Rubbing Elbows: My Brushes with Celebrities chapter 4

My Uncle Pat was a tall, dark and handsome guy. I grew up adoring him. He was the baby amongst his siblings, ten years younger than my mom.

We, in the family, all adored him. He was the sweetest most down-to-Earth guy you can imagine. Maybe too much so for his own good.

I revisit this to describe some family issues that affected me during my childhood and exist even now.

I remember doing my cabaret act at the old Duplex on Grove Street back in the 1980s. My uncle and my aunt, his wife, as did my mom and stepfather.

It was, after all, my mother I most wanted to impress. Isn't that the psychological motivation for most performers? To impress our parents?

After show, mom gave me a tacit "Great show," then looked around the room and added "If only Uncle Pat had your opportunities." If I had his opportunities? My uncle had more opportunities in show biz than I'll ever have in my lifetime!

As for my uncle, he congratulated me on my performance and loved my "Prate Johnny," a minor revision of the Brecht/Weill classic "Pirate Jenny" from Three Penny Opera.

During the '50s and '60s, it was common for male singers to have a name tag or description. For example, Mel Torme was The Velvet Fog. My uncles was The Golden Voice. Indeed, it was.

This uncle had a great, campy sense of humor and introduced me to films like Baby Jane, Homicidal and Psycho. One night, when he came to my bed when I was a kid, he brushed me with the long hairs from a plastic shrunken head. He also sent me a baby alligator in the mail ~ but that's a whole later story to be told.

This all influenced my formative years. later

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, it's said. And so, this experience made me defiant and guided me to be to be who I am today. I was an English major and always had strong writing skills I'm proud to say. This all led me to my celebrity blogging. Some things are just meant to be!