In the Spring of 1974, I was given an acting role with the Black Magic Players at PC. I had done a couple of behind the scenes jobs on previous plays, but it was now time to shine. The play was "The Birthday Party" by Harold Pinter. I played a Jewish man named Goldberg, who was not a good guy. I had to learn to do a Jewish accent, which I think I pulled off.
The play was in the round, which meant that one couldn't stand in one spot for very long. I had to be careful, because I could easily hit someone's foot in the audience sitting on the front row. I did that a couple of times, but you just had to stay in character and ignore the audience. The play was very serious and dark. It required me to drink and smoke on stage. My Mother remarked afterwards that it was strange seeing me smoke a cigarette. She didn't know that I had been smoking for years, so I tried to lie to her and tell her that I didn't inhale. I blew into the cigarette to make the tip glow. I don't think she bought my story. There are a few tricks that I learned while working at PC. One was that if you have a mirror on stage, spray it with hair spray and the lights won't reflect into the audience, but the reflection of the person will show. Another was to put a small film of water in an ashtray, so one could put out a cigarette without the lingering smoke distracting the scene.
In one scene, we had to drink Scotch. Of course, it would not be the real thing. During rehearsals, we had just used water to pretend before opening night. The director sent someone to the liquor store to get a real bottle of Scotch for opening night. The prop person was to empty the Scotch bottle and replace it with tea. He did that, but he didn't wash out the bottle before putting in the tea. No one was told what had been done. When we went to drink the Scotch, it was tea-flavored Scotch. It was quite a surprise. The subsequent performances just had tea. The cast "explained" (yelled) at the prop guy afterwards about his mistake.
Another scene, toward the end of the play, required a boy to blow into Goldberg's mouth to restore him from his exhaustion. The boy was played by a high school senior and brother of one of our actors. He and I were both uncomfortable about this scene and the homosexual undertones. In rehearsals, we couldn't stop laughing. We were both embarrassed, but when I would laugh, he would laugh. When he laughed, I laughed. We just couldn't get through the scene without laughing, and it was a very serious scene. It got to the point that we had to do something to get through it without laughing. So, the director suggested for each of us not to look into the eyes of the other, but rather pick a point on the forehead of the other and stare at that during the scene. The suggestion worked, because we knew we had to get through it. I also asked the boy to use mouthwash before blowing into my mouth. That helped. A couple of times, our eyes started to tear up, because we were holding in the laughter. It made for a more convincing scene.
My acting was well received, and I finally showed the others that I had talent. The next two roles that I had required me to play old men in those. More on that later.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Introductions
I have been introduced to a lot of famous people, but this story is not about any of those. I have also tried to be as honest as possible with my stories, and this one will be no different. I only ask that you don't think any less of me after reading it. And, if you put it into the context of my life during college and beyond, then it might make more sense. So, here goes.
My Mother once told me that I have an addictive personality. Little did she know how much of that was true. When I was around 14, I discovered cigarettes. I would ride my bike over to Flora and find half-smoked cigarettes in the parking lot. Students would go out to their cars between classes to smoke, but they couldn't finish them, so they threw them on the ground. I would find those and smoke the rest. I know that wasn't too sanitary, but it was still a kick. I also would look for cars in neighborhoods with cigarette packs on the dashboards. If the cars were unlocked, I stole the packs. My favorites were Salems and Winstons. I smoked off and on until 1984. For a time in college, I smoked those small cigars. I could buy those legally. They made me look cool.
When I got to college, I discovered a few more things. First was cocaine laced snuff. They would put cocaine in snuff flavored with strawberry or cherry. I didn't do that much, but it did give me a rush. The downside was that I got nosebleeds. One was so severe in my Sophomore year that it looked like the horse head scene from "The Godfather". After that incident, I didn't do it any more. The other things I discovered in my Sophomore year was speed and downers. When I would do plays, the play would usually go until around 11pm. I would take legal speed called "No-Doz". This stuff was pure caffeine, and it was designed to keep you awake. The normal dose was one pill. Usually, I would take two. Yes, it kept me awake, but then I needed something to sleep, so I took sleeping pills. This was a regular habit. Often, I would wake up the next morning and have a headache, so I would have to take aspirin--a lot of aspirin. That did a number on my stomach. I had this routine for several years, when doing plays. I had to stop it, when I started drinking.
The only alcohol I had was the wine in Rome, which was covered earlier. When I got to PC, alcohol was more prevalent. One night, I went with some friends to a forest outside of Clinton, and I had my first taste of beer. I didn't like the taste, so someone told me to think of it as "banana juice". I know that sounds gross, but it worked. During my Senior year, I drank a lot of beer. One night, I drank 22 beers over a three-hour period. I passed out for two days. I went to a fraternity party and got very drunk. I pinched a girl's butt with ice tongs, and she told me that she had problems sitting down for a week. I also discovered daiquiris in Atlanta during this time. I liked those and Tom Collins mostly. Anything with Vodka was the best, since it didn't smell on my breath. I will address the Atlanta trip later, at least what I can remember of it. Alcohol was a part of my life until around 2000. I can't have any alcohol now without getting sick.
During that trip to the forest, I was also introduced to Marijuana. I didn't feel anything at first. No buzz. I tried it again in Atlanta and really got stoned. So much so that I went for a walk one night and found myself floating down the sidewalk. The last time I did grass was 1981. Another drug during this time was LSD. I think I only did two hits of that, but it caused me to have flashbacks for many years afterwards. Thankfully, the flashbacks never happened while I was driving. They would come every three months. Then every six months. Then every nine months. I haven't had any for about five years. I hope I have outgrown them. I never did Heroin. I had two friends die from overdoses during high school, so I had no desire to do that.
So, I had several introductions to things over a period of about 7 years. Some remained longer than others. If you look at the time frame, most of the stuff I did was during my hippie years. Most were more acceptable back then, even if much was illegal. When I reached 21, I could legally go into a liquor store, but by then it was anti-climatic, because I had already been drinking by then. I also just want to say that I do not want to suggest that it is cool to drink or take drugs. I am suffering now, in many ways, because of what I did many years before. As you read subsequent stories, you will see some things I did, which I am not proud of. They seemed fun at the time. I wouldn't even think about doing them now. I guess we all have things in our past that we are not proud of. I just wish that I had the power of being able to see the future, and then maybe I would not have done so much in the past.
My Mother once told me that I have an addictive personality. Little did she know how much of that was true. When I was around 14, I discovered cigarettes. I would ride my bike over to Flora and find half-smoked cigarettes in the parking lot. Students would go out to their cars between classes to smoke, but they couldn't finish them, so they threw them on the ground. I would find those and smoke the rest. I know that wasn't too sanitary, but it was still a kick. I also would look for cars in neighborhoods with cigarette packs on the dashboards. If the cars were unlocked, I stole the packs. My favorites were Salems and Winstons. I smoked off and on until 1984. For a time in college, I smoked those small cigars. I could buy those legally. They made me look cool.
When I got to college, I discovered a few more things. First was cocaine laced snuff. They would put cocaine in snuff flavored with strawberry or cherry. I didn't do that much, but it did give me a rush. The downside was that I got nosebleeds. One was so severe in my Sophomore year that it looked like the horse head scene from "The Godfather". After that incident, I didn't do it any more. The other things I discovered in my Sophomore year was speed and downers. When I would do plays, the play would usually go until around 11pm. I would take legal speed called "No-Doz". This stuff was pure caffeine, and it was designed to keep you awake. The normal dose was one pill. Usually, I would take two. Yes, it kept me awake, but then I needed something to sleep, so I took sleeping pills. This was a regular habit. Often, I would wake up the next morning and have a headache, so I would have to take aspirin--a lot of aspirin. That did a number on my stomach. I had this routine for several years, when doing plays. I had to stop it, when I started drinking.
The only alcohol I had was the wine in Rome, which was covered earlier. When I got to PC, alcohol was more prevalent. One night, I went with some friends to a forest outside of Clinton, and I had my first taste of beer. I didn't like the taste, so someone told me to think of it as "banana juice". I know that sounds gross, but it worked. During my Senior year, I drank a lot of beer. One night, I drank 22 beers over a three-hour period. I passed out for two days. I went to a fraternity party and got very drunk. I pinched a girl's butt with ice tongs, and she told me that she had problems sitting down for a week. I also discovered daiquiris in Atlanta during this time. I liked those and Tom Collins mostly. Anything with Vodka was the best, since it didn't smell on my breath. I will address the Atlanta trip later, at least what I can remember of it. Alcohol was a part of my life until around 2000. I can't have any alcohol now without getting sick.
During that trip to the forest, I was also introduced to Marijuana. I didn't feel anything at first. No buzz. I tried it again in Atlanta and really got stoned. So much so that I went for a walk one night and found myself floating down the sidewalk. The last time I did grass was 1981. Another drug during this time was LSD. I think I only did two hits of that, but it caused me to have flashbacks for many years afterwards. Thankfully, the flashbacks never happened while I was driving. They would come every three months. Then every six months. Then every nine months. I haven't had any for about five years. I hope I have outgrown them. I never did Heroin. I had two friends die from overdoses during high school, so I had no desire to do that.
So, I had several introductions to things over a period of about 7 years. Some remained longer than others. If you look at the time frame, most of the stuff I did was during my hippie years. Most were more acceptable back then, even if much was illegal. When I reached 21, I could legally go into a liquor store, but by then it was anti-climatic, because I had already been drinking by then. I also just want to say that I do not want to suggest that it is cool to drink or take drugs. I am suffering now, in many ways, because of what I did many years before. As you read subsequent stories, you will see some things I did, which I am not proud of. They seemed fun at the time. I wouldn't even think about doing them now. I guess we all have things in our past that we are not proud of. I just wish that I had the power of being able to see the future, and then maybe I would not have done so much in the past.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Elton John
Elton John did a concert in 1973 at the University of Georgia. He was promoting his LP "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". My friend Jimmy offered to take me to UGa on his way to Atlanta, so I could go to the show.
When I got there, the only tickets left were General Admission seats for $2 each. My seat was behind a column in the balcony. I had to peer around the column to see anything, but just being there was great. Elton had his piano draped in a cloth surrounded by lights, which made it look like the piano glowed. He wore big glasses and had a flashy costume. His band of Nigel, Davey and Dee were great. At the end of the night, he got Gregg Allman to do the encore with him, and they did "Midnight Rider" together. It was a magical night.
I saw Elton again in Columbia in 1980 at the Carolina Coliseum. A lot had happened to be since that show 7 years earlier. I was drinking more and doing drugs. I am guessing that the show in 1980 was good. I remember little bits of it, but a lot of marijuana was being passed around, as well as beer. Some guy brought some binoculars, and I got to see Elton and Nigel making faces at one another while they were playing. He was there to promote "Little Jeannie". I really don't think a concert is any better when one is stoned or drunk or both. Unless maybe the Grateful Dead, but I never saw them in concert, at least not all of them. I have been to a lot of concerts over my life, and I will discuss them later. I have been drunk, stoned and sober at various shows. I prefer to be sober, because then I can remember the shows better and enjoy the music more. To each his own.
When I got there, the only tickets left were General Admission seats for $2 each. My seat was behind a column in the balcony. I had to peer around the column to see anything, but just being there was great. Elton had his piano draped in a cloth surrounded by lights, which made it look like the piano glowed. He wore big glasses and had a flashy costume. His band of Nigel, Davey and Dee were great. At the end of the night, he got Gregg Allman to do the encore with him, and they did "Midnight Rider" together. It was a magical night.
I saw Elton again in Columbia in 1980 at the Carolina Coliseum. A lot had happened to be since that show 7 years earlier. I was drinking more and doing drugs. I am guessing that the show in 1980 was good. I remember little bits of it, but a lot of marijuana was being passed around, as well as beer. Some guy brought some binoculars, and I got to see Elton and Nigel making faces at one another while they were playing. He was there to promote "Little Jeannie". I really don't think a concert is any better when one is stoned or drunk or both. Unless maybe the Grateful Dead, but I never saw them in concert, at least not all of them. I have been to a lot of concerts over my life, and I will discuss them later. I have been drunk, stoned and sober at various shows. I prefer to be sober, because then I can remember the shows better and enjoy the music more. To each his own.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Black Magic
When I graduated from Anderson, I wanted to find a school that had a good drama department. Not to say that Anderson didn't, but I wanted to find a department that was serious about the craft. I looked at Lander, but I didn't want to live close to my grandmother, or she might make me stay with her. So, I chose Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.
At Anderson, I was the Drama King. I had won awards. I had rave reviews. I had fans. I thought I was on top of the world. When I came to PC, I found that I had to prove myself. There were 16 students in the drama program, and 3 of us were named Walter. How odd was that? Maybe some researcher could come up with an explanation like people named Walter needed an escape and chose drama. I don't know. Anyway, there we were.
The Theatre at PC was called Black Magic. It was in a classroom building on the first floor. Naturally, the walls of the Theatre were painted black, and it sat around 100 people. The Theatre could be done to all sorts of configurations, but the most popular was in the round. I had never worked that way before, and it was quite challenging. All of the students, except me, had been at PC since Freshman year. I transferred as a Junior.
The first play they did in the fall of 1974 was "Blithe Spirit". I thought that was great, since I had just done that at AC. I tried out for the lead, but didn't get it. My ego was deflated. Instead, I was named the Stage Manager. I had no idea how to do that, but I quickly learned. I also learned that there were 15 other students who were equally talented as me. This was serious stuff.
Our director was Dr. Rains. Most people called him "D. O.", which were his first and middle initials. At Anderson, no one would ever call Mr. Vivian--"Everett", at least not to his face. PC was much more loose. I was accepted almost immediately into the clan, because we were all there for the same reason--to do quality work.
Another thing I was not used to was the cast party. We didn't have those at Anderson. Let's just say it was held off campus. Enough said. In later blogs, I will talk about the plays we did during those two years that I was at PC. But, just to say for now that there were some great people in that group--Ev, Susan, Joe, Jerry, Pat, Walter, Walter, Budd, Pam, Karen, Larry, Gerald, Ann, Donna, Howard, Becky, Lin, and the rest who came through those doors.
At Anderson, I was the Drama King. I had won awards. I had rave reviews. I had fans. I thought I was on top of the world. When I came to PC, I found that I had to prove myself. There were 16 students in the drama program, and 3 of us were named Walter. How odd was that? Maybe some researcher could come up with an explanation like people named Walter needed an escape and chose drama. I don't know. Anyway, there we were.
The Theatre at PC was called Black Magic. It was in a classroom building on the first floor. Naturally, the walls of the Theatre were painted black, and it sat around 100 people. The Theatre could be done to all sorts of configurations, but the most popular was in the round. I had never worked that way before, and it was quite challenging. All of the students, except me, had been at PC since Freshman year. I transferred as a Junior.
The first play they did in the fall of 1974 was "Blithe Spirit". I thought that was great, since I had just done that at AC. I tried out for the lead, but didn't get it. My ego was deflated. Instead, I was named the Stage Manager. I had no idea how to do that, but I quickly learned. I also learned that there were 15 other students who were equally talented as me. This was serious stuff.
Our director was Dr. Rains. Most people called him "D. O.", which were his first and middle initials. At Anderson, no one would ever call Mr. Vivian--"Everett", at least not to his face. PC was much more loose. I was accepted almost immediately into the clan, because we were all there for the same reason--to do quality work.
Another thing I was not used to was the cast party. We didn't have those at Anderson. Let's just say it was held off campus. Enough said. In later blogs, I will talk about the plays we did during those two years that I was at PC. But, just to say for now that there were some great people in that group--Ev, Susan, Joe, Jerry, Pat, Walter, Walter, Budd, Pam, Karen, Larry, Gerald, Ann, Donna, Howard, Becky, Lin, and the rest who came through those doors.
Monday, March 14, 2016
The Dogwood Tree
I don't think I wrote about this earlier, but I was reminded about it yesterday, so here goes. When I was in elementary school, someone gave the students dogwood trees, which we could plant. I planted mine next to our driveway near the line dividing our house from the house next door. It was on our side of that property line.
The tree never really blossomed. It just stood there. One lone stem, reaching up about six feet. Some called it an eyesore, but it was my tree. We had another dogwood tree nearby that blossomed every year. My tree just stood there, but it was my tree.
Years later, a yard man from next door cut down my tree. He thought it was on the other side of the property line and thus belonged to my neighbors. I was heartbroken. It wasn't so much that the tree was gone. It never amounted to anything, other than a living tree. It was because it was my tree in my yard. When my parents pointed out the deed to my neighbors, they apologized profusely and offered to get us another tree. I said no. It could never replace my tree.
The moral of this story is that it may have not produced flowers, but it was my tree. Maybe some people need to reflect on what that means.
The tree never really blossomed. It just stood there. One lone stem, reaching up about six feet. Some called it an eyesore, but it was my tree. We had another dogwood tree nearby that blossomed every year. My tree just stood there, but it was my tree.
Years later, a yard man from next door cut down my tree. He thought it was on the other side of the property line and thus belonged to my neighbors. I was heartbroken. It wasn't so much that the tree was gone. It never amounted to anything, other than a living tree. It was because it was my tree in my yard. When my parents pointed out the deed to my neighbors, they apologized profusely and offered to get us another tree. I said no. It could never replace my tree.
The moral of this story is that it may have not produced flowers, but it was my tree. Maybe some people need to reflect on what that means.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Ants
I transferred from Anderson College to Presbyterian College in 1973. My choices were Lander College in Greenwood or PC in Clinton. I didn't want to go to school where my Grandmother lived, so I decided on PC. They had a very good reputation for having a good Drama program, and they did.
My roommate was chosen for me. He was a black basketball player. He liked to party at night and sleep for a couple of hours before getting up to go to class. He had an 8:00am class. Most of my classes didn't start until at least 10am. So, he would get up and put on James Brown's song "I've got ants in my pants, and I need to dance". He used that song to wake up. Unfortunately, it woke me up too. I liked James Brown but not that early.
I lived with this roommate for about a week. I couldn't stand his parties and his schedule. We mutually agreed to seek out other roommates. The dorm counselor found someone for me. His name was Gary, and he was in the same boat as me, because he didn't get along with his assigned roommate. So, Gary and I joined forces. He was a good guy, although somewhat bigoted. We had long talks at night, and by the end of the year, I had helped him work through some of his wrong thoughts. More about that situation later.
My roommate was chosen for me. He was a black basketball player. He liked to party at night and sleep for a couple of hours before getting up to go to class. He had an 8:00am class. Most of my classes didn't start until at least 10am. So, he would get up and put on James Brown's song "I've got ants in my pants, and I need to dance". He used that song to wake up. Unfortunately, it woke me up too. I liked James Brown but not that early.
I lived with this roommate for about a week. I couldn't stand his parties and his schedule. We mutually agreed to seek out other roommates. The dorm counselor found someone for me. His name was Gary, and he was in the same boat as me, because he didn't get along with his assigned roommate. So, Gary and I joined forces. He was a good guy, although somewhat bigoted. We had long talks at night, and by the end of the year, I had helped him work through some of his wrong thoughts. More about that situation later.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Going Home
Leaving Barcelona meant it was the last day of our Europe trip. We had been through a lot. From an international incident in Israel to almost being mugged in Paris to taking down a Swiss soldier to having a gun pointed at me in Barcelona, it had been a trip that I would remember the rest of my life. One requirement on our trip was never to take a picture of Sandra and Talula without makeup. So, as we were leaving the hotel to get on the bus for the airport, I took a picture of them without makeup. They were not happy about that.
We boarded our plane for home. It was to be an eight-hour flight. We stopped briefly to refuel in Lisbon before heading out for the Atlantic. The stewardess allowed us to stand on the tarmac to say we had been to Portugal. Nine countries in 21 days.
The flight home was long. Some people spent the time sleeping. I listened to music and watched a movie. They showed "Ten from Your Show of Shows" in our cabin. It was very funny. We could see the first class cabin from our seats. They were showing "1776" in there, but our movie was better. I also composed the music to a song that I had written in Israel called "Save the World for the Children". I used my arm to work out the chords for a guitar. Other passengers looked at me funny, but it passed the time. Later on in life, Pope John Paul II blessed my song.
Exhaustion was creeping in. Despite being excited that we were going home, jet lag was also kicking in. On the flight from New York to Greenville, Talula, Sandra and I were sitting on the same row. Talula's head rested on the window. Sandra's head rested on Talula's shoulder. My head rested on Sandra's shoulder. The three musketeers were together for the last time. And, we were asleep.
When the plane landed in Greenville, each family greeted the weary time travelers. My parents took me to a motel for the night and then home the next morning. It took me ten days to get over the jet lag. I had a whole bunch of pictures to develop. About a month later, I went to Sandra's home in Sandy Springs to get some pictures she had that I didn't and vice versa. She went on to the University of Georgia. I went to Presbyterian College. Talula had one more year at Anderson College. We have stayed in touch over the years, but there are a few subjects from the trip which we all promised we would never talk about. I can't write about them here. Hopefully, they will never be shared outside of what we promised. It is just something we have to respect of each other. Maybe one day...
We boarded our plane for home. It was to be an eight-hour flight. We stopped briefly to refuel in Lisbon before heading out for the Atlantic. The stewardess allowed us to stand on the tarmac to say we had been to Portugal. Nine countries in 21 days.
The flight home was long. Some people spent the time sleeping. I listened to music and watched a movie. They showed "Ten from Your Show of Shows" in our cabin. It was very funny. We could see the first class cabin from our seats. They were showing "1776" in there, but our movie was better. I also composed the music to a song that I had written in Israel called "Save the World for the Children". I used my arm to work out the chords for a guitar. Other passengers looked at me funny, but it passed the time. Later on in life, Pope John Paul II blessed my song.
Exhaustion was creeping in. Despite being excited that we were going home, jet lag was also kicking in. On the flight from New York to Greenville, Talula, Sandra and I were sitting on the same row. Talula's head rested on the window. Sandra's head rested on Talula's shoulder. My head rested on Sandra's shoulder. The three musketeers were together for the last time. And, we were asleep.
When the plane landed in Greenville, each family greeted the weary time travelers. My parents took me to a motel for the night and then home the next morning. It took me ten days to get over the jet lag. I had a whole bunch of pictures to develop. About a month later, I went to Sandra's home in Sandy Springs to get some pictures she had that I didn't and vice versa. She went on to the University of Georgia. I went to Presbyterian College. Talula had one more year at Anderson College. We have stayed in touch over the years, but there are a few subjects from the trip which we all promised we would never talk about. I can't write about them here. Hopefully, they will never be shared outside of what we promised. It is just something we have to respect of each other. Maybe one day...
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