Tuesday, July 30, 2013

TWISTED SIFTER just gave me a major flashback!

From TWISTED SIFTER
In this incredible black and white photograph by Sébastien Barré, we see the inside of the abandoned Starlite Music Theater in Latham, New York. The building shut down in 1997, ending a 40 year run that saw entertainers such as Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Wayne Newton, Tom Jones and Eddie Murphy perform on its stage...



But not only that - my Dad used to perfom there all the time. He was pretty much their default opening act.

Here is some footage of my old man rockin' the joint...





A few thoughts about my old man.

Since he was a kid he wanted to be a singer and since he was a kid most of his friends and  family did everything they could to discourage him. Maybe they thought show business would break his heart, maybe they thought he was crazy  or maybe it was just the simple truth that a lot of folks don't like to watch people they know trying to make their dreams come true.


But you know what? He did it. Oh sure, it took him a while to get there but he's been making his living as a performer for most of his life. He may never score a top 40 hit but that when the final score is tallied I bet he'll have genuinely entertained more audiences than a lot of gold record holders of the last twenty years.


And that is why even though my Dad and I may not always get along, or agree or even understand each other a lot of the time he will always be one of my heroes.


He did it, even though everyone said he shouldn't even have tried.

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