Twist

Meeting with Al Uretsky at Taste of Italy, swapping stories as we got to know one another a bit better, Al mentioned to me I had some interesting stories. I replied, that at my age, they are what keep me going! So he suggested I might create a monthly column where I relate stories of my choosing (we decided to leave out those involving my antics in the Marine Corps or that time I was invited to leave the U of A for a semester). So here is installment one, discussing memories. This column is simply about us old folks and our memories. We can’t remember why we walked into the kitchen, but we can recall every intimate detail of the most remote occurrence 50 or 60 years ago. And of course, no one is around who can possible challenge us!

Now, where do I begin? Gosh, what am I doing here? I know I sat down to type out something! Oh yeah; I talked to my younger son about this project, and his first suggestion was the Twist incident. A couple buddies, Carl and Bill, and I had decided to enter the competition for Junior High School Disc Jockey. Bill had a reel to reel tape deck, so we decided to record ourselves for the competition. Carl lived near one of the first radio personalities in the world, Tom Jackson, who worked for KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, and his son had sold us a double turn-table set up, replete with tubes and amplifier. We hooked up the mike and recorded our 45 rpm record entries. Mine was “Flying in on Flight 1203 are the Everly Brothers and their Ebony Eyes”. Well, we won the competition and proceeded to spin the platters at the monthly dances in the school gym.

This was 1962, and The Twist by Chubby Checker was banned. It was considered too risqué, too suggestive for kids our age (even though, as we argued, Jackie Kennedy did the Twist in the Whitehouse). But, as we approached the last dance of the year, the evil Jerry Kimmel suggested we lock ourselves in the little room we used as our studio and, half-way through the evening, put the Twist on. I needed little encouragement, although Carl and Bill protested. So, in the booth by myself, I locked the door and played The Twist….. 13 straight times, before the custodian was able to get the door unlocked. It was certainly the scandal of the year, one I was condemned to consider during my in-school detention the following week.

Submitted by Michale Roberts, Estrella resident