gas station? We arrived back to the
apartment, but Raymond still had not returned.</p>
<p>Ritchie went back home to Long Island to get some clothes, and his Volkswagen
blew-up. The engine finally gave way. Ritchie called me to tell me the bad news, and
we had to decide what to do. I told Ritchie about these ads in the Village Voice
about car delivery where they pay you to deliver a car anywhere in the United States.
The next morning Ritchie called and got a car immediately that was going to Utah.
That evening Ritchie arrived at my apartment with a nice new compact station wagon.
He did it all in one day.</p>
<p>All he had to do was put down a one hundred dollar deposit and when he arrived at
the delivered destination he would receive $100.00 plus his returned deposit. The car
had to be delivered in four days to receive the $100.00 salary. We quickly grabbed
some clothes. I took all of Raymond´s silk shirts and Ritchie took
Raymond´s Cashmere coat, and I grabbed my paisley pink Fender Stratocastor
guitar and we headed out to Colorado.</p>
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<p class="right"><a href="#top" title="Top of Page">PageTOP ^</a></p><br />Chazzsongshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12832406704954147954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26106884.post-1145959370648146062006-04-25T06:00:00.000-04:002006-12-28T07:26:50.173-05:00Chapter 23 - To Vail<p><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6437/2732/400/860675/vail.jpg"
alt="Main Street Vail Colorado" class="entryphoto3" /></p>
<h2>Chapter 23 - To Vail</h2>
<p>We were finally out of New York, and we were now traveling through Pennsylvania.
Between Ritchie and I, we had about $170.00. I told Ritchie that if we include the
cost of food, we were not going to make it there with very much money. Ritchie said
that the food should not cost much, because he knew how to scam the restaurants off
the highway. I asked how? He said that all you had to do was eat what you wanted and
then they will give you the bill. We sit down and eat, and after we finish, you get
up and go to the bathroom while I wait at the table. When you come out of the
bathroom you just walk out. It´s that simple! Then I do the same thing. If we
leave the girl a tip then no one will ever know that we did not pay the tab.
It´s that simple. Then I told Ritchie that I was hungry...let´s try it.
So the first restaurant we came to we tried it, and it worked without a hitch. We
went into the restaurant and ordered our meal. After the meal I went into the
bathroom and then exited the restaurant and waited for Ritchie outside. Ritchie left
a tip for the waitress and then went to the bathroom. He then exited the restaurant
and we were on our way. Right on!</p>
<p>Ritchie and I had never been west of Pennsylvania. This would all be new from here
on end. We traveled through Columbus, Ohio and then St. Louis. We stopped at the
famous Arch in St. Louis. We wanted to go into the Arch, but instead we hung around
underneath it, and then we just kept marching on. We past Indiana and then Kansas
City. Then we finally crossed into Colorado. It seemed that driving on the plains of
Colorado took forever and finally the Rocky Mountains began to draw near into view.
It wasn´t until we got very close to Denver that we actually got a good view of
the mountains, and boy were they beautiful. We had never seen anything like that. We
then proceeded on Interstate 70 West, and the incredible views became better and
better. It was so breath-taking that we had to stop at times to enjoy the scenery
while we had daylight.</p>
<p>We finally arrived in Vail, Colorado around 8.00PM. There were a few exits into
Vail, and we had accidentally past the main one, so we had to turn around to head
back. It was extremely cold. About five below zero. We had noticed and abandoned
Van/truck without tires sitting vacant in the middle of the island that separates the
highway. I told Ritchie that if we can´t find this guy we could always sleep in
that van. Ritchie said, No way. Let's find this guy. I hope your ex girlfriend
Barbara doesn´t hook you up with this guy like she hooked you up with Raymond,
Ritchie said with a smirk on his face. I liked his sense of sarcastic humor. As we
drove on the main road in Vail, it was not difficult to spot the only bar which was
on the main street. I told Ritchie that so far, Barbara is right.</p>
<p>Ritchie and I walked into the bar and everyone looked at us as if to say, What the
fuck do you hippies want. I guess they were not happy seeing long-hair freaks. The
bartender quickly asked us what we wanted. I asked the bartender if he knew Jake
Jacobson. This big guy sitting on the bar stool next to where I was standing said,
I´m Jake´s best friend. I turned to him and said, Great, We are friends
of Jake from New York. The guy went nuts and spoke in a very loud voice and yelled,
Any friends of Jake Jacobson are a friend of mine. Then he psychically grabbed and
hugged me. Everyone smiled and said yea giving us thumbs-up signs. Then the guy
introduced himself to Ritchie and I and then bought us a drink. Everyone in the bar
came over to us and shook our hands. Ritchie and I were stunned, happy, and smiling.
It appears we hit the right chord and that this guy Jake, was a much respected and
loved person in town. The guy then reiterated that to us as he also explained that
Jake had to be up early in the morning at 4:30am to head up the mountain to start
packing snow. He told Ritchie and I that he was sleeping at the moment. Then the guy
asked us if we were hungry. I told him very much so. The guy then told us that he was
going to take us to dinner. I explained to this guy that Ritchie and I were low on
money. The guy said, "Don´t worry about money. Any friend of Jake is a friend
of mine. The guy then demanded that he take us to dinner.</p>
<p>We arrived at this high class restaurant in Vail and the guy proceeded to buy us a
bottle of champagne to celebrate our arrival. Ritchie and I were so trilled that
everything was going so great. We sipped some champagne and the guy started to tell
us about how he met Jake. The guy then ordered us steaks and we had a complete
dinner. I told the guy that this must be very expensive and that Ritchie and I were
very thankful for his hospitality. The guy said, No problem, any friends of Jake is a
friend of mine. Jake is my best friend. He then asked us if we were staying anywhere
and we told him we were not. He told us that we could sleep at his place. We
proceeded to his apartment where he rolled a joint and we all got high. After talking
and laughing we went to sleep. Ritchie and I slept on the floor. We were awakened at
about 5:00am. The guy rushed us because he was late for work. He also had to go up
the mountain to pack the snow. We finally arrived at the gondola. Ritchie and I were
half asleep. The guy told us to wait here at the entrance of the gondola. He said
that Jake would be here shortly, and if he is already on top, I´ll send him
down. We didn´t want to tell the guy that we didn´t know what Jake looked
like so we just went along with everything. Ritchie and I freezing waited at the
gondola. Many worker/skiers were entering with all their gear and they were all
wearing ski masks. Ritchie asked, What are we going to do now? I replied that we had
no other choice. but to wait it out. Ritchie reiterated that he was freezing and that
we could be waiting along time. We had no choice. We waited about an hour and we were
extremely cold when suddenly, a guy came up to us and told us to pick up the phone. I
put the phone to my ear and it was the guy. The guy asked if we had seen Jake. I told
him that there were so many people that were wearing ski masks that we could not
tell. The guy answered that Jake was with him and that he would be coming back down
with Jake.</p>
<p>I conveyed to Ritchie that they were coming down. A half hour later, Ritchie and I
still freezing, waited patiently as Jake and the guy came down on the gondola. The
guy came over to me and said this is Jake. I shook Jake´s hand and said, Hi
Jake, My name is Chuck and this is Ritchie and we are friends of Barbara from New
York. Jake replied while thinking and looking a little confused, Barbara. I said,
Yes, She told us to come see you. She told us that you could hook us up with a place
to stay until she arrived which will be in about two weeks. Jake still looking
confused said, I don´t know any Barbara. The guy standing next to Jake also
looked very confused. I said, You don´t know Barbara? Jake replied, No. Are you
Jake Jacobson? I asked. He said, Yes. I started sweating. Ritchie was stunned. The
guy was freaking out showing a little anger. I said, That Barbara asked us to come to
Vail and look-up a friend of hers named Jake Jacobson. Then Jake suddenly remembered
that there was another Jake Jacobson, and he said, Oh...yes..... You probably are
looking for the other Jake Jacobson. He no longer works here. He got fired and I
think he is living somewhere in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We, in total shock and
scared out of our minds, looked at the guy, and his faced was burning in fire. He
definitely wanted to kill us. The vibes alone scared Ritchie and I out of our minds.
We didn´t know what to say except I apologized to the guy. Thank God that Jake
knew the other Jake or we would have been in deep shit. Then I told Jake that his
friend treated us like gold, spent a lot of money on us, we feel very sorry, and I am
lost for words. Jake was very nice about it. I could tell that he was European and
that means he was very laid back. Jake said, You guys should go on your way.....
I´ll speak to my friend here who wants to kill you. Ritchie and I were stunned
and we proceeded to walk very depressed to the car. I told Ritchie, Did you see the
guys face? Ritchie replied, Let´s get the fuck out of here quickly.</p>
<p>Ritchie and I freezing and broke with no breakfast and very little money had to
think fast, because of the cold. I said to Ritchie, I guess it´s the abandoned
Van. Ritchie replied, I´m not in the mood for that. I noticed that Ritchie was
losing it and I replied in a positive aggressive attitude, Let´s go check it
out. It´s only about a half mile away. Ritchie depressed and struggling to tag
along was willing to check it out. We left the car where it was and proceeded to walk
on the service road toward the van. We were still freezing and hoping that we could
be somewhat warm in the van. We got about a quarter of a mile from the van when a
small van stopped next to us. A guy in the van with long hair was making a sign to us
to open the passenger side door. I opened the door and the guy said, Hey, you guys
need a ride...its cold out there. We said OK and we climbed into the Van. The guy was
very nice and friendly and said, Where are you guys going. I replied, To that
abandoned Van in the middle of the road. The guy asked what we were going to do
there. We told him that we were thinking of sleeping there. The guy said, What. I
told him that we were stranded and that we were going to check the van out to see if
we could live in it. The guy replied, You guys crazy? Then we told him the story as
he stopped along side the road adjacent to the van. The guy started to laugh and
asked us if we wanted to come to his house for coffee and breakfast. We said, Yes,
most definitely! Then we started to inquire about the guy and he introduced himself
as Jonathan. He told us that he was a musician and was playing in a band which was
playing in Vail. I told him that I was a musician from New York. We all got excited
and yelled, All right! He told us that he lived with the band in a house that the
club provided. He said that the band members were sleeping and would awake in a few
hours. Great.</p>
<p>We arrived at this beautiful chalet that the club had provided to them. Jonathan
made us breakfast and hot coffee and Ritchie and I started to warm up again, and boy
did it feel good. Jonathan and I started talking music and we were hitting it off
just fine. After awhile the band members started waking up one by one. The first to
arise was the drummer Denny. He was tall and slim with long brown hair. He was
introduced to Ritchie and I and he seemed very spiritual. He reminded me as a Jesus
type. He spoke in a very quiet voice and I could feel his spiritual ability. The
second to awake shortly thereafter was the other guitarist Nathan. Nathan was a
handsome guy who was also soft spoken and everyone was real nice and friendly. We
again all started talking about music as Ritchie watched on. Then the band members
said, Let´s Jam. I told them that we had a car in town with our clothes and my
guitar and I asked them if they would drive us to get the car. They did. We went into
the basement of the chalet and jammed. They could not believe how good I was on the
guitar. We jammed for about two hours and Ritchie walked in with the silk shirts from
the car, and the band members went nuts over the shirts. They asked if they could
wear some of the shirts tonight during the gig, and I said, Sure! Then the band
members had a short conference and returned to Ritchie and I while we were waiting in
the kitchen. They asked if Ritchie and I wanted to be their road manager. They said
that they would pay us $10.00 a week plus room and board. Ritchie and I looked at one
another in shock and knowing we didn´t have to sleep in the abandoned van
quickly said, Yes! The band members said that they wanted me to teach them how to get
much tighter and they wanted me to show them how to play together with more soul. I
told them no problem. Then it is settled. Welcome to the band, they replied as they
shook our hands. They then told us to be free around the house and that we may help
ourselves to anything we wanted. You and Ritchie are now apart of our musical family.
Then they gave me the keys to their van and told us that we were going to also be
their drivers. I then told them that Ritchie had to return the car to Utah so that we
could get paid and receive our deposit back. They said no problem. Ritchie then took
off in the car to Utah and said that he would fly to Aspen to find a ride back to
Vail and meet with us in a few days. Everyone was happy and Ritchie and I were saved.
How we can wait for Barbara and Fina to arrive and boy are they going to be shocked
at what we had accomplished.</p>
<p>The band and I packed the instruments of the van and I drove into town to the club
under their directions. The club was located in a giant basement. The club was very
beautifully designed. It had a fairly large dance floor located in front of the
stage. I proceeded to set the bands instruments up according to my experience. I put
the drummer much more in front then they were used to, and I arranged their amps for
a fuller sound with more coverage. Then I told the band to play a few songs so that I
may listen to the arrangement of the placement of the instruments. With a little
volume adjustments and a request for the necessity for the drummer to play a little
harder the band sounded real good. I then told the band that I would place close
attention to their performance, and tomorrow I would suggest revamping them. The band
said great. They then introduced me to the club owner as their manager. We all then
went back to the house to have dinner and freshen up. We were getting ready to head
back to the club and the guy put on the silk shirts and loved them.</p>
<p>We arrived back at the club and the band did there first set. I listened
patiently. They were pretty good. The club then got packed and a few very cute girls
sat down at our table. I was talking to them and they were very nice especially this
one girl. The band then did their second set as I kept on talking to the girls. I was
hitting it off with this very beautiful Norwegian. She had long beautiful brown hair
with a dark brown skin from skiing. We talked about the breakup of the Beatles and
she seemed very interested and knowledgeable in music. I then was dying for a
cigarette and didn´t have a dime on me. While I was talking with her I
mentioned that I wished I had a cigarette and I quickly looked around to see if any
one was smoking. I finally saw a man smoking and I went to ask him for a cigarette
and he gave me one. I went back to the table and the girl whose name was Carol, lit
my cigarette. I said, Thank you. Carol asked me what brand I smoked and I told her
Marlboro. Carol and I continued to talk and we were having such a great conversation
about music. About an hour passed and I was still dying for another cigarette. I love
to smoke when I´m having a good conversation. I love smoking. I had noticed on
the table that there was an opened pack of Marlboro sitting on the table. While Carol
and I talked I kept staring at the cigarettes. I asked Carol if she knew who they
belonged to and she said that she had no idea. So I sneaked one out of the pack.
After I smoked one I asked Carol if she wanted to dance and she said yes. I was still
paying close attention to the band as the band watched me dance with Carol. The band
members were getting kind of jealous in a nice way. On their break they said to me,
Leave some girls for us. Some other band member jokingly said, You´re picking
up all our groupies. The whole night went so beautiful and Carol said that she would
see me tomorrow night. No one ever claimed the cigarettes so I took the pack home
with me.</p>
<p>I had made some mental notes on the bands performance. I had packed up their
instruments and put them in the van. We left most of the drums and amps behind. The
next afternoon the band and I returned to the club to practice and work out on some
of their bugs. I also suggested some new songs and we rehearsed them. I kept thinking
about the beautiful Norwegian girl Carol. I couldn´t wait to see her again. The
next night the band had met some girls and we all threw a party at the house after
the gig. Carol and I lit a nice fire in the fireplace and sat around the fire
talking. The Carol asked me to go sit on the staircase leading down to the basement.
We went to the staircase, Carol and I started making-out, after a few moments, Carol
unzipped my pants to give me a blowjob. It was beautiful.</p>
<p>The next day Ritchie had returned and once again became apart of the musical
family. It was good to see him back and he was very happy. He had returned the car
and received the deposit and $100.00 for delivering the car and then hopped on a
plane in Salt Lake City to Aspen. Then he took a bus to Vail. That night at the club
I had introduced Carol to Ritchie and they got along just fine. Carol introduced one
of her friends to Ritchie. After the gig Carol invited me to her house to sleep where
we made sex. I basically slept with Carol every night as we had both fell in love
with one another very much. We all wanted to have a party at the house for
Ritchie´s return and Carol had asked if I wanted to buy some wine for the
party. I told Carol that I was broke and she said that she would purchase the wine if
I wanted. I said OK. Carol and I went to the liquor store and I told her lets get
some Liebfraumilch. She said OK. I grabbed two bottles and Carol said get the whole
case. I said, Are you crazy," and she said "No, get the whole case." I said, "Are you
sure?" and she replied, "Yes, get the case." So I grabbed the whole case and the guy
asked me for my ID. I opened my wallet and noticed a $20.00 bill folded into one of
the wallet pockets. I said what the fuck is this? I pulled out the twenty and there
were two of them in there. I immediately said to Carol, Did you put this in my
wallet? Carol replied that she didn´t and had no idea about it. I then said
that maybe one of the band members might have put it there to hold it for them. I was
totally confused. I showed the guy my ID and Carol paid for the case. I thanked Carol
and told her that the band is going to be real surprised. Carol and I then went back
to her house and then we went to the club. I had asked all the band members if anyone
had put some money in my wallet to hold for them. Every member of the band said no
and I got real confused. I was wondering who had done this. I asked Carol again, Are
you sure you didn´t put this money in my wallet? Carol replied that she
didn´t know anything about it, and that she guaranteed me that she did not put
it there. I told Carol that since no one had claimed it I was going to take her out
to dinner tomorrow night, Sunday, the bands day off.</p>
<p>I took her out to dinner at this wonderful restaurant that had a beautiful view of
the stars. We had a wonderful time eating the terrific food and talking love. We
stayed at the restaurant all night and we had a beautiful loving walk home. She told
me that she wanted to take me skiing the next day. I told her that I was afraid, but
she assured me that I would enjoy it. We arrived at the bands chalet and Denny the
drummer was there with a girl, and Carol invited them skiing tomorrow.</p>
<p>Denny and I rented skis and we were off to the chair lift. We were both very
frightened, but we were escorted by our girls. The ski´s felt very weird on our
feet. Denny first entered and sat down on the chair lift. Carol and I sat directly
behind. We were heading to the top and I asked Carol, What do I do when we reach the
top? Carol said that all I had to do was keep my ski´s pointed straight and
when I got off the chair I would be heading down a small hill, and all I had to do
was keep the ski´s pointed straight. I said, How do I stop? She said that the
hill will then go up and I will automatically slow down and stop. She said there was
nothing to it. Then Denny turned around on the chair lift and wave as he was about to
get of. Our chair was slowly getting closer and closer to the top and as we started
to slide off, Denny was on the floor in my path and I hit him and tumbled right on
top of him. Denny and I started laughing as they stop the chair lift so they could
clear the way.</p>
<p>After Denny and I got out of the way, Carol directed us to the first hill. She
told me again if I keep my ski´s straight I will automatically slowdown and
stop. I told her I was afraid. She said you´re a downhill racer go for it. With
that I started down this long deep hill and I was going faster and faster. I almost
started to panic when I started heading up hill and then I slowed down and stop.
Carol skied next to me and I told her it was great, I love it. Then Carol said that
she was going to go on and ski to the bottom and asked me to follow her as she
suddenly took off. I started to follow her and noticed all the inexperienced skiers
were on a path that traversed the mountain. I decided to follow them and I was glad I
did. I spent the rest of the day skiing down this path over and over again by myself
just following other people. I had a wonderful time and met Carol at the end of the
day. Then Carol went to her house and I went to the chalet to fresh-up. I was at the
house with the band and someone asked me for something that was in my wallet. When I
opened my wallet I noticed another forty dollars in two twenty dollar bills. I said
to the band, This is nuts. Who´s doing this? The band replied that the only one
who could be doing this is Carol. That night I pressured Carol and she confessed it
was her. I knew it I said. I told Carol not to do it again. I didn´t want to
take her money. Carol told me that I would have never taken her out to dinner if it
wasn´t for the money. I told her nevertheless, don´t do it again. I asked
her if she was the one who put an open pack of Marlboro´s on the table every
night and she also confessed yes. I then gave Carol a big kiss and told her how much
I loved her. She always thought of me. What a girl.</p>
<p>The band was now getting real tight and they loved Ritchie and I very much. Then
the band told Ritchie and I that they had a house in Boulder. Ritchie and I in shock
said, Boulder? They said, Yes.....Well it´s not really in the town of
Boulder... It is a little north east. It is still Boulder. I told the band that that
was where we were trying to end up. We were supposed to meet two girls here in Vail
and then we were going to Boulder. The band said, Well, I guess you guys made it.
You´re going to love our big house. I looked at Ritchie and said, Holly shit.
Barbara and Fina are going to find when they arrive that they are already welcome to
a house in Boulder. Ritchie said, How lucky can we get. The band said that they had
two weeks left in Vail and it was back to Boulder.</p>
<p>I was sleeping with Carol one night and she dropped a little bombshell. She told
me that she had never been loved like I loved her. She told me that she was from
Minneapolis, Minnesota and that she had a boyfriend back home. She told me that she
was supposed to marry him when she got back, but now she couldn´t, because she
met me. She told me that her boyfriend could never love her like I did, and that I
made her feel very wanted and extraordinary. She also said that I make her very
happy. I asked her if she loved him and she replied that she didn´t. It was
arranged by the family. She told me that she loved me beyond thoughts. Then Carol
made passionate love to me. I didn´t know at the time, how to react to her
story. All I knew was that I loved her very much.</p>
<p>The next day I had told Carol that the band was finishing the Vail gig and we were
all going to Boulder. I asked her what will happen with us being separated. Carol
told me that she was working for Vail Associates for four more weeks and that she was
going to decide what to do. She told me not to worry that she was deeply in love with
me and wanted to continue our relationship. She had a difficult job ahead of her
handling her mother, and as she called it, her ex boyfriend. She asked me to stand by
her, and that I remain the same.</p>
<p>The band finished performing in Vail and I told Carol that I would call her as
soon as I got settled in the new home. The band and I arrived in Boulder and the
house was beautiful. It was surrounded by open land as far as one can see. It was
intensely peaceful, and the interior was slightly decorated in a marvelous manner.
Ritchie and I were trilled beyond belief. We had our own bedroom. The bass player
George lived in the basement where he had a large Buddha set up for praying. Barbara
and Fina had never showed up in Vail. Ritchie and I were very concerned what had
happened to them. We were very thankful that we had the band, because if we had
waited for Barbara and Fina to arrive at Jake´s place, we would have still been
there waiting. The band then took Ritchie and I to meet some of their friends in the
town of Boulder.</p>
<p>We were heading to downtown Boulder via Broadway. As we were heading down Broadway
there was a banner high above the road that said, Welcome to Boulder. The view of
Boulder, where the banner was located, was colossal. You could see almost all of
Boulder. Boulder was located right on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We
arrived at the City Park, right in the heart of downtown Boulder. There were hundreds
of people hanging out and a lot of young sexy hippie girls. It seemed that everyone
was high on pot. Everyone was happy, friendly and smiling. Girls were coming up to us
and asking if we could provide them with a place to stay. I said to the band and
Ritchie that we must be in heaven. Everyone was inviting us to smoke a joint. There
was and old train on display in the park, and people were playing guitars and
dancing. I had never experienced anything like this. Then after a long while, the
band took us to visit the University Hill area, which was located next to the
University of Colorado in Boulder. I could see in the distance that it was a fairly
large campus. The hill area was a wonderful hangout place also. Beautiful girls
everywhere were waiting to be picked up. It was incredible. Ritchie and I could not
believe how many girls there were. After walking around a bit, the band took us to
their friend´s house.</p>
<p>We arrived at the house and we were immediately handed a joint on the first hello.
The people of the house were very friendly and after awhile Ritchie, Denny, and I
were indisputably stoned. We stayed at the band´s friend´s house for
about an hour and we went to walk back to the hill area again. When you walk on the
hill, the mountains are right there shooting up at you, right in the face. What a
feeling. Ritchie and I were walking on the hill looking in the shop windows when we
suddenly by surprise, ran into Barbara and Fina. They were with two guys. Holly shit,
I said. What the fuck are you guys doing here? Barbara said that they had come to
Boulder and met these two guys and decided to stay with them. I could not believe
what she said casually. I got very pissed at her response and replied, That´s a
selfish fucking answer. What about Ritchie and I. We were supposed to be waiting for
you in Vail at Jake´s place and you both are fucking here having a selfish
fucking time. Barbara didn´t like that, and she and Fina walked away without
concern. I turned to Ritchie and said, I don´t believe this shit. Ritchie said,
Fuck them, one day they will come to us, and then we will treat them like they
treated us. You wait and see. Fuck them. We don´t need them anyway. Boy, I was
so fucking pissed.</p>
<p>We reunited with the band members and went back to our home. We all made dinner
and had a sensational meal. The next day, the band had introduced me to their
manager/agent who came to the house during our rehearsal. The manager thanked me for
improving the band immensely. The manager liked Ritchie and I very much, and he
welcomed the idea of the band having us as road managers. The manager said that he
would communicate with me directly from now on instead of a member of the band. I was
to relay everything to the band which would make the managers job much more easily.
The band would be playing a gig in Denver this weekend at a two very nice clubs. One
on Friday and one on Saturday. I had called Carol to say hello and asked her how she
was doing. She told me that she loved me very much and that she was doing just fine.
We talked for awhile and I told her that the band had a gig on the weekend. The
weekend gigs went off very good. The clubs were very happy with the quality of the
band.</p>
<p>After the weekend, I had set-up a whole list of new songs for the band to
rehearse. We spent the whole week rehearsing and we had just one gig on Friday night.
During the week Ritchie and I took the van to Boulder where we met a lot of new
friends. We wanted to buy some pot to take back with us to the house, and a friend
introduced us to these guys that lived on 19th Street. The guys were Harlan, a short
Jewish guy with long black hair and who was very quick in the mind; Seed who was a
drummer with brown shoulder length hair, and John who had blond shoulder length hair
and fooled around on the bass. They had plenty of pot on hand for sale. An ounce sold
for $10.00 and a kilo for $125.00. They were listening to some great music that I had
not been introduced to, the Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Inventions ˜Uncle
Meat´ album. We all sat around listening to the ˜Uncle Meat´ album
very stoned. We hung around these guys for about two hours and we all became good
friends. Ritchie and I relayed the story to them on how we arrived in Boulder. Seed,
Harlan and John knew Barbara and Fina. They had a nice three small bedroom house, and
they were only paying $135.00 a month rent. They took us down to the basement where
they had these special bricks that came out of the wall which housed their pot. If
the cops ever came they would never be able to locate it. Harlan had a nice little
room in the back of the house which was like a little house. He had a couch in this
little bedroom and his own set of speakers. The music sounds great in his bedroom
because of the closed-in walls. The room had a special sound. After awhile, Ritchie
and I grabbed an ounce of pot and went back to the bands house. Ritchie and I loved
all the action that was happening in Boulder. We had hoped to live there someday in
the heart of it. However, we were very happy living with, and road managing the
band.</p>
<p>We went back to the house and the band had some girls hanging about, Ritchie and I
brought out the pot, and we all got stoned. The bands gig got canceled on Saturday
night. I thought that I would take this opportunity to surprise my girlfriend Carol.
On Saturday afternoon I decided to hitch hike to Vail. I had never hitched before in
my life, but I was willing to try it, because I was so much in love with Carol. It
took me hours to get to Vail. I arrived in Vail around 1:00am. I opened the front
door of the house which was never locked and everything was quiet. I walked over to
the bedroom door and opened it. Carol´s bed was right next to the door. As I
opened the door, I could see her beautiful face, and I thought how lucky I was to
have such a beautiful girl. I bent over her and put my lips against hers. She felt
it, and her lips responded before opening her eyes. Once she opened her eyes she was
wonderfully happy, and surprised to see me. She threw her arms around me and kissed
me very deeply. Then I crawled into bed with her and we made love. We spent all of
Sunday together. There was a brilliant, highly visible comet in the sky. I did know
the name of it or what it was called, but the comet had a very long streaking tail.
Carol and I, in each others arms, watched it for hours.</p>
<p>Carol had told me that she talked with her mother, and told her that she was very
much in love with me. Her mother did not respond to that very favorable. They had
talked about her boyfriend back home and that he was waiting for her to return. Carol
told her mother to tell him that she loved me and that I was her new boyfriend now.
Her mother still didn´t approve. She also told me that she had applied for a
teacher´s job, and her mother told her that she received a list in the mail of
available openings. Carol told me that there were two openings in Colorado. One in
Arvada which she hoped to accept. Carol told me that she wanted me to go back to
Minnesota with her to get her car and come back to Arvada, Colorado. Then we will get
a place together and build a life with one another. I told Carol that I was broke,
and that I would feel really stupid going to meet your parents looking very poor. I
wouldn´t feel right. Carol told me not to worry. On Monday morning, Carol paid
for my bus trip back to Boulder.</p>
<p>I arrived back at the house from a wonderful weekend with Carol, and the band
continued to have many girls hanging about. I had no interest, because I had, and
loved Carol. I had just come out of the shower when Ritchie asked me to come to the
front door. He said, You´re not going to believe this. I went to the front door
and behold, it was Barbara and Fina who desperately needed a place to stay. They told
me that the guys they were staying with had kicked them out. I replied, Oh, you poor
little things¦ You selfish bastards neglected Ritchie and I, and gave us bum
steer with this Jake Jacobson character. Jake got fired from being an asshole, and
because of that, it got us in real trouble with some of the people there. We luckily
survived, and we had a wonderful chalet waiting for you. However, you both neglected
us, and only thought of yourselves. Get the fuck out of here ... I don´t ever
want to see your fucking faces again. I then slammed the door in their face shut.
Ritchie said, That´s telling them. I told you!</p>
<p>Then Ritchie and I headed to downtown Boulder to visit Seed and Harlan. We had now
become great friends with them. Seed took us to check out the campus at the
University of Colorado, CU. We arrived at a fountain area where many people hung out.
We sat around the fountain area adjacent to the UMC building. Seed pointed to this
nearby campus building which was a cheap and decorative place to have a complete
dinner. The dinner begins around six o´clock in the evening. We then walked
around the Hill and peeked into the record store where the last Beatle album was
available. Seed bought a copy. After all the rumors, The Beatles unforgettably broke
up. It was a sad day in music history from a group who literally changed the world
with the use of their music. As far as I was concerned, this was the final death of a
great musical era.</p>
<p>I knew that when I left New York the music scene was dying there and the clubs
were closing. President Kennedy got killed. His brother Robert later got killed.
Martin Luther king got killed. Malcom X got killed. Janis Joplin was gone. Jimi
Hendrex was gone. Otis Redding was gone. Sam & Dave broke up. Stax records were
bought out. Many musicians got fuck up on drugs. The war is escalating. The whole
beautiful music scene had faded into oblivion as if it never existed, and now the
Beatles break-up, put the lid on to the end of an era. Is there a war going on
against the whole movement? I think so. I know so. I feel it. I´m scared.
However, despite everything, there is one group who is progressing through it all and
has captured my attention and musical interest, Chicago Transit Authority. I can not
wait for their second album which I heard should be out soon. In the meantime, music
is now giving birth to the Teen Idols, David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, Shawn Cassidy,
The Jackson´s, Donnie and Marie Osmond, and Andy Gibb. Most of which have their
own TV shows. Very fucking exciting!</p>
<p>Ritchie and I returned to the bands house only to find them fighting between one
another. I had instructed all the girls to leave, because we wanted to have a private
discussion during rehearsal. I gathered the guys around me and we had a talk. I told
them that it was necessary for them to be in harmony with one another. The music
scene is dying, and we need every group alive and well to continue the music. The
band was very unhappy with their manager who was not booking them too much. I told
the band that they had to hold together through the bad times, and that they had a
lot of potential to be a really successful band. They needed to concentrate more on
writing so that they could possibly get signed. I threw a great deal of positive
attitude toward them, and I was able to pull them together. However, keeping them
together will be a difficult task if their manager does not get them more gigs so
they can become more active.</p>
<p>I had learned that the band received $20.00 a week each from their manager with
all expenses paid. Their manager paid for the rent of the house, their van and
gasoline, and their food. It was a good deal. They had not to worry about any money
expenses. Money left over would go into a fund like a saving account for each
individual. Ritchie and I had decided to spend more time around the band, because
they were becoming very shaky. We wanted to divert any future arguments between
themselves, and instill consistent musical thoughts.</p>
<p>I had telephoned Carol to inform her that we had a gig Friday and Saturday and
that I would not be able to see her this weekend. The next day, we learned that the
Saturday evening gig got canceled again. I decided not to call Carol back to tell her
that I thinking of coming, because I still was not sure I could leave the band alone.
I was now afraid to leave the band, because they were not getting enough gigs and it
was causing disagreements amongst them. I wanted to be around to keep the atmosphere
positive. We played on Friday night and the gig went just fine. The band was again
happy, but I needed them to stay that way without a gig on Saturday. On Saturday the
band decided to go out with their girls, and I asked Denny the drummer who I loved so
much spiritually, if I could leave to visit Carol in Vail. Denny said, Yes. Go ahead
and don´t worry about the band.</p>
<p>It was five o´clock in the evening and there was not too much traffic on the
road. I did not get to the Interstate 70 West until 8:00 in the evening. I was
standing on the highway in the dark for about an hour. It was freezing. All I could
think about was surprising Carol again like I did the last time. I just
couldn´t wait to see her again and make love to her. I finally was picked up
for a ride, but the guy was not going very far. He dropped me off one exit before
Idaho Springs. I was standing on the highway again for about an hour. It was pitch
black and I could see a long distance of the highway in both directions if an
automobile light was in the distance, but there was none. For some reason, there were
no people traveling. I looked up to the stars and again, saw the gigantic comet
sitting in the sky. I kept staring at the comet in awe, and wondered if it was a good
idea to go see Carol. I thought that God was preventing me, in some way, not to go.
There was absolutely no traffic at all in either direction. Another hour had gone by,
but only a few cars had past. It was now 10pm, and I was freezing beyond description.
I have been standing on the highway now for two hours in the same spot. Just the
comet and I. I again looked up at the comet and I suddenly received a flashback.</p>
<p>I saw Carol with another man. Maybe it´s the standing out in the cold in the
darkness that is playing with my mind. I thought that maybe I should head back. I
then said to myself that if a car comes the other way, I will cross the road to the
other side, and try to hitch-hike back. Then I seen lights coming from the other
direction, and I quickly crossed the road and put my thumb out. They didn´t
stop. I waited this side of the road now for another ten minutes, at which time I was
getting the same flashbacks. I actually began believing the flash-backs. I´m
definitely heading back!¦. I don´t want to walk in on Carol and find her
with someone else. Then I thought, Hey, she loves me. She told me that she had never
been in love like this before. How could she risk losing that? I´m just
freezing and not thinking clearly. Then I thought, Maybe she is with someone else....
it really doesn´t matter if I never know, but if I walk in on them then it
would all be over..... Do I want to risk that? No I don´t I´m going to
head back that is it!</p>
<p>The I seen car lights heading west drawing near, I ran across the road, not
thinking clearly, put my thumb out, and the car unanticipated, pulled over. I walked
to the car in a slight daze, and it was a cop car. The cop told me to get in and
asked me for my ID. As I was getting my wallet he said, Do you know that it´s
illegal to hitch in Colorado. I replied, No, I did not know. The cop performed a
background check while I told him about Carol in Vail, and how much I wanted to be
with her. The cop replied, Instead of arresting you, I´m going to take you to
the bus depot. He asked if I had some money for the bus. I told him that I had only
six dollars. When we got to the bus depot at the off-the-highway restaurant, the cop
went inside and bought me a ticket. He warned me not to hitch. I thanked him as he
left. Now that he paid for my ticket, I had to wait two and a half hours for the
bus.</p>
<p>The bus was arriving at 1:30am, which means that I won´t arrive in Vail
until 3:00 in the morning. I warmed up again, and then I returned outside. I was very
bored at waiting inside the restaurant. I looked up at the comet and my mind
continued to have flashbacks of Carol being with someone. No matter how much I tried
to not think of it, I could not stop the flashbacks from imaging through my mind. I
had to wait two more hours for the bus, and I had to deal with two hours of random
flashbacks. The more I tried to stop thinking the more I was thinking. After awhile,
I started to get confused, thinking both ways, positive and negative¦. Going
back and forth.</p>
<p>The bus finally arrived and I was off to Vail for better or for worse. If it
wasn´t meant to be then I would not be on the bus going there. I tried to head
back, but I couldn´t find a ride back. I told myself not to worry. Everything
is going to be all right. I´m heading to see my girl.</p>
<p>I arrived in Vail at 3:15 in the morning. I walked up to the door, opened it, and
entered the apartment. I was a little apprehensive. I opened her bedroom door very
slowly. I peeked down at her bed and the bed was empty. The sheets were made and
undisturbed. I could not see throughout the room because of the darkness. I
didn´t want to wake her roommates who she shared the room with. I closed the
door and said to myself, That´s weird. I wonder where she is? Then I walked in
the living room and I saw some unknown guy sleeping solo on the couch. I walked over
to him and shook him, but he refused to be awakened.</p>
<p>I then noticed that the girls who lived on the lower level were still up. I heard
Carol´s friends talking. Maybe there was a party downstairs. Maybe she´s
there. I went down to her friends and walked into the room. Everyone yelled,Chuck,
it´s so good to see you! They were a little drunk. I told them that I arrived
to surprise Carol, but she wasn´t in her bed. That´s funny, she said,
I´m sure she is up there. Come have a drink with us. They then leaded me into
the living room, and poured me a drink. I asked them if they were certain that Carol
was upstairs. They said, Yes, she has to be. She said goodnight to us. I was
confused, and told them that I will try to look again. The funny girls asked me to
come back down.</p>
<p>I went back up to her bedroom and opened the door to let more light in so I could
see deeper into the room. Especially the bed next to hers. To my surprise, there was
no one in either bed. I thought, This is nuts? Then I became very energetically
determined to find her. I went back to the guy who was sleeping on the couch. I
grabbed him hard like an animal and shook his brains out. Wake up man¦ Wake
up! I asked him, Where´s Carol? He mumbled that she was in the bedroom. I said
fuck this; I opened the bedroom door and turned on the light. Carol was sleeping in
the corner top bunk bed with her arms around a guy. I froze. I couldn´t believe
it. She had her head on his chest, her arms around him, and his arms around her. She
had a large peaceful smile on her face. I became integrally devastated.</p>
<p>I immediately closed the door. I didn´t wake them up and I wanted to get my
thoughts together. The first thing that came into mind was to leave and forget I was
ever there. How was I to forget what I´d just witnessed. I could never forget
and I began to cry. Then I thought, Maybe I should go throw the two fucking guys out
of the house to show my manhood, but still, how could I ever forget what I saw. I
could never forget. I had no money and didn´t know what to do.</p>
<p>Helplessly, I put myself back together, and went downstairs to her girlfriends.
When I walked in they asked if I found Carol. I told them, Yes, in bed with another
guy. The girls were shocked and sorry, and quickly began pampering me in tears. I
began crying again very distraught. They said that Carol and I were so wonderful and
perfect together. I couldn´t stop crying from all their pity. After we all
cried for about an hour, I asked one of the girls if she could lend me the bus fare
so that I could go back home in the morning. They said sure and gave me the money.
They told me not to worry that everything was going to be all right. I told them that
it was over. The sight I saw would never leave my mind. Seeing my girl happy with her
arms around another man. No way .. It was over. We cried for another hour until we
were pooped from crying, and we all fell asleep.</p>
<p>I woke up early to catch the 7:00am bus. I had left the girls who were sleeping
except for one. She came over to me when I opened the door, gave me a big kiss, and
told me that she loved me very much. I walked out the door into the cold and
proceeded to the bus station. I had enough for a coffee and waited for the bus to
arrive. I was there for about fifteen minutes when Carol walked in, in tears.</p>
<p>I was cried out, and she was in tears saying that she was very sorry. I told her
it was OK, but that it was over with us. I explained that I could not ever forget
what I had seen. I told her that when I opened the door she had her arms around the
guy with a soft, peaceful smile on her face. Then she said that she didn´t have
sex with him. I said, You expect me to believe that? She said nothing, and I began
crying very deeply. Then the bus was loading, and I told her I was returning home.
She begged me not to leave. I gave her a kiss on the cheek, and told her, Now you
won´t need to make a decision between me and your Minnesota boyfriend. I
entered the bus and sat in my assigned seat. Carol was in a daze with tears. As the
bus departed, I could see her there hopelessly lost in her tears.</p>
<p>There was a cute girl with big tits sitting next to me who watched Carol and I
crying. She asked me if I was OK, and what had happened. I told her the story on the
ride to Denver, and she became very sad for me. Her name was Nancy. She was a very
nice and warm person. She liked me and tried to change the mood by talking to me and
making jokes. It had a slight effect, but Nancy kept at it. She then asked me where I
was going, and I told her Boulder. She asked how I was getting to Boulder. I told her
that I had called one of the band members, specifically Denny, told him what had
happened, and asked if he would pick me up. Denny asked, Why me. I told him that I
needed some spiritual comfort, and that he was the only person I knew who could
provide it. Denny said that he would try, but that I was putting him on the spot. He
said he wasn´t a guru, but he agreed to pick me up. Nancy said that she was
also going to Boulder, and asked if she could tag along. I said sure.</p>
<p>We arrived in Denver, I asked Nancy to wait for a moment while I speak with Denny
alone for a minute. Nancy understood. I told Denny the story quickly and Denny
replied, It sound like to me that you created the situation. I said, How did I create
it? He said that you were thinking that she was with another guy, and when you
arrived there, she was. Therefore you created it. I said to him, Well, thanks a
lot¦ you´re a big fucking help. That´s the most stupid thing I
ever heard in my life. I created it. What am I God or something? I told him to just
take Nancy and I home. I told Nancy to get in the van and we headed out to Boulder.
As we were heading back I began to realize that Denny wasn´t spiritual after
all. He just appeared that way. He doesn´t have it together like I thought.
Fuck it! I´m all alone in this thing. I´ll just have to deal with it by
myself. No choice. No one can understand and no one could help.</p>
<p>I acted as if I wasn´t upset with Denny´s attitude on the rest of the
ride home. Nancy on the other hand, was very cheerful and positive. We stopped in
Boulder to let Nancy off and Nancy gave me her number and asked me to come visit her
if I ever get over this thing. She told me that she wanted me. She made me feel good
again.</p>
<p>We arrived back to the bands house and I told Ritchie what had happened, and he
felt also was sad about it. I cried on and off for two days thinking if I only did
this ...if I only did that....if I only listened to the flashbacks. I was weak in
thought and could not lend a hand to the band. Everyone was hoping for something to
pop me out of the situation.</p>
<p>On the third day, I was in bed soaking in my depression. I was thinking, What a
beautiful girl she was. She played guitar. She was sexually active all the time with
me. She made me feel like a king. The bedroom door suddenly opened, and it was Carol.
She came over, laid down next to me, and began to kiss me. She then put my penis in
her mouth. After we made passionate love, I began feeling happy again. We then took a
shower together, and I automatically forgot everything that happened. It was so
wonderful to be with her again that I felt like nothing had ever gone wrong. I was
totally normal. The band noticed that I got put right back together. Carol then made
lunch for everyone and we all ate. I found a kite in the house, and took it outside
to fly it while Carol called he mom. Carol arrived by taxi to the house, and she
brought along a lot of food. Time passed by so quickly, and it was time for dinner.
Carol served everyone and sat directly next to me. She made me feel like a king by
handing me my drink when she thought I was thirsty. She was constantly after me like
an Asian woman who served her man. Then Carol picked up one of the guitars that were
lying around and began to play and sing. Everyone remained quiet and listened. She
melted everyone. I had no idea that she played so well. I was in awe. What a
wonderful girl I have. I am really blessed. I was so much happier.</p>
<p>The next day, Carol and I had to figure out a plan. What we were going to do?
Carol said that she needed to go home to settle things, with her family and her
boyfriend. She then called her mother to tell her that she would fly home tomorrow.
After the call Carol asked me to go home with her. She said that she would break off
with her boyfriend, get her car, and that we would drive back to Colorado. We would
then find a place of our own near Arvada where she accepted the teaching job. I told
Carol that I liked her idea, but I didn´t want to go back to Minnesota with her
so that she could break up with her boyfriend. I told her that I felt very
uncomfortable about meeting her family. I´m broke, with no decent clothes, and
I don´t think it would be right that you use my presence to break off with your
boyfriend. I think that it would be better if you fly home, break off with your
boyfriend, drive back to meet me, and we will start from there. Carol,´ I said,
If I cleaned up my looks with a haircut and bought some nice clothes, I would be most
happy to face your parents. In this condition, I wouldn´t feel right.
I´ll meet your parents at another time when I have money and nice clothes.
I´ll get a job, and it will happen. I then asked Carol, Will it bother you to
travel back in the car by yourself? She said no. I said well there you have it.
Let´s do it that way. My first impression with your parents will be their
lasting impression. I want it to be a good impression. Carol agreed.</p>
<p>Ritchie and I drove Carol to the airport and as we waited for the boarding call,
we took some photos. Then she had to board the plane. I kissed her and told her how
happy I was that she returned to me. She told me that she loved me very much, and
that she would return in five days. Carol boarded, and the plane taxied away. Ritchie
said, That is a wonderful girlfriend you have.</p>
<p>Three days later, Denny hands me a letter that came in the mail. This is for you,
he said. I went into extreme happiness. I knew it was from Carol. She´s
probably keeping me up to date on her progress. I opened it and it and noticed that
it was a Dear John letter. In the letter was a picture of Carol in her wedding dress.
She stated in the letter that she had promised her boyfriend to help put him through
law school. She had married him as soon as she got home, but wanted me to know that
she will never be loved like I have loved her. I lost her again. I went into deep
depression. I should have gone back with her. That was the first thing that I
thought. I went into the bedroom to return to my misery. After a few hours, I began
to get very pissed, and I drew a mustache on her in the photo, and mailed it back to
her. Fuck it.</p>
<p>The band was starting to fall apart. I knew by their actions that it was only a
matter of time. The were nit-picking with one another. George the bass player was
constantly downstairs in his Buddha set-up chanting, nom yo ho ren kay kyo. He was
saying it thousands of times over and over for hours. I told Ritchie that we better
had found another place to live, because that was the sign that things are falling
apart. I then decided to contact that girl, Nancy. She answered the phone and asked
me to come by.</p>
<p>I arrived at Nancy´s house and she had some outrages looking roommates. One
was Heide, who was dancing to music as I entered the house. She had a cute little
tight body. She was moving her body in a very sexy motion with the music. The other
girl was named, Lucy. She had a beautiful body with a perfect set of tits. It was
hard directing my attention to Nancy with all these sexy ladies dancing about. Inside
my mind they were making me nuts. I stayed for a short while, but before I left,
Nancy kissed me very hard while taking my hand and pressing it on her giant tits. I
became very excited, and told her that I would see her again. Then I went to visit
Harlan and Seed. I told Harlan that I was looking for a place and asked if he knew
anyone getting rid of an apartment. Harlan said that he was leaving Boulder to return
back home. If I wanted his bedroom, I could have it. I said, Great Then I asked Seed
if it was OK, and Seed said fine, go for it. Harlan said I could have it at the end
of the month. I asked Seed if the other bedroom was available for Ritchie and he said
yes. I told them great.</p>
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