Skip to main content

Dick Clark

I know I don't look, or act, old enough but Dick Clark was a huge part of my childhood and adolescence. 


I watched American Bandstand on Saturdays throughout my school years. I loved to dance and I could watch and dance along with the 'really groovy' dancers on the Bandstand. It was my view into the latest music, dance moves, and fashion! I could see what the girls from the big city of Philly were wearing and try to adorn myself in something similar in the big suburbs. Next to Seventeen magazine, it was my best source for fashion!!


Now mind you this is 'back in the day' when most homes only had one TV. And I don't think ours was color until the mid-to-late 70s. So, I would have to announce to my four siblings that it was my turn for the TV at 12:30 when the Bandstand came on. You can imagine the number of times actually sibling warfare broke out - you know name-calling, pillows flying, arms flailing. Often times we'd end up laughing. And then later they might laugh at me when they watched my boogie to the Bandstand!


When I was in high school - I was huge- huge - into disco. I had the Candies (and now the bunions to prove it!) and the Danskin leotard/skirt to go to the discos. I even entered a couple contests with my buddy Jim Chouinard, who loved to dance but would still say that he thought 'disco sucked'. It may be one of those memories reinventing itself, but I think we won a contest or two. So when the Bee Gees made an appearance - I was beside myself to watch them sync to the songs from Saturday Night Fever and to see what the dancers would be wearing.


I learned all about lip-syncing from watching the bandstand. So I wasn't shocked in the 80s when Milli Vanilli was caught doing the lip-sync. Heck they probably got it from watching the bandstand! Only I think the acts on the Bandstand used their own voices for the sync.


All the while, throughout my youth, Dick Clark never seemed to age. It wasn't really until his stroke that you could see the years on his face. He always seemed so kind - to the musical guests and teens in the audience. One of my favorite times in the show was when Dick Clark would sit in the bleachers with the teens to 'talk' and then introduce the next act. He seemed genuine.


So, I was a little sad to hear of his passing. Though after seeing him this past New Year's Rocking Eve, I can say that he didn't look or seem well. Good bye, Dick and thank you for many Saturday's and the many memories bestowed.
   

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Ten Year

When I was in junior high school, I staged a sit-in and learned about 'ten year'. This will come as a total surprise to most of you readers - I was not a perfectly well behaved child. I know, I know - you're shocked, amazed, in wonder how I could have turned out to be so well-behaved despite the oats sown in my youth.  And the sit-in is a perfect example of how I marched to the beat of my own drummer. Miss Brown was an English teacher - and not a very popular one. She would invoke the yardstick on wayward student's hands and scowl the moment we walked into the classroom. We weren't very kind to Miss Brown but then she wasn't very kind to us, either. Personally, the hardest part of having Miss Brown as an English teacher is that she nearly ruined my love of my favorite topic in school. It was the year we were to learn grammar (have I ever mentioned that as a writer I detest grammar?). I think some new way of teaching English was introduced and in all l...
5 comments
Read more

When you encounter a totally different reality

John and I arrived early for an appointment (for those of you that know my husband, you know that this is not infrequent! The story of arriving three hours early for a flight to Phoenix from Midway still gets repeated and laughed about when the 'kids' get together). We found a seat and the waiting room began to fill. We had chosen seats away from the TV where NBC's Today Show was playing, so we couldn't see what was on the screen. Another couple sat before the TV and provided commentary and as the time progressed provided a glimpse into a total different 'reality'. "Oh I can't even stand to look at him. He's so evil" "What is wrong with his hair?" "This administration will do down in history as the worst ever." "The federal government is taking over the states. There's going to be a civil war, just you wait." "They just let all those illegal aliens in and then they're going to give them weapons to take...
1 comment
Read more

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

I put my pride aside and got my ass off the grass and into the wheelchair. {I spent a couple minutes deciding whether to put an exclamation mark after that declaration or to put the period after that statement. I think the period better suits my mood about getting said ass into the wheelchair!} On July 4, Saugatuck has a wonderfully unique parade that includes quirky participants like the artsy-fartsy campers at OxBow art colony and the LGBT members of a local foundation along with the more traditional participants like Girl Scouts, fire trucks, and local politicians. It had been a couple years since I had been to the parade, this year, though, my Mom and sister were in town and I wanted to take them. So we loaded up in the van, including Kerri's wheelchair and my own. Once we parked, John asked if I wanted to use my chair and I initially balked but then remembered that it can be a long, hot parade and it might be better to have a place to sit. So, I acquiesced and took the cha...
2 comments
Read more