The Legend of Dj Buddy Beaverhausen

Dj Buddy's '70s Salad Days

My mother didn't christen me Dj Buddy Beaverhausen, I'll have you know, though I did arrive with great ceremony as a divine being. She carried two babies to term that died during delivery. In those days of yore (and mine), the doctor advised my mother to eat, eat, eat; to give in to all her cravings, but to watch her salt intake. The result: mon petite mom blew up like a balloon and I, consequently, came into the world healthy and happy, but a baby Buddah-like figure at over 13 lbs.

I laughed a lot and gained my first appreciative audiences. My crib was full of stuffed animals and teething toys and rattles, as I truly learned to shake my music-maker to entertain. I was bathed, scented and anointed, treated like the Second Coming. I, of course, thought I was the First Coming! The center of the universe, it was all about me, me, me, and why not! Ah, my halcyon era!

Weight was, of course, an issue, but I slimmed down during childhood and even got down to 118 lbs during my Studio 54 days. I won't say how.

I still have a recording of me, at about 7-years-old, made in a recording booth in Asbury Park, NJ, on the boardwalk. My grandfather took me into that magical space (designed much like the old photo booths) and drew the curtain so that I could sing into the machine and get back a mini-vinyl record we could play at home. My song? The very theatrical "Hey, Look Me Over," from Wildcat, sung by Lucille Ball in her Broadway show of the time. I knew every word! And I sang so loud, I'm sure most of the penny arcade could hear me sing out, Louise, sing out!

Fast forward past incarnations as a cabaret act with a finale in a loincloth, underground filmmaker, award-winning and published poet, and five-time winner at the East Village's Crowbar competition nights as Tiffany/Debbie Gibson wannabe, Sheila Gillerman (who went on to have a few gigs at The Duplex before retiring early and checking into rehab).

My original dj name was Char Treuse, based on a truncated version of my real first and last names (Charles Truenski). As that alias led certain individuals to somehow assume it was a drag name, I was prompted to reconsider.  My childhood nickname is "Buddy, " so I chose that (because it sounds kind of butch) but decided the name needed more to it. I needed a word that suggested the word "alias." And then, I recalled tv's Will & Grace's character, Karen, using "Anastacia Beaverhausen" as a sobriquet. Voila! Dj Buddy Beaverhausen was born. And my dj promo-only, not-for-sale cd-roms became a Manhattan downtown cult legend at bars, lounges and shops.

Now, about getting rid of the baby fat...!

Porn Again with Buddy Beaverhausen

A little Budapest budda-bing/budda-boom from sleazy Slavs and horny Hungarians, the Falcon International video, Hungarian Hunks, was gifted me by a thoughtful and concerned friend. It being quite a while since I last watched a porn film, I settled in to have some homoerotic, homo-alone fun, eschewing the poppers and Boy Butter that otherwise might have made this a more interactive diversion.

No, I was focused, as is my wont, on theme, plot, direction, cinematography and what can only loosely be called "performances."

First, let me say that my subway commute to and from Bay Ridge is bountiful with Eastern European-immigrant construction workers (mostly Polish and Russian in this case). Lots of very tall, very strapping, very masculine-looking men of varying ages. Why, the air of the subway cars in which I travel is oft thick with the scent of pure testosterone! And Old Spice mixed with stale cigarette smoke.

Yesterday, I tried to discreetly keep my eyes off one middle-aged fellow, well over six-feet-tall, wearing the biggest construction shoes I've ever seen in my life. Talk about your kinky boots! I mean, we all know what they say about men and shoe size, and I do regard that as a rule of thumb! (Or a rule of toe, whichever term seems most apropos in this case.)

I was therefore emboldened and quite ready for Hungarian Hunks, indiscriminately mixing Czechs, Hungarians, Latvians, Belarusians, Slovakians and who have you by way of Eastern Europe, into one large, steamy goulash of my mind; a beef stroganoff for my id. I licked my lips, slipped in the disc and fingered the "play" command.

Can you believe this film has English subtitles (as it's spoken in Czech -- or is it Slovak)?! However, as it's not Cries and Whispers, the dialogue is inconsequential, so one needn't bother to ever actually have to read anything during the film's running time, thank God. There are plenty of hot cries and whispers that really need no translation (love being the universal tongue). And speaking of tongue, there's plenty of that, too, once heavy petting on the white pleather couch turns into a threesome where head is given freely, not to mention hand jobs and hot beef injections up the wazoo. By the look of things in Hungarian Hunks, it's obvious your parents were quite correct in warning you that one thing leads to another. Perhaps that is the moral of this 2-hour saga of sex. (Editing could definitely have been tighter. And you can say that about the sphincters presented as well.)

There's also a bedroom scene where two other hot-looking guys go to it. The electronic film score, however, lends a rather sterile, impersonal touch that sounds more suited for an afternoon tv talk show than over the preceding proceedings. By the time the two gardeners join in with the two housemates and their five army buddies home from Iraq (the film was shot in 2007 and obviously skirts any political commentary on the subject), Buddy B felt boringly bogged down in a "been there, done that" sense of deadening deja vu.

But, boy on boy, I got to tell you! Erotic? This stuff looks messy, like a lot of hard work, and not completely designed for comfort. As for whoever owns the couch, I understand pleather is thankfully easy to clean.  So, I'll go back to fantasizing on the subway, thank you, or wait for the next Falcon International video that is "FILMED ON LOCATION IN EASTERN EUROPE," as the video case's artwork proudly announces.

Budapest budda-boom/budda-bing indeed! Now, where's that Boy Butter?

Buddy Beaverhausen Meets Melissa Manchester

In such strong voice, Melissa Manchester opened her set at B.B. King's New York last night with the song, "So Strong." She followed that first number with "Don't Let the Feeling End (theme from the film Ice Castles)," an Oscar-nominated song written by her friends, Marvin Hamlisch and Carol Bayer Sager, and a Billboard smash.

This was a good tiding, as I had just read the Clive Davis tell-all. He painted Melissa as an artist who wanted to promote her songwriting talent and disdained many of the songs Clive offered her and that, then, became radio hits for her. But Melissa treated us to most of her popular hits and so much more during this show.

In a sparkly black blouse-and-jacket ensemble over black slacks, Melissa tore through her popular catalogue with "Midnight Blue" (which she originally wrote for Dionne Warwick); "Just You and I;" "Come In from the Rain" on piano; the Grammy Award-winning (for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" ("Made me the queen of aerobics classes," the songbird snarked); "Don't Cry Out Loud" (written by Carol Bayer Sager and Peter Allen) was offered with a beautiful arrangement on Spanish guitar.

In a frighteningly karaoke-like moment of the night, MM did a duet with Barry Manilow -- who appeared on-screen! -- to Carole King's "You've Got a Friend." She kindly referred to her work with Manilow and Midler, for whom she was a Harlette. (She even appears in the Midler movie, For the Boys, as a back-up girl!)

Surprises of the night included a cover of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" that was presented as a beautiful ballad not unlike the Ellie Greenwich recording; "Let's Face the Music and Dance" and "From This Moment On," prefaced by Melissa discussing teaching melody-driven music at UCLA; Rogers and Hammerstein's "Something Wonderful" (from The King and I); the Bermans' "The Way We Were;" and -- as her encore and tribute to Dusty Springfield (whose birthday was on show night) -- an impresive interpretation of "Son of a Preacher Man."

Other highlights of the evening included Melissa's powerhouse vocals on "I Know Who I Am," which she co-wrote, from Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls movie and "Beloved," backed by a magnificent recorded choir, from the singer's commitment to teach music to life-imprisoned women.

I met Melissa after the show, where she spoke more about her involvement with Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, California. She is a doll! Plus, she was very conversationally engaged and kind, and just lovely to speak with.

Melissa was a Bistro Awards winner in 2012, appearing and performing at that ceremony with Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away shortly thereafter. I sat with Sherry Eaker, who produces The Bistros, unfortunately spilling a glass of wine on her. (At least it was pino, a white wine. But... oh boy, I'm such a klutz sometimes!)

We sat across from her friends, who ran into us on our way into the showroom from Lucille's bar across the floor. (It was Sherry's first visit there and she is such a Motown girl! She hated to leave the live band doing Motown faves. Always good to turn a friend on to something good.)

Her friends, it turned out, were Broadway star Lee Roy Reams, and his significant other. Mr Reams has appeared in Sweet Charity! Oklahoma! Hello, Dolly! La Cage! The Producers! Yet, he was as sweet and dishy as anyone might imagine, and adored the show along with his partner.

On our way out, we ran into my friends Tony and Charlie! I joined them on the line to meet Melissa. What a great group of people! What a great show! And what a great star! Melissa from the Bronx, come back to NYC soon!

Below, a video of last night's "Dont Cry"

Dj Buddy B's Happy Birthday Blog for the Divine Jessica Lange

Buddy Beaverhausen loves Jessica Lange. The 64-year-old actress celebrates her birthday today.

Lange certainly is as talented and accomplished as her contemporaries, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, as far as I'm concerned, and is in the same league of modern leading ladies.

She started as a Wilhelmina model and debuted on-screen, in the Faye Wray role, in Dino De Laurentis' dubious remake of King Kong. (She was also a roommate, in New York and before her early success, with Grace Jones and Jerry Hall, incidentally.)

She began to be taken seriously when she assayed the role of Frances Farmer in 1982's Frances. She was nominated as Best Actress at the Oscars and, in the same year, as Best Supporting Actress for her role opposite Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. She had arrived, as they say.

I've followed and adored her through the years, especially loving her as Patsy Cline is the biopic Sweet Dreams.  I saw her on Broadway in her unforgettable performance as Blache DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and was floored by her intensity in the role.

By 1998, she did her Crawford/ Davis-like descent into Grand Guignol with Hush opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. This flick was, unfortunately, marred by a bad ending despite its over-the-top, camp fun. A guilty pleasure of mine and I still recommend it.

Lange's Emmy Award-winning performance as Big Edie in HBO's wonderful Grey Gardens (opposite Drew Barrymore) impressed me to no end, especially her transformation from vivacious socialite to down-on-her-heels harridan.

I love Jessica Lange, who is now appealing to a younger audience via her campy, fierce performance in tv's American Horror Story. She has been Oscar-nominated 6 times, winning 2, and 14 Golden Globe nods, winning 5. She is magnificent and, in my opinion, can do no wrong. She is also a tireless AIDS activist.

So, Happy Birthday, Jessica Lange! We love you.

Below, the HBO trailer for Grey Gardens:

Happy Birthday, Bob Esty!

Mod Mr Esty

Cheers! As our salute to Bob Esty concludes, we wish the awesome and influential producer/ songwriter/ arranger a very happy birthday today -- and hope he has many more!

Bob Esty originally made his mark with disco classics on the Casablanca label in the '70s, including such time-honored productions such as Donna Summers' "Last Dance," Cher's "Take Me Home," and Barbra Streisand's "The Main Event." (Incidentally, Bob told me, "People think I did 'Enough is Enough' too!! I say, 'Enough, already'!!!")

Bob's private "guide vocals" for his artists are truly outstanding works of art in and of themselves, showcasing his singing and chameleon-like ability to mimic each singer, giving a sense of what the finished product might sound like. Cher commented on how uncanny Bob's guide vocals can be. Carol Channing said Bob Esty basically did her job and she needn't actually record the disco version of "Is That All There Is?" (It was recorded but, unfortunately, unreleased, though Bob's uncanny guide might give you an idea of what it would have sounded like.)
https://soundcloud.com/bobesty/is-that-all-there-is-guide

Here, at the following link, you can hear the ever-amazing Dj Jandry remix of Streisand's King and I medley from her Broadway Album with Bob's guide vocals:
https://jandrymix2013.opendrive.com/files?Ml8xMjM0Mzc5M19PblNWWA

So, Happy Birthday, Bob Esty! Lots of love and thanks for the music that has enriched our lives all this time.

It's a brand new year for you! Enjoy. I end with this beautiully done Bob Esty guide vocal, below, for "Brand New Day":

Bob Esty and Barbra Streisand: The King and I

In 1985, Bob Esty produced and arranged the King and I medley (along with Paul Jabara) on Barbra Streisand's The Broadway Album. On the vinyl release, the beautifully done, sensitively rendered and romantic medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "I Have Dreamed/We Kiss In A Shadow/Something Wonderful" exquisitely closed side one. Like butter.

"Shall We Dance" was also set to a disco beat for an exciting extended dance floor mix but ultimately (and unfortunately) not released. A missed opportunity in my humble opinion.

This album has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and was a critical and commercial success upon its release. Bob's King and I medley, in particular, was very well received and spotlighted by the press.

Buddy Beaverhausen's salute to Bob Esty continues this month as his birthday draws near (April 20). We wish him a very happy one and thank him for all the musical joy he's brought to our lives!

Listen via the YouTube clip below:

Peter Rauhofer

I have often sung the praises -- right here on this blog, in fact -- of Peter Rauhofer as a remixer and producer. He truly is one of the bright lights in the dance-music business. So, I was stunned to read this news today in Metro Weekly:

Hundreds of Peter Rauhofer's fans expressed well wishes for the famed dance music producer and DJ after it was announced that he is suffering from a "large brain tumor." His manager, Angelo, wrote today:

As Peter Rauhofer's manager and dear friend for many years, it is my sad duty to announce that Peter was rushed to the emergency room several weeks ago. After confirming that Peter had a seizure, further testing has revealed a large brain tumor, something that has gone undiagnosed for quite some time.

At this time, Peter's family is working closely with a team of talented Neurologists to determine the overall best treatment option. Please be assured that he is getting the absolute finest care possible, twenty-four hours a day.

Rauhofer is known for his prolific career as a remix producer for top-talent singers like Madonna, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and many others. He also released original recordings under the name Club 69 and the label Star 69. He has performed as DJ at some of the world's biggest gay clubs and other dance parties including Washington, D.C.'s Cherry events.

I recently raved about the work Rauhofer did on Adele's "Skyfall," Tori Amos' "Flavor" and Toni Braxton's "I Heart You" (all Billboard dance-chart hits) on more than one blog post. Peter continues to be an iconic influence and an inspiration, and he has helped set a standard for quality remixes.

Buddy Beaverhausen wishes Peter Rauhofer the best in his hospitalization, and for his recovery. Today's club music world uniformly echoes that sentiment.

One of my eternal Rauhofer favorites; a production for Club 69. Diva! featuring Kim Cooper:

Broadway Beaverhausen: You'll Eat Bette Midler Up

Entering the Booth Theatre, where Bette Midler is appearing on previews in I'll Eat You Last (opening April 24), the first thing you'll see is this notice on the stage curtain:  WARNING This play contains profanity, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, & gossip. You'll not be disappointed in that promise.

What happened to matinees' blue-haired old ladies? Our sold-out Sunday afternoon crowd was pretty hep, smartly dressed and not too unlike the evening crowd, without a blue rinse in sight.

And what was not to love once Bette Midler took to the stage as Sue Mengers? It was the perfect play for her to tackle, in my opinion, and she was clearly having fun with this 90-minute, no-intermission,  no-holds-barred, one-woman show.

Mengers was the high-powered Hollywood super-agent who died in 2011 due to complications from a series of strokes and pneumonia at age 79, after ruling the Hollywood roost of the '60s and '70s. I'll Eat You Last (the title derived from a throw-away line in the show) is set in her living room in 1981. Playwright Josh Logan (Tony winner for Red, a drama about artist Mark Rothko) certainly supplies Ms Midler with delicious dialogue that she sinks her teeth into with great relish. Gossip? Oh, my dears! This is dish on a grand scale! "Trash with flash" as the Divine Miss M might put it. It's a thrill ride for fans.

The play's Miss M(engers) has much to share with us about Julie Harris, Gene Hackman, Ali McGraw, Faye Dunaway, who were clients, as well as Sissy Spacek, Diana Ross, Jane Fonda and Steve McQueen as she remains on her couch, holding court. The anecdotes (which I will not spoil by divulging here) are boldly delivered in high style and Bette is at her outrageous best, making them work with trademark delivery. There are times when her Ms Mengers merges with Ms Midler's Divine Miss M and Sophie Tucker!

Buddy B and friend Tracey (photo by Merv)

There's a special irony when Bette Midler, in character, discusses Sue's friendship with Barbra Streisand. There's a twinkle of mischief in her eyes during these moments. Sue recalls seeing Streisand for the first time when her gay friends brought her to the bar, The Lion's Den, on 9th Street in the West Village. (Streisand was discovered when she then moved to the Bon Soir on 8th Street. I lived around the corner from both these landmarks for many years.) The two women bonded, were friends for many years, but eventually parted ways via events well detailed in the play.

The super-sedentary Sue Mengers is like the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, referenced in the play. Instead of a hookah, she has her roach clip and joint in hand, and never rises from her couch until the show's finale. In fact, she commands an audience member to come onstage to fetch things for her (joints, wine). She treats him grandly with charm and, alternately, scorn. But it is a brilliant and golden moment of interaction with the audience. Be careful where you sit.

I'll Eat You Last was in every way a total delight and Bette's delivery and facial gestures priceless. The packed house frequently responded with applause and laughter. Bette ad-libbed brilliantly when necessary but delivered a most disciplined performance that was hilarious yet poignant in a style all her own.

In the end, Sue Mengers gives some final advice to her audience, then stumbles off, stoned, to the sound of Barbra's "Stony End."  "I knew her when she was Bar-ba-ra," Bette's Mengers says.

Directed by Joe Mantello (Other Desert Cities) with great pinache. Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone is especially expressive and noteworthy.

Highly recommended and on a limited run until June 30 (Gay Pride Day in NYC).

Video Beaverhausen: Phil Spector According to HBO

When I discuss the Phil Spector murder case, as when I discuss Mommie Dearest, let me say I am most distinctly neither a defender or apologist for either the abuse of women or child abuse. But, as I have reasonable doubt about the Christina Crawford book (and the cult film based upon it),  I have the same regarding music producer Spector's guilt regarding the death of Linda Clarkson that has sentenced him to jail for life. (Ironically, Ms Clarkson had a role in Pacino's Scarface.)

The David Mamet-directed and -written HBO telefilm, Phil Spector, ends with Helen Mirren, as defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden, saying, "I believe Phil Spector is not guilty." To which "Are you sure?" is the response. Mirren offers the last line in the film with the reply: "No. But I have reasonable doubt."

And so I felt precisely that way after watching the British documentary, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, to which this dramatization makes a great companion piece. I'm not confident in Spector's innocence but feel he was convicted with very reasonable doubt outstanding.

Ms Mirren stepped into the role of Spector's attorney at the last minute after original cast member Bette Midler suffered a back injury “and had to be carried off the set," according to the real Ms Baden (who, like moi, is a Jersey Girl). That might explain why the ubiquitous Ms Mirren, emotionally real in the part, slips back and forth from a British to a neutral American accent but never nails the Jersey nasality. (I was roundly lampooned when I went to University of Colorado amongst the Northwesterners with their contrasting open vowels.)

Phil Spector opens with the disclaimer: "This is a work of fiction. It's not 'based on a true story.' It is a drama inspired by actual persons in a trial, but it is neither an attempt to depict the actual persons, nor to comment upon on the trial or its outcome." I.e., "Don't sue!" ("Not based on a true story"??!!)

Al Pacino's Phil Spector is a brilliant performance, wigs, prosthetic teeth and all! He speaks like Phil,  gestures like him, and even has something of the unfortunate watery mouth on display (as seen in The Agony)! I thought Spector's famous though tragic "Jewfro" was meant to make him look like Beethoven, but it turns out he was going for Jimi Hendryx. Go figure.

Yet Pacino humanizes the hermetic eccentric especially in his bravura explosion during an arranged rehearsal of the trial meant to prepare him for his court appearance.

He flies into a rage at the video testimony of Ronnie Spector  (shabbily portrayed by Linda Miller), calling her a "psychotic bitch." This scene is classic Pacino and absolutely riveting. (Of course, the real-life Ronnie has her own version of all this.)

Early on, Mirren enters the Spector mansion, a recluse's scary Gothic air-conditioned labyrith within a guarded compound, where even some of the doorways aren't real. The film's focus is on the two characters' growing sense of trust and affection. Though moments of this movie have a very Law & Order feel, there are certainly flashes of brilliance that set it apart.

Obviously, Spector permitted HBO to use his songs "Be My Baby," "He's a Rebel" and "When I Saw You" in the context of this film. Below, HBO's trailer:

 

Party On, Earth People!

Party, everybody, all around the planet Earth! The weekend is upon us and it's time to bust a move. Thanks to everyone checking out my blog. There will be more reviews, more interviews and more posts about the latest in dance music, classic disco, cabaret, Broadway and observations of the social scene coming your way soon.

Meanwhile, a shout-out to my readers. Over the past month, prominent views from Taiwan, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Indonesia, Japan, Ukraine, Brazil, Guatemala, Georgia, Latvia, Belarus, Algiers, Ireland, Belgium and Australia. And my biggest hits from my perennial crew from the USA, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Russia and France! Love out to you, and thanks for your views and your support!

It's one world and we're all in it together. Let's dance to celebrate diversity, equality, human rights, peace, love and happiness!

I leave you with the new number by Sweden's Army of Lovers:

Cher and Bob Esty Are Hell on Wheels

She's a roller mama AND a pirate! Avast ye all!

Cher's a sexy roller mama in the below 1979 video for the song, "Hell on Wheels," produced, arranged and conducted by Bob Esty (who we celebrate throughout this month), and written by Esty and long-time songwriting partner, Michele Aller.

Our diva is pretty impressive working those skates, too, in this Casablanca Records promotional video! Not my favorite Cher outfit, however; in fact, the pink-and-black zebra-print top with hot-pink Lycra pants ensemble is kind of hard on the eyes (as is the unfortunate perm). But the song is fabulous!

"Hell on Wheels" was an international single released off the Esty-produced Prisoner album and it also appeared in the movie, Roller Boogie, and on that film's soundtrack album.

According to biographer/journalist J. Randy Taraborrelli, "Hell on Wheels" was recorded because Cher admitted to being a huge roller-skating fanatic. And Arizona Republic's Randy Cordova praised the song, calling it a "roller-disco anthem."

Here, then, is Cher's video for Bob Esty's "Hell on Wheels" to help you get your weekend on:

Thatcher's Ding Dong Time

Ding Dong in Trafalgar Square!

Actor Russell Brand commented, upon the death of Maggie Thatcher: "I do recall that even to a child her demeanour and every discernible action seemed to be to the detriment of our national spirit and identity. Her refusal to stand against apartheid, her civil war against the unions, her aggression towards our neighbours in Ireland and a taxation system that was devised in the dark ages, the bombing of a retreating ship -- it's just not British."

"Conservative hostility towards the BBC was a constant theme in the Thatcher era. With her death there has been a fresh spike," read an editorial in The Guardian. 

The BBC itself explains that BBC Radio "is planning to play Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, the Wizard of Oz track being bought by anti-Thatcher protesters in the wake of the former prime minister's death, on its chart show on Sunday.

"However, in what is thought to be a first for the BBC chart show, the corporation is considering having a Newsbeat reporter explain why a song from the 30s is charting to Radio 1's target audience of 16- to 24-year-olds – none of whom will remember Margaret Thatcher's controversial premiership.

"The Official Charts Company said on Thursday morning that Ding Dong the Witch is Dead was on course to reach number four, up from 10 the previous day."

The rise of "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" on the UK chart began as a Facebook campaign. "Make Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead number one the week Thatcher dies," was launched on Monday. It asked people to download the song originally sung in the 1939 MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz.

Glenda Jackson, a star in her own right who left an Oscar-winning, major movie-star career to become the Labor MP in England's House of Commons, attacked the late Ms Thatcher as causing “heinous social, economic and spiritual damage” and further commented “The first Prime Minister of female gender, OK. But a woman? Not on my terms.” So much for only speaking good of the dead. (As another Oscar-winning actress, Bette Davis, once reputedly said of Joan Crawford: "My mother told me to only say good things of the dead. Joan Crawford's dead. Good." Ding dong!) By the way, I wonder if Meryl Streep -- who portrayed Prime Minister Thatcher in her Oscar-winning Iron Lady performance -- will ultimately be reached for comment.

The song has not charted on US radio, incidentally.

Below, a fabulous club remix by Jack2Monet, in case you care to join our friends in the UK in their celebration!

Bob Esty's Love Story with Andy Williams

Now it can be told! Andy Williams goes disco -- with Bob Esty in control as our celebration of the producer, songwriter, arranger superstar, Mr Esty, continues at Leave It to Beaverhausen.

This disco re-interpretation of "How Do I Begin?," the theme song from the 1970 movie, Love Story (in which Ali McGarw dies after being a zombie), is just plain awesome. The late, beloved Andy Williams sings at the peak of his range with great dramatic delivery against Bob's sweeping, lush, majestic orchestration to an overwhelming dancefloor intensity! The excitement level on my Discometer went all the way up to ten, then the needle snapped off and spun through the air!

So, enjoy this great production. You're over the Wednesday work-week hump, so it's time for you to party!

And thanks to the ever-fabulous remixer/ dj Glenn Rivera for the outstanding video mix of "Love Story" posted below!

Annette and I

Annette Funicello was so famous in the '50s and the '60s, she was known simply as Annette. Like Cher! Or Barbra! And that makes her forever a true and legendary diva. (After all, when someone mentions, "Annette," is there one amongst us who asks: "Bening?")

Today, at age 70, she died of complications from multiple sclerosis, having been diagnosed in 1992. Born in Utica, NY, Annette grew up in Southern California. She took singing and dancing to overcome shyness and was discovered by the Walt Disney people when she was 12. She went on to star in the original Mickey Mouse Club on tv. This is where I first saw Annette -- and she instantly captured my attention and my heart. Even as a pre-schooler, I knew star quality when I saw it, people!

And so, in a figurative sense, Annette and I grew up together! I was thrilled when she became a recording artist with hit songs like "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess." Even my mother approved of her pop tunes!

Then, when I was in 6th grade, Annette starred in the American-International Beach Party series with Frankie Avalon. Why, they were the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire of the swingin' sand-and-surf set! Annette was a movie star! (And Frankie wasn't so hard to look at or listen to, either.) She had previously done a series of cute Disney films like Monkey's Uncle and Babes in Toyland. But, with the Beach Party films, she was headlining!  I took the Beach Party flicks to be a realistic projection of what my teen life would be like, even though they were set in SoCal and I lived in NJ. I guess I was thinking of summering on the beach at Asbury Park at the time.

Why, once, when Muscle Beach Party was on a double-bill with Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque of the Red Death (starring Vincent Price (my favorite, suavest leading man I secretly had the hots over)), I stayed at the movies to watch both films twice. I arrived home not only late for dinner but to a hysterical mother certain something bad had happened to me. "I didn't think about it" was not a satisfactory reply to my mother's question, "But why didn't you phone me? There is a pay phone in the lobby!" I got one of the two spankings of my childhood that fateful night. My mother was the one left in tears. I recall I kind of liked it. So... thank you, Annette, I guess!

By the '70s, the times they were a-changin', and Annette and I parted ways. I was off to college and she disappeared from screen, records and tv. I heard a rumor that she was considered for the role that Nancy Sinatra coveted in Roger Corman's Wild Angels but broke into tears and stormed off after being asked if she'd consider a brief, topless shot of her famous "shelf." (I heard a similar story about Shari Lewis, another pre-school crush, around the same time, regarding a different film.)

In the 1980s, Annette returned as a camp icon, with Frankie, in the film, Back to the Beach. It was a box-office hit. Pee-wee Herman said today on Facebook: "Completely heartbroken to hear the news that Annette Funicello passed away. I loved her from the first time I saw her on The Mickey Mouse Club. I finally got to meet her on the film 'Back To The Beach'. It was 100% the reason I was in the movie. She later appeared on Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. There wasn't a warmer, lovelier person in show business. Or anywhere. You are already missed by generations. Rest In Peace, Annette."

And Facebook friend, Andrew Martin, posted this great story:

In mourning the loss of Annette Funicello, I'm reminded of something slightly amusing regarding her and her mother Virginia. This was... when the MS was just starting to really take hold of her and become noticeable, so she took her mother to lunch and said, "Mama, I think it's time for me to hold a press conference. People are starting to wonder if I'm drinking, and I think it's better for people to finally know." Her mother shifted uncomfortably and Annette asked her what was wrong. She said, "Well...it's not that everybody doesn't know. Frankie (Avalon) knows." Annette said, "Mama! How does Frankie know?" She said, "Well, honey, I had to tell Frankie. He was so worried." Annette said, "OK, Frankie knows. And that's all?" Her mother said, "Yes, that's all. And Mr. (Dick) Clark." Annette said, "Frankie told Mr. Clark? I don't believe that." She said, "Well, no, honey, I told Mr. Clark. But I had to. He was so worried." Annette said, "So Frankie knows and Mr. Clark knows. And that's ALL?" She said, "Yes, honey, that's all. I promise. And Shelley (Fabares)." Annette said, "Mama! HOW could you tell Shelley??" She said, "Well, honey, I HAD to tell Shelley!! She was SO worried." Annette started arranging for the press conference immediately after lunch. 

By the way, Annette stayed close friends throughout her life with Shelley Fabares, Frankie Avalon and Tommy Kirk -- who had been drummed out of Hollywood by Walt Disney when Kirk chose to come out of the closet. 

Annette, you were truly one of America's sweethearts but, more importantly, my own. Rest in Peace. 

"Tall Paul" video:

Video Beaverhausen: Anthony Hopkins Is Hitchcock... Or Is He?

In his fat suit, prosthetics and make-up (the latter oddly received an Oscar nomination earlier this year), Anthony Hopkins doesn't so much resemble (or even sound like) Alfred Hitchcock as he does Sidney Greenstreet. It's as if his character is in the wrong biopic!

Hitchcock, recently released in a Blu-Ray/DVD + digital-copy combo pack, is the new Mommie Dearest. It elaborately does its subject a vast injustice by uncritically borrowing from a book (Stephen Rebello's Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho) meant, like Mommie Dearest, to exploit, negatively conjecture about and demean.

The target audience for this flick would largely have to be fans of the Hitchcock classic, Psycho. It certainly is of interest as to how this film -- cinematically iconic in so many ways -- came to be made and what a gamble it was for Hitch and his wife to make it happen.

As Alma Hitchcock, Helen Mirren seems much too glam in the part. The great woman behind her man certainly has a basis in fact. But, as The New York Times put it: "[the movie] takes extravagant liberties with the dead." This includes the backstreet affair Alma has with an ambitious screenwriter nicely portrayed by Danny Huston.

Surreal images and interactions of Ed Gein (the serial killer who inspired the 1959 novel, Psycho, written by Robert Bloch) and The Birds are added in this cinematic mix, but seem to boggle the film down more than lift it up. The effort often has the feel of a bad HBO movie. Rich in talent but poorly scripted and directed (Sacha Gervasi).

So iconic are Psycho and its cast that good performances by Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh and Jessica Biel as Vera Miles seem alienated from the well-known women they're portraying. Toni Collette, however, is deliciously officious in the role of Hitch's unsung secretary, Peggy, and James D'Arcy makes an excellent Anthony Perkins.

Ironically,  Ed Gein -- the 1950s serial killer -- inspired not only Psycho, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs. Starring Anthony Hopkins in his Oscar winning role as cannibal Hannibal Lechter, Silence is an unfortunate reference for Hitchcock as it's one to a better film, a better performance by Hopkins, and far better scripting and directing.

The original trailer follows:

Bob Esty Month Continues ~~ with Raquel Welch

Fur -- but not on a bikini.

Raquel Welch, disco diva? For sure!

"This Girl's Back in Town" is a clever, camp production that has quite the cult following. There's even a Facebook Page dedicated to it. Unfortunately, there are only two posts on that Page since 2010, so I won't bother to link it. Maybe I should just go there & load it up with Bob Esty and Raquel info! I'm certainly going to share this very blog link on that Page, for what it's worth, to any interested parties who wish to visit.

But the song, the song! Let's talk about the song! I adored "This Girl's Back" since its release on a vinyl maxi-single back in 1987! (I was 5 years old.) It was the first time I bought anything at Rebel Rebel on Bleecker Street. (I still shop there!) There was also a single, 7" release available. The sound would have been a huge hit at Studio 54 had the disco not closed in 1981. Even The Mud Club had closed by 1987! I know Ms Welch incorporated this number into her Vegas act. And I definitely recall hearing it at NYC's legendary The Saint, and my friends and I dancing to it amidst the elaborate light show, very into the song!

Bob Esty and Paul Jabara wrote "This Girl's Back in Town" and I understand that Raquel is credited with writing "additional lyrics." (Presumably the ecstatic groans and moans.) Bob produced with Michael ("Let's All Chant") Zager! It was released on the Columbia label, and produced and arranged for Raquel Welch Productions, Inc. Apparently, it was originally written by Esty & Jabara for Donna Summer.

It's arranged beautifully, too, so that, when Raquel hits those high notes and goes flat with great bravada (much like Ann-Margret does), there's an orchestral swirl with back-up girls there to enthrall us. But that only adds to the camp factor and the fun.

By the way, "Precious Jewels by The House of Harry Winston, Necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels" were credited for the album jacket image above. That means Raquel only borrowed them. Can we get any more diva-esque than that? Hollywood royalty, honeys! When Raquel came back to town, it wasn't in a fur bikini or in a wet suit covered in enormous, clinging white blood cells, let me tell you that! But what I'd like to know is who did the sunglasses and the hair?

Too late for the disco heyday, yet ahead of its time? You decide. Here, then, Bob Esty Month on Leave It to Beaverhausen continues with "This Girl's Back in Town." Get your weekend (and your wet suit) on -- Bob Esty style!

Beaverhausen on Broadway: Tom Hanks in "Lucky Guy"

Talk about synchronicity! Tom Hanks is now performing on Broadway, just down 44th Street from the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co restaurant! Not only that, but I'm reading the Clive Davis memoir, Soundtrack of My Life, so who should I sit directly three rows behind? Clive Davis! You could have knocked me over with a shrimp ball!

As for the play, Lucky Guy, now at the Broadhurst Theater, I think it shares a modern sense of tragedy with the musical, Evita. It's the tragedy of our shared mortality, pure and simple. In classic Greek tragedy, nemesis is divine punishment that determines the fall or death of a character. And, in theater, both the biographical Lucky Guy and Evita implicitly view illness and death as a punishment for pride and arrogance; what the Greeks labeled hubris. (That's Greek for cheeky, people!)

Lucky Guy has a Greek chorus, too, via the heavy-drinking, tough-talking, mostly Irish-American, old-school, all-male tabloid newspaper journalists to whom this play is an homage. Problem is: too much Greek chorus storytelling and not enough dramatic exposition.

The acting is pretty solid, though, and the main attraction in Lucky Guy. I had no idea that Peter Scolari was in the cast! I guess he and Tom Hanks really are Bosom Buddies, long after their gender-bender tv series of that name got canceled after two seasons! Courtney B. Vance, Mr. Angela Bassett and star of stage, screen and tv, is outstanding in the role of New York Daily News editor, Hap Hairston. And Maura Tierney shines as Hanks' long-suffering wife, Alice. The rest of the cast, without exception, are crackerjack.

As for Tom Hanks, in his Broadway debut, he puts on a most kinetic performance, rarely off the stage or off the mark (literally as well as figuratively).  He assays the role of Mike McAlary (pronounced Mac-a-larry), Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, warts and all. It's a forceful performance, though when Hanks' character is learning to walk and talk again after a very serious car accident, he sounds like he's speaking with a Swedish accent rather than a speech impediment. Granted, there's a thin line between the two!

Written by the late film director/screenwriter, Nora Ephron -- whose background was in the world of journalism as depicted at the outset of this play -- the drama moves like a well-edited movie. I'm not sure that's totally a good thing for the stage, although she certainly has a lot of territory to cover involving McAlary's crazy life. Director George C. Wolfe and David Rockwell (Scenic Design) certainly convey the snap, crackle and pop necessary to carry this off.

The ultimate tragedy is that, by the time the ambitious, often ruthless McAlary gets his Pulitzer, he is dying of colon cancer. His death, as represented in Lucky Guy, is poignant though not tear-jerking.  Tragic -- but where's that Greek catharsis we need, crave and deserve?

The printed press has given Lucky Guy mostly positive reviews, perhaps because they relate to the milieu depicted more than the overall production. The New York Times loved it! Liz Smith called it a "triumph" in The Chicago Tribune! Clive Davis looked happy. Me? I'm heading over to Bubba Gump's.

Bob Esty & Ava Cherry

Our celebration of iconic producer/songwriter Bob Esty continues. This is a really exciting Ava Cherry club number from the '80s -- "Streetcar Named Desire" -- featuring the great Glenn Rivera's Disco Video Mix, below.

Distinctive Esty mix and awesome work all around!